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Posted by Melodie Munro on September 11, 2010 at 3:07pm
A man from Norfolk , VA called a local radio station to share this on Sept 11th, 2003, TWO YEARS AFTER THE TRAGEDIES OF 9/11/2001.
His name was Robert Matthews. These are his words:
A few weeks before Sept. 11th, my wife and I found out we were going to have our first child. She planned a trip out to California to visit her sister. On our way to the airport, we prayed that God would grant my wife a safe trip and be with her. Shortly after I said 'amen,' we both heard a loud pop and the car shook violently. We had blown out a tire. I replaced the tire as quickly as I could, but we still missed her flight. Both very upset, we drove home.
I received a call from my father who was retired NYFD. He asked what my wife's flight number was, but I explained that we missed the flight.
My father informed me that her flight was the one that crashed into the southern tower. I was too shocked to speak. My father also had more news for me; he was going to help. 'This is not something I can't just sit by for; I have to do something.'
I was concerned for his safety, of course, but more because he had never given his life to Christ. After a brief debate, I knew his mind was made up. Before he got off of the phone, he said, 'take good care of my grandchild. Those were the last words I ever heard my father say; he died while helping in the rescue effort.
My joy that my prayer of safety for my wife had been answered quickly became anger. I was angry at God, at my father, and at myself. I had gone for nearly two years blaming God for taking my father away. My son would never know his grandfather, my father had never accepted Christ, and I never got to say good-bye.
Then something happened. About two months ago, I was sitting at home with my wife and my son, when there was a knock on the door. I looked at my wife, but I could tell she wasn't expecting anyone. I opened the door to a couple with a small child.
The man looked at me and asked if my father's name was Jake Matthews. I told him it was. He quickly grabbed my hand and said, 'I never got the chance to meet your father, but it is an honor to meet his son.'
He explained to me that his wife had worked in the World Trade Center and had been caught inside after the attack. She was pregnant and had been caught under debris. He then explained that my father had been the one to find his wife and free her. My eyes welled up with tears as I thought of my father giving his life for people like this. He then said, 'there is something else you need to know.'
His wife then told me that as my father worked to free her, she talked to him and led him to Christ. I began sobbing at the news.
Now I know that when I get to Heaven, my father will be standing beside Jesus to welcome me, and that this family would be able to thank him themselves.
When their baby boy was born, they named him Jacob Matthew, in honor of the man who gave his life so that a mother and baby could live.
This story should help us to realize this: God is always in control.
We may not see the reason behind things, and we may never know this side of heaven, but God is ALWAYS in control.
Please take time to share this amazing story. You may never know the impact it may have on someone. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good. His love endures Forever. Psalm 136:1
Posted by Melodie Munro on September 11, 2010 at 3:06pm
8 Ways Meditation Can Change Your Life posted by Ed and Deb Shapiro
We can’t imagine what life would be like without meditation. It has seen us through tough times and many life changes, keeping us sane and grounded and real. Life is challenging enough; we can never know what will arise next and only when our minds are clear and focused can we make the best decisions.
How are you able to deal with the madness and chaos that occurs daily? How do you deal with the challenges of life? Meditation is highly misunderstood and often under-rated yet is perhaps what it takes to be a truly sane person. How does meditation affect us? How does it shift our priorities, enable us to make friends with ourselves, to find answers to our questions?
Here are eight ways meditation can make your life more meaningful and enjoyable!
1. Living With Kindness No one deserves your kindness and compassion more than yourself. Every time you see or feel suffering, every time you make a mistake or say something stupid and are just about to put yourself down, every time you think of someone you are having a hard time with, every time you encounter the confusion and difficulty of being human, every time you see someone else struggling, upset, or irritated, you can stop and bring loving kindness and compassion. Breathing gently, silently repeat: May I be well, may I be happy, May I be filled with loving kindness.
2. Lightening the Load In a stressed state, it is easy to lose touch with inner peace, compassion and kindness; in a relaxed state, your mind is clear and you can connect with a deeper sense of purpose and altruism. Meditation and medication are derived from the Latin word medicus, to care or to cure. A time of quiet calmness is, therefore, the most effective remedy for a busy and overworked mind. Anytime you feel stress rising, heart closing, mind going into overwhelm, just bring your focus to your breathing and quietly repeat with each in- and out-breath: Breathing in, I calm the body and mind; breathing out, I smile.
3. Letting Go of Me Stillness is always there between the thoughts, behind the story, beneath the noise. What keeps us from experiencing our natural state of being is the habitual and ego-dominated monkey mind. Meditation enables us to see clearly, to witness our thoughts and behavior and reduce self-involvement. Without such a practice of self-reflection there is no way of putting a brake on the ego’s demands. From being self-centered, we can become other-centered, concerned about the welfare of all.
4. Dissolving Anger and Fear We do not accept or release our negative feelings so easily; we are more likely to repress or disown them. But when denied they cause shame, depression, anger, and anxiety. Meditation invites you to openly meet these places, and to see how selfishness, aversion and ignorance create endless dramas and fears. Beneath these is a quiet stillness where you can get to know yourself; this is a wondrous and beautiful experience. Whether you practice for just ten minutes a day or longer does not matter. You are releasing your limitations, while opening to self-acceptance and awareness.
5. Awakening Forgiveness Forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself and others. As you sit in meditation and watch your thoughts and feelings moving through you, so you can observe that who you are now is not who you were just a moment ago, let alone a day, a week, or a month ago. Who you, or someone else, was when pain was caused is not who you are now. When you experience your essential interconnectedness you see how the ignorance of this creates separation and suffering, so that forgiveness for such ignorance arises spontaneously.
6. Generating Harmlessness Simply through the intent to cause less pain you can bring greater dignity to your world, so that harm is replaced with harmlessness and disrespect with respect. Harm is usually caused unintentionally, whether by ignoring someone’s feelings, putting yourself down, reaffirming your hopelessness, disliking your appearance, or seeing yourself as incompetent or unworthy. How much resentment, guilt, or shame are you holding on to, thus perpetuating harmfulness? Meditation enables you transform this through recognizing your essential goodness and the preciousness of all life.
7. Appreciating Appreciation Take a moment to appreciate the chair you are sitting on. Consider how the chair was made: the wood, cotton, wool, or other fibers, the trees and plants that were used, the earth that grew the trees, the sun and rain, the animals that maybe gave their lives, the people who prepared the materials, the factory where the chair was made, the designer and carpenter and seamstress, the shop that sold it—all this just so you could be sitting here, now. Then extend that deep appreciation to everything and everyone in your life.
8. Being Aware Awareness is the key to awakening. Through awareness you can see your monkey mind and all its mischief. Almost everything we do is to achieve something: if we do this, then we will get that; if we do that, then this will happen. But in meditation you do it just to do it. There is no ulterior purpose other than to be here, in the present moment, without trying to get anywhere or achieve anything. You are just aware of whatever is happening, whether pleasant or unpleasant. No judgment, no right or wrong. Simply being aware. Enjoy!
Does meditation contribute to your life? Do comment below.
You can learn more in our award-winning book: BE THE CHANGE,How Meditation Can Transform You and the World , forewords by the Dalai Lama and Robert Thurman, with contributors Marianne Williamson, Jane Fonda, Ram Dass, Byron Katie and others.
Our 3 meditation CD’s: Metta—Loving kindness and Forgiveness; Samadhi–Breath Awareness and Insight; and Yoga Nidra–Inner Conscious Relaxation, are available at: www.EdandDebShapiro.com
Posted by Melodie Munro on September 11, 2010 at 2:26pm
Sweet friends 09-10-10
Hello to my Dear Sweet friends, I wish you much abundance in everything you need. May your Guardian Angels protect you at all times and you have a blessed weekend and week. Much love and peace, Melodie
How the Worm Pipe came to the Blackfoot - A Blackfoot Legend
There was once a man who was very fond of his wife. After they had been married for some time they had a little boy. After that the woman fell sick and did not get well.
The young man loved his wife so dearly that he did not wish to take a second wife. She grew worse and worse. Doctoring did not seem to do her any good, and at last she died.
The man used to take his baby on his back and travel out from the camp, walking over the hills crying. He kept away from the village. After some time he said to his child, "My little boy, you will have to go and live with your grandmother. I am going to try to find your mother and bring her back."
He took the baby to his mother's lodge and asked her to take care of him, and left it with her. Then he started off to look for his wife, not knowing where he was going nor what he was going to do.
He traveled towards the land of the dead; and after long journeying, by the assistance of helpers who had spiritual power, he reached it. The old woman who helped him to get there told him how hard it was to penetrate to the ghosts' country, and made him understand that the shadows would try to scare him by making fearful noises and showing him strange and terrible things. At last he reached the ghosts' camp, and as he passed through it the ghosts tried to scare him by all kinds of fearful sights and sounds, but he kept up a brave heart.
He reached a lodge, and the man who owned it came out and asked him where he was going. He said, "I am looking for my dead wife. I mourn for her so much that I cannot rest. My little boy, too, keeps crying for his mother. They have offered to give me other wives, but I do not want them. I want only the one for whom I am searching."
The ghost said to him: "It is a fearful thing that you have come here. It is very likely that you will never get away. There never was a person here before." But the ghost asked him to come into the lodge, and he entered.
Then this chief ghost said to him: "You shall stay here for four nights, and you shall see your wife; but you must be very careful or you will never go back. You will die right here."
Then the chief went outside and called for a feast, inviting this man's father- in-law and other relations who were in the camp, saying, "Your son-in-law invites you to a feast," as if to say that their son-in-law was dead, and had become a ghost, and had arrived at the ghosts' camp. Now when these invited people, the relations and some of the principal men of the camp, had reached the lodge, they did not like to go in. They called out, "There is a person here!"
It seemed that there was something about him that they could not bear the smell of. The ghost chief burned sweet pine in the fire, which took away this smell, and the people came in and sat down.
Then the host said to them: "Now pity this son-in-law of yours. He is seeking his wife. Neither the great distance nor the fearful sights that he has seen here have weakened his heart. You can see for yourselves he is tender- hearted. He not only mourns for his wife, but mourns also because his little boy is now alone, with no mother; so pity him and give him back his wife."
After consultation the ghosts determined that they would give him back his wife, who should become alive again. They also gave him a sacred pipe. And at last, after many difficulties, the man and his wife reached their home.
Origin of the Worm Pipe
This story is also re-told as "Origin of the Worm Pipe" ...
There was once a man who was very fond of his wife. After they had been married for some time they had a child, a boy. After that, the woman got sick, and did not get well.
The young man did not wish to take a second woman. He loved his wife so much. The woman grew worse and worse. Doctoring did not seem to do her any good. At last she died.
The man used to take his baby on his back and travel out, walking over the hills crying. He kept away from the camp. After some time, he said to the little child: "My little boy, you will have to go and live with your grandmother. I am going to try and find your mother, and bring her back." He took the baby to his mother's lodge, and asked her to take care of it, and left it with her. Then he started off, not knowing where he was going nor what he was going to do.
He traveled toward the Sand Hills. The fourth night out he had a dream. He dreamed that he went into a little lodge, in which lived an old woman. This old woman said to him, "Why are you here, my son?"
He said: "I am mourning day and night, crying all the while. My little son, who is the only one left me, also mourns."
"Well," said the old woman, "for whom are you mourning?"
He said: "I am mourning for my wife. She died some time ago. I am looking for her."
"Oh!" said the old woman, "I saw her. She passed this way. I myself am not powerful medicine, but over by that far butte lives another old woman. Go to her, and she will give you power to enable you to continue your journey. You could not go there by yourself without help. Beyond the next butte from her lodge, you will find the camp of the ghosts."
The next morning he awoke and went on to the next butte. It took him a long day to get there, but he found no lodge there, so he lay down and went to sleep. Again he dreamed. In his dream, he saw a little lodge, and an old woman came to the door-way and called him. He went in, and she said to him: "My son, you are very poor.
I know why you have come this way. You are seeking your wife, who is now in the ghost country. It is a very hard thing for you to get there. You may not be able to get your wife back, but I have great power, and I will do all I can for you. If you do exactly as I tell you, you may succeed." She then spoke to him with wise words, telling him what he should do. Also she gave him a bundle of medicine, which would help him on his journey.
Then she said: "You stay here for a while, and I will go over there [to the ghosts' camp], and try to bring some of your relations; and if I am able to bring them back, you may return with them, but on the way you must shut your eyes. If you should open them and look about you, you would die. Then you would never come back.
When you get to the camp, you will pass by a big lodge, and they will say to you, 'Where are you going, and who told you to come here?' You will reply, 'My grandmother, who is standing out here with me, told me to come.' They will try to scare you. They will make fearful noises, and you will see strange and terrible things; but do not be afraid."
Then the old woman went away, and after a time came back with one of the man's relations. He went with this relation to the ghosts' camp. When they came to the big lodge, someone called out and asked the man what he was doing, and he answered as the old woman had told him to do. As he passed on through the camp, the ghosts tried to scare him with all kinds of fearful sights and sounds, but he kept up a brave heart.
He came to another lodge, and the man who owned it came out, and asked him where he was going. He said: "I am looking for my dead wife, I mourn for her so much that I cannot rest. My little boy, too, keeps crying for his mother. They have offered to give me other wives, but I do not want them. I want the one for whom I am searching."
The ghost said to him: "It is a fearful thing that you have come here. It is very likely that you will never go away. There never was a person here before." The ghost asked him to come into the lodge, and he went. Now this chief ghost said to him: "You will stay here four nights, and you will see your wife; but you must be very careful or you will never go back. You will die right here."
Then the chief went outside and called out for a feast, inviting this man's father-in-law and other relations, who were in the camp, saying, "Your son-in-law invites you to a feast," as if to say that their son-in-law was dead, and had become a ghost, and had arrived at the ghost camp.
Now when these invited people, the relations and some of the principal men of the camp, had reached the lodge, they did not like to go in. They called out, "There is a person here." It seems as if there was something about him that they could not bear the smell of. The ghost chief burned sweet pine in the fire, which took away this smell, and the people came in and sat down. Then the host said to them: "Now pity this son-in-law of yours. He is seeking his wife. Neither the great distance nor the fearful sights that he has seen here have weakened his heart. You can see for yourselves he is tender-hearted. He not only mourns for his wife, but mourns because his little boy is now alone with no mother; so pity him and give him back his wife."
The ghosts consulted among themselves, and one said to the person, "Yes, you will stay here four nights; then we will give you a medicine pipe, the Worm Pipe, and we will give you back your wife, and you may return to your home."
Now, after the third night, the chief ghost called together all the people, and they came, the man's wife with them. One of them came beating a drum; and following him was another ghost, who carried the Worm Pipe, which they gave to him. Then said the chief ghost: "Now, be very careful. Tomorrow you and your wife will start on your homeward journey. Your wife will carry the medicine pipe, and some of your relations are going along with you for four days. During this time, you must not open your eyes, or you will return here and be a ghost forever. You see that your wife is not now a person; but in the middle of the fourth day you will be told to look, and when you have opened your eyes, you will see that your wife has become a person, and that your ghost relations have disappeared."
His father-in-law spoke to him before he went away, and said: "When you get near home, you must not go at once into the camp. Let some of your relations know that you have arrived, and ask them to build a sweat house for you. Go into this sweat house and wash your body thoroughly, leaving no part of it, however small, uncleansed; for if you do you will be nothing [will die]. There is something about us ghosts difficult to remove. It is only by a thorough sweat that you can remove it. Take care, now, that you do as I tell you. Do not whip your wife, nor strike her with a knife, nor hit her with fire; for if you do, she will vanish before your eyes and return to the Sand Hills."
Now they left the ghost country to go home, and on the fourth day, the wife said to her husband, "Open your eyes." He looked about him and saw that those who had been with them had vanished, but he found that they were standing in front of the old woman's lodge by the butte. She came out and said: "Here, give me back those mysterious medicines of mine, which enabled you to accomplish your purpose." He returned them to her, and became then fully a person once more.
Now, when they drew near to the camp, the woman went on ahead, and sat down on a butte. Then some curious persons came out to see who it might be. As they approached, the woman called out to them: "Do not come any nearer. Go tell my mother and my relations to put up a lodge for us, a little way from camp, and to build a sweat house near by it." When this had been done, the man and his wife went in and took a thorough sweat, and then they went into the lodge, and burned sweet grass and purified their clothing and the Worm Pipe; and then their relations and friends came in to see them. The man told them where he had been, and how he had managed to get back his wife, and that the pipe hanging over the door-way was a medicine pipe, the Worm Pipe, presented to him by his ghost father-in-law. That is how the people came to possess the Worm Pipe. This pipe belongs to that band of the Piegans known as Esk'-sin-i-tup'piks, the Worm People.
Not long after this, in the night, this man told his wife to do something; and when she did not begin at once, he picked up a brand from the fire, not that he intended to strike her with it, but he made as if he would hit her, when all at once she vanished, and was never seen again.
Posted by Chris Comish on September 11, 2010 at 12:30pm
I've tried the Drunvalo Melchizedek Merkabah meditation but here is another method to activate merkabah/create a vortex-
Holy Grail Vortex
This exercise should be done with a statement "With no harm to anyone." Intent of exercise to be done should be stated before the exercise starts.
(Brings energy to the earth, downward direction)
First create counter clockwise vortex - in center - and say: From the point of Light within the Mind of God. Let Light stream forth into the minds of men. let Light descend on Earth,
Create second counter clockwise vortex - three feet out - and say
From the point of Love within the Heart of God, let Love stream forth into the hearts of men. May Christ return to Earth.
While these two vortexes are spinning, visualize the energy coming up in the cup of the Holy Grail.
(Now reverse the flow of energy and return it in an upward direction.) Spin clockwise energy field six feet out and say:
From the Center where the will of God is known, Let purpose guide the little wills of men, the purpose which the Masters know and serve. (Sends the energy to the cities of Light in the fourth dimension.)
Now spin clockwise energy field 12 feet out and say:
From the center which we call the race of men, Let the Plan of Love and Light work out, and may it seal the door where evil dwells. (Sends the energy now past the sun to the center of the Pleiades, which is the galaxy where Earth resides.)
Let Light and Love and Power restore the Plan of Earth.
(Never do the exercise unless you have permission from Mother Earth and your Creator. Also, it should not be done unless you have three people. Three people create a note of harmony. It is important that these rules be followed.)
Posted by Melodie Munro on September 7, 2010 at 5:22pm
A Mouse Trap – A Lesson about Solidarity
An Indian friend sent me this nice story about the importance of helping others in need:
“A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.
“What food might this contain?” The mouse wondered – he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.
Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.”
The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”
The pig sympathized, but said, “I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.”
The mouse turned to the cow and said “There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!”
The cow said, “Wow, Mr. Mouse. I’m sorry for you, but it’s no skin off my nose.”
So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone.
That very night a sound was heard throughout the house — like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.
The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.
The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever.
Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient.
But his wife’s sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer’s wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.
The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn’t concern you, remember — when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.
We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.
One of the best things to hold onto in this world is a friend.”
The Rat, symbol of the clever mind, is the vehicle for Ganesha, symbol of wisdom, using the mind for its expression
Scientists in Borneo have discovered a new species of frog, and think that it may be one of the world's smallest.
Although the frog, Microhyla nepenthicola, is no bigger than the size of pea when fully grown, it lives fearlessly inside and around carnivorous pitcher plants in Malaysian rain forests.
The tiny amphibian was officially introduced to the world on Wednesday, but researchers say that they have been hiding in plain view for more than a century.
"I saw some specimens in museum collections that are over a hundred years old," co-discoverer Indraneil Das said in a statement.
Originally, many scientists thought that the frogs were simply juveniles of other species, but now realize they are actually adults of this newly discovered microspecies.
Despite its tiny size, the frog produces a loud, distinct croak, which is why scientists were finally able to locate it.
"You often get tiny frogs making quite a noise," said Robin Moore, a herpetologist who was not involved in the discovery told NationalGeographic.
Moore is heading a Conservation International project to rediscover a hundred species of "lost" amphibians that have been declared extinct within the past decade.
Posted by Melodie Munro on September 7, 2010 at 5:21pm
Omega-3 Shows Significant Protection Against Certain Cancers
Dear Reader, This is huge.
Although we shouldn't be one bit surprised.
Time and again, in study after study, we've see the remarkable power of omega-3 fatty acids. Specifically we're talking about EPA and DHA — the long-chain omega-3s.
What do they do? What DON'T they do?
They keep your brain healthy and help prevent cognitive decline.
They reduce depression.
They reduce oxidative damage linked to air pollution exposure.
For those of you who have a prostate, consider it protected from inflammation and cancer by generous omega-3 intake.
And last year, here's how one researcher summed up omega-3 heart defence: "We now have tremendous and compelling evidence from very large studies, some dating back 20 and 30 years, that demonstrate the protective benefits of omega-3 fish oil in multiple aspects of preventive cardiology."
So...should we EVER be surprised when omega-3s are shown, once again, to be more powerful than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound?
No. Never.
But still... this is huge.
All in the family
British and Italian researchers divided 55 subjects into two groups. For six months, about half received a daily supplement that contained two grams of EPA. The other half received placebo.
In the EPA group, the number of bowel polyps and the size of bowel polyps were significantly reduced. In the placebo group, the number and size of polyps increased.
That's impressive. But here's what's huge: Before the study, all subjects were diagnosed with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP). In other words, they were all genetically inclined to produce bowel polyps that frequently develop into cancer.
When a supplement protects healthy people from cancer, that's significant. But when a supplement protects people who are at high risk of a specific cancer... that's huge.
But wait — it gets even bigger...
The researchers of the study also note that the effectiveness of EPA was similar to COX-2 inhibitors, which also curb polyp growth. In fact, if you're diagnosed with FAP, your doctor will almost certainly prescribe a COX-2 inhibitor.
And the difference between the two treatments?
COX-2 inhibitors are prescription, non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that sharply increase risk of internal bleeding and heart attack when regularly used.
EPA, on the other hand... well, just go back a few paragraphs for that "protective benefits... in... preventive cardiology" quote.
Posted by Melodie Munro on September 6, 2010 at 7:05pm
Two-Legged Dog to Inspire British Troops Wounded in Afghanistan BY MARC HERTZ
A dog named Faith inspires others simply by being able to walk with just her two hind legs.
There are some things you have to see to believe, and Faith is one of those. She's a labrador-chow mix born without one front leg and another that was severely deformed, only to be removed when Faith was seven months old due to atrophy. What's truly amazing about Faith is that, despite having only her two hind legs, she can still walk on them, as you can see in the video below.
Faith is something of a celebrity, having appeared on Oprah a few years ago, and according to The Sun, she's actually an honorary sergeant. The US Army gave her that title because she's helped disabled veterans trying to overcome injuries they sustained in war zones, even donning a military jacket when she visits bases or hospitals. As her owner, Jude Stringfellow, was quoted, "Faith seems to inspire these young men. It's very emotional watching them respond to her. She shows what can be achieved against great odds."
Now, she's planning to go international. Stringfellow wants to bring Faith to the UK, so she can bring her own brand of inspiration to those troops wounded in Afghanistan. Before she can do so, though, quarantine rules will have to be met. For the sake of those wounded soldiers, let's hope they have the chance to see Faith "marching" their way.
First Person: Faith the Dog Inspires With Two Legs
Posted by Melodie Munro on September 6, 2010 at 7:04pm
The Secret Surgeon – Dr. Hamilton Naki
This story is in Wikipedia, and it seems to be a true one. At some places, however, the truth of the story is doubted, telling he was not doing surgery on humans but agreeing that “Mr Naki assisted with the experimental work that preceded…the historic first heart transplant.”
Nevertheless, here it is:
“Hamilton Naki, a black South African of 78 years, died in May 2005. The news did not appear in the newspapers, but his history is one of the most extraordinary ones of the 20th century. Naki was a great surgeon!
It was he who took from the donor’s body the heart which was then transplanted into Louis Washkanky in 1967, at Cape Town, during the first surgery of human cardiac transplantation with positive exit. It was a very delicate work: the heart had to be removed and had to be kept with the biggest care.
Naki was the second most important man of the team which made the first transplantation of history. But he could not appear in public in the country of apartheid because he was black.
The chief surgeon of the team, the white Christian Barnard, became immediately a celebrity.
But Hamilton Naki could not appear on the team photos. In case he was on one by mistake the hospital said that it was a member of the housekeeping service.
Naki carried the surgeon’s hat and the mask but had never studied neither medicine nor surgery: he had left the school at the age of 14… He was a gardener of the school of Medicine at Cape Town.
He started cleaning the classes. But he was curious and learned quickly. He learned the surgical technique while seeing the white physicians practicing the transplantation techniques on dogs and pigs.
He started cleaning the classes. But he was curious and learned quickly. He learned the surgical technique while seeing the white physicians practicing the transplantation techniques on dogs and pigs.
He became such an exceptional surgeon that Dr Barnard wanted him as a team member.
It was a problem from the viewpoint of the laws of South Africa. Naki, a Negro, was not allowed to operate the patients nor could he touch the blood of the whites.
But the hospital considered him so valid that it made an exception for him. They made him a surgeon… but in secret.
But this didn’t interest him. He continued to study and to give the best of himself, regardless of the discrimination.
He was the best. He gave lessons to the white students but had the salary of a laboratory technician: the maximum that a hospital could pay to a Negro.
He lived in a shack without light nor flowing water, in a ghetto at the periphery as it suited to a Negro.
Hamilton Naki taught surgery during 40 years and left to retirement as a gardener, with 275 dollars per month.
When the apartheid ended they offered him a decoration and the title of physician honoris causa.
No one had noticed the injustices that he had to endure during all his life. Dr Naki, thank you for everything that you made for humanity beyond your own interests.
May it become known that Hamilton Naki was a magnificent physician and an exceptional man.”
May this story be a rose in memory of Hamilton Naki
Posted by Melodie Munro on September 6, 2010 at 7:04pm
This Labor Day, Domestic Workers See Victory in New York Posted by: Robin Marty
The first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City in 1882, so it seems only fitting to honor a new development in employment in the city. Last week, Governor David Paterson signed a new law ensuring domestic workers receive the same rights as most other employees of the state.
Via the New York Post:
Gov. Paterson yesterday signed into law the nation's first measure to safeguard the rights of domestic workers, guaranteeing the unsung household heroes such benefits as paid time off and protections against discrimination.
A small army of nannies, caregivers for the elderly and housekeepers -- mostly women and immigrants -- erupted in cheers when Paterson put pen to paper to make the bill law at a ceremony in Harlem.
"They are the structure and function of our society. They have been the skeleton and underpinning of our success," said Paterson.
"They are the wind beneath our wings, and we have totally disrespected them until today."
Under the new law, the state's estimated 280,000 domestic workers -- previously excluded from virtually all labor laws -- will have rights other workers have long taken for granted.
They will be entitled to overtime pay at time and half if they work more than 40 hours a week -- or 44 hours a week for live-in staff -- as well as three paid days off annually, after a year of working for a family. In addition, employers must now give their household staff at least one day off for every seven days worked, or else pay them at an overtime rate.
Domestic Workers United had been working to pass the bill, which was an attempt to bring legal regulation to an industry that is almost exclusively female, predominantly filled by immigrants, and reports a myriad of staff abuses, primarily due to ignorance on the part of the employer or lack of recourse on the part of the employee.
According to the American Prospect:
[Domestic Workers United Director Priscilla] Gonzalez says problems facing the domestic work force are many: They're decentralized, so they can't organize in the same ways as other workers. Many labor laws don't address them, so they lack a legal route to seek redress if their employer mistreats them. In the New York metro area, the roughly 200,000 households that employ domestic workers are varied and often uninformed of the rules. Ninety-nine percent of the work force is female, and 95 percent are immigrants, an oft-exploited group doing work that's already devalued because it's domestic. And 60 percent of domestic workers are heads of households, so problems the women face reverberate through their own households and their communities.
Although this is a first of its kind bill, as an equal rights issue it can only be expected to eventually spread throughout the country, offering protections for all domestic workers regardless of their location.
