Thanks to the efforts of many, the Humpback Whales, Delta and Dawn, went on their merry way today.
Things looked dim last week. The whales were not making progress and in some instances they were heading back down the river the wrong way. Their were concerns about their health as their skins was beginning to look poor. The time in fresh water was not doing them any good.
Rescuers tried everything: banging noises, sounds of an Orca attack, and fire hoses. Marine biologists kept track of their health and administered antibiotics to help their wounds heal.
Their efforts finally paid off. On Friday, the mother and baby were looking quite spry. Over the weekend they made it through the Rio Vista bridge which seemed to be their main stumbling block. By Monday, they’d covered miles of water and were heading out towards the Golden Gate Bridge.
The whales were very clever. Before efforts renewed today, the two snuck through the Golden Gate Bridge and out to the ocean while we all were sleeping last night. It is presumed that they are out frolicking with their other whales seen in the area.
The tasmanian devil is a fox like marsupial that only lives in the wilds of Tasmania, Australia. You probably know them as the character Taz in the Looney Tunes cartoons.
Since the mid-1990s, a contagious cancer has swept through the tasmanian devil population. It is predicted that within the next five years the entire population will be infected thus leading them to extinction.
Warner Bros. will be doing it’s part to help save the tasmanian devil. They will be putting out a collection of DVD feature the famed Looney Tunes cartoons. One dollar from the sale of each DVD will go towards a government fund set up to save the tasmanian devil. The DVDs will be sold in Australia.
Currently, the only other tasmanian devils outside of Australia live in zoos. Preservation will focus on relocation the marsupial to island sanctuaries that have not seen the spread of cancer.
In honor of Memorial Day, www.ancestry.com is offering it’s military collection for free. This includes civil war records, American Revolution records, the WWI Draft Registration cards, the WWII draft registration cards for 1942, and much more.
Honor your ancestors. Look up their records then share the information with your family. Then their stories won’t be forgotten.
We’ve all been angry at the oil companies as gas prices keep rising. But, what about the owners of gas stations? They still earn a mere 8 to 12 cents a gallon sold while the corporations rake in the dough. Owners have to depend on snack sales from their mini-marts. With gas prices sky rocketing people aren’t interesting in sodas and chips.
Harvey Pollack owns a gas station near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He’s owned the gas station for 4 years but hasn’t turned a profit in over 2 years. He decided to take matters into his own hands this week. On Monday, he announced that his gas station would shut down for 24 hours in protest of high gas prices. On Thursday, the doors were locked and the pumps were turned off. He lost a good $1,500 that day.
Public support was tremendous. Drivers honked their car horns. Others stopped by to say thanks.
Pollack hopes that the protests will catch on. If gas station owners turn off the pumps for a day, maybe it will get the point across to the corporations. Although he lost a good chunk of money, he’d be willing to join a nationwide protest. Just let him know the day.
You may have seen the news when New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine missed the meeting between Don Imus and the Rutger’s Women’s Basketball Team. The car he was in was in a horrific crash. Corzine was in the passenger seat. He wasn’t wearing a seat belt. He was in critical condition and he almost died.
Corzine is back at work and he paid the seat belt fine. He has also made a commercial telling people to buckle up. He doesn’t mince words. The commercials starts off in the most series manner, “”I’m New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine, and I should be dead.” He then details the injuries incurred from his accident: the loss of blood, the 15 broken bones, and the fact that he could breath on his own.
His mistakes is irreversible. Many of his pains may stay with him for life. But, he has an opportunity to let others learn from his mistake. The commercial ends with Corzine saying “”I have to live with my mistake, you don’t,” Corzine says. “Buckle up.”
Anthony Burruto is 12 years old and plays Little League. He’s a first baseman and a pitcher. He’s also an amputee.
Burruto was born with deformed legs. No shinbone in the left leg and not fibula in the right leg. He was just a baby when his lower legs were amputated. At 18 months, he was fitted with his first prosthetics. According to his father, “From that moment on, this kid has not stopped walking.”
Today his artificial legs are made of carbon-fiber and titanium. He goes through a upper body strengthening and training which helps keep him in athletic shape. His coach makes no concessions. Burruto must be able to run to first base on his own in order to play.
Though Burruto doesn’t see himself as special, he’s earned the admiration of everyone in the league. In a day and age, where parents interfere with the game, Burruto cheered by everyone in the stands–even the parents of the opposing team’s players.
Students in Alaska got to see how the other half lives. Eight graders in the village of Inupiat and Anchorage participated in a student exchange. The students from 30 schools traded places to see what life was like for their counterparts.
Five students from each area were selected based on an essay contest. They then went off with teachers to live with a host family. They ate what the family at, went on field trips, and participated in local activities.
The city kids participated in ice fishing, native dancing, and other activities. They lived in houses up on stilts without indoor plumbing. The rural kids ate at McDonalds, toured the University of Alaska, played at a water park, and found out that prices were much lower for everything in the city.
The experience was good for the kids. They found that although their cultures were different they enjoyed many of the same things. There’s no place like home though. The city kids preferred the lively, less expensive setting they were familiar with and the rural kids found city life too busy.
Quincey Carr’s dream of becoming a pilot for a major airline was shattered nine months ago. He was training to be a commercial pilot. Everything changed on August 11, 2006.
Carr went to a barber shop with his girlfriend. A man came in a began flirting with her. He left when she didn’t seem interested. But, he returned with a gun. He began firing shots at Carr as he sat in the barber chair. Even as he fled the shop, the man kept shooting.
The man was caught that same day. He was an ex-convict. He and Carr had never met before.
Carr has spent the last nine months trying to get his life back together. He’s been in physical therapy for months. He may never regain use of his legs.
Carr was a hard working person before the incident. He held down three jobs so he could afford his pilot training. His hard work has not gone unnoticed. Carr could fly again if he had special hand controls for his plane. He can’t afford the $1,000 plus needed, so he has little hope of getting back up in the sky.
That’s where his friends come in. Carr has several of them at the airport and the 1 Stope Air Shop Co-Op. They’ve been collecting money just for that purpose. If all goes as planned, they will hand Carr a check for over $1,000 so that he can have his hand controls. If they do it, Carr will be able to fly again and make a career of it. It may not be the dream he had, but it will still be his dream.
In December, Ben Pijls of Roggel, Netherlands, was walking through the Reichswald Forest. His metal detector picked up a silver bracelet. All the bracelet said was “Allan from Florence, Xmas 1942″ and a service number.
Pijls set off to see if he could locate the family. He contacted a Canadian website dealing in such matters. The story ran on the news. Maureen Torreiter happened to make note of the service number. Much to her surprise, it was that of her father.
60 years ago, Canadian soldier, Allen Torreiter, was fighting a battle in the same forest in the Netherlands. It was February of 1945. He was driving an ammunition truck along those same woods. The truck was hit with a shell and Torreiter was wounded. Though Torreiter survived his wounds and was welcomed back to civilian life, he died of a heart attack when Maureen was 21.
The History Channel took interest in the story of the lost bracelet. Last Thursday, Maureen left for the Netherlands to reclaim the bracelet complements of the History Channel. They’ll tape the journey for a segment on their show “Ancestors in the Attic”. When she returns home, the bracelet g will sit next in a place of honor next to her parent’s wedding photo.
Last Saturday, about 300 bikers revved up their motorcyles. They rode down B Street in Hayward, California and ended in Livermore at a bar and grill. They weren’t out for a leisurely ride. They came out to promote the “Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund.” All proceeds from their lunch will go to the fund.
Christina Price, of San Lorenzo, organized the biker’s event. She is the wife of an Army Lt. Colonel and the mother of six (two are hers and four are her husbands from a previous marriage). She felt compelled to do something as she feels the death benefit provided by the government doesn’t go far enough especially if the soldier leaves behind more than one child. Her husband is setting out for his fourth tour of duty in the Middle East, so thoughts of what might happen “if” can’t be far from Price’s mind.
The fund was started in 2003 to help the children who lose a parent in service to America. Becky Campbell of Iowa started the fund.
