OPPORTUNITY CAFE

At the ripe old age of 28, Aaron Jackson has delivered medicine to cure over 1.7 million Haitian children of the intestinal worms that eat away their bodies, and slow their brains and drive into a nutrient-depleted lethargy.
Long before the Earthquake, Haiti saw its share of tragedies.  The devastation caused by intestinal parasites was one.   And the cure so easy:  one pill that costs less than five cents.   As water systems become tainted, and water lays stagnant, the parasites will increase.   But make no mistake:  the trouble is in …

Get it.   We are interdependent.   Economically and spiritually, we are a chain.  A world of links, one pulled by the other.  And yes, the USA is the mother link, economically.  Now.  That will not always be the case.  Change is the nature of life.  Today, the USA.  Tomorrow, perhaps, China.  The next day, perhaps, Jamaica.  Or Brazil.  Or Dubai.  Or Cuba.  What is clear without a doubt, is that we are all linked together.  For the well being of one, we must root for and support the well-being of the …

There is a television show on American T.V. about a man known as “The Dog Whisperer.”   Born in Mexico, his ability to communicate with dogs became apparent when he was young.  The locals called him: “El Perrero”- which is Spanish for “The Dog Man.”   On every television episode of “The dog Whisperer,” Cesar Millan tames and rehabilitates dogs who seem impossible to control.  The ferocious, the biters, the “fraidy-cats,” the “escape-artists”- Cesar Millan can cause them all to become well-behaved and well-adjusted.   But on last night’s episode, it looked like …

Would you? Watch the outstanding video on the “Make a Difference” page above.  It is about an American hero.   It is about hundreds of thousands of children who have been given a new opportunity to live, in Haiti, Guatemala, and other impoverished countries.

We all have gifts and talents and opportunities- even when there are tremendous obstacles in our way.   It is possible for every one to make a difference-  for themselves and for a more beautiful world.  Sometimes that is as simple as a smile to someone.  Sometimes that smile achieves a difference larger than could be imagined.   Enjoy this video about children who have impaired hearing, as they learn the art of mime.  It is a project done by the World Mime Organization and supported by the Ministry of Social Affairs …

On The Way to School..
International student exchange offers a fabulous way for our world to share its beautiful cultural differences.   Many countries require students to serve one or two years in the military after school.  Imagine what a beautiful world we could have if instead all countries required its students to travel one or two summers to study in another culture!
There are many different opportunities for students to visit and study in other countries.  Here is some information for American students and students from other countries who are interested in expanding their world horizons.
American …

As she stood churning, her private parts ached in pain from the red hot chili peppers that had been forced into the unspeakable parts of her body that morning as punishment for “talking back.”  On that sun-drenched afternoon in I’satta’s small village in Liberia, West Africa, the women churned cream from goats milk and talked about what life in the United States would be like.   Early that morning, Okie Tall had returned to the village from a coveted trip to New York City.  All in the village were in …

In my head I am seventeen because I still:

Seek out new things

Am amazed by new things

Get lost

And somehow find my way home

Believe that..

When Fabio arrived in the United States in 2003, from France, American sentiment was not friendly to the French, who had refused to support participation in the Iraq war.  Within his first few weeks in the United States, he was beaten up.   Then, a co-worker at his new job tormented him relentlessly, unabashedly telling him “The French are not welcome here.”   Feeling bitter and angry, he alternately felt a desire for vengeance, and considered whether he should return to France.  
One day, as he was at work in the medical lab, his co-worker was …