A city of Contrast. A center of entertainment. A center of music. A center of cool trendy things and wealth? The city with the highest homeless population in the United States of America.
A little more information
The two main activities in my life: Helping the hungry in the late hours of the night and helping guitar players sound better one amp at a time.
I always try to remember that in order to do good one has to take action and actually do something.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I have watched the city and Southern California change for well over half a century.
As of late 2019 the music related links and prints noted on this page which had their links to by GAB (Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting) website are no longer accessible. I grew weary of updating my GAB website and let it go away. You can contact me on Facebook. Saunders Stewart Models continues full operation but we are not accepting new clients without a referral.
Los Angeles Architectural History
1935 Art Deco at some of its finest: No. 168 - Griffith Observatory- (click on the photo for information)
Andy Bales; CEO of Union Rescue Mission. I love this shot of Andy from Don Garza. This was the hottest day in Los Angeles recorded history. It was 113 degrees in downtown Los Angeles and Andy Bales was pushing the water cart in this photo, about 1500 pounds. This is the sort of image that comes to my mind when I hear the name Andy Bales
I have posted these videos before but felt it warranted posting again on this last day of the year. Click "more" to see this entire post with the terrific videos.
Today there is a story in the National Examiner. I would have posted a link to this story but there were so many pop-ups and spam when trying to read the article that I just copied and pasted the article and will not be looking at anything from them in the future.
All dressed up and no place to go. People from all walks of life
This was a bit of a contradiction. More smoke and mirrors on the way in 2011?
The seasonally adjusted number of initial jobless claims last week was 388,000, a decrease of 34,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 422,000, the U.S. Department of Labor reported yesterday.
There was that phrase which is so commonly used in the media spin ... seasonally adjusted.
Thankfully the article went on to explain and stated the obvious; the unemployment rate continued to rise.
I spent most of Christmas Eve Day downtown in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. I wrote a blog post about the day with some photos of the activities at Union Rescue Mission.
All of the missions were having celebrations and there were a lot of terrific activities and meals being served.
Last year I spent the same period walking the streets of the area. I thought that it might be interesting to pick a specific area where there was no street activity last Christmas and see what has changed in the last year if anything.
There was one factor which would slant the observation. Last year it was not raining. This year record rain had fallen in Los Angeles over the last week. It had been dry on Christmas but Christmas night the rain started once again. I have decent rain gear so I headed downtown about the time the rain started coming down heavy.
Even if there had been no rain I was ready to find people in the area this year where there were none last year. The economy has not improved, many folks have lost what unemployment benefits they were receiving as their 99 week clock ran out. I had walked the same grid less than six weeks ago and found that there were folks on the street in the evenings.
In any case, perhaps folks had found shelter for Christmas night.
In 1984 and 1985 I was a reserve Sheriff. I wrote the database software for the Sheriff Department at the time. Dbase II to Dbase III to Oracle and beyond. I learned a bit about reporting and districts, patrol areas and having friends in LAPD Central Division gave me some additional insight to their procedures. I utilize their grids and areas for my own outings.
I finished up my conversations that I was having with some folks on facebook via computer. Many times before I head downtown I let folks know where I am going to be. There are times when some folks meet up with me. There are also folks that follow the night in real time once I go mobile via texts, cell photo and cell video.
I headed for car area 1A29. This area has boundaries to the freeway on the North, 7th street to the South, San Pedro St. to the West and the river wash to the East. This area is broken down into maybe a dozen areas the LAPD refers to as basic car areas.
It is easy to get to this area via the Metro Gold Line and get off at Little Tokyo Station. It is a short walk to Alameda and 1st. I headed to reporting district 139, one of the areas within 1A29.
Today was my second Christmas Eve on Skid Row in Los Angeles.
There were more people on the street and more people in line for food than last year.
The Los Angeles Mission was putting on a large street event. There were presents for the kids, food for everybody and entertainment. The other mission in the area were putting on their own events.
I was heading to Union Rescue Mission which is the oldest and largest of the Los Angeles missions and perhaps the oldest in the country.
I spent some time talking to Andy Bales, the CEO of Union Rescue Mission when he had a moment of free time. Andy was busy on the roof of URM while 1,800 steaks were being grilled for the meal later in the day.
I looked out over the city from the roof at Union Rescue Mission.
Some of the largest corporations in the USA can be seen from the roof of Union Rescue Mission in the heart of skid row.
Talking with Andy Bales and looking at the view I figured out why the homeless situation is getting worse rather than better.
A little earlier today I came across a story in the Los Angeles Times
Tax deduction for mortgage interest could be on the chopping block
I posted the link to the story on facebook.
The story was by By Don Lee, Los Angeles Times on December 20, 2010.
The first paragraph in the story:
It's been around since 1913, but its time may be up. Such a change would generate billions of dollars in federal revenue that could be used to cut the deficit while inflicting little pain on most middle-class homeowners.
Little pain? Was this a quote from some idiot that the author just passed along or was this the thinking of the author? Most people in the USA live in houses that are not as pricy as they are in some major urban areas. Why inflict any additional pain on people. Our government needs to start thinking rather than just continuing with panic knee jerk reactions to save a sinking ship.
In any case I read further. I am just a few small steps from joining the revolution myself.
Reporting from Washington — Fifteen years ago, Carol Nietmann and her husband bought a spacious house in Maryland near Chesapeake Bay. And thanks to the time-honored tax deduction for mortgage interest, she said, their new place was a little bigger and a little nicer than they would otherwise have thought they could afford.
Over on Facebook there is a bit of dialogue in progress about our country. Below was one of my own responses.
My own basic view point is that this country is in a lot of trouble and I do not see things getting better. I don't like sending our people into combat situations where they may be killed, hurt or crippled for the rest of their life when we have technology such as drones and guided weapons if the mission is to destroy and take the lives of others. We can accomplish this without putting our own Americans in harms way. Whether we should do that sort of thing or not is another subject that is open to continual debate.
I personally feel that our troops should be looked upon with honor and respect. I for one know what it was like to come home after serving my country only to be treated like a criminal and looked down upon.
The title of this blog post will make a lot of folks sort of say to themselves ....
DUH!
This is not a place for kids to see let alone a place for them to try to live.
In a URM newsletter I received today there was a line by Estela Lopez, Executive Director, Central City East Association. A line that was short, accurate and so very descriptive. People do not live on Skid Row, they die on Skid Row.
Los Angeles has the highest homeless population in the nation. It was not a surprise to see a newspaper on the opposite side of the country write about the homeless in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Confronts Homelessness Reputation
By ADAM NAGOURNEY
Published: December 12, 2010
Breakfast at the Union Rescue Mission. The governmental structure of a county that includes 88 cities and a maze of conflicting jurisdictions, responsibilities and boundaries has made it nearly impossible for any one organization or person to take charge of the homeless issue.
LOS ANGELES — It was just past dusk in the upscale enclave of Brentwood as a homeless man, wrapped in a tattered gray blanket, stepped into a doorway to escape a light rain, watching the flow of people on their way to the high-end restaurants that lined the street.
Just one of the 1,780 images in the slideshow below!
I updated The Ultimate Coffee Table Book Collection today.
There are now 1,780 random photos in the slideshow.
1,780 shots as of 2/11/11 1,753 shots as of 1/27/11 1,641 as of 12/13/10 update 1,655 as of 12/22/10 update
An emotionally draining slideshow which mixes art, whimsy, low production values, a general lack of composition, sexual tension, nausea and the feeling of foolishness you will have if you can watch the entire show from beginning to end.
What could be better than an album of nothing but low resolution shots taken with my cellphone (and a few from friends cellphones as well and some cellphone shots from me of some of my original photos to post them easily on facebook) ... and then, take these low resolution photos and upload them in real time to facebook where the quality and size is reduced even more?
Feel free to view this as a slideshow and share the slideshow link with friends ... or perhaps people who you wish to bother just a bit?
If you have a cell phone shot that you would like included in this collection please feel free to contact me and I will give you contact information.
Last week I received my seventh paramedic call slip for the year. Not too bad considering the crime in the area I walk many evenings each week.
Four of the seven days of last week's crimes are shown in the above map. There will be one more violent crime to the list released next week. Thankfully that particular crime was interrupted and things ended up better than they might have.
This morning I went to Smart and Final to pick up a few items. They are close to my home.
Over the last few months I had been looking at the expiration dates on items in the Smart and Final refrigerated items. Milk, butter, orange juice and yogurt (Yoplait). Their dates seemed much more narrow in date scope than the same items from Ralphs, Vons or Target.
We keep hearing that we are in a recession rather than a depression.
We are a nation of no direction.
The above chart shows that financially our nation has been in the same place for the last six months. This chart is not the Dow, NASDAQ or S&P. It is a mix of stocks, bonds, mutual funds and a cross section of our economy. What is not shown on the chart is the rise on unemployment, rise in home forclosures, the increased number of people on the street. Union Rescue Mission is the oldest and largest mission in Los Angeles and the largest in the nation. In the last year their services have risen over 40% while their donations have fallen over 20%. The vertical scale on this chart spans such a small range that it is insignificant. We have not moved. The only reason we have not come crashing downward as a nation is that for every event reported which is bad news our Government can reply in moments with an explanation or proposed plan to limit the possible effects of the bad news.
Last month I turned to my friends and asked them for help to make Thanksgiving dinners for many of the homeless of Los Angeles possible.
Below is the November 2010 end of the month update from Andy Bales of Union Rescue Mission.
Many of you who are reading this helped make these Thanksgiving dinners possible. Thousands of dinners were served on two days. Just under 7,000 meals were served on the Saturday before Thanksgiving day and on Thanksgiving day itself. 4,500 meals were served on the Saturday Thanksgiving event which was quite amazing considering it was raining and the event which was set up outside on the street had to be moved inside at the last moment.
I would like to take a moment to thank my friends and my friends in the music industry who donated money to Union Rescue Mission and who passed on the word and asked their friends to help. We raised close to 1,500 meals for people that do not have much to give thanks for and would not have had a meal of this kind.
We now have Christmas on the horizon. I am asking for help again.
This is from Union Rescue Mission: As for Christmas, we are serving Christmas Day meals (on the 25th) and hosting our annual Christmas Store on Dec. 16th and 17th. You may want to let your readers know that Christmas Day is already booked with volunteers, meaning we have all the help needed for that day.
Comment on the above from URM from me - they are saying they have volunteer help in the form of people. Please do not confuse this with thinking they do not need financial help and donations which are critically needed.
The economy continues to take a toll. Compared to just one year ago the services at http://www.urm.org/ have increased by over 40% while their donations have dropped over 20%. Things are critical to say the least and the end of the year is going to be very difficult.
If you have been watching the news you know that in this month of December unemployment benefits will be cut off for more than 2 million more Americans. Just one more wrench tossed into the machine of an already difficult holiday season for so many.
My thanks to the volunteers and staff at Union Rescue Mission. It is an honor to be associated with you people. Looking at the 450,000 people in California alone who will lose their unemployment benefits this month; either by having them expire or have them cut off before the 99 week period due to our government ending them prematurely, it looks like Union Rescue Mission may be a lifeboat to an even larger population.
I am reaching out to my friends, to my associates in the music industry and to others that would like to help those less fortunate during this holiday season once again.
This year, more people than ever before in our nation's history are facing a difficult holiday season.
The economy continues to take a toll on the population. I personally see the numbers of homeless increase month after month on the streets of Los Angeles.
Homeless is not a label which is reserved for people who have mental problems, drug or alcohol problems or have personality disorders. There are people on the streets like you and me. People who were a productive part of society who have lost their jobs due to the economy. People who have lost their homes. People who have made a transition from a home to a car to the street.
Union Rescue Mission is the oldest and largest of the Los Angeles missions. They are highly organized, very efficient and have a track record of long term recovery that goes back over 100 years. The stretch a dollar farther than anybody I have seen stretch a dollar. URM provides a full meal for about $1.84.
I am asking my friends for help once again.
There are a number of ways you can help. The bullet points below hit the high points. Further down in this piece there are additional details.
You may contribute in ANY amount. Even a few dollars helps. $10 will feed five people.
All contributions are 100% tax deductible
All credit cards are accepted on a secure site. Paypal is also an accepted form of payment.
You may donate $10 (feed a family of five people) via a text message from your cell phone. To donate $10 to Union Rescue Mission, text the letters URM to 85944. You will receive a confirmation text message. Reply with the word YES to complete the transaction. Takes seconds to make huge impact on somebodies life.
Do you have a few dollars in your paypal account that is not enough for your next desired purchase? Even a few dollars helps. Many of you have spare change sitting in your paypal account. That $8.43 that may not enough to buy a book off Amazon or a cool effects pedal off of Ebay. On the URM page you can donate in any amount and they will put it together with other donations to provide a holiday meal that will make a difference in a life.
There are many additional ways to help those in need who are served by the folks at Union Rescue Mission.
In reference to unemployment benefits running out for so many more people today AND the fact that the cold weather is upon us:
The Union Rescue Mission Winter Shelters open tomorrow. www.urm.org receives funding to run four winter shelters throughout the area in West Los Angeles, Glendale, Culver City and at URM. In essence URM gets paid for a certain number of cots per location and we receive a certain number of hotel vouchers for families. They serve many more more people than they get paid for. Winter dives up their meals and shelter per night number up dramatically.
This is from Union Rescue Mission: As for Christmas, we are serving Christmas Day meals (on the 25th) and hosting our annual Christmas Store on Dec. 16th and 17th. You may want to let your readers know that Christmas Day is already booked with volunteers, meaning we have all the help needed for that day.
Comment on the above from URM from me - they are saying they have volunteer help in the form of people. Please do not confuse this with thinking they do not need financial help and donations which are critically needed.
Below are a few of my cell phone shots of the Thanksgiving dinners at Union Rescue Mission. Nicer shots are available at www.flickr.com/urmmedia that show more of the events. Once again, thank you to so many of you reading this for your help in donating close to 1,500 dinners for these events.
Myles Rose is the founder of Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting which provides support services and training for touring bands and individuals as well as blueprinting services. You may contact me from the link. My direct contact information is provided as well as links to two of the Internet forums where I answer technical questions. You may also ask questions in any post in this blog by using the comment application on each post.
When I am not doing something related to music I do what I can to support the homeless of Los Angeles either directly on the streets at night or through my good friends at Union Rescue Mission.
It is Sunday evening after Thanksgiving Thursday 2010.
I spent the day with my boys.
As I was driving home a song came on the radio on a country station. I have one country station preset and three rock station presets that range from classic rock to today's rock.
The song was "All I want for Christmas is you" came on the air. It was being sung by a country singer who did a good job but could not hold a candle to the original artist, Mariah Carey.
When I arrived home I turned on my PC.
I was in luck. My Uverse was operational which has not been the case much in the last week.
I looked up the song by Mariah Carey. There were many versions from the past years.
I found one version that caught my attention which I posted to facebook.
My comment on the post was: For the holiday season. A bit old, a bit dated, grainy video. But a great crossover of so many music periods from the Phil Spector's wall of sound days, backup harmonies of the sixties that set standards used today, video style of the sixties, a great voice, a great piece of writing from Mariah that has been covered by so many other folks today.
The production and video reminded me of TV shows of the era; Whisky a-go-go, 9th Street West, Lloyd Thanxton, Shindig! and other music shows decades before MTV was even a dream.
Comments started to be written to my facebook wall. I commented back to some of the comments: When I was 17 I had a girlfriend, Kathleen B. Henn who was a dancer on Whisky-a-go-go and Shindig TV shows. She later became a stewardess for Eastern Air Lines and told me their motto was ... "when the birds won't fly Eastern will". She lived on Calneva in Encino. If anybody knows where she is let me know as she was very cool and I would bet she would still be cool today.
I thought back on what I had done in my life to this point and was somewhat amazed I made it this far.
I have often remarked that photographs are for people who can not remember things in their life. Photographs are nice to share with others though. I have been taking photographs since I was about 13 years old. I rhought of the photos I had in storage where my boys live. Many of them going back to about Junior High School. Most folks reading this might not even know what I am talking about when I say Junior High School.
The sixties and all that come to the minds of many when they think about this era. I was in the middle of it all.
Over my life I have been asked; "if you could pick when you were born what would be your choice?" My reply has never changed. I would want to be born when I was born.
Psycedelics, concerts, The Fillmore, Haight-Ashbury, The Cheetah, Sunset Strip, driving my 1957 MGA on Sunset Blvd from the sea to the end of the strip, Vietnam was probably the only downside to the era.
The Shangri La's who were a part of my life prior to the British Invasion. I posted a video set of them and wrote this to my boys as I shared the link with them on facebook: To my two boys - go into your mom's cabinet where my photos are and look at the pictures of my car with the girl checking the oil, on the roof, under the car and in the trunk and then look at the lead singer in these videos.
I posted a video link to the Ronettes with a comment: Check out the backup dancers. Things have come further with dance than they have even progressed with audio and video advances :-)
I look back on the path I walked to get where I stand today. My most recent status update on facebook prior to writing this blog entry was: I heard a song on the radio when I was driving home which made me look up the original song on youtube. Looking at some of those videos I recalled the past and wondered how I ever made it to my current age and makes me realize that if I died tonight, as one song lyric from the past says ... " long time comin' " and I would not think I left all that much uncovered or not experienced.
In the Mariah video some of the things I like:
1 - the backup singers and their harmony arrangement
2 - Mariah's mini-dress being even shorter than the dresses on the dancers
3 - Recalling how Carol Norman in High School used to be sent home at least once a week for her mini-shirt being too short.
Myles Rose is the founder of Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting which provides support services and training for touring bands and individuals as well as blueprinting services. You may contact me from the link. My direct contact information is provided as well as links to two of the Internet forums where I answer technical questions. You may also ask questions in any post in this blog by using the comment application on each post.
When I am not doing something related to music I do what I can to support the homeless of Los Angeles either directly on the streets at night or through my good friends at Union Rescue Mission.
November 2010 end of the month update from Andy Bales of Union Rescue Mission http://www.urm.org/
In the video Andy mentions the Thanksgiving event of 11/20/10. There is another Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow on 11/25/10 on actual Thanksgiving day as well.
Many of you who are reading this helped make these Thanksgiving dinners possible. Thousands of dinners were served on two days. I would not be surprised if the number was somewhere near 10,000 meals.
We now have Christmas on the horizon and I will be posting this once again. I will be asking for help again. The economy continues to take a toll. Compared to just one year ago the services at http://www.urm.org/ have increased by over 40% while their donations have dropped over 20%. Things are critical to say the least and the end of the year is going to be very difficult.
I would like to take a moment to thank my friends and my friends in the music industry who donated money to Union Rescue Mission and who passed on the word and asked their friends to help. We raised close to 1,500 meals for people that do not have much to give thanks for and would not have had a meal of this kind.
My thanks to the volunteers and staff at Union Rescue Mission. It is an honor to be associated with you people.
Myles Rose is the founder of Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting which provides support services and training for touring bands and individuals as well as blueprinting services. You may contact me from the link. My direct contact information is provided as well as links to two of the Internet forums where I answer technical questions. You may also ask questions in any post in this blog by using the comment application on each post.
When I am not doing something related to music I do what I can to support the homeless of Los Angeles either directly on the streets at night or through my good friends at Union Rescue Mission.
Over on the Dr. Z amp forum I have a column in their Ask the Experts area. Yesterday I was in one of the other areas and came across a post on the Doc's new Z Wreck amp.
For a year or more this amp was not a product offered in the Z lineup. The amp was only in the hands of Brad Paisley. The amp is now available to all.
This morning KABC television in Los Angeles broadcast a 30 minute show on the subject of the homeless in the homeless capitol of the nation, Los Angeles.
Last Sunday a friend dropped by with an apple pie. She has been a great friend for decades and a great chef in her own right but I digress.
Earlier that day I had been talking to somebody who asked me a question. They asked me if I felt there was a good reason for marriage. I expressed my thoughts. Later I talked about this topic with my friend who brought me the pie.
I voiced my thoughts on various aspects of why I felt people get married. Building and sharing a life. Building and raising a family. Many of the reasons seemed very obvious. There are countless reasons for marriage just as there are countless reasons not to be married.
Over the last few days thoughts would dart in and out of my mind. Reasons for marriage change as we grow older. Security? Companionship? Friendship? Sharing a recall of things two people have accomplished together in life?
I recall a conversation with a friend who wanted to leave his wife. His reason to me was, she does not want to climb mountains with me.....
I felt his logic was a bit shallow when this statement was made to me over a decade ago.
He did not see how much she cared for him and how she altered much of her own life to support him in his quest to build a business (he was already gainfully employed as a side note). She supported his hobbies and interests. She helped him accomplish his dreams in his own life. She was there to catch him when he would fall.
He was not able to see what she had done for him as they built a life and raised a daughter. The importance of her past work, love and effort were overshadowed by his own desires to climb a mountain.
In the end, her intentions and real actions carried little weight. The lack of climbing mountains was the logic he used to end the relationship.
So often in the end one person just turns their back on the other and walks away. Marriage? Vows? Promises? Government? The economy? There are a lot of folks out there that just quit, lie or just give up.
One just walks away.
As we grow older our accomplishments are behind us rather than in front of us. Some people have an adverse reaction to growing older. Many look as their life as a race to try to accomplish all possible things before the grow old. Wake up folks. If you are acting like this you may already be old.
One must earn growing old. It is not something that you can just make happen by taking a test or procuring some sort of certificate. There is value in age. Knowledge. Experience.
By all means, go out into the world each day and make the most out of each day but do not turn your eyes away from people who hurt others, people who turn their back on people who need help where you can provide help.
As we age our focus on what is important changes. We shift our resources from home, car, clothes and possessions to things like insurance, health care or other things that give us a sense of security. In some ways it is a false sense of security.
Perhaps this is one reason for marriage? Perhaps it is a reason some couples stay together later in life.
In the end none of us want to die alone. In actuality though, it is the journey to our death that is something to think about. Perhaps one more reason for marriage or a partnership in life.
Myles Rose is the founder of Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting which provides support services and training for touring bands and individuals as well as blueprinting services. You may contact me from the link. My direct contact information is provided as well as links to two of the Internet forums where I answer technical questions. You may also ask questions in any post in this blog by using the comment application on each post.
When I am not doing something related to music I do what I can to support the homeless of Los Angeles either directly on the streets at night or through my good friends at Union Rescue Mission.
Today I checked my email as usual and read a disturbing message from Andy Bales, the CEO of Union Rescue Mission.
Last month things were looking pretty good. This is the October video from Andy Bales at Union Rescue Mission.
Yesterday was a terrific Veteran's Day lunch program (thanks to http://www.dailygrill.com/ for the great food and serving the Veterans)
Today I read this email:
Dear Friends,
On August 8, 2006 5 sweet ladies became our “Pioneers” when they moved from Union Rescue Mission’s downtown location on Skid Row to the safety of Hope Gardens Family Center. Since then, thanks to Union Rescue Mission and Hope Gardens Family Center, hundreds of moms and over 1800 children have been rescued from the streets! And, with capital support from faithful friends, foundations and including the LA County Board of Supervisors through their Homeless and Housing Program we’ve been able to renovate all of the buildings at Hope Gardens Family Center, expanding our capacity to care for moms and precious children at Hope Gardens by almost 300%. Our goal (and mandate from the county) that no child be left on Skid Row could literally be reached by March thanks to you and hundreds of others.
Tragically, as of the date of this e-mail, the County Supervisors have yet to renew their commitment of subsidizing a portion of the operating costs which is crucial to the success and sustainability of Hope Gardens in these devastating economic times.
We’ve come too far to stop now!
If you live in LA County, please contact the Supervisor for your district and urge them to renew the operating subsidy portion of the HHPF so that we can accomplish our goal and make sure that no children are living on Skid Row! You can click here to download a sample letter/e-mail you can customize. You will find contact information for each of the 5 LA County Supervisors below. There is also a link for you to use below if you are unsure of the district you live in.
On behalf of the moms and precious children waiting to move from Skid Row to Hope Gardens Family Center, thank you!
Sincerely,
Rev. Andy Bales
CEO, Union Rescue Mission
To find the district your LA County Supervisor is in, you can go to this site and enter your address.
District 1
Gloria Molina
Los Angeles County Supervisor, First District
856 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012 molina@bos.lacounty.gov
(213) 374-4111
District 2
Mark Ridley-Thomas
Los Angeles County Supervisor, Second District
856 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012 markridley-thomas@bos.lacounty.gov
(213) 974-2222
District 3
Zev Yaroslavsky
Los Angeles County Supervisor, Third District
856 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012 zev@bos.lacounty.gov
(213) 974-3333
District 4
Don Knabe
Los Angeles County Supervisor, Fourth District
856 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012 don@bos.lacounty.gov
(213) 974-4444
District 5
Michael Antonovich
Los Angeles County Supervisor, Fifth District
856 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012 fifthdistrict@lacbos.org
(213) 974-5555
Myles Rose is the founder of Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting which provides support services and training for touring bands and individuals as well as blueprinting services. I offer consulting services to various amplifier designers and manufacturers. The link www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com has links to music industry forums which I moderate and direct email contact information. My shop is located in the complex at www.65amps.com. If you wish a tour of 65 Amps please feel free to contact me directly. When I am not doing something related to music I do what I can to support the homeless of Los Angeles either directly on the streets at night or through my good friends at Union Rescue Mission.
Looking at some of the recent news items I find myself wondering, what the heck is going on?
The above shot is by Mark Horvath who is currently walking the Los Angeles River. Mark recently completed a trip all around the USA working for and with the homeless. A lot of this is documented at http://www.hardlynormal.com/ and http://www.invisiblepeople.tv/
Last night Andy Bales, a past Mayor of Los Angeles, Dan Portnoy and others spent the night on Skid Row. Andy Bales is the CEO of Union Rescue Mission. ( http://www.urm.org/ )
Below I have compiled some of the photos and comments that Andy sent during the evening.
Our 'village' of EDAR.org 's on San Julian, roughest street on LA's SKID ROW.
Spending night on Skid Row with Mayor Richard Riordan & @danportnoy & @petersamuelson
CBS (2) news and KCAL news (9) did a story on the news last night.
Dan Portnoy commented - Look for my mug tonight on KCAL9 and CBS2 at 11 with @abales, former mayor riordan and the crew from http://www.edar.org/
Peter Saumelson is the inventor of the EDAR.
First photo above at the top of this post; Andy Bales: Our 'village' of EDAR.org 's on San Julian, roughest street on LA's SKID ROW.
We gave up several EDAR.org 's to senior ladies coughing & trying 2 sleep on cold sidewalk. How could we not?
We've only been cussed out a few times and nearly all have been extremely thankful & kind.
We called LAPD on car speeding down San Julian& running red light. Nearly hit pedestrian. Gang member called me snitch & I chewed him out.
We've been trying to take a picture of the huge rats, but they are too fast!
We were hungry & @petersamuelson bought us my recession special, McDoubles & diet cokes. We gave some 2 senior ladies & gang members.
All violence & gang members have moved away. That is what happens when strong kind people occupy space keep an eye out for others.
Pamela & Bernard were very thankful for the EDAR.that we gave them & they could quit walking all night.
Man verbally attacked & made racist statements. We understood,let him talk. He's atheist because as kid he feels prayers were unheard.
He ended up apologizing, shook hands, & we thanked him. He talked for nearly an hour. He's bright & frustrated with 20 yrs without home.
Foster grandma to 12 kids and now on skid row
I've never seen it so clean and quiet on San Julian. Maybe our presence and a sr ladies made a huge difference
Here's the KCAL Thanks @foxlaamymurphy for covering the #EDAR sleep-out at @urm with @abales and friends! - The link to the story is here:
Never have seen San Julian on Skid Row LA so quiet. Hard working senior lady in picture has done all the cleaning.
2 members of a gang selling drugs just chased a man down 5th street but he was too fast. We alerted LAPD.
Eventful night. Woman just stormed by looking for a light 4 cigarette screaming kicking carts & threw a chair.
Dan Portnoy shot. Don't get the impression that Andy Bales spends nights on the street when the news media shows up. He has spent more than a few nights on skid row to say the least. I wish the news media reported things like this every day because this is the story on the streets of skid row ... every day.
Sugarbear and Andy Bales outside URM by Dan Portnoy
Inside the KCAL9 truck watching the feed with Peter Samuelson - Dan Portnoy shot.
My final comment is from my friend Don Garza:
Andy Bales is living on the sidewalks of skid row this morning... the most dangerous time to be out ,,, the beginning of the end of the first of the month,, right when folks get their food stamps and sell them for their last effort to buy their drug of choice.. dealers out in full force disguised as homeless..or homeless running for them.
The streets of skid row are always a tough place to be. The holiday season is an even more difficult time of year. If you would like to help my friends and I sponsor a table at Union Rescue Mission to provide a full Thanksgiving dinner to folks please take a look at my blog post at:
Please feel free to pass along the link to others.
Myles Rose is the founder of Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting which provides support services and training for touring bands and individuals as well as blueprinting services. I offer consulting services to various amplifier designers and manufacturers. The link www.guitaramplifierblueprinting.com has links to music industry forums which I moderate and direct email contact information. My shop is located in the complex at www.65amps.com. If you wish a tour of 65 Amps please feel free to contact me directly. When I am not doing something related to music I do what I can to support the homeless of Los Angeles either directly on the streets at night or through my good friends at Union Rescue Mission.
This post is from last year with a few minor updates. It is time to do it again this year. We did great last year. I hope that this year we can do even better. In the last year the number of children and families who are homeless has risen by 50% and donations have fallen by over 50%.
As of November 25, 2010 our dinner count is now 1,465 dinners!
For 2011 I am not planning a running meal count as trying to get updates from folks was difficult. I will post the final count of what was served for Thanksgiving from URM once we have the data.
For those who help out this year, 2011, and if you are not on the list of great people here, please feel free to send me your information so you can be added to the list. You may use any name you wish, advertise your company (send me a web URL) etc. More details below.
I am reaching out to my friends, to my associates in the music industry and to others that would like to help those less fortunate during this holiday season.
This year, more people than ever before in our nation's history are facing a difficult holiday season.
The economy continues to take a toll on the population. I personally see the numbers of homeless increase month after month on the streets of Los Angeles.
Homeless is not a label which is reserved for people who have mental problems, drug or alcohol problems or have personality disorders. There are people on the streets like you and me. People who were a productive part of society who have lost their jobs due to the economy. People who have lost their homes.
Union Rescue Mission is the oldest and largest of the Los Angeles missions. They are highly organized, very efficient and have a track record of long term recovery that goes back over 100 years. The stretch a dollar farther than anybody I have seen stretch a dollar. URM provides a full meal for about $1.84.
I am asking my friends for help. There are a number of ways you can help. The bullet points below hit the high points. Further down in this piece there are additional details.
You may contribute in ANY amount. Even a few dollars helps
All contributions are 100% tax deductible
All credit cards are accepted on a secure site
You may donate from either donation page link via paypal
You may donate $10 (feed a family of five people) via a text message from your cell phone
No matter which way you choose to donate please drop me a note, email, tweet (myles111us), facebook message (mylesr) or send me a text if you have my cell number so I can keep the meal count updated on this blog piece. (for 2011 I am not attempting to keep an ongoing meal count as mentioned above but feel free to send me your information so I can add you to folks being thanked.
For $36.80 you can sponsor a table at Thanksgiving. The table is for 20 people. You can also sponsor partial tables. I got the ball rolling with the first contribution from this blog post:
Sponsor a table at Union Rescue Mission
Go to the official URM website and page where you can sponsor one or more tables. This is a fast and easy method, they send you confirmation and documentation as this is fully tax deductible.
The cost of a meal is only $1.84. No credit card? No pay-pal? Do you have a cell phone? To donate $10 to Union Rescue Mission, text the letters URM to 85944. You will receive a confirmation text message. Reply with the word YES to complete the transaction. This will supply five Thanksgiving dinners. Please send me a message if you donate in that way so I can keep track of our meal count from the music industry and my friends.
Many of you helped me when Hope Gardens was in trouble. I am asking for your help again.
This is something of a collective effort. We can pool our resources and let folks know that there is a collective group out there who care, pool resources and spread the word on the homeless situation.
If you donate to Union Rescue Mission using any method, please feel free to send me your name or company. Your supplied information will be included at the bottom of this blog where a number of folks are noted if you desire to be listed. It does not have to be your own name. The donation can be in the name of a loved one, family member, organization, company, your dog, a cause of some type or just about anything you wish. You will also be listed on the main blog site at the bottom of each page. 2011 update - please send me your name or information if you donate this year if you are not listed from last year and I will add you to this post.
About 3/4 of a million folks have read this blog since July 1, 2010. I would be happy to post a link or name of anybody who support the homeless. September 2011 update: There have been over 5 million readers.
Cannot afford to sponsor an entire table? Don't let that stop you. Even a few dollars helps. Many of you have spare change sitting in your paypal account. That $8.43 that may not enough to buy a book off Amazon or a cool effects pedal off of Ebay. On the URM page you can donate in any amount and they will put it together with other donations.
Every dollar helps. The salt alone for the stuffing could be paid for by one small donation. Here is Chef Larry's recipe for stuffing; for 4,500 people :)
250 pounds crusty bread
32 pounds butter
500 onions, diced
500 celery stalks, diced
63 cups minced fresh parsley leaves
62 table spoons salt
125 table spoons ground black pepper
500 cups chicken broth
500 large eggs
As a collective group can help each other raise awareness, pass along links and information and be a stronger group than we might be as individuals.
If you send a donation to Union Rescue Mission for Thanksgiving please feel free to let me know. I am trying to keep a running total of the number of meals we have sponsored as a group.
Contributions to URM are fully tax deductible.
All money that is sent to me this month via my own paypal account will be sent to URM. I will post an audit trail in this blog entry of any transfers to URM which are normally used to purchase snacks which I provide to people on the streets in the late evenings.
Below is an audit trail on money I collected myself from friends or donated myself that has been sent to URM via paypal. This does not include money that was sent directly to URM by friends who tell me how many meals they donated so I can keep an ongoing meal count going on this post. Thank you to everybody who have helped and thank you to others who will be helping in advance.
11/3/10 6:30pm update: The count was at 127 on 11/3 at 6:30pm. Uneven counts bug me so I added another $25 for 13+ more dinners to round things up. The count was then 140 dinners.
Plus direct URM contributions from friends who have helped!
Missy Rose, a black lab doggie from the west valley
Gary Carr
Gregory Faust
Dennis Tudor
Mary Ellen Alltizer Gale
Betty Edwards
Sheldon Gomberg
Laura Forster
Kim Rose
Bonnie and Alan
Brad Leabo
Lee Flier Some of the folks from the Dr. Z Amp Forum are listed below but some are also above not indicated
Gregg White from the Dr. Z Forum
Tom Breitsch from the Dr. Z Forum
'Oldster and the Knuckleheads' from the Dr. Z Forum
Buddy Whittington and Family from the Dr. Z Forum
Gouv Cadwalader from the Dr. Z Forum
Ryan and Vicki Horyza and Family from the Dr. Z Forum
Frank "BritInvasion" Quarracino from the Dr. Z Forum
Harvey Reams and Family from the Dr. Z Forum
Keith Aylward - from the Dr. Z Forum
Mike Giliberto from the Dr. Z Forum
Bill Shea from the Dr. Z Forum
Gary from the Dr. Z Forum
Ron from the Dr. Z Forum
Helmi from the Dr. Z Forum
Paul Girolamo from the Dr. Z Forum
Eric Ambel from the Dr. Z Forum
Charles J Adkins from the Dr. Z Forum
Paul Toracinta from the Dr. Z Forum
Lee Carriker from the Dr. Z Forum
Jeffrey Thomas Adkins from the Dr. Z Forum
Patrick & Michelle Kerrin from the Dr. Z Forum
Doungvannak JB Keo,Merritt Island,Florida from the Dr. Z Forum
The Z amp community from http://ztalk.proboards.com
Dr. Z, Michael Zaite - the man himself - Godfather/Owner/Creator Z Amplification http://www.drzamps.com/
Paul (TRANE) - New Mexico - Dr. Z amp Forum
Albert from NW Indiana; the Dr. Z Forum
Zed from the Dr. Z Forum
"Z" Steve from the Dr. Z Forum
Edward Balaschak - Eschak on the Z Forum
Scotty from Texas on the Dr. Z Forum
6strang (aka Paul) Big Rapids, MI - Dr. Z Amp Forum
mpa93 - Ontario - Dr. Z Amp Forum
Tony L Stovall - T-R☼CK ♫ on the Dr. Z Forum - Tennessee
Lee (maddog) from Texas - Dr. Z Amp Forum
heynewguy(aka Bill) from New Jersey - Dr. Z Amp Forum
Robert (aka meanslide) from California - Dr. Z Amp Forum
PaulT (Bluzman) - Dr. Z Amp Forum
Jennifer from Florida - Dr. Z Amp Forum
randalp3000 from Michigan - Dr. Z Amp Forum
Peter Graham - Dr. Z Amp Forum
Bob (rjc1811) - Dr. Z Amp Forum
rockinmac - Northwest NC, Dr. Z Amp Forum
Nick MkII (Nicholas) - Dr. Z Amp Forum
twoscoobysnacks - Dr. Z Amp Forum and http://www.warriorcry.org/
number9 - Dr. Z Amp Forum
roscoenyc from NYC - Dr. Z Amp Forum
Ignatius? (Gary) - Dr. Z Amp Forum
GuitarZ - West Chester, PA - Dr. Z Amp Forum - http://www.mikezband.com/
Don - Midwest U.S. - Global Moderator on the Dr. Z Amp Forum
Eddie from Ohio from the Dr. Z Forum
Tom Breitsch aka cap10toons- Dr. Z Amp Forum
The gang from www.musicplayer.com / Guitar Player Magazine
Caevan O'Shite
Bluesape
Sharkman
WPsmith
Thanks to all and keep me updated if you help.
A video from last year:
Here is a slide show of how the folks mentioned here helped for this 2011 event. Thank you all again. I will be uploading more photos over the next few days. The first uploads were from the day of the event on November 19, 2011
Myles Rose is the founder of Guitar Amplifier Blueprinting which provides support services and training for touring bands and individuals as well as blueprinting services. You may contact me from the link. My direct contact information is provided as well as links to two of the Internet forums where I answer technical questions. You may also ask questions in any post in this blog by using the comment application on each post.
When I am not doing something related to music I do what I can to support the homeless of Los Angeles either directly on the streets at night or through my good friends at Union Rescue Mission.
I started this blog on December 13, 2009 to raise awareness on the homeless situation which is growing due to the current economic situation in this country. Two priorities at this period in my life are helping the homeless on the streets of Los Angeles and helping musicians sound better one amp at a time.
It is said that a picture is speaks a thousand words. Here are over three thousand random photos in a slide show. This is what I do, who I know, where I go.
An emotionally draining slideshow which mixes art, whimsy, low production values, a general lack of composition, sexual tension, nausea and the feeling of foolishness you have if you can watch the entire show from beginning to end.
What could be better than an album of nothing but low resolution shots taken with my cellphone (and a few from friends cellphones as well) ... and then, take these low resolution photos and upload them in real time to facebook where the quality and size is reduced even more?
Why I do what I do
To the folks who ask why I do what I do.
For many decades I worked in the corporate sector for very large companies. I worked many hours each week.
On some occasions I actually felt as if I made a change in a life. I could help somebody in their career. I could teach somebody something technical. Those sorts of things.
40-60 hours a week or more was generally not all that rewarding other than the friends I made along the way and the occasional change as I was able to make a difference.
I worked hard to make changes in my own life as most of us do. I made money to buy a house, raise a family. Family and friends are one side of our lives. The outside world is another.
I now have two main "jobs" each day. One is to help guitarists sound better, one amp at a time. I help folks in the music business and pass on what I have learned over decades walking this planet. I also try to help other people who are building their own career. That is one of the joys of being my age. You can help those on their path of building their own lives.
My second "job" is helping the homeless on the streets on Los Angeles. Five or ten hours on the street each week helping people makes more of a direct impact on more people than a month of work in my old life. Whether I feed people a snack, listen to what they have to say, give them a card from http://www.urm.org/ or walk them down to Union Rescue Mission I feel I am making life a little better for somebody.
In order to do something good one generally has to do something as in perform some sort of action. Los Angeles has the highest homeless population in the nation. Perhaps I feel as if I needed to do something.
Union Rescue Mission - What they do.
I talk a lot about Union Rescue Mission on this blog. I also talk a lot about them on facebook. I talk about them on my GAB website.
Many of my friends have become friends with Union Rescue Mission and members of their staff. I am sure many of you feel the same way I do about what they do and are a little bit better for knowing them. videos you may learn a bit more about the work these folks do.
This blog was created in December 2009. Statistics were enabled on July 1, 2010. From July 1, 2010 to July 1, 2013 there were more than 12 million reads of this blog.
As of 9/14/2018 there has been 36,395,500 reads. There were 189,708 visitors last month, August 2018.
Posts are also seen on facebook, twitter, google buzz, blogger, digg it, atom and many other services that have opted to distribute my antics for reasons that are at times a mystery to me.
Thanks for following, thanks for reading and thank you for sending the link of this site to your friends.
Posts
