OPPORTUNITY CAFE

Women cry when they want to get angry.  Men get angry when they want to cry.  Is it that way in every culture?  I don’t know.  It is in mine.
Shame is a manifestation of fear.  Fight fear as you would a plague.  It is the opposite of Love.
Take your knocks, shake it off and move on- looking forward, never back.  Continuing to fight the good fight of faith.
It is not what you do for others that sustains life and peace.  It is how you make them feel.  And that is …

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 …

Home of the Free and the Brave
Persons who seek asylum from the USA based on fear of persecution in their home country must file for asylum within one year of arrival in the USA.  Persons who have been granted status as Refugees and Asylees have one year from entry to the USA to apply for permanent residence in the USA.  Why are asylees and refugees permitted to adjust to U.S. lawful permanent resident status?  Shouldn’t they have to return to their home country once country conditions have changed?
The United States …

America: Opportunity for Immigrants – Immigrants: Opportunity for America
Historically, America has proudly proclaimed its rich heritage as a nation grounded in the entrepreneurial spirit of immigrants. Today, America continues to find strength in this heritage, in the strong family values brought by immigrants, and in the human and economic resources contributed by immigrants. As in every corner of life, there are fear-mongers who cry that the sky will fall if…., attempting to sway the populace to their opinion by inciting fear. When focused on immigration policy, their dire warnings …

Praise to President Obama who is remaking the face of government to reflect the face of America. Yesterday, he announced that he will nominate Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. A federal appeals judge in New York, she is the daughter of Puerto Rican parents. Raised in the Bronx, she was educated at Yale University. Her professional background exceeds that of Supreme Court Justices before her, including work as a former prosecutor in NY. Sonia Sotomayor will bring real-world life experience to the decision-making that shapes our nation.

Of course, the politicos and racists are out in number- seeking minutiae to grasp hold of and contort. It seems that statements indicating her Latino background will enable her to be a more well-rounded, culturally aware decision maker are threatening to some. There is contention by some that these types of statements present a reverse discrimination of sorts. Read more….

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 …

Capitalism has a bad rap. Say the word and imagery of gross excess floods the senses. Read the word “capitalism” and picture: People driving gas guzzling SUVs to a mega-store to buy their third wide screen TV, while wearing thousand dollar sunglasses that shield them from noticing that people a world away- or even two city blocks away- are suffering in poverty.
Read more about global opportunity, capitalism and greed..

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 …

There is a piece of fancy footwork known as the “diplomatic shuffle” to Americans who work overseas. It refers to the fact that in many countries, the circles of personal space that people are comfortable with are much smaller. For example, when someone from an Asian country speaks to an American, they often stand closer to the American than the American is comfortable with. This causes the American to shuffle backwards. The Asian then shuffles forwards, to maintain the circle of personal space that they are comfortable with. The American, personal space violated, shuffles backwards again. This continues until the American’s back hits a wall and s/he begins to perspire with discomfort. Click above to read full article….

We seek prosperity, better lives for ourselves and for our children.  We access opportunity and measure success by the degree of escalation we have achieved from the point at which we started.   Yet in pursuit of  success,  too many find an endless seeking that is never satisfied.
Is it a disease of America or a disease of Man- this desire for more?  Or is the quest for “more” chiseled into the nature of our existence,  embedded in our DNA- the road map of life?  Ironically, true success and the quenching …