Nobamaville Homeless Camp Springs Up In Baltimore dailymail.co.uk February 21, 2014 A sheet of plastic laid over a clothesline. A mini-fortress of milk crates stacked under a tree. A thin mattress on a flimsy crate lying in a dark tunnel. On the edge of Baltimore's woodlands, dozens of the city's transients live in makeshift homes which they consider safer than homeless shelters. Photographer Ben Marcin has captured some of the shanties in his thought-provoking photo essay, 'The Camps', documenting the struggle, loneliness and ingenuity of Maryland's people of the woods. A sheet of plastic laid over a clothesline. A mini-fortress of milk crates stacked under a tree. A thin mattress on a flimsy crate lying in a dark tunnel. On the edge of Baltimore's woodlands, dozens of the city's transients live in makeshift homes which they consider safer than homeless shelters. Photographer Ben Marcin has captured some of the shanties in his thought-provoking photo essay, 'The Camps', documenting the struggle, loneliness and ingenuity of Maryland's people of the woods.
+17 The Camps: Snapper Ben Marcin has uncovered the illusive, hidden dwellings of Baltimore's homeless in his moving photographic series
+17 Out of sight: Marcin searched for secluded territories, learning where camps were likely to spring up behind various railroad tracks, Wal-Marts and fast food areas
+17 Rough sleepers: Marcin said some of the homeless people he spoke to preferred to sleep under a bridge than in a shelter which they considered unsafe
+17 Desolate: Marcin's photo series reveals the loneliness of many rough sleepers who chose to carve out their own lives using whatever materials they could get their hands on Similar to his Last House Standing series which captured lonely rowhouses around the Mid-Atlantic, Marcin shot the shanties around Baltimore without their inhabitants to add to the 'mystery'. Marcin said he first stumbled upon the homeless dwellings as he hiked through the woods bordering the city during hunting season. When he saw a 'mini-fortress' made of milk crates just yards from a major thoroughfare, Marcin began searching for other transients 'living off the grid'. Most were based near railroad tracks, Walmarts, gas stations, and liquor stores.
+17 Representative: The incredibly diverse style of shelters reflect the personal struggles and needs of their owners
+17 Special touches: Despite living on the outskirts of town, shelter owners often tried to make their space homely with greeting mats and flower vases
+17 Inspiration: Marcin was inspired to track down the city's hidden dwellings after stumbling upon this makeshift home made up of stacked milk crates hidden in the bushes just yards from a major thoroughfare near downtown Baltimore
+17 While most of the camps Marcin came across used basic tarps or tents, several were quite elaborate such as this home built entirely of wooden doors 'I have always been interested in the unique places people live in, particularly where there exists an element of defiance or desperation, or both. In these situations, a house can often reflect the dilemma of its owner. In the case of the hobo camps, this reflection is quite pronounced for obvious reasons,' he told The Atlantic Cities. 'A sheet of plastic laid out over a clothesline may be the last stand for somebody who has either been rejected by society or who has refused to conform to whatever rules are being imposed on them. 'Several camp people I talked to said they wouldn't relocate into one of the City's shelters because they were afraid of being assaulted or having belongings stolen.'
+17 The road most traveled: Most of the settlements Marcin photographed were by waterways, railway tracks, Walmarts, gas stations and liquor stores
+17 Mystery: Marcin deliberately didn't photograph camp residents, instead focusing on how they lived, the mark they made and what they left behind
+17 Slums: Marcin came across a number of makeshift settlements or groups of people living off the grid around Baltimore Marcin said about year after finishing the project, he returned to the woods to find all the camps were gone. One had burned to the ground, some had been bulldozed, while others moved to different locations. 'My guess is that these, too, will not be around for long,' he said. Other Ben Marcin photographic collections can be viewed at his website benmarcinphotos.com or at C. Grimaldis Gallery in Baltimore, Maryland.
+17 Living off the grid: While some homes comprised a sheet over a branch, this settlement had a clothes line, barbecue and gym equipment
+17 Out of the way: Marcin captured each makeshift abode in full panorama view, showing their isolation and alienation
+17 Traveling light: The dwellings Marcin snapped have since been abandoned, demolished or burned to the ground
+17 Homely: During his photographic odyssey, Marcin became increasingly fascinated at the effort that went into remaining hidden in plain sight and the creativity involved
+17 Hidden away: Marcin said he found himself 'practically stepping into a number of homeless camps that were carefully hidden among strips of trees or bushes' near highways and shopping centers
+17 No options: While several residents told Marcin that living in a tent or sleeping on a mattress in the woods was a personal choice, it seemed to him that there was often no other choice
Innovation, Not Regulation, Will Increase Global Prosperity Gary Shapiro Forbes February 21, 2014 Everyone seems to have an opinion about the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland and whether the conference demonizes those who are successful, or as Pope Francis said, promotes business practices that lead to “widespread social exclusion.� But bringing together powerful global interests to address social injustices is among the most effective ways to encourage the kind of innovation and investment that pulls people out of poverty. A rising tide lifts all boats, and if we want to see greater prosperity on a global scale,
we must encourage success, not vilify it. A recent Slate column by Matthew Yglesias perpetuates the dangerous, mushy thinking that says one person’s wealth automatically means greater poverty for everyone else. Yglesias suggests that innovation will suffer unless we equalize income. This mindset may seem reasonable on its surface, but if you break down the arguments they make little sense. Innovation no longer requires wealthy venture capitalists to fund groundbreaking ideas. The rise of crowdfunding through websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo is quickly democratizing investment, giving thousands of innovators the boost they need to create new products and services. Title III of the JOBS Act is due to go into effect this year, which will further open up the possibilities for funding disruptive innovation, regardless of income level. Wealth is not a zero-sum game. Just because some people are rich, it doesn’t mean others must be suffering. Forty-eight billionaires on Forbes’ 400 Richest People in America list built their empires on technological innovations that have changed the way the world works, while creating jobs and launching entirely new industries. Allowing innovators to build and grow new businesses creates new jobs and in some cases entirely new industries. As David Brooks wrote in January in the New York Times, growing wealth and growing poverty are completely separate spheres. Wealth comes from various combinations of luck, success, public policy, tax laws, hard work, investing and inheritance. Poverty comes from various combinations of the breakdown of the family unit, illness, unexpected expenses, job loss, dependency and public policy. Even the high price tags on new technology do not somehow prove that income inequality will cripple innovation. Historically, the best innovations are picked up by other businesses, which make lower-cost versions available to the masses. This has been true in products ranging from televisions to telephones, radios to autos, and tablets to computers. Today we are seeing it with Tesla’s electric car, Apple’s iPhone and Fitbit’s health tracker. While initial models are expensive, competitors jump in and make them better and cheaper. Finally, there is the concept that somehow innovation is slowing down. This is absurd given the rapid developments in so many areas in our world, from 3D printing, Ultra HD, collision avoidance and health care to agriculture, transportation, biotech and genetic mapping. In 2013, the U.S. Patent Office issued a record 277,835 patents, about 10 percent more than 2012. And 45 U.S. companies were among the Top 100 Global Innovators in 2013. We are at the beginning of a major surge of innovation in several areas, and the world will benefit from it – provided unnecessary governments policies don’t get in the way. Unfortunately, economic leaders around the globe and many of our policymakers in the U.S. – including President Obama – are basing their assumptions on a flawed premise. Let’s encourage policies that will help the poor lift themselves out of poverty, instead of forcing a state-mandated idea of equality on everyone through taxes and government handouts. We need to rethink our policies and agree on a national strategy focused on the power of innovation to create opportunities, bolster the global economy and improve quality of life for people across the world.
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