In Search of the Human Spirit

You have probably seen the miraculous recover of a dog from the Los Angeles River. A firefighter hanging from a helicopter wrestled with the dog until they both were safely lifted out of the water and returned to land.

It took a couple of days and heartbreak before Maria Medina realized this was her dog that had become so famous. On the day of the big storm both of her dogs had escaped her yard. Her Lab was found by animal control officers and returned to Medina. But, she had no idea where “Spikey” her German Shepherd had gone.

Then her kids saw video of the rescue on the Web. The family has since gone down to identify Spikey who was overjoyed to see his family again.

Currently, he is in quarantine. Once that is over, he will be taken home to be reunited with his family.

89 year old Clark Terry will be honored at the Grammy’s for his achievements in the Jazz genre.  He’s taking a special guest with him, Josh Shpak. Shpak is a 16 year old from Walnut Creek, California.

Terry learned a thing or two from Louis Armstrong.  He feels strongly that he should give back to the younger musicians coming up.  He’s taken Shpak under his wing and will introduce him at the Grammy’s.

Shpak has talent.  He’s been named to the Contra Costa County and All Star Honor Jazz Bands.

Here’s a short video about Josh:

I must apologize (once again) for my absence.  My Dad was sick right after the holidays.  He ended up being hospitalized the second week of January.  He’s doing alot better.  Now I’m trying to get back into the swing of things.

Thanks for your patience!

Here’s an easy thing you can do!  Land O’Lakes will donate a dollar for every click on it’s website.  Just click on the link below and you’ll help feed a person who needs help.

Operation Consideration

This is a wonderful, heartwarming video. A soldier returns home and his dog shows him just how much he missed him:

It’s hard to believe that 20 years have already passed since the Berlin Wall fell. I was a child of the ’60s who grew up with the cold war and the nuclear threat. It seemed the Berlin Wall would always stand as a physical and psychological barrier.

I remember this time very well. I had pen pals living in East Germany and West Germany at the time. I had one pen pal who lived in the East Germany side of Berlin. I remember how my friend would talk about taking trips to Poland but never to the other side of the city he lived in. How hard it must have been to live with a wall between family and friends.

And then a movement started. On November 9, 1999, the Berlin Wall was conquered by the people of Berlin. Millions of people were there to celebrate. They took sledgehammers to the wall and painted it with graffiti.

I imagine the emotions are pretty high in Berlin and in Germany today. They are once again a united country. Free of the boundaries forced upon them by the Cold War.

Berlin Wall Slideshow

On Sunday, Phillies second baseman, Eric Bruntlett, became the second player in Major League History to complete and unassisted triple play to end a game.  The last time it was performed was in 1927.

Runners were on first and second.  Both runner were in motion for a double steal.  The batter, Jeff Francoeur, hit a line drive directly to Bruntlett.  The quick thinking Bruntlett caught the ball, tagged second base, and then tagged the runner coming from first base.

It’s hard enough getting a triple play, let alone one player doing it all by himself.  Here’s the video.  I think Bruntlett is surprised too!

My readers might be wondering what happened to this blog since May.  Well, life interfered.

As you may know I owned a 3 legged dog names Sierra.  In May, I found out she qualified for a donated wheel chair through the Handicapped Pets Foundation.  The chair arrived at the beginning of June.  I think spent the next few weeks getting her adapted to her chair.

Sierra loved her wheel chair.  She’d go out front to smell the grass and chase cats.  It gave her back her independence.

Sadly, on July 9th, Sierra died suddenly.  She had not be exhibiting any symptoms previously.  That afternoon she began throwing up and less than an hour later she was dead.

It was an amazing time.  For 13 years old, she had no problem adapting to her chair.  I’m sad that she did not have more time to use it, but I know that the four weeks she had made her life more enjoyable.

If you would like to read about her wheel chair adventures and my tribute to my dog, here’s the link:

http://simplepleasures.chroniclife.com/

And, now, I have a puppy, Misha.  A family member decided we needed a puppy.  So, instead of helping an elderly dog around, I’m training a 9 week old puppy.

I will begin writing for this blog again soon.  I needed to get my head in order.  Though she lived a long good life, it was still a shock to lose her so suddenly.  In time, the joy of Misha will replace the pain of losing Sierra.  But, Sierra will always be first in my heart.  She was a fighter and a great companion.

A musical break for your Friday.  This is a really nice version of Stand By Me

Pedro C. Moreno has penned an insighful article at huffingtonpost.com about the relationship between father’s and daughter’s in the world called “Fathers: Bring Your Daughters to School“.  Moreno heads the organization Father and Daughter Alliance (FADA).

For many girls, educational opportunities are non-existent.  They are expected to stay home to help their Mothers, take care of other family members, and are often married off young.

The goal of this organization is to teach families the importance of educating their daughters.  They do this by raising awareness among Fathers.  They hope to help provide a primary education for all girls.  By helping Fathers get more involved in educating their daughters they hope to open opportunities for girls worldwide.

FADA has produced this video for YouTube which spells out the problems facing girls and their hopes for providing education to them: