Lee Halpin, 26, had planned to spend a week living on the streets in his home city of Newcastle and eventually make a documentary about it.There's video of this healthy-looking man saying:
"I hope you think this is a fearless approach to a story, it certainly feels like a brave thing to me, and has certainly caused a huge amount of trepidation amongst my family and friends who think it's a brave thing to do. ...."There's an update at the link suggesting that the death may have been not from freezing but drugs.
("Sleeping rough" is British slang, referring to sleeping on the street.)
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Sadly. this is laughable. If true, the homeless know how to live on the street without dieing. What was his problem? I mean it. This is sad. What a loss to make an irrelevant point.
Dumbass.
Reminds me of The Onion headline: "Titanic Reenactment Club Loses Another 1300 Members"
At age 26 trying to get a job in journalism? It doesn't speak well for his judgement. I bet they find out there's more to it.
Surprising, really astonishing, at how casually some young people throw life away. Surely it was worth more than they valued it.
No one freezes to death in Britain in April - there are some more facts here to be learned.
I remember a few times in Philadelphia when an Alberta Clipper was forecast that Frank Rizzo told the ACLU to cram it and dragged all the bums off the street, rather than have them freeze because it was their "civil right".
It was also the reason he cleared them off the platforms of the Market Frankford El when whoever was President of Vice was on his way in town.
The world beyond the castle's walls is inhospitable to idealistic boys. RIP
I've been "homeless" for more than a month, and I haven't yet frozen to death.
Stay away from steam gratings. A lot of homeless go to sleep on steam gratings. It's nice and warm. Then they turn off the steam, and you end up as a bumsicle. The risk is compounded if you've been drinking. On the other hand it's a painless, pleasant death. There are worse ways to go.
A low cost way to prevent this is to provide each homeless person in cold areas with a compass.
Palladian, I just mailed you a dollar, and one half a McDonald's quarter pounder with cheese. I cut it in half before I ate my half, so it's not gross or anything. It should be there in about a week. Good luck, man.
He actually believed the shit he saw on the evening news.
It's a Darwin award.
Palladian
Are things looking up at all? Do you have friends or relatives you can go to? You're not sleeping outside are you?
An obvious benefit of global warming: no freezing to death.
Alas, Al Gore lied, junkie died.
chickelit, I almost spit out my soda reading your Onion headline.
There must be something more to this story. Drugs would not surprise me.
I assume Palladian is talking past tense.
If not, get the compass, head west-southwest, You have my address.
Are things looking up at all? Do you have friends or relatives you can go to? You're not sleeping outside are you?
I really appreciate your concern and your help. Several commenters here actually sent me some donations back in February when I was evicted and I was extremely touched and extraordinarily grateful for the help. It's been a very trying month or so for me, and I ended up spending quite a lot of money trying to save the majority of my belongings and getting them into storage. I'm currently, and temporarily, housed courtesy of the college where I work, so that I can finish teaching my classes for the semester. After that, I'm not sure what the near future will hold. I thank God every day that, even though I've lost a lot and I am technically without a permanent home, I don't have to endure what the truly homeless have to endure.
I assume Palladian is talking past tense.
Unfortunately not.
I'll be out there this summer, bagoh. I'm good with dogs, maybe I can earn my keep.
Personally I believe this could happen to any of us or anyone we know.
If you need a room, you're welcome anytime.
I'll be out there this summer, bagoh. I'm good with dogs, maybe I can earn my keep.
Take the highway west...the west is the best...get here and we'll do the rest.
I've never met you, but I love you guys. I try to remember that I'm important, and that God is with me, and that this hellish circumstance will pass, but it's difficult sometimes. It means a lot to me that strangers care about me in some capacity, and that I can interact with people in this space. Thanks to all of you.
It might be funny if he did it as a stunt. But he didn't, he did it to try and get a job. Ok, maybe it was still a stunt, but the days people are desperate for work and, however I may feel about his survival skills, it was a courageous act. His death is not funny, it's a shame.
Palladian, I missed the threads where you talked about your predicament. Good luck to you. I'd help if I could--we used to be neighbors. But I've since moved and am still trying to set my life up in my new place.
Wait, one doesn't say "sleeping rough" in American English? Coulda sworn I've heard it.
I slept rough twice: backpacking in Amsterdam and Munich. The former was rather fun, although I had been told not to do so in Vondelpark. The second was ghastly. Mind you, the youth hostel in Munich was like Colditz, so it was just as well.
I don't for a minute compare my lighthearted predicaments to anyone suffering true homelessness tonight. It pains me beyond belief that Palladian is one such friend of Althouse currently this way, and I pray that he and Ron find their way out of their travails VERY soon.
My heart goes out to all sleeping rough, the whole world round.
Cheers,
Victoria
Geez. At first I thought Palladian was being somehow sarcastic.
Take care.
Palladian- sending good thoughts your way.
Ambrose- a newspaper headline today says 5,000 froze to death in March here in the UK. I'm not saying this guy did t have drugs in his system, but it has been snowing here the last few days. It's been bitterly cold at night ao far this April.
palladian--but you have met us. Yeah, it's the internet, so any one of us could be fake. But there's quite a few here, even some of the most contentious and brawling (not that I'm putting *you* in that category, I think you know who I mean) who at least come across consistently over the years as real personalities.
Heck, C.S. Lewis got a whole book out of his years-long written correspondence with someone he never met in person.
And if you find CA is too full of fruits and nuts (sorry, bagoh!) come up and give Puget Sound country a try!
More involved? Probably drugs, alcohol, or mental illness.
Just a mistake in judgment? Not likely.
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