The Poor "Jarhead" Black Bear Cub

In the middle of August in central Florida, a 6-month-old black bear cub stuck its head into a big plastic jar when digging through trash in a neighborhood. Biologists say the cub was days away from death because the jar made it impossible to eat or drink for at least 10 days. The team had to tranquilize the mother bear and use her as a trap and then grab the cub to remove the jar from the bear's head. After she awoke and nursed the cubs, the bears were moved to a less populated area nearby.

It's not laughing matter. I think most sensitive people would agree that “at least 10 days’ is a long time. Not only without food and drink in the hot Florida summer, the cub may not be able to get enough oxygen since the jar might be too tight. Who knows what the long-term damage to its brain is. That’s why all the plastic bags sold in the US have some warning like this:

“This thin film may cling to nose and mouth, please keep it away from babies and children.”

Imaging your own 6-month-old baby covered with a plastic bag over his/her head, you will agree even 1 hour is too long. Any person who watches that without taking immediate action is a criminal.

Swim for Life

August 2nd was a typical blistering hot summer day in northwest Louisiana. It supposed to be a happy family gathering for a large group of relatives and friends, including approximately 20 children, when they arrived at Charles and Marie Hamel Memorial Park in far south Shreveport, a popular area for picnics, swimming, boating and wading. While the adults were preparing the barbecue, most of the kids went to play in the Red River. They had been there about 10 minutes when the tragedy happened. The teens had started wading in a familiar area where the water was shallow, but they wound up at a spot where the river bottom dropped off although just several feet into the river. Apparently one of the teens stepped off of a ledge and into an 18-foot sinkhole. The others went in to try to rescue the teen, but none of them could swim. They started to slip, one grabbing the other one, one trying to save the other one -- and then seven teenagers were struggling and fighting for their lifes. Unfortunately, none of the teenagers could swim, nor the adults who were watching them from the bank. As the teenagers yelled for help, parents and relatives could do nothing but watching them drown one by one. The lone life jacket nearby was thrown to the victims, but none could reach it. At the end, only one, a 14-year-old, was rescued by a nearby swimmer. Six teenagers from two families, age 13 to 18, drowned.

The tragic drownings highlight an unsettling statistic in this country. 41.8 percent of white children have little or no swimming ability, while the number is stunning 69 percent for black children, according to a study released last spring by the sports governing body USA Swimming.

Parental fear and lack of parental encouragement were the top two reasons children and parents gave for not swimming. The continuing cycle of people not knowing how to swim and their children not knowing how to swim should end. Adults should not pass their fear of water onto their children. The parents should lead by example and learn to swim with their children. You don’t need to swim like Michael Phelps. At least you should be able to keep yourself float long enough to wait for rescue. This is one of the most precious gifts that the parent can give to their children – because it may save their lives someday.

In the Military We Trust?

Since 1975, Gallup has been conducting polls on US public Confidence in Institutions annually. This year, the poll was based on telephone interviews conducted July 8-11 with a random sample of 1,020 adults, aged 18 and older, living in the continental U.S. For those who first see this kind of poll, the results are pretty depressing. Among the 16 categories of institutions, only three institutions (the military, small business, and the police) got more than 50% “quite a lot” of confidence score. Astonishingly, Congress ranks dead last this year with only 11% showed more than “quite a lot” of confidence, while 50% showed “very little” or none confidence. Remember they are the people we elected – talking about betrayal!

Interestingly, the military continues its long-standing run as the highest-rated U.S. institution. In fact, the military has been No. 1 in this list continuously since 1998, and has ranked No.1 or No. 2 almost every year since 1975. While Americans have decreasing confidence in the Administration and Congress, they forget who the real boss of the military is. Perhaps the real reason is that we are as naive as the military, or vice versa.

Kerry Anderson – A Cinderella Story

Kerry Anderson, now 26-year-old, graduated from Harvard University with a bachelor’s degree in government a few weeks ago. It’s an honor to graduate from one of the most prestigious universities in the world. Kerry’s background makes her even more special.
When Kerry was 12 years old, she and her young brother began to travel with their mom, Linda, a cross-country truck driver. They were home-schooled for many years while riding in the cab of a big rig crossing America. They learnt the basics of reading and writing not only from books, but also from the trips. They helped their mother plan travel routes and calculate how long it would take to reach a new destination - a practical education in geography and math.

By the time she was ready for college; Kerry took a break from the road and converted into conventional classroom studies at Valencia Community College in Central Florida. It was a different experience. She had to learn how to study in a new atmosphere. With her steely confidence and can-do character, she got very involved in extracurricular activities, student government, and community service projects. She earned a place on the dean's list and was also named 2007's distinguished graduate by Valencia's Alumni Association, giving her the honor to address more than 4,500 classmates at graduation.

After graduating from Valencia, Kerry wasn't sure where she was going to do next. Then she received an e-mail from someone claiming to be a Harvard University recruiter and wanted her to transfer with a full scholarship. At first, she and her mom thought the invitation might be a scam. After spending considerable time researching the unbelievable offer, they concluded it was genuine. Although Harvard turns away thousands of applicants every year and seldom takes transfer students – let along from an unknown community college, her story touched the recruiter who liked her experience. Now her experience and story become part of the university's.

After graduation, she is preparing to go to law school and eventually has a career in foreign policy and international relations. Her unique experience provides her with the perspective to deal with different people and things. As she said, "You need to understand how things started in order to learn how to fix things."

We wish her success in her future endeavor.

Teenagers’ Bill of Right and Responsibility

The 12 items listed below address many of the legal right and moral obligations teenagers have to their family and the society.

1. We, as teenagers, have a right to be treated with respect.

2. We have the right to say no and not feel guilty.

3. We have the right to make mistakes or change our minds.

4. We have the right to know what is happening within our own home.

5. We have the right to ask questions and expect answers about all things which may affect us and the family.

6. We have the obligation to respect and love our parents and siblings.

7. We have the obligation to let our parents know where we are, who our friends are, and who we are with at any time.

8. We have the obligation to communicate with parents about our school-related academic and social activities.

9. We have the obligation to fulfill the assigned chores and other family responsibilities appropriate to our ages.

10. We are obligated to follow house rules and understand the appropriate consequences.

11. We are obligated to participate in family activities, which may include meals, outings, study time, vacations, and other family together.

12. We are obligated not to attend at activities where alcohol or drug usage may occur.