Liz Murray Presents Keynote Speech @ Conference of Affordable Housing in Augusta, Maine Today

Just came across an article reporting that Liz Murray, of Homeless to Harvard fame, will be delivering the keynote address at Gov. John Baldacci´s Conference of Affordable Housing at the Augusta Civic Center today (Tuesday, September 21, 2004). The conference is sponsored by the Maine State Housing Authority.

Read the article: Former homeless woman to address Maine housing conference.

Wired News: Don't Mess With Librarians

Excellent must-read article concerning Jessamyn West is a 36-year-old librarian living in central Vermont.

[via Jessamyn's journal, here]

One never knows just when this little bit of information will come in handy

How to Fix a Running Toilet

A running toilet can be a simple thing to fix, and water savings add up quickly..

[...]

[via Biz Stone]


:-) [smile]

Jimmy Carter visits Google

Jimmy Carter visits Google, originally uploaded by jasonshellen.

via Biz Stone, who wrote (here):

Jimmy Carter Does Standup
Yes, Jimmy Carter visited today. When I told my mom Jimmy Carter was going to visit she said "Jimmy Cahtah? Ask him if he's related to Magna Cahtah!" (I did not.) When asked who he would pick for president out of anyone he knew assuming they were over 35, US citizen, etc., he answered, "My wife. She's touchy about her age but I can reveal to you that she's over 35." Funny stuff. Also, before he said anything he said he was worried with all of us Googlers in one room that there were millions of people out there sitting in front of broken computers; all their questions going unanswered. You don't accomplish what Mr. Carter has accomplished without a good dose of humor.

Excellent blog post in my opinion, Great stuff!

In his last sentence, Biz is right on the money, that is for certain.

My own comment, which I posted on the page at Flickr, where the photo is hosted, is as follows (excerpted) [via here]:

Back in the '76 Presidential, which he won of course, I voted for Jimmy Carter. It was the first election I was eligible to vote in of course, as I was 19-years old at the time and they had dropped the voting age to 18 sometime prior to then (cannot recall when actually). Anyway, I got really involved and excited about that election. It was something else! Its great that he visited Google. Jimmy Carter is truly an amazing and wonderful person. [...] Thanks for posting the photo. Superb! Speaking of which, I'd like to see if you or any of us would look as good when we reach the age he is now.

For additional information concerning Jimmy Carter, his Presidency as well as his continued life's work, please visit the following Websites:

• Biography of Jimmy Carter



• Jimmy Carter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



• Internet Public Library: POTUS -- Jimmy Carter



• American President: Jimmy Carter



• American Presidents: Life Portraits - Jimmy Carter



• Jimmy Carter Library and Museum



• The Carter Center - Human Rights Organization



• The American Prospect: Carter's Crusade

  Jimmy Carter explains how the Christian right isn't Christian at all



• Jimmy Carter's Address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston

Homeless use Internet to be connected

Addresses on the Web let them keep in touch; Logging on at libraries, shelters

By Tricia Bishop
Sun Staff
Originally published September 12, 2004

David Kriss doesn't have a home or a regular place to sleep, but he's got several addresses - all of them on the Internet.

The 34-year-old gets his mail electronically, he meets friends at virtual message boards, and he stores his ideas on several Web sites he has helped develop.

Homeless for the past year and a half, Kriss is part of a growing number of displaced people turning to the Internet for help, companionship and psychological release. While society's most disadvantaged members and the latest in communications technology may seem an odd fit, the Internet age has been a welcome advance for the homeless as computers have become more available in community centers, public libraries and the like.

"I use it for everything," Kriss said last week from a community computer lab at the nonprofit South Baltimore Learning Center in Federal Hill.

[...]

Read the article, here.
[*Note*: free registration required to access and read article]


*Update*: In addition, the same article is also now available in archived format here, via the blog of Crystal Evans: The thoughts and opinions of a formerly homeless girl (posted this particular update on Monday, September 20, 2004 @ 9:54 PM [EDT]).


This is an article, published in the Sunday, September 12, 2004 edition of the Baltimore Sun , which -- as indicated within the excerpts above -- tells the story of 34-year-old David Kriss, who lives homeless in the Baltimore, Maryland area and of his Internet work and efforts on behalf of others in the area who may also be experiencing homelessness.

The article also, later, mentions others living are homeless (or formerly so) whom use the Internet in various ways, including Dan McAfee who is from Baltimore as well, is formerly homeless and whom also has computer skills.

The article describes how Dan set up a homeless discussion board a year ago for people living homeless in Maryland, which David helped to develop further.

They have also worked together on creating the Baltimore Homeless and Helping our homeless Websites.

This article is definitely a suggested read and, not merely due to the fact that yours truly was mentioned within it along with others:

[...]

A Web log

"We've always had a steady stream of homeless traffic," said librarian Melanie Oliver, who encourages everyone to use the library's resources, regardless of economic status. "At first, they would just come in to use the public restrooms or sit and read magazines or public newspapers, but more are wanting to use the Internet."

It's a natural fit, said Kriss, who now prefers to stay with friends if he can or sleep outside instead of going to the shelter.

Morgan W. Brown, a 48-year-old homeless man in Montpelier, Vt., has been writing a Web log - or "blog" (http://norsehorses-turf.blogspot.com) - for two years, first about homeless issues, then about his personal experiences."

Having an outlet is real important," Brown said by phone last week from a motel, a rare luxury he sprung for to clear his head and clean up, he said. "Especially with being homeless, it's taken on a bit different meaning."

Runaway

Brown's first experience with homelessness came when he was 17 and running away from an abusive, alcoholic father, he said. He spent the next 20-plus years sporadically homeless until about seven years ago, when he last had a residence. He's been "couch surfing" at friends' homes or camping out ever since.

The journal gives him a home on the Web and a way to communicate with family, without having to e-mail each individually."

It's important to be able to connect with people about stuff that's going on and not feel isolated," Brown said.

[...]

In the paragraph that makes initial mention of me and of when I first began my blogging, the reference to my blogging about homeless matters concerns the North American Homeless News Network (NAHNN) blog I set up on October 5, 2002 (here), which has been dormant for nearly a year now.

While I had known about blogging prior to then, it was not until I read about Kevin Barbieux (who lives homeless in Nashville, Tennessee) and his blogging in the October 3, 2002 USA Today article 'A homeless guy finds a refuge on the Internet', that I finally decided to sit down and give blogging a try to find out if I too could do it as well.

However it was not until November 20, 2002 that I finally got around to blogging my own personal blog, which is now Norsehorse's Old Home Turf.

Speaking of Kevin and his blog, back in late May of this year I did a blogger of him, here.

Slow Goings

As one can tell, I have not been blogging too much of late on a regular basis on this personal blog of mine, especially over the last two weeks.

This has been due to some of the usual stuff, such as being busy blogging and related work with my unofficial Nader blog, not always having all that much new, different or particularly interesting to blog about at times (i.e., slow goings), experiencing bad days and/or nights, or just taking time away for myself when I either am not feeling so well or there is just a need and opportunity to rest up a bit.

The fact is that I have not been doing so well for a while and simply try to distract myself from it as well as do my best, relatively speaking, no matter how badly I may be feeling. At least until I can hole up somewhere to rest and heal up a little, which was recently the case.

Am back to couching at a friends place tonight and possibly through this week and up until this weekend, when I may have a chance to stay some place else for one or two nights, pet and house sitting for a friend. Then it will be back to the usual couch surfing, until the end of October, when I can once again hole up for a while.

How many times I can keep blogging about these same things over and over, I do not know. It all has gotten old a long time ago, in fact well before I ever started blogging about it.

If anyone thinks this sounds sad, it is only the tip of the tip of the tip of the iceberg: i.e., it has been something I have been feeling and experiencing for quite some time now.

Yet, I have learned to never ever give up hope, even when - like now -- I have absolutely no reason to keep hoping for anything different -- or, more importantly, anything better -- to happen any time soon.

In the meantime, whenever I am able to anyway, I will just keep blogging on and on anon [smile].


*Note*: Made a few, mostly minor, edits for the purposes of clarification and readability.

Many Thanks!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Many thanks to those who have nominated the Unofficial Vote4Nader Blog in the Washington Post's Best political blog contest (you know who you are). It is greatly appreciated.

The nominations are now closed. Voting begins at noon eastern time on Monday, September 27, 2004.



(click onto the WP's Best Blogs icon above for more information)

Jeff Danziger Editorial Cartoon re: Bill Boettcher's Yacht

William Boettcher Seen Recently Cruising on His Yacht

Editorial cartoon by Jeff Danziger, as published on the Editorial page(s) of the Sunday Rutland Herald and Sunday Times Argus newspapers on Sunday, August 29, 2004 (page C2). Posted here with direct permission to do so [a big thank you to them for providing such!].


The cartoon shows the yacht with its new name, Fletcher Allen, as well as Burlington listed under it, as its new home port.

Bill Boettcher's character says (text): "Yes, I did change the name of the Yacht ...

... it was the least I could do to honor those who made it possible ..."

To which Jeff Danziger, under his byline, quips: "How Can We Ever Thank You?"


For recent blog posts of mine on the subject, read:

Tuesday, August 31, 2004: Burlington Free Press: Jobs cut as FAHC reorganizes managers

Thursday, August 26, 2004: [FAHC]: Hospital's financial health ailing

Wednesday, August 25, 2004: The Hunt for Kittiwake

Saturday, August 21, 2004: Bill Boettcher got $750,000 and all I got was this lousy blog

One Day Remaining for Submitting Nominations in the Washington Post's Best Political Blog Contest

Nominate the Unofficial Vote4Nader Blog Today!

The last day for nominations for this particular contest is Friday, September 3, 2004.

When is the nomination period?
The nomination period [...] ends at 11:59 a.m. on September 3, 2004.

For who have already nominated my unofficial Vote4Nader blog in the contest, thank you very much.

If you have not done so yet and may be so inclined however, please consider nominating the Unofficial Vote4Nader Blog in the Washington Post's Best political blog contest today!

Read my previous blog post on the subject: Make My Day!

Right wing. Left wing. Indifferent. Irreverent. There's a blog for every taste, opinion and attitude. washingtonpost.com's 2004 Best Blogs - Politics and Elections Readers' Choice Awards is your chance to speak out and vote for your favorite politics and election blogs.

From now until September 3, we'll be taking nominations from the blogosphere on the best weblogs from this political season. Whose rants could give Dennis Miller a run for his money? Who's making the best use of the technology? Who will be around long after the hype has died down?

[...]

Mark your calendars
Nominations begin: July 26, 2004
Voting begins: September 27, 2004
Winners announced: October 25, 2004

[...]

Read the Washington Post's Best political blogs contest informational page in full, here.

Thank you in advance for any consideration you may give to nominating my unofficial Vote4Nader blog in this best political blog contest.