The Contributor: January 30, 2019

Moving Pictures

IN THE ISSUE

on

Bus

Nashville's

14

A community

Contributor Board

Cathy Jennings, Chair Tom Wills, Bruce Doeg, Demetria Kalodimos, Ann Bourland

Contributors This Issue

Linda Bailey • Amanda Haggard • Tom Wills

• Vicky B. • Jen A. • Alvine • Joe Nolan • Harold B. • Victor J. • Maurice B. • Julie B. • Mary B. • Norma B. • “Wild”Bill W. • Georg Meggers • Mr. Mysterio • Peter Werner

Contributor Volunteers

Cathy Jennings • Tom Wills • Joe First

• Andy Shapiro • Michael Reilly • Ann Bourland • Patti George • Linda Miller •

Deborah Narrigan • John Jennings • Barbara Womack • Colleen Kelly • Janet Kerwood • Logan Ebel • Christing Doeg • Laura Birdsall

• Nancy Kirkland • Mary Smith • Andrew Smith • Ellen Fletcher • Anna Katherine Hollingsworth • Michael Chavarria

Editorials and features in The Contributor are the perspectives of the authors. Submissions of news, opinion, fiction, art and poetry are welcomed. The Contributor reserves the right to edit any submissions. The Contributor cannot and will not endorse any political candidate.

Requests to volunteer, donate, or purchase subscriptions can be emailed to: info@thecontributor.org Please email advertising requests to: advertising@thecontributor.org

Mailng Address

The Contributor P.O. Box 332023, Nashville, TN 37203

Editor’s Office: 615.499.6826 Vendor Office: 615.829.6829

Proud Member of:

Printed at:

Follow The Contributor:

Copyright © 2018 The Contributor, Inc. All rights reserved.

Will

Connelly, Tasha F. Lemley, Steven Samra, and Tom WIlls Contributor Co-Founders

Submissions may be emailed to: editorial@thecontributor.org

How

‘The Contributor’ Works

BY TOM WILLS, CO-FOUNDER

The paper you just paid for was bought by someone else first, otherwise it wouldn’t exist. That’s how The Contributor works. A vendor who experienced homelessness paid 50 cents for this paper and then sold it to you. By buying it and taking it with you, you’ve just encouraged that vendor to buy another. BOOM! That’s the solution. Now keep reading. This paper has something to say to you.

Street papers provide income for the homeless and initiate a conversation about homelessness and poverty. In 2007, The Contributor founders met at the Nashville Public Library downtown to form one. In a strike of lightning we named it The Contributor to infer that our vendors were “contributors to society,” while their customers could contribute to their work. But, thunder from lighting is always delayed …

It took three years, but Nashville embraced us like no other city in the world. The Contributor became the largest selling street paper per-capita on the globe. And today 50 percent of our six months or longer tenured vendors have found housing. BOOM! The thunder has struck.

The Contributor is a different kind of nonprofit social enterprise. We don’t serve meals or provide emergency shelter. We don’t hire people in poverty to create products or provide a service. Rather, we sell newspapers to homeless people who work for themselves. We train them to sell those papers to you, keep the money they earn, and buy more when they need to replace their stock.

Our biggest fans don’t always get this. Like lightning without the thunder, they see the humanity of the vendor but misunderstand the model. Case in point: In 2013 during a funding crunch, a representative of one of Nashville’s biggest foundations exclaimed, “I’m such a big fan that I never take the paper!” We responded, “Well, that’s why we are in a funding crunch.”

BOOM! Thunder was heard. Taking the paper makes our model work — not taking it breaks it.

And selling the paper twice doesn’t just fund the paper, it funds housing and change. BOOM! Our vendors report their sales to qualify for subsidized housing and even for standard housing deposits and mortgages. They don’t consider your buying the paper a “donation.” It is a sale. When they sell out, they buy more and build the paper trail of a profitable business. Until making these sales, many of our vendors had never experienced the satisfaction of seeing their investment pay off. And when it does, it liberates! They have become “contributors” to their own destiny. And Nashville has become a city of lightning and thunder. BOOM!

Now that you are a SUPPORTER , become an ADVOCATE or a MULTIPLIER

You are already a SUPPORTER because you know that taking the paper makes the model work. You bought the paper and you are reading it. Now your vendor is one copy closer to selling out, which is exciting! Now you can become an ADVOCATE when you introduce your friends to your favorite vendor, follow us and share our content on social media, contact us when you witness a vendor in distress or acting out of character, or explain why others should pick up a copy and always take the paper when they support a vendor. And, you can become a MULTIPLIER when you advocate for us AND directly donate to us or become an advertiser or sponsor of The Contributor. Our income stream is made of 50-cent- at-a-time purchases made from our vendors, matched by contributions, ad sales and sponsorships from multipliers like you. Because our vendors are business owners, your donations are seed-money investments in their businesses and multiply in their pockets. Every donated dollar multiplies four-to-seven times as profits in the pockets of our vendors. Thanks for contributing.

Cómo Funciona ‘ The Contributor’

POR TOM WILLS, EL COFUNDADOR

El periódico que usted acaba de pagar fue primeramente comprado por alguien mas, de otra manera no existiría. Así es como funciona The Contributor. Un vendedor que está sin hogar  pagó 50 centavos por este periódico y después se lo vendió a usted. Al comprarlo y llevarlo con usted, usted animo a este vendedor a comprar otro. BOOM! Esa es la solución. Ahora continúe leyendo. Este periódico tiene algo que decirle. Los periódicos vendidos en la calle proveen ingresos para las personas sin hogar e inicia una conversación sobre lo que es la falta de vivienda y la pobreza. En el 2007, los fundadores de The Contributor se reunieron en una librería pública en Nashville para formar uno. Y como golpe de un rayo, le llamamos The Contributor para dar a entender que nuestros vendedores eran “contribuidores para la sociedad,” mientras que los consumidores podrían contribuir a su trabajo. Pero, el trueno siempre tarda más que el rayo. Nos llevó tres años, pero Nashville nos acogió como ninguna otra ciudad en el mundo. The Contributor se volvió uno de los periódicos de calle más vendido en el globo. Y hoy el 50 por ciento de nuestros seis meses o más de nuestros vendedores titulares han encontrado casa. BOOM! Ha llegado el trueno. The Contributor es una empresa social sin fines de lucro muy diferente. Nosotros no servimos comida or proveemos alojo de emergencia. No contratamos gente en pobreza para crear productos or proveer un servicio. En vez, nosotros vendemos periódicos a las personas sin hogar para que ellos trabajen por ellos mismos. Nosotros los entrenamos como vendedores, ellos se quedan el dinero que se ganan, y ellos pueden comprar más cuando necesiten reabastecer su inventario. Nuestros mas grandes aficionados no entienden esto. Como un rayo sin trueno, ellos ven la humanidad de el vendedor pero no comprenden el modelo. Un ejemplo: En el 2013 durante un evento de recaudación de fondos, uno de los representantes de una de las fundaciones más grandes de Nashville, exclamó: “Soy un gran aficionado, y es por eso que nunca me llevo el periódico.” Al cual nosotros respondimos: “Y es por esa razón por la cual estamos recaudando fondos.” BOOM! Y se escuchó el trueno! El pagar por el periódico y llevárselo hace que nuestro sistema  funcione, el no llevarse el periódico rompe nuestro sistema. Y el vender el papel dos veces no da fondos para el periódico, pero da fondos para casas y causa cambio. BOOM! Nuestros vendedores reportan sus ventas para calificar para alojamiento subvencionado y hasta para una casa regular, depósitos e hipotecas. Ellos no consideran el que usted compre el periódico como una “contribución” pero más lo consideran como una venta. Cuando se les acaba, ellos compran mas y asi logran establecer un negocio rentable. Hasta que lograron hacer estas ventas, muchos de nuestros vendedores nunca habían experimentado el placer de ver una inversión generar ganancias. Y cuando logran hacer esto, da un sentido de Liberación! Ellos se han vuelto contribuidores de su propio destino, y Nashville la ciudad de el trueno y el rayo. BOOM!

BY JOHN JENNINGS

Ahora que te has vuelto nuestro SEGUIDOR, vuelve te en un ABOGADO o un MULTIPLICADOR. Ya eres nuestro SEGUIDOR, porque sabes que al llevarte este periódico sabes que esto hace que nuestro modelo funcione. Compraste el papel y lo estas leyendo. Ahora nuestro vendedor está a una copia más cerca de venderlos todos. Que emoción!

Ahora que te has vuelto nuestro ABOGADO cuando presentes a tus amigos a tu vendedor favorito, siguenos y comparte nuestro contenido en social media, contactanos cuando seas testigo de un vendedor actuando de manera extraña o fuera de carácter. O explicale a tus amigos porque ellos deben de llevarse el periódico cuando ayuden a un vendedor.

Te puedes volver un MULTIPLICADOR cuando abogues por nosotros, Y directamente dones a nosotros o te vuelvas un anunciador o patrocinador de The Contributor. Nuestra fuente de ingresos consiste en ventas de 50 centavos hechas por nuestros vendedores, igualadas por contribuciones, venta de anuncios, y patrocinios de multiplicadores como usted. Porque nuestros vendedores son dueños de negocios, las donaciones que den son dinero que es invertido y multiplicado en sus bolsas. Cada dólar donado se multiplica de cuatro a siete veces en la bolsa de nuestros vendedores. Gracias por Contribuir.

PHOTO

WHERE HAVE THEY ALL GONE?

VICKY B.

Have politics become the enemy of the human spirit? I thought after the election they'd be back but, nothing. The peace and joy of the Christmas season. I thought for sure they'd be here. Sadly no.

So where did they go?

It can't be misplaced, everyone is born with one. It's standard equipment. Mine is still here.

Every time my son plays Christmas music When Faith puts her head in my lap, It comes back.

When you drive by with your fur baby.

It's there every time I remember how blessed we are. It's there sometimes and I don't even realize it. Where's your smile?

It's your best feature-Show it off! Make someone's day and give them a smile. You know where it is : ) UP

HAROLD B.

Looking Down

Don't have to look far The ground hasn't moved Know where you are.

Glance around A little coffee in your cup When you are on Rock Bottom There's nowhere but up.

THANKFUL

VICTOR J.

Be thankful. Live simply. Be Kind. Believe in yourself. Never Give up. Use please and thank you.

Help Others. Cherish family and friends. Do your best. Listen with your heart. Laugh often and love lots.

Who are you imitating?

BY MAURICE B., FORMERLY HOMELESS VENDOR

The word imitate is defined by the English language as being a pattern to follow after. We as a family always followed after the examples that dad and mom placed in front of us. Why? Mainly because what they did is what was taught to be the truth. The ways they accomplished the tasks were the ways that seemed to be of ease. Maybe hard and firm but they were worthwhile. They took care of the home and sometimes helped other family members and neighbors. It seemed that after self experiences of trial and error observing that some corners could be bent and the same accomplishments could seem to be made. Then new fads came about.

I’m not saying newness is not needed, but just for argument’s sake the ol' fashion ways were of more values and principles. In history the home training was something which upheld over all things. The teachings from home followed an in -

dividual just about everywhere they went. The dress-codes, the respect in conversations and even in passing were highly held in respect.

Once the imitating of the structure from home left then individuals decided to follow the next best thing that caught their eyes. As said from the blocks/ streets, my homies/friends showed me more love. That's when the trends/fades became more important than family morals and values and principles. Teaching the value of a dollar went to rumbles. A lot of individuals seem to forget or just don't care about what kind of love there was from moms and dads that shared that quality assurance/time in their home training. Some individuals only wish, hope and pray that love could be found again. There are those that say even today that they wish those days were back. So the question is presented. Who are you imitating?

Living with Cancer

BY JULIE B., FORMERLY HOMELESS VENDOR

Living with cancer is tough: You know you’re going to die and you know your going to leave everyone that you love like your friends, family, your husband. You know you’ll never see your children grow up. I’m sick of having MRIs and PET scans and CAT scans. My husband has been there for me, but he’s afraid all the time that I’m going to die. People don’t like to hang out with someone who is sick all the time. So I stay to myself and don’t make a lot of new friends.

The doctors say they can’t do anything for my brain tumor and brain cancer. It’s hard because average people don’t

understand what I’m going through. I feel alone every day. Sometimes I feel like the only being I feel like truly loves me is my service dog. I get love from him every day.

Every year I do the Relay for Life — and there the people who show up are the only ones that I feel might really understand me. I am so very blessed to have my service dog and my husband in my life — even if he can’t be here physically, my husband loves me.

I hope you read this and you realize when you past me on the street that I’m dealing with more than you see on the outside.

The Right Screening

BY JOE NOLAN Film Critic

I wrote this the morning of the 2018 Academy Award nominations were announced. In the recent Music City Film Critics Awards poll I nominated Spike Lee for Best Director and his BlacKkKlansman for Best Film. The Academy agreed with me. The success of the film is another career and creative high point for Spike Lee who came of age as part of the second generation of the film school kids after Coppola, Spielberg and Lucas who brought us some of the best cinema of the 1970s. A New Yorker, Lee studied filmmaking at NYU and took Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver his guiding star. Lee debuted with the critically acclaimed She’s Gotta Have It (1986), but his second feature, Do the Right Thing (1989), proved to be his breakthrough. The Belcourt screens the film this week in honor of its 30th anniversary.

Do the Right Thing is a theatrically stylized, 24-hour fable about the hottest day of the summer in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York. But the hottest day of which summer? The film’s unspecific time period makes it feel fantastically out of time, and a mythic reading of the film is supported by Wynn Thomas’ ultra-vibrant, decidedly unrealistic production design. Lee shot the movie on one actual neighborhood block in Bed-Stuy, but audiences would be forgiven for thinking the movie was shot on a set. Lee and Thomas had many of the building facades painted to give the location the red and

orange palette the pair conceived to evoke the suffocating heat that brings this plot to the boiling point. The block’s limited locations and the fact that the camera often floats from one scene to another makes Do The Right Thing feel extremely intimate, like a stage play brought to the screen.

The theatricality of the production is also evidenced in the film’s ever-present soundtrack. Nobody bursts into song, but Rosie Perez dances

alone on a sidewalk in a variety of costumes over the thump and wail of Public Enemy’s “Fight The Power” during the film’s unforgettable opening credits. When Da Mayor (Ossie Davis as the neighborhood drunk) bickers and flirts with Mother Sister (Ruby Dee as the neighborhood matriarch), Spike’s father, Bill Lee, scores the scene with jaunty strings that ironically evoke the scores of mid-century Hollywood films about the antebellum South like Gone With The Wind Like Martin Scorsese, Spike Lee also uses popular music needle drops here like having the character Radio Raheem blast Public Enemy from a massive boom box throughout the film.

If you like to watch actors acting, you’ll love Do the Right Thing. The entire movie is composed of ensemble scenes of characters interacting with and reacting to one another as they reveal the racial tensions that exist in their diverse working class neighborhood: Mookie (Spike Lee) works for Sal (Danny Aiello) at the Pizzeria Sal runs with his bickering sons Pino (John Turturro) and Vito (Richard Edson). While Mookie is at work his hotheaded friend, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito), complains to Sal about his “Wall of Fame” which is covered with pictures

of Italian-American heroes, but includes no black faces. The ensuing argument lights the match that will lead to an explosion as the temperature rises and tempers flare. It’s all presided over by the radio DJ Mister Señor Love (Samuel L. Jackson) whose inventively narrative commentary accompanies this tragedy like a jive Greek chorus.

Do the Right Thing Screens at the Belcourt on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at 8:15 p.m. Slim & Husky’s will be bringing the pizza, and the film will be followed by a post-screening discussion on community building and youth empowerment with musical artist Tim Gent; educator, artist and consultant Melissa Gordon; community organizer Gicola Lane; and artist and neighborhood curator Thaxton Waters; moderated by artist advocate Brian Sexton. Go to www.belcourt.org for info and tickets.

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.

A New Year A New Lease On Life

BY NORMA B., FORMERLY HOMELESS VENDOR

In September of 2018 I was told that one of the apartment complexes in my area was accepting applications. I didn’t waste any time. I got the application as soon as I could. Well, I should say my son actually got it for me, along with an appointment on Nov. 14 at 1 p.m. to go over it with apartment management.

That day, I arrived a few minutes early only to find no one in the office. I waited more than 45 minutes until finally the office manager arrived. It was cold, wet, and rainy and I wasn’t feeling very well, but I stayed knowing that if I didn’t they’d most likely conclude I just didn’t show up.

The manager painstakingly went over the more than 40 pages of the application and commended me for my thoroughness. I explained, “Ma’am I REALLY need more affordable housing!’

At the conclusion of the initial interview, she said I could follow up in a couple of weeks to see if my application had been approved. But before I left, she told me that they only had four handicap accessible units on the property. (That’s out of 100.) I need a handicap accessible unit because I am in a wheelchair at least part of the time. I was heartbroken. However, I was determined not to let her see me cry — no matter how bad I wanted to. So I simply said, “Well I guess it’s a good thing I only need one then!”

After the Thanksgiving holiday, I called to check and see if my application had been accepted as I had been instructed to do. I didn’t hear anything back until Friday, Dec. 21.

I received a voicemail that said in part, “Your application has been accepted, and we will have an apartment for you next week. You can call on Wednesday, Dec. 26, and let me know if you’re still interested.”

If I am interested? Are you kidding me?

I listened to the message again and again, just to make sure I heard it right. Once I was sure that this was actually happening, I called everyone I could think of to tell them my wonderful news only to get their voicemail because it was the holiday weekend. UGH! Needless to say, I was waiting on her doorstep on Dec. 26 when the office opened.

She informed me that I would have to have my deposit and prorated rent by 10 a.m. on Dec. 28 to take possession of the unit. They didn’t give me much time to work with, but with God’s help and the help of my customers and friends it all came together in time.

By Jan. 6 I had most of the big stuff taken care of for my new place. Now all that’s left to do is get the little stuff. The things that had been provided by the hotel like dishes, kitchen/bath towels and washcloths. Believe me, anything is appreciated!

So, after four and a half years in an extended stay hotel, I now have a place of my own for me and my granddaughter Avani. What a great way to begin the new year — giving me a new lease on life! Now it’s on to the next big challenge: more “regular even extended visitation” with my 3-year-old granddaughter Lillie, since I now have a place to take her.

Thank you to all who made this possible by means of your prayers and your unfailing support!!!

Have a Little Faith

BY VICKY B., FORMERLY HOMELESS VENDOR

I don't write much about Faith, but she's here and there in tidbits. She's my ancho, my BFF, my inspiration, my everything. She's a 50 pound husky/lab mix that stole our hearts at Metro Animal Control five years ago. Her story before her rescue is amazing.

Faith's mother had left her two-week-old litter of eight probably to find food and was accidentally hit and killed by a car. The driver saw that she was a new mom and set out to find her puppies. All eight were found and moved to the car before calling Metro Police to report the accident. All five boys and three girls were found to be healthy and put up for adoption.

It had been eight weeks since Keisha had passed, our basset/beagle mix, and the house was lonely without four feet running around. Paul was hesitant to add anymore to our family, and I tried hard not to push. Well this was opportunity knocking at our door.

I picked up Paul one day after his classes at the Art Institute and took a detour to Metro Animal Control. He's a smart young man and figured out he wasn't on his way home. We pulled up to the reception area, walked in, and asked to see the dogs. It seemed to be row after row of kennels filled with lovable, full-of-personality dogs. Paul had his first sites set on a puppy blood hound mix. Of course you can imagine my eyes went wide times 10. There was something in this little blonde haired mixed puppy I saw. I asked them to bring her in a room for us

to interact with. They named her Rebecca. (Why? I don't know.) She didn't play much. Mostly just curled up on our laps. I knew she was the one, but Paul insisted on sleeping on it. We called Jason on the way home and told him where we’d been. Jason was excited right away and worried that if we waited too long she'd be gone. Paul and I talked some more and he agreed to pick up Jason

and go back and get her. He’d even call them if necessary. She was the one that would bring joy back into our home.

Four hours later she was in Jason's lap asleep in our car on the way home. Figuring out a name for a new dog can take time, but a name finally fit her. Faith. She lived on faith until her and her brothers and sisters were found, and she frequently has her paws crossed like she's praying. So, “Faith” it would be. We made a quick stop off at the local PetSmart for puppy supplies. Asleep in the cart, Faith took advantage of the nap time while Paul and I shopped. He came back with a small pet bed that was on sale. My kind of pet bed! Paul put the pet bed in the cart, picked up Faith and put her in the bed. She barely woke up!

In a short five years Faith has always been there putting a smile on my face when I needed it. She’s there to lick away the tears and always ready to cuddle. Some people say that we would have an easier time without her, but they have no clue the emotional support that a pet gives to us. They become our best friend, family. I have often said I don't know what I'd do without my kids. I don't know where I'd be without my Faith. In more ways than one: my faith in God and my furbaby Faith. Everyday I make sure that Faith knows just how special she is and how much she means to us. She inspires me to be like her. Always happy to see you, loves everyone and always kind.

BUS SURVEY: TRANSIT OPTIONS WORSE IN LOW-INCOME AREAS

BY AMANDA HAGGARD

A new report from WeGo bus riders in Nashville found that the neighborhoods where public transit was needed most fared worst in the city for transit service.

The 20-page report, called the Bus Route Report Card, was put together by Music City Riders United, a group of bus riders who want better transit options in Nashville. According to MCRU, more than 600 people who use WeGo or MTA on 36 different routes were surveyed for the report — all between May and October of this past year. MCRU took data for the 10 criteria they outlined and used route-specific data for routes where more than 50 passengers finished the survey.

“Many of the bus stops are in low income neighborhoods and are very dangerous to get to,” Kutonia Smith, an organizer with Music City Riders United, said at a press conference outlining the report in January. “They are in ditches or on the side of heavy-traffic roads with no sidewalks or

crosswalks. It’s especially hard for people with disabilities to get to those bus stops.”

Smith outlined the disparities between bus stops in low-income areas versus more affluent neighborhoods.

“Bus stops in wealthy neighborhoods have benches, shelters, crosswalks, stop lights, bike lanes and more,” Smith said. “They often don’t have that in the low income neighborhoods. Many of the bus stops featured in our report were near where pedestrians were killed simply trying to cross the street. The top dangerous streets are controlled by [the Tennessee Department of Transportation] and Nashville Public Works.”

None of the bus routes in the city were given an A rating in the survey. Ratings were worst for Antioch Express Route 38X and Golden Valley Route 41 — both routes service neighborhoods with high poverty rates and where people of color live. MCRU cites data saying that these areas have anywhere from

14-38 percent poverty rates and are made of up anywhere from 47-79 percent people of color.

The highest ratings went to West End/Bellevue Route 5 and West End/White Bridge Route 3 where there’s just an eight percent poverty rate and neighborhoods are 80-89 percent white.

Riders identified the following issues with bus routes, according to the survey:

• Infrequent or no bus service on weekends.

• Hours of operation are too short. Buses do not run early enough in the morning or late enough at night.

• Insufficient benches and shelters along routes.

• Lack of crosswalks at or near bus stops.

“The state of public transit in Nashville is not acceptable in the form that it currently exists,” Sam Schaefer of MCRU said at the event releasing the data. “It’s not equitably serving our riders, and it’s not serving any

of them well enough. These are not abstract problems with faceless people; these are real things that can be solved by taking action.”

MCRU made several recommendations for improving transit in Nashville such as dedicated funding to expand of bus service to 24 hours per day, an increase in bus frequency on weekends and expanded service hours and frequency in growing working-class neighborhoods outside the urban core. They’ve asked that Metro Council increased transit funding to Public Works in the next fiscal budget cycle, “with funds specifically earmarked for building protected crosswalks at every bus stop, prioritizing the most dangerous stops in working-class and people of color neighborhoods.”

See Pg. 14 for a story from a German street paper about how lack of rural bus service caused community members to create their own transit option.

KUTONIA SMITH-BOND SPEAKS AT THE DOWNTOWN BUS STATION AFTER THE MUSIC CITY RIDERS UNION RELEASED ITS BUS ROUTE REPORT CARD, WHICH FOUND INADEQUACIES AND BIASES IN NASHVILLE'S BUS SERVICE. PHOTO BY ALVINE.

EYEBALLS

BY “WILD” BILL W. HOMELESS VENDOR

"You know anyone who needs a boat?"

Hoboscopes

CAPRICORN

You can make marmalade from oranges, lemons, limes, kumquats, just about any citrus fruit. But the Spanish Sevillian orange is considered the ideal fruit for marmalading (or is it “marmaladening”?). It’s the orange that creates the perfect balance of sweet fruit and bitter rind. Remember the Sevillian orange when you arrive at those bitter moments this week, Capricorn. Maybe the bitter times are just there to make the sweet moments more sweet.

AQUARIUS

They say tragedy plus time equals comedy. Of course, Einstein's theory of relativity demonstrates that time dilates relative to observers traveling at different speeds. So tragedy plus time may appear to equal comedy to an observer traveling at the speed of light, but still only equal tragedy to an observer on earth. This is why Einstein's standup career never took off. My point, Aquarius, is that just because you’ve gotten past the tragedy, doesn’t mean everybody else has.

PISCES

As you watch the brilliant orange and purple sunset reflect across the rippled surface of the lake you notice a great blue heron break from it’s silhouetted stillness to take flight over the water. The beauty of the moment is almost unbearable. You’ve got to take a selfie! Wait a minute, Pisces, can’t you just enjoy this moment for what it is without popping out the camera? This week, Pisces, be present.

ARIES

Three weeks ago, switching to a diet of exclusively raw, organic vegetables and cold-pressed juice sounded like a fantastic idea. And it worked great!

For six days. Now you’re sitting behind a pile of Quarter Pounder wrappers fishing for fries from the bottom of the bag and wondering where you went wrong. Try a little moderation. Succeeding at one salad a day will do you more good than failing at dietary perfection.

TAURUS

I heard you’ve been having some crazy dreams lately, Taurus. There was that one with the chainsaw made of pepper jack and the underwater elevator party. And the one where your economics professor gave you a talking turtle wrapped in a napkin. But you aren’t dreaming now, are you, Taurus? I mean, I don’t think you’re dreaming. Do you? I’ve heard one way to check is to see if your horoscope contains specific references to your dream-life.

GEMINI

Do your work, Gemini. I know it seems more fun to click through a list about the top 26 movies filmed in Alabama, but that’s not the kind of fun you need to have today. Today have fun getting your work done and come back to the listicles later.

CANCER

I know your pain. I know the world can be a difficult and frightening place. Just this morning, I had to wait in line for nearly eight minutes before ordering my single-origin Yemeni espresso with a locally-made basil and honey macaron. So I know what it’s like to hurt, Cancer. What I’ve learned is that if you tell somebody about the pain, it gets a little easier. I know I feel better. So what’s going on with you?

LEO

I heard a rumor that you’re thinking of getting the band back together. I’d like to chime in as the one dissenting voice to tell you not to do it. It’s not because I don’t like your band, Leo. It’s because I feel like you’ve got something else to offer. It’s a good week to stop leaning on your past accomplishments for fulfillment. Go do what you’re going to do next.

VIRGO

You know that 15 seconds after one episode plays before the next one automatically begins? That’s your window, Virgo. That’s your chance to stop binge-watching TV on the internet. That’s when you can close your browser, step away from your computer and go do something you actually want to do. Read a book. Go for a jog. Spend some time cooking a meal. Don’t let Netflix tell you what you want to do next.

LIBRA

English is the 3rd most widely-spoken language in the world. About 335 million people use English as their primary language. That seems like a lot, until you notice the 1.2 billion people who speak Mandarin Chinese. That’s nearly 4 times the number of English speakers. And you think you understand, Libra, what most people want and how to give it to them. But never forget: you haven’t met most people. You don’t even speak their language.

SCORPIO

This was going to be the year you got outside and started running. This was going to be the year you met all your deadlines with time to spare. This was going to be the year you started painting again. But then you got a cold. Or your workload got doubled. Or you ran out of money. And those are great excuses to stop, Scorpio, if you want to stop. But if you’d rather keep going, this can still be the year.

SAGITTARIUS

Just because someone fails to make their point or does so poorly doesn’t mean they’re wrong. It’s what’s called the fallacy fallacy. For instance, if somebody tells you that if you’re kind to your neighbors, you’ll win the lottery, well, they’re wrong. But that doesn’t mean you should be unkind to your neighbors. This week, Sagittarius, be logical and skeptical of bad thinking. But don’t throw out a good idea just because it comes from a nonsensical source.

A COMMUNITY BUS FILLS IN A GAP IN PUBLIC TRANSPORT

BY GEORG MEGGERS

Ulrich Holmsteen uses the waiting time to do a spot of sunbathing: the autumn rays reach his face through the driver’s side window, which is wound down. Holmsteen smiles, his eyes half-closed. He’ll wait another moment or two, in case there’s another passenger who wants to get on board. Then a woman gets on his bus. Holmsteen opens his eyes and starts the engine after the woman has sat down. “I’m glad it’s started — I just love driving,” he says.

But the bus that Holmsteen is now driving through the North Frisian country roads isn’t the usual local bus service — Holmsteen is sitting at the steering wheel of the Ladelund community bus. And what sets community buses apart is the fact that they only run because local people are committed to guaranteeing a service: They deal with funding for the buses, work out the timetables — and they also drive the buses themselves. All on a voluntary basis.

Why do they do it? Because if they didn’t, no one else would. Schleswig-Holstein is a rural state: A lot of people live outside the bigger towns and cities in small villages and commu-

nities between the North Sea and the Baltic and between Denmark and Hamburg. In a lot of places only a few buses go to the nearest town. This is a problem for people who don’t own a car or who aren’t able to travel otherwise.

So, in North Frisia, a community bus links the 1,400 or so inhabitants of Ladelund with the town of Leck. From Leck they can then get to other towns such as Niebüll or Flensburg, says Heike Prechel, founder and chair of the Ladelund community bus service.

“Wherever people want to go — even if they want to fly to Australia from Hamburg — first they’ve got to get to Leck”, she says.

For a lot of people in Ladelund, the community bus is their ticket to the world. The first community bus ran in 2014 — “and demand was high right from the first day”, says Prechel. And now, there are up to 10 round trips a day to Leck and back, all following a fixed timetable. And for a reasonable price as well: a ticket from Ladelund to Leck costs just under $2 for adults and around a $1 for children up to the age of 14. And there are discounts for frequent travellers.

For driver Ulrich Holmsteen the benefits of the community bus are clear: “I'm happy — and people are happy too.” There are often around

Ulrich Holmsteen at the wheel of the community bus: "It's great that, even as a pensioner, I've got a job where I can help other people." Photo by Peter Werner

100 passengers a day using the community bus. On the bus with Holmsteen today there are two women from Ladelund who want to go shopping in Leck. Renate Wannagat is one of them. She says she’s glad, and grateful too, that there are buses that regularly connect the two places now. “And the people of Ladelund organized this for themselves — which I think is great,” says the 68-year-old.

While Holmsteen drives the community bus, Heike Prechel sits at a large wooden table. Her living room could be thought of as the headquarters of the community bus service. The 66-year-old looks at her laptop: “I spend half the day here: I answer questions from local people and sponsors, take care of our volunteers, report accidental damage — do a lot of paperwork.” Prechel was a primary school teacher in Ladelund until she retired, but now she's enjoying her “fantastic new job.”

Setting up a bus in Ladelund, driven by local people for other local people — this was an idea that Heike Prechel had in 2011. Her neighbours had told her that they wanted to move house because of the poor transport links between Leck and Ladelund. At first, a lot of people in Ladelund were skeptical; they asked if it was even possible to organize a regular bus service by yourself. But Prechel “persisted — and with some success,” as she says: The bus association was founded in 2013 and now has over 200 members. Today a lot of people in Ladelund are proud supporters of the community bus service.

Almost everything they did to get the community bus up and running Prechel and her fellow organizers were doing for the first time; none of them had any experience in designing a timetable or looking for sponsors. What was really helpful was that groups that had set up community buses in other areas, such as North Rhine-Westphalia, were more than happy to share their experiences with the Ladelund team. “We’ve learned a lot from other people, and now we’re frequently asked questions ourselves — and of course we’re happy to help,” says Prechel.

With the help of public funds, private donations and sponsorship from local companies, the Ladelund community bus group was able to buy two VW buses. They have been converted for passenger transport use and are fully accessible. In addition, a smaller electric bus is on call: Available by phone, the bus connects the smaller villages in the surrounding area with Ladelund and Leck.

About a dozen volunteers service and clean the buses, coordinate timetables and recruit sponsors. And about 40 women and men regularly drive the community bus. For this they need a passenger carrying vehicle, or PCV, license. Because the community bus works closely with public transport, all of the drivers are insured with the employers' liability insurance association. Housewives, workmen and pensioners — even the mayor and the local dentist — drive the bus.

Back on the road between Ladelund and

Leck: Today’s driver, Ulrich Holmsteen, is 77 years old but looks much younger. And he looks happy. Holmsteen has turned his job into a hobby: “Buses, coaches, school buses — I’ve driven all of them at one time or another,” he says. And now he drives the community bus as a volunteer. And it's hard to ignore how good he feels with the steering wheel in his hands: “It's great that, even as a pensioner, I’ve got a job where I can help other people.”

Next stop, Achtrup — a village between Ladelund and Leck. Holmsteen steers the bus into the bus stop; a teenage girl gets on. She’s on her way to her school in Flensburg, she says. She always takes the community bus to get to Leck, the first leg of her journey to school. People use the community bus for a lot of different reasons: to do their shopping, or to get to school or to the doctor’s. The founder of the community bus service, Heike Prechel, tells us about friends and relatives who are only able visit each other regularly because of the community bus; then she tells us about a woman who wouldn’t have been able to accept a job offer without the community bus. “Hearing things like that really motivates me,” she says.

Meanwhile the community bus has arrived in Leck: Ulrich Holmsteen stops the vehicle, and Renate Wannagat and the student get off. The sun is shining through the open driver's window onto Holmsteen's face. He waits a moment — and then goes back to Ladelund.

Courtesy of Hempels / INSP.ngo

The Ladelund community bus is advertised using flyers like this.