In Search of the Human Spirit

Brad Zeigler, 28, was called up for the first time to play in the show this year for the Oakland A’s.  28 is old for a rookie in baseball.  By that age, they’ve already been on 5 times, or found a new career. So, Zeigler is as surprised as anyone else that he broke a record that has survived 101 years.

On Sunday, Zeigler came in relief of Jeremy Blevins.  Zeigler has been solid all season.  He pitched two innings, allowing two hits, striking out three, and not allowing a run to score.  That last one is the biggee.  Zeigler set the record for most consecutive scoreless innings pitched–27 innings in a row.

That record has held since 1907.  It was held by George McCullen.

Zeigler will be forever immortalized in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  A few tokens from the game will be sent to Cooperstown for the display that will hold show his feat.  In a post game interview Zeigler commented that he never thought he’d hold a record the first year and that he’s happy it’s for doing something good.

7 months ago, Chris Rodriguez was a normal 10 year old. Then some thug shattered his world. Rodriguez was taking music lessons at a music school in Oakland, California. Unbeknownst to him, a robbery was taken place outside the building. One of the robbers fired his gun. The bullet went through the wall of the music school and hit Rodriguez in the side. The bullet paralyzed him from the waist down.

This kid is a fighter though. He’s been trying to build up his strength as he earned a coveted spot at the Oakland School for the Arts. He’ll start school there in September.

Rodriguez days are filled with pain, but he won’t give up. His spirit has caught the eye of many in the community who are hoping for his full recovery. One of those people is Dan Dumas, a real estate investor. Dumas broke his neck three years ago and could not do anything for himself. Using a type of neurological rehabilitation that combines exercise and electrical stimulation, Dumas regained the ability to walk with braces.

He opened up a rehab center in the San Francisco Bay Area to help others with similar injuries.

Dumas heard about Rodriguez. He is giving the family three months free services. He doesn’t want to give the kid false hope, but hopes that he will benefit from the exercises. Since he is young and has regained some movement in his hips and has feeling in his knees, there is hope for him. The treatment isn’t proven and there is some skepticism. Still, when you have little else to try, you might as well go for it.

I’m really rooting for this kid. He shows tremendous spirit after a tragedy. He’s my hero!

Many of us get gift cards for birthdays and holidays. Sometimes it’s a store that we rarely visit. We use part of the balance, then have a small amount leftover. That card then sits on the dresser or in the junk drawer collecting dust.

The April Showers homeless shelter in San Leandro, California can make good use of those gift cards with leftover balances. Cards that are donated are saved up, then either turned into cash (in California this allowed if the balance is under $10) or saved up to make purchases for their clients. You gift card with a $5 balance might buy someone who needs them some socks or other necessity. That piddling amount might make the difference for another human being.

Here is more information on the shelter and the services they provide: http://www.ihnaprilshowers.org/

Senator Patrick Leahy has a role in the new Batman movie. He’s no movie star. He’s a star in my book though.

Leahy is donation all the money made from his part in the Dark Knight to his childhood haunt, the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier, VT. At four years old, Leahy got his first library card at that branch. He considers it one of the biggest moments of his life and wants other kids to have the same experience. The money will help fund the children’s section.

In addition to the money he earned from the movie, various fund raisers have been held with special screenings of the film. All proceeds go to the library.

San Francisco it’s 22nd Annual AIDs Walk today. In the crisp morning fog, thousands of people gathered to walk at Sharon Meadows in Golden Gate Park. They then traversed a 6.2 mile course through the park and back to Sharon Meadows.

The walk brings out all sorts of people, young and old. Dogs come with their owners as moral support. Walkers come individually or in teams. Some come in costume or carry signs.

The pledged donations will be used locally. The money benefits many organizations who help those diagnosed with AIDs living in the San Francisco Bay Area. The San Francisco AIDs Foundation is one of the beneficiaries, but some donations will go to the Horizon Foundation than distributed to some 50 organizations that have been preselected.

If you’d like to learn more about the AIDs Walk and see photographs from the event go to: San Francisco AIDs Walk

Some folks have gotten really tired of how slow cities clean up parks, roadways, and other public areas. They’ve taken matters into their one hands.

These rebellious citizens sneak off into the night. They armed with the tools of their trade: shovels, hoes, and buckets. They’ve set off to plant a tree, clean a park, and shovel debris. Everyone’s time is voluntary. All the plants, mulch, dirt, and gardening implements have been donated.

Why all the secrecy? These people are doing work that is not sanctioned by local government. They are doing it without approval and thus, might get in trouble for interfering with local policy.

The movement has been spreading throughout the country. People tired of seeing trash and graffiti litter their communities are taking actions. Although most of this work is illegal, city officials have yet to do more than comment. The public likes to see their parks and streets clean and flowery. Since it cost the city nothing to allow citizens to beautify it, it’s easier to turn a blind eye especially when that eye gets a beautiful, green park as a benefit.

Oscar Pistorius was born without fibulas in both legs. His legs were amputated at 11 months old. That didn’t stop the 21 year old South African from having Olympic sized dreams.

Earlier this year, Pistorius petitioned the IAAF to allow him to compete. There were charges that his artificial blade like legs gave him an advantage. The IAAF ruled in his favor stating there was no evidence that the blades made him run faster.

Friday Pistorius ran the race of his life. He had a personal best. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. He needed a time of 45.55 and came in at 46.25.

Pistorius will be competing at the Paralympic Games in September. However, he’ll be training seriously for the next Olympics in 2012.

You can read more about Oscar Pistorius on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_Pistorius#Early_years_and_education

California has been beset with wildfires for several weeks now. I heard that some firefighters were working on their 20th day in a row.

I want to express my appreciation for all that they do. I can’t imagine facing fire, let alone wildfires for several days. It takes a tremendous amount of courage to fight these blazes. Thank goodness there are people willing to take on this challenging career!

So give thanks to the firefighters who helping save our state during this drought prone, very dry summer.

At the age of 3, Alisha Chawla sat down with her mother to learn chess. At 7, she whips her mother regularly as well as most kids she faces.

Chawla has been invited to the World Youth Chess championship. It will be held in Vietnam in October.

At the recent Lerner National Elementary Championship, Chawla came in 57th. Her ranking is much higher among females. She was number 2 in the competition.

The United Chess Federation rates chess champions. Currently, Chawla comes in at 77th in the nation. This makes Chawla unique as she is one of the few females to place so high.