Jan 15

Haiti Relief Now

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Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti, for the trauma and loss they’ve already experienced since Tuesday night’s calamitous 7.0 earthquake hit, with its epicenter not far from the densely populated capital of Port-au-Prince. News agencies report that thousands have perished, many are still trapped in the rubble of buildings, and hundreds of thousands of others are without shelter, medical care, or other life necessities. Governments and relief agencies are deploying to deal with what amounts to one of the worst disasters of modern times, with its impact compounded by the chronic poverty, deficient infrastructure, bare-bones medical care, and other problems that afflict the poorest nation in the western hemisphere.

Damage from the Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti
Logan Abass/United Nations / CC BY 2.0
Damage from the Jan. 12 earthquake.

When people suffer in this terrible way, so do animals. The HSUS, Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, and our global affiliate Humane Society International are working on a preliminary assessment of Haiti’s animal-care needs, taking into account the security, transportation, housing, and supply challenges that we would face in deployment. Fortunately, one of our veterinary teams had been conducting a program at a veterinary school in the neighboring Dominican Republic when the quake struck. We are looking to determine if they can get into Haiti to conduct an on-the-ground assessment. We are also communicating with human relief agencies, and looking to cooperate with them. One difficulty is that there are no organized animal welfare groups anywhere in the country, and no animal shelters or veterinary schools. This lack of infrastructure will complicate any response.

If you would like to support our disaster response work around the world, you can give here. Please stay tuned to the blog, and to humanesociety.org for continuing updates.

If you haven’t done anything yet to help out regarding this disaster in Haiti, even getting word out by spreading info #’s – please – I ask you to help.  Time is of the utmost importance right now and is critical.  Text “YELE” to #501501 or “HAITI” to “90999″ – we are one human race. It MATTERS. Wake up everyone. There is no such thing as too small – this includes our animals.  I have donated to Doctors Without Borders, The Red Cross, and of course, am working tightly within the Humane Society.  Each small effort adds up to an enormous gesture and even greater change.  Do it now.

Thank you, JL

May 25

“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are often stiffened.”

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I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day.  I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it.  We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did. - Benjamin Harrison

Memorial Day is a day I always take incredibly seriously.  If it weren’t for our men and women in service past, present, and future, I would not be able to do what I do today.  To them, I say thank you.  With many friends in the armed forces, my friend James living in Hull, Massachusetts who I will see in a few days, and everyone else, I tip my hat to you.  On behalf of all of us, we appreciate and acknowledge all of you.

Jamie Leigh

Apr 01

Earth Hour Roll Out. Thank You.

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ON BEHALF OF THE PLANET, WE THANK YOU!

Earth Hour 2009 was an amazing success and we wanted to thank you for your support.

Lights went out in 4,085 cities in 88 countries in what is being described as the largest demonstration of public concern about climate change in history.

Check out this amazing view of the world going dark at:
www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/03/earth_hour_2009.html

Mar 25

Earth Hour

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March 25, 2009 Larry King will talk with WWF CEO Carter Roberts about Earth Hour, tonight at 9:00p.m. EDT on CNN.

Turn out. Take action.

Be part of this historic event.

March 28, 2009, 8:30 pm local time
World Wildlife Fund is asking individuals, businesses, governments and organizations around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour – to make a global statement of concern about climate change and to demonstrate commitment to finding solutions.

http://www.earthhourus.org/   http://twitter.com/earthhourUS   http://wwf.org/

Feb 22

HBO’s Taking Chance

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In April 2004, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl, USMC, came across the name of 19-year-old Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, a young Marine who had been killed by hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Strobl, a Desert Storm veteran with 17 years of military service, requested that he be assigned for military escort duty to accompany Chance’s remains to his family in Dubois, Wyo.

Witnessing the spontaneous outpouring of support and respect for the fallen Marine – from the groundskeepers he passed along the road to the cargo handlers at the airport – Strobl was moved to capture the experience in his personal journal. His first-person account, which began as an official trip report, gives an insight into the military’s policy of providing a uniformed escort for all casualties. The story became an Internet phenomenon when it was widely circulated throughout the military community and eventually reached the mainstream media.

‘Taking Chance’ chronicles one of the silent, virtually unseen journeys that takes place every day across the country, bearing witness to the fallen and all those who, literally and figuratively, carry them home. A uniquely non-political film about the war in Iraq, the film pays tribute to all of the men and women who have given their lives in military service as well as their families.

An HBO Films presentation of a Motion Picture Corporation of America and Civil Dawn Pictures production, Taking Chance marks the directorial debut of two-time Oscar®-nominated producer Ross Katz (’Lost in Translation’). The screenplay is by Lt. Col Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret.) and Ross Katz, based on the journal of the same name by Strobl, who also serves as military consultant. Strobl, who recently retired after serving 24 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, developed the original story with the strong support of Phelps’ parents, John Phelps and Gretchen Mack. The executive producers are Brad Krevoy (’A Love Song for Bobby Long’), Cathy Wischner-Sola and Ross Katz; the co-executive producer is William Teitler (HBO’s ‘Empire Falls’); and the producer is Lori Keith Douglas (’The Notorious Bettie Page’). HBO Films vice president Jenni Sherwood is the executive in charge of the production.

Finished watching HBO’s Taking Chance. The film to me was about perspective. How one single perspective can alter the emotion and viewpoint of anything that occurs in our nations history. It’s a dignified and honorable look into the final moments of a soldier. The moments which so often go unseen, unheard, and sadly, even unknown. I commend HBO, Kevin Bacon, the entire cast and crew of this film, for presenting a beautiful reminder into the importance and value of each and every single human life. None is taken for granted. If it’s acknowledged by one – even a stranger – it’s valuable beyond means, and within that, becomes immortal.

Jamie Leigh
http://www.chancephelps.org

http://www.hbo.com/films/takingchance/

Feb 16

Tonight. Stealing Lincoln’s Body. CGI Secrets Revealed.

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Before Lincoln finally came to rest in a steel-and-concrete-reinforced underground vault in Springfield, the President’s body was repeatedly exhumed and moved, his coffin frequently opened. In 1876, eleven years after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, a band of Chicago counterfeiters plotted to steal Lincoln’s body and hold it for ransom. Their plan was to demand $200,000 and the release of the gang’s master engraver, who was in prison in Illinois. The Secret Service–recently formed to deal with the country’s ballooning counterfeiting problem–infiltrated the gang with an informer. It also set in motion a cringe-inducing chain of events in which a group of well-intentioned, self-appointed guardians took it upon themselves to protect Lincoln’s remains by any means necessary. This strange story of Lincoln at un-rest reveals how important this man was to so many, and perhaps our reluctance to let such a beloved and visionary leader go.

Rating: TVPG

Running Time: 120 minutes

Genre: History

Time/Channel: First airing 9:00-11:00pm est, The History Channel

Feb 13

Live from The Smithsonian

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Live Video streaming by Ustream

A sweet masterpiece in the making.

Jan 22

They made me do it.

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MOVEMENT

I snagged some other people made and mushed them all together. Thanks! Take them — spread them — enjoy.  This was fun.

Jan 21

We are the keepers of this legacy.

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“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”

Jan 20

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.

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“We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism.”

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