Jimmy Carter and Zimbabwe

I was just reading an article in the L.A. Times about Zimbabwe. A man I admire for his tireless humanitarian efforts, former President Jimmy Carter, said the situation in Zimbabwe is much worse than can be imagined.

This is his quote from the Times:

"The entire basic structure in education, healthcare, feeding people, social services and sanitation has broken down," Carter said at a news conference in Johannesburg, South Africa. "These are all indications that the crisis in Zimbabwe is much greater, much worse than we had ever imagined."

The interesting thing is that Carter has not been to Zimbabwe lately. A group of people that includes Carter and Kofi Anan, who label themselves The Elders, were denied access to Zimbabwe by guess who?

Robert Mugabe.

Carter talked to refugees from Zimbabwe in South Africa to gather the information. An estimated 4.9 million people need aid for food and none of the 4 major hospitals are functioning in Zimbabwe.

This is a problem....read the article in the L.A. Times (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-mugabe25-2008nov25,0,7756381.story) and discuss amongst yourselves.....

Giving Water

Today the keynote address for the Blackbaud Conference I am attending was by a gentleman named Peter Thum. Peter started Ethos Water in order to sell bottled water to provide clean water for children and communities who have no access to water that is unspoiled. It is an amazing way to take something that is popular and use it to help make the world a better place.

Traveling through South Africa, the lack of access to clean water was clearly evident. Water is the next big issue in conservation and also should be in health care.

So next time you buy bottled water, check out Ethos and this article. (http://money.cnn.com/2007/10/31/smbusiness/Ethos.fsb/index.htm)

Let us hope that we can use our resources and technology to make sure every person (especially children) has access to clean water. I hope all of us will do the same thing Peter did...have an idea, write it on a napkin, and change the world....

Turning 39

Yes, this very day 39 years ago I was born. I am thankful that I have made it this far with so many things in my life that I am thankful for:

1. My wife who graciously married me when she might have been smarter to rethink that decision:)
2. Our dogs who teach me the meaning of unconditional love every day. One day I hope to be as good of a person as they think I am.....
3. My parents (and Marybeth's Mom and Grandma too!)
4. My brother-in-law, sister and their two boys.
5. Friends that I couldn't imagine life without.
6. A job.

I am truly more fortunate that I realize everyday......

Thanks also for those of who read this blog......It is a pleasure to interact with you.

Have one for me tonight!

My Choice...

Election day is finally here. My friend Jonathan called me last night wondering what I was going to write this morning. My apologies for not calling him back but I wanted this to be debuted here not elsewhere!

This election has been one of the most interesting ones that I can remember. The idea of change we can believe in didn't work for me though. I didn't see either party putting up a platform that I thought was truly change. (Granted the Dems platform this year was much better than 4 years ago...when they didn't even have one!)

First of all, I did not vote for McCain/Palin. I highly respect John McCain for everything he has done but at his age, I cannot imagine him living through a 4 year presidency unscathed health-wise. That would leave us with Sarah Palin taking a much larger role in the White House. That I am not comfortable with because of her lack of experience and her communication skills have left me unsure about what she would actually do in the White House.

Second of all, I did not vote for Obama/Biden. Obama's lack of experience scared me. He is a powerful speaker that will definitely infuse hope in the nation but I am not sure what he would do after that! Growing up in Maryland, I have seen Biden's work and was not impressed along with his plagiarism. (Being a former English teacher, plagiarism is a big no-no!)

That didn't leave me with any option in the major parties that I felt comfortable with. Beyond that, I truly believe that we need a 3rd party option.

I ended up choosing this guy http://www.bobbarr2008.com/issues.

I don't agree with everything he stands for but if we are going for change, we need to do something different than the two parties we currently have because I don't really see much difference between the two.

A third...or even fourth party...would be helpful to truly change. I cast my vote to start that process.

Discuss amongst yourselves.....(and sorry Jon...but at least I didn't vote Republican right?:))

Tomorrow is the day...

As tomorrow is election day, first thing tomorrow morning I will post who I voted for and why. It may be a shock and it may not be...discuss amongst yourselves!