Day 355

Freerice competition is getting tense!! So I dedicated the evening to donating grains of rice (again). I dabbled in English vocabulary, French, flags, and the world map.

And ended with the most I've ever donated in one sitting - 10000grains of rice :)
This may be my last virtual opportunity for the year so it had to end on a high note!

10K!!

Day 354

I'm taking a break from freerice and instead went to Amnesty International to write letters for human right's issues:

The first one was an urgent action letter for a lawyer who was beaten when he demanded to see his client. On 17 August lawyer Dmytro Karpenko was detained and tortured by police in Cherkasy, Ukraine, after demanding to see a client. When he complained about his treatment, the police accused him of assaulting them. His trial is on 29 December. The letter was to ask that his charges be dropped and that there be an immediate investigation into the allegation that Dmytro Karpenko was tortured while in police custody.

The next one was a letter for Wa’el Khattab, a forty-four year old man who was arrested on 14 August during the ongoing popular protests in Syria. He has had no contact with his family since. He appears to have been subjected to an enforced disappearance by the Syrian authorities. I wrote to ask that his whereabouts be disclosed; that he be protected from torture and other ill-treatment, allowed access to his family and a lawyer of his choice and provided with all necessary medical care; and that he be released immediately and unconditionally if he is a prisoner of conscience held solely for peacefully exercising his rights to freedom of expression and assembly.

The last one was for Sarabi Seyunov, who has been held in pre-trial detention in Nalchik, Russian Federation, since November 2005, and has contracted tuberculosis (TB) allegedly due to his deliberate placement with a TB-positive inmate. His condition has rapidly deteriorated while he was being denied adequate treatment, and he can no longer attend his long-awaited trial. I wrote to ask for adequate medical care as well as a response to his requests for an independent medical examination, in accordance with the UN Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Imprisonment or Detention. I also asked for consideration of replacing detention with a different form of pre-trial restriction in view of his health condition as well as an investigation of all allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of Sarabi Seyunov and his co-defendants.

That's all for tonight! Happy giving!

Day 353

I spent another evening on freerice today (my competitive side is being challenged :) ). I donated 5660grains and as a group our company has donated 54510grains of rice.

Most of the group is able to use work time to spend some time on freerice so those numbers will be going up over the next week!

Giving is just that easy - would you/your company let staff use work hours for a good cause??

Day 352

Back on the road so I visited freerice.com and tested my English vocabulary till I got to 3000grains of rice.

Work has a freerice group set up and as of today we have donated 36530grains of rice! Feeling the competition so I might just dedicate this week to freerice! :)

Day 351

Hema, Lisa, and I went out to Brook Run Skate Park this afternoon in support of the Shred for Josh Benefit Concert. Josh was shot in the stomach while hanging with friends in downtown Atlanta in late November. He is currently in stable condition but was left with some pretty hefty medical bills. All proceeds from the contest are going directly to Josh to help him pay the bills. 



The weather was perfect for the event and there were A LOT of people out to support it. None of us had ever been to a skateboarding event so we were in awe as we watched the skateboarders! And I was constantly gasping when people fell off boards or balanced on edges that I know I don't have the balance for. We left before things got gnarlier!


It was a great event - thank you Clint and Brook Run Skate Park for having us!!

The ONLY girl in her age group!

He's 4years old!!!! And adorable!!

Day 350

Busy night at SafeHouse! I spent some time talking with the gentleman who used to be in the Air Force. He shared all kinds of informational tidbits. He is not always coherent and usually mutters to himself while collecting anything he sees on the floor. But this week he has been a little more focused, conversations are still very tangential and factual. He told me about sharks and dolphins, Nixon, helicopters and jets, and an Access card that he can use to get whatever he wants as long as he knows the PIN.

Once service started everyone went inside, so Cindi and I helped where ever needed: finding clothes for various people, serving soup, collecting garbage, handing out shelter tickets, and of course socialising as much as possible!

Day 349

SafeHouse didn't have service today but I was there early enough that I got to talk with the gentleman who lives under the bridge.

It was a conversation down memory lane. We started talking about cloudy days and how it can make people feel depressed. He told me how grateful he was for each day and that he hopes to live a long life. He shared that he had seen many family members pass away at an early age, and from there he shared many family stories. He told me about playing with his cousins, going out to underground in his teenage years, mum's home cooking, and skipping school. I loved listening to each of his stories and am so glad I got to talk with him today!

Now its game time @ the dome!!