Wednesday, 18 November 2009

  • Dont Drink and Drive

    FIVE MINUTES THAT CHANGED MY LIFE
    By Phil Rog, Educational Program Director

    It started out as a weekend father-and-son fishing trip and turned out to be a life-changing experience. The next five minutes would alter the course of life for both my son and myself. We were following a full-size van after dark along a stretch of road leading out of town. The road was winding and had double yellow lines warning us to be alert of what lay ahead. As we came to the last major curve, I saw a faint light coming toward the van and stopped as quickly as I could. Something was not right, and as I looked up, I saw the oncoming car lose control and slide into the front of the van.

    Even in the dark of night I could see the degree of damage to both cars. Small fires started in both cars as we slowly drove up through the debris to see if anyone needed help. What we found was that the driver of the oncoming car died during the impact, and the van had people crying for help. It took both my son and I to break into the burning van and enter it only to see a large pile of people pleading for help.

    One by one we pulled out a mother and five children. As I reentered the van, a young girl of about thirteen stared into my eyes, as the heat became so intense her clothing caught on fire. She never cried, but the look on her face was one I will never forget. She seemed to accept the fact she was about to die and showed no pain. I told her I was sorry and backed out as the fire blew past her, and I knew there was no hope for the others left in the van.

    It was later that night at the hospital we learned that the van had a total of thirteen occupants, and my son and I were credited with saving the lives of six of them. The car, that caused this carnage, was driven by a man with a blood alcohol level twice the legal limit.

    As we mended our cuts and burns over the next few weeks, I called local and state officials offering my services as a speaker. As a teacher, I had hopes that a tragedy like this could be used at schools and community events to educate people and especially children to the dangers of drinking and driving. Pat Larson, Director of Victim Services for AAIM, gave me my chance to do that and also placed the idea of the AAIMmobile as a possible forum to speak from.

    I have contacted many corporations asking for help to start a program using the AAIMmobile as a focus point to reach the people of Illinois. Two of the state's leaders, Allstate Insurance and McDonalds, have funded a program that has covered the northern half of Illinois. The AAIMmobile has been to county fairs, community events, car, air, and motorcycle shows this summer. Coming up are more community and charity events, go-cart races, and fall and winter parades. To date, the AAIMmobile has been seen by over one million people through events and many more by its travel on the roads of Illinois. As for my son James, he started college and is majoring in Law Enforcement-his way of making a difference.

    I posted this story because on 11/13/2009 my great-uncle Clyde-Merle Wilbanks was enjoying an early morning motorcycle ride when he was struck by a man in a car; who thought it would be okay to get bhind the wheel of a car with alcohol in his system. Even though my uncle was wearing a helment, when he left the scene of the accident he had little to no brain wave activity. He was taken off life support the next day and was cremated. His ashes will be spread over Mount Ranier in Washington State according to his wishes. May God bless his soul.

    With this event happening its really made me take a step back and look at the times I have gotten behind the wheel with alcohol in my system. Never have I been fall down drunk but we must remember even one beer in our system still impairs our judgement. I will never get behind the wheel intoxicated again. Thanks for opening my eyes, Lord, and helping me to once again better myself.

    If any of my readers have their own stories to tell please feel free. http://www.aaim1.org/5min.asp

     

  • Why It's Better to Date a Nerd! | datingish

  • SHOCKER!

    Im really conceited. Ya I know, heather does all this charity work, shes gunna save the world, blah blah blah what ever shit my parents are feeding you. But ya its true and it really came as a shock to me. Im sure for those who really know me (like michael miller..hey buddy *waves*) this isnt that big of a shocker!

    So I have always struggled with my weight even though Ive never been a lard ass, but Its still been a consistent focus of mine. Like I think about it all day. ATTENTION WALMART CUSTOMERS: you dont help my obsession any when you ask stupid questions like When are you due? Is this your first child? or my fave Oh dear let me, you are in no condition to be lifting that. YUCK! you ppl are sick. Take my advice...dont ask a girl that unless you are like 100% sure. You may want to try this new thing called: Minding Your Own F***ing  Business.

    So since I do have an eating disorder and did a stint in rehab for it back in 2006-2007 these comments dont help me at all. I didnt eat lunch for like three days cause of yalls idiotic comments. So I always have thought that my obsession with weight is because of the worlds obsession with MY WEIGHT. I mean look at the t.v. there are commercials for diet pills and cleansers every 2.5 seconds. But in all honesty I dont think ppl really care what I weigh,.. I mean they are too busy worrying about what THEY weigh to care about what I weigh. So my focus on my weight has nothing to do with others. Even if no one said anything to me about my UNBORN NON-EXISTENT CHILD, I'd still be focusing on it. Im just conceited...thats all it really boils down too. Dont be conceited there are bigger problems in the world.

    MORAL OF THE STORY: Dont worry about what YOU THINK ppl are thinking about YOUR WEIGHT cause they arent they have no time to focus on what you think they are thinking about your weight cause they are to busy wondering what YOUR thinking about THEIR weight. lol ya follow. I guess we're all just a little conceited. SHOCKER! not.

     

Tuesday, 17 November 2009

  • Food For Fun

    Thank You Thank You to everyone who came out to support the Gleaners Food Bank. Thank you to all the parents and children who donated bags of groceries for needy familys. Its a good cause and the kids have a blast. Its held at the Xscape 3191 Lafayette Rd., Indianapolis. If you missed it we are also continuing it tomorrow at 11am at the same location. Just bring a paper sack of canned goods and the kids will receive $10 worth of cards that can be used on the go-karts, bumber cars, laser tag, the XD Theatre, arcade games and more. You will help raise money and have a good time doing it. So thanks again and if you missed it today please please come tomorrow. One family may be counting on your donation. For directions call 317-295-1782.

Monday, 16 November 2009

  • More Food In Kenya

    Joram Abiero remembers it was not too long ago that his neibhors went to bed hungry. Now they and thousands of others in the lowlands of western Kenya are able to get year-round work as farm laborers or earn money from their once neglected rice paddies. The governments investment in a rundown irrigation project has revived a rural economy that was in the dumps for years.

    The descernible change this season's harvest of rice has brought to the western town of Ahero also helps illustrate the message the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization has trumpeted this year: governments need to invest more in agriculture to reduce the number of ppl who need food aid- currently one in six ppl on the globe.

    Heads of state and government from around the world gather in Rome on Monday at a Food and Agriculture Organization summit to explore new strategies. The simmit's top goal is to rally the world behind a change in aid policy, and to secure a pledge to spend more money to develop agriculture in poor countries.

    Kenyas program could serve as a model for a radical change in aid policy- getting ppl to feed themselves. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, which is hosting the three-day summit at its Rome headquarters, says the share of international aid allocated to agriculturehas plummeted from around 19% in 1980 to 3.8% in 2006. Only recently has this trend started to reverse, but in the meantime high food prices and the finacial meltdown have pushed the number of hungry people to a record 1.02 billion people- nearly a sixth of the worlds population.

    Small farmers in the developing world could feed themselves and their compatriots if only they had access to such basic items such as seeds, tools and irrigation systems. But with food prices relatively low until the spike of 2007-2008, government and private investors thought there was less need to put the money into agriculture, said organization economist Kostas Stamoulis.

    Money was diverted instead to less complex and more attention-grabbing projects. "Agriculture lost its glitter," Stamoulis said. "Its much more media-friendly to go cut a ribbon in a hospital or a school rather than mess around with agriculture research or water projects.

    Article from Lafayette Journal and Courier written by Tom Maliti and Ariel David. 

     

Heather_Marie87

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