August 03rd, 2010
By Mark
For people reading this blog entry that have not read my previous entries on the homeless, I encourage you to read Homeless Project Background. It will give you some background on my project. Briefly, I have made a commitment to give $20 each week to a homeless person and minimally ask their name and where they are from.
I have been meaning to summarize my thoughts on the homeless project since Dec 31st. After the year ended, it was strange for me not to have a $20 in my pocket at all times just in case I came upon a homeless person who I think would be interesting to talk to. I am saddened by the plight of the homeless. My views of the homeless have changed from a year ago and they also changed during the year long project. My conclusions (more…)
May 06th, 2010
By Mark
These are some conclusions about running a business that I have come to after 19 years in Vistage and working with hundreds of CEOs.
1) If you are worried about an action that has to be taken, you have already waited too long so do it now. (more…)
April 29th, 2010
By Mark
When I saw some of the news clips and read some of the accounts of Congress grilling the Goldman Sachs executives, I was struck by the irony of the situation. Below are the steps to the national/global financial meltdown:
1 - Congress and the President encourage expanded home ownership via the Community Reinvestment Act
2 - Banks are pressured by government to make loans to many people who can’t afford homes (more…)
April 07th, 2010
By Mark
I posted the following on my Facebook page a few days ago:
I gave a cell phone to a local homeless guy who I have been helping for the past year. He had asked if he could borrow my cell phone to make a call. I put 60 minutes of time on his new cell phone. Wonder how it will affect his life? I also had to go back to the store to buy him reading glasses as the print was too small for him and me to read the directions on how to get the phone initialized.
Later that night, a friend of mine sent me an email that follows. I am glad others are evaluating their views as I am evaluating mine. There is the email:
Hi Mark,
I thought you should know that your continuous posts about your homeless friend has significantly impacted my view of the homeless.
A few years back I had had a number of negative run-ins over a short period of time with homeless people, usually involving them yelling things at me and my wife (more…)
January 20th, 2010
By Mark
The following letter was sent to TKF after a Violence Impact Forum (VIF). The author is Patricia Ladd, the principal at Correia Middle School. She has very eloquently described how our work at TKF changes the lives of so many kids.
=======================================================
Dear Trustees of TKF:
As Principal of Correia Middle School (CMS) a comprehensive middle school for 7th – 8th graders in one of our nation’s largest urban districts, I have an opportunity to interact daily with youngsters between the ages of 11-14 years of age. According to many expert opinions, (more…)
November 30th, 2009
By Mark
For people reading this blog entry that have not read my previous entries on the homeless, I encourage you to read Homeless Project Background. It will give you some background on my project. Briefly, I have made a commitment to give $20 each week to a homeless person and minimally ask their name and where they are from.
I have taken a different approach with Ron in the last few weeks. Since he says he spends most of his cash on booze and tobacco and gets most of his food for free, I have decided (more…)
November 19th, 2009
By Mark
Once upon a time, there was a man name Alan. Alan was a kind hearted man and also a man on a mission. Like Jonny Appleseed, Alan was always planting seeds, but his were not seeds for trees. Rather, his were seeds of philanthropy. Alan wanted to spread philanthropy throughout the kingdom of San Diego.
One day, Alan came upon a very busy man in the kingdom on San Diego named Mark. (more…)
October 31st, 2009
By Mark
For people reading this blog entry that have not read my previous entries on the homeless, I encourage you to read Homeless Project Background. It will give you some background on my project. Briefly, I have made a commitment to give $20 each week to a homeless person and minimally ask their name and where they are from.
I finally have a short video of Ron from Ft. Worth. Ron From Ft. Worth Unfortunately my video recorder ran out of space a few minutes into the interview. Here are some of the comments that I got from Ron
I have asked Ron a few times, where he sleeps. (more…)
September 29th, 2009
By Mark
For people reading this blog entry that have not read my previous entries on the homeless, I encourage you to read Homeless Project Background. It will give you some background on my project. Briefly, I have made a commitment to give $20 each week to a homeless person and minimally ask their name and where they are from.
In the last couple of weeks I have seen more homeless back in my neighborhood in La Jolla. I saw Ron from Ft. Worth twice this week. He looks better than earlier in the year. I did not have time to talk with him, but he is tops on my list to get reacquainted with. (more…)
September 09th, 2009
By Mark
I made an offhand comment to a friend that there were many simple solutions to some of the problems that we Americans face. She challenged me to get specific. She’s right to challenge me. We should challenge our politicians for specifics. Put them on the spot. Make them answer. Be relentless.
Today, I am going to take a stab at Social Security. My parents have passed away, but during their years of retirement, Social Security helped them. (more…)