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He had an A/T running for a while, but it might be in the archives by now. His latest A/T is about growing up in a Christian Doomsday Home-Schooling cult in NE Ohio, and it's a pretty harrowing read. I should add, Prester John, I'm glad to hear you're getting better/got a place to live now.
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Sep 8, 2014 14:48
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Cheekio posted:Does how nice a place factor into it or do you care more about having a lock you can put between you and the world? Sounds interesting, if you did and ask tell I'd read it. Both are really big factors. Having my own place that I can feel secure in a is a mighty big deal, and reduces my stress/anxiety. The ability to choose when and under what circumstances to engage the outside world under, and to be able to retreat whenever I feel I need to make a vast difference. Just having any sort of inviolable space that I feel secure in really makes a difference. Almost equally as big of a difference though is living in a "nice" place. When I was homeless there was constantly so much bad poo poo going on around me that it was like I had to shut a part of myself off to it. I'm not seeing people being revived from the literal edge of death from Heroine overdoses anymore and I'm not needing a couple days to nerve myself up to using the shower. (You really do not want to know why the showers at a homeless shelter are even worse than you imagine the bathrooms being.) I see happy families loading up the car for a day BBQ-ing at the park or trash free sidewalks lining the shady walk to my apartment from the bus stop. Which makes a bigger difference ("Nice" place vs "Any" place) is really hard to tell, honestly. From my personal experience I could argue it either way. If I do another thread it will be about homelessness as well as the associated problems of mental illness and substance abuse, since the three are so intertwined its almost impossible to speak of them separately. I wouldn't want it to be just my experiences though, we have plenty of goons with their own experiences to share. The topic of homelessness/mental illness/substance abuse is so broad that I think perhaps the best way to learn about it is to just hear other people share their own experiences, rather than a more systematized approach.
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Sep 8, 2014 14:59
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Prester John posted:Both are really big factors. Having my own place that I can feel secure in a is a mighty big deal, and reduces my stress/anxiety. The ability to choose when and under what circumstances to engage the outside world under, and to be able to retreat whenever I feel I need to make a vast difference. Just having any sort of inviolable space that I feel secure in really makes a difference. I have been hearing a lot more about programs that grant homeless people no-strings apartments. Did you get your apartment through such a program? The articles I've read have been glowing with verifiable data about the benefit of doing so. (I look forward to reading a thread about your experiences.)
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Sep 8, 2014 15:18
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I'm sure that Rush and co. will be reporting this as a regular thing that happens all the time and white people should be very scared. quote:“They were playing a game called ‘point them out, knock them out.’ Where they would point someone out and attempt to knock them out or fight them. There was no real reason behind it. It's wise to avoid all internet comments associated with this incident.
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Sep 8, 2014 15:25
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zoux posted:I'm sure that Rush and co. will be reporting this as a regular thing that happens all the time and white people should be very scared. I wonder if he'll include the new Ray Rice video as an example of this.
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Sep 8, 2014 15:26
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computer parts posted:I wonder if he'll include the new Ray Rice video as an example of this. Reminder that a ton of people were defending Rice by saying that "we don't know what happened on that elevator". Welp.
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Sep 8, 2014 15:28
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I'm homeless. This is how it happened. I was working at a call center outside Redmond, WA. I was good at it. I've worked call centers before. And they sent our jobs to India. Then I started drinking heavily while collecting unemployment that barely paid my rent. I tried and tried to get work while the economy was still hosed, and now I was a straight up have to have a drink when I wake up drunk. My family has moved out of the northwest. I'm back to Portland (well outside it anyways) where I grew up. It is loving horrible. I'm able to hold a job, I've done it many times, but as its been said not having an address fucks you. I've even gotten sober a few times and had job interviews but just sleeping and showering become huge problems. I'm not looking for sympathy just letting you all know how easy this can happen and I live in Portland, like the most homeless friendly city in the country. But I'm so scared I camp in a city 20 miles away.
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Sep 8, 2014 16:12
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TheRamblingSoul posted:Open for business for pill mills! Funnily enough most of those got shut down, which is why heroin's made a big comeback the past few years.
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Sep 8, 2014 16:26
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Neeksy posted:Because that's where your job and family and friends and connections all live. Moving is expensive and trying to find a job remotely before moving to it is difficult. Yeah I understand perfectly trying to find a job outside commuting distance. I think I've totalled 8 months of job searching since graduating in '12. Mostly due to living in desolate pits void of any fun chemistry. Finally just said gently caress it and moved to a city (that isn't rent gouged to all hell) and it still took 4 months to get an offer for FT job.
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Sep 8, 2014 16:37
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Prester John, I'm glad to hear that your situation has improved. Speaking of politicians & the homeless, I just saw this article in the local paper. Apparently panhandling has been illegal here for a while (news to me, I see people begging on corners all the time downtown) but our police chief is pushing the city council to go the extra mile and make it illegal to give to panhandlers. Fortunately, the ordinance is only a draft that hasn't been presented yet so there is still time to try and fight it.
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Sep 8, 2014 19:15
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karlor posted:Prester John, I'm glad to hear that your situation has improved. The only area where I agree that panhandling and giving to panhandlers should be discouraged (because I don't want to see full bans with penalties at all) is on roadways and intersections. I do wish that cops would make people move and prevent people from holding up traffic trying to give cash to people out their car windows due to the danger and problems it causes. Don't arrest them, don't write tickets, just tell the panhandlers to move to a different area away from the road and tell people to keep traffic flowing. Now don't get me wrong, I see no problem with giving people cash or buying them a meal if they ask. I do that myself. But on the roadway I've seen far too many close calls and idiots holding up traffic panhandling on a busy highway. There is one intersection by my parents place where it's a huge issue. There is an interstate that feeds into a 6 lane split high way and at the intersection it goes down to 4 lane, then 2 lane route. Traffic is bad enough. But at that intersection there are always 4 or so panhandlers who just run around all the lanes panhandling and more often than not they are still in the road when the lights change. More than a few times people have been hit trying to get back to the median. Also common are people getting rear ended because people speeding up from the interstate don't slow down and fail to notice that a car is trying to give one last bit of cash to a panhandler. That's the kind of thing that should be discouraged. It's an actual public safety issue. But just pushing for a ban on giving to panhandlers is only going to cause problems for charities and support groups who set up tables to help the homeless in a public area. It's going to be used only to further make the poor and homeless "invisible". It's not going to solve anything and will make things worse, but less visible so rich assholes in McMansions going to the ABC for overpriced wine can feel like they live in a "good" area that has "solved" their homeless problem.
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Sep 8, 2014 19:30
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A lot of the bans on panhandling end up running into really big First Amendment issues. Of course, it's not like the average homeless person can afford a lawyer to litigate that. Question: if you're homeless, how do you post? Phone app? I'd always assumed that the SA forums readership bottomed out at "living in Mom's basement" on the economic scale, just due to the need for internet access and (probably) video game habit(s). Hieronymous Alloy fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Sep 8, 2014 |
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Sep 8, 2014 19:33
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Fragmented posted:I'm not looking for sympathy just letting you all know how easy this can happen and I live in Portland, like the most homeless friendly city in the country. Aren't they trying to bring back the sit-lie ordinance, though?
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Sep 8, 2014 19:34
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computer parts posted:I wonder if he'll include the new Ray Rice video as an example of this. It's amazing how the NFL will go after players for violent acts on the field (or any acts if your James Harrison) but something like this they'd try to bury if at all possible and lightly punish otherwise. Here's hoping Ray Rice suffers a particularly horrific accident one day.
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Sep 8, 2014 19:45
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Sounds like he might not have that chance. http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/ravens/2014/09/08/baltimore-ravens-cut-ray-rice/15291729/
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Sep 8, 2014 19:47
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:Question: if you're homeless, how do you post? Phone app? I'd always assumed that the SA forums readership bottomed out at "living in Mom's basement" on the economic scale, just due to the need for internet access and (probably) video game habit(s). If I found myself in that situation nowadays, I'd be able to post via my smartphone easy enough, though. (it's an $80 phone that costs me $40 a month for "unlimited" internet access, more than good enough for posting on forums) But internet was never actually particularly difficult. Certainly cheaper and easier than things like food and showers. I also had internet at work.
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Sep 8, 2014 19:48
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I think the average person would tell you to just get information forwarded to you to, say, a P.O. box if you don't have a stable address. As someone with experience in that situation, I assume that's a lot more impractical than it sounds.
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Sep 8, 2014 20:35
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Guess which Ebola-ridden ISIS terrorist entered the US illegally. Time to build a fence along the length of Lake Erie!
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Sep 8, 2014 20:35
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Radish posted:Sounds like he might not have that chance. Keep him in prison until his money dries up.
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Sep 8, 2014 20:36
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Where I live there are a lot of panhandlers who end up on the medians by freeway onramps. It's usually desert landscaping so they just stand on the rocky landscape that's hedged in by concrete right by the traffic lights. Now however people are noticing that Cholla is being planted in the exact spots that they stand (aka. the ideal spot to hold a sign and collect donations from commuters). Cholla is one of the nastiest members of the cacti family. The spines are dense, needle sharp and very brittle so they fracture and multiply easily once they're on you. As well the branches are these small segmented cylinders so small lengths of the cactus can easily fall off and roll around and after a while even the ground around the Cholla is treacherous. So the conspiracy talk around here is they're being deployed as a countermeasure against panhandlers. 
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Sep 8, 2014 20:40
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ComradeCosmobot posted:Guess which Ebola-ridden ISIS terrorist entered the US illegally. I thought so.
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Sep 8, 2014 20:40
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JT Jag posted:I think the average person would tell you to just get information forwarded to you to, say, a P.O. box if you don't have a stable address. As someone with experience in that situation, I assume that's a lot more impractical than it sounds. Lots of stuff doesn't just require a stable address, it requires "proof of residency". Which reminds me that in my glorious state (and many others) you cannot legally drive if you are homeless, since being a legal driver requires proof of residency. (Oregon is a wonderful exception here) Although apparently many homeless shelters have stuff in place to let you use them as an address for this purpose. GlyphGryph fucked around with this message at 21:11 on Sep 8, 2014 |
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Sep 8, 2014 20:53
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Bhaal posted:Where I live there are a lot of panhandlers who end up on the medians by freeway onramps. It's usually desert landscaping so they just stand on the rocky landscape that's hedged in by concrete right by the traffic lights. Now however people are noticing that Cholla is being planted in the exact spots that they stand (aka. the ideal spot to hold a sign and collect donations from commuters). So not only are they deterring panhandling they're keeping the local tire stores in business from all the loving flats caused by errant needles and cylinders? JOB CREATORS!
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Sep 8, 2014 21:06
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ComradeCosmobot posted:Guess which Ebola-ridden ISIS terrorist entered the US illegally. I don't doubt folks can boat across from Canada with good odds of not getting caught, but knowing James O'Keefe, I'd almost bet there's an edited out stop by the Coast Guard or a suspicious cop or something.
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Sep 8, 2014 21:31
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ComradeCosmobot posted:Guess which Ebola-ridden ISIS terrorist entered the US illegally. This is so loving dumb. The article talks like he proved the exact scenario could happen, but all he really did was dress like a ninja, do some roleplaying, and take a boat across Lake Erie.
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Sep 8, 2014 21:35
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Around Austin there probably isn't a 4-lane/4-lane intersection with a median that doesn't have panhandlers at it. The law, as I understand it, is that the city can't do anything about it because the medians belong to TXDOT and TXDOT has a billion other things they need to spend the money they don't have on. The city leadership has certainly tried because in many ways Austin's political class ceases to be liberal the instant it might negatively affect them in any way. Where things get frustrating is that the guy with the *hilarious* "wife and kids kidnapped by ninjas, need $$$ for kung-fu lessons!" sign or the guy who's 4 year old kid has been "too cute for cancer" for five years now becomes the face of homelessness for the majority of people. They can then justify opposing any homeless programs in a way they couldn't if they knew the true "average" homeless person would be something like the woman and kids that bolted to get away from an abuser, the GLBT teenager who got thrown out, or the guy who lost his job and is living out of his car while picking up day work. Anyway there is a scammy "church" group here who are 1000x worse about aggressive panhandling than the homeless ever are.
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Sep 8, 2014 21:36
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I know it's a pipe dream, but Sanders is pushing for a vote on a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision. http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/recent-business/overturn-citizens-united2 What are the chances it even makes it to the floor?
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Sep 8, 2014 21:42
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ComradeCosmobot posted:Guess which Ebola-ridden ISIS terrorist entered the US illegally. Got real excited when I thought that little wiener had ebola. Send him to Liberia for real or report his disgusting slander of the glorious Islamic State IMO.
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Sep 8, 2014 21:43
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Shifty Pony posted:Around Austin there probably isn't a 4-lane/4-lane intersection with a median that doesn't have panhandlers at it. The law, as I understand it, is that the city can't do anything about it because the medians belong to TXDOT and TXDOT has a billion other things they need to spend the money they don't have on. The city leadership has certainly tried because in many ways Austin's political class ceases to be liberal the instant it might negatively affect them in any way. The last time I went to Austin we stopped at a light and some homeless guys came up and started washing our car. We of course felt obliged to pay them for the service (it was pretty clever if nothing else).
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Sep 8, 2014 21:43
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computer parts posted:The last time I went to Austin we stopped at a light and some homeless guys came up and started washing our car. We of course felt obliged to pay them for the service (it was pretty clever if nothing else). They'll sometimes  up to your car. Some folks even turn their wiper sprays outwards to discourage them.
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Sep 8, 2014 21:52
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JT Jag posted:I wonder, did he enter Canada in his jihadi costume, or did he travel all the way to the border as Trustworthy White Man and switch things up there to make a point? His solution is also what, a massive security apparatus that would actively patrol the borders and require tens of thousands of agents? I'm sure this won't come up in any right wing circlejerk interviews he does. Or that Cleveland's water supply comes straight from Erie without any sort of heavy filtration and purification? Sure it's Cleveland but even they have some standards.
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Sep 8, 2014 21:52
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Shifty Pony posted:Anyway there is a scammy "church" group here who are 1000x worse about aggressive panhandling than the homeless ever are. Those people make my blood boil. I know some downtown bar managers (ok I know 1 downtown bar manager) who's really liberal but who's also super against giving money to panhandlers. I'm downtown sometimes for technical meetups etc. and I am therefore torn. I usually will hand over a little cash if I have some. It's a really lovely situation. The phenomenon of panhandlers concocting weird elaborate stories about being stuck needing just $3 to get something for their car or whatever fascinates me. Surely some sociology grad student has written a thesis about that. I mean some of these people are probably ill but it can't be all of them. Well I guess maybe it could be 
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Sep 8, 2014 21:53
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In both O'Keefe border crossings he is unarmed, in the Canadian one he has bags labeled 'ricin' I guess we should just ignore how hard it would be for anyone in the Americas to get their hands on high explosives, or for someone without documentation to get heavy weapons (if a jihadi did shoot up a public place how different would that be from any other incident? And poisoning the water supply? That's just part of life in WV). But the Daily Mail does mention he is 'Ebola-infested' to maximize the booga-booga.
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Sep 8, 2014 21:57
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FilthyImp posted:This happens in Mexico all the time, from what I remember. They used to be a big problem in NYC, too, until Giuliani cracked down on them.
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Sep 8, 2014 21:58
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Prosopagnosiac posted:I know it's a pipe dream, but Sanders is pushing for a vote on a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision. None because he's trying to limit the first amendment.
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Sep 8, 2014 21:58
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computer parts posted:The last time I went to Austin we stopped at a light and some homeless guys came up and started washing our car. We of course felt obliged to pay them for the service (it was pretty clever if nothing else). This phenomenon is so common there is a wikipedia entry http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squeegee_man Anecdote: I see these dudes pretty often in Los Angeles, and many gas stations don't have squeegees and never replace them because they get stolen. Fine by me, let someone else turn it into a business; I never wash my filthy car 
Chard fucked around with this message at 22:07 on Sep 8, 2014 |
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Sep 8, 2014 22:05
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Amergin posted:None because he's trying to limit the first amendment. Which a subsequent amendment could do, of course.
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Sep 8, 2014 22:06
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Amergin posted:None because he's trying to limit the first amendment. Here we go again! *laugh track* Regarding the homeless discussion, I think it really illustrates how unsympathetic and oftentimes outright disdainful people are towards the poor. Mental issues and drug addiction aside, it's bad enough out there that people with degrees are working minimum wage service jobs, why on earth would anyone hire a person who may not even be able to reliably shower every day? If the deck were that stacked against me I would pretty much be looking for the fastest way to overdose.
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Sep 8, 2014 22:15
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:
I still have my smart phone and there is WiFi everywhere. I might sleep in a tent but gently caress if I'm going to miss out on game of thrones and reading somethingawful. You would be suprised how many homeless have at least a smart phone.
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Sep 8, 2014 22:16
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Prosopagnosiac posted:I know it's a pipe dream, but Sanders is pushing for a vote on a constitutional amendment to overturn the Citizens United decision. Live now: http://www.c-span.org/video/?320891-1/us-senate-morning-business&live Chuck Grassley, DBAG-Iowa is arguing that the democrats are trying to destroy the first amendment
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Sep 8, 2014 22:20
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