Struggle

Published in May, 2011 in Creative Works.
By Arline Bolvin
Can we protect ourselves from struggle?
Not if we want to be alive and in the world.
When I avoid simple communications and rely on technology
to provide only what A human voice can reveal
I put myself at the mercy of that technology.
Fear of stress and struggle creates more stress and struggle
than just giving in to the reality that life is struggle.
Creation is struggle. Love is struggle. Friendship is struggle.
Working is struggle. Parenting is a lifelong struggle.
Just as Jacob struggled through the night with the Lord
We struggle through our lives with ourselves,
with others, with God, with every aspect of life.
Avoidance of life’s basic truths only
brings more pain and struggle that
does not have to always be painful.
We can struggle without feeling anger.
We can struggle with humor and love
We can laugh and sing as we try each day
To recognize ourselves in each other
And know with certainty that only love conquers all.
That the effects of our actions, thoughts, and words,
Can seem permanent but really God has the last say
The Universe aligns itself with love.
Share
0 Comments

Angels… Japan’s Song

Published in May, 2011 in Creative Works.

By Deborah Shepard

Outside in each home, lighted prayers are lit
I breathe with each memory needed to repair the cause
Gather the hearts sending to their sides,
Proud honor they carry families
Touch the serpentine sandals with celestial beings
Feeling life’s miracles with one last song
Breathe with mine thy heavens
With each cascading lever or door
Chase the sadness away
This is a prayer, to change light
Spiritual hearts gather now, God’s plight
Heavens, life orb, with divine spirits
Unseen angels watch thee, to rebuild life there
Questioning angels relive the hearts melodies, seek me
Helping one prayer at a time
Share
0 Comments

Specialty Homeless Courts: Bringing Justice to the Streets

Published in May, 2011 in Columns.
By Amy Goins

Homeless individuals are often cited for minor violations such as sleeping in public places, public drinking or solicitation. While these infractions seem minor, they are all considered criminal offenses. These small violations could be easily resolved, but homeless individuals who are unfamiliar with court processes and are focused on getting food and shelter on a daily basis, may intentionally or inadvertently miss court dates. As a result, they end up facing additional fines or even arrests arising out of the missed court appearance and a small problem becomes a much larger one.

To address the unique circumstances and difficulties of homeless people with minor criminal violations, some states have developed a homeless court program. The movement to create homeless courts originated in 1989 in California. The Superior Court there began holding special sessions at local homeless shelters to help homeless people resolve misdemeanor charges against them. Since that time, California has expanded its program and other states have developed similar homeless court programs. According to the American Bar Association, homeless courts exist in Michigan, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Utah and Washington. Continue reading ‘Specialty Homeless Courts: Bringing Justice to the Streets’

Share
0 Comments

Linda Levin: Her Heart’s in the Words

Published in May, 2011 in Profiles.

By JoAnn Dyes

I was given the assignment to write about Linda Levin, not the actress, but the journalist Linda Lotridge Levin. She does not give interviews. Thanks to the Internet, I can do this article. She hit the ground running in 1959 after graduating from Michigan State University and Boston University. Professor Levin began her career at The Providence Journal. She was also the photo editor. When she left the Journal, she became an award winning freelance writer specializing in health, medicine and travel. She even had a syndicated column. She has also edited two books on Rhode Island history.
In 1983, she became a faculty member at University of Rhode Island’s Department of Journalism. Professor Levin has served as the chairwoman since 2001. She has spent the last decade focused on first amendment issues, in particular the area of access to public information. She has written several books and monographs. She has been a fellow of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, the American Press Institute and the Annenberg Washington Program. She has received three grants to work with journalists, first in the Soviet Union and then in Russia. She is a former president of the Rhode Island Press Association and is a board member and founder of ACCESS/Rhode Island, a coalition of organizations devoted to open government. In 1999, she was given the Yankee Quill Award by the New England Society of Newspaper Editors and the New England Society of Professional Journalists and was inducted into the Academy of New England Journalists. Her latest book is The Making of FDR: The Story of Stephen T. Early: America’s First Modern Press Secretary. Her teaching specialties are media law, history of American journalism, advanced reporting and media recently held a workshop for Street Sights Journalism Training. This year, she was one of three journalists inducted into Press Hall of Fame.
Share
0 Comments

The Budget Crisis

Published in May, 2011 in Opinions.
By David Eisenberger
Right now, this state’s in a dilemma. What has been the writing on the wall now has reared its ugly head. We’re broke and we don’t know how to fix it! The business climate in Rhode Island has been terrible for years.

Over-taxation, poor quality education, an infra-structure that has unraveled; there were layoff notices to “all” 1,926 teachers in the City of Providence alone. Four schools are scheduled to be shut down in June. Rhode Island’s not alone, it’s nationwide and sadly global. With the events of the past few weeks, the tragedy in Japan. When a nation relies on fossil fuel…when a barrel of oil’s price has skyrocketed…The meltdown of nuclear reactors…brings us to a global meltdown.  Our money is worthless, when we “owe” trillions…to other countries. Where are the think tanks?   Continue reading ‘The Budget Crisis’

Share
0 Comments

Meet the Staff: Fred Pece

Published in May, 2011 in Meet the Staff.
By Fred Pece
My name is Fred Pece and I have been a volunteer at Street Sights Newspaper since 2008. I help out any way that I can by distributing papers, keeping the peace at meetings, and occasionally I also collaborate with Stan to create poems for the paper. I was homeless, but now I am living in a nice apartment near the V.A. Hospital. It has been an honor to be on the Staff at Street Sights.
Share
0 Comments

Who We Are

Published in May, 2011 in Creative Works.
By Carolyn Schwartz
Who are we you call the aged?
Doesn’t our skin burn just the same?
Why do you feel we are sexless?
Just because you give us shame?
Can’t we still love just like you do?
Why can’t we just have you for a friend?
Why must we wonder if you listen?
Why is their payment in the end?
Why can’t we live the life you’re living?
Why can’t we share the things you do?
Just because we are now aged,
Don’t we have feelings just like you?
Share
0 Comments

Mary House

Published in May, 2011 in Humanitarian Award.

Buddy Quinn and Janice Luongo

By David Eisenberger

If you ever went to the St. Patrick’s meal site on a Monday you’ve met an old friend, Janice Luongo. She gives words of love, encouragement and hope. Why? She’s a survivor from way back.

She was on the street, an addict who didn’t want to be helped or think she could be saved. Back in 1969, the Sisters of Mercy began their outreach, which started knocking on doors then taking people in. Janice was one of those people. Six months after starting their outreach, Sister Fran Conway opened a soup kitchen and food pantry called Mary House, named after Mary McLaughlin, a longtime member of the parish who passed in 1975.  First there were only Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, then it expanded to a weekly meal. Sadly in 2003 Sister Fran died, but her legacy continues. The meal site on Mondays has continued for over 30 years and Janice Luongo grew up to become the Executive Director of Mary House. Continue reading ‘Mary House’

Share
0 Comments

Into the Chrysalis

Published in May, 2011 in Creative Works.

A Serialized Novel by Francisco Colber
Chapter Nine — Sympaths

Captain Antar, imagining a strategic advantage over the diminutive and mysterious Greenchanceans, kept me under guard in his ready-room, a guestroom outfitted with, among other things, an oxygen deprivation machine that could prove deadly in the event the little beings decided to take me back by force. I was, therefore, the captain’s hostage. But the reality was much different. The Greenchancean cruiser was, as Elhm had suggested, a clever illusion. Not my deception really. It was my father’s idea — to be employed as he wished. Surely, it would keep the explorers off guard. Elhm had no knowledge of Father’s ruse or of the true purpose of our visit, but keeping any truth from his vast telepathic powers would prove formidable: he was as curious about me as I was about him.

“Tell me about the Goddess. Have you ever seen her or is it that you are also blind like us?” He asked.

To answer that query in a way that proved believable to myself and therefore to Elhm was a challenge. I had to search a past that until that very moment appeared whole, but lacked the kind of beliefs he held. Since we Zzolans have no deity to identify with, the only person in my life that made sense to his question was my mother. “Yes. I have seen her,” I replied timidly. Continue reading ‘Into the Chrysalis’

Share
0 Comments

Arcade Moment: The Midnight Moment Outreach to the Downtrodden

Published in May, 2011 in News.
Try to imagine what it is like to sleep on a hard grimy floor in an environment that stinks of urine. Aside from the stench, you are vulnerable to any person that happens upon you as you sleep. There are predators, and for this reason your “pillow” contains your most valuable possessions and the rest of your bags are nestled tight against you.
Still imagining? Think about what it must be like to wake up having none of the common comforts that most people have. There is no toilet, no shower, no Mr. Coffee, no privacy, just your belongings. Even though you need to use a bathroom, the reality is that there are very few and the distance between them makes walking difficult. Businesses selectively make their restrooms available and they are not hospitable to the downtrodden. Think hard about this one until you squirm a bit; you are not at all vital to society or you would at least have a regular restroom to use; the most basic human function.

Now, exhaust odor mixes with the urine stench as the street below becomes alive with noisy traffic. Being in the Arcade and all, you are smack in the middle of what is known as the “Financial District” of downtown Providence. As you step out onto the sidewalk, you are facing the front of the luxurious Hampton Inn. The sidewalk is filled with busy people scurrying about, with briefcases or back packs — purposeful.

You are sore from sleeping on a hard floor; you are hungry and the weight of your belongings is already starting to drain you. You have no pep. You avert your eyes as you plod along because if you look you will see the smugness, the judgmental stares, or worse, they look right through you.

You might head to a spot that serves breakfast to the homeless or perhaps you know of a place where you can at least freshen up a bit. You usually really have nowhere to go. No matter how you spend your day, however, your goal is always survival: getting fed, avoiding extreme temperatures, protecting belongings and having a place to rest your head.

Now, envision a life without a single person that genuinely cares about you. You have peers, acquaintances, some you even call “friends.” Sadly, they are mostly survivors like you; living day to day, seeking their own creature comforts, almost dog eat dog. You do not have two nickels to rub together or a rock to stand on.

So, where will you sleep tonight? The urine soaked floor? A sidewalk, or in a patch of woods, standing up…”

Will you find shelter if it rains?

The Midnight Moment Outreach to the Downtrodden
1643 Warwick Avenue  PMB 171
Warwick, RI 02889
(401) 837-0861
midnightmoment2@verizon.net

“One measure of likeness to Christ is sensitivity to the suffering of others.”

Share
0 Comments

In Memory of Ernie Marot

Published in May, 2011 in News.
Ernest B. Marot, a lifetime resident of Pawtucket, died Tuesday, April 26th. He had run the Pawtucket Soup Kitchen. We wrote his experiences and gave him our Rainbow Award Nov. 2009 (page 4). Also, this February (page 11) we wrote of his continuing volunteer efforts.

Ernie was the Faculty Chef for Providence College for 18 years, retiring in 1993. He then went on to a lifelong dream of feeding the hungry by founding the Pawtuckey Soup Kitchen, running it for another 18 years. He was awarded the Jefferson Award (NBC Channel 10) and is in the Pawtucket Hall of Fame. He is known for helping others. He has run a program to help get Christmas gifts for homeless children and raised about 1/4 million dollars for the Meeting Street School, a school for disadvantaged children.

He leaves his wife and three of his five children. He has 8 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

Burial was at Notre Dame Cemetery. It was suggested that gifts in his memory be made to the Pawtucket Soup Kitchen or ALS Association in Warwick.

Share
0 Comments

Street Sights Staff Members Receive Awards

Published in May, 2011 in News.

Melissa Howard and Louisa Smith

By Stan Kapelewski

On Wednesday, April 13th Serve Rhode Island had their VolunCheers 2011 event at Twin Rivers in Lincoln, Rhode Island to recognize all of the outstanding volunteers in the State.

Melissa Howard and Louisa Smith received the award for their incredible volunteer work at Street Sights. Cassandra Tribe received the award from the Beacon Hospice for her friendly visits and vigil work with terminally ill patients.

Congratulations! Thanks for all that you do!

Share
0 Comments

Stepping Out

Published in May, 2011 in News.
By Cassandra Tribe
For 33 years, Sister Mary Riley has been a part of the annual Good Friday Walk to End Hunger and Homelessness. For many, she is the face of the walk, a tireless organizer and source of energy for this effort. Originally started as a Roman Catholic effort to raise money and awareness, the Good Friday Walk has grown to be an ecumenical endeavor that embraces many faiths. Gathering at nine different churches across Providence (and even in Coventry) participants walk to the State House for a rally.

The walkers were sponsored and they raise between 25 and 40 thousand dollars a year. The organizers state that not one penny of the money raised goes anywhere but directly to help programs like meal sites, food pantries, clothing closets and other outreach programs. All of the organizers, bus services, refreshments, speakers and everything else involved in making the walk happen are provided through donations of time, services and supplies. This year, recipients of funds include: Amos House, AIDS Care Ocean State, River United Methodist Church food pantry, meal site and clothing closet in Woonsocket, a high school in Haiti and several other programs. Continue reading ‘Stepping Out’

Share
0 Comments

You Gotta Have Sole

Published in May, 2011 in News.
By Erik Gould

Not so long ago Nicholas Lowinger had a revelation. He says, “not too many people think about donating shoes, and when they do mostly what they donate are very used shoes.” Nicholas is in the seventh grade and for as long as he can remember, he has been giving clothes and other items to anyone who needs them, especially to other children. According to his mother Lori, Nicholas has always been that kind of kid. Together they visited shelters and homes throughout the state making donations and visiting with people. It was on one of those visits where Nicholas met a little boy who needed new shoes, but all Nicholas had that day was a pair of boots that were too big for the boy. Nicholas wished he had some that would fit the boy better. That’s when he knew he wanted to provide new shoes for needy children.

“A lot of people think that just because someone is homeless that anything  you give them they will be happy. But just because someone has a different financial status from you doesn’t mean that they don’t also like to get new things once in a while, just like you do.” Beyond just having something new, he goes on to explain that for everybody, shoes are a very personal piece of clothing, “Everyone wears their shoes differently,” and  wearing shoes that do not have a proper fit can cause back problems and all sorts of other health problems. Continue reading ‘You Gotta Have Sole’

Share
0 Comments

Come Home

Published in May, 2011 in Editorials.

By Cassandra Tribe

On May 1st, 2011, President Obama announced that Osama Bin Laden, leader of the al Qaeda had been killed. With this announcement, one of the most painful decades in American history was brought to a close.

Since Bin Laden authorized the 9/11 attacks on the U.S., we, as a country — as a people — have suffered from lives defined by fear. Despite the fact that after 9/11, al Qaeda and Bin Laden’s influence waned, they remained important to us as a symbol of terrorism that we sought to bring to justice in an attempt to heal our pain.

We — the people — have had to choose whether supporting the war on terror, with its high costs in money and lives, was more important than our own well-being in difficult economic times. We — the people — have suffered form the political and economic strain that the war on terror has placed on our country and relations with other countries, but we have done so with understanding and by choice.

This pursuit of Bin Laden has also served to unite us all and give us a common boogeyman, a monster whose horrors were so great they made the ones in our personal lives more bearable. While there is great rejoicing that the leader and symbol of terrorism against the West is no more, we must also be aware that there will be a period of strange grief to follow. Without a larger-than-life boogeyman to overshadow personal suffering, many will feel the true depth of their lives and losses for the first time. It will be harder to stand behind increases in military spending and increased military commitments when the reality that so many in this country are starving and homeless is at the forefront of our thinking.

Whether or not you believe that Bin Laden was captured and killed when the government said he was, or if you believe it is a gross manipulation of the voting public, we have to recognize that what has been a common unifying and distracting symbol for all of us has been destroyed. The war against terror is far from over, but we would do well to redefine what the primary terrorist that we pursue is.

As a country, we need to focus our efforts to fight the terrorist within. The one whose suicide attacks take the form of homelessness, hunger, and unemployment. The one who rallies their soldiers with messages that promote greed, hate, partisan self-interest and apathy.

Care must be taken that we do not race to find a new boogeyman abroad to distract us from this battle at home. We ahve fought and suffered overseas for long enough. While there is still more work to be done to end the reign of terror that al Qaeda began, it is time to bring our energy home and work on the battle within.

It is time to come home. it is time to take care of our own. it is time to heal the wounds that began long before that day in September.

Share
0 Comments

Where Are All The Complainers?

Published in May, 2011 in Opinions.
By Christopher Clark
After experiencing homelessness myself, it seems there are some homeless people who just love to complain, and they will do so over the most trivial matters. What appears to be missing is how these issues are supposed to be solved. There doesn’t even appear to be any desire to improve matters at all. In fact, these people know that their complaints will do nothing to improve circumstances; but they will go on and on chattering comments in condemnation.

Homelessness can be exhausting but listening to these protestations of fellow homeless people can be equally tiring. Those who are the objects of criticism are generally in the same or worse predicament as the ones passing judgment. Often they are in the same desperate situation. Why does this occur? Do desperate situations lead to desperate desires to complain? Continue reading ‘Where Are All The Complainers?’

Share
0 Comments

You Are What You Eat

Published in May, 2011 in Columns.
By William Harter
Are you satisfied with what you see in the mirror? Have you tried to diet and just can’t lose weight or gain it back too soon? Are you often tired or out of breath? Maybe you need to change your way of eating.

Does your breakfast consist of coffee with two or more spoonfuls of sugar? Or maybe a donut or pastry? No wonder you are tired by mid-morning. A carbohydrate-only diet forces your body to react and process those foods fast, taking energy from you and letting you down a few hours later. You had few proteins and vitamins. Two hours later, you want a lift and reach for more coffee and junk food. Again, the wrong thing.

Try a 4 oz. fruit juice, high fiber cereal or eggs and low-fat yogurt or milk for a few days and see if you still need that “10 o’clock pick up.” The first few days your body may not like the change and still want the “10 o’clock junk” but you can train yourself. Keep at it! Continue reading ‘You Are What You Eat’

Share
0 Comments

Up In The Rafters

Published in May, 2011 in Creative Works.

By Daniel Herard

Is it up in the rafters,
In a cloud in the sky;
I looked up and said, “Who Am I?”
All I know is that I want to be free
As free as the breeze
As it passes through the trees
Without any warning,
Without any care,
But all I know is that
I do not dare to
Follow the path of my ancestors.
Share
0 Comments

DCYF Cutting Funds

Published in May, 2011 in News.
By Melissa Howard
Teacher layoffs, programs being cut, people are finding new ways of cutting cost. The Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) said that they could save cost through home- base services. The plan is to move many of the children out of shelters, group homes and residential treatment programs.

DCYF’s new ‘system- of- care’ model is a philosophy emphasizing family preservation using home based services. With the budget crisis as it is and protesters going to the state house to protest Chafee’s spending cuts, the state’s child-welfare officials are embracing a plan they say will cut $25 million from the DCYF’s budget starting July 1. Continue reading ‘DCYF Cutting Funds’

Share
0 Comments

Hope

Published in May, 2011 in Creative Works.
By Benjamin Ferreira
Words fall like the rain washing over me.
Cold and cleansing…Bold and refreshing…
Sensory perceptions forming our reality
But is there another side to what we see?
How many coincidences will it take
To shake us awake from a world that is fake?
When something speaks out to you,
Deepens your thought & quickens your heart,
When your hairs stand up & it’s all you can do
To hang onto the moment & not fall apart
In those moments of joy, so awe inspiring
Confronted with beauty, so jaw dropping
They’re gone so quickly, so easily forgotten
The pain & the struggle are right where they were
Take the time to remember, even if it’s verboten
Even when things move so fast that they blur
It’s easy to give up & to give in to despair
When you’re lost in yourself & nobody’s there
To answer the door, as you knock in the rain
Say these words to yourself, despite the pain
For it only goes so deep, so don’t stop to weep
Never surrender…Never give in…
For the Kingdom of Heaven lies within
Share
0 Comments