Not A Phony Soldier!

I don't know if you heard Rush Limbaugh's comments about "phony soldiers". You can read the exchange on the Media Matters website.

One of those "phony soldiers" (someone who returned home from his tour of duty) has written a rebuttal to Limbaugh and the caller's words. He includes photographs of soldiers and the jobs they did in Iraq. Some came home, some didn't. Some did multiple tours of duty. Some that came home didn't reenlist.

It's well written and poignant.
Check it out: Army of Dude-the Real Deal

You Can Help Others Get Free Mammograms

A friend sent me this today and I thought I would pass it along.

The Breast Cancer site has a way for individuals to help supply free mammograms for those in need. All you have to do is go to their website then click on the button that says "Click Here to Give".

Each click earns money towards mammograms for women who can't afford to pay for one on their own. The program mammograms are paid by sponsors.

You can click once daily. So, give a click to show you care!

He Got His Grip Back

Sgt. Juan Arrendondo served in Iraq. In 2005, he lost his hand during an attack while on patrol. Things looked pretty grim at the time.

In July, Arrendondo was fitted with a bionic hand called the I-LIMB. The I-LIMB is made of a special plastic then coated to look like human skin. It has 5 individual motors which control each finger.

With his new flexible fingers, Arrendondo can do many things he thought he'd never do again. He can grip a door knob and turn it. He can hold a glass. These simple pleasures are making his life a whole lot easier.

You can find out more about the I-LIMB at their website.

Knitters Unite

At the San Francisco Community Center, Ann Rubin has been promoting good will througout the world--two knitting needles at a time. She started the program "Afghans for Afghans" which draws together knitters around the world who knit items for the people of Afghanistan.

Rubin used the Internet to promote the project. She asked for volunteers to help knit items to send out. Little did she know she'd get responses from all over the world. The basement at the center is currently filled with 55,000 items that volunteers have sent in.

The items are sent to Rubin at the Center. Aid organization have donated the necessary means of transportation.

Now and then, they get photographs from Afghanistan. The volunteers feel they get more out of the project than the recipient. Seeing the photos makes them realize their small effort has made a stranger very happy.

There is a Fairy Godmother

You're probably familiar with the Make A Wish Foundation. They grant the wishes of children of terminally ill children. Did you know their is an organization for adults?

That organization is called the Fairy Godmother Foundation. It was founded in 1998. Their first year of operation they granted 18 wishes. Now they've granted hundreds.

Who gets their wish granted? You must be 18 years or older and have a terminal illness. According to the website, "Fairygodmother Foundation grants wishes without bias towards gender, race, religion, socioeconomic status, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, or nature of illness. In addition, the following restrictions, limitations, and guidelines apply."

The foundation grants wishes from wish recipients only. If you would like more information about them, their website is located at: http://www.fairygodmother.org.

A Lesson in Forgiveness

$4.3 million in donations have come in from all around the world to help the families who lives were destroyed by Charles Carl Roberts. In the ultimate act of forgiveness, the community is donating an undisclosed amount to the widow of Charles Carl Roberts.

According to a statement issued by the community they donated the money because, "many from Nickel Mines have pointed out that forgiveness is a journey, that you need help from your community of faith and from God... to make and hold onto the decision not to become a hostage to hostility."

Life goes on in Nickel Mines. A new schoolhouse is being built. For the five girls have returned to school. They have a long way to go to recover from their tragedy. They sure could teach the rest of us a lesson about forgiveness.

Above and Beyond Being Neighborly

A couple of weeks ago, I got a taste of what it's like to have really good neighbors. Our refrigerator needed replacing and we weren't really sure what to buy for our budget.

After going to Sears, we realized we couldn't get no way near what we had on the money we had. A neighbor worked there and offered to go to the outlet store to see if he could find us a deal.

Two days later, he came back with bad news. The style we wanted wasn't going to fit into our space. They are now too tall! We gave free reign to see what at all would fit.

The next day he phoned from the outlet. He found three units that would work. We rushed down to see what he found. All three were the French door style and were beautiful! Though they were a little smaller than what we had, they had the modern features. Because they were at the outlet, they were marked down to a price we could afford. We settled on one and the neighbor brought it home in his truck.

As they were unloading the refrigerator, three other neighbors came over. They offered to help get the new one in the house. They removed the front door and maneuvered it in.

After doing that, one them said they could move out the old one, too. It's a mammoth sized unit--28 cubic feet, 44 inches wide! Even after looking at it, they still wanted to do it. It took some work because it's old and has no wheels.

They got the old one out and then set to clean the wall and floor which we haven't seen since the early 1990s. Meanwhile, the neighbor who picked it out cleaned up all the sticky spots and fingerprints on the new fridge.

They installed the new one and we were on our way!

It was such a huge job. Yet, all four of our neighbors eagerly did the work. And, not one of them had been asked! Now that's what I call going above and beyond the call of duty! It's great to know you have good neighbors around you.

Hole in One for Blind Golfer

It would be difficult to hit a hole-in-one if you have perfect eyesight. Heck! I can't even do it in pee wee golf. Imagine doing it if you couldn't see.

In August, Sheila Drummond became the first line woman to officially hit of hole-in-one. She's 53 years old and became blind 26 years ago due to diabetes.

She took up golf 15 years ago despite her blindness. There is an association for blind golfers called the USBGA. Three years ago Drummond became their first female member.

Woman Breaks Another Barrier

Moira Cameron comes from Argyll, Scotland. She join the Army 22 years ago. At the age of 42 she's realizing one of her dreams. She has been selected to be the first female at the Tower of London. These guards are more commonly known as "beefeaters".

In order to qualify for this honor, she had to serve in the Army. Then she had to earn the required medals necessary for application. She met all the requirements and she beat out several other male applicants.

She'll be serving as Yeoman Warder. Some of her duties will include guarding the crown jewels and acting as tour guide. She'll also participate in the ceremony of the keys.

That's One Big Tip!

Jessica Osborne is a waitress at the Pizza Hut in Angola, Indiana. She's 20 years old and hope some day to complete college and become a photographer.

She had some regular customers including a family who came to Pizza Hut every Friday. In July, the family helped make her college dreams come true. After hearing that Osborne couldn't afford college tuition they left her a $10,000 tip.

Unbeknownst to Osborne, the family had suffered a tragedy. Their father and daughter were killed and a car accident. They got a huge settlement which a really didn't know what to do with. Then they learned that their favorite waitress had problems and decided that out of their tragedy they could help another human being.

Osborne has all the necessary books. Now she needs to figure out which school to go to. Thanks to her customers she won't have to worry about where the money will come from.

Deep Brain Stimulation Works for Brain Damaged Man

The medical establishment is excited over the outcome of recent treatment on a brain-damaged man. He'd been brain-damaged for six years. All he had was slight movement in his thumb and his eyes.

Electrodes were inserted into his brain. Over a six-month period electrodes were turned off and on. This is called "deep brain stimulation". The same treatment was tried on Terri Schiavo but failed.

The patient has regained his ability to speak. Though we can't initiate conversations he can let his thoughts be known. He replies to questions and can communicate is needs to his family. He is also regained some movement in his hands. Doctors are unsure how much movement he will end up with since his body has atrophied.

Although the man is still fully disabled, his improvements bring renewed hope to other brain-damaged people.

Sorry About the Lack of Stories

I've really slacked off on stories in August. My apologies to all my readers.

My young niece (11) had knee surgery to repair a fracture that never healed. She's in the third week of her six week recovery and things look good.

Then our 30 year old refrigerator went on life support. After 3 weeks of mopping up puddles, we decided it was time to pull the plug. I was completely baffled by all the different models. With the help of a neighbor we were able to get a really nice fridge at the Sears outlet store.

Life is starting to get back to normal. Hope to have the stories on track this week. Thanks for your patience!