Sunday, September 20, 2009
La Fiesta de Jonell
Jonell got one of the Drive Smart, Kids Dart signs we've been joking about that are posted around the neighborhood. I don't think they apply to our housing edition as the kids don't dart here. They simply stand and stare at you as you try to get around the roads. What ever happened to the days of moving when cars drive by?
Please welcome....our newest roommie at the Rockin Refuge complete with mexican attire.
Thanks to everyone for coming to Jonell's bday. It was a blast! Complete with pinata, games, and food. A fun time was had by all! Happy bday J!
After Church Visitor
I was returning home several weeks ago and received a call from middle bro whispering that a hawk was on my front porch. After dashing upstairs and grabbing my camera, I caught a quick snapshot of him as he was joyously tossing a small bird up in the air before slamming it to it's demise on the ground. I then took a dash out the side door to attempt an outdoor peek, but the cautious critter left his lunch and settled into my tree before taken off down the subdivision. I have to agree with his taste though - of all the porches in the neighborhood, mine is a nice one to enjoy!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Poverty 101 Part 2
Just to round out a few other points on poverty....
The mental model of poverty, middle class, and wealth have some interesting differences. For example, an individual in poverty typically hinges life around relationship. Sub-dynamics include entertainment, agency time, cars, family & friends, crime and safety, food, housing, illness, and job/money. Compare this to the middle class model which is hubbed on achievement. We use networking in relating to others, negotiating power, and have a strong sense of identity in career. Sub-factors are children, vacations, hobbies, education, family/friends, clubs, retirement, housing/assets, prevention, and careers. And this verssu the mental model or wealth where the central focus is connections (it's all in who you know and decisions are made to enhance who you know). Sub-factors are private clubs, travel, oversight of personal property, charitable activities, media/political links, advisers, boards of directors, lawyers/accountants, vacations, event sponsorship and attendance.
In addition, poverty has driving forces of survival which is accomplished through relationships. The middle class focuses on work while the wealthy are mostly driven by social connections and finances.
Looking for ways to make deposits into others? Seek to understand the other, keep promises, show kindness, clarify expectations, be loyal, apologize, and remain open to feedback.
The mental model of poverty, middle class, and wealth have some interesting differences. For example, an individual in poverty typically hinges life around relationship. Sub-dynamics include entertainment, agency time, cars, family & friends, crime and safety, food, housing, illness, and job/money. Compare this to the middle class model which is hubbed on achievement. We use networking in relating to others, negotiating power, and have a strong sense of identity in career. Sub-factors are children, vacations, hobbies, education, family/friends, clubs, retirement, housing/assets, prevention, and careers. And this verssu the mental model or wealth where the central focus is connections (it's all in who you know and decisions are made to enhance who you know). Sub-factors are private clubs, travel, oversight of personal property, charitable activities, media/political links, advisers, boards of directors, lawyers/accountants, vacations, event sponsorship and attendance.
In addition, poverty has driving forces of survival which is accomplished through relationships. The middle class focuses on work while the wealthy are mostly driven by social connections and finances.
Looking for ways to make deposits into others? Seek to understand the other, keep promises, show kindness, clarify expectations, be loyal, apologize, and remain open to feedback.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Automotive Anxieties Awash
Do you know that feeling people have...the one where you debate in your mind if a problem really is a problem? I feel that way about cars. Like starting it up and thinking..."Is that a new noise or old noise? Does it always have a bit of a sluggish start like that? Has there always been a bit of roughness to the idle?" And no help is found in my sitting there contemplating such feelings because I have zero knowledge as to the answers to these and most other car questions.
So then I debate with myself....take it in...don't take it in....what day to take it in....do I even want to know if I do take it in?
Well, such is where I found myself this week. A sluggish start and even worse if it sat overnight. Then a colleague informed me my back lights were out - which is a whole other dilemma since I can't very well push the brake down and see the brake lights! I did manage to remedy this problem with a heavy paint can pushing on the brake as I tried to determine exactly which bulbs had burnt out. I later had neighbor and roommate assistance in the assessing process.
Wednesday night I turned my sebring over to capable hands and left to await the call....Oh the call, please be a less than $200 call! Well, bonus! It was less than $200 - actually less than 100. It was merely a blown cell in my battery. So new battery = piece of mind and no more sluggish starts. Apparently I have a 75 month warranty on the battery too. That sounds good to me!
As for my bulb dilemma, I perused over to the new AutoZone on 350 and hesitantly told the man behind the counter I needed bulbs replaced. He deftly looked up the kinds, determined he must view the bulbs to determine correct ones, whipped out his socket wrench set, dismantled my rear lights and figured out exactly the burnt bulbs. $15 later my brake lights were aglow with absolutely no help from me!!! (smile) And I learned how to replace them should I not find such a helpful Automotive guru in the future. Plus I learned bulb grease is recommended to sustain the life of said bulbs.
Thank you Lord for providing kind souls who can fix problems you know I can't!!!!
So then I debate with myself....take it in...don't take it in....what day to take it in....do I even want to know if I do take it in?
Well, such is where I found myself this week. A sluggish start and even worse if it sat overnight. Then a colleague informed me my back lights were out - which is a whole other dilemma since I can't very well push the brake down and see the brake lights! I did manage to remedy this problem with a heavy paint can pushing on the brake as I tried to determine exactly which bulbs had burnt out. I later had neighbor and roommate assistance in the assessing process.
Wednesday night I turned my sebring over to capable hands and left to await the call....Oh the call, please be a less than $200 call! Well, bonus! It was less than $200 - actually less than 100. It was merely a blown cell in my battery. So new battery = piece of mind and no more sluggish starts. Apparently I have a 75 month warranty on the battery too. That sounds good to me!
As for my bulb dilemma, I perused over to the new AutoZone on 350 and hesitantly told the man behind the counter I needed bulbs replaced. He deftly looked up the kinds, determined he must view the bulbs to determine correct ones, whipped out his socket wrench set, dismantled my rear lights and figured out exactly the burnt bulbs. $15 later my brake lights were aglow with absolutely no help from me!!! (smile) And I learned how to replace them should I not find such a helpful Automotive guru in the future. Plus I learned bulb grease is recommended to sustain the life of said bulbs.
Thank you Lord for providing kind souls who can fix problems you know I can't!!!!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Poverty 101
Over a week ago, the agency I work for hosted a colleague of the famous Ruby Payne, who is the expert on poverty. It was such a good training I looked down to realize time was slipping away but I wanted so much more. Lest those of you reading think this topic of poverty only affects those of use working in social work or teaching in a school downtown, let me reassure you poverty is all over our community and nation. You are around it every time you step into the walls of your church, attend a local event, or visit the grocery store. And the thing is....it is a different life than what most of you reading this can even fathom. So my writing today is to share a bit of what I've come to experience about poverty and perhaps it will increase your awareness, empathy, and engagement with others who are different than you. Perhaps it will mean Chistlikeness in new ways!!!
Poverty should be thought of in layers. It affects an individual within a family within a community.
Poverty is defined as the extent to which one does without resources. These could be emotional, social, or concrete resources.
Generational (2 or more) and situational (last 3-5 years) poverty are very different. Generational poverty will often have grief and loss deeply embedded, an overall acceptance of poverty as a way of life, and will not have hope without significant support. Situational poverty is more likely to be confronted by motivated individuals. Causes of situational poverty range from disability, domestic violence, divorve, death, deployment, discrimination, debt, dementia, disaster, drugs, and so much more.
If more than 42% of an organization consists of people affected by poverty the organization is greatly affected. Think about this for churches who are striving to reach out to communities.
Hidden rules are a large part of poverty. This refers to the unspoken cues and habits of a group. We all live with hidden rules - these come out of our environmnet. So for example, you may recognize a hidden rule at your workplace to be not to be late, not to take personal calls during work hours, not to express anger toward your boss. For someone who is not accustomed to this type of work environment, they can easily break these hidden rules over and over again resulting in termination because they are unaware this is a difference between their way of relating to the world and workplace expectations.
Think about this 59% of those in poverty spend more than 50% of their income on shelter alone. Housing is the engine that drives the chaos of poverty.
1/3 of the USA is the working poor. It is the tyranny of the moment.
When one bad thing happens to an individual in poverty, it means 4-5 bad things happen. For example, a person is driving with a blown out light on their vehicle. They get ticketed. They cannot pay the ticket therefore they continue driving. Some time later, they are stopped again and this time they have compounded fees from the first ticket plus another ticket. Their car is seized. They can no longer get to work. They lose their job. They lose their housing because no way to pay for their job. Therefore, their family must move which means their children must go to another school, live in another neighborhood, probably go live with a relative with 4 kids already in a 2-3 bedroom apartment. This family then gets evicted for violating the rules of HUD (which subsidizing their housing) so now 2 families are displaced. The local shelters are full and their is no place to go so they stay with someone they met through a job one time. This person deals drugs unbeknownst to the family. When the person is out one day, the police arrest her for her failure to pay her tickets and appear in court. Of course she got no notice of her court hearing since she no longer resided at a residence. What does the single mother do? Leave her children with the drug dealing household, call up one of the kid's fathers who used to beat her, or call Department of Child Services to come and take them since she's incarcerated? What a decision to face!
Poverty erodes good choices. The choices are between bad and bad.
So, where can you take this part one of poverty information from here? Recognize people in poverty are problem solvers and there are multiple causes to poverty including individual behaviors (choices), human and social capital (community's resources), exploitation (oppression), and political/economic structures.
Poverty should be thought of in layers. It affects an individual within a family within a community.
Poverty is defined as the extent to which one does without resources. These could be emotional, social, or concrete resources.
Generational (2 or more) and situational (last 3-5 years) poverty are very different. Generational poverty will often have grief and loss deeply embedded, an overall acceptance of poverty as a way of life, and will not have hope without significant support. Situational poverty is more likely to be confronted by motivated individuals. Causes of situational poverty range from disability, domestic violence, divorve, death, deployment, discrimination, debt, dementia, disaster, drugs, and so much more.
If more than 42% of an organization consists of people affected by poverty the organization is greatly affected. Think about this for churches who are striving to reach out to communities.
Hidden rules are a large part of poverty. This refers to the unspoken cues and habits of a group. We all live with hidden rules - these come out of our environmnet. So for example, you may recognize a hidden rule at your workplace to be not to be late, not to take personal calls during work hours, not to express anger toward your boss. For someone who is not accustomed to this type of work environment, they can easily break these hidden rules over and over again resulting in termination because they are unaware this is a difference between their way of relating to the world and workplace expectations.
Think about this 59% of those in poverty spend more than 50% of their income on shelter alone. Housing is the engine that drives the chaos of poverty.
1/3 of the USA is the working poor. It is the tyranny of the moment.
When one bad thing happens to an individual in poverty, it means 4-5 bad things happen. For example, a person is driving with a blown out light on their vehicle. They get ticketed. They cannot pay the ticket therefore they continue driving. Some time later, they are stopped again and this time they have compounded fees from the first ticket plus another ticket. Their car is seized. They can no longer get to work. They lose their job. They lose their housing because no way to pay for their job. Therefore, their family must move which means their children must go to another school, live in another neighborhood, probably go live with a relative with 4 kids already in a 2-3 bedroom apartment. This family then gets evicted for violating the rules of HUD (which subsidizing their housing) so now 2 families are displaced. The local shelters are full and their is no place to go so they stay with someone they met through a job one time. This person deals drugs unbeknownst to the family. When the person is out one day, the police arrest her for her failure to pay her tickets and appear in court. Of course she got no notice of her court hearing since she no longer resided at a residence. What does the single mother do? Leave her children with the drug dealing household, call up one of the kid's fathers who used to beat her, or call Department of Child Services to come and take them since she's incarcerated? What a decision to face!
Poverty erodes good choices. The choices are between bad and bad.
So, where can you take this part one of poverty information from here? Recognize people in poverty are problem solvers and there are multiple causes to poverty including individual behaviors (choices), human and social capital (community's resources), exploitation (oppression), and political/economic structures.
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