Mac McClelland first volunteered to help refugees from Burma in Thailand, then ended up living with them. Telling their stories and situations she published her book, For Us Surrender Is Out of the Question: A Story from Burma's Never-Ending War.
The government in Burma has been waging a genocide on the internally displaced persons, IDP's, for the war their ethnic minority has fought against the government for the past sixty years.
Stunning figures of child mortality rates, one in five Burmese children dies before the age of 5, plague the IDP's.
They are forced to flee their villages due to the Burmese troops invasion; with no homes to go back to the refugees are forced to the Thailand border.
As hard as the lives are for the people taking refuge in Thailand, the people whom are not allowed through are trapped in an terrain of fear and loathing.
One of their few protectors are a roving army of American ex-Special Forces soldiers.
Source : Alternet.org
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Ron Little, a local man that served in the military and published his book, Roadside Bombs and Democracy, on his experiences as an American police officer in Kosovo and Iraq, is now furthering his education at Florida State College at Jacksonville.
Little has had a history with FSCJ; him and his wife, Brenda, met there in 1982 when it was Florida Junior College. Also after his first tour in Iraq he landed a job as an adjunct instructor for FCCJ; teaching armed security courses to sailors from the local bases.
Unfortunately a large explosion from an improvised explosive device (IED) injured the right arm, shoulder, back and sinus cavity.
“They say your life can change in an instant; well, mine changed in a brilliant, almost blinding flash of orange and red fire. The sound was almost deafening. I remember thinking, ‘that was a big one.’ Then I realized we had been hit”
After ten months of physical therapy and multiple surgeries doctors told him he could not return to police work, his passion for the majority of his working career. He commented, “So I decided I needed to go back and get my degree. I will be finished with my AS this semester and plan on continuing with the BAS program at FSCJ in Supervision and Management.”
His book, Roadside Bombs and Democracy: An American Police Officer in Iraq, explains his military involvement in Kosovo from Nov. 2003 to Aug. 2004, Iraq from Aug. 2004 to Aug. 2005, and again from Mar. to Dec. 2006.
While he was recovering, his family encouraged him to write down my experiences throughout his times overseas. He added, “They wanted to know more about what I did in Kosovo and Iraq. I didn't intend to write a book, [but] sic as my manuscript grew my family encouraged me to turn it into a book.”
He did some research in looking for a publisher and came across Tate Publishing Company. He submitted his manuscript and within a few months they responded with interest in making it into a book.
When asked about looking back on his life he responded, “My experiences have made me more aware of the freedoms and prosperity we enjoy here in America.” Going on to say that the people overseas, military or civilian, protecting the rights of the people and bringing them Democracy deserve the utmost respect for their hardships and effort towards the greater good.
Little has had a history with FSCJ; him and his wife, Brenda, met there in 1982 when it was Florida Junior College. Also after his first tour in Iraq he landed a job as an adjunct instructor for FCCJ; teaching armed security courses to sailors from the local bases.
Unfortunately a large explosion from an improvised explosive device (IED) injured the right arm, shoulder, back and sinus cavity.
“They say your life can change in an instant; well, mine changed in a brilliant, almost blinding flash of orange and red fire. The sound was almost deafening. I remember thinking, ‘that was a big one.’ Then I realized we had been hit”
After ten months of physical therapy and multiple surgeries doctors told him he could not return to police work, his passion for the majority of his working career. He commented, “So I decided I needed to go back and get my degree. I will be finished with my AS this semester and plan on continuing with the BAS program at FSCJ in Supervision and Management.”
His book, Roadside Bombs and Democracy: An American Police Officer in Iraq, explains his military involvement in Kosovo from Nov. 2003 to Aug. 2004, Iraq from Aug. 2004 to Aug. 2005, and again from Mar. to Dec. 2006.
While he was recovering, his family encouraged him to write down my experiences throughout his times overseas. He added, “They wanted to know more about what I did in Kosovo and Iraq. I didn't intend to write a book, [but] sic as my manuscript grew my family encouraged me to turn it into a book.”
He did some research in looking for a publisher and came across Tate Publishing Company. He submitted his manuscript and within a few months they responded with interest in making it into a book.
When asked about looking back on his life he responded, “My experiences have made me more aware of the freedoms and prosperity we enjoy here in America.” Going on to say that the people overseas, military or civilian, protecting the rights of the people and bringing them Democracy deserve the utmost respect for their hardships and effort towards the greater good.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Startling Information on Toyota's 'Quality'
During the years of 2000 through 2009 the ratio of "speed-control" crashes for General Motors was 1 for about every 180,000 vechicles sold; Toyota, on the other hand, had a blood curdling 1 for about every 20,000 vehicles produced.
Therefore, in layman's terms, you are 9 times as likely to crash as a result of speed control in a Toyota than that of a GM vehicle. Although the accusation of the culprit for such lose of control points to electrical problems, the answer is not definite.
If the electrical problems are the source of Toyota's lack of quality, then a detrimental reaction could occur.
Toyota's accusation of the sudden acceleration in hundreds of later model vehicles, not included in the latest recall, are the result of "gas pedals that can stick and bulky floor mats".
If the electronics were to blame, then Toyota would have to reevaluate this statement and possibly include millions more of faulty vehicles into recall.
As a result of this the multiple of danger when riding in a Toyota could jump from 9 times that of General Motors to 15 or 20; making Toyota the most dangerous brand of vehicles on the road today.
It will be interesting to see the future of the once mighty automaker play out amongst this sudden realization of poor design.
Source : The New York Times
Therefore, in layman's terms, you are 9 times as likely to crash as a result of speed control in a Toyota than that of a GM vehicle. Although the accusation of the culprit for such lose of control points to electrical problems, the answer is not definite.
If the electrical problems are the source of Toyota's lack of quality, then a detrimental reaction could occur.
Toyota's accusation of the sudden acceleration in hundreds of later model vehicles, not included in the latest recall, are the result of "gas pedals that can stick and bulky floor mats".
If the electronics were to blame, then Toyota would have to reevaluate this statement and possibly include millions more of faulty vehicles into recall.
As a result of this the multiple of danger when riding in a Toyota could jump from 9 times that of General Motors to 15 or 20; making Toyota the most dangerous brand of vehicles on the road today.
It will be interesting to see the future of the once mighty automaker play out amongst this sudden realization of poor design.
Source : The New York Times
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