Zora Ball, with her parents, Curtis and Jackie. Image Cherri Gregg
First Grader Zora Ball Becomes Youngest Person to Create Mobile App Video Game
Pint-size programmer develops app
by Janel Martinez | www.blackenterprise.com | February 15, 2013
Think back to your first grade days when your innovative thoughts inspired the creation of gold-sprayed macaroni collages, paper mâché pieces and indoor cardboard box castles. If you haven’t noticed, the creative process has changed a bit–especially with school-age children having access to technology, namely mobile devices.
TEDxManhattan obviously wasn’t ready for a talk about “feeding a family with food stamps” and similar topics until the woman they invited then dis-invited went public and inspired mea culpa’s from the lofty inspiration mongers.
Foodies who pay $135 a ticket don’t want to hear about poor American people. This is TedXMANHATTAN which means they want more content like “edible food walls,” “the difference in treatment between pets and farm animals,” “growing food on top of supermarkets,” “the importance of taste,” “how to cultivate a logo,” “a vision for sustainable restaurants,” ya know, rich white people stuff. Those were titles of 2012 talks. See, they aren’t racist they talk about immigrants!
Thanks you Miss Fields for pointing out the class-ism inherent in our contemporary culture. After all poor Americans can only be poor because they are lazy and poor lazy Americans are soooo boring.
Federal programs like Food Stamps, and WIC combined with farming subsidies can literally change for the better what the majority of Americans actually eat. But who cares about that. Did you see the one on “Soba?” Inspiring.
Tanya Fields
Bronx Woman Booted from TEDx Conference Creates Her Own Event
January 25, 2013 | dnainfo.com
HUNTS POINT — Last August, the organizer of TEDxManhattan, a conference about the food movement that draws top thinkers and thousands of viewers, called Tanya Fields and invited her to speak.
She was elated.
An urban farmer and a single mother of four living in the South Bronx, Fields was eager to discuss food-access issues — like unhealthy options that lead to weight gain and illness, or feeding a family with food stamps — that she had personally experienced.
But four months later, after she had shared the news with friends and colleagues and started to prepare her multimedia talk, she received an email informing her that she was disinvited.
The organizer, Diane Hatz of the Glynwood Institute, said she decided Fields “wasn’t quite ready” for the event.
Would you pull over and jump into the marsh to save a family of strangers? Eric Logan did. What a nice guy. Pluff mud is found in marshes. It is stinky and sinky. You don’t step ON pluff mud, you step IN it.
Lowcountry UPS Driver Saves Stranded Family
Holly Bounds | WSAV News 3 | July 27, 2012
After 26 years on the job, a St. Helena UPS driver is used to customers saying he saved the day after he pulls up with their packages. But Wednesday’s route brought a different kind of relief to a family thankful to see him.
Eric Logan says summertime is like mini-Christmas for him on St. Helena Island, so there’s no time for dilly-dallying. But when he saw trouble on the highway Wednesday, instinct told him it was worth the 32 minutes he chose to clock out.
What some may call out of the way, Eric Logan has grown to love. Six years on the St. Helena to Fripp Island UPS route — there’s something that makes him want to stay there.
“I get to stay around the water, the rivers, the fishermen. I’ll be retiring on this route, it looks like,” Logan said.
But with tourist season is at its height, these days he’s in high demand. It’s a delivery guy’s taste of Christmas in July. Still, he finds a way to keep up.
“I try to look out for them and give them the best service I can without compromising safety,” Logan said.
But service and safety turned into a rush-order Wednesday, with a carload of customers not on the schedule.
“I was coming over the bridge and there was a vehicle about 200-300 yards in front of me, they weaved over to the left hand side of the road then shot off to the right, and just kind of went airborne out into the causeway into the pluff mud,” Logan said.
Talk about priority, Logan knew what he had to do. He secured his truck, then headed out into the mud himself, rescuing those trapped inside.
“Well, my heart racing 100 miles an hour but I saw some of the smaller children. I was able to carry some of those in my arms and one on my back the first trip, and then there was an older boy maybe 12 or so, and I was trying to warn him not to jump because he was in the mud but he jumped anyway and he sank. I had to pull him out,” Logan said.
The news of the ordeal spread as fast as a free shipping special.
“I was here at work and people were talking about this family that had gotten stuck and someone stopped and saved them,” Madison Logan said.
Surprised but not shocked, Madison came home to learn that savior to the strangers was her dad.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that if anybody was in trouble, he’d be the first to save them because that’s the kind of person he is,” she said.
Eric assured me all packages made it to their destinations Wednesday. After EMT and firefighters arrived, he hopped right back into his truck and went about his route. He said he just had to apologize the rest of the day since he was covered in pluff mud.
As for the family, they went to the hospital, checked out, and have returned home after vacation.
Eric hopes this episode doesn’t keep them from coming back to visit.
President Barack Obama awards the Medal of Honor to former Marine Corps Cpl. Dakota Meyers, 23, from Greensburg, Ky., Sept. 15, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C. Cpl. Meyers was in Afghanistan's Kunar province in Sept. 2009 when he repeatedly ran through enemy fire to recover the bodies of fellow American troops. He is the first living Marine to be awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in Iraq or Afghanistan. Image Pablo Martinez Monsivais / AP
The following came from http://www.marines.mil
The President of the United States in the name of The Congress takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to CORPORAL DAKOTA L. MEYER UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS Â For service as set forth in the following
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving with Marine Embedded Training Team 2-8, Regional Corps Advisory Command 3-7, in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, on 8 September 2009. Corporal Meyer maintained security at a patrol rally point while other members of his team moved on foot with two platoons of Afghan National Army and Border Police into the village of Ganjgal for a pre-dawn meeting with village elders. Moving into the village, the patrol was ambushed by more than 50 enemy fighters firing rocket propelled grenades, mortars, and machine guns from houses and fortified positions on the slopes above. Hearing over the radio that four U.S. team members were cut off, Corporal Meyer seized the initiative. With a fellow Marine driving, Corporal Meyer took the exposed gunner’s position in a gun-truck as they drove down the steeply terraced terrain in a daring attempt to disrupt the enemy attack and locate the trapped U.S. team. Disregarding intense enemy fire now concentrated on their lone vehicle, Corporal Meyer killed a number of enemy fighters with the mounted machine guns and his rifle, some at near point blank range, as he and his driver made three solo trips into the ambush area. During the first two trips, he and his driver evacuated two dozen Afghan soldiers, many of whom were wounded. When one machine gun became inoperable, he directed a return to the rally point to switch to another gun-truck for a third trip into the ambush area where his accurate fire directly supported the remaining U.S. personnel and Afghan soldiers fighting their way out of the ambush. Despite a shrapnel wound to his arm, Corporal Meyer made two more trips into the ambush area in a third gun-truck accompanied by four other Afghan vehicles to recover more wounded Afghan soldiers and search for the missing U.S. team members. Still under heavy enemy fire, he dismounted the vehicle on the fifth trip and moved on foot to locate and recover the bodies of his team members. Corporal Meyer’s daring initiative and bold fighting spirit throughout the 6-hour battle significantly disrupted the enemy’s attack and inspired the members of the combined force to fight on. His unwavering courage and steadfast devotion to his U.S. and Afghan comrades in the face of almost certain death reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the United States Naval Service.
Stephanie Decker. Stephanie Decker lost one leg above the knee and the other above her ankle when she shielded her two children from a tornado. "They're here because of you," her husband, Joe Decker, told her later in hospital. Image AP
Mom loses legs saving two children from deadly U.S. tornado
Rick Callahan | thespec.com | March 6, 2012
INDIANAPOLIS— A woman who saved her two children by binding them together with a blanket and shielding them with her body as a tornado ripped apart their house lost parts of both her legs, which were crushed by the falling debris, her husband says.
Stephanie Decker, a 36-year-old sleep specialist, lost one leg above the knee and the other above the ankle, her husband said Monday. She was in serious but stable condition at a Kentucky hospital. The couple’s 8-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter survived Friday’s storm unscathed.
Officer rescues man from burning house
6abc.com  |  2011-02-12
A female police officer rescued a man from a burning house in East Oak Lane Friday, and may have saved his life.
“Gentleman walking down the street said ‘there’s a fire right there,’ and I was like what? ‘There’s a fire right there.’ So I got out and ran up the street,” explained Officer Tawana Dickerson.
The officer was met with the sight of the burning house as she dashed from her traffic post at a nearby car accident.
The flames poured out of the window of an East Oak Lane house early Friday afternoon.
35th District Officer Tawana Dickerson ran inside upon hearing there was someone stuck inside.
“I saw the fire shooting out of the windows, windows busting out. Next thing you know, I just said, ‘I’m going in’”, said Officer Dickerson.
When she emerged, it was with 57 year old Mike Smith.
Mr Henderson’s story is sad and scary. Hopefully Dinklage’s shout out on a global awards telecast can help others avoid a similar fate.
Peter Dinklage and Martin Henderson (Pic: Getty and SWNS)
Who is Martin Henderson? Golden Globe Winner Peter Dinklage Dedicates Award to Him [VIDEO]
By Laura Matthews | January 16, 2012 | www.ibtimes.com
When Peter Dinklage won a 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series on Sunday at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Award, the “Game of Thrones” star dedicated the award to a man name Martin Henderson.
Henderson, a fellow little person from Somerset in England, was the victim of a dwarf tossing incident that left him with serious back injuries. The BBC reported that Henderson, 37, was picked up and dropped on the ground while he was out celebrating his birthday with friends at the White Horse pub in Wincanton in October.
The attack happened when Henderson went outside for a cigarette and he told “Metro” that a drunken stranger picked him up and threw him. The toss caused Henderson to land on his back, after falling three feet, according to reports.
According to MTV News, both Dinklage and Henderson suffer from achondroplasia, which causes dwarfirsm.
This story gets me “right here.” Imagine every person you see has a list of dreams in their pocket. What would your list have on it? Condolences to Ms Fountain’s friends and family.
Todd Maisel/New York Daily News Donna Fountain, 38, a home health attendant and single mom, was killed by a hit and run driver on Eastern Parkway and Troy Avenue Christmas morning, leaving behind her only son, Eliajah, 8. This is her photo from her ID.
Donna Fountain, 38, a home health attendant and single mom, was killed by a hit-and-run driver on Eastern Parkway and Troy Ave. on Christmas morning. A note she left behind lists her dreams.
Brooklyn woman killed in Christmas hit and run died with pocketful of dreams Donna Fountain leaves behind 8-year-old son
BY Helen Kennedy & Kevin Deutsch | NEW YORK DAILY NEWS | December 27 2011, 6:00 AM
Updated: Tuesday, December 27 2011, 6:00 AM
Donna Fountain carried her list with her everywhere, five items written out in pencil headed simply “My Dreams.â€
Her goals: find a great job, buy a house by age 45, start a sanctuary for gay and lesbian teens, marry the woman of her dreams and watch her son, Elijah, graduate from college.
Donna Fountain will never see any of her dreams come true.
At just 38, she was cut down on Christmas morning by a hit-and-run driver in Crown Heights as she headed out to work as a home health care aide.
It will be a very Merry Christmas for a man from Lansdowne, Delaware County.
He lost his wallet on a SEPTA bus Thursday, but had it back in his possession in just a few hours, thanks to the diligence and honesty of a pair of SEPTA employees.
Joseph Love is both happy and grateful, and admittedly a little surprised at the kindness of his fellow man.
It was about 7:30am Thursday. Love was on SEPTA’s Route 32 bus on his way to work at the Construction Mall at 15th and Washington Ave.
A short time later he noticed he didn’t have his wallet.
“Ten minutes later I was like, ‘Where’s my wallet?’ I looked all over and I said to myself, ‘Oh, man!’ I usually keep it in a zipper pocket but I didn’t that day. I was feeling panicky because I knew it was a million-in-one shot that I would get it back,” Love told Action News.
Times are tough all over America and the Census confirms that half the US population is broke or flat broke. However not everyone is suffering and some of the not broke people are going to K-Mart stores and paying off the holiday lay aways of the less fortunate, who planned ahead and wanted to avoid credit card debt. Apparently the act of kindness started in Michigan and has spread.
Laguna Beach, Sacramento and Costa Mesa CA, Englewood, CO, Oregon, North Carolina, Washington DC, Michigan, Indiana, Idaho, Ohio, Florida, Virginia, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Massachusetts and Connecticut K-Marts have all reported “Secret Santas” paying off the balances for people they most likely don’t know. Some Santas have not been so secret, and have come forward boasting of their good deed but far more kind hearted charitable people have quietly done a good deed without seeking any acknowledgement. Often a person comes to make a payment on their lay away, finds it has been paid and pays ANOTHERÂ person’s layaway account.
I have not been able to find one single article that touches on this contagious act of charity. Instead, local markets cover the charitable act in their towns and that is what I’ve included below.
K-Mart with it’s decades old year round layaway plan is an integral part of this story. K-Marts are often located in working class neighborhoods and the increasingly rare lay away program is a way for people with a budget to plan their holiday shopping. Some stories have said donors have specifically asked to pay off balances of lay aways that are near delinquency
Sam Wright, of Allentown, a store manager at Kmart on Tighman Street in Allentown talks about Secret Santas that are paying off Kmart account balances throughout Lehigh Valley. Kmart layaway account balances are being paid off by unanimous people in Lehigh Valley Image MONICA CABRERA/THE MORNING CALL
Secret Santas: Anonymous people are paying off strangers’ layaway accounts at Kmarts Anonymous people are paying off strangers’ layaway accounts at Kmarts.
By Tyrone Richardson, Of The Morning Call | Â December 22, 2011
A woman walked into the Kmart on Tilghman Street in South Whitehall Township Thursday afternoon with one goal: Pay off someone’s layaway balance.
The Secret Santa or “layaway angel,” who wanted to remain anonymous, asked assistant store manager Sam Wright if she could help a customer who owed money on layaway toys. Wright sorted through a long list of names to find a match.
The woman explained what moved her to act: The night before, she said, she and her 11-year-old daughter walked away from a head-on collision with a drunken driver. Her car was totaled.
“I thought I better get out today and do something,” she said. “I figure we had an angel yesterday, and I wanted to make sure someone else would have one today.”
Similar acts of kindness have echoed through Kmart stores across the Lehigh Valley and nation in recent weeks. People aglow with the spirit of giving are walking into the stores, opening their wallets and offering to pay off strangers’ layaway account balances largely without any recognition in return.
