iPhone Phund Now Phulfilled. Thanks Rich!

And boy, am I glad that's over - and I'm sure you are too. Throughout it all (muggings, etc.) I had people with iPhones complaining that I didn't need one for work - but somehow they did. Funny how some people think their jobs are more important than mine. And people who didn't have iPhones, but should have, complaining too - some even in the advertising and design business who didn't know what QR codes were or how to read them with a smartphone. In any case, too many people complaining that I was asking for a seemingly high-end product. But in the end, the greater number of friends and supporters who sent positive messages, financial help and general good vibes won out. Thank you Freya, Pete, Sylvia, Kim, John, Mary and Rich for all your care and spirit. Mission accomplished.

iPhone Phund Now Up $300. Thank You Kim

And it looks like we're more than 50% there, and we would have been, without the mugging. Yes, muggings cost money. In this case, $100. And it's my fault. My fault only. Even victims blame the victim when it's justified. I shouldn't have been where I was, when I was, with that much money in my pocket.

But I need to register this very important contribution, keep transparent and get on with things. And yes. It sucks. As you can see from the thermometer on this post, the hundred bucks looked damn good on a $500 goal, but as you can see on the thermometer in the left sidebar, I added the lost hundred to the total goal, so well, it's like treading water some days. Point is not to drown. I've had some offers of work as of late, and hopefully, even some small jobs will come through - writing and web design and such. Thanks to all of who who have stuck with me, supported this effort and kept me pretty damn bright throughout even bruisers and bus stations. It does all work in the end. That's the experiment, right?

iPhone Phund Now Up $200. Thanks Sylvia

Want to know who your friends are? Get mugged. Or go homeless. Or ask for help. That'll sort the men from the boys for sure - or the women from the girls in this case. "You are on my prayer list and I worry about you, especially when I hear things like 'mugging'. I think you need to get out of that city", Sylvia writes. And I appreciate the thought, but I'm not going anywhere any time soon. I was born here, and even when another friend writes of all the avarice and greed and shit that flies around here, that doesn't deter me at all. For all the people who think making it here is tough, or feel some hardened cynicism about the place, I would like to invite them to take all their money, their life savings, retirement and all, and start a business in Seoul, Korea - like I did.  Because, I can tell you from experience, it was a whole lot scarier than anything I've seen here so far. People thinking that making it in New York is such a big deal, don't know anything about doing business in the largest market in the world. Asia. And I pulled that off - against all odds. And funny, what killed that business was America's stumbling foreign policy, and a president who embodied what rhymes with stumbling but begins with a 'B' (see right sidebar top intro). Thank you Sylvia. Thanks for having confidence and trust in me. And thank you for being you.

iPhone Phund Now Up $50. Thank you Freya

And yes, that's a long way from $500 (the cost of a used 4g) but then again, it's 10%, so no complaints.

But I need to be a bit more strong on my efforts to make this phone effort happen and so that's the gist of this post. Remember, the longer I don't have a phone, the longer I can't look for work and hence, the longer I stay jobless and ergo, homeless. And yes, the longer I bother you and don't write about solving real problems.

We are now $450 away from a real goal (see thermometer on left). And that's a goal we can reach in a week - with help. Please do.

Recently Meghan Barr, a writer with the Associated Press, called me for an interview last month based on the writing I had done regarding Occupy people living in churches - but when the story finally published, she felt more compelled to call me an "unemployed former advertising executive" than a writer and Occupier. This is the sort of thing homeless and not-employed-at-a-company people have to deal with every day. Help me do better. I need a phone to beat this. And the last thing I need is the Associated Press keeping me down.

And You thought I Was Kidding? No, Occupations Need Donations to Exist

Last year, I put a post up to solicit funds to travel and see a rock concert. I received $800. This week I put up a post to solicit funds and equipment  for job hunting and Occupation existence. So far, I've received nothing. Thank you. Or no thank you. For all of the lively comments I receive on this blog, it's amazing to see what happens when people are actually asked to act on their convictions. "Oh, involved? No, I just make comments on blogs and forums - and I Tweet", speak the conventional wisdoms "And I like, stuff on Facebook", they say. And if I get another Farmville or Mafia Wars invite, I'm gonna spit.

And this goes on inside of Occupy Wall Street (OWS) as well. For all the paper activism and armchair quarterbacking I witness at OWS meetings, it's amazing to see who doesn't show up when it's time for the rubber to meet the road at rallies and demonstrations. Occupiers - name the three most vocal and most disruptive people at OWS meetings...tick tock, tick tock...that took a 1/2 a second. Now, tell me if you saw them at Saturday's D17 reoccupation exercise in Duarte Square. "Nope", me neither.

And that tends to happen here as well. All sorts of people want to tell me what a lovely public service I'm providing, but when it comes to them joining in and helping, silence seems to be their loudest cry. "We'll support, so long as it doesn't cost us anything". The road to nowhere is indeed paved with excellent intensions.

So to restate: To continue Occupying and continue working to change the system from within the system, I need your support. Support in the form of donated equipment and cash. Please take a look at the hit list here and see if you can contribute. Hopefully you can.

1) For the complete pitch, click here.

2) To donate a laptop computer, click here.

3) To donate an unlocked iPhone, click here.

4) To donate cash, click here.

This week is Christmas. I live in a church on W. 86th St. and there's certainly no shortage of holiday shopping going on in that neighborhood. I see the bags as I work on a display computer at the Apple store on 67th. The bags are very full. Please know that your friendly neighborhood Occupier is hard at work as well this holiday season and help insure that his week is as merry and bright as the future can hold.

#DONATE: Support Your Friendly Neighborhood #Occupier This Holiday Season!

"That's funny, he doesn't look homeless", said the folks at the TV station when they queried me about doing a story. "And he doesn't look like an Occupier either",  I thought.

Thanks to a very good old friend, I was the proud recipient of a new set of clothing this week sent all the way from Wisconsin. Shoes, a hat, shirt, gloves, sweater, pants and socks all made their way here and onto the runway at our Occupied church on the upper east side. "You clean up well", said my fellow Occupiers. "Quite the entrance", said those I had a meeting with on Tuesday night.

But the feeling one gets in putting on brand new clothing after months of wearing the exact same set is incomparable to anything I have ever known. For the first time in three months I felt like an actual human - and I didn't feel like I had been checked out of the 30th St. men's prison (shelter) to get there. So now I'm all spit shined and ready to rock. Almost.

Over the next few weeks the holidays will pass, the 2012 job market will start to come into focus and that's where I need to be. The life of an Occupier is all well and good, but it's not a full-time gig,  doesn't pay the bills and whilst it does provide me with a more than curious place to live and at least a meal a day, it's far short of a real life - and moreover, well into the stats that determine poverty levels in the US  where 1 in 6 Americans live. Many Occupiers receive Food Stamps ($200 per month) and cash assistance ($47 per month) and so do I - but some quick math will tell you that you cannot eat 1 Big Mac meal a day on that. And so that's where this post is going. I am asking for your support in terms of equipment and finances.

 Tools of the Trade 

Computer: On Monday, this week, my old HP computer died. Dead, kaput, finis. The thing is history - and it's not coming back (I am currently working at the Apple store). And so I need a new computer. I have seen simple Dell laptops go recently for $150 new at Best Buy but would prefer a Mac to execute design, film editing and portfolio work. My uses for job hunting, consulting and Occupation work are extensive and reasonably complex. If anyone has an outdated MacBook Pro, MacBook or even PowerBook G4 and is upgrading, please consider donating your old machine to me. Used Macs are also available on Ebay or at resellers starting at $200. This is very important. I don't know anyone who can get a job today without a computer. Please consider. I am working to see if I can provide tax-deductible status (through another institution) to those who donate so I may be able to provide receipts.

iPhone (unlocked): "Yeah sure. Occupiers and the homeless need an iPhone". But then again, it doesn't hurt to ask and the need for an Internet compatible phone is extremely high in the job hunting market today - and even the Occupation market. My phone, an old Motorola Razor works but the battery is dead. Cost of a new battery will be the same as some very cheap phones so that makes little sense. If there are any old iPhones out there, please think about sending one here. 3Gs are fine and it would be best if the phone is unlocked and can take a SIM card. I won't be able to get an AT&T or Verizon contract because I have no credit record or US address for the last 16 years. If anyone is in Vietnam, these phones are plentiful there and cheap. Cost of 3Gs start around $200 for an unlocked phone. Do consider please.

Along with any Internet connected phone, I also need to spend around $50 a month for Internet service and unlimited calling. Currently I buy $10 recharge cards and they charge 30 cents a minute for calls. That's insane. I am constantly upset by the way the poorest people in this country need to pay the most for all kinds of things. It's a guaranteed lock that they will stay poor and never be able to rise from poverty - and that includes me now as well.

Digital Camera: Should I be lucky enough to get an iPhone or other smartphone, my need for a digital camera will go away - but such a large part of my work requires that I be able to document things digitally and use them in blog posts and other projects. If you have an old digital camera, any make or model, please send it this way. I'd love to put it to good use and maybe even use it to catch some cops doing bad things with pepper spray. You never know what's going to happen on the front lines of an Occupation.

 Expenses 

Expenses for a month at even basic levels can be surprising. Currently lodging and some food are handled by Occupy and I am able to buy grocery food (but not hot meals) at stores, but other expenses are not.

Metrocard (1 mo)......................... $120

Phone charge (1 mo).................. $50

Misc. @ $10 per day (1 mo).....$300

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Total (per month)                  $470

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So that's the story. If you are able to donate a computer, phone or cash over the next three months it will help support an Occupier and in time, help that Occupier find full-time, meaningful work.

 How to Support 

Donations: Let's talk. You can email me here, or leave a comment in the comment box below with details (If you wish to remain anonymous, just say so and I will not print the message). One talking point for instance: I am not able to accept PayPal right now because I do not have a US bank account. $150 is needed to keep an account at no-fee and I am not there yet so I even need cash donations before I can have a bank account. But there are other ways currently to transfer and accept money. Click here for Western Union.

Will Work For Stuff: I would prefer to work for my money. If you donate any of the above items or cash, please don't forget my professional services in advertising, marketing and journalism. I am able to write and prepare plans with some design over the Internet. Please let me know your business needs and I'll be pleased to provide in-kind services for donations of equipment or cash.

I wish you all a very nice holiday and hope to be doing better in the new year.

In holiday cheer and Occupied solidarity, thank you all.

Peace,

:David