There Comes a Time...When We Heed a Certain Call...Bloggers Unite for Hunger and Hope!

(To those of you who've been reading blog after blog about Uniting for Hunger and Hope, blogcatalog.com's effort to unite bloggers from all walks of life to "share your thoughts and be part of the global solution to a global problem," and happened to stumble upon my little essay, I welcome you to my humble little blog. Feel free to read more about what I really write about when you get a chance. Thank you very much. jba)

Growing up in Manila, my family and I were very fortunate. We were not über-rich, but very well-to-do. And because my family worked in the food industry, there was always food on our table. But across the street and behind our neighbors house, there were many people, many families, who did not have the same luxury. Whole families living in rooms and shelters that were smaller than my bedroom. Fathers and mothers who worked so hard, but earned so little. Other than a bowl of rice, there were many nights were they and their children may not have had much to eat. In many instances, even the children went out to beg for money to buy food for their family. You see those late night infomercials where Sally Struthers or some old guy talks to the camera about the plight of these children...guess what...they're not kidding.

All over the world, many people go hungry. The numbers are staggering. It doesn't really matter where you get your information, know that at least one-third of the world's population is underfed, and another third is starving. Of these, some 170 million, MILLION, are children. And if you think the problems are outside of this country, guess again.

In 2006, a study done by the USDA Economic Research Service reported that "35.5 million people—including 12.6 million children—live in households that experience hunger or the risk of hunger. This represents more than one in ten households in the United States (10.9 percent)." With the economy the way it is currently, that number may have increased.

So what can be done?

Well, twenty-five years ago, it was simple. Get a bunch of singers together, from all genres of music, and get them to record a song to sell worldwide. The trend started in Europe, where an all-star super group of English and Irish bands and singers came together to perform what has now become a Christmas staple, Feed the World:



Then the following year, USA for Africa, an all-star lineup of American performers, sang this timeless classic, We are the World:



Not to be outdone, a third group, known as Northern Lights, brought together many of Canada's best voices for their own song, Tears are Not Enough:



Okay, 80's flashback over.

Where am I going with this? Because while all three singles raised millions of dollars in the efforts to fight world hunger, the war still rages...worldwide.

We all want to help right? Of course we do. If you can donate money to the many (legitamate) charities that work with many in need like UNICEF, or WorldVision, do it. If you'd prefer just to donate food or money to your local food pantries or churches, do it. Every little bit helps.

For more information, please click onto the links below. There you will find more information about, and the organizations involved in fighting, world hunger.

• http://www.bread.org/learn/hunger-basics/hunger-facts-domestic.html - Bread for the World
• http://www.worldhunger.org/index.html - World Hunger Notes
• http://www.unicefusa.org/ - UNICEF USA
• http://www.unicef.org/ - UNICEF - United Nations Childrens Fund
• http://www.globalpolicy.org/socecon/hunger/hungerindex.htm - Global Policy Forum
• http://www.who.int/topics/nutrition_disorders/en/ - World Health Organization
• http://www.heifer.org/site/c.slI3IdNVJuE/b.4861851/k.39B8/30_Days_in_April.htm - Heifer Organization

And with that, the next time I go grocery shopping, so help me, I am buying a few extra items and throw them into the buckets that they have at the exits marked for the food pantry nearby. It may not look like much, but it's a start. Besides, I should be spending more on food, whether it goes to me or the people down the street. Anyway, it's easier to explain why I spent $20.00 on non-perishable foods for the food pantry than it is to rationalize buying 10 packs of baseball cards I already have.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

Acquired Immune Deficieny Syndrome...Four Very Dangerous Words...Bloggers Unite!!!

(To those of you who've been reading blog after blog about World AIDS Day, blogcatalog.com's effort to unite bloggers from all walks of life to "share your thoughts and be part of the global solution to a global problem," and happened to stumble upon my little essay, I welcome you to my humble little blog. Feel free to read more about what I really write about when you get a chance. Thank you very much. jba)

Before my usual readers wonder, "He did this last month...why the heck does he want to talk about AIDS," rest assured, that while the goals of this blog is still talking about Topps baseball cards, we do have to realize that there is a lot more going on out there than we care to discuss. And like the post discussing the efforts of Refugees United last month (if you didn't read that, please take a look at it after you're done here), I will from time to time, take a break from discussing cards and the Hobby join thousands of bloggers worldwide and participate in an effort to bring attention to a very serious topic.

Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome.

Those four words together should get a lot of people's attention. And if you still do not have any idea why, you most likely know what this disease is commonly known as...AIDS.

We treat our Hobby as an escape sometimes, and rightfully so. But there are times that topics as volatile as this needs to be brought up. Maybe you, or someone you know, or a passing acquaintance has this disease or the symptoms of it. Maybe not. But know this: 25 million people in the world...THE ENTIRE PLANET!!!...has died from AIDS. And if that isn't enough of a punch in the stomach, over 40.3 million people WORLDWIDE are currently living with AIDS or HIV symptoms (read more about it here, I can't possibly be making this stuff up).

Now AIDS is the most serious stage of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infection. What this does is slowly destroy our immune system, those special parts of your body that keep our body safe from germs and other bad microorganisms (think Osmosis Jones if you want the simplest description of what this is). Now because HIV's goal is to destroy the immune system, it makes it harder for the body to fight of infections. And when your immune system shuts down, even a common cold can be very dangerous.

I'm no expert, and I am very sure I'm not qualified to continue discussing how one gets it, how long it takes for symptoms to appear , or what the symptoms are (for all those answers, check here). What I can tell you is that there is currently no cure to stop it. But that doesn't mean that people are not trying to find ways to stop it. There are treatments called antiretroviral treatments that help slow down the disease, but these are not the end all cures.

Scared yet?

We live in a much more informed age. Back in 1981, when the US first recognized AIDS as a disease, there was a lot of misinformation spread about how this disease is spread. Once somebody was discovered having this disease, this person was made an outcast. Nobody would go near him or her. Even the slightest touch and then you had it, many said. We know better now. And thank goodness for that. It took many public faces, from Freddie Mercury, to Liberace, from Ryan White to Magic Johnson, before people settled down and began to listen to facts about AIDS and HIV. What we learned was shocking.

I've already reported the numbers, but didn't mention that while it is a pandemic here in the US, the numbers are worse in other parts of the world. In Sub-Saharan Africa for example (countries south of the Sahara Desert, specifically South Africa, Nigeria, Botswana, et. al) 68% of those infected with the AIDS virus live here. About 78% of all AIDS related deaths happened here. And there are 11.4 million (that's right...million) "AIDS orphans" or children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS here. (source: Wikipedia, Sub Saharan Africa and AIDS)

The best way to combat this disease is education. Learn about it. There are many websites that discuss what AIDS and HIV is, how one gets it, what the symptoms are, and how to prevent it (I will put a list of sites at the end of the post). And that's why Bloggers Unite has asked that bloggers around bring attention to this disease.

Today (Monday, December 1, 2008) is World AIDS Day. This is the 20th Anniversary of the first back in 1988. The theme this year is Leadership. What does this mean? It means that many of the World Leaders now recognize the seriousness of this disease and have vowed to "do something about it." However, while many have done their somethings, there are those due to lack of financing or any other reasons who have not. This day is to be used to urge those leaders to get their programs in gear and help their homeland before it gets worse.

For more information about World AIDS Day, and all the organizations helping find a cure, please click the links below.

• http://www.worldaidscampaign.org/en/Key-events/World-AIDS-Day/World-AIDS-Day-2008 - World AIDS Campaign
• http://www.aids.gov/index.html - AIDS.gov - Access to US Government AIDS/HIV Information
• http://hiv.drugabuse.gov/ - Information on HIV/Drug Abuse from the National Institute on Drug Abuse
• http://www.unaids.org/en/ - The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS
• http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000594.htm - Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS - Wikipedia.

While I am lucky that nobody in my family has HIV or the AIDS virus, sadly, I've known people who have died because of complications of it. And it is for them that I dedicate this post. I just hope I did them justice.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

What Would I Know About Refugees...I Just Write About Baseball Cards!!!

(To those of you who've been reading blog after blog about Raising Awareness for Refugees, blogcatalog.com's effort to unite bloggers from all walks of life to "share your thoughts and be part of the global solution to a global problem," and happened to stumble upon my little essay, I welcome you to my humble little blog. Feel free to read more about what I really write about when you get a chance. Thank you very much. jba)

My regular readers (all 15-20 of them) may be wondering, "So why is a baseball card blogger writing about such a serious topic as refugees?" "What does he know about them?" "Why should I care about this?" "It's a baseball card blog, not a human rights blog!!!" And to an extent they are right. Out of all the bloggers participating in this huge project, I may have the least amount of knowledge about the topic at hand. But I realized that if 15-20 more people were made aware of this subject, who otherwise would have not even thought about it before, then I feel that I did my part.

I have done a bit of research on the subject, specifically about the organization that the blogging community is trying to help, Refugees United. Needless to say, this is very heavy stuff.

The definition of refugee, according to Merriam-Webster's online dictionary, means:

"one that flees; especially: a person that flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution"

It comes from the French word réfugié, past participle of (se) réfugier to take refuge (it goes further back, click on the link above to see it all). But it seems that this definition is too narrow, especially in the eyes of Refugees United.

According to the U. S. Commission of Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) website, there are 14,047,300 men, women, and children forced to be refugees. Many are due to political reasons. Some may be harmed if they were to still be in their home country. But not all refugees leave for another country by choice. Some are abducted from their homes, others may have been conned by people offering to help but instead forcefully sell them as servants in other countries, in many cases, sending family members to different parts of the world (human trafficking, another issue entirely, but can be related. You'll see in a minute).

It doesn't matter how old a person is, what their gender is, or how healthy he or she is. Many families who plan on leaving their homes and look for a new life in another part of the world wind up in this sad, and very scary situation. Want a good example about it, this is the reason why Refugees United was established. If, after reading it, this story does not make you stop and think how fortunate you are that you have your family with you, no matter how difficult it is sometimes to get along with them, then I can't think of another way to get the point of this organization across.

The whole goal of this organization is to provide the ways and means to reunite families. They may not be physically be able to do it, but just to be able to initiate conversation, just allow the families to know that they are alive can only provide hope for them and keep the dreams alive that they may come back some day (by any means necessary). The story linked in the previous paragraph is only one example of the kind of work they hope to accomplish. But there are more situations like this, not just in Afghanistan and Russia, but in other parts of the world. Not all refugees get to where they've been because they were the victims of evil intent.

They could be the victims of natural disasters, like typhoons, monsoons, and recent tragedies like the Tsunami from 2004-2005 that have torn families apart. Of the many people who survived, there could be parents who to this day still do not know if their children are alive or not. Children wandering the streets still searching for their parents. Husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, any possible situation you can imagine is still out there, even four years after the fact. And who knows what may have happened to them. Could the situation in the story above happened to them? Can you ever imagine this happening to you???

But now you may be saying to yourself that this doesn't happen here in the US. It only happens in third world countries. Really? You think so? Think about this. Many foreigners are lured here to the United States in hopes of a better future (jobs). There are even catalogs for mail order brides where men could pick and choose the bride of their choosing based on a picture and a profile. But once here, they can wind up the victims of human trafficking. They now become refugees too, and unless they are rescued, they may possibly never see their families again.

It's a scary world out there. You watch the local and national news, and you see and hear stories about all the doom and gloom we're currently living through. The number of foreclosures, the rising jobless rates, the economic disaster we're in. But even with all of that staring at us in the face, we know that we here in the United States are still well off than those in other parts of the world. Be thankful for that. But keep in your minds and hearts those who are not as fortunate as you. Think of those that have not seen their families in a long time. Think of those who keep searching. Think of those still hoping that one day, he, she, they, will be reunited with their loved ones, no matter how apart in the world they may be.

Now what can you do? There is plenty. Definitely read more about what Refugees United hope to accomplish. Click on your favorite search engine and type the word "refugee," and click on other links that show more information about this hot button topic. Go to the U. S. Commission of Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI) website, learn. But most importantly, be aware that many want to see their families once again. That's why blogcatalog.com asked that November 10 be the day that bloggers from all communities join in and spread the word. That's why I've had that little square ad on the right side of my blog. Because regardless of where they came from, regardless of how they are now, regardless of what their present situation is, they have a human right to know where their loved ones are and what happened to them.

If this all sounds like unorganized gibberish, maybe it is. But the intent was there. After all, what would I know about refugees...I just write about baseball cards.

Sincerely,

JayBee Anama

For more information, please click onto the links below. There you will find more information about, and the organizations involved in helping, refugees. jba

• http://www.refugees.org/ - USCRI
• http://www.hrw.org/ - Human Rights Watch
• http://refugee.net/ - Refugee Republic
• http://www.refugeesinternational.org/ - Refugees International
• http://www.nnirr.org/ - National Network for Immigrant and Refugee Rights
• http://www.refugeefamilyservices.org/ - Refugee Family Services
• http://www.riwn.org/ - Refugee Women's Network Inc.
• http://www.theirc.org/index.html - The International Rescue Committee
• http://www.unrefugees.org/index.cfm - USA for United Nations Refugee Agency
• http://www.refunite.org/ - Refugees United