by Erika McNamara Being homeless, once again, is the evil that lurks in every shadow ready to destroy all that is good and right. This is obviously true after homeless individuals were blamed, in a recent piece posted to AnnArbor.com, for the shutdown of Poshh boutique in downtown Ann Arbor. There is a subtle irony [...]
by P.D. Lesko Barbara Levin Bergman (left) is retiring from the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners at the end of her present term. As is the case in Washtenaw County politics, Andy LaBarre has been identified as the next District 8 lama by a group of local Tibetan monks. LaBarre is a perfectly genial young [...]
by Erika McNamara One of the very few civics lessons that high schoolers learn today is that citizens over the age of 18 may vote in U.S. elections. It is your right and your duty as an adult citizen of the United States to vote. Of course we all learned as well that, at first, [...]
by Erika McNamara Now. Replace “puppies” with “children,” and “shelters” with “public assistance.” One morning last week while I made coffee and semi-listened, Good Morning America announced its exclusive new series HUNGER AT HOME: CRISIS IN AMERICA (best if said with a big voice as if in an echo chamber). Apparently, they found out there is [...]
by Erika McNamara If asked, the average person would probably describe a homeless person as a thirty-something male, addicted to some substance, too lazy to go out and find work. But thanks to the Great Recession, this demographic of the thirty-something being homeless is changing. It is rude in our culture to ask someone their [...]
by Erika McNamara On June 11, 2011, the Los Angeles Times reported: Contending that the region’s population of disabled homeless veterans has reached crisis proportions, a coalition led by the ACLU of Southern California filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging that the federal Department of Veterans Affairs has misused large portions of its West Los Angeles [...]
by Erika McNamara In November, Hawaii will be the host of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. This summit has been a long time in coming since the last time the event was in the United States was in 1993. This is good for relations with the Asia-Pacific countries; good for the economy of the [...]
by Erika McNamara A quick review of the menu for Memorial Day grill extravaganza left me wondering if hotdogs, short ribs, steak, and all of the side dishes that accompanied the main meat feast this year would all be enough. Well if it weren’t, then we could always just nip out to the store and get [...]
by Erika McNamara Once again panhandling has grabbed the attention of the Ann Arbor public and media. Recently, the Ann Arbor City Council decided to amend the city Panhandling Ordinance. This decision was based on the recommendation of the Ann Arbor Street Task Force. The amendments prohibit panhandling within 12 feet of an alley, and [...]
There is a lot of advice in recent articles about the right and wrong way to help panhandlers. Many times this advice conflicts with the on-the-spot feelings of individuals who want to give to panhandlers. Some are adamantly against giving directly to a panhandler, and suggest the best way to help someone asking for money [...]
