Peace Corps volunteers back from Ukraine

I have it on good intelligence that some Peace Corps volunteers have been safely evacuated from Ukraine and are now in Washington, DC. Praise God!

I have been told that these volunteers underwent very violent circumstances and are happy to be back in the United States. Stay tuned for more information and possible interviews on this subject.

 

Black History Month Factoid

African American or Afro American? You decide.

Asking the question, where did the term "African American" originate, and can it be used by whites to identify themselves? If you are a "white" person living in the United States and from South Africa, aren't you African American? Maybe Malcolm X's "Afro American" is a better term to use for some blacks.

Here's a slideshow explaining who came up with the term "African American" and how it was promoted in the United States.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Where_did_the_term_African_American_originate#slide=1&article=Where_did_African-Americans_originate

Quote for today...

"If you will it, it is no dream."
Theodor Herzl, founder of the State of Israel

Cobb County, Ga. citizens wail against immoral government

Decided to put last night's call for government transparency Town Hall Meeting notes into a poem. Snow image effects added.

"Political Snowstorm Blues"

Michael Opitz and Ben Williams

Did my taxes today, paid more than last year,
what a horrible disgrace.
Went to a town hall meeting tonight, sat in a front row chair,
frustration in the air.

Seems like nothing else will work
except a revolution of the heart.

Politicians stare, only two were there,
but they don't want to be called leaders.
I sup-pose everybody knows
that these folks just want to be rulers.

Seems like nothing else will work
'cept a revolution of the heart.

Why do we pretend there will be an end to this political disgrace?
Why are we going round and round, in this "ground hog day" nightmare?



Thomas Carter

Sitting next to me is a friend of mine
a fighter for his community.
At his age he knows when his hearing goes
the message he needs to give will end up losing.

Seems like nothing else will work
except a revolution of the heart.

There are three men here with advanced degrees
what on earth could they be thinking?
Are they shrills you think, dressed up in mink,
Or just simply spies for the asking?

Why can't we go live off the grid,
pay a dollar for a house?
Why do we not use common sense
instead of being stuck in this snowstorm?



Kenneth Howell

Seems like nothing else will work
'cept a revolution of the heart.



Laurel Harmon

There's a woman here, emotion in her hair,
she's a member of some association.
There's a man over there, wants to get involved
guess he's got a gun cocked and ready.



Michael Watson

Seems like nothing else will work
except a revolution of the heart.

When I get home, talk to my old man
about the disrespect I'm feeling.
He says don't worry, you still have your opinions
although their worth is a little shaded.

Seems like nothing else will work
'cept a revolution of the heart.

We need a revolution of the heart.

For more information on this topic, go to: http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/24757614/cobb-watchdog-group-holds-first-town-hall-meeting-upset-over-braves-stadium-deal
and
http://deadspin.com/heres-how-cobb-county-will-pay-for-the-braves-ballpar-1464404976

State of Emergency could negatively affect employees in Right to Work state

Two weeks ago, some Atlanta motorists were stuck in their cars for 24 hours after a snow storm dumped less than three inches of hazardous precipitation on interstate highways. Two days ago, citizens were warned to stay off the roads after Gov. Nathan Deal ordered a State of Emergency in 91 counties.

But some employees are complaining that their bosses are telling them it's o.k. to come to work, although they don't have four wheel drive vehicles, tire chains, or bus service.

Since Georgia is a Right to Work state, should non-essential employees be more afraid of losing their jobs or risking their safety during this State of Emergency? I'm going to watch Deal's press conference now to see if he will address this issue:

https://esenetworks.com/live-event.aspx?id=590&live-event-id=1797

State of emergency has been extended until Sunday.

Please comment.

Are we just existing or are we committed to being awake?

Religious life after King: stay awake!

As I sit here looking out the window on an icy afternoon, I contemplate my own moral attitude and what I feel the religious community needs to be doing in light of the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is Black History Month, and many folks are pulling King’s name out of their back pockets. It is a Dives/Lazarus moment.

I am reminded of a discussion recently with a European friend. We talked about whether I should give a dollar to a homeless beggar we encountered on the street. “Whenever I see these people, I tend to think they are in a better place than I am, with no mortgage or car payment. I’m the one who’s in debt," he advised me. "You yourself are living off your husband’s salary and have no cash in your pockets. We should be asking the beggar for a handout!”

Then I told him how selfish I think some religious folks are, especially those who know I don’t have a steady income but ask me to volunteer to help the church raise money to pay for icons. As if giving me something to do without being compensated would make me feel worthwhile. My friend just shook his head and ordered another cup of black coffee. Is this what MLK would want us to be doing, or would he want us to be waging a war on poverty?

I spend my days trying to network into a full-time job, watching old movies and the Weather Channel, reading old MLK speeches, typing up feelings, and napping. What has happened to King’s revolution while we’re sleeping? Did King die in vain? Is his dream becoming my nightmare?

Read this and make up your own mind.

http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/kingpapers/article/remaining_awake_through_a_great_revolution/

 

Birthdays time to reflect

My singing and hearing aren't what they used to be, but I can still remember and count my blessings!

I told my friends who wished me "Happy Birthday" yesterday that I've stopped counting years and am reflecting back on what I have done to chart my future. My husband is always reminding me that I am somebody, although the fact doesn't feel real as I sit here in my housecoat looking over old photographs and newspaper clippings.

Then I get to thinking about people of God of modest means looking to the hills for help. "God will be with you 'til the very end," my Aunt Virgie told me just before she died. She was persuaded, and I should not lose track of that idea.

All we can do is try our best and hope that history treats us well. Children, remember this lesson.

To God be the glory!

Facebook, Google hold deleted images/content without permission

Delete this!

With Facebook turning 10 the other day, they gave me a big surprise - a movie that looks real appealing which I included on my personal page. After waking up 15 minutes ago from a sound sleep, it came to me that pictures I had deleted were used in the video. How could they still be accessible on Facebook and to the world if I deleted them?

Also, I have noticed that pictures I uploaded to this blog and then deleted are still accessible through Google. What the???

Just goes to prove that whatever you put out there is still on some server. I bet deleted Gmail attachments are still "out there" too, which makes me fearful that anything I have posted or said in the privacy of my own emails has been stored by someone and can be used for or against me at anytime.

In a 2009 article by Jacqui Cheng re: Facebook deleted photos (http://arstechnica.com/business/2009/07/are-those-photos-really-deleted-from-facebook-think-twice/) this subject was discussed.

Cheng noted that Facebook's Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, the governing document for the site,  states that "when you delete IP content, it is deleted in a manner similar to emptying the recycle bin on a computer. However, you understand that removed content may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time (but will not be available to others)..."

Cheng concluded that, "This looks obviously false—said 'backup copies' are indeed accessible to anyone on the Web...if you don't want to give your enemies blackmail material, don't upload questionable photos in the first place. If you already have, just hope that no one has a direct link... or be prepared to blame all your transgressions on an evil twin."

Guess nothing I have said and images I have posted and deleted are not vaporized at all, and guess if I delete this blog, it will still linger in outer space. Maybe they are still on my timeline...Roll with it!

St. Joseph's Mission and Black History

Here is a Black History factoid:

Leaving mass is Condredge Holloway, Jr. (1st black quarterback at Univ. of Tenn.), Joan Moses, Mary Beeble and Tomi Morris.

"St. Joseph parochial school, with Sr. Imelda, principal, and Sisters Yolanda and Gerard teaching, opened with a bang in September of 1963...But the biggest bang of all resulted when, for the first time in the State of Alabama, in any public, private, or parochial elementary school, 118 students - 106 black and twelve white - took their places together, constituting a historic school integration.  Accomplished two days BEFORE George Wallace 'stood in the schoolhouse door', the integration was 'reverse', but integration none the less, and was 'not just peaceful, but warm, welcoming and comfortable' according to the mother of one of the white children enrolled."

---from History of St. Joseph's Parish, 1950-73 by Isabelle Marrero, Huntsville, Ala.

 

Black History Month begins with challenge

Stop dreaming. Do something big!