Refugee becomes a Citizen

Martha Dawud came to the United States in December of 1999. She was escaping the horrors of life in a Sudanese refugee camp.

In 1996, her village, Liang, was attacked and destroyed. Dawud, her husband, and one year old son fled to a nearby forest. Then, they walked to the refugee camps in Ethiopia--hundreds of miles away. They struggled with starvation and dehydration every day. Someone they survived it all.

In 1999, she and her husband go their ticket out of the refugee camp. They earned refugee status and came to the United States. In Houston, they found work, an apartment, and security. They no longer had to scrape for food, water, and shelter.

Seven years later, Dawud has become a United States Citizen. She's a long way from Sudan. Her family were the lucky ones--the few who got out alive.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Here we are, once again, on Thanksgiving Day. In this crazy world of ours it sometimes seems as there is nothing to be thankful for. But, as we take a peek outside the newspaper headlines, we realize we have much to give thanks for.

What are you thankful for this year? For myself, the list is long. I'm thankful that...
my Mom is recovery from radiation treatment
my dog, Sierra, has recovered from her amputation and is living pretty well even with arthritis
I have a roof over my head and food on the table
I don't live in a war zone
I have family to lean on and make fun of
I have friends who put up with me
I've found online communities with wonderful people
I've read wonderful books this year that made me laugh and opened my eyes to new worlds
we have heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer
my feet still carry me despite my lack of cartilege
I can play with kids and be a part of their world even if for only a couple of our hours
people keep creating music, writing novels, and other wonders
nature rebounds ever Spring with it's green hills, blooming flowers, and blue skies
it rains (even if it makes my arthritis worse)
and...well, I could go on and on.

So, this Thanksgiving let's remember what we're thankful for even if it's just the fact that we made it to another Thanksgiving.

Hope yours is filled with celebration, good conversation, and delicious food!
Happy Thanksgiving!

Amish School Children Update

It's been a month and a half since the horrific school shooting in Pennsylvania. Five students were severely injured in the shooting. One of the students has been able to return to school full time. Two have returned part time. One student is in the hospital with severe head wounds. They hope she will be home by Christmas. The fifth student is semi-comatose. She may never recover.

The girls have incurred huge medical bills. Some need further surgery and most will need ongoing medical care. Others in the community will need psychological counselling.

The Nickel Mines Accountability Committee is overseeing the donations that have poured in. $3.2 million has been collected so far. This money will be used to pay medical bills, provide transportation, and for counselling services.

The committee is also looking after the family of the gunman. They will provide support where need. He left behind a wife and three kids.

Nothing But Nets

Malaria kills more children in Africa than any other disease. The United Methodist Church, the United Nations, the NBA, and Sports Illustrated have taken action to lower that figure. They are banding together to form the program called "Nothing But Nets".

The program will take in $10 donations which will go towards purchasing insecticide treated mosquito nets. Those nets will be sent to the needy in Africa. Each net can provide four years of protection for a family.

The United Methodist Church has been an active force in Africa for the passed 160 years. With the support of the U.N., they'll work to get the nets to those who need them most. The NBA and Sports Illustrated will sponsor the effort as well as lend some big name recognition to the project. The idea of blending sports and humanitarian aid is not so unusual. Sports Illustrated has used it's printed space in the fight against malaria in the past.

The goal is to deliver at least 120,000 nets to the continent.

Blogger Beta Problems

I'm sorry that there haven't been any new entries to the blog recently. I upgraded to Beta Blogger and for some reason the blog wouldn't update.

It looks like the problems have been worked out. You should be seeing new entries shortly.

Thanks for your patience!

Young Scientist of the Year

The discovery channel has announced the winner of it's "Young Scientist Challenge". The winner is dubbed "America's Top Young Scientist of the Year" which carries with it a $20,000 scholarship.

This years winner comes from Hawaii. His name is Nolan Kamitaki and he's 14.

In order to compete, the entrant must win his school's science fair, district fair, and state fair. Once accomplishing this feat, the entrant goes up against other state finalists in the National Institute of Health Challenges. This year their were 40 finalists.

It was Katimaki's work on arsenic in the soil on the island of Hawaii that one him top honors. What's his future hold? He's hoping for a career in physics or medicine.

Do Your Duty...Vote!!!

Today is the day when Americans get tell their political leaders what they think of them. Whatever you believe, whatever your political party, there is no greater responsibility for a citizen of the United States than to cast your ballot.

My ancestors came here in the 1880s looking for a better life. People have fought wars for democracy. Women and minorities have protested for that sacred right. People have died to protect our right to vote.

I voted absentee two weeks ago. If you're a registered voter, get out there and do your duty. You can affect change. And, only the people who vote get to complain.

82 Years and Going Strong

Most people look forward to retiring. Not Ema Cartwright. She turned 100 on October 31st. She's been working since 1924 and sees no reason to stop now.

Cartwright was born when Roosevelt was President--that's Theodore Roosevelt, that is. She graduated from high school in 1924 and went to work of Oshkosh B'gosh that same year.

She worked for the company 22 years before moving on. She's been working as a bookkeeper for the Oshkosh City Cab Co. ever since.

Technology has swirled around her, but she hasn't given in. Cartwright likes to do things the old fashioned way. No new fangled computers for her. She keeps the book by hand--a pencil and adding machine is all she needs.

When asked about retiring she responded "I'll keep my job as long as Don wants to keep me". Don is the son of Oliver Davies the original owner. She outlived him too!

Tommie Turner's Training Center

When Tommie Turner was a cop on Oakland's streets he saw alot of kids go bad. It was heartbreaking to see these kids lose hope before they reached their teens. It was worse to see them die before they had a chance to find out who they were and what they wanted from life.

When Turner retired from the Police force, he felt compelled to do something about the problems he saw around him. He set up a training center for youth athletes. He runs the training center on his own property. It's a safe place for them to work out without the hassles of street life.

Each day, he puts the kids through football drills, weight training, and wrestling. In the future there will also be a computer room so they can get their homework done too.

Turner offers it all free of charge. But, don't underestimate him. He's no softie! The kids can't come and go as they please. They have to commit to the program. They have to stay in school. They must be respectful to everyone at the center. He expect them to behave because there are plenty of other kids who can take the spot.

Turner doesn't recruit the best of the best. Some of these kids come from the worst situations. They may have gotten in trouble and they have low self esteem. Turner provides them a training center and he acts as their mentor. He provides some stability in their often turbulent lives.

In addition to running the training center, Turner is the football coach for Hayward High School.

Safeway Goes Green

Safeway Corporation earned big points in my book this year. While most corporation are looking for ways to avoid environmental regulations, Safeway is going green.

Safeway purchases about 78,000 megawatts of wind energy each year. They've increased their purchase to 174,000 megawatts. Wind will power their fuel stations, facilities in Walnut Creek and Pleasanton, Califonria, and fifteen stores. The increase in megawatts will run these facilities for two years.

Safeway is part of a program called the "Chicago Climate Exchange." They participate in the greenhouse gas reduction program.

Safeway doesn't stop with wind power. They recycle almost 500,000 tons of paper and plastic each year and reduce energy use whereever they can.

Safeway's efforts make it the biggest consumer of wind energy among corporations in California. This has earned Safeway the Green Power Leadership Award for 2005.

Korean War MIA Project Needs Your Help

I've previously written about the Korean War MIA Project in this blog. It's a great bunch of volunteers who are trying to help identify the remains of soldiers from the Korean War. It involves locating the current family members, doing DNA tests, and then seeing if any family of known MIA soldiers match a soldier in the database.

The project has been in existence since the early 1990s. They've identified about 200 soldiers to date. It all boils down to money. The project coordinators have been dipping into their own funds because no government agencies or outside organization seems to be interested in the project. Now the project has run up a huge debt.

Without an influx of donations and possible long term sponsors, the project will close down. In fact, it already has. The website has been reduced to a couple of pages. Gone is the soldier database as well as the memorial notes from loved ones and people who served with those missing in action.

Everyday I see "support our troops" bumper stickers. How can we support the current troops when we don't give a damn about the ones who served previously--many of them not having a choice to serve or not because there was a draft? Think of all the mothers, wives, brothers, and others who lost their loved ones in America's wars. Just in Korea, 8100 are missing in action. All those loved ones got the official notice, but they never got closure. Oh, they don't have hope of their loved one being found alive, but they can never be sure of what really happened to them.

It may not seem like alot. But, think about if it were you. Perhaps you have a loved one in Iraq or Afghanistan right now. What if they went missing tomorrow? How would you feel? What if you got that letter or visit at the door? Maybe it's your husband or daughter or the neighbors kid fresh out of high school who is serving.

I worked on this project for three months (not nearly the amount of time the project coordinators, Hal & Ted Barker put into it). In that time I was able to identify the family of two soldiers. It was so gratifying to know that my genealogy research skills might help someone else in this world.

In time all wounds heal. But, wouldn't it be nice to give these families the last chapter of their loved one's story? We all have the power to change this bit of history and do right by those families--at least for the soldiers of one war. Once a match is made, the family gets to hear the end of the story and they get to have a funeral if they chose. It seems like such a small, simple thing to do.

If you'd like to make a donation or know of a way to keep the project going, please visit the website:
Donate to the Korean War Project