Quote of the week

It is a long baptism into the sea of humankind, my daughter. 
Better immersion than to live untouched.  -Tillie Olsen

Mother and daughter doctor-heroes: Hawa Abdi + Deqo Mohamed | Video on TED.com

Mother and daughter doctor-heroes: Hawa Abdi + Deqo Mohamed | Video on TED.com

Animal of the week- Turkey Vulcher

       

     The turkey vulcher, Cathartes aura, is found in most of North and South America, including many of the Carribean islands. These birds are huge, with wingspans between 4-6 feet and a body length of 2-3 feet. 

These birds are scavengers, feeding mostly on dead animals or carcasses. Next time you think about how tasty that turkey vulture would taste with the road kill deer you just threw in your truck, think again... In the U.S. the turkey vulcher receives legal protection under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, outlawing the killing or hunting of this bird. 

Below is the region most turkey vultures are found:

   
     The Turkey Vulture is gregarious and roosts in large community groups, breaking away to forage independently during the day. The Turkey Vulture has few natural predators. Adult, immature and fledging vultures may fall prey to golden eagles, bald eagles, or owls while eggs and nestlings may be preyed on by mammals such as raccoons, opossum, and foxes.Quite interestingly, its primary form of defense is regurgitating semi-digested meat, a foul-smelling substance which deters most creatures intent on raiding a vulture nest. Aside from eating recently killed animals, It may rarely feed on plant matter, shoreline vegetation, pumpkin and other crops, live insects, and other small invertebrates.
     The Turkey Vulture is sometimes accused of carrying anthrax or hog cholera, both livestock diseases, on its feet or bill by cattle ranchers and is therefore occasionally perceived as a threat.
Populations appear to remain stable, and it has not reached the threshold of inclusion as a threatened species, which requires a decline of more than 30 percent in ten years or three generations.

La Persona de la semana- Ela Bhatt

      This week's pick is a leader in micro-finance, women, and international labor movements. Ela was born on September 7, 1933 in the city of Ahmedabad, India. She is widely known as the “gentle revolutionary” as she has dedicated her life to improving the lives of India’s poorest and most oppressed women workers, with Gandhian thinking as her source of guidance. In 1972, she founded the Self-Employed Women's Association- a trade union with over 1,000,000 member now. She also founded the Sa-Dhan and the Indian School of Micro-finance for women. She was a member of Indian Parliment from 1986-1989. She also served as a trustee of Rockefeller Foundation for over a decade.
    Her grandparents worked with Mahatma Gandhi in the non-violent struggle for Indian Independence from the British. Deeply influenced by Gandhi, Ela has followed his ideals all her life. She has pioneered the idea that people themselves, no matter how poor or uneducated, are able to solve their own problems if they organize together to do so.
    To read more about Ela's story, here is a link to more information about the work she is doing in India:  http://www.tolerance.org/activity/ela-bhat

Goshen Pass/Spy Rock

    Last week, Kyle and I drove over to paddle Goshen Pass on the Maury River.The level was just under 1,000cfs. Below are some pictures from a sunny, but cold afternoon on the pass. A quick two laps and we were back in time for an evening study session at the library.

       Sunday morning, Peyton and I drove to Lexington where I was involved in a pannel discussion about local college ministries in the area. I definitely felt honored to be a part of this discussion group at the church I attended while at VMI. It was great catching up with the pastor and other friends from Grace. I am always impressed with their continued hospitality and courtesy to the people of their church and community.
As we drove back over the mountain to Richmond, we stopped for a quick hike up to Spy Rock, in Montebello, Virginia. Below are some pictures of our hike. A short, but rewarding hike indeed. Always feel grateful for the beauty in Virginia and the chance to get out in between the work and studying that seems to keep me pretty busy these days.

 

Quote of the Week

"In the end what matters is not how good we are but how good God is. Not how much we love Him but how much He loves us. And God loves us whoever we are, whatever we’ve done or failed to do, whatever we believe or can’t."
— Desmond Tutu

First song

      Last night, after a couple evenings playing around with one particular song on the flute, I decided I was going to write down the notes so I would remember them. I have been learning the Native American style flute over the last year. The flute I have is in the key of F. Besides for a few videos I've watched, I have taught myself most of the melodies I play. The song doesn't have a name yet, but as I sat in my bed late last night writing down the notes in my journal, I really pondered the creativity that flute playing allows. Each note is so simple, yet you can do so much between notes. Below is my journal entry.