Update: Snow Angel Record Is Official!

In February, I wrote about the state of North Dakota and it's attempt to get into the Guiness Book of World Records. Well, the folks at Guiness have taken a look at the records and they agree. It's official!

North Dakota once again holds the record for the most snow angels created simultaneously in one place. The record stands at 8,962. That's quite an increase over the previous record of 3,784 held by Michigan.

Only time will tell if Michigan attempts to break the record.

New Chronicle Spelling Bee Champ is Going to the Nationals

Could you spell cerumen? Could you spell it with hundreds of eyes pointed at you, under a time limit, while being judged? That's the word John Doner of Fremont needed to win the Chronicle Spelling Bee.

Doner was in his fourth year of competition. He's never had the benefits of special tutors as his parents couldn't afford it. Both worked and weren't able to help him study. So, Doner set up his own training regimen.

The seventh grader studied words four hours a day for 10 months. He'd get up at 4:30 am to get some time in before school. He studied the dictionary from cover to cover. He made a special tool so he could read word pronunciations without reading the spellings.

His parents didn't not pressure him to compete. He was a hard worker so they didn't need to push him. In fact, his father was so sympathetic that after he came home from work he did his son's chores.

Doner's hard work has paid off. This win entitles him to a spot in the National Championship in Washinton, D.C. at the end of May.

Student's Exchange Ideas

In New Mexico, the students at a Jewish school and those at a Muslim school spent some time together to learn about each other. What they found out is that they are very much the same.

Twenty fourth grade students at Salam Academy and Solomon Schechter Day School spent a day at each other's school. The point was to spent a day together and learn a thing or two. Children were encouraged to ask questions and to have open debates on religion, culture, and other things which they thought divided them.

They found out that they do some things differently such as wearing yarmulkes and head coverings. But they also found out that they have similarities such as they both eat a kosher diet and pray before meals.

School officials hope to extend invitations to students of other faiths and backgrounds. They hope to teach kids that it's okay to be different, but those difference don't have to separate us.

Olympic Skier Reunited with Family

You may remember Toby Dawson from the 2006 Olympics. He's on the US Ski Team. He won a bronze medal at the Olympics.

When Toby was three, his mother lost him in a market in South Korea. His family searched orphanages for him, but had no luck. Toby went off to an orphanage and later was adopted by an American couple in Colorado.

The story of where Toby was born and how he was adopted was aired during the Olympics. Afterwards, several couples came forward who had lost children during that time period. Kim Jae-Su was one of them. He hoped that this might be the son he lost so many years ago.

Information was exchanged with officials and DNA were done. Kim Jae-Su was a match with Toby Dawson.

In February, Toby went to Seoul, South Korea to meet his birth family. He met his father and brother at a hotel. The men shed tears as they hugged each other for the first time in decades. Then the three went off together so Toby could meet the rest of his family.

Sgt. Brett Miller's Life Has Turned Around

Sgt. Brett Miller life spun out of control in August 2005. That was the day he was injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq. He sustained a brain injuyry and lost sight in one eye.

He fumbled around the Amry Medical system. He was treated in Germany and then the army hospital in Washingon. Once he was sent to outpatient services he was on his own. No one paid attention to whether he showed up for appointments or not. No one watched over him despite the fact that he still lived within the barracks. His walking was unstable so he drove around in car despite the fact that he was not medically cleared to drive. But, how else could he get around when the Army provided him no means to get to his medical appointments?

Fourteen months after he was injured, he landed on the steps of the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital. He thought he was in heaven. The facility is designed to handle brain injury patients as inpatients so no one slips through the cracks. The treatments are proactive keeping in mind that it may take years to rehabilitate some patients.

When Sgt. Miller arrived he could barely walk or talk. He had no sense of balance so could not ride a bike, which he loved to do. Today his speech is back and close to normal. He's back on a bicycle and entering mountain bike races. He's still not cleared to drive a car, but at least he can get around. He gives the Palo Alta Hospital staff credit for getting his life back together.

Boy Scout Found Alive

Boy Scout, Michael Auberry, who has been missing since Saturday was found alive today. He had wandered off from a camping trip in the North Carolina mountains. His has been checked into the hospital and is in condition is good.

The South Carolina Search and Rescue Dog Association had rescue dogs circling the area. It was one of their rescue dogs who found the boy. The rescue team saw Auberry across the stream. They checked out his condition. Despite dehydration, he was in good spirits and was hungry. They then radioed to the control center that they had found the boy alive. Cheers and hugs burst through the scene.

Auberry had had some wilderness training, which may have aided him. He was wearing two jackets which helped to keep him warm during the ordeal.

Stranger Saves Elderly Woman from Scam

A 73 year old woman has strangers to thank for thwarting a scam. She was approached at the Thrift Town store in San Leandro, CA by a woman wondering if she had dropped her wallet. The elderly woman denied that it was her wallet. The woman claimed their was $1000 in the wallet. Another woman approached and pretended to overhear the conversation. She had an idea that they could divide the money if they all put in a good faith amount of dollars.

They all then drove over to the Wells Fargo Bank in San Lorenzo where the elderly woman withdrew $20,000. While this was going on, a patron of the Round Table Pizza Parlor across the street noticed something suspicious. They thought that a bank robbery was in place when they noticed the women wiping their fingerprints off the elderly woman's car. One woman adjusted her wig as she waited. This person called the police and they were on the scene before the scammers could escape with the money.

The two women had run scams before but hadn't been convicted. Thanks to the witness they have been caught and are up for grand theft and elder abuse.

San Francisco Doctors Make House Calls

A hundred years ago, it was the norm for doctors to make house calls. Nowadays, you're lucky to spend ten minutes with your doctor in his or her office. So, what do you do when you're chronically ill and can't get to the doctors?

The San Francisco On Call Medical Group thinks they have the answer. Six doctors make up the group. They make in home visitrs through the Bay Area to those who have physical ailments that make it difficult for them to get to the doctors.

Treatment is a bit pricey. It ranges from $200-$350 per visit. The group doesn't deal with insurance companies, but an individual might be able to get reimbursement. On average a visit is thirty minutes.

In 1971, only 1% of doctors made housecalls. There has been a shift and the idea of making house calls is making a comeback.

A Win for Women at Wimbledon

Well, it's about time! Wimbledon joins the ranks of other major tennis tournmanets by offering equal prize money for females and males. The gab has been closing over recent years but officials refused to even the score as recently as 2005.

In 2006, Tony Blair entered the fray asking Wimbledon officials to change the policy. Sinces champions like the Williams sisters are as big of a draw as their male counterparts, officials didn't have a leg to stand on.

The US Open has offered equal prize money since 1968. The Australian Open was next, followed by the French Open in 2006. It's about time Wimbledon got it's act together.

Good Samaritan Aids Marine

Around Christmas 2006, Jason and Alina Westerlund thought their luck couldn't get no wrose. They were trying to make ends meet when Jason was placed on the reserves for the Marines. As they were moving from their home in San Diego to Haltom City, Texas, they got a speeding ticket. To make matters worse, they didn't realize their California car insurenace was not valid outside the state. The court put their fine at $427.

Someone in the courtroom heard Westerlund's story. This mysterious couple first handed Jason $150 and thanked him for serving his country. When they heard the fine was $427, they pooled their cash together, paid the fine, and gave the couple a little extra to get through the holidays.

Jason has a job now and things are going much better. The Westerlunds have no clue who their Santa Claus was. They sure are thankful that the unknwon strangers helped them in their time of need.

My Dad Turns 80

This little ditty is about someone I know quite well--my Dad. He celebrated his 80th birthday today. We threw him a party with close family which he thoroughly enjoyed.

My task for the party was to write up his life story. You never really know your parents until you take an objective look at their lives. The Dad I've know at different times in my life wasn't the whole picture. Writing his story helped me see that.

My Dad was born to a French immigrant and a San Francisco native with French roots. He was raised Roman Catholic. He went to school through the 9th grade then dropped out. He wasn't very good at school and wife his oldest brother off to war, he had to help his parents through the depression. He worked at the family laundries, at a bicycle shop, and then at Safeway bakeries.

In 1951 he was draft and went off to Japan and then Korea. He was a cook during the war. He came home in 1953.

Upon return, he got his job back with Safeway. He married my Mom in 1955 and they immediately began a family. His brother was drafted soon after and my Dad took over his gas station. It was too hard raising a family on what little he made so he sold the gas station and went back to Safeway where he worked for 30+ years. He also took a second job as mechanic to a roofing company.

In between work, raising a family, and the stress of life, he began volunteering at Little League. He managed a couple of teams. Then when his sons no longer played, he managed some more. He put in 30 years at Little League. He was there every weekend working the field and helped out with the tournaments.

It's little wonder that my Dad only slept 4 hours a day. He worked graveyard, slept a couple hours, went over to Little League, came home for dinner, slept an hour or two and went back to work. Even with all that he took us to doctor and dentist appointments, went on school field trips, and saw all our elementary school plays and band performances.

Now that I look back on this, I don't see the grumpy father who had little patience. I see a man who worked hard for his family and then had some left over to help local kids learn about team work. It's truly remarkable when I think about it! I wonder how many kids today could say their father was a role model not only for them but for the neighborhood?

Giving Baby Girls Another Chance at Life in India

Give Baby Girls Another Chance at Life in India

The Indian Government is taking extraordinary steps to save the lives of female babies. Girls are considered a burden to their families. Often, they are aborted or killed shortly after birth. More than 10 million female babies have been killed over the last 20 years.

The Indian Government has enacted laws preventing doctors from revealing the baby's sex to the parents. But it's done no good. Statistics show that only 800 female births are reported by 1000 male births. This figure is down from 945 females per 1000 males in the period of 1991-2001. If female births decline further, it will create an imbalance in the population.

To end this practice, the government will be creating several orphanges for femals. They hope by providing the option of handing over baby girls to the government, female baby deaths will decline. Money has already been allocated for the project, but construction has not begun.

Lottery Winner Only Wants a Little More Time

Wayne Schenk has won the New York State Lottery--One Million Dollars! How is the winner going to spend the spoils? He's terminally ill with cancer. He's been give one year to live. He's hoping the money can buy him some experimental cancer treatments.

Right now, he's getting reatment via the VA Medican Center in Syracuse, New York. He'd like to go to the Eastern Regional Medical Center in Philadelphia. They are on the cutting edge of cancer treatment. Schenk is hoping to pay his way to a little more time.

His hit a road block with the New York State Lottery Commission. They have no provisions for payments to people who might not survive 20 years. Schenck could take a lump sum of $400,000, but will only see $200,000 of that after taxes. He needs $125,000 just to begin treatment. Lottery officials hope to work out some way to expedite payments.