I had a nice talk with Jake this evening. Jake is the panhandler who stands in front of Ace Supermarket on Seventh Avenue and Berkeley Place. He has a lovely smile and a pleasant personality. Jake said this is a tough Christmas for him because his 95-year-old mother died a few weeks ago. She lived in South Carolina. That’s where Jake grew up. On a farm. He thinks about going back to South Carolina but he  likes the pace of New York City he said. "It’s too slow down there," he said. "Too slow."