I'm the luckiest guy in the world

[MannyGoldstein]

I'm here at the Watertown Mall with our son, waiting to buy the new Playstation 4 when it comes out at midnight. We actually were here early enough to score one!

But that's not why I'm lucky.

I'm lucky because I'm not homeless.

We had to wait outside in line for a few hours at 40 deg F. It's one thing to move around in the cold, but not moving is another thing entirely. It was #%^*ing cold. And that's what people do most of the time: we don't move. And if we don't have a home...

As bad as things are today, I have a home, and food, and heat. And so many other things, really. In a time and place where cutting food stamps and Social Security is considered great sport highly responsible.

Let's turn things around so all of us can have a home, and food, and heat, and so many other things. Tomorrow, I'll look into local homeless shelters. Nobody should be cold.

Peace.

Update: Now go to Lady Freedom Returns' post and put some stuff in your car to help the homeless when you see them:

What do people need on the street? Many things.

Thanks!

[uponit7771]

1. +1

[2banon]

2. Hear, Here!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

3. That trick on "The Untouchables" works. Stamp your feet. It'll warm you up.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. I was pogoing

Probably less energy efficient than foot stomping, I'll try that next time. But I did get to pretend I was at a Ramones concert.

[Ace Acme]

31. If you tense your muscles, that creates heat even if you're standing still. nt

[liberal_at_heart]

5. I can't imagine being cold all the time. It's good to donate all year round but now is a great time

to donate coats, blankets, socks, and gloves. My husband has a friend who is on assistance and has to go to the food bank, but luckily does have a roof over his head. When we find things around the house we are not using he is usually the first one we ask if he needs anything.

[mountain grammy]

6. It's not that people work harder or are smarter..

90% of the time, it's all about luck, and it's not so much about having good luck, it's about not having bad luck.

[MannyGoldstein]

8. The older I get, the more I realize that's true. nt

[Ace Acme]

32. People make their own luck.

I have a bad habit of refusing to kiss ass. Very bad luck.

You have to kiss a lot of stinky asses to have good luck.

[sammythecat]

42. I think luck is still involved

Some might consider themselves lucky to have the option. Some might kiss that ass and consider the payoff well worth it. Some might be in the position where they simply can not "afford" to not kiss that ass because of previous bad luck while someone else is fortunate enough to be able to refuse kissing the ass. And another, because of their pride and self-worth (not necessarily bad things), can't bear the humiliation. Even pride and self-worth are mostly products of genetics and good mentoring, which is another way of saying luck.

The more I think about it the more it seems to me that luck is involved in every decision we make. All of them, every single one. Take every situation, every circumstance, boil it down and there will always be luck at the bottom of the pot.

[Tree-Hugger]

7. Excellent!!!!

[raging moderate]

9. Rubbing your arms also helps a lot.

Rub them very fast! The friction generates heat. It also works on legs and feet. Put your hands in your armpits . That helps, too. If you cover your head in a blanket, your breath warms you up a little. Stay warm, dear ones! We need every one of you.

[Blue_In_AK]

10. Imagine being homeless in Anchorage,

where it sometimes goes below zero in the winter. Every year people freeze to death here.

[MannyGoldstein]

11. It sometimes goes below zero here in Boston

I can't begin to imagine the Hell it must be as a homeless person when it's so cold.

[Blue_In_AK]

12. Me either.

How are you all fixed for homeless shelters? We have a good one here, but they've been at capacity and have had to institute a limit on how long a person can stay. Housing costs are pretty expensive here, as I imagine they are in Boston, too. It's a huge problem.

[MannyGoldstein]

15. I don't know the situation here.

I'm guessing that things are OK compared to other parts of the country, because things tend to be done pretty well around here. My brother-in-law is involved in homeless policy stuff in Seattle, he tells me that the East Coast generally doesn't suck on that front.

I guess I'll find out more.

[MADem]

19. We do better than most.

Look downthread at my post w/videos, those are two of the city's premier ones. Even in the smaller cities, though, there's shelter. May not be as good as Rosie's or Pine Street, but warm and safe.

[winter is coming]

13. Geez, Manny, you're slipping. An OP that won't piss anyone off??

[MannyGoldstein]

14. LOL. Relax.

I'd bet there's been at least one alert.

[Vashta Nerada]

16. You stood outside for a few hours in 40 degree weather to buy a $600 gaming console?

Sounds like a first world problem.

But I wholeheartedly agree with your final paragraph.

[MannyGoldstein]

17. $400.

But you're right. I have no real problems.

I'm very lucky in so many ways compared to most of the Earth's population.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

35. I heard a guy on the radio today

saying he bought 2 of those playstations....one for his kid and one he's going to try to sell online marked up to $700 or $800. Meanwhile, the old games don't work on the new one???? What a damn ripoff. Yeah, some of us are very lucky indeed.

[MannyGoldstein]

40. We had 2 Brazilians on line with us

One said he'd get $2k for it in Brazil, the other $4k. Every time I look at my son's new PS4, I think bad thoughts.

[MADem]

18. These people do very good work.

http://www.rosiesplace.org/

It's a women's shelter, they get a few bucks from me when I can manage it.

The Pine Street Inn is another worthwhile charity. They used to be for just men back in the day, but now they take women too:

http://www.pinestreetinn.org/

[4Q2u2]

28. Both do very Good Work

Rosie's Place is very essential. The woman only shelters are really needed. The Pine Street Inn can be rough and tumble at times. I worked on the building for almost a year and saw the day to day activities. I used to watch them come out from under the highway to go get lunch and dinner. Some of those days were bitter cold. All of them looked well older than their real age. It is a hard life.

I witness the terrible impact that drugs and alcohol have had on people. I met a lot of the clients and knowing that the mental illness that had a grip so tightly on them that they were probably never going to be cured and this was part of their life cycle. These were some of the frailest and easily picked on. I used to give them clothes that I had to donate, sometime I would steal company shirts out of the General Foreman's truck and give them out. On a few occasions I saw the clothes that I gave to one person was being worn by someone else. I would ask why the other person was wearing their clothes, and every time the person was intimidated or threatened for the items. Well me not being a big fan of bullies, I would inform certain individuals that they had taken things from one of my friends and it needed to be returned. I then would strongly inform them that this was a friend of mine and I would be looking out for them every day. Specially if that person was a brother VET. I would find them a safe place on the job site to sit near me so they did not have to worry about anybody bothering them. At the end of the day I would walk them to the door to get their dinner and bed. In the morning I would find them and make sure they were safe and no one picked on them. Lots came and went, some returned, others I never saw again. Of all the small things I tried to do, I think giving a little peace of mind and a safe place in their lives even for a moment was the best thing I could do.

Life; so beautiful and tragic at times. I hope we start doing a better job of it in this world.

[MADem]

41. +1,000, and thank you for giving a shit about your fellow humans--not enough people do, I think.

Great post!

[Fumesucker]

20. What do people on the street need?

Lady Freedom Returns gives us a list.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024033954


My heat tripped the breaker the other night when it was 27 degrees outside, I woke up at 6 AM to 40 degree temps inside, Brrr.

[idwiyo]

21. k&r

[Enthusiast]

22. K&R................nt

[Fumesucker]

23. I think it's ironic that your post talking about being cold gets 78 recs (at this moment)

While Lady Freedom Returns' post detailing substantive action that anyone and everyone can actually do for the homeless right now only has 21 recs at the moment.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024033954

[MannyGoldstein]

25. Ugh.

This kind of stuff drives me nuts, thanks for pointing it out. I'll point to LFR's OP in my OP.

[ProSense]

26. Welcome to stuff that makes people feel good.

This thread isn't really about the homeless.

[ProSense]

24. I'm the "luckiest" person in the world

I'm surviving, have a roof over my head and still have my health.

[woodsprite]

27. Don't know if this is nationwide or not -- Code Purple sanctuaries

We have a network of them here in New Castle Co. (Newark and Wilmington have them), DE and it looks like they may have something similar in Asheville, NC. Here's the blurb from their website:

"The Friendship House and the faith communities of the Newark Homeless Coalition operate an overnight sanctuary when there is forecasted life-threatening weather conditions. Typically, a Code Purple night will be called when the forecasted wind chill factor falls below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

This is not a shelter. There are no beds, showers, or lockers. It is simply a warm, safe room in the facility of one of our congregations. It is open from 6:00pm to 6:00am. The host congregation will provide a light supper in the evening, hot beverages throughout the night, and personal attention to each client's needs before morning departure, including transportation vouchers for those who need them."

Seven of the 8 local facilities are within walking distance from where I work. I believe they rotate responsibilities so not all are open each evening there is a code purple. Many of the people we talk to throughout town can't believe that we have as many homeless in the area as we do, or that we would need someplace like this in town. The church I belong to also has a discretionary fund and medical benevolence fund. They are for anybody who needs help -- whether they're a member or a stranger -- help is there for rent, shelter, heat, special food, clothes/coats, medicines, etc.

[rhett o rick]

29. One of my wife's former students thinks he is lucky because he got some part time work and now

he will be able to live in his car. He seems pleased when he told her that.

[MannyGoldstein]

38. Unbelievable. That's what our country's become.

We need to start kicking some serious butt, 'cos this is nuts.

[rhett o rick]

39. I'm warming up my leg as we speak (type). nm

[merrily]

30. Well, this is annoying.

I was just about finished procrastinating for the day when I decided to check out DU for a couple of minutes.

But I saw this thread and knew I had no choice but to log in to rec and kick.

Thanks, Mannie for a critically needed thread.

[toby jo]

33. A 1$ surcharge on every professional sports ticket sold per city,

a $100 charge per private plane at the local airports, how 'bout 5% per diamond sold?

LUXURY TAX to establish shelters and feed our homeless.

Criminal that we still have people wandering with no roof over their head.

[chervilant]

34. You rock, Manny!

I've thought so since the very first of your threads I encountered oh so long ago!

[marble falls]

36. Best o'the seasons to you, Manny. You're a gift to DU.

[Liberal_in_LA]

37. kick