Sunday, February 4, 2007
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Toronto Mayor David Miller
Toronto Mayor David Miller has a Myspace account. I am not a fan of politicians but David Miller seems like a cool one. Perhaps this has something to do with the fact that he is from San Francisco? I dunno. Anyways, here is the post I sent him.
Greetings Mayor Miller,
I was a resident of the city of Toronto for more than fifteen years, although I had to move to Hamilton recently when I ended up renting a room in my apartment out to a woman that was a dangerous psychopath.
However, while I was a resident of Toronto I was very active in anti-poverty movements and organizations. This has given me an opportunity not only to see the scope of the problem, but also to brainstorm on possible solutions.
In any case, it occured to me some time ago that many homeless people must resort to the use of refrigerator boxes in order to provide them with temporary shelter. This is especially true over the cold winter months. I have talked to a few homeless people that have had to use a refridgerator box as a temporary shelter and they are reported to be suprisingly warm.
A few years ago I tried to organize a program to pick up used refridgerator boxes from department stores where fridges are sold, such as Sears, etc. The managers of the stores seemed enthusiastic about the idea.
My plan would be to pick up these refrigerator boxes and distribute them to the homeless, so that they could use them as temporary shelters. The boxes would probably benefit by being modified, such as having breathing holes punched into them, and being painted with fireproof flourescent paint. Perhaps artistic designs could also be encorporated to make these boxes more pleasant to look at. I am an artist myself and could contribute designs for the boxes, as many art students from colleges, Universities and even high schools across Toronto could. Foam mats might also make them more comfortable to sleep in.
These cardboard boxes could be kept folded up in wooden boxes at certain 'distribution centers' where the homeless could simply pull them out and use them as needed. The wooden boxes might be at the intersections or places where the homeless most commonly congregate.
However I ran into a snag because I have no vehicle of my own to pick these up, and I could not convince others to help me as there was no 'money' in doing it.
There are other problems associated with this as well, such as the fact that it is a 'band-aid' solution to the problem of homelessness.
Some critics on the 'left wing' would claim that these shelter-boxes would be cruel and demeaning, compared to providing actual shelter for these people.
Other critics on the right would be opposed to the idea since it would be considered as 'encouraging homelessness' by offering the homeless a handout, or 'something for nothing'.
I thought I would share this idea with you, Mayor Miller. Most especially since I sit here in a warm apartment typing this to you on this cold, cold night in January.
My Thanks,
James Quinn.
Greetings Mayor Miller,
I was a resident of the city of Toronto for more than fifteen years, although I had to move to Hamilton recently when I ended up renting a room in my apartment out to a woman that was a dangerous psychopath.
However, while I was a resident of Toronto I was very active in anti-poverty movements and organizations. This has given me an opportunity not only to see the scope of the problem, but also to brainstorm on possible solutions.
In any case, it occured to me some time ago that many homeless people must resort to the use of refrigerator boxes in order to provide them with temporary shelter. This is especially true over the cold winter months. I have talked to a few homeless people that have had to use a refridgerator box as a temporary shelter and they are reported to be suprisingly warm.
A few years ago I tried to organize a program to pick up used refridgerator boxes from department stores where fridges are sold, such as Sears, etc. The managers of the stores seemed enthusiastic about the idea.
My plan would be to pick up these refrigerator boxes and distribute them to the homeless, so that they could use them as temporary shelters. The boxes would probably benefit by being modified, such as having breathing holes punched into them, and being painted with fireproof flourescent paint. Perhaps artistic designs could also be encorporated to make these boxes more pleasant to look at. I am an artist myself and could contribute designs for the boxes, as many art students from colleges, Universities and even high schools across Toronto could. Foam mats might also make them more comfortable to sleep in.
These cardboard boxes could be kept folded up in wooden boxes at certain 'distribution centers' where the homeless could simply pull them out and use them as needed. The wooden boxes might be at the intersections or places where the homeless most commonly congregate.
However I ran into a snag because I have no vehicle of my own to pick these up, and I could not convince others to help me as there was no 'money' in doing it.
There are other problems associated with this as well, such as the fact that it is a 'band-aid' solution to the problem of homelessness.
Some critics on the 'left wing' would claim that these shelter-boxes would be cruel and demeaning, compared to providing actual shelter for these people.
Other critics on the right would be opposed to the idea since it would be considered as 'encouraging homelessness' by offering the homeless a handout, or 'something for nothing'.
I thought I would share this idea with you, Mayor Miller. Most especially since I sit here in a warm apartment typing this to you on this cold, cold night in January.
My Thanks,
James Quinn.
Entry post one
Greetings to readers.
I decided to start this blog in order to coordinate the blogs that I have on my Tribe.net page, as well as my Yahoo 360. Not much to report on this day. I started this blog, and opened some of the functions of my yahoo messenger. I had a fairly good session today at the gym, working out with the Bo staff, some new Nunchaktu, and then a jiu-jistu session where we went over a hip throw. I think I might have learned this hip throw before when I took Shinki Ryu Jiu Jitsu with Greg Croizier in Toronto. I sure do miss not living in Toronto. To think that it all happened because I rented a room out to the wrong person. Fortunately, these unpleasant memories continue to fade farther and farther into the past.
I decided to start this blog in order to coordinate the blogs that I have on my Tribe.net page, as well as my Yahoo 360. Not much to report on this day. I started this blog, and opened some of the functions of my yahoo messenger. I had a fairly good session today at the gym, working out with the Bo staff, some new Nunchaktu, and then a jiu-jistu session where we went over a hip throw. I think I might have learned this hip throw before when I took Shinki Ryu Jiu Jitsu with Greg Croizier in Toronto. I sure do miss not living in Toronto. To think that it all happened because I rented a room out to the wrong person. Fortunately, these unpleasant memories continue to fade farther and farther into the past.
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