Tag Archives: The Homeless Blogger

Giving it all away

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At work on Tuesday 05/08/12, the radio station they had on the PA played Genesis’ “Giving it all away.”

People see things different ways given their personal circumstances.

I know nothing about Phil Collins personally. But in all likelihood, were he to “give it all away” as he understands it, he would probably have a lot left.

Not I.

All I own is the contents of two heavy bags. Giving it all away would be a simple gesture. And afterwards, I would have nothing.

———— ♦ ————

That afternoon, as usual, as soon as I got to my bunk I sat down and got out my medications for the evening. The guy assigned to the bunk above me was a newcomer, real clean-cut, a Jake Pavelka lookalike.

“Got any goodies in those pill bottles?” he asked.

“No,” I answered.

“It’d been cooler if you’d said yes,” he said.

As usual, I put my meds back in my zipper bag when I finished, and, as usual, I locked it.

Because of guys like him.

(Originally published 05/09/12 at Trojan Horse Productions.  Reposted 10/30/13, 12/29/16.)
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Yes, I do have a hidden agenda …

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… as to my choices of music for the show.

(Visit the Playlist!)

First, I want to establish an atmosphere conducive to folks’ listening to and learning from each other. As I remark at the conclusion of Free Speech Handbook, “Awe in the face of the unknown may be the healthiest of all human postures.”

Second, I want to make available to my listeners music and concepts that are under-represented in the market-driven playlists of commercial music stations.

I can’t apologize too much for leaving out music that I just don’t like. In many styles of blues, for example, performers impersonate someone who is drunk or high. I don’t want to be around such people, see or hear them. So much for those styles of blues. Now, on the other hand, I like practically everything the Rolling Stones have done, and most of that is, in fact, blues.

But just because I like a song won’t get it on the show.
Continue reading Yes, I do have a hidden agenda … →

Oh, what a tangled web we weave …

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… when first we practice to deceive.

Closing arguments in Julius Henson election fraud trial

I have had direct contact with trials involving Edward Smith, Jr. in the past, such that his antics here come to me as no surprise.

The question I ask is whether it’s worth it to tell the truth, and what happens when we don’t.

[To be continued …]

(Originally posted 05/09/12 at Trojan Horse Productions.)

 ———— ♦ ————

A new page has appeared at The Homeless Blogger:  “Choose your name.”

One can also take a sneak peek at the related post scheduled for release 2014-03-12, “What’s in a name?”

(Originally posted 01/01/14.)

talk show host, on air talent, radio talk show, the homeless blogger

Fusion; Scruffy people in commercials; The most bizarre Xmas ever

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(Originally posted 12/30/13.)

George F. Will’s 12/21/13 column, “A dazzling bright future dawns in New Jersey,” is an infomercial for a fusion energy project.

Two points:

“Because of its large scale and long time horizon, the fusion project is a perfect example of a public good the private sector cannot pursue and the public sector should not slight.”

Whatever became of the concept of venture capital?

Continue reading Fusion; Scruffy people in commercials; The most bizarre Xmas ever →

Nancy Lanza, chapter 2

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Here continues a conversation that began with the comments on my 12/28/13 post, “Nancy Lanza, a mother tragic and infuriating.”  One should also see the 12/29/13 post at lwk’s blog, “How would you prevent another Sandy Hook?”

Three principles of Free Speech Handbook are prominent to me as I approach this writing.  I myself must beware temptations to change the subject and filibuster, though filibuster rarely happens in writing.  It is important that each participant deal with exactly what the other person says.  Thinking of what to say here, I’ve already found myself trying to refute things my opponent never said.  Gun control, abortion and race are three topics especially prone to that difficulty.

On reflection, what lwk is actually proposing is reasonable.  We know for certain what crooks will do if large amounts of cash don’t have armed guards.  We know for certain what the Jared Loughners and John Hinckleys will do if elected officials don’t have armed guards.  And we know for certain — now — what the perpetrators of Columbine, Aurora and Newton will do if large groups of children don’t have armed guards.
Continue reading Nancy Lanza, chapter 2 →

Nancy Lanza, a mother tragic and infuriating

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On Thursdays, for some time now, I’ve been reproducing old posts — reproducing the whole post.  Today I must make an exception, because the comments on this post became much more significant than the post itself.  So I will merely link to the original:

Nancy Lanza, a mother tragic and infuriating

The December 14, 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was, at the time, the worst mass murder shooting in American history.  It left the nation stunned.  The perpetrator, Adam Lanza, was a singularly troubled young man, and likewise his mother — the title says it in a nutshell, about her.  The original post links to a WaPo article about her.

Original post appeared 12/28/13.

Aromatherapy, Millet and Celebrities

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(Originally posted 12/23/13.)

In the past, I’ve seen many print ads that use the word “aromatherapy.” They seemed to me only to be selling fragrances, and I didn’t see the point of using that word.

Light endorses the Bach Flower Remedies. I’m skeptical.

Continue reading Aromatherapy, Millet and Celebrities →

The Rich and the Rest of Us

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(Originally posted 04/18/12 at Trojan Horse Productions.  Reposted 12/11/13.)

From a flyer announcing a presentation tonight at 7:00 p.m. at Enoch Pratt Free Library:

Record unemployment and rampant corporate greed, empty houses but homeless families, dwindling opportunitites in a paralyzed nation — these are the realities of America, land of the free and home of the new middle-class poor.

In The Rich and the Rest of Us, award-winning broadcaster Tavis Smiley and Dr. Cornel West, one of the nation’s leading public intellectuals, take on the “p” word — poverty. They challenge all Americans to re-examine their assumptions about poverty in America — what it is and how to eradicate it.

I cannot attend that presentation, even if I wanted to, since as of 3:00 p.m. I must head back to the shelter to stay in for the night.

I know little about Cornel West and nothing about Tavis Smiley, but I do know something about poverty. I do not believe it can be eradicated. Thus any analysis that supposes that it can, is mistaken at its core.

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