W
e all have bad days, sometimes we lose our keys, your car won't start, your birthday cake collapses from the weight of the candles because there are so many or when you get to your office there is a news crew from 60 minutes waiting to see you. On a serious note in today's fast paced life with cellular phones and emails we all lead a very time consuming life and when a problem hits us there is chaos. How about when our computer is down do we all remember how much stress that causes us? For me, when the Internet crashes so do I and I am not a happy camper. However for a poor person their problems are larger but don't seem to be that “bad” to them, themselves. Things like not having food, having a bed for the
Most Americans are “Two Paychecks” away from being homeless. Help the shelter stay alive. We are trying to pay the mortgage off! To help, please send a check or money order to: COSAC Foundation Burn That Mortgage Campaign P.O. Box 292 -577 Davie, Fl 33329
How’s My Vending? Call (954)
925-6466 X101
night or even getting clean with a nice hot shower seem to be a very big problem for the person who has a house but for the homeless person these little problems are nothing more then having bad luck for the day. How many of us have had car trouble and then we are inconvenienced because we had to wait for “Triple A” to come to the rescue? For some of us, it might have been as easy as dialing a few numbers on our cell phone to call a friend for some help. However let’s look at the problems that can arise from a homeless person having their type of transportation problem. Ok, they don't have cars or should I say only about .0001 percent have a car to live in, but for some, maybe it is a wheelchair that is broken or what about one of the those “people movers”
such as a rechargeable wheelchair that can move the homeless stroke victim around their local community. Could you imagine being a stroke victim and being partially paralyzed and being homeless? So now that you have a little understanding about this possible story let me fill you in on the fact of what happened on the eve of Thanksgiving in the city of Fort Lauderdale. It was about 7 PM and we were in the middle of doing the Homeless Voice vending team’s cash out procedure, (this is when they bring in the money from their sales for the day.) Now this is a big day for us, in (Continued on page 10)
Mr. Vincent Reynolds relaxing on the way home in the ambulance. He was quite amazed that he was sitting in the EMT chair and not in the stretcher.
The Voice of the Homeless
Page 2
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
FRIENDS OF THE HOMELESS For just $15.00 a month you can keep a homeless family off the streets for a day. Please make check payable to: COSAC Foundation Friends of the Homeless. Please include on memo what name should appear in paper.
Mail check to: Friends of the Homeless, P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, FL 33329
Your Name Will Be Printed in Our Paper Every Month • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Donald Peterson The Cononie Family The Targett Family Patrick Helings John Bendor The Preston Family Jake Forest Lisa Gram The Jameson Family In Loving Memory of Uncle Joe & Nana Shannon Brooks Jose Rodrigues Lisa Cebrat The Bowe Family Pakita Price The Stone Family Nana Sullivan The Watsons Sean Cononie Sally Lister Judith Kelly Arnold Goldstein Martha Roman The Baptista Family The Whoa Family Jacob Robinson Julie Stokes De De Hupp John Criasia Daniel Harrison The Martinez Family Amanda Reynolds Dolores R. Cerra Bob Hall Tressie W. Osborne Clark Rogers The Savir Family Peter Richman Richard McHenry Stevie Nix Corinne James The Browns Chris Sanchez Hugo DeCarpintini Mario Yuio Richard Friedman Diane Friedman Uylna Quadrino Ginny Scott Arnold Reemer In Loving Memory of Peter Sullivan Maryann Springer Elaine Snaith Marshal Bugin Keith Yude Steve Murrey Young Anderson
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Bruce Wethersoon Isabelle J. Henry Raul Cardenas M.D. Wendy Bryan Jacqueline McCarty Albert J Taragowski Darla King Paula King Richard Gomez Anthony Ralph Jennifer Hicky Timothy Lukehard Thomas Rua The Jackson Family Justin Rowan Mary Green Morris Grazi Marvin Shatze Ronald Shafer Vance Gunn Adam Staler Allen Yancy Jimmy Daniels Mel Blount Carol Lockette Joe Golden Anna Marye Levier Magan Narduzzi Andre Johnson Antione Collins Eric Harrison Jessica Padilla Sheldon Jones Carlo Harrison Jason Emrik Amber Rowan Jackie Johnson Ricky Cambell Dorr’e Terry
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Samual Manery Marilyn Vokish Jenny Curic Amy Curic Lisa Jackson Jim Johnson
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Bobby Neal Erica Fulton Darren Nolf Erica Sanclair Steve Dillan Dallan Michele King Bobby Ore Casandra Thomas Mark Faber Nichole Faber Kevin Britt
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Dan Gilcert
Tara Hunter
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The Cable Family The Maione Family Barbara Strong Grace Marth Regla J Ferrer The Baldwin Family Horace Gracie Russell J. Ferguson Marjorie G. Rhines Jamie F. Flores In Loving Memory Of Thomas Gasbarro Cathy and Kids The Davis Family Graham R. Mitchell Essential Oil Healthline Amparo L. Korey John’s Plumbing Service Thank You Winn Dixie Adrienne and Mike Ms. Marilyn Smith Albert J. Taragowski Ruth C Grey Mike Cross Tamara Southard Raul Cardenas MD PA Al and Annie Hurricane Prevention Inc Danny and George The Thompson Family OTD Messenger, Inc M. Smith Yorick and Bonita Parrica Lee Russ & Delores B Mordon Robert Jesus Llanes Comet Couriev Proietto Family In Memory of Billy Corwin Josh Searles Patricia Lee Russ Delores B Mordon Mrs. Jenkins Everglades Moon, Covenant of Goddess, Elibet Hanson Judy B. Pascarella John Gaeta Michael R. Prokop, Jr. Jackie M. McCarty In Memory of Charles Horton In Memory of William F. Judge Todd Palgon The Morabito Family Todd Palgon Holly J. Andrus
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In Loving Memory of Florence & Nat Popkin Tailored Advertising, Inc Claudia K. Tapolow Margie Jones In memory of Wesley H. Woodall Maria M. Riveiro Gottlieb & Blair Family Pioneer Middle School Youth Crime Watch Rhenals-Mei Family The Strikowski family Margie Jones & Friends Ronald Prescia In Memory of Brian Groleau Laura Flash Jacqueline M. McCarty The Herrmann Family The Monserrate Family Madeline Butera Jennifer S. Nickel Marilyn R. Smith David Thawley On Behalf of Matthew Lambert Mustafa Mehmet Gokoglu In Memory of Scott Paul Cooper Robert and Ruth Baal In Memory of Melba DeSanto In Memory of My Mother Pearl McCann, Love Teresa Barbara Desanto Leah and Ray Michael & Michale Rhett Marie Sutera Floyd and Luana Coats Doug Boucher Family Kevin Jones Dorothy Griffith Family In Loving Memory of Kris Soltan Kevin “KJ” Jones Douglas Boucher The Swartout's Ivonne Fernandez The Verny & Stewart Families In Loving Memory of Frances Klein The Herrmann Family John C. Burt Douglas S Boucher Hartford Property Connection, Inc
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Lois Cross
Did you know?
• You can setup payroll deduction through your employer to support the COSAC Foundation’s Homeless Voice • Your company might even match your donation • See your human resource or department manager
Page 3
Volume VII, Issue 3
HOMELESS VOICE It seems that every year the holidays come and go faster and faster. There is a story on page 7 about a missing Hialeah girl found. What a great present. Of course that was a bad situation, but think about it! How often and how quickly are the missing found. Every day we see more and more of these situations on the news. I received an email from Sean after this happened. He knows the person who found the missing child. He told me to put myself in the shoes of the father. Normally I would be to busy to think about it. This time I did take a few moments. I would be so grateful for the person who found my daughter. I would give him everything I owned in appreciation. I am sure he would not want everything I owned but the point is that, why does something have to happen like this to make me appreciate my family even LETTERS TO THE EDITOR more. Sometimes we take things for granted. SEND TO: When things like this happen it makes me want to P.O. BOX 292-577 be the best dad ever. Kids grow up and I want my kids to grow up better than I did. And because of DAVIE, FLORIDA 33329 this, my job should be to make sure my children FAX TO: 954-926-2022 have a better life than me. I love you Lily and AuEMAIL: info@homelessvoice.org tumn, and my soon to be child. ALL DONATION REQUESTS IN THE HOMELESS -Mark Targett
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The Voice of the Homeless
Page 4
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
The flu this year is going to be deadly!
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ormally you have the chance to get your flu shot which will either keep you from getting the flu or at least a milder case, but this year most people cannot. There isn’t any available. This is going to lead to probably an epidemic and many deaths. The more people who do get sick, the more people will be contaminated. Those who are “at risk” need to be particularly careful, but none of us should ignore the fact that we all are at risk this year. We may need to put ourselves in a position of being a little “antisocial” for a while until our friends get over their sickness. And we need to be a little “obsessive’ about hand washing, not drinking or eating after someone that we normally would not give a second thought to. Since the symptoms usually show up 1 to 4 days after you are infected, it is all the more reason to practice safety precautions around “healthy” people also. Just consider that every person you come in contact with has the flu and protect yourself. In your home, door knobs, telephones, faucet handles are a great place to spread germs by and should be sanitized often. In the workplace, every surface should be considered fearful. Some of the information that follows may seem like “overkill” but this year’s flu season is going to be like no other. If anything you learn can help you...that is our purpose. WHAT IS THE FLU? The flu is a viral illness that comes on suddenly, causing fever, shaking chills, body aches, and other symptoms. The flu is not the same as the common cold. You may remember the flu as one of the worst illnesses you have had. Most people recover without problems, but sometimes the illness leads to a bacterial infection, such as an ear infection, sinus infection, or bronchitis. Good home treatment may help prevent these infections. More serious complications, most commonly pneumonia, may develop in some people. (It seems almost callous that articles never mention MENINGITIS). Meningitis is not a disease in itself, it is the result of the bacterial infection, most particularly ear and sinus infections, finding their way into the Meninges which is the lining of the brain. Left untreated, it is most deadly. Regarding the flu, most deaths occur in those who are older or whose immune systems are not working properly. The influenza virus causes the classic flu. Doctors classify the virus as influenza type A and type B. It isn’t necessary to go into technical explanations, but be advised that just because you had one, you are immune to the other. You aren’t. Since so many more people are going to be affected this year, I think it is wise to give as much information of signs and symptoms as possible. Symptoms Flu symptoms appear suddenly and often include:
younger adults.
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Shaking chills.
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Headache.
Body aches and muscle pain (often severe), commonly in the back, arms, or legs. Pain when move your eyes.
you
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Fatigue, a general feeling of sickness (malaise), and loss of appetite.
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A dry cough, runny nose, and dry or sore throat. You may not notice these during the first few days of the illness when other symptoms are more severe. As fever goes away, these symptoms usually become more evident. When fever is high, other symptoms usually are more severe. Other conditions with flu like symptoms include the common cold, bacterial infections, and infectious mononucleosis and meningitis. NOTE: last year our Sean was misdiagnosed and sent home with “the flu” only to end up in intensive care a day later and virtually 30 minutes away from death. What Happens The flu usually comes on suddenly. In many cases you can pinpoint the hour when symptoms started. Symptoms develop 1 to 4 days after you are infected.
Since there are no known cures for colds and flu, prevention must be your goal.
•
Fever of 100 °F(37.8 °C) to 104 °F(40 °C), which can reach 106 °F(41.1 °C) when symptoms first develop. Fever is usually continuous, but it may come and go. Fever may be lower in older adults than in children and
The Cooperative Feeding Program is in desperate need of food for the community food pantry. •
•
• •
The shelves are empty and we need to feed our community members that need just a little help. Please get with your church, optimist clubs, schools, or social clubs and do a food drive so our little ones, seniors and individuals get some food in their bellies. Please call 954-792-2EAT www.FeedingBroward.org
Learn how to start your own food pantry so your own group can do what we do to help our poorest members of our community. Go to www.Training.cscBroward.org. Project name: The Cupboard Is Bare.
•
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Classic flu involves fever for 3 days, followed by a gradual decrease in other symptoms. Fever is usually slightly lower on the 2nd and 3rd days. It may last up to 8 days.
Respiratory symptoms (cough, runny nose, sore throat) become more noticeable as fever and other symptoms decrease. They usually last 3 to 4 days after the fever goes down. A dry, hacking cough may linger for up to 10 days after other symptoms are gone.
•
Complete recovery may take 1 to 2 weeks or longer. Fatigue and weakness can last for several weeks. Complications of influenza may develop in anyone, but they are much more likely in older adults and people who have other health problems, especially heart and lung diseases. What Increases Your Risk Anyone can get the flu. Exposure to the influenza virus is the major risk factor for getting the flu. The virus is contagious and spreads easily among people in groups, such as in nursing homes, hospitals, shelters, schools, and day care. Working, visiting, or living in any of these areas increases your risk of getting the flu. Factors that may increase the risk of a more serious illness and complications include:
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Being under age 4. Being over age 65. About 90% of the deaths caused by flu occur in this age group. Symptoms had improved but seem to be getting worse again.
Signs of Reye’s Syndrome, a serious illness in children and teens, develop 3 to 7 days after the start of symptoms of the flu or another viral respiratory illness.
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Signs of a bacterial infection develop, such as an ear infection, bronchitis, or pneumonia.
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Influenza develops in a person over age 65 who has other health problems (lung, heart, or kidney disease or diabetes) or in someone who is being treated with chemotherapy for cancer.
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Influenza develops in a person of any age who has a long-term respiratory illness, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
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Symptoms include fever over 101 °F(38.33 °C), shaking chills, and a cough that produces mucus from the lungs (productive cough).
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Fever is high or prolonged. However, it is common for adults with the flu to have high fevers [up to 103 °F(39.4 °C)] for 3 to 4 days. If many people in your community have similar symptoms and it is flu season, it is likely you have the flu and don't need to see a doctor. If you have any concerns, contact your doctor. Since there are no known cures for colds and flu, prevention must be your goal. A proactive approach to warding off colds and flu is apt to make your whole life healthier. The most effective way to prevent flu is to get the flu shot, but since it isn’t available, we should do everything possible to help ourselves stay healthy. It just makes sense that the healthier you are, the more resistant you will be to the flu. Who knows, if you try this, it may become a good habit. #1 Wash Your Hands, Wash Your Hands, and Wash Your Hands Some More!! Most cold and flu viruses are spread by direct contact. Someone who has the flu sneezes onto their hand, and then touches the telephone, the keyboard, a kitchen glass. The germs can live for hours -- in some cases weeks -- only to be picked up by the next person who touches the same object. So (Continued on page 13)
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Volume VII, Issue 3
HOMELESSVOICE
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top U.N. public health official warned Thursday that a new influenza pandemic could come anytime and claim millions of lives unless officials to take action now to control an epidemic in Asia. Dr. David Nabarro of the World Health Organization called on governments to take immediate steps to address the threat at a news conference following his appointment as the new U.N. coordinator to lead a global drive to counter a human flu pandemic. "We expect the next influenza pandemic to come at any time now, and it's likely to be caused by a mutant of the virus that is currently causing bird flu in Asia," he said. The H5N1 strain of bird flu has swept through poultry populations in Asia since 2003, infecting humans and killing at least 65 people, mostly poultry workers, and resulting in the deaths of tens of millions of birds. The virus does not pass from person to person easily, but experts believe this could change if the virus mutates. Nabarro said with the almost certainty of another influenza pandemic soon, and with experts saying there is a high likelihood of the H5N1 virus mutating, it would be "extremely wrong" to ignore the serious possibility of a global outbreak. "The avian flu epidemic has to be controlled if we are to prevent a human influenza pandemic," Nabarro said. The 1918 influenza pandemic killed more than 40 million people, and there were subsequent pandemics in 1957 and 1968 which
had lower death rates but caused great disruption, he said. In a new pandemic, Nabarro said, "the range of deaths could be anything between 5 and 150 million." "The work we're doing over the next few months on prevention and preparedness will make the difference between, for example, whether the next pandemic leads us in the direction of 150 (million) or in the direction of 5 (million)," he said. He said Asian leaders met with Secretary-General Kofi Annan during the recent U.N. summit and asked for U.N. assistance in coordinating the response to the bird flu epidemic. Annan asked Nabarro to take a leave from his current post as WHO's executive director for sustainable development and health environments to become the U.N. system's coordinator for avian and human influenza. Nabarro said he plans to travel to Washington on Friday to work with the U.S. State Department on preparations for the first meeting of the International Partnership on Avian and Pandemic Influenza on Oct. 7. The U.S. initiative, announced by President Bush at the U.N. summit on Sept. 14, is designed to increase global readiness to deal with a human flu pandemic and will "garner political will," he said. By EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press Writer
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early three weeks after Hurricane Wilma thrashed populous South Florida with winds of up to 110 miles per hour, most of the region's electricity is restored but government officials are scrambling to find housing for thousands of families with ruined homes. From mobile home parks in rural Palm Beach County to condominium complexes near Fort Lauderdale and apartment buildings in Miami, roofs were battered or torn off. Heavy rains last week worsened the damage, collapsing hundreds of ceilings that had barely survived the hurricane and forcing many more people into emergency shelters. Many of those people awoke to emergency officials' pounding on their Carline Jean/South Florida doors and announcing that they had 15 Sun-Sentinel, via A.P. minutes to gather what possessions they Marie Calixte of Delray Beach, could and leave because their building was Fla., used a chair on Tuesday to unsafe. Some were elderly. Many were fill out an application at Lake Ida struggling financially even before the hurPark for food stamps. Thousands signed up. ricane hit on Oct. 24. On Thursday, the Red Cross was still housing 1,253 people in 10 shelters around the region. Broward County, where the storm inflicted the worst damage, had the highest shelter population: 551 people, all at the county's last open shelter, in Hollywood. MiamiDade County had 217 people at a single shelter, while Palm Beach County had 307 and Monroe County, home to the Keys, had 40 people at two shelters. But elected officials said the homelessness problem was much larger than those numbers implied. Many hurricane victims are staying with relatives, they said, but may soon need subsidized housing. Some are sleep(Continued on page 15)
The Voice of the Homeless
Page 6
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
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wanted to write a special story for Christmas; one that would open the minds and touch the hearts of individuals. So I came up with an idea! I decided that it might be interesting to interview some of the people here at our shelter and ask them some questions. The first question I asked was what does Christmas mean to you and the second one was what memories stand out in your mind about Christmas? Everyone I interviewed was very cooperative. But what I soon found out was that my story was not going to be too interesting because it seemed as though everyone shared similar thoughts about Christmas. People talked about big dinners, visiting or being visited by family and relatives, going to midnight mass, special customs, the Christmas play, the birth of Jesus, presents under the tree, buying last minute gifts and the most common response… the Christmas tree itself. It was a pleasant experience to realize that even though we are all unique individuals we share the same feelings when it comes to Christmas. One thing that stands out in my mind was that as soon as I asked the interview questions and people heard the word Christmas, they all had big smiles on their faces. I suppose deep down when we think of it, most of our Christmas memories really are special. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could bottle up that Christmas spirit and use just a little bit of it each day throughout the year? Now that I had NO story to write about and I had to make an enthusiastic attempt to come up with another one. I contemplated these questions; what was it that I wanted to get out of the story I was writing and what was it that I learned from the interviews? No sooner than I began thinking about these questions, a light bulb went off in my head. What I wanted from the story was a gift; one that I could give to everybody. What I learned from the interviews was that the Christmas tree was something that everyone thinks about. So, my gift to you this Christmas is one I want to leave you thinking about each year when you decorate your Christmas tree. Remember that the unchanging color of the tree (green) represents the hope of eternal life. The shape of the tree points heavenward to remind us that we need to keep ourselves pointed in a heavenly direction. Then there are the things we place on the tree or around our
home. Like the star we place atop our tree, it is a heavenly promise that our Savior will always keep the promises he has made to us. Bells guide us safely home so one day we may all join together with our loved ones who have passed. Lights represent the star that led the way, to the end of the journey for the 3 wise men and began our journey with Jesus. The candy cane is white with red stripes. The color white symbolizes a virgin birth, the shape of ‘J’ stands for the name of Jesus and its red stripes represent the blood He shed for us. Last but not least is the wreath. It represents Christ and his eternal love for us; a circle without beginning or end. Don’t hold on to my gift to you. Rather, share it with everyone you meet this Christmas season so they can pass it on to others too. Warmest wishes for the best Christmas ever. Cathy Freites
Main Entry: Christmas tree Function: noun 1 : a usually evergreen tree decorated at Christmas 2 : an oil-well control device consisting of an assembly of fittings placed at the top of the well
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randpa, some ninety plus years old, sat feeble on the patio bench. He didn’t move, just sat with his head down staring at his hands. When I sat down beside him he didn’t acknowledge my presence and the longer I sat I wondered if he was OK. Finally, not really wanting to disturb him but wanting to check him out at the same time, I asked him if he was OK. He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. Yes, I’m fine, thank you for asking, he said in a clear strong voice. I didn’t mean to disturb you grandpa but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were Ok, I explained to him. Have you ever looked at your hands, he asked. I mean really looked at your hands? I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making. Grandpa smiled and related this story: “Stop and think a moment about the hands you have. How they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They braced and caught my fall when I as a toddler I crashed upon the floor. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. They dried the tears of my children and caressed the love of my life. They held my rifle and wiped my tears when I went off to war. They have been dirty scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son. Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world I was married and loved someone special. They wrote the letters home and trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and walked my daughter down the aisle. Yet, they were strong and sure when I dug my buddy out of a foxhole and lifted a plow off my best friend’s foot. They have held children, consoled neighbors, and shook in fists of anger when I didn’t understand. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw. And to this day when not much of anything else of me works real well these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of my life. But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home. And with my hands he will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ”. I will never look at my hands the same again. But I will remember my grandpa’s hands, always. God reached out and took my grandpa’s hands and led him home. When my hands are hurt or sore or when I stroke the face of my children and wife, I think of grandpa. I know he is stroked and caressed by the hands of God now. -author unknown
Page 7
Volume VII, Issue 3
HOMELESSVOICE The story you are about to read about the amber alert and the rescue of the child by a real life super hero happens to be a friend of mine. Tino Amoroso has been a long time friend of mine because years ago before I started this shelter system, I used to go to his mom and dad's restaurant in Davie located at Griffin and University Drive. The restaurant was very much a part of my life for a period of about ten years. I studied there while in College, I started two of my communications companies sitting there having a slice of pizza, and yes, even the Cosac Foundation was started at the very same table that I sat at for the longest time. But what I remember most about Pizza Gaetanos was that before I started Cosac, I would leave my office at night and meet other CEO's from local companies. As Tino's parents closed their business at night they would reopen for our little group so we could make sandwiches for Miami’s homeless. Every night we would line all the tables up with bread and meat and we sort of operated a sandwich assembly line; putting together sandwich after sandwich. For about five years before I started the Homeless Voice our dedicated little group would gather together the sandwiches we made on Gaetanos assembly line and drive to downtown Miami, in my brand new Lexus. That was the first mistake because my mom warned me not to take that car. She said I was going to get killed in a town that was full of car jackings. At that time I was the chief executive officer of a very valuable communications company and as most of you know the reason why I don't take a pay check from here is because I got a lot of money from a jury award on a personal injury case when I was just 19 years of age. But for me at that time of my life, I was invincible. But in reality I was not invincible and mom was right (as they usually are) because as fate would have it, one night while feeding the homeless near the Miami arena we were car jacked by three individuals. After the bad guys put a gun in my mouth and took the Lexus, as well as the food we were going to pass out, and we finished dealing with the police we were stranded in Miami. Although it was very late the very first person we thought of was Tino, the same guy that is the hero in the story below. Without any hesitation whatsoever, Tino came to pick us up. Tino was always the sort of guy that wanted to help someone out. He is just a kind individual and I have always been proud to say, I know Tino Amororso. As most of you know I always state in my articles that the loss of the life of a child has got to be one of the worst things in the world. So Tino spotting that car and the bad guy has got to be a once in a life time incident because many amber alert victims never make it home to mom and dad. Tino you have made this Holiday Season a very special one because a teenager is out of danger and safe back at home with her family. Tino, we at the Homeless Voice have named you "Man of 2005." We commend you and we thank you for getting involved, many people would have not wanted to get involved but you knew you had a responsibility as a human being and a dad to bring a child home safely. May God Bless you, your family and your children for the rest of your lives. Tino, we love you... Into by Sean Cononie
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17-year-old girl allegedly abducted by an armed, convicted sex offender was found safe Thursday after a driver spotted them in Broward County, Fla., police said. Her alleged abductor apparently shot and killed himself. An Amber Alert had been issued after the girl disappeared Wednesday. The first thing you think of is your own children," said Tino Amoroso, who spotted the Mazda 6 the two were believed to be traveling in after noticing the Amber Alert posted on an overhead highway message board on Florida's Turnpike. "You think of your own experience. I have 25month-old triplets at home and God forbid someone was to take them or one of them." Laird, 39, was found with a selfinflicted gunshot wound to the chest in his car, said Lt. Roger Reyes of the Florida Highway Patrol. Laird died a short time later. Reyes said the girl jumped out of the car soon after troopers pulled the vehicle over in Coconut Creek. Robert Laird "This is a situation where the
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Amber Alert proved to be effective," said Reyes. "We need all people out there driving to be our eyes and ears and notify police so we can save these children." The girl was taken to a Florida Department of Law Enforcement office to be interviewed before returning to her family. Police said Laird left his home Wednesday with a handgun. He also left a note stating that he planned on committing suicide. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement sex offender Web site, Laird was convicted of lewd and lascivious battery on a victim 12 to 15 years old three years ago. Local 10 has learned that those charges involved the same girl. "There appears to be a history between them," said Hialeah police spokesman Frank Gonzalez. "The mother was the one that did alert his probation officer as to the relationship." Detectives were seen removing a hard drive from the victim's home a few hours after she was found. The name of the 17-year-old, who had previously been identified, is being withheld because she is a possible sexual assault victim. Copyright 2005 by Local10.com.
Amoroso uses his cell phone to alert police, and Florida Highway Patrol officers initiate a traffic stop.
The girl is taken to Florida Department of Law Enforcement offices for questioning before returning home to her family.
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Tino Amoroso was driving on Florida's Turnpike Thursday
The Voice of the Homeless
Page 8
HAPPY HOLIDAYS On Giving Then said a rich man, "Speak to us of Giving." And he answered: You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give. For what are your possessions but things you keep and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow? And tomorrow, what shall tomorrow bring to the overprudent dog burying bones in the trackless sand as he follows the pilgrims to the holy city? And what is fear of need but need itself? Is not dread of thirst when your well is full, thirst that is unquenchable? There are those who give little of the much which they have - and they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome. And there are those who have little and give it all. These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty. There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward. And there are those who give with pain, and that pain is their baptism. And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue; They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space. Through the hands of such as these God speaks, and from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth. It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding; And to the open-handed the search for one who shall receive is joy greater than giving And is there aught you would withhold? All you have shall some day be given; Therefore give now, that the season of giving may be yours and not your inheritors'. You often say, "I would give, but only to the deserving." The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture. They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish. Surely he who is worthy to receive his days and his nights is worthy of all else from you. And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream. And what desert greater shall there be than that which lies in the courage and the confidence, nay the charity, of receiving? And who are you that men should rend their bosom and unveil their pride, that you may see their worth naked and their pride unabashed? See first that you yourself deserve to be a giver, and an instrument of giving. For in truth it is life that gives unto life - while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness. And you receivers - and you are all receivers - assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives. Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings; For to be overmindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who has the free-hearted earth for mother, and God for father. -Kahlil Gibran
THANKSGIVING DAY VOLUNTEERS Mary Kay Cosmetics Thank you for all of the help on Thanksgiving. We appreciate everything that was done; especially the haircuts, manicures, and gifts.
The People’s Almanac, pp. 1358–9. (Originally published in The New York Sun in 1897.) e take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun: Dear Editor— I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus? Virginia O’Hanlon your little friends are The Homeless Voice is looking for churches to Virginia, wrong. They have been afvolunteer for feeding the homeless. Please Call fected by the scepticism of a sceptical age. They do not Mark at believe except they see. They think that nothing can be 954-410-6275 which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an
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ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished. Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no (Continued on page 15)
Dear Readers, Please keep our friend Cathy in your prayers. -Homeless Voice Advantage Communications, Inc. is a proud supporter of The Cosac Foundation "Excellence in Radio"
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Volume VII, Issue 3
HOMELESSVOICE
T
his little girl and her mom came to us a few days after Thanksgiving. Even though we are not a family shelter we take families when we can’t get them to any other shelter. Also there are many times that police department’s can’t find room at a family shelter and then they call us, knowing that we are not allowed to turn people away. Our shelter is not designed for families but we do whatever it takes to assure that if a family comes our way we never say "There is no room at the inn." We do whatever it takes to make sure they will be safe. Not only does staff do what they need to, but the homeless here in our shelter really go out of their way. The night this family came in, our place was really hectic and the little girl was quite scared seeing all these people all hanging around checking in. And as some would imagine that after being in the streets so long, hungry, dirty, very tired of being told that most shelters that the county has no beds sometimes attitudes flair and voices become loud and to a seven year-old it can seem a little scary to them. The beautiful little girl from Haiti was just a tad scared but when we took her and her mother to one of the nicest female rooms they were made at home by some of their new roommates. That is what I like about this place, others who have been in hard times learn to give back to people who are new at being homeless. Lets not all forget that we here at the shelter still have a pretty long way to pay off our mortgage as well as covering the deductible from the damage that Hurricane Wilma caused, so as always our campaign still exists and you are more than welcome to send in a check so we can burn that mortgage. ..
Our shelter is not designed for families but we do whatever it takes to assure that if a family comes our way we never say, "There is no room at the inn."
Happy Holidays Merry Christmas Happy Hanukah and Happy Kwanzaa HELP PAY OFF OUR MORTGAGE We need just 34,897 people to send in a check for $20.00, Or 13,959 people to send in a check for $50.00, Or 6,980 people to send in a check for $100.00, Or 698 people to send in a check for $1,000, Or Just one wonderful person or business to send a check for the entire $697,925.00 Remember the donation is tax deductible!! Please send your checks to:
The COSAC Building Fund P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, Florida 33329 We do thank you
The Homeless Voice sells approx 80,000 papers per month. This month we ask you, our supporters to send in $10. If everyone participates that normally purchases a paper; we will be able to pay the mortgage off this month. Please if you can find it in your heart to help us in our endeavor. Please send a check or money order to: COSAC Foundation BURN That Mortgage Campaign P.O. Box 292-577 Davie, Fl 33329
The Voice of the Homeless
Page 10
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
(Continued from page 1)
fact it is our third biggest day of the year. So we were quite busy counting their money and paying them for their days work. The standing in the hallway for an phone rang and it was a Battalion additional two hours after workFire Chief from the city of Fort ing in the sun all day selling Lauderdale, he explained that the papers. After we figured out there was a homeless man in an a way to do the teams without electric wheelchair that was bro- stopping in the middle of the proken. We said to ourselves no big cedure we were on our way. We decided to take our deal we have seen “I want you to picture basic life support that before, but yourself being disabled ambulance that we then the story got thicker. The mans from, a stroke and living in use in our disaster division. So on the wheelchair the streets in a battery we went. stopped working operated wheelchair and way on top of the then on top of that, being When we got to the bridge it was dark I bridge by the Brostuck on a bridge with guess because of ward County court hardly any street lights and some of the street house right next fast cars are passing you lights still not being door to a few local every few seconds.� at 100 percent after nightspots. He got stuck on the top of the bridge and the fire department was dispatched. The Battalion Chief told me several times that they tried to fix the chair but had no luck and that this gentleman needed some good old fashion help. He used the word gentleman and in today's times we do not see that all civil servants respect homeless people like they should but this Battalion Chief gave this man 100 percent respect and so did the fire crew on the bridge. We knew that this man was pretty disabled and we were in the middle of trying to figure out how to transport this man and at the same time we were short staffed because of me and my recovery and not really working because of my post bacterial meningitis. Staff was very busy counting the money and we knew after a long days work that we could not leave the vendors
hurricane Wilma we needed to throw on the red and white lights so no one would hit the ambulance. The tricky part was not getting this man in the back of the ambulance but lifting the very heavy electric wheelchair which took three fireman and RJ Service from our Homeless Emergency Management Team. After the wheelchair got in to the ambulance RJ did a quick evaluation of the homeless man to make sure he was stable and that we could bring him in to a shelter system. Sometimes the ones we pick from the streets are very bad medically and are off all their medication and it does require a short trip to the local emergency room. We can do this type of medical screening because you the readers have paid for our staff to become first responders. Not only have you paid for our medical training and medical supplies,
All it takes is One We are looking for churches and/or other organizations to get involved by starting penny drives at your location. Call 954-924-3571
Mr. Reynolds, hanging outside of the shelter. you also paid for the ambulance that was used to transport this man. I know that this must really feel good during the holidays to know that by reading our paper it paid for this entire service that we gave Mr. Vincent L. Reynolds aka the formally Homeless man. At the time of the medical screening we checked him for infections, TB, and checked his blood pressure as well as his other vitals. He was a pretty stable individual. Now all this does not sound too difficult, however I want you to picture yourself being disabled from, a stroke and living in the streets in a battery operated wheelchair and then on top of that, being stuck on a bridge with hardly any street lights and fast cars are passing you every few seconds. Now can you see that this was a real big problem for Vincent? Our journey home to our place called the Homeless Voice Homeless Shelter It was a simple and a very special trip home. In the back of the ambulance was RJ Service from our homeless emergency management team, his job was to get to know Mr. Vincent L. Reynolds and to find out as much as he could about this man and about how he got stuck in a wheelchair on the top of a bridge. I was driving the rig and radioing the shelter advising them that we needed some extra man power to lift this wheelchair because of the weight. I must admit the wheelchair was one thing but Mr. Rey-
nolds had his life possessions attached to his chair. Believe it or not he even had a battery powered TV on the rear of the wheelchair to watch his favorite program as well as the news. After RJ Service investigated the past of Vincent it was discovered that he could not make the rent of any place because of his disability funds being very small. As some of you may or may not know many people become homeless because they are disabled or retired and their monthly checks are not enough for any type of a roof over their heads. Yes, public housing can be used however it is a very complicated process and some of our homeless people have a hard time filling out the forms and completing the process. Not only is the process hard but your waiting time can be somewhat long. Then of course having no address or telephone can make your waiting even longer or you may miss your deadlines and then have to reapply again and again. This is where shelters come in to place. As well as us giving out free beds to people who can’t work, or don't have any income. We also offer low cost housing based on a sliding scale for people who are retired or disabled. Instead of them going to an assisted living facility where they take 95 percent of their social security we are able to offer the same level of service or even a better level of service a lot less expensively. In December Mr. Rey(Continued on page 11)
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Volume VII, Issue 3
HOMELESSVOICE Support the Homeless Voice Purchase Home Depot and/or Lowe’s Gift and Shopping Cards through us! We accept Credit Cards. The gift cards can be picked up at a location near you. Call 954-325-7326
Shop and Help the Homeless: 4 easy steps
1– Go to www.HomelessVoiceMall.com 2– Bottom left frame find "choose an organization to shop for"; fill in Homeless Voice and click "find organization" 3– Top of middle frame will show "homeless voice shelter" link; click on link 4– Just go shopping, you can use the search, or store directory. All stores show what percentage of the purchase goes to Homeless Voice. You'll notice the percentages are higher because you now get 75% of the profit instead of 50%.
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(Continued from page 10)
nolds will be given the opportunity to either stay in our low cost housing unit or we will give him his check when it arrives to once again try to make it on his own. He seems to do quite well on the streets, so it may become quite difficult for us to get him to stay. After all some of these small checks are less then $400.00 per month. Ask yourself this question what would you do with $400.00 a month and being a person who could not work at all? Would you want to pay for a roof over your head or maybe you would want to go to a hotel for a few days and live the life and eat like a king and then live in the streets for the rest of the month. I know some of you may say that you would pick the place to live but that can be a very limited life for some. Some people need to go to Burger King and get their whopper to feel good about themselves so it can be somewhat trying for these people. His stay here has been a lovely expeiriece.
the Homeless Voice. Considering it was Thanksgiving Eve Mr. Reynolds fit right in. He got a pre thanksgiving dinner snack as he arrived and on Thursday he got a meal made for a King. A lot of our clients sometimes go out of their way to help other clients who really need a special hand, so for some of us we really had a good time trying to make our place his place. He was so amused when he got served food by one of the church people who came to help serve the dinner. He is quite the interesting guy. I must thank you all the reader and buyers of the Homeless Voice who actually got Vincent down from the bridge. As you extended your hand to place money in our buckets your hand was extended once again to help this man as well as giving him the extension he needed a "helping hand." You have
given this man a nice Christmas present. As well as actually saving his life. Who knows what would have happened to this man if the Fort Lauderdale firemen did not go out of their way to help this man. They could have just rescued him and sat him below the bridge and then he would have been on his own. But they did not, they put away their fire hat and placed a social service worker hat on for the day and called around town until they got us. Our hats go off to the firemen who helped save this man. The firemen and the readers not only saved this man but they gave him a good thanksgiving as well as an early Christmas present and that present was a place to call home for the holidays. -Sean Cononie
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The Voice of the Homeless
Page 12
HAPPY HOLIDAYS
A
new cost-cutting push by one of the nation's largest insurance companies is encouraging patients to engage in a controversial tactic: cutting their drug bills by cutting their pills in half. UnitedHealth Group's is now offering patients a chance to lower their copayments by buying a pill for twice the dose they need and cutting it in half. The program is voluntary and gives patients the opportunity to save as much as $300 annually in copayment costs per prescription. The move is being closely watched by the insurance industry, and experts say that if it is successful, other insurers likely will begin to offer pill-splitting options to their customers as well. One concern is whether insurers will eventually make pill splitting mandatory, forcing patients to essentially become their own pharmacist. Drug makers have long raised concerns about the health risks of splitting pills incorrectly, or attempting it with inappropriate drugs. But a slew of research demonstrates that for many medications, pill-splitting is entirely safe when done correctly. Because of a quirk in the way drugs are made and priced, many pills cost the same regardless of the dosage. For instance, drugstore.com sells a one-month supply of the cholesterol drug Lipitor in 20-milligram pills for $99. It also sells a month's worth of 40-milligram pills for about $99. One reason drug makers price drugs this way is to encourage patients to take the most effective dose without having to pay significantly more money
than a lower dose. So a patient with a 20-milligram Lipitor prescription could buy a month of the higher-dose pills, cut them in half, and get two months' worth of Lipitor for the same price. The practice of pill splitting to save money has long been used by uninsured patients who have to pay for drugs out of their own pocket. And some insurance firms like Kaiser Permanente, provide information and pillsplitting devices to customers whose plans don't include drug coverage. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has also pushed the practice. But the pillsplitting plan by UnitedHealth marks the first time a major insurance firm has encouraged the practice as a way for customers who already have prescriptiondrug coverage to lower copayment costs. Although pill splitting conjures up images of kitchen knives and cutting boards, numerous plastic devices have been developed to make the job easier and more precise. The devices range in price from about $3 for a simple drug-store version to $25 for one specially designed to easily split Viagra. UnitedHealth gives its patients a free splitter that looks a little like a small stapler. Open it and set the pill inside. Close it and a blade inside the device swipes through the pill. The easiest pills to split are relatively flat, round and scored with a line down the center. Odd shaped pills like diamond-shaped Viagra can be trickier, which is why specialty pill-splitters have gained popularity. In addition, splitters only work if a pill comes in double
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your needed dose -- they can't be used to cut a pill into thirds. The drug industry, which stands to lose billions if the practice is widely adopted, has long criticized pill splitting as unsafe, saying that patients may not get the exact dose if they start cutting pills in half. And some pills -- like extended release tablets or the migraine drug Imitrex -- won't work at all if they're cut in half. Capsules with powder or gel in them also can't be split. And the simple splitters might be too difficult to use for patients with vision problems, severe arthritis or dementia. In addition, since some elderly patients are burdened with several prescriptions, some experts worry that pill splitting will end up being a disincentive to comply with a doctor's prescription regimen, because it will involve splitting hundreds of pills each month. But some recent studies have debunked the safety concerns about splitting pills. Most recently, the American Journal of Cardiology in June examined voluntary pill-splitting of cholesterol drugs among nearly 4,000 patients seen by doctors at six Veterans Affairs centers in Florida. There were no differences in patient compliance, side effects or improvement among pill splitters and non-pill splitters. The pill-splitting push saved the VA more than $46 million in 2003, according to the journal report. UnitedHealth customers who split pills will cut their copayment costs in half, saving $12 to $25 per prescription, depending on the drug. For the insurance industry, pill-splitting has the potential of saving billions annually. The company says the plan has built-in safety measures. For instance, patients can split pills and save on copayments
“One concern is whether insurers will eventually make pill splitting mandatory, forcing patients to essentially become their own pharmacist.” only with permission from a doctor. That way doctors can make sure that patients with dementia or other health problems that could interfere with accurate pill splitting don't take part. To prevent patients from splitting the wrong types of pills, only certain categories of drugs qualify, including cholesterol drugs, blood pressure drugs known as ACE inhibitors and Angiotensin Receptor Blockers, anti-depressants such as Zoloft and the anti-viral drug Valtrex. A company spokesman said the plan only includes drugs that have been shown in published studies or other research to be safe to split. UnitedHealth says the program was "extremely popular" when it was studied as a pilot test program among patients in Wisconsin, which is why the firm decided to launch it nationally. Half of a pill "is as safe as any normal pharmaceutical," says spokesman Mark Lindsay. "The clinical evidence clearly shows that under a doctor's supervision you can do this and have the same clinical effect and save consumers and employers a lot of money." You can e-mail Tara Parker-Pope at healthjournal@wsj.com
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Volume VII, Issue 3
HOMELESSVOICE
The flu this year is going to be deadly! (Continued from page 4)
wash your hands often. Carry hand sanitizer with you. I never heard of this one but rubbing your hands together very hard for a minute or so helps break up most of the cold germs. On the hand cleaners...be careful...some hand cleaners are flammable! If your hands are still damp with the cleaner and you go near a flame...you may ignite your hand. #2 Cover your mouth when you sneeze or cough. Because germs and viruses cling to your bare hands, muffling coughs and sneezes with your hands results in passing along your germs to others. So...when you feel a sneeze or cough coming, use a tissue, then throw it away immediately. If you don't have a tissue, turn your head away from people near you and cough into the air. Also, the back of your hand has less contact with surfaces than your palm, so that is another option. #3 Don't Touch Your Face Cold and flu viruses enter your body through the eyes, nose, or mouth. Touching their faces is the major way children catch colds, and a key way they pass colds on to their parents. Nail biters beware. #4 Drink Plenty of Fluids Water flushes your system, washing out the poisons as it rehydrates you. A typical, healthy adult needs eight 8-ounce glasses of fluids each day. How can you tell if you're getting enough liquid? If the color of your urine runs close to clear, you're getting enough. If it's deep yellow, you need more fluids. Warning: too much water can deplete your body of vitally important electrolytes. #5 Take a Sauna Researchers aren't clear about the exact role saunas play in prevention, but one 1989 German study found that people who steamed twice a week got half as many colds as those who didn't. One theory: When you take a sauna you inhale air hotter than 80 degrees, a temperature too hot for cold and flu viruses to survive. #6 Get Fresh Air A regular dose of fresh air is important, especially since many people go from air conditioned homes to air conditioned cars and to air conditioned work place. A/C dries you out and makes your body more vulnerable to cold and flu viruses, just as heat does up north. #7 Do Aerobic Exercise Regularly Aerobic exercise speeds up the heart to pump larger quantities of blood; makes you breathe faster to help transfer oxygen from your lungs to your blood; and makes you sweat once your body heats up. These exercises help increase the body's natural virus-killing cells. #8 Eat Foods Containing Phytochemicals "Phyto" means plants, and the natural chemicals in plants give the vitamins in food a supercharged boost. Take your vitamins, take Vitamin C and some people swear by Echinacea to ward off colds. Its your preference but work on those dark green, red, and yellow vegetables and fruits. Don’t forget the orange...it is full of Vitamin C. #9 Eat Yogurt Some studies have shown that eating a daily cup of low-fat yogurt can reduce your susceptibility to colds by 25 percent. Researchers think the beneficial bacteria in yogurt may stimulate production of immune system substances that fight disease. #10 Don't Smoke Statistics show that heavy smokers get more severe colds and more frequent ones. Even being around smoke profoundly zaps the immune system. Smoke dries out your nasal passages and paralyzes cilia. These are the delicate hairs that line the mucous membranes in your nose and lungs, and with their wavy movements, sweep cold and flu viruses out of the nasal passages. Experts contend that one cigarette can paralyze cilia for as long as 30 to 40 minutes. #11 Cut Alcohol Consumption Heavy alcohol use destroys the liver, the body's primary filtering system, which means that germs of all kinds won't leave your body as fast. The result is, heavier drinkers are more prone to initial infections as well as secondary complications. Alcohol also dehydrates the body -- it actually takes more fluids from your system than it puts in. #12 Relax If you can teach yourself to relax, you can activate your immune system on demand. There's evidence that when you put your relaxation skills into action, your interleukins -- leaders in the immune system response against cold and flu viruses -- increase in the bloodstream. Train yourself to picture an image you find pleasant or calming. Do this 30 minutes a day for several months. Keep in mind, relaxation is a learnable skill, but it is not doing nothing. People who try to relax, but are in fact bored, show no changes in blood chemicals. Things to consider: #1 Difficultly breathing or chest pain Aside from the stuffy nose and some general muscle aches, a cold or the flu should not make you short of breath or cause pain in your chest. These could be symptoms of a more serious problem such as heart disease, asthma, pneumonia, or others. Contact your doctor or go to the emergency room. #2 Persistent Fever This can be a sign of a secondary infection in your body that should be treated. #3 Vomiting or Inability to Keep Fluids Down Your body needs fluids to stay hydrated. If you can't keep down fluids, you should see your doctor. #4 Painful Swallowing This is not normal. Although minor discomfort when you swallow can come from a sore throat, severe pain can be a sign of an infection or
Colds and allergies that cause congestion and blockage of the sinus passages can lead to a sinus infection. If you have symptoms don't go away with usual medication, you may need to be treated with antibiotics.
injury that needs to be treated by a doctor. #5 Persistent Coughing A cough that won't go away is usually just postnasal drip that may be treated with antihistamines. However, it could also be related to asthma or GERD, both of which can be treated by your doctor. In recent years, doctors have found an increase in a former childhood infection called pertussis (whooping cough in children). So if you have an unexplained cough for more than 2 to 3 weeks, your doctor may want to try an antibiotic to treat this type of infection. #6 Persistent Congestion and Headaches Colds and allergies that cause congestion and blockage of the sinus passages can lead to a sinus infection. If you have symptoms don't go away with usual medication, you may need to be treated with antibiotics. See your doctor if these symptoms persist. DON’T FORGET THE MENINGITIS WARNING What Are the Symptoms of Meningitis? The illness begins with simple, flu-like symptoms - sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, fever, and sometimes muscle aches. Very young children often react to the pain by arching their backs uncontrollably. Some forms of meningitis produce a dark red or purplish rash anywhere on the body. In babies, the swelling of the lining of the brain - the meninges -- may also cause the soft spot on the top of the skull to bulge. Specific symptoms include:
• • • • •
Fever
• •
Inability to tolerate bright light
• • • • • •
Drowsiness and mental confusion
Severe headache Stiff neck, shoulders or back Pain with eye movement
Severe shooting pain down the back of the neck and sometimes along the spine, when bending the neck forward A bumpy and splotchy dark red or purplish rash anywhere on the body (in certain types of bacterial meningitis) Vomiting Seizures and coma Paralysis on one side of the body in severe cases In infants, a bulge of the soft spot on the skull
In infants, an eerie high-pitched cry Call Your Doctor If:
•
You develop the symptoms listed above -- particularly a combination of severe headache, stiff neck and painful aversion to light, seek emergency medical care immediately.
•
Your child develops the symptoms listed above, seek emergency medical care immediately. Research done VIA the Internet Lois Cross and Sean Cononie
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The Voice of the Homeless
Page 14
HAPPY HOLIDAYS Keeping Christmas
By Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933) There is a better thing than the observance of Christmas Day, and that is keeping Christmas. Are you willing to forget what you have done for other people and to remember what other people have done for you?
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To ignore what the world owes you, and to think what you owe the world? To admit that the only good reason for your existence is not what you are going to get out of life, but what you are going to give to life? Are you willing to stoop down and consider the needs and desires of little children? To remember the weakness and loneliness of people who are growing old? To stop asking how much your friends like you, and ask yourself whether you love them enough? To try to understand what those who live in the same house with you really want, without waiting for them to tell you?
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To make a grave for your ugly thoughts and a garden for your kindly feelings, with the gate open? Are you willing to do these things even for a day? Then you can keep Christmas. Are you willing to believe that love is the strongest thing in the world-stronger than hate, stronger than death-and that the blessed Life which began in Bethlehem many years ago is the image and brightness of eternal love?
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Then you can keep Christmas.
A DD R E S S
24 Issues
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Volume VII, Issue 3
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ing in cars, because the few shelters are far from their workplaces or their children's schools. "Their stories are overwhelmingly sad," said Mayor Kristin Jacobs of Broward County. "They have had an extraordinary circumstance fall smack in the middle of life and put them in an environment where they never in their wildest dreams thought they would be. And they are mortified that they are there." They are people like Sandra Distefano, who gave birth three days ago to a daughter, Rita Marie, but on Thursday was back at the Red Cross shelter at McNicol Middle School in Hollywood. Mrs. Distefano said that her Pompano Beach home lost part of its roof and that she and her husband were waiting for a disability check so they could leave the shelter. "It's been rough on my nerves," Mrs. Distefano, 30, said. "I need somewhere to go where it's just my husband and I and the baby." Laura Howe, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross, said that unlike after Hurricane Katrina, the agency would not pay for victims to stay in hotels this time because other
options were available. But the Red Cross will continue operating shelters in South Florida for as long as necessary, Ms. Howe said. Finding the homeless a place to live is especially tough in South Florida because the housing market, heavy on luxury condominiums, is among the nations priciest. The Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed this week to pay up to twice the fair market value of rent for storm victims here. The affected counties are also clamoring for FEMA to provide travel trailers and mobile homes, just as it did in other parts of Florida after last year's hurricanes and on the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. But trailers have just begun trickling in - FEMA hopes to install about 55 at a park in Broward County by the weekend - and officials said they were a last resort. "Would you rather have a 20-foot trailer or a one-bedroom apartment?" said Ricardo Zuniga, a FEMA spokesman. "An apartment is something that is more like home that really helps them recover." In all, more than 450,000 Floridians have applied for help from FEMA since the storm, including 176,403 in Broward County,
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proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world. You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding. No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood. About the Exchange Francis P. Church’s editorial, “Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus” was an immediate sensation, and went on to became one of the most famous editorials ever written. It first appeared in the The New York Sun in 1897, almost a hundred years ago, and was reprinted annually until 1949 when the paper went out of business. Thirty-six years after her letter was printed, Virginia O’Hanlon recalled the events that prompted her letter: “Quite naturally I believed in Santa Claus, for he had never disappointed me. But when less fortunate little boys and girls said there wasn’t any Santa Claus, I was filled with doubts. I asked my father, and he was a little evasive on the subject. “It was a habit in our family that whenever any doubts came up as to how to pronounce a word or some question of historical fact was in doubt, we wrote to the Question and Answer column in The Sun. Father would always say, ‘If you see it in the The Sun, it’s so,’ and that settled the matter. “‘Well, I’m just going to write The Sun and find out the real truth,’ I said to father. “He said, ‘Go ahead, Virginia. I’m sure The Sun will give you the right answer, as it always does.’ ” And so Virginia sat down and wrote her parents’ favorite newspaper. Her letter found its way into the hands of a veteran editor, Francis P. Church. Son of a Baptist minister, Church had covered the Civil War for The New York Times and had worked on the The New York Sun for 20 years, more recently as an anonymous editorial writer. Church, a sardonic man, had for his personal motto, “Endeavour to clear your mind of cant.” When controversial subjects had to be tackled on the editorial page, especially those dealing with theology, the assignments were usually given to Church. Now, he had in his hands a little girl’s letter on a most controversial matter, and he was burdened with the responsibility of answering it. “Is there a Santa Claus?” the childish scrawl in the letter asked. At once, Church knew that there was no avoiding the question. He must answer,
141,283 in Miami-Dade County and 82,985 in Palm Beach County. About $57 million in grants has been approved in the 13 counties hit by Hurricane Wilma, with the most, $14.5 million, going to Broward. Even many $10 per month whose homes remain intact need help: thousands lined up this week for food stamps to replace groceries lost during power failures. Among By using your existing Hi-Speed Internet Connection. them was K. E. Reynolds, Life is back to normal for 75, who said her home in Oakland most, but not for people like Annette Park had been dark for 16 days. Jackson Forrester, 44, who has been "I live on an extremely living at the Red Cross shelter at the fixed income," said Ms. Reynolds, McNicol Middle School with her who waited in a food stamp line in husband and 6-year-old grandson. Pompano Beach with her cane and Ms. Jackson Forrester said that her inhaler. "I go to the food bank as it apartment's ceiling had caved in, that is. I had to throw away everything in the place was moldy because of my refrigerator. I don't have the kind flooding and that her grandson, an of money to replace it." asthmatic with other health probThe storm knocked out lems, could not live there. power to 3.2 million households and FEMA cannot inspect her businesses, and many people, a large home until Nov. 17, she said, but her number of them elderly, went a week patience has run out. or more without it. But all but "We need to be in our own 10,000 customers had their electricplace," Ms. Jackson Forrester said, ity restored as of Thursday. Schools reopened last week in Miami-Dade starting to cry. "I'm tired. I'm tired." By ABBY GOODNOUGH County, and this week in Broward and Palm Beach Counties.
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and he must answer truthfully. And so he turned to his desk, and he began his reply which was to become one of the most memorable editorials in newspaper history. Church married shortly after the editorial appeared. He died in April, 1906, leaving no children. Virginia O’Hanlon went on to graduate from Hunter College with a Bachelor of Arts degree at age 21. The following year she received her Master’s from Columbia, and in 1912 she began teaching in the New York City school system, later becoming a principal. After 47 years, she retired as an educator. Throughout her life she received a steady stream of mail about her Santa Claus letter, and to each reply she attached an attractive printed copy of the Church editorial. Virginia O’Hanlon Douglas died on May 13, 1971, at the age of 81, in a nursing home in Valatie, N.Y.
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