REBUILD: Redefining The Rebuild Your Life Project

Today I almost had a breakdown. Standing in traffic looking at the cars pull up I thought to myself, "I'm wasting my time asking for donations. There's so much more I need to do."The reality is, the donations I collect on the street corners help fund this project and without them I wouldn't be able to assist the women that I meet or take buses to the places I need to go.Most people think this project is about homelessness. It is not. The Rebuild Your Life Project is about facing your biggest fear...

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REBUILD: Dusting Myself Off

My heart is hurting so much right now.I'm 3 days away from my job fair and now I decided to cancel it after realizing: YOU CAN NOT QUIT YOU DIDN'T REACH YOUR GOAL.I wrestled with this idea for a half hour. I called my sister and we went over the ramifications and the truth is, if I don't finish what I started I will be a liar.I have to set another date for the job fair and I have to start all over again. I have two interested businesses and I have to set the time to find more. This month was a slow...

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REBUILD: Hop In Your Car For A Dollar

Would it be too weird of me to say I'm gonna miss this place?I know I'm supposed to show the horrors of homeless living but if you count the guy who farts all day or the stinch of stinky feet there's really no horror.These people are weirdos, but so am I.I fit in but I don't. None of us fit in but together we make sense.I'm extremely horny. Everyone else is too.If I don't get to see the man who "finds" clothes and tries to sell them for crack money, I feel sad. Everything he has is "brand new" and...

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EDITORIAL: Women Need Affordable Daycare To Pursue Education

By Erika MartinEducation ColumnistOne of the things that I am grateful for while pursuing my high school diploma in my 30's is the fact that my kids are in school while I'm working with my assessor at the Vermont Adult Learning Center. I'm also grateful that I work for myself so my schedule is flexible and I can go to meetings and work on my schoolwork while my kids are at school. Not every mom has these luxuries though, and it can be difficult for them to make the time they need for higher learning.Many women work outside the home, some are single...

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Your World News Report - May 4, 2011

Berlyne JulmisNews Coordinator Qaddafi Under PressureSaif al-Arab, son of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi, was killed during NATO’s air strike in Libya. Qaddafi has requested that NATO cease its fire yet NATO is refusing Qaddafi’s request providing attacks on civilians continue. Thousands attended the funeral of Qaddafi’s son and his three grandchildren who were also killed during the air strike--mourners vocalized their desire for revenge. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s Prime Mister, is demanding that...

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REBUILD: The World Is Your Bedroom

If you are a homeless person, you learn to get your rest when you can. That is why you see so many people sleeping on park benches or on bus stops or behind buildings.You've already been at your lowest of lows, a little dirt doesn't scare you. You sleep peacefully in the most sound slumber ever and you're refreshed when you finally awake.Fearless sleep on the surface of the earth. The entire world is your bedro...

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REBUILD: You Are Too Pretty To Be Homeless

Tonight I was speaking with a very handsome young man who lives in the shelter. He shared the same sentiments about feeling at a loss when he hears the same comment I hear day after day as I ask for donations on the streets, "You are too pretty to be homeless."He says that he experimented once and didn't cut his hair (hair cuts are donated free by barbers in training every week) or shave and he collected more money in donations.He says because he takes care of himself and keeps a clean cut and appearance...

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REBUILD: Smoking Is An Activity For The Homeless

At the Homeless Voice Shelter, nearly everyone smokes cigarettes.I planned to stop smoking once I became homeless but this homeless shelter is basically a giant ashtray. After observing I realized that most people smoke a pack of cigarettes a day because- it's something to do.That's a...

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REBUILD: Blacks & Poor People Donate More Often

As I stand on the intersection across the various neighborhoods in Miami-Dade and Broward counties taking donations for the homeless shelter I was surprised to realize that Blacks and poor people are more likely to give.I can see a Mercedes Benz or a Land Rover and the driver will not even look in my direction while the car with bald wheels and a busted bumper will empty out their ash trays to put something into my bucket.As I speak with other vendors of the newspaper who also accept donations on...

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REBUILD: Most Homeless People Want To Be Homeless

There's a revolving door among the homeless population and today I had a chance to talk about it with a man who has been homeless and has been working as an advocate for the homeless for more than 10 years.He said he didn't want to detract from my project but there is a side of homelessness that I will never know because I am not mentally ill or drug addicted. I told him that I know about that side from hearing stories but I will never know what addiction to substances is like because I have seen...

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Day 22: 3 Weeks In

During the 3 weeks that I've been here I've seen people come and go. Some have gone and had to come back. Some stop by just for the night.There's a difference between the ones who have been here for years and the ones who are here in transition. The ones who are here in transition are a bit more annoyed by the policies and procedures that are set in place.There are lots of rules here but if you understand them, then you understand why they are in place. There is a 14 day lock down for new clients...

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Day 21: I'm Not A Superwoman

Today I sent out a new press release announcing the job fair which is less than a week away. I am not stressed anymore. I held down my end of the bargain. I can't help who decides to participate. I only have 3 businesses.Now for the business of marketing and planning this event so that it looks professional. I'm using the money I raised and my own money from working.My heart hearts tonight even though I had a good day. I'm longing for the same thing I always long for; a connection. A heart connection.I...

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EDITORIAL: With bin Laden Gone, Our Biggest Threat Is Debt

By Christina FerminPolitics & Society ColumnistAs of Sunday May 1, 2011, President Barack Obama broke the news to the American people that al Qaida’s mastermind Osama Bin Laden had been killed in a firefight where United States special forces were instructed to kill Bin Laden. Osama Bin Laden was buried out to sea early Monday morning according to Islamic law which calls for a speedy burial, because apparently there was not a single country willing to bury the body on land.A day of reckoning...

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EDITORIAL: Taking Back America, One Local Economy at a Time

By Christina FerminPolitics & Society ColumnistThe economy is looking grim as the value of the dollar continues to fall and unemployment remains stagnant. The only growth in employment is in the service sector area which are usually low wage jobs. With the future of the united States of America uncertain and the future of the economy looking grim, we must begin to focus locally. Building local decentralized economies will save communities from the turbulent days that lay ahead.Building a local...

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Osama Bin Laden Is Dead

By Berlyne JulmisNews CoordinatorOsama Bin Laden has been killed by US hands--President Obama addresses the nation tonight telling the world that U.S. Special Forces have killed one of Al-Qaida’s notorious leaders in Pakistan. Nearly a decade after that horrendous morning on September 11, US specials forces has confirmed that they now have the body of Osama Bin Laden. President Obama said “his death does not mark the end of our effort… We must – and we will - remain vigilant at home and abroad.”READ...

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