.

Homeless woman. She brightened up a bit because 1) Someone had just given her this box of cakes 2) I had given her some money.

Just like in Japan, the homeless in South Korea don't panhandle.

Here, one is often confronted with the incongruous sights of old people pushing or pulling carts, loaded with recyclable cardboard. Similarly destitute individuals exist in Hong Kong, hence the term, “cardboard granny.” Young Orientals are increasingly abandoning their elders. Many old Japanese die alone, with their deaths unnoticed until the overwhelming stench, seeping from door cracks and mail slots, alarms neighbors.

When I met an old, lonely Japanese nearly two years ago in Matsudo, I brought him some beer.

In Camden, I gave money to a prostitute so she could buy heroin. Amanda was writhing on the ground. I had known her for a while.

In return, Amanda gave me, and you, by extension, access to her world. She gives us a lot. Last time I saw Amanda, she looked a whole lot better, though moving with a walker.

In Istanbul, I saw many Syrian refugees living on the streets. After many years of waging war against Syria, the criminal US government has decided to add even more economic sanctions against that broken, war-torn country that is also trying to cope with the coronavirus. American-backed rebels have even burnt crops to deprive Syrians of much needed food.

With economic collapse and social chaos, millions more Americans will become homeless. House slaves, they have often forgotten they're also cattle, prey or garbage to the empire.



.