What has been going on this week?

As I sit here for a few minutes writing this blog entry I do not feel one way or another at the level of activity in the last few days or the week.  Perhaps when I look back on what I wrote on facebook in real time or look at some of my photos I will get a better idea of the past few days or week.....

A week in my life - mostly in poor cellphone photos

Here we are on a Friday once again.  I think I will put my thoughts and some activities of the last week into a blog entry.  I guess I don't have to always post things on the economy, employment situation or the homeless. 

So, here we go.  I am going to attempt to upload a lot of photos in this entry.  I have no idea on the order in which they will display but I will do the best with what ends up happening.  Perhaps I will do a little less than the best if it looks too time consuming.  You know me ... efficiency in motion and effort is my creed.

I went shooting two times last week.  One time I used this shotgun, my A391.  I did much better than I normally do so I thought I would return in the next day or two with my pretty Beretta over/under to see how I would fare with my other shotgun.....

Shay Kelley - Project 50/50 - please consider giving her a hand?

Here in Los Angeles I see the homeless problems grow every week.  The homeless population of Los Angeles was somewhere between 80,000 and 100,000 at the last count.  I have no idea when that count was taken (some videos that mention this go back to 2005) but I watch the population density increase each month.  May, June, July and August have been hard months.  There are more folks on the street than ever before and no matter what the media reports about the economy, things are not getting better.

At night I "people count". I do this at the beginning of each month and the end of each month. I have a series of blocks mapped out and try to hit the same places on the same nights of a week during the same hours a few times a month.

Most of the street folks used to be sort of northwest of Union Rescue Mission, The Midnight Mission, LAMP and the Los Angeles Mission. The area of San Pedro Street toward Wall Street to Los Angeles Street between 3rd and 7th.

Numbers in the area noted above had increased but in June there was little activity southwest of San Pedro Street.

In July it the area southwest of San Pedro Street increased in population and in August it increased again about three times in those two months.   My grandfather had a laundry business on Gladys where I worked as a teenager.  I know my way around the area and have seen the changes.

This area of expansion of the homeless is southeast of San Pedro to Alameda between 8th and South Central Ave.  This is the area that is up three times in population.

Towne Avenue between 5th and 7th is a war zone. Very high drug traffic, a lot of violence and girls that will do anything for a dollar. One hit off a crack pipe is $1.

While I walk the streets of Los Angeles there is a gal out there who is all over the map .... literally.  This blog entry is intended to be more about her travels and hopefully some of you folks can give her a hand.

Shay Kelley.  This is a gal with a lot of heart and spirit.  She is part way though her project 50/50 - visit 50 states in 50 weeks.

Update 9/17/10 - Shay posted a new blog entry: http://project5050.posterous.com/

Above - Shay Kelley, her companion Zuzu and her 1984 Ford pickup truck Bubba.  Bubba is her mode of transport and most of the time it is her home.  I don't think 1984 was exactly a high mileage year for Ford pickups even when they were new.  ......

Place your trust and faith in the weather man

Can anybody really buy into any of this nonsense?.....

Gourmet Food Trucks

I have been writing a bit about the gourmet food trucks that show up all over the city.  Some have a fixed schedule.  Some show up at events. 

I posted some of my thoughts on facebook and thought I'd copy some of that dialogue here.....

Homelessness Up 50% In New York City

This is from Fox News in New York, today 8/30/10.  I have been writing on the increase of homeless folks I see on the streets of Los Angeles.  It looks as if New York is finding things just as difficult.

BY LUKE FUNK

MYFOXNY.COM - If you think you’ve been seeing more people sleep on city streets, statistics back up the perception. The homeless population living on New York City streets has gone up 50-percent in the past year, according to city statistics.....

Chinatown Summer Nights - Tonight 8/28 5pm until ????

Tonight is the last August event in Chinatown.  I have been to a few and have posted some photos and video in the past.  They have many things going on that interest a wide range of people.  Music, art, food and more.  I will be at the event tonight.....

Behind the Scenes - three days of what it takes to put on a show

Last February I spent three days with Chad Weaver and the Brad Paisley crew.  They had the Jimmy Kimmel Live show and a show at The Staples Center.

Chad Weaver posted some photos on his facebook page of a show a day or two ago at a large venue.  There has been a bit of commentary on the large venue.  Many people do not know what goes on behind the scenes so I thought I would post a few photos and videos here.

Below is the shot from Chad that started me thinking ...

Below are some of my own shots in a slideshow and a few videos. There are also some fun shots when Chad had a break......

5 Questions for Mark Horvath, Founder of InvisiblePeople. tv

A story worth knowing....

Read more on Mark Horvath....

Once-homeless filmmaker gives others a voice

This is a story about Mark Horvath.  Mark does some pretty amazing work when it comes to spreading the word on the homeless.  Mark is also on facebook and twitter.  On facebook you can find Mark at http://www.facebook.com/mhorvath

I have some of Mark's links on the right side of my blog here but if you want to learn a bit more without searching links - www.hardlynormal.com and www.invisiblepeople.tv are good starting places.