Category: Voices from the Streets
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Voices from the Streets: Great Writers But You Never Know Their Names
I just finished a great book called “The Night People” by Michael Reaves. I then moved on to “Voodoo Child” by the same author. How many of you out there know this name? Michael Reaves was born on September 14, 1950, which makes him about five years younger than me. At this time, he’s dealing…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: As We Age
When I was young, I traveled far and wide and never worried about finding a bathroom during the trip. Well, at least not to take care of my normal bodily functions, that is. But now a new horror has risen over the horizon. Last year, my wife Mary Esther and I were traveling to Vermont…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: That Immigration Thing
I haven’t said much about the immigration debate, though I’ve been following it since it began. I sometimes tend to stay out of political arguments because they can be divisive. People on either side of the debate want you to pick a side. There’s really not much room for a middle ground. No matter what…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: Opioids for pain: the best idea
It astounds me how much controversy exists about prescribing opiates for pain. The fact is that opium-based prescriptions are by far the best painkillers around. When pharmaceutical companies make opiates, they make regulated doses. There are no surprise overdoses, unless the patient takes more than is prescribed. Does this happen? Well, human nature being what…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: Run 'em outta town
From a distance, I’ve been watching the city of Cambridge dealing with the homeless community. It seems that the city council has been thinking of new ways to deal with an issue that has become a lot more difficult, especially with the opioid crisis, which has become more than just a minor annoyance. The area…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: Don't forget
It has been one year since the Long Island shelter debacle. For those of you who don’t remember, the shelter was hastily shut down after it was discovered that the bridge—which was used to carry the homeless to the island on buses—was deemed unsafe by the state and was condemned. So why am I calling…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: It's about homelessness, stupid
A little over a couple of weeks ago, a homeless man who was sleeping in a subway station in South Boston was beaten and urinated on by two brothers who were drunk and returning from a Red Sox game. When they were caught by the police, one of the brothers made a remark that Donald…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: At the speed of life
I was late to graduation, just like I was late for everything. Flying down the right hand lane on South Livingston Avenue, doing close to 90 miles an hour with my 1958 Plymouth Belvedere convertible top down when I heard a police car hit the wailers and saw the lights in my rear view mirror.…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: These lives matter, too
On the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown being gunned down in Ferguson, a friend asked me if I was going to the protest in Harvard Square. I somewhat reluctantly said no. When asked why, I didn’t want to get into it. I simply said I was tired and really needed to go home. I just…
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VOICES FROM THE STREETS: How not to go missing
I was reading an article in the Boston Globe about a homeless man that the police found. Well, actually, they found his legs first. They had been severed from his body and were lying by a Connecticut train station. From DNA testing they found out that the man’s name was Ray Roberson. They’ve found what…