Emma was born with Down syndrome – but in the eyes of the Robertson family she was perfect. When the diagnosis was made during the pregnancy there was an intense period of fear, misunderstanding and denial that occurred between her mother and father. They had no experience with disabled children. They did not personally know a… [Read more…]
March 4, 2012
WHEN A HUMAN LIFE IS LOST, SO IS ALL THE POTENTIAL GOOD THAT PERSON MIGHT HAVE PRODUCED. 10,950,000 people die each year from extreme poverty. It is such a large number that we have difficulty comprehending it. However, when you are talking about almost eleven million deaths it is critically important to remember… [Read more…]
January 29, 2012
DOES IT MATTER HOW A CHILD DIES? You are driving alone down a city street. It is a nice day and you are in no particular hurry. You are observing the speed limit of 40 miles per hour and you are paying full attention to your driving. Your cell phone is turned off, and… [Read more…]
January 7, 2012
WATCHING HIS CHILD DIE WAS KILLING HIM. All through the night his daughter’s fever would rage and then suddenly she would shake violently with chills. Her small head throbbed with a stabbing pain that made her cry incessantly. At times she seemed to be slipping away, but then she would fight back and be with… [Read more…]
November 26, 2011
TIME IS THE ENEMY OF CHILDREN IN EXTREME POVERTY. Can you remember what you did 40 days ago? Most of us can’t. In just over a month we forget what we were so preoccupied with, what we were so worried about and what pressures we were under. Whatever seemed so important just 6 weeks ago… [Read more…]
November 1, 2011
They are not saints – they are not superhuman and they are not perfect. The parents of children and adults with intellectual challenges are just ordinary people. They come from all walks of life. They can be wealthy, economically deprived or part of the middle-class. They can belong to any religious faith or have no affiliation whatsoever.… [Read more…]
October 22, 2011
TRUE SACRIFICE IS RARE BECAUSE IT REQUIRES CHARACTER AND MORAL STRENGTH. For some people the idea of sacrifice is a completely alien concept. They spend their entire lives expecting others to make sacrifices on their behalf, but it never even occurs to them to return the favor. They quickly fall into the habit of constantly… [Read more…]
October 8, 2011
25,000 CHILDREN DIE EACH DAY FROM EXTREME POVERTY…THEY DON’T HAVE TO. In developing countries, children die out of our sight. We are vaguely aware that it is happening, but it is not something we have to personally deal with. The world conveniently looks away because the media refuses to cover the story. But what… [Read more…]
September 24, 2011
PEACE IS AN ABSOLUTE NECESSITY IF WE ARE TO ELIMINATE EXTREME POVERTY. Peace is, unfortunately, something we seem to take for granted. It is a precious and important ingredient for a long healthy life and yet we do not fully appreciate its significance. We blindly go through our lives assuming that everyone is as fortunate… [Read more…]
September 17, 2011
IT ONLY TAKES 55 DAYS FOR ONE MILLION CHILDREN TO DIE FROM HUNGER RELATED CAUSES. During that same length of time the average person will consume at least 132,000 calories, and in many cases they’ll take in a lot more than that. Some of us will put on weight during this time. We’ll go on… [Read more…]
September 10, 2011
EXTREME POVERTY PERSISTS BECAUSE WE ALLOW IT TO. Many natural factors contribute to the persistence of extreme poverty. Everything from draughts and tsunamis to hurricanes and earthquakes cause massive loss of life and suffering leaving the survivors homeless and without food or medical care. But on a continuous day-to-day basis the real cause of extreme… [Read more…]
September 3, 2011
IS ALL LIFE VALUED EQUALLY? How do we value a human life? What criteria do we use? Is one life deemed more valuable than another based on a particular set of perimeters? At this point in time that would, unfortunately, seem to be the case. We tend to judge people for all the wrong reasons, and this… [Read more…]
August 13, 2011
IF YOU KNEW IN ADVANCE THAT SOMEONE WAS GOING TO DIE, WOULD YOU TRY AND SAVE THEM?…TOMORROW YOU WILL HAVE THAT OPPORTUNITY 30,000 TIMES. That is how many human beings will die from extreme poverty in the next 24 hours. Each one of them could be saved if we would only make the necessary effort.… [Read more…]
June 18, 2011
COLLATERAL DAMAGE IS THE “ACCIDENTAL” MURDER OF INNOCENT WOMEN AND CHILDREN. Tragically, collateral damage is considered an acceptable part of the foreign policy of individual nations as well as international organizations. When it is felt that the time is appropriate, bombs and missiles are unleashed with the full knowledge that defenseless children are going to be blown to pieces,… [Read more…]
April 22, 2011
THE HUNGER OF AFFLUENCE Bert and Sharon were absolutely starving as they stood in line at their favorite all-you-can-eat buffet. Bert, who was planning to really put on the feedbag tonight, had cleverly remembered to loosen his belt a few notches out in the truck before they came in. They had both taken all of their… [Read more…]
April 3, 2011
WHEN IT COMES TO POVERTY IT IS ALWAYS THE VULNERABLE THAT SUFFER THE MOST, AND NO ONE IS MORE VULNERABLE THAN A DEFENSELESS CHILD. To exploit a child for your own physical pleasure is reprehensible. It is conduct that cannot be allowed to go unpunished and yet it does. How can this be? How… [Read more…]
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 | Agustin Rudick on WHAT’S FOR DINNER? |
| michael crawley on OLD AGE |
michael crawley
March 15, 2012
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