New Year's comentary

We are at the end of 2009. On the radio this morning they were doing a year in review as is often the case. In this case it's the decade in review. For me I have spent the majority of this decade living on the streets in Tucson Arizona. This is my first holiday season among "normal" people. So as I aproach the new decade, I feel it is most appropriate to be entering a new decade. I am re-inventing myself therefore it should be accompanied with a change in how the rest of the world refers to things.

During this period, there have been many changes particularly of a technological nature. I am reminded of the story of "Rip Van Winkle" who fell asleep to wake up and things had changed. Well, that describes much of my situation. I was awake for the last 12 years, but I didn't have access to many luxury items and was unaware of how our world has changed by their proliferation. My sister gave me a G.P.S. navigational system for Christmas. This is an example of new technology that has an effect on one's daily life. Recently I used a GPS device to find my other sister's house in the nearby town of Leesburg. The GPS told me to take the shortest route which included a couple of toll booths. Unfortunately I was without money and I had to essentially run the gate twice that evening. I ended up in a frustrating situation due to my dependence on technology. I later learned that you can program the navigation parameters to avoid toll roads but at the time I didn't know that. I heard on the radio that a vacationing couple in Colorado was told by their GPS to take an unsafe route due to weather conditions and ended up being stranded in the snow. They we're later rescued by someone responding to their cell-phone signal. Technology was the cause as well as the solution to the problem. Many things have changed the most profound being the way we process information. I saw a documentary on "Google" that said that we have access to an unprecedented amount of information at our fingertips. I notice that in my own life I use digital media every day for a wide variety of activities.

I think I have adjusted fairly well to the digital age. I have had to do it all in the last year, but I have gotten used to doing many daily tasks in ways that would not have existed just 10 years ago.

This column is devoted to my job search which includes many web based applications and data-bases. It has completely changed the way in which we sell ourselves to other productivity minded people to pool our resources.

Many people dislike technology and claim that we have lost our soul. My thinking is that the game is changed and we must avail ourselves of these new tools to create our humane environment.

Have a Happy New year,

N. Douglas Calhoun

The purpose of this site is to introduce myself to interested parties and to share my rehabilitation to anyone interested in the plight of the homeless in our society. Throughout my life I have always felt that there is some important purpose to life and I felt driven to make something of myself. I have always had goals. About thirteen years ago, I was a graduate student in East Asian Chinese studies at the University of Arizona in Tucson, a veteran of the armed forces, eagle scout and model law abiding citizen. I was driven to go somewhere but I really didn't know where. While I firmly believed that it was important to 'make it' in life, I'm not exactly sure what that means. I have a pretty good idea however, that the way I was living my last 12 years was not it. By any standards in this world, the life of a street heroin addict is not the american dream, in fact it is almost universally agreed upon that it is about as low as a human can sink. The funny thing was that at the time, I didn't really find it that unpleasant. As I look back on the experience from my current situation, only then do I recoil at the memory of my daily struggle. I can't believe I went through it. I think few people from my background have experienced that side of society and are in a position to tell about it.

That is exactly what I intend to do. You may ask yourself, "what is it I want to accomplish by telling this story". To be frank, I am still trying to make it in this world. By telling my story, I hope to attract attention to my goals. Martin Luther King once said; "Judge me not by my position in life, but from the depths from which I have risen."

Do you sympathize with my plight? Are you eager to see people rise above their circumstances in life? If so, maybe you can help me. How can you help me? Follow my story. Talk to your friends about my story. Send me words of encouragement and point me in the right direction if you feel inspired to do so. I welcome all advice and recomendations. Maybe you know someone who has struggled with homelessness or substance abuse. In many respects, my story is their story, any success I may achieve can be their success. Help me prove that it can be done. It is possible to bounce back from a stint among society's most miserable. Right now, my biggest challenge is employment. I am not the only one with our economy being what it is right now. I make no excuses. I am determined to succeed.

The Taoist philosophy claims that weaknesses can be strengths. In that spirit I hope to take what many would consider a failure and convert it into a strength. Could I be so presumptuous as to suggest that my years living on the streets and surviving the daily struggle of a street drug addict gives me unique survival skills that I hope to adapt to a mainstream productive lifestyle. Will I be successfull? Only time will tell. In the mean time, keep following this post.

Thank you, we will talk more later.

Doug Calhoun

大家好，我的名字叫N. Douglas Calhoun, 住在美国华盛顿市。这片文章的目标就是介绍给大家。用汉语写干吗？就是因为现在不要人家看懂了。不一定。我这方面不清楚。也许让大家看懂，可是还没决定。想一想，试试看把。为什么呢，就是因为内容有些铭感。最重要目标是为了找工作，所以要小心一点。下一次写的比较多。号码？ 那再见

卡达格

Hello, This site will be focused on many subjects. Global affairs, Carreers, Personal Transformation, China=U.S. relations and Comparison, and U.S. Politics and Current events. But mainly, it will focus on me. Why do I say this? It's not just because I am self-centered, but because I, like many have a unique story to tell. I think it needs to be told. Of course I'm humble enough to recognize that I could be wrong. But if you've read this far, keep reading. One year ago I lived behind a dumpster in Tucson Arizona. I lived there and various vacant lots throughout the city for 12 years. I have moved recently to Washington D.C. I am currently trying to get a job and move up in the world. Is this possible? Our presidents ancestors came to this country in chains and now his kids play on the White House lawn. Is it possible to go from living on the streets to gaining a successful job and achieving the American dream? We will see. You can chart my progress here. If you are an employer, I will introduce myself to you. You see, I think you need me. I think I have seen a side of America that needs to be understood. I will take you from the deserts of Tucson to my rehabilitation here in Washington, and hopefully you can watch my progress as I assimilate to a fully functional life as a contributing member of society. I will give you all the details. Please join me in my journey. All I'm asking is your moral support. Spread the word. Help me in my quest. Help me prove that it can be done in America.