A death on the street

Most people think that a homeless man who dies on the streets have family or friends that can be contacted but this is not the case for most homeless. It's a case of a paupers grave with virtually no one seeing them off. It's one of the things that I dreaded. Homeless people lose all ties with family and genunie friends and if you think about it, most people we meet on the street and call freinds are in fact only aqqaintenses. They only become part of our lives the longer we are on the streets. It's sad to hear that a homeless man has died on the street but it's a fact of life but did you know last year more homeless people died from being attacked on the street than ever. This is another growing concern because not only are youngsters being knifed to death but if you're asleep in a shop doorway you more likley to be asaulted or seriously injured just because someone thinks its funny and are probably drunk. there are too many pits falls for people living rough. The problem is there are too many people willing to take advantage of that fact.

Exiting a lfe

I tend to read or hear the news most days but when I hear people saying as I did today on a bus that homeless people really don't know what's going on in the world. I do get frustrated. Homeless people do have a bad rep and the conversation I overheard was the result of a man getting on the bus with his blankets and because he was a little drunk and quite loud. The thing that I gleamed from the overheard conversation was that the public still had no idea what had befallen this man to become like he was. It dosen't matter who we are we all have times we can't handle but most of us have friends and relatives to turn to but most homeless people don't and they rely on strangers for help and guidance. Not all homeless people started out as drug addicts or drunks but it is now the situtation they are now in and believe it or not most want out of that life but don't know how to find the exit. no matter what we have to keep on finding ways of showing these people there are better ways to live a life and i don't think its forcing them in to rehabs or specialised places like John bird the founder of the big issue would like to see. There is a saying which I think is true for most people who have an addiction and that it is, that you can take a horse to water but you can't make it drink.

Safoo The Extraordinary Mouse.

"Today's story is about a small mouse called Safoo, who I must say was quite a clever mouse as mice go,” said the old storyteller.
The children sat with a look of expectation on their faces. They always enjoyed the old storytellers tales and today was no exception...

Safoo was a thin grey mouse with little black spots on the end of his nose, which his mum said where mouse boiled spots and they would disappear when he was older. He was rather small for a house mouse, Infact he was one of the smallest mice anyone had ever seen, he wasn’t much bigger than a newborn baby, but that didn't stop him doing all the things that bigger mice did. He loved to run and jump about in the fields where he lived. He often dreamt that he was the biggest mouse in the world living in open fields. Just having fun and doing what ever he liked.
“Watcha doing Safoo?” said a voice.
It was Safoo’s best friend Bonus. Now bonus was a giant of a mouse with big dark patches all over his body. He also had a high-pitched voice and a limp, which sometimes made him look and sound a bit strange but safoo did not see anything strange because Bonus was his best friend..
“You’re not smiling today, something wrong?” “Were you playing in the field all on your little lonesome?
Why didn’t you come and get me?” Bonus said looking at Safoo out of the corner of his eye
I did, but your dad said you couldn’t come out to play. So I tried to play by myself. It was fun at first but its not the same as when you’re with me said safoo quietly while kicking a loose stone.
So you missed me? Safoo missed me, safoo missed me safoo missed me Bonus started to sing.
Suddenly Safoo saw something move in the bushes. He whispered to Bonus something’s moving over there. Then just as he was about to say something else when a giant of a cat came sauntering towards them. Bonus began to shake uncontrollably.
“This is it “cried Bonus “we are going to become cat food and I’m going to be cooked till I’m well done. I want my mummy. The cat stopped and looked Safoo straight in the eyes. Then without warning it made a slashing movement as if to say you mine.

If you want more you'll have to buy the book

I did it and said it

I have now finished my children book to my satisfaction and I think it quite good (first few pages coming next) but none of this would have been possible if I hadn't have gotten my self clean from drugs and had the right kind of help on the education front. When I think back to my days of nothingness I keep thinking that so much of my life was a waste but all I can say now is it's a shame and in the past.
When I go out on to the streets to do what I call the Jamie interviews I ask ordinary people why they donate to charities like St mungo's or crisis. Most of the time the answer I get is that the government do not do enough to help those groups the are disadvantaged. What does this say to me? It says that people do want to help and in most cases would mind a penny rise in tax if they knew it was going to the right government initiatives. Believe me when I say there are a few schemes out there that are not right. Lets say today's young society. Its full of the must have gadgets and clothes but you have to be well off to afford them or have several credit cards which of course leads to debt but all this still gives us the haves and have nots and if you put all the have nots in to a small area spattered with a sprinkling of the haves you are going to get a certain amount of resentment and of course crime. Most people blame the area, the rate of unemployment, poverty in fact there are number of things to indicate this. People and statistics say that a higher percentage of these people end up addicted to something or end up on the streets. In truth anyone of us could fall victim to living a life with no hope and on the streets. We all walk a very thin line. I agree that a higher percent do in fact come from deprived areas
but I also think that people make bad choices in life and suffer for them. What we didn't see years ago was helping being given to people that really needed it. Now we have several charities doing exactly the samething. Why ? lack of communication and in some cases lack of vision and understanding of the real problem. Which is what I am always saying about the government

Eroding things

They say times change and people should change with them but at what cost? Should we allow ourselves to be dictated to by any government that slowly erodes away our freedom of choice. It seems to me that although this government is intent on modernising Britain, it has forgotten the fundamental rights of it's voters and that is to have a say on the policies that are now being put forward. The one thing that I have never seen is a letter from any party asking me whether i agree with any government proposal. we base our society on freeedom of speech yet that seems to be getting so limited. Are we a country that is as progressive as we think? it's a question we should ask ourselves because as one government becomes old and outdated a new one always has other ideas. I ask myself what has this government done for me or come to it wat have they done for anyone? Have they their own social agenda to build from and is this why they see everyone in the same light?
We all have certain goals to reach in life but its the law of human nature that some will neeed much more help than others. This is what any government should look at. It's like the actual level poverty in this country. We know it exists but to what extent? Did you know that around 1,000,000 children only have one main meal a day and these are the people that are mostly on benefit or low income. Did you know that many people on benefit have to go without for a least one day. These are the things we dont hear about from any government. We hear about tax credits We hear about child benefit We hear about welfare benefits going up but what we dont hear about is that any increase is also met by much higher rising costs and the true figure of poverty suffered by people in THIS country. Has anything really changed? I dont think so