helping
Compassion's AIDS Initiative
As we enter the holiday season, please consider a donation to Compassion International's AIDS Initiative. More than 12 million kids have been left orphans in sub-Saharan Africa, and Compassion's efforts are among many trying to stem the flood. Donations to the AIDS Initiative provide food, shelter and basic care for AIDS orphans, as well as medical treatments, including AIDS-inhibiting antiretroviral therapy, and HIV/AIDS awareness education for surviving adults and children. You can make a one-time donation, choose to donate monthly, or, better still, choose to sponsor a child on a monthly basis in the affected areas. Sponsorship is certainly worth the time and effort; we look so forward to the letters, photos, and drawings from the child we sponsor in Tanzania. This season is big on gift-giving, and here is an opportunity to give the gift of live in a land where survival is beyond anything most of us can imagine. Please consider a donation today.
March of Dimes + MasterCard
November is Prematurity Awareness Month, and the March of Dimes has teamed up with MasterCard to raise awareness and double fund-raising efforts. If you use your MasterCard to make a donation to the March of Dimes, MasterCard will double it! As parents of a preemie (though you'd never know it to see him now!), the March of Dimes is a charity near and dear to our hearts. Please consider using your MasterCard to double your donation this month. Thanks!
Winning hearts and minds
From Jack on the World_SIG list, who said, "You'll never see this in the MSM."
The text accompanying the photo reads:
"Air Force Chief Master Sgt. John Gebhardt, of the 332nd Expeditionary Medical Group at Balad, Iraq, cradles a young girl as they both sleep in the hospital. The girl's entire family was executed by insurgents; the killers shot her in the head as well. The girl received treatment at the U.S. military hospital in Balad, but cries and moans often. According to nurses at the facility, Gebhardt is the only one who can calm down the girl, so he has spent the last several nights holding her while they both sleep in a chair."
CMS Gebhardt will never be singled out by the American or Arabic press for his compassion. He will not receive an award for the love and affection he has shown a little girl in such desperate need of both. His action may not resonate with anyone on this blue marble except the little one on the receiving end.
A couple of nights ago, I caught a M.A.S.H. re-run. It was the one where a Korean-American baby is left outside The Swamp, with a note attached telling the camp the baby's father was an American GI. Like Japan, Korea is a very homogenous culture, and children of mixed heritage were (are?) looked down upon. This little girl would not have a happy childhood, and would likely even be killed before she reached adulthood. The staff of the 4077 try in vain to get her transferred to the U.S., and finally resort to leaving her at a nearby monastery, where the monks will keep her cloistered and safe from those would harm her.
As they're saying their goodbyes outside the monastery, Hawkeye tells the baby, and forgive me for my paraphrasing, "You brought a little light in to a world filled with darkness."
Thank you, CMS Gebhardt, for bringing light in to a little one's world of darkness. I know you are likely not concerned with receiving it, but I pray she is able to thank you some day, too.
Shouldn't everyone have access to clean water?
Jeff lays in to Richard Branson for donating billions to "blue-sky research" on alternative fuels, when for a fraction of that, he could be helping people survive by having access to potable water. I'm all for alternative fuels, but I have to agree with Jeff that priorities seem to be a bit skewed, and it's not just Branson who's doing the skewing. (Hey, that's actually a verb. Wow.) Jeff notes Dean Kamen's latest venture, which sounds fascinating, and it reminded me of Blood:Water Mission. Blood:Water Mission was started by Jars of Clay, as a result of a visit Dan Haseltine, the group's lead singer, made to Africa. Its mission is to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS by providing clean blood and clean water, digging 1,000 wells, and providing medical facilities to treat the sick. All Blood:Water Mission is asking for is a simple, one-dollar donation per person. The new technology Dean Kamen is working on will help untold thousands, perhaps millions, but it's not available yet, and won't be on a massive scale for a while. In the mean time, please consider a donation to Blood:Water Mission or a potable-water charity of your choice.
Miscellany
- Thanks to the folks at Xerox, with help from Layer 8 Group, you can send a postcard, with original artwork by a child, to a member of the armed forces serving abroad: Let's Say Thanks. I sent one, how about you?
[Via Susan via e-mail.] - About.com has some good advice in its Back to School section concerning backpack selection for students. The first tip they offer, to get a bag with two straps instead of just one, to help balance the load across the body better, is why I'm a dedicated backpack guy.
- My new addiction is Armagetron Advanced, an open source 3D game of the lightcycle contest from Tron.
Miscellany
Photo mosaics have become popular; I have one of Darth Vader, made up of different scenes from Episodes 4-6. There are many tutorials online for making your own photo mosaics, but John Tolva has one where you create your mosaic with LEGOs. You'll need Photoshop, and a healthy bank account for all those LEGO pieces you'll be buying. [Via Photojojo.]
How close to you and yours does a convicted sex offender live? Find out, thanks to Family Watchdog. [Via Daily Dose.]
Happy Birthday to the United States Coast Guard, which turns 216 years old today.
Earthquake survivor assistance still needed
Many of the nearly 650,000 displaced by Indonesia's earthquake are living with deteriorating sanitary conditions, forced to wash with dirty water that infects wounds and spreads skin disease, doctors said Sunday. Please consider donating to any of the many organizations providing relief assistance. We like the package and plan from World Vision, which has put together individual kits for survivors.
Earthquake relief
World Vision is one of many non-government organizations (NGOs) providing emergency survival kits in Indonesia, as a result of the recent earthquake there. World Vision's kits include blankets, temporary shelter, medicine and clothing. If you're seeking to help out with relief efforts there, please consider a donation to World Vision.
Miscellany
I know Lee will be interested in Anil's observations on web site comments.
Stop wandering aimlessly through that phone tree, and get a human on the line.
"This is hot." New fan-created Firefox ad that's really good.
Love coffee? Love cafes, but don't want to support the corporate monstrosity? Then use Delocator to find local shops near you. And please, if you know of a local cafe that's not listed on Delocator, add it!
[Waves of the phin to John, Paul, and John at FD.]
There and back again
Since leaving yesterday at 6:40 AM, and arriving back home today at 3:40 PM CST, I've driven 1,122 miles, spent 17 hours in a vehicle, and spent $106 on gas for the minivan. Whew.
Dressing for success
I knew about Dress for Success, because my wife's donated some of her business clothing to them before. Now, for men, there is Career Gear. If you have business suits still in good shape you no longer wear, consider donating them to these non-profits, and help low-income men and women move up the ladder. Who knows, you may see your suit again, on someone else!
Miscellany
The National Next of Kin Registry. Thanks to Motorola, I cannot look at NOKR's acronym without thinking of mobile phones.
Apparently, today is National Waffle Day. [Via Radical Breeze.]
Tom snapped photos at the gathering of Abdul Rahman supporters outside the Afghan embassy in D.C. today. Jeff was there as well.
Still higher
The goal of $300 for the March of Dimes' WalkAmerica has been breached. I've now bumped the goal to double of the original double: $440. Help me help preemies!
Raising the bar...again!
You people are awesome. In less than two hours last night, you blew through the goal of $110 for the March of Dimes' WalkAmerica. So I doubled the goal to $220, and now you've blown through that as well, with donations now at $260. Do I hear $300?
WalkAmerica 2006
Yes, folks, it's that time of year again. One of my favorite charities is having its annual fundraiser, and you--yes, you--can be a part of it. "How?" you might ask. Easy: sponsor me. My goal this year is to raise $110 before WalkAmerica 2006 here in Dallas on April 29th. So we have just under two months to get there. So, if you're a friend of mine, or a family member, and want to save yourself the anguish of my hitting you up for a charitable donation every time we chat, just hit the link now. This charity is near and dear to our hearts, as our little guy came nine weeks early, and we had first-hand experience with some of the work the March of Dimes does for preemies. Please help us help other preemies! Update: Just to show you I put my money where my mouth is, I've kicked things off with a $25 donation. With $5-10 here and there, we'll reach the goal of $110 in no time. No excuses about being poor college students, etc. Skip the pizza and beer for one sitting, and your donation's paid for. Update 2: Thanks to the generous spirits of some of my friends, we have already blown past the goal of $110 to reach $125. I've now doubled the goal to $220. Thanks so much to those who have given!
It's nice to know some people still get it
William Blair was recently outed as the secret benefactor to a group of World War II Pacific Theater former POWs, who get together for a monthly breakfast at Bunny's Restaurant in Suffolk, Virginia. I've met a good number of WWII vets in my time, and a few of them were POWs. Mr. Blair is correct in his noting that the Pacific Theater POWs usually get little mention compared to their European Theater brethren. I had the privilege in college of meeting a group of former POWs, including a Bataan Death March survivor. Those men have borne heavy burdens, and still do to this day. Mr. Blair, we salute you for your generosity and patriotism.
But we're just as bad as the terrorists, right?
By now, most people have heard John Kerry's slanderous comments about our servicemen terrorizing women and children in Iraq. James Taranto turns the table on the man who would be President, noting a CNN story about what a handful of our servicemen are really up to: doing everything possible, with help from folks stateside, to see that a little Iraqi girl doesn't die from spina bifida.
Donate to the Angel Tree
During the Christmas season, one sees Angel Trees nearly everywhere: at work, in the malls, at church; you can hardly go anywhere without running in to an Angel Tree. Between church and work, we've already picked a few angels ourselves, and I'm sure many of you have, too. There is a group of children that are often overlooked this time of year, and those are the children of prison inmates. Prison Fellowship started its Angel Tree ministry in 1982, and has been going strong ever since. It's not these kids' fault their parents are behind bars, and they deserve to get something for Christmas as much as any other child. This year, a generous donor is matching all Angel Tree contributions up to $100,000, which means a normal donation that would give one child a gift will now serve two kids. So please consider making a donation that can turn what is often a lonely time for these kids into one of joy.
Project Valour-IT
Soldiers' Angels has started Project Valour-IT, an endeavor to get voice-activated laptops to our wounded servicemen. To help with raising money for the project, a friendly competition has been set up between four teams, one for each of the service branches. Holly Aho is running the USMC team, which Hugh and Glenn are a part of. Sign up with one of the teams and donate to help out our wounded personnel.
Don't forget your local charities
I read an article in one of the local rags that donations to CCA are down in the wake of the massive outreach for hurricane victims. CCA is one of the leading charities in north Texas, serving primarily the communities between Dallas and Denton, with most of their efforts concentrated between Lewisville, Flower Mound, and Carrollton. CCA President Ed Johnson says, "All of the merchandise that has diverted to hurricane relief leaves the 12,000 people we serve each year short--very short." (CCA takes in unwanted items and resells them in a retail environment as one way of raising funds.) I'm sure there is a similar charity in your own community, which may be seeing a shortfall in light of hurricane relief efforts. I urge you to not forget about the help they give year-round, and to continue to support them, with your time or donations.