Bookmarks:
Peek-a-boo bear • “I went to jail to understand my daughter.” •
Continue reading * Peek-a-boo bear
* Smoking
Wednesday 2016-09-21
Behind certain events of Sunday 09/18 that I will report later, I am making new efforts this week to reduce or eliminate smoking.
This has nothing to do with my finances or health. Instead, it’s all about choosing feelings.
* A MUST-READ CONCERNING JUSTICE AND POVERTY
(Originally posted 10/05/13. Reblogged 07/25/24.)
The Marshmallow Study Revisited
For the past four decades, the “marshmallow test” has served as a classic experimental measure of children’s self-control: will a preschooler eat one of the fluffy white confections now or hold out for two later?
Now a new study demonstrates that being able to delay gratification is influenced as much by the environment as by innate ability. Children who experienced reliable interactions immediately before the marshmallow task waited on average four times longer—12 versus three minutes—than youngsters in similar but unreliable situations.
The article explores the issues in some depth.
o Job search diary 09/08/16 – 09/20/16
| THURSDAY 2016-09-08 |
| CVS |
| Visited site using a Mac in a different part of the church office. Had to change password. Was unable to access any information about my previous applications. No current openings suitable for me in Maryland. Will need to ask someone more familiar with this terminal to help me turn on the sound. |
| The availability of this terminal to me is a game-changer, as I will be able to access numerous other sites, e.g. Target, that had only been available to me at the library. However, I will also need someone to teach me the basic Mac keyboard shortcuts; I’m only familiar with Windows. |
* Are blacks more violent?
Confronting the myth that “black culture” is responsible for violent crime in America
Friday, September 2, 2016
On the one hand, I am strongly tempted to include this one in my list of “biased headlines.”
On the other hand, whether or not I agree with him — At this writing, I’ve read most of the article but not all, and have not yet been able to determine whether or not I do. — German Lopez presents here a very thorough and balanced analysis. This piece is to be regarded as a tremendous resource for any future discussions.
Reblogged 07/18/24.
* Courage to walk unarmed
Jeffrey Snyder suggests that carrying a handgun is both a right and a duty of every law-abiding citizen.
This is hard for me to relate to; as, for all practical purposes, no such people exist in my world.
Gun lovers’ slogans include, “When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.” Forget laws; in my world, only outlaws have guns now.
I have no impulse to join them.
Continue reading * Courage to walk unarmed
* Hot under the collar in public schools
* Prayer cannot be politically correct.
Monday, September 5, 2016
There is a certain time in my daily prayer routine when I give attention to each of certain names that aren’t on any list. This happens to include every single member of the church youth group whose name is known to me. (It happens to include all those names. It’s not by design. Each one got on there individually.)
Only one of those individuals is the same color as me.
* Take things in stride
16:03 Thursday 2016-09-08
A case on point.
Today as I walked toward the shelter, I contemplated that I am likely to have no smokes during the day tomorrow. How will I handle this; how will I feel about it? Factors:
• How important is it, compared to other things I may attend to?
• Can I take things in stride?
• (There was a third one, that escapes me just now.)
Then I arrived at the shelter. It was 15:25, and the gate was locked. In the end, I got turned away.
For the second time in two days.
* Must I work for Rent-a-Bum?
(Originally published 08/11/12 at Trojan Horse Productions; reblogged 10/30/13 here.)
If you go into a men’s room and see that someone’s taken his backpack and perhaps suitcase with him into the stall, you can conclude two things: (1) He’s homeless. (2) In his world, squalor is so intense he can’t leave his bags anywhere, or things will be stolen.
All kinds of people steal from the homeless.
They’ll steal your socks. It may only be a pair of socks, but if it’s your only pair of socks, it really hurts.
I stood smoking outside Dunkin’ Donuts and this man came up to talk. He was looking pretty rough. Walked on crutches, and one bare foot. He told me he’d spent the night outside, and while he slept, someone stole one shoe.
One of the few shreds of dignity left to me is that I don’t have to take my bags with me into the bathroom stall. At Dunkin’ Donuts or Lenny’s or the library, I leave my bags in a certain place and they’re all still there when I return. At the shelter, I stash my bags under the bunk, and no one disturbs them. I do lock the bag that has my phone, my cash and my prescriptions (link).
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I knew I was likely to become homeless months before it actually happened. I had contacts with the City’s Office of Homeless Services and obtained a list of shelters Continue reading * Must I work for Rent-a-Bum?
The Homeless Blogger 