Sunday, January 30, 2005

Tsunami Fundraiser hosted by Room to Read Boston

EDUCATION:
Transforming Tsunami Catastrophe into Long-Term Opportunities

Why did CNN interview Room to Read on perspectives of school rebuilding in Sri Lanka?
Why did an IDP Camp medical doctor choose Room to Read for his commitment?
Why did MA teenage twins initiate a nationwide tsunami fundraiser for Room to Read?

Come to Join Us for Slideshows
To learn about how result-oriented Room to Read will help 10 million children achieve literacy by 2020,
how a seasoned medical doctor passionately rises to advocate for education, and
how 12-years-old twins create a banding movement rippling across the country.

To get inspired and take actions to help rebuild schools in the ravaged region for a lasting impact!

Wednesday, February 2
6:30-8:30PM (Slideshows Start at 7:00PM)
66 Long Wharf, 5th Floor, Boston
(Near the Aquarium at the waterfront, past Marriott Hotel and Chart House Restaurant)
Directions & Parking: http://www.newdirections.com/index.asp?id=129

Wines, Cheese & Desserts
Raffles: Romantic Dinner, Intriguing Play, Sensational Massage, Career Consultation & Gift Certificate

2004 Tax Deduction: Donations made by 1/31/05 are qualified. To expedite the process,
please make your contributions online at http://www.roomtoread.org/donate.html.

R.S.V.P.: Boston@RoomToRead.org (Please include name, e-mail, number in party)
For more info: Celine at 617-283-1562



Ron Ruffing is a medical doctor at New England Medical Center and teaches at Tufts University. Ron is highly devoted to international healthcare and has been taking personal time to work at various IDP camps in disadvantaged developing countries for over a decade. At the onset of the tsunami crisis, Ron was working in the Abu Shouk IDP Camp in North Darfur, Sudan, following closely the crisis, and invited to join an emergency health assessment project in Aceh. A dedicated Room to Read volunteer/donor, Ron initiated this tsunami fundraiser and personally donated $1,000. Ron strongly identifies with Room to Read founder’s vision of turning emergency relief into long-term development in such as school rebuilding and hence fiercely advocates for lasting solutions.

David & Danielle Sackstein are 12-year-old twins who are students at Ephraim Curtis Middle School in Sudbury, MA, and will be celebrating their B'nai Mitzvah milestone on 5/14. The media-worthy nationwide "Schools Banding Together " movement to benefit Room to Read is their chosen "Mitzvah Project." The campaign sells wrist bands inscribed with ”Relief, Rebuild, Restore – Schools Building Schools, Tsunami Relief 2005.” 50,000 bands have been ordered nationwide. Both children are A students and leaders in their Student Government (President of Student Council and Chair of a committee respectively). For more information on the banding campaign, please contact the children at blsjd@cs.com or 978-443-3007.

Random act of Responsibility

I was on the subway the evening of Saturday, and I witnessed something great. I was riding home from a day of volunteering and a simple dinner at the Inn at Marina Bay.

A young man got on the train. He attracted my notice because he looked like someone I was in love with in the past. Well, it would be more correct to say had a crush on that I never voiced. He had the same blond hair(Granted, his hair was dyed blond-this random passenger that is) , glasses and brown eyes and easy like Sunday morning manner.

He was listening to his ipod, minding his own business when a older Chinese man got on the train with a newspaper and sat next to him. The Chinese man went on reading the paper for a few stops until he did one of the few things that get my goat. He took a section of the paper that he had no use for and dropped it on the floor.

I hate littering. One may complain that our subway is crummy anyway. Trash is the order of the day. The barrels are not always obvious and well, since 9/11, not always present. Still as adults we know that litter goes into the litter bin or trash can.

My guy with the blond hair tapped the man lightly on the shoulder. He asked him what he was doing. The man smiled at him and went back to reading his newspaper. My guy tapped him again in the same manner. When the man made eye contact with him, he asked him to pick up the paper he had put on the floor. He did not yell, or curse. He just asked him to pick up the paper he put on the floor. When the man tried to ignore him a second time, he said, "Come on man, you know that's wrong. That's littering."

This time the man did not ignore him and he picked up the paper. When he got off the train, he took the paper with him.

I caught my guy's and told him that I saw what happened and that I thought he was cool. He smiled sheepishly.

Unfortunately they do not give out rewards for people that encourage responsible behaviour in their fellow riders.

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Michelle and the meaning of life

Those that know me know that January and March are important months to me. Not only are they playoff months for football and college basketball, they are also important months in the figure skating season. If you are American, they are THE important months.

January is the US Nationals and March is the World's in which one skater in each discipline receives a piece of hardware that says that "All of that hard work paid off. I am the best at this moment. Or at least until the next 16 year old comes along." I watch all with equal zeal and have been known to use similar language when watching either the final four of college basketball or the long program of figure skating.

Michelle Kwan, who in the amateur ranks is consider an elderstateswoman at 24, won her 9th national title. From 1996-2005, she has accumulated 9 titles. Nine first place titles that say she is the best female skater in the United States.

Name a sports team, professional or college, in recent memory (besides the Yankees or the truly underrepresented women's college basketball team, the women's professional soccer team and tennis player Steffi Graff) that accomplished as much in over ten years. Especially in a sport that seems to not want you around once you hit any age of legal consent. Michelle, at 24, is still at the top of her game.

At times, she was challenged. The only thing she does not have is an Olympic gold medal, which is a tough situation for a competitor of her calibre to be reconciled with, especially since in both of her Olympic showings she was only a triple jump away from the gold medal. This hole in her resume seems to be the reason she has kept her amateur status. There are great skaters that have not medaled, let alone won gold at the Olympics. Kurt Browning is one name that comes to mind. He was a 4 time World Champion and he, was the one actually performed the first quad jump. Albertville and Lillehammer were supposed to be his years and unfortunately, it just didn't work out. He has gone one to a wonderful professional career where he has re-invented what is possible in men's skating. Yuka Sato, who competed in the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics that Michelle could only attend as alternate because she was not old enough to compete, went on to win the Worlds in 1994 and have a fruitful professional career which includes pairs skating with her husband Jason Dunjen.

The huge challenge for Michelle has been not only to be motivated enough to stay in the game of amateur skating but also to take positive risks that would allow her to grow as a skater and artist. The women in the senior's are pushing again. They are upping their difficulty in jumps while still maintaining requsite artistry that is expected of the women.

Probably the best advice that Michelle has probably even been given came from of all people, former Utah Jazz and still LA Laker, Karl Malone. People who know me, know that he is not one of my favorite people. There are definitely players that come before him that invoke particular loathing from me-former Houston Rocket and Laker Robert Horry is at the head of the list. Malone told Michelle basically that she can't sit on the fence. If she wants the gold medal, she has to be serious about it and prepare for it every day. There can be no doubt. He delivered this advice to her during one of those stupid ABC Sports segments where they were trying to market that they carry both skating and the NBA and that both were cool. I largely ignored it until he gave her his "pearl of wisdom." The earth I suppose stood still. It was a little like listening to the small segments they run during "The Apprentice" where Trump talks about success and preparedness and but for the fact that it is coming from a living cartoon, it actually is pretty sound advice.
I think that the Michelle I saw at the US Nationals last night is a more focused Michelle that does not take anything for granted and that took Malone's advice to heart. I don't think she ever did take anything for granted. She just really never had anyone for long periods of her career that could push her in any real way. She had to push herself, which is good but imagine the 80s NBA scene without Bird and Magic or Kareem or Parrish. People might point to Irina Slutskaya but, as much as I love Irina, she was and still is a very strong technical skater but until recently exceedingly weak in her artistry. She is leagues better these days but Michelle still trumps her. Sasha Cohen, who resides somewhere next to Karl Malone in my food chain of "Can't Stand you At All" Land, has all the talent in the world and at one time all of the arrogance that went with it. She hasn't delivered. Part of me hopes that she won't long enough to let Michelle win number 10 and a gold medal. That's not a realistic hope. Honestly too, I think Michelle keeping Sasha in the back of her head is good for her. Keeps her sharp.

What does Michelle's win mean for us mere mortals? If there is something you want, go for it. There is no sitting on the fence. Hard work, consistency, and inner pride will carry you a long way. Talent is good. Experience is and talent is better.

It also doesn't hurt when you rival puts her hand down on a triple lutz.

Thursday, January 6, 2005

U2

I just happen to be listening to "Bloody Sunday," one of the many songs that help me to understand the fascination with the band. I see images, political ones in some of them and then something like "Vertigo" comes along and shows you how much they can have fun. The word is that the tour is postponed. I like live music but I suspect that tickets would be harder to get than anything.

Monday, January 3, 2005

What I saw recently

I had a friend tape what I thought were intriguing anime titles that air on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim.

One was what I now know is Wolf's Rain.

Saturday, January 1, 2005

It is decided

I decided that I will publish on a weekly or biweekly critiques on movies and television and sometimes history past and present.Last night I saw the movie 'Spanglish,' which was done by James L. Brooks of 'Terms of Endearment' fame.

Review: The Tale of the Dark Crystal

The Tale of the Dark Crystal by Donna Bass My rating: 4 of 5 stars View all my reviews