Ho . . .

. . . bo?. . .

.

(from wikipedia.com)
". . . The origin of the term is unknown. According to etymologist Anatoly Liberman, the only certain detail about its origin is the word was first noticed in American English circa 1890. Liberman points out that many folk etymologies fail to answer the question: "Why did the word become widely known in California (just there) by the early Nineties (just then)?"Author Todd DePastino has suggested it may derive from the term hoe-boy meaning "farmhand", or a greeting such as Ho, boy!Bill Bryson suggests in Made in America (1998) that it could either come from the railroad greeting, "Ho, beau!" or a syllabic abbreviation of "homeward bound".[4] It could also come from the words "homeless boy". H. L. Mencken, in his The American Language (4th ed., 1937), wrote:

    Tramps and hobos are commonly lumped together, but see themselves as sharply differentiated. A hobo or bo is simply a migratory laborer; he may take some longish holidays, but sooner or later he returns to work. A tramp never works if it can be avoided; he simply travels. Apart from either is the bum, who neither works nor travels, save when propelled to motion by the police. . ."







. . . or "Homeless Brother"?

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OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

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Un-Make . . .

In a recent essay at www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/20156-an-open-letter-to-you, William Rivers Pitt expresses an extreme helplessness at some recent events in the news which are representative of some of the major problems in modern American society.

The Democratic politician who smashes all the worldly belongings of people who live on the street because he hates homeless people;  the video game based upon the Sandy Hook tragedy which was banned post-haste while nothing was done about the causes of the initial tragedy;  and the young, 99 percent-er who died of a treatable ailment because of the inability to get health insurance.
Details can be pursued through the hyperlink above.

There's not much to add.  And I certainly could not add anything that would be as eloquent as what Mr. Pitt has composed. I do feel the need to quote this particular portion though:

". . . I hope it is not a hollow room, a hollow country, a hollow soul I speak to, because these three stories happen all the time, and every day. This is where you live, and this is who you are. If you have a conscience, it makes you feel dirty in your heart.

We are responsible for this. We are all part of this thing that is dismantling our basic humanity brick by brick.

We can un-make it.  We simply have to. . ."


LET'S . . .

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Good. . .

. . . for you. . .

Do we really know what is good for us?  Just watched a flick from '96 called Citizen Ruth which asks that, among other questions.   I remember in my early working days encountering homeless people downtown and wondering if my giving them a dollar was actually a benefit to them.  Then there was an episode of LA Law (I think), where one of the attorneys took an interest in a homeless woman and went to great pains to get her involved in a program that would help her become a stable, self- sustaining citizen.  Turns out the woman did not want the help of the attorney at all.  She merely wanted cash to satisfy her immediate need or desire, no matter how temporary, superficial or unhealthy.  She was, in the end, quite content with her homeless lifestyle.

Ruth, in the movie, was similar.  And while she became involved with people who, unlike the attorney, offered her help under the guise of beneficence but were merely using her situation to further their own (political, in this case) agenda.  

How true to life.  

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Good. . .

. . . news (for a change). . .

(By Yvonne Wenger, The Baltimore Sun)
". . . As a Friday deadline approaches, advocates are working to find housing for the homeless men and women living at a Baltimore encampment set to be cleared.

Christina Flowers, president of Belvedere Homes, stopped by the site between Interstate 83 and the Fallsway on Wednesday with a promise to find housing for those who want it. She said her organization secured a three-bedroom house in the Harwood neighborhood to accommodate six of the roughly 18 men and women at the encampment.

"At this point, it's just about being able to move forward," said Flowers, whose organization on North Charles Street provides housing for those who are homeless, suffer from disabilities or have a mental illness. "We've got the building; now we need the sheets and dishes."

  Flowers worked with other community advocates to identify open rooms for the camp residents, most of whom refused to go to a city emergency shelters for various reasons, including safety concerns.

The housing will be available permanently for those who want it, but they'll have to contribute money each month if they have income, such as disability benefits, Flowers said. . ."

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