Sunday, April 29, 2007

OKlahoma City Memorial Marathon

Well this is the update on the Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon!I did ride the bike 22 miles along the route.As you can see, I did take photos and video.These people were well paced,and even though I was on the bike theywere hard to keep up with and ahead of to get the video and the pics.As I write this update ,my muscles are cramping and torn...ooowww!I didn't go back downtown as I had business to attend to, but the ride and the energy from the people was just the thing I needed.I will run next year and maybe before then.Congrats to everyone who participated in any capacity.It was FUN!There were other bikers along the way and photographers.







Well ,people ,tomorrow(TODAY) is the annual Run commerating the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City.The run is 26.2 miles and I don't think I will be running it this year.Wish they had a biking event ....But I'll probably be riding the course to get the feel for next year or the next available run.There are a few , I think ,through the year.click here for the official web site and results













Thursday, April 26, 2007

Oklahoma City Arts Festival Time!!




Oh Boy !The smells ,the sounds ,the sights...the senses come alive and one is invigorated by Spring and the creativity and renewal that one is stimulated with at the Oklahoma City Arts Festival.There is live music,performances by various acts,displays of art and other activities..including beer drinking and food eating.Vendors Galore.This is an all Day Affair...so come on down.Look in the Oklahoman for a list of acts and time performances daily.There are several stages for your enjoyment with a variety of genres and styles to suit your tastes.So ,mingle and get your tummy full..it only happens once a year and the experience is just to great to miss! Admission is FREE!
FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS (link)
Hurry ,the festival only runs 4-24/4-29
tues-sat11:00-9:00
sun-11:00 -6:00
WARNING;NO PETS


Tuesday, April 24, 2007

This is what I published last year..(Feb.)06

Here is A Pic of John and Donna(FRIENDS ,AND AT TIMES COWORKERS)DONE WITH NEON EFFECT(NEAT)


No Dogs, no smoking ,and no backpacks!?by Ted Leon

Has anybody noticed how the homeless are highly discriminated against in the downtown area of Oklahoma city? And we aren’t talking about the average derelict that hasn’t showered in who knows how many moons and smells profusely like mouthwash heaven with a little tinge of piss and vomit. And don’t we all wish just a little sometimes that “those” people would just move down the block downwind and from hearing distance. There are some reasons that the “civilians are justified in their discomfort.
The new homeless are the families with kids, the out of work man or woman. Those who lived from paycheck to paycheck and got hit by some misfortune and are now at the mission or staying with families, just trying to get a hand up on the situation. Most people don't see this discrimination because it is done on the sly so that the average “citizen” won’t take notice. Some homeless just think that is the way things are run. These policies are done under the guise of safety ,comfort and convenience." Security” they cry. Under the guise of “Homeland Security” or some other smoke screen. One example of discrimination is the policy of “Mc Donald's’” at Western. On there bulletin board on the wall next to the cash registers is an 8x10
Paper that states that for the safety and comfort of their guests all backpacks and large bags must be left in the foyer. These precautions are for security reasons. All guests who choose to leave these items are reassured that a security guard will watch them.
First of all ,the foyer is not more than a few feet from the door .If there is a bomb that goes off in the glass foyer it will be a mess.
Secondly, the comfort of the guests will not be effected by a backpack. Homeless people are not the only ones who use them. Believe it or not, other “classes “ of folks use them. They are quite the rage in the States ! The management must believe that any one with a pack must be homeless and not some poor fool going to work on foot who stopped by for a bite. What a great inconvenience it is for the working poor or anybody for that matter ,having to worry if somebody will steal their pack in the foyer….see ,the security guard is not there in the foyer “watching” your stuff. Now, nobody is aware of this policy except the man with the pack ,
because he will be the only one asked by the security to put the pack in the foyer or leave. People in cars don’t have to bring their packs in ,unless they have something in it they want to work on, and they won’t be asked to conform to policy.
By the way ,the notice on the bulletin board is inconspicuous.
People get the feeling they are not welcome.




Drugs /source unknown

Despite numerous declarations of a "war on drugs" over the past three decades, Americans continue to produce, use and sell illegal narcotics. Illegal drugs are both a symptom and a cause of some of American society's most intractable problems, including high crime rates, homelessness and the breakup of traditional two-parent families. To explore America's drug policies and drug culture is to examine the criminal-justice system, the health-care system, wealth and poverty in America, and even racism.
Beginning in the mid-1980s, the federal government and many states enacted mandatory prison sentences for people convicted of even minor drug offenses, and major sentences were set for drug dealers and traffickers. Thousands of drug lords and drug users alike have been prosecuted -- contributing to an explosive growth of the U.S. prison population. But because demand for drugs and the financial reward for selling them has remained strong, there have always been new traffickers ready to step in when others wind up behind bars!




Fatal fall from parking garage is second incident last month(The Oklahoman) Contributing: Staff Writers Chad Previch and Joe Wertz 1/26/06 Oklahoma City police are investigating the death of a man who apparently jumped from a downtown parking garage — the second person to do so this month. About 9 a.m., the victim, whose name has not been released pending notification of relatives, plunged from the seventh level of the nine-story garage at 1 N Walker, police Capt. Jeffrey Becker said. “There were quite a few witnesses,” Becker said. “This happened right in front of the (Greyhound) bus station.” The victim is described as a white man in his 60s who may have been a transient in the area, Becker said. There was no immediate indication of foul play, Becker said, and the death is considered an “apparent suicide.” Jan. 11, an Oklahoma attorney jumped from the same garage, a police report states. Witnesses told police they saw the man fall to his death. He was identified as Mark Lowery, 52. Prior to that, the last suicide committed at the garage was on Dec. 10, 2003, police records show Fatal fall from parking garage is second incident this month Contributing: Staff Writers Chad Previch and Joe Wertz Oklahoma City police are investigating the eath of a man who apparently jumped from a downtown parking garage — the second person to do so this month. About 9 a.m., the victim, whose name has not been released pending notification of relatives, plunged from the seventh level of the nine-story garage at 1 N Walker, police Capt. Jeffrey Becker said. “There were quite a few witnesses,” Becker said. “This happened right in front of the (Greyhound) bus station.” The victim is described as a white man in his 60s who may have been a transient in the area, Becker said. There was no immediate indication of foul play, Becker said, and the death is considered an “apparent suicide.” Jan. 11, an Oklahoma attorney jumped from the same garage, a police report states. Witnesses told police they saw the man fall to his death. He was identified as Mark Lowery, 52. Prior to that, the last suicide committed at the garage was on Dec. 10, 2003, police records show Fatal fall from parking garage is second incident this month Contributing: Staff Writers Chad Previch and Joe Wertz Oklahoma City police are investigating the death of a man who apparently jumped from a downtown parking garage — the second person to do so this month. About 9 a.m., the victim, whose name has not been released pending notification of relatives, plunged from the seventh level of the nine-story garage at 1 N Walker, police Capt. Jeffrey Becker said. “There were quite a few witnesses,” Becker said. “This happened right in front of the (Greyhound) bus station.” The victim is described as a white man in his 60s who may have been a transient in the area, Becker said. There was no immediate indication of foul play, Becker said, and the death is considered an “apparent suicide.” Jan. 11, an Oklahoma attorney jumped from the same garage, a police report states. Witnesses told police they saw the man fall to his death. He was identified as Mark Lowery, 52. Prior to that, the last suicide committed at the garage was on Dec. 10, 2003, police records show.



(There was alot of depression, when I 1st arrived at the mission ,amongst the peoples that I met in the beginning, probably brought on by repressed anger that was usually justified and brought on by these persons own actions.Most knew how they got there and why. How do I know ? I asked them! One guy named Dave( a master carpenter)gambled his way to poverty and destitution.This guy didn't drink or do drugs ,but he made up for it w/ his gambling.I asked him what the emotion was that drove him to keep doing the insanity of gambling what he no longer had...ego,false pride ,arrogance..the feeling that the big score was next...the addiction to the way he felt,even though he was losing ...just like a drug reaction(allergic).



Others are serious boozers,pill heads,crack heads,meth heads,paint heads...etc...compounded by their stupidty or what other handicaps they claim.



My best friends turned into these peoples and as easy as it would be for me to turn away and go elsewhere ..I can't!Repeat!All my friends...whereever I go...this is happening.Can't turn away.Iknow what I can do! Not turn away!Not further stigmatize them by playing the me and you game.This is why I came to the CRM,to be amongst the" sick".That is how I embedded my self into these peoples lives ,to entrust myself to them, by example.And I don't sugar coat!There are alot of people caught in the grip of their diseases who really don't care for me (I don't preach)as they are aware of my stance and are threatened by it though they are not under any threat or duress,except to become human again,and that what scares them the most!)4-24 ted leon






The 1st article I wrote last year and it showed that my attitude was a little more angry and unfocused towards both groups( homeless and homemore ) and I published a rag called the CRM TRASH that I distributed to the mission people who,most, got a kick out of it and also a little angry too...but that's what most of them did, got angry and did nothing...I guess I'm still a little mad! There were a lot of other articles thatI wrote that did not get saved because of some reason or another...but they were great, take my word!These I just happened to send to my email as an attachment...I wish the original format could be displayed here but the link I had set up w/ 4shared.com did not display or read as intended. 4-24 ted leon



Homelessness/unknown source




Increasing numbers of people living on the streets in small as well as large cities across the U.S. prompted growing concern in the 1980s and 1990s. Surveys by the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) reported annual increases in demand for emergency shelter from the mid-1980s on. In 2001, the USCM reported, emergency shelter requests rose an average of 13% in the cities surveyed.
Precise estimates of the number of homeless people in the U.S. were difficult to obtain. As part of the 1990 census, the U.S. Census Bureau attempted to count the number of homeless individuals living in the U.S. Counters for the bureau found 178,828 people in shelters and 49,793 living on the streets. Advocates for the homeless claimed that the true figure was much higher, however, possibly as high as three million. In 1999, the National Coalition for the Homeless estimated that on any given night, about 700,000 people are homeless, either sleeping on the streets or in shelters.




One reason often cited for the rise in America's homeless population was the growing trend toward deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill. As a consequence, many former mental patients found themselves released from mental hospitals or institutions without any viable alternative but to live on the streets or in homeless shelters. It is estimated that one-quarter to one-third of homeless people are severely mentally ill.



(in my opinion,1/3-1/4 is a very liberal number, as I would say that the mentally ill ratio is a lot higher,as close as 1/2 - 3/4,as a result of drug induced mental illnesses ,in addition to the "regular" mentally ill.)
Again, this where I say how bad this crack,meth,and pharmaceutical drug epidemic is effecting/affecting our already disfunctional world and the people that live in it and the ones we interact with and care for and hate for and hate and love...ted leon 4-24







children like this are our concern and our hope!To beautiful and to much potential to turn our backs on them.


Please Bless and pray!All Gods' creatures.Pray for our beauty,not Doom!

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Boy!last weeks workout!

This 1st pic is of the new Apartment complex going up in downtown OKC( 5th or6th & Walker)









This Pic is on the campus of
Oklahoma City University

Well let me tell you mister ...it was a good week for me in the excercise department, as I had plenty of stamina and focus to ride out to Lake Hefner 3x this week from downtown(to ride and sunbathe), then down to norman for smoothies ,lattes ,yogurt and CD burning at Oklahoma Universitys' Bizzell Library.Then lunch at Food for Friends over near the Norman Jail.(good old fashioned spaghetti with marbled ice cream and cookies for dessert.Then later over to Oklahoma City University to check my email and the sites I am not able to access at the other Oklahoma City areas that offer free computer usage,.. and then of course to my friends houses for catch up.Wait a minute ,I also went over to Capitol Hill Elementary to use the Oklahoma City Community college technology center located within.They have Cd/DvD editing program for video and audio.If you happen to see me around town riding honk the horn in a friendly manner and I probably won't shoot you the finger(lol).

PS Can you average the miles I rode this last week(excluding the bus ride to norman),I'm not sure ...I 'll tell you later!

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Do I spend all day at the CRM?



Contrary to what one may think(even the homeless),I do not hang out all day at the "Mission"(some people do actually spend all day, for years on end).It is really not my cup of tea for the day.All I basically use the place is for sleeping in at night and taking a shower and meeting the people.they all get there after 7 pm, anyway.I rarely ever eat there.I could save a lot of money eating there but I would also gain alot of weight as the food is laden with empty calories and carbs.I am at this time on a high protein diet to maintain my girlish figure and it is well worth it to me to spend a couple of bucks for some quality protein(hahaha).Mcdonalds is the cheapest route for the amount of protein you get.2 double cheese burgers and that is your daily requirement for the protein .for two dollars...can't beat that!(50 grams).So I get a couple of doubles and a grilled chicken snap wrap.

$3.57!

I leave the place about 5:30 am (3:30 if working)and usually don't return till curfew ,which is 7:00 PM.Your not in by 7:00 your not sleeping there for the night!That is unless you are a fresh arrival or you just got out of the hospital.I have a business(not a conventional type) that I must attend to and like any diligent person would do must be constantly on the move .With my bike I am able to travel more than 25-30 miles a day.I excercise with intent and that means always being to my max.I take supplements(Vitamin B-12,amino acids,bee pollen...etc)and always push my self to the max.To bad people judge me by my living situation, as this is the smallest part of my life.I'm not broke (surely not rich)or destitute.I'm not dirty.I'm really clean ...all my clothes are new.Got all my teeth.I'm really healthy!mentally ,emotionally,physically...spiritually!Like I have tried to impress on my good readers is that I've a purpose that would seem strange and fruitless and unfocused(pipedream) if you do not know me or the history of my life.This is what this blog is for...thru my eyes.My purpose is to be amongst those that have no voice,to be among those who are sick,in pain..who need peace in their affliction.These I seek out.Or should I say, Find me.

that is what I do all day....provide the medicine necessary for these peoples to exist with some repreive from the perpetual suffering...then teach them how to live and accept their condition...then how to change it if they don't lke their present situation!Narrow minded be aware that medicine comes in many different forms and there is a burden involved that most people can not or will not take upon themselves.So don't judge me before you know the whole story...when you get to know me ...you will be proud to know me (as my friends do) and the beauty that I am.

my purpose takes me to many different places and to many different people with very many different needs.Have you crossed my path today and gotten what you needed from me without even knowing it?

Blessings!
P.S. hope it's all good!

Friday, April 13, 2007

hated to see Roy Adams demise..

Roy Adams was an employee of the city rescue mission in the capacity of supervisor.(Nights,weekends,holidays).He was a hard ass ,but a fair one, who did his job as efficiently as the times allowed.What was his downfall?Allegedly he was dismissed from his position for illegal drug usage while on duty.I have this from a pretty reliable source.Evidence was found that he had been smoking crack in one of the empty rooms and he was possibly caught red handed. Man, I don't know what possesses a man to consume that shit w/ all the info we have and the obvious reactions and consequences that this shit does to people.educated people.people w/ a little experience under their belt...people my age being dumb asses and screwing up the rest of their lives with this shit(sorry ) because the usage of this crap usually means no return to normalcy.This is not a benign recreational drug.Come on ,whats up with this epidemic?they might as well be dead ...but I believe in the magick of love and persistence and how this creator still allows a glimpse of the miracles that could be achieved if we all would accept our own humanity and stop trying to run from it or pervert it or adulterate it with ideas we receive from deceptions.Okay, I must admit I am tempted , as we all are at times , by the shiny gems of life but I recognize the lie and remember the false promises that could never be kept. And I keep on going ...laughing, that the deceiver ,after all this time,still attempts his manuevers and how funny it is the way the human mind works(or another temptation?)by how easily we forget hard earned lessons and pains!Don't kill yourselves that way please..I am getting lonely on this planet with my friends all going.....

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Now look at this!(Bike)

Well,it looks like I made it down to Norman safe and SOUND !
I made it over to the Family Life Center and met w/ Becky and what a joy
she was to behold...polite ...and the prettiest thing you ever did see !Now the Center was really nice with it's decor that was comforting and homey.Many thanks to the people that all had a hand in this to provide such a nice gift!Many Blessings to you all and may peace be with You and Yours.
To reach Becky at the family Life center call405-360-5300 and ask for the bikes and Bibles program.Tell her I sent you.















Here is the Taco bell at about

6:00 am,I was trying to capture

the majesty of the sky w/its'


purples and pinks and blues,but
the wind was not cooperating,maybe next time!

Friday, April 6, 2007

Riding my "new" bike.....



Look at these beautiful pictures and imagine me cruising through on my bike...of course you cannot ride bikes thru the Myriad Gardens...but...there is a program down in Norman that is called Bibles for Bikes or something to that effect,that provides a bike for someone who is trying to get a head.There is a criteria that must be met but call Becky at the Family Life Center for more info @ 360-5300.This service is provided by the First Baptist Church of Norman.It's that time of year to get those bikes out and give them a good cleaning and then a lube job.Tighten those things that came loose and then watch out for those Car Drivers that are not looking for you or ........maybe they are!When I called,Becky asked me for my name as it is spelled on my ID,and she said that they do a background check to make sure that you are safe enough to walk through their building.I called back later and asked her point blank if this was away for the city of Norman to catch people w/ warrants and her reply was"why,you have a warrant?"No ,but I might have some fines that I did not pay off .She assured me if that was the case she would tell me.she had already looked me up and she said I was fine ,comeon down.I gave this URL to her to take a closer look at who I am ,thanked her and told her I 'd be seeing her on tuesday.If you don't hear from me..

Thursday, April 5, 2007

This CHURCH's is the friendliest...

I was here 4-4-07 and the people that work here..
I wish" other" places would cater to the customer
just like the good old days as these folks do...a smile(LOL),hello,
thank you,oh my ,how I get all dizzy from what used
be common decency.Now it is like a luxury unless...
I hope it does not end..the owners were in and it
looked like they were discussing
plans with a remodeler...don't change the people!
they might be "new" (the owners) and I hope they
don't decide to make some changes that are
detrimental
to the decency of the place.


700 NW 23rd






















One of these is color and one sepia!
I like it!!(Myriad gardens)







This photo is of the Cafe Do Brasil
on walker near downtown.I liked
the way the bricks
and shadows...

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Bad seed,Bad Human,Bad Adam




This here folks is big O Bad Ass Adam W Tate.He likes to HIT!See,I've always encountered bullies in my travels and he is your typical bully.Big-6'0",200 lbs,ugly!!!Thing is with bullies is that they like to hit on things smaller themselves.dogs,cats, 5'4"people like me,and especially defenseless children.Adam Tates DOC Oklahoma record(click)Sunday morning he tells me to come here while he was sitting on a bench.I go.He tells me to sit.I say no,just tell me what you want .He says sit down !I say F***k you ,you don't run things like you think you do and you don't run me.He gets mad and says he 's going to kick my ass.I say OK, but let me do a couple of things and then I'll see you outside.I do my thing and come back to the pavilion area.See ,you cannot fight in or around the mission w/out being subject to "vacations".But I know this guy is a bully and he's hurt other people, people who cannot defend themselves. I can. I will. But this idiot tries to get my goat by slapping me right out of the blue, in the mission And the security volunteers just stood there and turned away.But con Adam wouldn't accompany me to property away from the mission , in the dark,w/no witnesses...because he's a bully.He did 5 years for beating or injury to a child.That must have been severe!I am an instrument of fate(not my will),your fate!Happy times Adam!

Update from 9/5/07 Adams death /click here

Psycho stalker security guard

This guy in the pics and video works for a company downtown
that patrols the area .Every other SG's
that I have encountered that works for this company has been polite and civil except this guy .He goes out of his way
to make sure that you know that you are being watched ,like following behind me for three blocks
in his truck,five feet behind me ..He has done it plenty of times before and always has a few choice words to throw in
...like "scum""homeless vet scum""get your homeless vet asses to the VA and get your dope and get off my streets""I'm keeping America safe from scum like you..." just to name a few that stickout in my head.I finally had enough and remembered that I had a video camera...and from what you can hear from me is that I'm fed up and pissed and that is the goal of this weirdo..to harass who he considers undesirables....make them cry ...lose their heads...make his sorry excuse for a person feel better by belittling people.I wonder how many people he has mistaken for homeless and treated them to the same....hospitality!I 've written his company( who at this time remain nameless).
















Monday, April 2, 2007

The death of Milton in Crack Haven.

Milton was the long time clerk at the store on Main Street downtown that many referred to as the" Greek store".He lived on the 800 block of W California, across the street from the CRM video of emergency personnel arriving What I hear ,is that he had been dead all weekend and only on Monday, was it noticed that something, was amiss.The building is a notorious crack house and the gangs had run anyone out who was not buying their crack. I am sure the party on the weekend was too lucrative to be interrupted and hassled by the proper authorities being there.Wait till Monday.
He was the one that would take your money for your purchases at the Greek store(cashier), and I am not going to lie and say he did it with a smile , for he rarely smiled, but he was a decent fellow. Hate to think of him in his last moments wondering if maybe he could have survived if someone hadn't been so busy smoking crack and phoned the EMSA earlier. He was tired. rest with God,Milton.