Thanksgiving: Give Thanks, Take Action

Today is the last Thursday of November and thus Thanksgiving Day in the United States.  We have much to be thankful for and we as a nation give thanks on this day, and so I shall.

It is easy.  I thank my bride for her inspiration and support, without which I would not have the energy to shine the light on the topics which often hide in obscurity.  I also thank her, for all the joy she brings to life, not just my own, but to each person whom she may encounter, they all leave smiling and better for the experience.  It is often said, if you believe in reincarnation you want to come back as her dog, I agree, though being her husband is not a bad place to be, and for that I am eternally grateful and appreciative.

I also thank my family: children, siblings, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and of course parents for life's lessons.  Particularly my parents for their instilling in me the basics of a responsible life at an early age. And exposing me to the art of the possible - or put differently - the perspective of optimism.  My father took us abroad, he helped where help was needed, he dedicated his life to making the world a better and more just place and succeeded in teaching/showing/leading people in many different countries in many different enviornments how to help themselves.  In doing so, my parents exposed their children to the world's rich and diversified cultures, and the concepts of inclusion, acceptance and understanding. You see, my father and mother were what I call "actualizers," they actually got stuff done, and getting it done meant helping their fellow man, and they did it with great integrity and respect for one's heritage and cultural differences.  Life's lessons, earned through life - yes much for which to be thankful.

One lesson retained throughout my life is the concept of accountability for one's decisions. I am often heard to say, "the choice is yours," rarely are their situations without a choice. Thus the responsible life requires one to be both accountable and responsible for their life's choices, as life fortunately or unfortunately is not graded on the curve, but is pass or fail.  But choosing poorly is an opportunity to learn and not the end of the road, providing one learns from those opportunities.  For having second chances, I am most thankful.

So how did this "day of thanks" become a national holiday within the United States?  It all began, we are told, in 1621 with the Pilgrims and Indians in Plymouth, Massachusetts celebrating their harvest, the five surviving Pilgrim women prepared a bountiful feast, a feast made possible by the knowledge imparted to the Pilgrims by the Patuxet Indian named Tisquantum, anglicized as Squanto, on the planting of corn, squash and beans together, tapping of the maple trees, etc. Those with knowledge, assisted those without.  Those who knew how to survive and exist, helped those who hungered for both knowledge and sustanence.  Those Pilgrams had much for which to be thankful.

With this, a tradition was born, and continued, mostly in New England and those westward areas of America where those from New England migrated over time.  In 1863 Sarah Josepha Hale, a prominent midwest magazine editor, wrote a letter to Lincoln urging him to have the "day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union Festival." She wrote, "You may have observed that, for some years past, there has been an increasing interest felt in our land to have the Thanksgiving held on the same day, in all the States; it now needs National recognition and authoritive fixation, only, to become permanently, an American custom and institution." In 1863, Lincoln was President of a nation embroiled in a civil war, a war which was consuming the nation.  Lincoln seized upon the notion of a day of thanks as an opportunity to bring the disparate portions of the country together.  On October 3, 1863, President Lincoln proclaimed that a Day of Thanksgiving will occur in the United States:

By the President of the United States of America.

A Proclamation.

The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God. In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union. Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consiousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom. No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy. It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.  Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.

By the President: Abraham Lincoln

The year was 1863, the message apropos to 2009.
We have so much to be thankful for in 2009, and while it is easy to close the blinds and be satiated with our quality of life, if one pulls back the shades of our collective lives we see people both near and far are existing within turmoil and far too many within angst.  We worry about so many issues - war, poverty, physical safety and security of our families and neighborhoods, learning environments for our children, the far too rapid maturation of our children, slavery both near and far, exploitation of our children, online safety, and of course the basic tenant of life, food and water - add these up the total is formidable.

You see, we live in unsettled times, and while I  don't have all the answers.  Let's step back to 1863 - if you were ill, your neighbors would come to assist you both with remedies as well as to help with your crops. If your family had members in the service of their nation, others would step in and assist. If you had no food, your neighbor assisted as best they could with open hand.  Today our nation has many million more inhabitants, is engaged in two separate conflicts abroad, has no national health strategy, individual privacy is dissipating and our online and physical safety and security present us with individual challenges as funding for civil services are drastically reduced, it is far too easy to forget our roots - so I ask you to take a moment and reflect.

We can make it possible for food to be available to all.  We can make it possible for the basics of health care to be available to all.  We can have the best education system in the world, available to all, not just those with deep pockets.  We can keep our children safe, both in the physical world, as well as the virtual online world.  We can be a nation of healthy individuals. We can embrace diversity and demonstrate tolerance, especially in the United States, a nation of immigrants.

Please, in the coming year, look for opportunities to make a difference.

In my remaining years I will remain dedicated to service to all, therefore, I will continue to speak from the heart and shine light upon the many safety, security and humanitarian issues which address us.

May your Thanksgiving Day be joyous.  We have much about which to be thankful.

Thank you for your time.

All the best,

Christopher
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President Obama's Thanksgiving Day Proclamation (PDF):

November 23, 2009
Presidential Proclamation -- Thanksgiving Day

A PROCLAMATION

What began as a harvest celebration between European settlers and indigenous communities nearly four centuries ago has become our cherished tradition of Thanksgiving. This day's roots are intertwined with those of our Nation, and its history traces the American narrative.

Today, we recall President George Washington, who proclaimed our first national day of public thanksgiving to be observed "by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God," and President Abraham Lincoln, who established our annual Thanksgiving Day to help mend a fractured Nation in the midst of civil war. We also recognize the contributions of Native Americans, who helped the early colonists survive their first harsh winter and continue to strengthen our Nation. From our earliest days of independence, and in times of tragedy and triumph, Americans have come together to celebrate Thanksgiving.

As Americans, we hail from every part of the world. While we observe traditions from every culture, Thanksgiving Day is a unique national tradition we all share. Its spirit binds us together as one people, each of us thankful for our common blessings.

As we gather once again among loved ones, let us also reach out to our neighbors and fellow citizens in need of a helping hand. This is a time for us to renew our bonds with one another, and we can fulfill that commitment by serving our communities and our Nation throughout the year. In doing so, we pay tribute to our country's men and women in uniform who set an example of service that inspires us all. Let us be guided by the legacy of those who have fought for the freedoms for which we give thanks, and be worthy heirs to the noble tradition of goodwill shown on this day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 26, 2009, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of the United States to come together, whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place where family, friends and neighbors may gather, with gratitude for all we have received in the past year; to express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own; and to share our bounty with others.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twentieth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Hunger: Thankful for so Much; Worried for so Many

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and we have so much about which to be thankful - the basics of life available - roof over our head; good health, employment and food on our tables.  Unfortunately, in this year of 2009, the number of those who are homeless is increasing; those ill increasing, unemployment is greater than 10% and sadly, more than 14.6% (17.1 million) of our nation's households are food insecure.

You can make a difference.  $1 in Feeding America's hands places 7 meals on the table of a family visiting our nations food banks. Sadly, the food banks nationwide are suffering shortages.  These shortages are not new, this situation has existed throughout the year. Here is President Obama touching on this very topic in February 2009 during a visit to Indiana (President Obama)

I've been asked of late by many who have read my prior pieces on hunger, what is the situation in my state? Take a look at this map prepared by the USDA which indicates each state's situation with respect to percentage of households who are food insecure, i.e., not knowing from where their next meal will come.

And what are the trends?  The trend is up and to the right.  Unemployment is at greater than 10% in the US, and I shudder to think of what the data is showing us for 2009 - the 2008 data provided by the USDA is quite sobering:

The need is outstripping the current levels of support, we collectively aren't channeling sufficient food or dollars to our nations foodbanks.  But dire straits these are not, we can make a difference, the time, however, is now. 

Please join me in Libby's Virtual Canned Food Drive and let us use every one of their offered matching dollars, in doing so your $1 puts 14 meals on the table of a family who hungers.  With your help, we can continue to be thankful we live in the nation we call home and remove the worry for so many who hunger.

((Update 23 November:  There is now additional matching for every dollar raised $1=$4 - that is 28 meals for every dollar donated))

Thank you for your time,

All the best,

Christopher

Please click and scroll down to the RED - Give Now

We are at 45% of our goal of $2500

Hunger - Take a Bite Out of Hunger in America - A Virtual Food Drive!

At the beginning of November, I signed up and joined in Libby's Food's Virutal Canned Food campaign to assist Feeding America (formerly Second Harvest), setting what I thought was a modest goal of $2500 to raise in 30 days, and accept Libby's generous offer to match dollar for dollar up to the first $30,000.  In the ensuing 15 days my eyes have been fully opened and the reality of today's economic turmoil on our society has literally caused a neck twisting head-snap to occur.  Folks, take a moment and look around.  Seriously, look around, we do have Hunger in America.

On November 5, I wrote, Hunger: How is this possible in today's world and noted that well over 300 persons have read this piece; and many more have alluded to it in separate articles or blogs.  I've received a great number of emails and tweets where-in my many professional and virtual friends, colleagues and casual contacts have thanked me for increasing their awareness and expressed their thanks as well as their intent to give of their time, donate food, donate money directly to their local food bank or participate in my Virtual Canned Food Drive - all of these actions are exactly what I had hoped would occur.  I also was quite sobered when I encounter a vocal minority who believe my zealous efforts to raise $2500 was simply spam.  One individual went so far as to specifically note they cared not a bit about the topic of Hunger (the poor soul, may this person never experience what millions do daily).

As I noted above, I also have sensed just how hard the economic turmoil has effected so many.  A very large majority of communication to me has been along the lines of, "I want to help, but we are strapped this year." or "I haven't had work in five months, I keep my internet to find work, but I have given my time, I just can't give $1 to this campaign." or "Thank you for doing this, I've experienced hunger, I've been to the food bank."  So please, don't fret if you are unable to donate to the virtual drive - you must take care of you and your family before you take care of others.  Your thoughts, prayers and support to the effort are sufficient and deeply appreciated; we're glad to be there for you when you are in need and know the sentiment is reciprocated.

Nonetheless, I am going to ask those who are able, but who haven't found their way to the Libby's site to participate in the Virtual Canned Food Drive to do so, and to do so prior to 30 November. We've had 18 fine folks contribute, and we have 15 more days to raise the remaining 70% of the needed funds to reach our goal of $2500.  Should we be successful, with Libby's Food matching funds, we will have collectively placed 35,000 meals on the table of those who hunger in the United States.

If you have any doubt as to the seriousness of the current situation, read the following sobering details on Hunger in America from Feeding America's Child Hunger Facts:

• More than 9 million children are estimated to be served by Feeding America, over 2 million of which are ages 5 and under, representing nearly 13 percent of all children under age 18 in the United States and over 72 percent of all children in poverty.
• According to the USDA, an estimated 12.4 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households in 2007. 
• 8 states plus the District of Columbia have 20 percent or more of children under 18 living in food insecure households; the states of Texas (22.1 percent) and Mississippi (21.5 percent) have the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food.
• The top five states with the highest rate of food insecure children under 18 are Texas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arizona, South Carolina and the District of Columbia.
• The top five states with the lowest rate of food insecure children under 18 are North Dakota, Virginia, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Hawaii.
• The top six states with the highest rate of food insecure children under 5 are Louisiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Texas, and New Mexico.
• The top five states with the lowest rate of food insecure children under 5 are Massachusetts, New Jersey, Hawaii, New York, and New Hampshire
• Proper nutrition is vital to the growth and development of children, particularly for low-income children. 62 percent of all client households with children under the age of 18 participated in a school lunch program, but only 13 percent participated in a summer feeding program that provides free food when school is out. 
• 51 percent of client households with children under the age of 3 participated in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). 
• Nearly 41 percent of emergency food providers in the Feeding America network reported "many more children in the summer" being served by their programs. 
• Emergency food assistance plays a vital role in the lives of low-income families. In 2002, more than half of the non-elderly families that accessed a food pantry at least once during the year had children under the age of 18.
• 14 million or approximately 19 percent of children in the U.S. live in poverty. The rate of poverty for children under 18 remains higher than those aged 18 to 64 and for those aged 65 and over.
• Research indicates that even mild under nutrition experienced by young children during critical periods of growth impacts the behavior of children, their school performance, and their overall cognitive development
• In fiscal year 2008, 49 percent of all SNAP participants were children.
• During the 2008 federal fiscal year, 18.5 million low-income children received free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program. Unfortunately, just 2.1 million of these same income-eligible children participated in the Summer Food Service Program that same year.

Hopefully the above will induce you to reach into your wallet and give locally or via the Virtual Canned Food Drive w/Libby's (upper left corner); donate your time; donate food.  Most importantly, please be alert for families and children in need and who are experiencing food insecurity and make them aware of the many programs available throughout the United States.

Thank you for your time,
All the best,
Christopher

Online Safety: Let us be safe, at home, online

This is a continuation of the expansion on the daily tweets I shared via my Twitter account, @BurgessCT,  during National CyberSecurity Awareness Month (#NCSAM - October 2009).

If you’re reading this blog, you and your family are connected to the internet; your entrée to the internet is via a laptop, desktop PC, smart-phone, or other such devices and you have one, two maybe three separate service providers. Your connected devices allow you and your family the opportunity to literally bring the world to your doorstep. And we want the world to come to our door via the internet – as the internet brings to us knowledge, enhances our ability to communicate, provides us opportunities to share and collaborate with others and of course enables us to conduct commerce and be entertained.

Fortunately, if your online experiences are like mine, the people and services you encounter are with great folks and honest companies or as I like to say, “They are Ivory Snow 99 44/100th percent pure of heart; honest and without hidden agendas.” There exists unfortunately, a malicious minority of individuals, as well as, organized criminal entities which prey on those of us whose online virtual doors are invitingly open.

So let’s begin to close those virtual doors and keep out the uninvited.

• Computer Security:
• Anti-virus and anti-spyware software – enable automatic updates and scan, every day for viruses, malware, crimeware and spyware. In addition, scan every device which attaches to your computer, every time it attaches. My rationale is, that device may have been inserted into a computer that is infected and thus the device is a “carrier” of a computer virus or malware and waiting to be transmitted to next computer it touches. (Tips 8, 12 & 13)
• Firewall - similarly, make sure your web browser or security software has the firewall option enabled. Why? Think of the firewall as your computer’s guard force – blocking attempts to communicate with your computer from those whom you haven’t authorized. (Tip 18)
• Computer Security Scans – every day you should run a security scan on your computer – every day. (Tip 19)
• Home Network Security:
• Using a wireless router to create a home WI-FI network? Enable WPA2 encryption and create a strong password (letter, number & symbol, not a word in a dictionary). If your router does not support WPA2 encryption, it is, in my opinion, time to upgrade that router. If you give the password to a visitor, say a house guest, change the password. And don’t forget to configure your router so that your SSID (Service Set Identifier) is suppressed. This configuration will keep your network private from those outside your home (see this piece from the TODAY show “Is your Wi-Fi connection safe”.) (Tips 3 & 4)
• Computer Control:
• Guests? Do you allow house guests to use any of the computers in your home? I recommend creation of guest accounts with separate log-in for your guests so they have their own environment on the computer w/o access to your personal data or browser history or cookies.  (Tip 22)
• Administrator? Control the admin functions of a computer and you essentially control the computer. Take control, set a unique password so that the computer settings can only be changed by the administrator, you. (Tip 11)
• Auto-run or not to auto-run? Disable Auto-Run and scan all USB/CD/DVD even if you received it from a trusted source, their USB/CD/DVD may be ill from having visited a machine with malware/crimeware prior to visiting yours. (Tip 8)

So where do you find reputable vendors for the aforementioned software? Let me point you to the non-profit Get Net Wise website where a comprehensive list of reputable security vendors is available; another resource for free security scan software from a list of reputable vendors is the National Cyber Security Alliance. Regardless of the vendor selected, always enable the automatic update function on your software. Vendors find unknown and unexpected vulnerabilities in their products and their avenue to close those vulnerabilities is via the update.

In closing, the online world enabled by the internet is wondrous place. Train your family to follow the above safety steps, and to call out any warnings or advisories generated by the tools being used to safeguard your family and your online experiences will be so much more enjoyable.

Thank you for your time.
All the best,
Christopher

(The above was originally written by me as a "guest blog" for use by Cammie Moise and posted on her "Moms Material" website.)

Hunger - How is this possible in today's world?

Are you hungry?  Hunger is a sensation millions experience, daily. We can do something about it, we can do more than you think, you can do something today (right now).  Please read on - there is a hungry person and family near you and in this truly tumultuous economic year, every single dollar, minute or food item you donate can put food in to the mouths of those who hunger.

When I was a child I'd sometimes fuss with my food at dinner (the all time fuss-bucket winner was brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea - Gemmifera Group) my mother loved them, they just weren't my favorite).  My mother would have none of it, and would admonish me to clean my plate, eat my veggies and add, "Don't you know, there are starving children in China?"  Clearly I didn't and the impudence in me probably offered to envelope and send the food to China vice my stomach, but what I didn't understand is, while there may very well have been starving children in China we didn't have to go so far, there were starving children much closer to home.

The above transpired well over 50 years ago.  We are now in November 2009 and there remain millions who go hungry every day in too many countries across this world we share, including in the United States.  How is this possible in today's world, given the advances in the science of agriculture, type and sophistication of transportation and logistics, and the visibility to the plight of so many?

Unfortunately, it is because so many lack the resources to satisfy their basic need - to acquire food.

Here's some stats about the situation in the United States:

•    The USDA notes in their report "Food Spending Declined and Food Insecurity Increased for Middle-Income and Low-Income Households From 2000 to 2007" dated October 23, 2009 just how precarious as "The prevalence of food insecurity increased from 10.5 percent
  of households in 2000 to 11.1 percent in 2007."
•    Nearly 96 billion pounds of food go to waste each year in America - while millions of people struggle to get enough to eat.
  

Here's what Food Lifeline of Washington says about the situation in my state of Washington:

•    "Food Lifeline’s missing meals report shows that more than 163 million meals are still needed each year in Western Washington to ensure all low income families and individuals have three nutritious meals a day" 
•    "'The profile of a hungry person in Western Washington continues to defy society's assumptions.'
  Nearly 45% of the individuals using a food bank, meal program or shelter in Western Washington have some form of post-secondary education. Only 15% are actually homeless."
•    38% of the hungry people Food Lifeline serves are children."
•    13% of the hungry people Food Lifeline serves are seniors."

How can you join me in making a difference today:

•   Libbys and Feeding America's "Virtual Food Drive" - My family and I are supporting this effort (see upper left hand corner of this blog).  Libbys has generously offered to match dollar for dollar every single dollar this campaign raises up to $30,000 - given our goal is $2500, if we reach our goal - we place $5000 into the coffers of Feeding America (formerly Second Harvest) for use nationwide and that equates to 35,000 meals.   (NB:  In Western Washington the Feeding America affiliate is Food LifeLine)           Please click this URL to join my campaign:  Let's Feed America, Together   
•    Your employer - Is your company hosting a financial matching campaign?  Many are.  If you are a small group or company, consider initiating your own Libbys campaign or join mine - either will double those donations (up to $30,000).   Please click this URL to join my campaign:  Let's Feed America, Together  
•     Your time - Your most valuable resource is time. If you can't donate funds, can you donate time?  A food bank I give of my time is Northwest Harvest.  Northwest Harvest is an independent entity which supplies goods to over 300 food banks throughout the state of Washington.  In addition they have a food bank in Seattle on Cherry Street, where you aren't asked to "qualify" - you show up you are fed.  Think about donating your time at the Cherry Street facility or their Kent warehouse.  (Tell them I sent you).
•     Your food - Yes - donate, please donate pastas, rice, grains, dry goods, baby items, canned and jarred goods.  Prior to donating an item in a food drive, please look at the expiration date.  I've sorted hundreds of boxes of donated food which must be discarded as the item was past expiration date.  Isn't it easier for you to discard the item than have the charity do it? 

The above provides a bit of perspective, read the USDA report, it is sobering.  You have the means to provide relief, it boils down to choice, please choose to help those who hunger.  Please join me and let's put food in the hands of those who need it most.   Please click this URL to join my campaign:  Let's Feed America, Together

Thank you for your time.
All the best,
Christopher

(I'll address the global hunger situation in a future post)