The Valour-IT site has been updated and if you link there, please find some time (quickly) to update your blogrolls/sidebars/etc…

If you are unaware of what I’f talking about, it’s a project to get laptops with voice activated software into the hands of our injured troops at the major medical facilities, so they can continue to keep in touch with family, friends and their units.

The link is now: http://soldiersangels.org/index.php?page=project-valour-it

Get to work!

I found this on Little Green Footballs yesterday afternoon and see it has made it’s way to Cdr Salamander’s blog, too.

A Polish woman, Irena Sendler, saved 2,500 Jewish children between 1940 and 1943, before she was arrested by the Nazis and then tortured. She never gave up the names of the children. 2500. Think about it: 2500 lives snatched from the jaws of certain death, by a woman, who was not Jewish, and knew full well of the penalty for such rescue work. 2500 people, many of who, by basic demographics, have had generations flow from them, which would have otherwise been truncated forever. She is still alive and was honored in Warsaw by a ceremony the 93 year old woman was unable to attend. The Boston Herald has a detailed story of this woman’s heroism:

WARSAW, Poland – Irena Sendler saved nearly 2,500 Jewish children from the Nazis, organizing a ring of 20 Poles to smuggle them out of the Warsaw Ghetto in baskets and ambulances.

The Nazis arrested her, but she didn’t talk under torture. After she survived the war, she expressed regret – for doing too little.

Lawmakers in Poland’s Senate disagreed Wednesday, unanimously passing a resolution honoring her and the Polish underground’s Council for Assisting Jews, of which her ring of mostly Roman Catholics was a part.

Poland’s goverment-in-exile set up the secret organization in 1942 to help save Jews from the Nazi-established ghettoes and labor camps.

Anyone caught helping Jews in Nazi-occupied Poland risked being summarily shot, along with family members. The resolution honored Sendler for organizing the ”rescue of the most defenseless victims of the Nazi ideology: the Jewish children.”
[…]

It seems to me, as I have seen others commenting around the blogosphere, that she is the very kind of person who deserves to be held up as a role model, and not these bored little rich girls we see splashed about the media.

I, for one, have faith that this woman will most certainly be greeted with “Well done, my good and faithful servant” when she leaves this life on Earth.

Go, read, and have a renewing of the mind with this story.

Distributed computing has become a valuable tool in analyzing masses of data. One of the first was the SETI@Home project (about 2.7M years of computing time has been used on this effort), which needed help searching through the volumes of collected radio spectrum data pulled down. Since that project modeled a method to use other computers across a large area network to assist in culling through the info, there are now protein folding project at Stanford University. Here’s what they say the work is for:

Our goal: to understand protein folding, misfolding, and related diseases

What is protein folding and how is folding linked to disease? Proteins are biology’s workhorses — its “nanomachines.” Before proteins can carry out these important functions, they assemble themselves, or “fold.” The process of protein folding, while critical and fundamental to virtually all of biology, in many ways remains a mystery.

Moreover, when proteins do not fold correctly (i.e. “misfold”), there can be serious consequences, including many well known diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, Huntington’s, Parkinson’s disease, and many Cancers and cancer-related syndromes.

You can help by simply running a piece of software. Folding@Home is a distributed computing project — people from through out the world download and run software to band together to make one of the largest supercomputers in the world. Every computer makes the project closer to our goals.

Folding@Home uses novel computational methods coupled to distributed computing, to simulate problems thousands to millions of times more challenging than previously achieved.

From the “Results” page, what the project has accomplished already:

2005 First results from Folding@Home cancer project published. We have been studying the p53 tumor surpressor and our first results on p53 have recently been published. You can find a summary and link to the paper on our papers page.

If you’re a biology geek, or have an interest in Intelligent Design, there is some really interesting information about proteins at the Stanford site on using anoantubes and the information for help design drugs absed on this research.

Who’s playing? Lookee here!

Just an recommendation to use some of that electricity wisely while you’re not actively using the CPU cycles for your direct use…

Tracked back @: Third World County

Back when Jack Army was still in the Army recruiting business, I asked him what was allowed to give to Recruiters. I know back in my dark ages, there was a $4.95 retail value limit on “gifts,” which was revised to be something more intelligent just before I retired in 96. I thought the troops at the local station might enjoy a pizza or something like that, but I wanted to make sure so they weren’t in an uncomfortable position, If I sent a few large pizzas to their door. Not worth losing a career/position over. He gave me permission to provide some info extracted from his two emails.

“Jack” is a busy man and currently in the later part of his deployment to Iraq, but he made time to answer up. I got an answer I think we all might be able to give the overworked recruiters with:

As for your question, what is acceptable for a recruiter to accept? Certainly an occasional pizza will be heartily received and small tokens like that are fine. I don’t believe there is a regulation prohibiting recruiters from receiving gifts from private citizens, most would be too humble to receive much more than pizza and a soda or something similar.

I would tell you that the one thing that you could give a recruiter that would mean more than anything is a solid lead. A name and phone number of some young man or woman that would benefit from what the Army has to offer… you would have Army coffee cups, pens, desk calendars and just about any other lickies and chewies USAREC throws out there coming out of your ears!

I don’t need another coffee cup, but I think the recruiters could appreciate just what he asked for: Solid leads. Put your networking hats on, and get back into service, being an advocate for military service and the recruiters. We know they have problems in some areas getting into schools and universities, so complimenting their work would be a big boost for them. Keep your ears to the tracks and listening for that opportunity in a conversation to guide someone their way….and, just if you have the urge, maybe stop by with some coffee or donuts or pizza for them and tell them they are doing a great job.

Now, news from Iraq from “Jack:”

It has been a fast and furious time since about August 2005. As you probably know, I’m currently in Iraq. Things are going really well in our area of operations. Our Iraqi Army counterparts are progressing well and things in this zone are relatively quiet compared to zones on our borders. There are great things happening every day but there is still so much work to be done.

Somehow I don’t get the same picture from the MSM….so, from real boots on the ground, a senior NCO says it’s better.

While I tend to paint a rosy picture of things here (I am an optimist!), there are challenges. Corruption has been a problem. For example, Iraqi Army Soldiers and Iraqi Police officers used to demand bribes to get through some of the checkpoints in our area. The Iraqi Army commander here had signs put up at the checkpoints with his phone number on them stating that bribes where illegal and call the number to report IA or IP who demanded them. Also, obviously, he ordered the practice to be stopped as well. After he put the first violator in jail for a few days and took away a few days’ pay, that practice pretty much went away. Now, the only folks that will get hassled at a checkpoint is those that are suspicious or violate the law. Things are getting better.

Sounds like someone sees it’s time for a change, and it’s great to hear that the Iraqi officer is taking the lead in solving a problem.

Update 3/9/2007: In this “news” is the subtle message that changes, meaning it will take a while to change attitudes, as the poulation ages/dies off. At MilBlogs, Soldier’s Dad makes this point, but uses the Russian model and the memory of WWII as the example. The human experience, it’s new and it’s old, more times and ways that we like to imagine….

So, the recruiters are in the fight, too. Help them out if you get the chance.

Crossposted at: Third World County
Tracked back at: Woman, Honor Thyself, High Desert Wanderer, Big Dogs Weblog, Right Voices, Samantha Burns, Cao’s Blog

V(oice) A(ctivated) L(aptops) for OUR – I(njured) T(roops) as it were.

Yes, we did a big drive last year for about 14 days. I just thought I’d make a point of reminding anyone who comes by to read that the project to get laptops placed in the major medical facilities for our permanently of temporarily disabled soldiers/sailors/airmen and Marines is a year round effort, so if you have a few spare dollars, now that the Christmas bills are paid down, maybe consider this worthwhile program to help get our troops back into life.

The latest news from FbL, the lady who co-parented the project, is here.

It seems Chuck Z, the other co-parent of VALOUR-IT, is headed back for his 34th surgery as a result of his wounds in Iraq that, in a bittersweet manner, led to this all being a project that has helped many recover their ability to communicate with friends and family.

Oh, and if you missed the link above, you can donate here!

Michael Reagan (no relation to President Reagan). Vietnam Combat Veteran, portrait artist, a man with a mission, and not from any of us.Two scriptural references came to mind as I watched the video of Michael speaking at the 7th of February Rotary International meeting in Seattle. Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NLT) and Romans 8:28-29: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (NLT)Here is a story of a man, who, a few years ago, retired from his business in order that he could draw portraits of those who have fallen in the GWoT. Why? Watch the video, he explains it best. He didn’t know why at first, but the message seems to have been clarified now in the 550 (as of the morning of 2/7/2007) portraits he has completed. 2 a day and he is very good at what he does. Humble, too (watch the video).If you haven’t watched the video yet, here’s a teaser as to how he got started on this path”

“I found myself coming back from Vietnam, and I had a hard time for a few years just being able to feel. Took a lot of work by a lot of my friends, my wife, and a lot of people who loved me to allow me to reach this stage, where I could actually feel.

“Evening Magazine two years ago decided to do a little piece on all the celebrity portraits that I had done. We did a little five minute piece, it was called “Miller Time”…

“At the end of it, I said something to John Miller. I said, “You know, I’ve drawn the Pope, six presidents, and 137 Playboy playmates.” John said to me, he said, “I guess that about does it all for you.” And I said “Yep. That was it.”

“That piece made it into the Evening Magazine piece. I believe that piece is why then – the next day it was distributed around the country – I believe that that comment is why I’m standing up here today.

“Two days after that piece aired across the country I got a call from a young woman in Boise, Idaho. Her name was Cherice Johnson. She said to me, “How much would you charge me to do a portrait of my husband?”

Not so strange to me any more, that people “back into” such callings, not even realizing at the time, how their life has prepared them for such a time as this. This is but one more story, full of an invisible design for the life of Michael Reagan.

Micheal has set up the Fallen Heros Project as a non-profit organization. Donations can be made to support him in his work.Thank God for a man of such talent to bring solace to the families who have paid the price of freedom for many, our citizens and others of the world.Please pass the story along, it’s one worth reading.H/T: Mudville Gazette

Andi is hard at work. If your calendars are not yet marked, do it now! If you have any talent to offer, she certainly could use some help, I imagine. Shoot her a note if you can help.

5 May, DC Area. Cocktail meeting the evening before. Be there to see Uncle Jimbo in person, it’s well worth the price of admission (oh, yeah…it’s free to attend. Just have bail money if you plan to go out Saturday night in the wake of Matt and Jimbo).

And you Navy types….we could use some more of you there this year….

Several weeks ago, I pondered actually sitting down and toying with a revisionist history piece titled something like “What If There Was No America?” The most difficult part, not being a sociologist, economist, engineer, historian, scientist, etc, would be to find a point in time to “separate” the American experience from the actual history and then commence to postulate on the path “history” would have then taken with some degreee of credibility for the purpose of the article/essay.

I guess it was all spawned by the History Channel “Engineering an Empire” series. What it took, and how nations formed and developed, and then had to come up with innovations to continue their growth is facinating. As I watched the episode “Britian: Blood and Steel,” I began to consider what we have contributed to civilization and the genesis of my essay idea.

Well, as luck would have it, some called about three days ago, while they were discussing the Sandy Berger song writing contest on the Bill Bennett show (this week – and you have until midnite tonight to get your entry in), someone suggested Bill write a book “A World Without America.” Bill’s response was to say he will set up and essay contest for submissions of 1000 word essays for this 4th of July time frame – $1000 to the winner.

So, the question is: Do you have a flair or passion for writing fictional history? Maybe, just maybe, you’ll get rewarded for your efforts…but…based on some of the lyrics submitted for the Sandy Burgler song contest, be ready for some seriously competent competition from the listeners to that show…

Stumbling around looking for a Ted Kennedy picture (you’ll see why this weekend), I find this site for dummied up pictures of news stories: Freaking News…get on it, ok?

The Ghostbusters of 2003-2006 Movie

I get a certain degree of amusement from the bumperstickers I see.

Bumper Quotes was “found” the other day.

I reckon it just might shut me down in my quest to bring a few smiles to us all…