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People ask me all the time: What can I do?
How can I help the country get out from this horrible curse it has drawn on itself?
Because paying attention to a disaster doesn't slow its advent nor lessen its impact.
Voting is key — obviously. But a little late for 2024, and a little early for 2026. If there is an election, that is, and if you don't think Donald Trump will try to thwart it, remember: he did it before.
So what can you do? Small things. Which isn't the right term, because they're not small to the people they benefit. Small acts coalesce into big ones. Remember, it appear as if the government is being dismantled randomly. But the bulk of destruction is against agencies that help the needy — young kids. New Mothers, Addicts. The poor. The disabled. People needing a leg up. We are literally kicking Americans when they are down.
Those people all still could use a hand.
At the end of February, I took you to Mac's Kitchen, to meet some of the folks integrating back into society by serving really good hot dogs, hamburgers and sandwiches. You met Kenneth Taylor, an addict who spent years in prison, who got out, only to end up as near dead as a person can be and still revive. Who finally decided to turn his life around and is doing just that.
Taylor shared his story with me, itself an act of courage. He was honest and real and made the difference between an ordinary column about a hot dog stand and a noteworthy column about a man who crawled out of hell and rejoined the living world.
I was there for a few hours, and when I left, I gave my email to Taylor, and told him if he ever needed a friend in the media, he should feel free to reach out.
Most people never follow up on an offer like that. But Kenneth did. The James Beard Foundation, which helps people like Kenneth form careers in the food industry, is doing its fundraiser, a popularity contest among chefs. The winner gets $25,000, which would put Taylor well on his way to starting that hot dog stand of his own he's been dreaming about.
He's in second place right now. Tantalizingly close. You can vote for Kenneth for free, or kick in $10 and vote 10 times, or $25 and vote 25 times — that's what I did; it's easy and painless. (Before you give anything, consider this: although I did due diligence beforehand to determine that the contest is not a scam, some readers feel that the contest is still sketchy because most of the money goes to organizers, not an uncommon occurrence when it comes to charities — here is background regarding that).
Because paying attention to a disaster doesn't slow its advent nor lessen its impact.
Voting is key — obviously. But a little late for 2024, and a little early for 2026. If there is an election, that is, and if you don't think Donald Trump will try to thwart it, remember: he did it before.
So what can you do? Small things. Which isn't the right term, because they're not small to the people they benefit. Small acts coalesce into big ones. Remember, it appear as if the government is being dismantled randomly. But the bulk of destruction is against agencies that help the needy — young kids. New Mothers, Addicts. The poor. The disabled. People needing a leg up. We are literally kicking Americans when they are down.
Those people all still could use a hand.
At the end of February, I took you to Mac's Kitchen, to meet some of the folks integrating back into society by serving really good hot dogs, hamburgers and sandwiches. You met Kenneth Taylor, an addict who spent years in prison, who got out, only to end up as near dead as a person can be and still revive. Who finally decided to turn his life around and is doing just that.
Taylor shared his story with me, itself an act of courage. He was honest and real and made the difference between an ordinary column about a hot dog stand and a noteworthy column about a man who crawled out of hell and rejoined the living world.
I was there for a few hours, and when I left, I gave my email to Taylor, and told him if he ever needed a friend in the media, he should feel free to reach out.
Most people never follow up on an offer like that. But Kenneth did. The James Beard Foundation, which helps people like Kenneth form careers in the food industry, is doing its fundraiser, a popularity contest among chefs. The winner gets $25,000, which would put Taylor well on his way to starting that hot dog stand of his own he's been dreaming about.
He's in second place right now. Tantalizingly close. You can vote for Kenneth for free, or kick in $10 and vote 10 times, or $25 and vote 25 times — that's what I did; it's easy and painless. (Before you give anything, consider this: although I did due diligence beforehand to determine that the contest is not a scam, some readers feel that the contest is still sketchy because most of the money goes to organizers, not an uncommon occurrence when it comes to charities — here is background regarding that).
Join me by clicking here — sooner than later, as I'm tardy getting this up. This stage of the contest ends at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 10. Please consider hopping over and doing it.
Voting is a win, win, win. The first win, if you give a little money, it helps the James Beard Foundation do its good work. The second win is the votes help Kenneth Taylor rebuild his life and pursue his dream.
And the third win is for you. You want to do something to help our fracturing nation, and now you have, for today. Tomorrow you'll find another good thing to do, another small step back to becoming the country we imagine ourselves to be. And if nothing presents itself tomorrow, and you do nothing but refuse to give up on the United States of America, that's doing something too, and not something small either. Something big. Something essential. As I used to tell my boys, you can't quit your way to the top.
Thank you for the heads-up, Mr. S.
ReplyDeleteVote early and often. I just did. Easy-peasy.
Done.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Ken! Done.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. Anything little thing we can do to make the world a little kinder is important, especially now.
ReplyDeleteGoing to the link now. Go, Kenneth!
ReplyDeleteAh, unfortunate -- it wanted me to log into Facebook to vote, but I don't have an account there.
ReplyDeleteSame here. Login to facebook to prove I’m human.
DeleteBummer. Same here.
DeleteDid not have to log in. Took me right there--and that seemed to satisfy them.
DeleteDone and I'll check back later in the day, too. Thanks also for the reminder that small steps can make a big difference.
ReplyDeleteDone. Thank you for this opportunity.
ReplyDeleteYes small things do make a difference but we're up against people who are how do they say it breaking things and I mean big things
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nudge to do something positive today. I hope Kenneth wins.
ReplyDeleteDone!
ReplyDelete$25 in. 25 votes cast. Seems he’s in first right now. Perhaps your post and our donations will put him over the top.
ReplyDeleteFrom an Arkansas supporter, 10 votes for Ken
ReplyDeleteDone and he's in first place as of 10:11 am
ReplyDeleteDone.Thanks. Maybe lunch?
ReplyDeleteWould love to vote for him. But not allowed. Not a Facebook enrollee.
ReplyDeletePeople, I have just walked through the whole voting/payment process and did not receive any prompt to log in to Facebook as a requirement. (There are Facebook icons on the page, but you are not required to click on them.)
ReplyDeleteNeil's link ("by clicking here") takes you to favchef.com. Scroll down the page to find the vote/donation buttons. Click on the one you choose (e.g. "DONATE $25") and that will open up a payment screen for your funding source. Fill that out and you're done.
On the topic of Facebook (which, again, does not seem to be needed for today's topic), you can open a bare-bones Facebook account without having to reveal yourself to the world (at least, no more than what the Intertubes are already able to derive about you). That enables you to do things like look for long-lost acquaintances, read conversations (lurking is fine) or participate in something worthwhile if Facebook is the only link to the item of interest.
I noticed that, even in my throwaway Facebook account, it guessed successfully about people I might know, as well as unsuccessfully about people I did not. I'm not sure which is more disturbing.
I resisted the charms of Mother Zucker for fifteen years, before reluctantly joining up four years ago. I didn't do it to search for high school and college classmates or long-lost acquaintances, or to participate in something socially or politically worthwhile if Facebook is the only method to do so.
DeleteNo, I joined only because I was booted from Nextdoor, and still needed a way to find contractors and tradespeople to work on my house. The booting turned into a three-year ban, during which time I became as addicted to Facebook as a smoker is to his cigarettes... 27 groups at the moment.
I simply added my name to my wife's long-abandoned account, making it a joint account. That way, if banned, I can rejoin under my own name. This move has enraged multitudes of strangers, who unfailingly ask me who the cheater was. Still don't understand why they care so much. Or why it touches a nerve. They piss me off.
Also get hundreds of "People You May Know" links daily, none of whom I know, and all of which I despise. Many appear to be scammers and sex workers. Seems to be no way to block this annoying feature. Unless I know somebody in Real Life, I deny all friend requests. Anyone with 'friends' or 'followers' in the thousands is sketchy to me. That's not what I'm about.
Done. Doggone good post.
ReplyDeleteApparently, you can only vote if you log via Facebook and agree to share your information. I ain’t gonna do that. I would love to vote for Ken, but not this way.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately this is pretty scammy. Most of the money, by far, goes to the company running the "contest." Sources. https://youtu.be/hdJvGoqfDXo?feature=shared https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/dining/2021/02/24/favorite-chef-competition-scam-controversy/4546938001/?fbclid=IwAR3k_2LnfZWPj71ui3LfrMjTLtFmVC82QVCuTee8ME7EjhNPfB12OK6QlKo
ReplyDeleteThis lady, whose name is Samantha, also thinks it's a scam, and doesn't recommend any participation. She said that those running the contest will keep 75% of the proceeds. The heads-up is a day late and a dollar short.
DeleteIt's like there's a big pile of fish on the dock, as you pull up to it in your boat. But you have no idea whether it was just unloaded from a fishing boat...or whether it has been sitting there and stinking for three days. From your rapidly diminishing distance, it's just a big pile of fish. And since we've already voted, the warning comes too late.
https://www.infoquu.com/is-favorite-chef-contest-a-scam-what-you-should-know/#google_vignette
Samantha thinking it's a scam doesn't make it so. Let's say Kenneth wasn't a cook at Mac's Deli, but a member of a church raising money for work in Africa. You can say religion is a lie and the church a fraud. Or help him. Lot's of charities have high overheads. I know people who think the Red Cross is a scam.
DeleteDid not read her "it's a scam" page until after voting. Was one of the first to try to help Ken. No regrets. Hope he advances to the final round. And wins it. He deserves to win.
DeleteDone. Thank you for promoting this man’s dream.
ReplyDeleteas a life long chicago democrat (50+ years of voting), i just cast 25 votes for Ken, and the site says he's in 1st place for now. VOTE EARLY, VOTE OFTEN!! become a true chicagoan!
ReplyDeleteKEN WINS!
ReplyDeleteAdvances to second round (15 contestants)
Lasts until next Thursday evening, April 17