 Aaron keeping his hands warm on a bitter cold day. After I left I had a hard time understanding how Aaron could survive outside with one bitter cold day after another. I was frozen after only a few hours on the street. Astounding what human beings can tolerate. Only they shouldn't have to? Shelter is a fundamental need and why in this wealthy society do we ignore this basic help for our needy?
 Aaron who on the street is called “Dread” Sometimes it takes me a while to finally post certain images and stories. Aaron’s pictures were taken on a freezing day this past March on the Parkway in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Aaron is forty years old and originally from Berkley, California. He has been on and off the street since 1985. We talked for along time about many subjects. I asked him about his schooling and he said he left school in the 11th grade. As for ending up on the street, he said he just picked up and left. It was a bitterly cold day and I was dressed warmly. I asked how he could stand the cold and he said he was wearing seven jackets and two shirts. I learn a lot.
***** para mi español - amigos speeking: no utilice por favor mi página del fotolog para su publicidad personal. Comentario aquí solamente si usted está interesado en hablar de mis cuadros. Grazias.
******"Aviso aos amigos brasileiros ou que falam português: por favor, não utilizem o meu fotolog como um local para anúncios pessoais. Comente aqui apenas se for falar sobre as minhas fotos. Obrigado."
*****"Message for all my friends: please, don't use my fotolog as a place for personal advertising. Comment here only if you plan on talking about my pictures or homeless related issues. Thanks!
A link to NPR (National Public Radio) for a story about my work.
“All Things Considered”
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4123582
You can hear an audio recording of the piece there as well.
You might want to look at my other logs: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mashuga/ or
http://www.pbase.com/mashuga/mashuga
 Homeless in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. I met Dan a few weeks ago outside the soup kitchen. We sat and Dan graciously told me his story. He had been on the streets at that time only two weeks. He had been working as an electrician but his company put him on furlough because of the poor economy. I saw Dan in a state of complete disbelief over his situation. He looked shell shocked like a deer caught in the headlights. I’m not sure if being on the street had really sunk in yet. Dan is forty-seven years old and served six years in the Navy as a Submarine Sonar Technician. He served on the U.S.S. Archer and the U.S.S. George Washington. I asked him if he gets any help fro the Veterans Administration and he replied none. As we sat around talking another man told Dan that a local brewery had open jobs. The last I saw Dan was as he headed over to the brewery to look for work.
 James a homeless vet from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania on the streets of Philadelphia
|