New Orleans has been with out a library since the flood. With help from ProQuest Co. and funding from IBM, they’ll be able to provide library services once again.
ProQuest has donated a portable library, 14 by 56 educational trailer. The trailer has 13 computers and donated books. The library was set up by Ann Curtis of ProQuest, who spent many, many hours over a month getting the project underway.
Currently, the portable library resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The spot was chosen mainly because alot folks from New Orleans now live there.
When was the last time you thought about the homeless people in your town? Most of the time we pass them by, not even acknowledging them as fellow human beings. We wouldn’t want to be in their shoes for a million years–if they had shoes.
Two college students had a deep desire to walk a mile in those tattered shoes. Mike Yankoski and Sam Purvis spent five months on the streets of America with nothing more than their guitars and a few measly nessicities.
They lived poverty first hand. They found out how hard it was to live on benches and from meal to meal. They found kindness in unexpected places, like the person who handed their leftover pizza to them. They found coldness in places that they thought not possible, like churches where members did their best to avoid them.
An experience like this changes a person deep down inside. What started as adventure, was truly mind altering. They’ve written a book about their experiences which they hope will make in impression on others and help them feel more compassion towards the poor.
Kylie Hodgson and Remi Horder weren’t trying to have a baby. When they found out Kylie was pregnant, it took a little getting used to. But, soon enough they were happy they were going to be parents. When they found out Kylie was having twins it was a bit overwhelming.
Kylie gave birth by caesarean section to two beautiful girls. One was a little lighter in color than the other. Neither through this was unusual since both came from mixed raced parents. Both having a black father and a white mother.
A few weeks after the birth they realized something was different. Baby Remee was blonde with blue eyes and white. Baby Kian had brown hair, brown eyes, and was black. Everyone agreed that the babies would have similar skin color in the end. Now that it’s over a year later, it’s very clear, Kylie and Remi have one black child and one white child.
Authorities believe skin color is determined by 7 genes. Babies usually get a mix of genes from mother and father so there is a clear variation between twins. In this case, the doctor believes Baby Kian and Baby Remee must have received only one type of color gene each rather than a mix from both gene pools.
It’s very rare for twins to be born with different skin color. In fact, the odds are about a million to one. This makes Kian and Remee pretty special.
When Linda Kopet suggested her husband, Larry Kopet, get a hobby, she had no idea what she was getting into. Larry decided to photograph headstones in Wisconsin’s cemeteries. They’d drive to different places and shoot some pictures. What started as an innocent weekend hobby for Larry Kopet has turned into a vast resources for genealogists throughout Wisconsin.
That hobby has grown to over 100,000 photographs. They’ve hit 60 counties–903 cemeteries total.
They aren’t hogging all that history either. The photographs have been donated to the USGenWeb Tombstone Project for Wisconsin. Larry does the photography. Linda labels each computer file. Then it’s sent on to the project coordinator who uploads them to the website.
The Koppets do this all out of love. The photographs are offered free of charge and they are compensated with money. They know they are contributing to a worthwhile cause. People approach them to tell them how much they appreciate their work. That’s reward enough.
Sao Paolo, Brasil, held it’s Tenth Annual Gay Pride Parade last week. It was one of the largest events of it’s kind in the world. Awareness and participation grows each years. An estimated 2.4 million people marched this year.
The parade was accented with revellers dressed in Brasil’s World Cup Soccer colors. Others came out in a variety of costumes. Parade floats were accompanied by lively music.
While the mood was festive, the message was serious. The theme of the parade was “Homophobia is a Crime”. The event was used to lend support to anti-discrimination proposals. While Sao Paolo is fairly open, and one region recognizes common law marriage, other areas of Brasil still need work.
So many people like to claim “I support the troops!” They say it every now and then, hang a flag in front of their house, and put a sticker (made in China) on their car. That makes them feel better and they are done with it. A 10 year old and an 8 year old came up with way they could really show their support and offer aid to soldiers and their families.
Rachel and Kelsi are sisters. Last year on vacation, they started thinking about our soldiers stationed in distant lands. They wanted to come with something that went beyond a bumper sticker.
They both had recently fallen in love with Treasure Hunts. With the help of their parents, they came up with a proposal. The idea was to get sponsors for a national Treasure Hunt. The hunt would be used to raise awareness among Americans. Then they would collect donations would be set aside to offer scholarships to the children of soldiers. They named their program “Thanks USA” which stands for “Treasure Hunt Aiding Needs of Kids (and Spouses) of those Serving the United States of America.
They got a bunch of sponsors to provide prizes for the Treasure Hunt. The hunt runs from Memorial Day 2006 to Labor Day 2006 (September 5th is the deadline). You can learn more about the hunt and register to participate at: http://www.thanksusa.org/main/hunt.html.
They received a federal grant as well. The grant and donations will be used to fund the scholarship program. They hope to dole out 1,000 scholarships a year. Their website explains it all and provides ways we all can participate.
The civil war that shook El Salvador from 1982 to 1990 ripped families apart. Parents feared for their children’s lives. Rather than find them dead, victims of the war, they sent them away. The total number of children sent away is unknown, though it is thought that over 700 were given away for adoption in foreign countries.
A liaison between the US Department of Justice, Cal State Berkeley’s Human Rights Center, and El Salvador’s “Asociación Pro-Búsqueda de Niñas y Niños Desaparecidos” has created an opportunity for El Salvadors adopted children to find their birth parents. They are reaching out to families looking for their lost children. Those who have documentation proving their parentage are helped through the process. Those without documentation will be entered into a DNA database. Efforts first concentrated on the people of El Salvador. Workers spread throughout El Salvador collecting DNA samples. This part of the project is almost complete. The next step is tracking down the adoptees and getting their DNA entered into the database.
So far 300 children have been located. Still there is much work to be done. The organization needs to get DNA on as many of the adoptees as possible so as to have a better chance of finding their birth families.
Did you know that there are 500,000 kids in foster care in the United States? (Source: www.nationaladoptionday.org) At the age of 18, public assistance disappears. These foster kids find themselves on the street trying to survive without a home or a job.
You may have heard of Antwone Fisher. A movie was made about his life. He grew up in the foster care system in Cleveland. At 18, he was on his own, sleeping store fronts, with nowhere to go. Two years later, he joined the Navy to get off the streets.
Fisher has partnered with Alex Smith, a multimillionaire quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. Smith and Fisher met at a showing of Fisher’s movie. That meeting lead to the creation of the “Alex Smith Foundation”.
Smith claims that Antwone Fisher was the inspiration for the foundation. The foundation is set up to help kids transition from foster care to the real world. Programs are set up to provide job training, housing, and education. By giving foster kids these skills and teaming them up with a mentor, they’ll be able to help themselves. With Fisher’s experience with foster care and Smith’s considerable business contacts, they hope to fill the void left behind after governement assistance and give these kids a fair shake.
Prominent religious leaders across the United States are stepping up to the plate to take a stand against torture. They’ve formed the “National Religious Campaign Against Torture”. Their goal is to get the U.S. Government to get serious and ban torture. They believe that no government agency should be exempt from human rights standards.
In their statement of conscious titled “Torture is a Moral Issue” they ask for Congress to end torture at U.S. detention centers. They would also like to end the rendition of suspects to nations that allow torture. They want the United States to abide by international law rather than be above it. According to the statement, “Nothing less is at stake in the torture abuse crisis than the soul of our nation.”
Signatorees come from a wide spectrum of religious philosophies. They include Elie Wiesel, Reverend Jim Wallis, Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, Reverend Ted Haggard, Dr. Tarunjit Singh, Rabbi Marla J. Feldman, and Dr. Abdullahi Amhed An-Na’im. Some of the organizations who endorse NRCAT are the World Sikh Council, American Baptist Churches, and the Presbyterian Church (USA).
If you’d like to learn more, visit the NRCAT website at: www.nrcat.org
Afghan Soccer Girls
Shamila Kohestani and Roia Ahmad will accept this years Arthur Ashe Courage award at ESPN’s ESPY award ceremony. The teenagers were two of many girls in Afghanistan who played soccer and encouraged other girls to join in.
In 2004, the 16 and 18 year old were part of group from Afghanistan who came to the US as part of the “Youth Sport Exchange Program.” The girls were sent to soccer camp where they learned how to play the game. They then went home and started up teams in Kabul.
Under the Taliban, girls were not allowed to go to school let alone play sports. Although things have improved, it’s still dangerous times for females who want to carve out a place in non-traditional roles. They may have learned to play soccer, but they still have to overcome cultural restrictions and a reluctance to let girls play. The girls had problems finding places to have games and they had to wear clothing covering them from head to toe.
Still they persist! There are now 15 teams in Kabul. The award is given to those whose “contributions transcend sports”. These young women certainly fit the role!
