The answer to yesterday's Who Am I was a woman ahead of time Donella Meadows.
From previous posts you know that on 10-28 my niece begins as the morning news anchor on Channel 11 from 4:30 AM to 7:00 AM. This is the thirty second promo that will playing on Texas TV before then:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S3esAS5O-Yo
My niece is a very cheerful person but I think I would need a lot of coffee to accept this much cheer at 4:30 AM. Am I being to critical? Good promo or bad promo You decide.
This article in Today's Oregonian did cheer me up almost that early:
http://www.oregonlive.com/gresham/index.ssf/2010/10/foster_grandparent_volunteers.html
I love the quote at the end of the article. "It almost seems immeasurable how small it is," Letorneau said. "But to the child, it's such a big step."
Following is an example of an article that I need to drink a pot of coffee before reading because it isn't anywhere near being cheerful. Imagine you have been in an abusive relationship for years where you husband beats you. You finally get up enough courage to call an abusive women's hot line. What do they tell you to do? Ride the bus all night.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/10/help_for_domestic_violence_vic.html
The sad thing is I don't think Portland or Oregon is the only place this is happening. I'm guessing it is taking place in every city and every state across the U.S.
Your comments about today's post or any post for that matter are appreciated.
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6 comments:
Your niece is very pretty and "cheerful" is putting it mildly. There's a 4:30 in the MORNING? Who knew?
The volunteer grannies sound just wonderful. If I had the time, I'd love to do something like that. But maybe not in the math part. {g} I could handle grade school arithmetic -- I can balance my checkbook -- but not too much beyond that.
I'm sure you're right that the lack of help for abused women is happening all over the country. I was, however, struck by this comment: "In almost all those cases from last November, the woman had the means to leave, she had family who could have helped her," Rollins says. But I guess she was talking about the murder-suicides, where the women had no idea it would come to that. I've never understood staying in an abusive relationship, but since I've always worked, I would have had resources if such a thing had happened to me. It's hard to get my head around having no options.
Lisa (right?) is very pretty and very perky. Since there's only one 4:30 in any given day in my world, and it occurs after lunch, I'm not sure how I'd respond. Then again, I'm betting she didn't get to write the script.
Loved the article on Foster Grandparents and have heard of them. Don't know if we have them here, but Furman U's FUlir (now known as Ollie) has a program called Reading Buddies, where volunteers work with at risk and troubled children at the nearby elementary school, to help them with reading and comprehension and mastering English as a second language. Once I retire, I hope to work with them.
The article on domestic violence and the lack of help available for those with no place else to go is appalling. Gee, just think what could be done if every big corp CEO donated 5% of his/her salary and/or bonus to the program? Or if even 1% of the money we send to the disadvantaged in all the other countries around the world was used to address this problem here at home.
I'm not surprised about dwindling private contributions. I know many people, on limited incomes, who are distressed because rising costs of everything, from health care to food to medicare premiums are going up, while their interest income goes down and Medicare sees no increases, which means they're having to cut back on charitable donations, in order to just exist themselves, and many are feeling guilty about it.
Pat, as to your comment about the article statement people had places to go and family... many abused women hide the fact from their family and are ashamed to admit it. In other cases, they don't go to family, because they fear for the family's safety, if the husband has become increasingly violent. There may be good reason for this. I know of two or three cases here recently where the woman went to a family member's home and the husband killed or injured not only his wife/ex, but parents or siblings, as well. I think "H*ll has no fury like a woman scorned," works both ways.
Hi Pat
I hope my niece stays cheerful for more than a week of 4:30 AMs
I actually wouldn't even mind the math part. Wonder if they have a volunteer granddaddies?
A lot of the murder suiciedes they did have family but in several of them the family didn't know. If they did know they didn't think it was that bad. I remember some of the murder suicides when they happened at the time and from the artcles written then. From things that I've read women often stay in abusive relationships because they don't think they deserve any better. After being told nobody would want you and you are stupid and you deserve to be beaten over a period of time the women begin to believe them and lose all their self-image.
Bill
Hi DR
Lisa is right. The video is unscripted. She was in to sit with her co-anchors and they filmed her when she was talking to them about what she was like.
I love the idea of a program called Reading Buddies. You would be a great addition to that program.
I was also appalled at the article on domestic violence. We really need to do more. Even if the CEO only donated 1% of his salary and bonuses to the program it would save several women from being out in the cold. In a bad economy charites become the first ones to hurt. People cut out things they don't have to pay so they can afford things they have to have, like food.
And you are right on in your message to Pat.
Bill
Bill, I think the program is Foster Grandparents and they want both men and women. Some kids relate better to men, particularly if they have no male role models in their lives. You'd be absolutely great!
Hi DR
I am looking for things to do in case something happens to Mom. I know I will feel lost for a while and a charity like this will help me as much as will the participants.
Bill
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