Model Veronica Varekova becomes a Goodwill Ambassador for the African Wildlife Foundation

Veronica Varekova, Ambassador of Goodwill

New York, Oct. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The African Wildlife Foundation [AWF] announced today that supermodel Veronica Varekova, who has been featured in campaigns for Sports Illustrated and Victoria's Secret, has been named one of the first AWF Goodwill Ambassadors. Veronica will aid in efforts to raise awareness and funds to support initiatives focused on conserving large landscapes, protecting endangered species, and empowering local communities working in AWF's nine African Heartlands; these vast areas of land are essential to conservation due to an unmatched concentration of wildlife and potential to sustain viable populations for the future.

"I made frequent trips to Africa growing up and quickly fell in love with the continent," Veronica commented. "On my last trip, I was able to experience AWF's work and accomplishments firsthand, which made me realize how much I wanted to be involved with this Foundation and help raise their profile in the
US I truly respect and value their mission, philosophy, work ethic, and am excited to get on the ground to begin my work."

As one of her first projects, Veronica will travel to Rwanda in late October to liaise with conservationists working in the forested habitat surrounding the Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge. This community-owned lodge was created as part of AWF's Conservation Enterprise program; it provides the community with economic incentives to conserve their lands and treat wildlife not as a threat to their livelihoods, but as a boon to their prosperity.

Another newly appointed AWF Goodwill Ambassador and good friend, Ben Stein, will join Veronica in the hopes to secure a meeting with the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, to show appreciation for his country's work in supporting the conservation efforts of AWF.

"We could not be more thrilled to have Veronica involved with the African Wildlife Foundation," noted Craig Sholley, Vice-President for Philanthropy and Marketing for AWF. "Veronica shares our belief that protecting Africa's wildlife and landscapes is the key to the future economic prosperity of Africa and its people. We are confident that her passion for our mission will create additional awareness of our work."

For more information, please visit the African Wildlife Foundation website: awf.org

About African Wildlife Foundation: For nearly 50 years the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF), together with the people of Africa, has worked to ensure the wildlife and wild lands of Africa will endure forever. AWF is the leading international conservation organization focused solely on Africa. AWF believes protecting Africa's wildlife and wild landscapes is the key to the future prosperity of Africa and its people.

AWF and Veronica are both Active in Social Media

On Facebook the African Wildlife Foundation operates an interactive program where you and your Facebook friends cab join them there.

Group Description: We are all about Africa. Join our group if you think Africa's incredible wildlife and wild lands - and the people who depend on them - are worth fighting for. The African Wildlife Foundation, together with the people of Africa, works to ensure the wildlife and wild lands of Africa will endure forever.

We believe that protecting Africa's wildlife and wild landscapes is the key to the future prosperity of Africa and its people - and for over forty-five years we have made it our work to help ensure that Africa's wild resources endure.


Become a fan of Model and Ambassador Veronica Varekova on Facebook too where she maintains her Official Fan Page to interact with those who follow her work.



SOURCE African Wildlife Foundation


Photo Copyright 2008-2009: Fashion Model Directory | Veronica Varekova


Become an Author: Blog about the Goodwill Ambassadors of the World, Social Network Public Policy, Facebook Diplomacy and other World Changing Projects that can be applied in social networking to make connections globally and bring together like minded individuals together from every corner of the world. To find out more please contact Ambassador Col. David J. Wright on Facebook at Globcal International.


Globcal International is a cooperative network of independent ambassador agents that represent global causes through networks of supporting followers. Ambassadors are trained in public diplomacy and social capital development for the purpose of spreading the goodwill of others and deliver their news locally from their assigned diplomatic areas, presidents, prime ministers, and other divided areas by using the social media. Ambassadors take their local stories to the world social networking forum where they engage special social media into a public diplomacy world view based on the common ground of the people's own democracy.


Globcal is seeking Ambassadors that are highly active in Facebook and other social network platforms now! We still need people from Facebook who can represent cultures, political divisions, indigenous groups, smaller less populous countries, major cities, environmental causes, and many more for participation and further development of the promotion of unifying the world based on everyone's needs.

Goodwill Ambassador Wyclef Jean brings Reforestation to Haiti through Timberland Endorsement

Collaboration Promotes the Importance of Preserving and Protecting the Environment with a Focus on Reforestation in Haiti

STRATHAM, N.H., Oct. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The Timberland Company today announced a partnership with globally renowned Grammy Award-winning musician, humanitarian, and Goodwill Ambassador to Haiti, Wyclef Jean. Wyclef is one of six Earthkeeper Heroes within the company's 2009 Earthkeepers program, which aims to catalyze a movement of environmental and social activists. A first for both Wyclef Jean and Timberland, this innovative partnership will fuse music, product, digital and social media, service events and concerts to motivate and inspire consumers to take action in protecting the environment.

This new alliance is grounded in a shared commitment to the environment and a passion for improving communities throughout the world. In 2005, Wyclef founded Yele Haiti to build global awareness for Haiti while helping to transform the country through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment. Similarly, Timberland has long advocated global social justice and environmental stewardship, planting more than one million trees and greening 300 communities throughout the world.

"It is not common to find an agreement between an individual and a corporation with so many altruistic synergies. I am truly humbled and excited to begin our journey together. Timberland is not only a brand I have worn as long as I can remember, but now I feel I have gained a friend in Jeff [Swartz, Timberland's President and CEO] and the respect of what is beyond a brand. I have the utmost respect for what he and his company stand for not only in its legacies but in its future. I am looking forward to making change together," says Wyclef Jean.

"Wyclef is a real-life Earthkeeper who shares our purpose and passion," says Timberland President and CEO Jeff Swartz. "The work he's doing in Haiti is a reminder that we all have the power to inspire change - and that joining forces may lead to even greater accomplishments. Between his fans and our customers, you can expect to see big things from this collaboration."

Timberland and Wyclef officially kicked off their partnership last night at an event at WNYC Radio's street-level broadcast studio, The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space. The evening began with an interview by environmental justice advocate and founder of Sustainable South Bronx, Majora Carter, as part of The Greene Space's "NEXT New York Conversation" series, sponsored by HSBC, "The World's Local Bank." The interview will air later this month on public radio's The Promised Land. The interview was followed by a celebration of all Earthkeeper Heroes, highlighted by a live Wyclef performance during which he played new music from his forthcoming album, Wyclef Jean (Carnival House/Columbia/Sony Music) slated for a March 2010 release.

The launch continues this weekend with a "Dig It" tree planting event at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. "Dig It" is an extension of Timberland's Earthkeeper Network and commitment to urban greening and community building. Throughout 2009 and 2010, Wyclef will participate in several Timberland "Dig It" events around the U.S. and Europe, including a service event at West Philadelphia High School on November 5 and a tree nursery project in his native Haiti. The events will bring together eco-minded activists, musicians and communities through tree planting, education and music.

The partnership will be supported through broad-level marketing support and includes:

Earthkeepers(TM) Yele Haiti Product Collaboration

Wyclef and Timberland have collaborated on a 16-boot footwear collection, slated to launch late November under the popular Timberland Earthkeepers(TM) line. For every pair sold, $2 will be donated to Wyclef's Yele Haiti to support reforestation in Haiti. The collection of eco-conscious footwear, made from recycled and organic materials, will be available globally for men, women and kids.

In addition to the boots, "Tree" tee shirts designed by Haitian art students from the FOSAJ Art School in Jacmel, Haiti will be sold in Timberland® stores and on timberland.com. For each tee shirt sold, $1 will go to Yele Haiti to support reforestation and art programs in Haiti.

Album Release & Tour Merchandise

As part of Wyclef's forthcoming Wyclef Jean album launch and tour throughout 2010 (North American dates February - April), Timberland will create a collection of eco-conscious apparel to be sold at his concerts and on wyclef.com, with a percentage of proceeds to be donated to Yele Haiti. The assortment will include organic concert t-shirts and hats as well as Earthkeepers(TM) Yele Haiti boots.

Social and Digital Media

Wyclef will join forces with Timberland to combine their deep social media networks and influence across platforms ranging from Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, imeem, Social Vibe and wyclef.com to call attention to and raise funds for Yele Haiti (yele.org). In an innovative partnership with imeem.com, users can purchase and download playlists created by Wyclef, with all proceeds going to Yele Haiti. On Social Vibe, users will be invited to learn about Timberland initiatives to earn points and raise funds for Yele Haiti.

All platforms will guide back to Timberland's earthkeeper.com home page, featuring ongoing partnership details; exclusive Wyclef music downloads; consumer contests and a call to action for consumers to "Join the Movement" and be a part of service and activism in their local community or donate funds to Yele Haiti.

In-Store and Music Initiatives

The collaboration will be celebrated at Timberland retailers around the world in 2009 and 2010 with a series of in-store appearances, concerts and promotional events by Wyclef Jean designed to raise awareness and funds for Yele Haiti. For 2009, planned U.S. appearances include Sneaker Villa in Philadelphia on November 4 followed by a service event on November 5; Timberland's New York City flagship store at 474 Broadway and Jimmy Jazz on November 19; and Underground Station in Atlanta on December 3.

In addition, during the 2009 holiday season, consumers purchasing the Earthkeepers(TM) Yele Haiti boot at select stores will receive a free CD copy or downloadable EP of DJ Drama Presents Wyclef Jean A.K.A. Toussaint St. Jean From The Hut To The Projects To The Mansion (Carnival House/Megaforce/RED/Sony Music). In 2010 various consumer promotions will include select tracks from Wyclef's forthcoming March 2010 release, Wyclef Jean (Carnival House/Columbia/Sony Music). Timberland® stores will also feature window graphics, displays and branded materials driving consumers to donate to Yele Haiti.

About Yele Haiti and Yele Vert

Yele Haiti is a grassroots movement that builds global awareness for Haiti while helping to transform the country through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment. Yele's community service programs include food distribution and mobilizing emergency relief.

The Yele Vert program combines community based agroforestry, environmental education and social marketing into a new and sustainable program of tree planting, agricultural improvement and environmental restoration.

Grammy Award-winning musician, humanitarian and Goodwill Ambassador to Haiti Wyclef Jean founded Yele Haiti in 2005.

For more information please go to www.yele.org.

About Timberland

Timberland (NYSE:TBL) is a global leader in the design, engineering and marketing of premium-quality footwear, apparel and accessories for consumers who value the outdoors and their time in it. Timberland markets products under the Timberland®, Timberland PRO®, Mountain Athletics®, SmartWool®, Timberland Boot Company(TM), howies® and IPATH® brands, all of which offer quality workmanship and detailing and are built to withstand the elements of nature. The company's products can be found in leading department and specialty stores as well as Timberland® retail stores throughout North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, South Africa and the Middle East. Timberland's dedication to making quality products is matched by the company's commitment to "doing well and doing good" -- forging powerful partnerships among employees, consumers and service partners to transform the communities in which they live and work. To learn more about Timberland, please visit www.timberland.com.

About Timberland Earthkeepers

Timberland Earthkeepers movement and the Timberland Earthkeepers product collection are extensions of the company's legacy of "doing well and doing good." Designed to inform, inspire and engage 1 million people around the world in community-based environmental stewardship, the Earthkeepers movement is a catalyst for Timberland's commitment to forging creative partnerships for the betterment of the communities in which the company lives and works. The Timberland® Earthkeepers(TM) product line, which is rapidly becoming the company's top selling line of boots, was the inspiration for the Earthkeepers movement. The Earthkeepers(TM) product is the pinnacle expression of the company's environmental commitment. To learn more, visit www.earthkeeper.com.

To learn more about and follow Wyclef Jean please go to:

  http://www.wyclef.com
  http://www.Twitter.com/wyclef
  http://www.facebook.com/Wyclef
  http://www.yele.org

Source: Timberland

CONTACT: Lauren Szczerba, Porter Novelli (for Timberland)

Web Site: http://www.timberland.com/
http://www.earthkeeper.com/

We are very glad we have interactive relationships with good social promoters like the PRNewswire for working to publicize stories involving goodwill and public diplomacy. Photo: Wikipedia

Entrepreneurs, Rappers, Welcome as Goodwill Ambassadors

We can change the world if you are dedicated to selfless work in benefit to everyone.

Entrepreneur, Rapper Won-G Partners With 'Dome' Foundation 

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 2, 2009 - PRNewswire -- Rap artist and entrepreneur Won-G has formed a partnership to create "One Dome at a Time," a charity providing housing to people around the world.

The announcement marks the beginning of a collaboration between the Haitian-born musician's "Save Haiti Foundation" and Monolithic, the US company that builds the dome-shaped dwellings. A signing ceremony will kick start the project in Los Angeles on Oct. 2nd, 2009.

"We will give families in developing countries the ability to acquire their first home," Won-G said about the project. "I first became involved with Monolithic when Hurricane Ike hit Haiti in 2008. I had to raise my hand and do something."

The foundation aims at creating relationships with governments of targeted countries, identifies families and groups in need and gives them a home. The domes are monolithic and ecoshell structures that are safe, easy-to-build and earth-friendly, and provide protection against severe weather. They are designed by Monolithic founder David South and his family.

The first three countries on the foundation's action list are Haiti, Senegal and Jamaica. Won-G has already met with Haitian Prime Minister Michelle Duvivier and work is underway on 100 domes designated for Haiti. This is one of several aid efforts Won-G has spearheaded in his native country and in other impoverished nations. He founded the "Save Haiti Foundation" last year and he is currently Ambassador for UNICEF and Goodwill Ambassador for Haiti.

Won-G devotes much time and resources to world causes, but he is best known as a prolific rap artist and entrepreneur, with a savvy for grassroots marketing. In his 14-year career he has independently produced six albums, which received critical and commercial success, reaching sales of more than two million. He has three Billboard top 50 hits and his music videos have featured Paris Hilton, Carmen Electra and Traci Bingham. Won-G incorporates his international background into his lyrics, often rapping in English, French, Creole and Spanish, and taking on issues of poverty and injustice.

February 2010 marks the release of Won-G's album, "Prince of the City," and the launch of his Sovage Denim line. The album is a collaboration with other rappers and will be distributed by Universal Records, his second major studio distribution.

www.won-g.com
www.monolithic.com

SOURCE Won-G

Follow Goodwill Ambassadors of the World on Facebook and thank the Globcal Ambassador Team for distributing great news and programs to change the world and recover our lives. Contact them and become a goodwill ambassador yourself on Facebook.

Fox News (NewsCorp) abstains from promoting the International Day of Peace

It is not spam if it is International Peace Day. The entire Internet has been fired up by Peace and Goodwill from everyone. There is nothing more important or nothing more popular ever discussed within social network platforms globally and probably nothing more important in our world today.

The 'People's Democratic Public Diplomacy Movement' has won over the attention of the entire globe, it is democracy pure and simple, people want peace and they will have it this day. Thinking about it a little more, it is very clear to see that diplomacy and progress cannot occur with dis-accord, war, famine and injustice, we need to find common ground to establish equality and harmony on the planet, what a great start to unite all people and start a global conversation. Peace it is so simple and so pure and a common need of mankind.

At 06:09 this morning I 'Googled' International Peace Day and they returned 53,000,000 unique hits; then from their news search and found 26,458 news stories, 38,527 blog posts posted in the past 24 hours.

Fox News Abstains from Promoting Peace on International Peace Day

It is obvious to me though that not everyone wants peace on earth; not even on this special day or even recognizes this day as necessary for the people or their readers, viewers or listeners. A few moments ago at 10:04 AM, I searched "International Peace Day" and "Fox News" and learned that they have not even mentioned this day. It all boils down to being a good citizen and is unnerving to see a supposedly prestigious network like FoxNews defy the will of the public and abstain from spending a single minute for an international awareness event that has captured the attention of so many people, world leaders and other news agencies. They say they are part of the mainstream media, but their abstinence and failure to recognize such an important event and observance worries me that they are the instigators of war and hatred.

They have on the other hand managed to mention, attack, and question the motives and work of US President Barack Obama 739 times in the last 24 hours. It is absolutely beyond me how a news network that serves millions to have such hatred and venom in their heart. Perhaps it is not a conspiracy, but I am positive it is not a coincidence, especially knowing that they have received over 100 news releases from all sorts of organizations relative to this day including the United Nations, Buckingham Palace, and the White House. Simply abominable, if a civil war or racial riots break out in the United States anytime soon, they will surely be responsible. As a strategist, I constantly watch them just to be informed as to where they stand and to know what the so called conservatives are doing. Which side are they on? Can they continue to be considered the right wingers if they are so far to the left of democracy and the will of the people?

Here are two screen captures to illustrate my point. Question everything said and reported on by Fox News. As an international strategist I watch them everyday, just to be aware of what is going on from all perspectives. I must say I enjoy watching them from here in Caracas, Venezuela as well, they have very good segments and informative stories; I know now though more than ever that they cannot be trusted to report on good news and that they are part of some higher agenda that is not very nice toward the people I help and work with everyday.

International Peace Day

International Peace Day, September 21, 2009: The International Day of Peace occurs annually on September 21. It is dedicated to peace, or specifically the absence of war, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone. It is observed by many nations, political groups, military groups, and peoples.

To inaugurate the day, the "Peace Bell" is rung at UN Headquarters in New York City. The bell is cast from coins donated by children from all continents. It was given as a gift by the Diet of Japan, and is referred to as "a reminder of the human cost of war." The inscription on its side reads: "Long live absolute world peace. Source: Wikipedia

If you are on Facebook or involved in social network platforms find the time to do a mini-post, write a story or form an opinion about International Peace Day today.

Also see the special message from the United Nations site by Ban Ki-Moon

I created two special links to help you find information and general content faster using TinyURL.

http://tinyurl.com/PeaceDay2009

http://tinyurl.com/PeaceDayNews

There is no other agenda more important today than International Peace Day. So far it has become the most successful social network observance event ever in history.

To follow us on Facebook and enjoy some of our programs that strive for a better world use these links below to our awareness campaigns. Here are three of many public awareness initiatives.


International Observances | Goodwill Ambassadors of the World | World Leaders Coalition

Editor's note: Just to make sure and give FoxNews the benefit of the doubt I made an additional search at 10:30 AM EST under a number of different parameters, I am sorry to report that I found 0 (zero) stories, written, televised or on any radio network they have or are affiliated with anywhere in the United States. FoxNews is owned by NewsCorp a powerful and influential news network watched by tens of millions of people worldwide.

Lets see if FoxNews changes their poor reporting and abstentionism toward world peace by day's end.

Here is the exact search parameter I created to follow Fox News: http://tinyurl.com/FoxNewsPeace

http://news.google.com/news/search?um=1&ned=us&hl=en&num=50&q=International+Peace+Day+site%3Afoxnews.com&cf=all&as_qdr=d&as_drrb=q

All fellow Ambassadors, Fans, other Bloggers, Governments and International Agencies are welcome to post this article and make quotes without requesting permission. 

Written by: Ambassador Col. David J. Wright, Globcal International (58) 212-516-0361

A Lifetime of Achievement and Good Green Deeds

Remembering the Father of the Green Revolution

Associated Press (AP DALLAS) Sept 13: Agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug, the father of the "green revolution" who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in combating world hunger and saving hundreds of millions of lives, died Saturday in Texas, a Texas A&M University spokeswoman said. He was 95.

Borlaug died just before 11 p.m. Saturday at his home in Dallas from complications of cancer, said school spokeswoman Kathleen Phillips. Phillips said Borlaug´s granddaughter told her about his death. Borlaug was a distinguished professor at the university in College Station.

The Nobel committee honored Borlaug in 1970 for his contributions to high-yield crop varieties and bringing other agricultural innovations to the developing world. Many experts credit the green revolution with averting global famine during the second half of the 20th century and saving perhaps 1 billion lives.

Thanks to the green revolution, world food production more than doubled between 1960 and 1990. In Pakistan and India, two of the nations that benefited most from the new crop varieties, grain yields more than quadrupled over the period.

"We would like his life to be a model for making a difference in the lives of others and to bring about efforts to end human misery for all mankind," his children said in a statement. "One of his favorite quotes was, ´Reach for the stars. Although you will never touch them, if you reach hard enough, you will find that you get a little ´star dust´ on you in the process.´"

Equal parts scientist and humanitarian, the Iowa-born Borlaug realized improved crop varieties were just part of the answer, and pressed governments for farmer-friendly economic policies and improved infrastructure to make markets accessible. A 2006 book about Borlaug is titled "The Man Who Fed the World."

"He has probably done more and is known by fewer people than anybody that has done that much," said Dr. Ed Runge, retired head of Texas A&M University´s Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and a close friend who persuaded Borlaug teach at the school. "He made the world a better place — a much better place. He had people helping him, but he was the driving force."

Borlaug began the work that led to his Nobel in Mexico at the end of World War II. There he used innovative breeding techniques to produce disease-resistant varieties of wheat that produced much more grain than traditional strains.

He and others later took those varieties and similarly improved strains of rice and corn to Asia, the Middle East, South America and Africa.

"More than any other single person of his age, he has helped to provide bread for a hungry world," Nobel Peace Prize committee chairman Aase Lionaes said in presenting the award to Borlaug. "We have made this choice in the hope that providing bread will also give the world peace."

During the 1950s and 1960s, public health improvements fueled a population boom in underdeveloped nations, leading to concerns that agricultural systems could not keep up with growing food demand. Borlaug´s work often is credited with expanding agriculture at just the moment such an increase in production was most needed.

"We got this thing going quite rapidly," Borlaug told The Associated Press in a 2000 interview. "It came as a surprise that something from a Third World country like Mexico could have such an impact."

His successes in the 1960s came just as books like "The Population Bomb" were warning readers that mass starvation was inevitable.

"Three or four decades ago, when we were trying to move technology into India, Pakistan and China, they said nothing could be done to save these people, that the population had to die off," he said in 2004.

Borlaug often said wheat was only a vehicle for his real interest, which was to improve people´s lives.

"We must recognize the fact that adequate food is only the first requisite for life," he said in his Nobel acceptance speech. "For a decent and humane life we must also provide an opportunity for good education, remunerative employment, comfortable housing, good clothing and effective and compassionate medical care."

In Mexico, Borlaug was known both for his skill in breeding plants and for his eagerness to labor in the fields himself, rather than to let assistants do all the hard work.

He remained active well into his 90s, campaigning for the use of biotechnology to fight hunger and working on a project to fight poverty and starvation in Africa by teaching new drought-resistant farming methods.

"We still have a large number of miserable, hungry people and this contributes to world instability," Borlaug said in May 2006 at an Asian Development Bank forum in the Philippines. "Human misery is explosive, and you better not forget that."

Norman Ernest Borlaug was born March 25, 1914, on a farm near Cresco, Iowa, and educated through the eighth grade in a one-room schoolhouse.

"I was born out of the soil of Howard County," he said. "It was that black soil of the Great Depression that led me to a career in agriculture."

He left home during the Great Depression to study forestry at the University of Minnesota. While there he earned himself a place in the university´s wrestling hall of fame and met his future wife, whom he married in 1937. Margaret Borlaug died in 2007 at the age of 95.

After a brief stint with the U.S. Forest Service, Norman Borlaug returned to the University of Minnesota for a doctoral degree in plant pathology. He then worked as a microbiologist for DuPont, but soon left for a job with the Rockefeller Foundation. Between 1944 and 1960, Borlaug dedicated himself to increasing Mexico´s wheat production.

In 1963, Borlaug was named head of the newly formed International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, where he trained thousands of young scientists.

Borlaug retired as head of the center in 1979 and turned to university teaching, first at Cornell University and then at Texas A&M, which presented him with an honorary doctorate in December 2007.

"You really felt really very privileged to be with him, and it wasn´t that he was so overpowering, but he was always on, intellectually always engaged," said Dr. Ed Price, director of A&M´s Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture. "He was always onto the issues and wanting to engage and wanting your opinions and thoughts."

In 1986, Borlaug established the Des Moines, Iowa-based World Food Prize, a $250,000 award given each year to a person whose work improves the world´s food supply. He also helped found and served as president of the Sasakawa Africa Foundation, an organization funded by Japanese billionaire Ryoichi Sasakawa to introduce the green revolution to sub-Saharan Africa.

In July 2007, Borlaug received the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest civilian honor given by Congress.

He is survived by daughter Jeanie Borlaug Laube and her husband Rex; son William Gibson Borlaug and his wife Barbie; five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

They asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Borlaug International Scholars Fund. It helps students from developing countries pursue graduate studies or short-term experiential learning activities at Texas A&M or other land grant universities in the U.S.

Plans for a memorial service to be held at Texas A&M were pending.

See the revised article on Wikipedia:  Norman Ernest Borlaug, Father of the Green Revolution
Norman Ernest Borlaug (March 25, 1914–September 12, 2009) was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate, and has been called the father of the Green Revolution. Borlaug was one of five people in history to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal. He was also a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honor. Borlaug's discoveries have been estimated to have saved over 245 million lives worldwide.

Victim and survivor to United Nations Goodwill Ambassador

Girl in Iconic Vietnam War Photo Brings Message of Hope

THURSDAY, Sept. 10 (HealthDay News) -- It's a photo that many credit with helping to end the Vietnam War: A 9-year-old girl, naked and in obvious pain, runs through a street after suffering napalm burns over much of her body.

What the iconic photo -- snapped in 1972 by Associated Press photographer Nick Ut -- doesn't show is the girl's struggle to survive and thrive in the aftermath of that day.

Now 46 years old, Kim Phuc Phan Thai (Kim Phuc to most) spoke recently at a conference of burn survivors and burn care specialists in New York City on the physical and psychological struggle that she went through over the ensuing decades.

"Sixty-five percent of my body got burned," she said in an interview with HealthDay. The third-degree burns left her face untouched but sheared off every layer of skin on her back and left arm, leaving a legacy of permanent scars and recurring pain.

"I should be dead," Phuc said. "I got burned so deep I had to do skin grafts -- mostly from under my leg -- from the 35 percent of my skin that was OK. And from the beginning to the end, including physical therapy, I was in the burn unit in Saigon for about 14 months. And I had 17 operations. But I was spared," she added.

"So now I think, 'I cannot change something that happened to me already. But I can change the meaning." Phuc has come far and is now a public speaker, peace activist, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador, child welfare advocate, married mother of two, and inspiration to burn injury survivors worldwide. She lives in Toronto, her home since seeking political asylum in Canada in the early 1990s.

Phuc's message of hope resonated with many of those at the conference, held earlier this month by the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors, the nation's largest non-profit support and advocacy group for burn survivors. The conference was co-sponsored by the Hearst Burn Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the NY Firefighters Burn Center Foundation.

Besides listening in on Phuc's speech, burn survivors could attend workshops designed to empower with practical information, such as make-up tips to enhance the appearance of affected skin, or hear other survivors' stories of personal triumph over pain.

For example, a number of firefighters and ex-military personnel spoke of their experiences with burn injuries during the course of their work. So did CBS journalist Kimberly Dozier, who was injured while reporting in the Middle East. They also heard from burn survivor and Iraq War veteran J.R. Martinez, currently an actor on the soap opera All My Children.
For her part, Phuc said the events that changed her young life are as vivid today as they were on June 8, 1972, when bombs rained down on her hometown of Trang Bang, north of Saigon.

"They saw that the temple will be next, and they told us to run," said Phuc, whose family had been hiding in the village temple grounds.

"I was in the middle of the group," remembered Phuc, "my brother, my sister, my cousin in front of me, my aunt, my uncles behind. And I stopped."

There was the sound of bombs from South Vietnamese aircraft falling, "and after I saw the fire everywhere around me," Phuc said. "I was so scared. And all my clothes just burned off by the fire. And I saw all my burns. And people screaming: 'Nong qua! Nong qua!' 'Too hot! Too hot!'"

Two of Phuc's cousins died from injuries sustained in the bombing, but Kim was helped by photographer Ut, who helped her get medical attention at a South Vietnamese hospital. She then received more than a year of treatment at the American-funded Barsky Hospital in Saigon.

Phuc beat the odds and survived her ordeal. However, Hearst Burn Center director Dr. Roger Yurt stressed that burn care has improved dramatically in the years since. Patients with serious burns like Phuc now experience a "much more efficient, swifter, and improved treatment process," he said.

"Back in Kim Phuc's time, one usually would add the age of the patient to the amount of body surface that was burned in order to predict mortality," he explained. Using that formula, a 50-year-old patient with burns covering 50 percent of her body faced a nearly 100 percent chance of death.

"Today, however, that same patient would have a 50 percent survival rate -- a doubling of his or her chances," Yurt said. That's due to better anesthetics, better nutrition and respiratory care, as well as more careful monitoring of cardiac function, he said.

The advent of artificial skin products, not available in the 1970s, has also revolutionized skin-graft surgery when used in conjunction with actual skin tissue, Yurt added.

There are also many more burn-care facilities in the United States today. According to the Phoenix Burn Society, over 140 specialized facilities now care for the more than 500,000 Americans who seek medical treatment for burn injuries each year.

Yurt called that a "major advance, because back in the 1970s we would have to send burn patients from New York City, for example, all the way to the army burn center in San Antonio to get treatment. Now we can treat them quickly, right here."

But the single most important change in burn care has been a paradigm shift in the way doctors approach treatment, he said.

"In years past we were concerned about operating too early because patients were so unstable," Yurt said. "We now realize that early and aggressive intervention is actually critical," he explained.

"This has meant that skin grafting has become much more successful, while the occurrence of wound infections has dropped off dramatically," the expert said. "The long-range outcome is much, much better."

Still, Phuc said the legacy of her own wounds linger.

"I still have pain," she said. "Because my nerves are really damaged. They don't work well. So pain in one area spreads everywhere I got burned."

Healthy eating, exercise and an upbeat attitude help her focus away from the pain when it does come, however. And Phuc said that even the pain has its reward.

"The pain I consider as my protection. It humbles me, and helps me to never take my life for granted," she said. "And to share my story."

More information
For additional information and resources on burn injuries and burn care, visit the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors.

Angelina Jolie Defends Everyone's Human Rights

Who better to add to a list of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender profiles than Angelina Jolie?    Maybe it is too easy a choice, that it is just wishful thinking?  No, for when Barbara Walters asked Jolie in an interview if she was bisexual, Jolie responded: "Of course. If I fell in love with a woman tomorrow, would I feel that it's okay to want to kiss and touch her? If I fell in love with her? Absolutely! Yes!" 

Born in 1975 in Los Angeles to actors Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, Jolie has one older brother.  After her parents’ separation in 1976, Jolie moved with her mother and brother to Palisades, New York until she was eleven.  Once back in Los Angeles, she began a fascination with knives, wearing of dark clothes and began her “cutting” phase to ease the pain she felt for being ridiculed for her appearance.  She also spent a few years attending the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute.  Her interest in acting came not from her father’s career, but from going to the movies with her mother. 

Her early career included modeling and appearing in music videos for Lenny Kravitz and for Meatloaf, as well as acting in some of her brother’s student films.  She appeared in the movie Hackers, where she met her first husband, actor Jonny Lee Miller.  She gave a moving performance in Gia, playing the supermodel Gia Carangi, whose life was cut short due to drug addiction and AIDS.  Her real breakthrough came with Girl, Interrupted in 1999 for which she won an Academy Award, as well as her third Golden Globe and second Screen Actors Guild Award. 

Other notable movies include Lara Croft:  Tomb Raider, Life or Something Like It, Beyond Borders, Original Sin, and Alexander.  In 1999, while shooting Pushing Tin, she met her husband, actor Billy Bob Thornton.  Many remember this time of red carpet appearances as full of public displays of affection between the two and the fact that they wore vials of each other’s blood around their necks.  1996’s Foxfire brought her into a relationship with her co-star Jenny Shimizu.  In 2003, she said of the relationship, “I would probably have married Jenny if I hadn't married my husband. I fell in love with her the first second I saw her."  Her more recent films include 2007’s A Mighty Heart and 2008’s Changeling, for which she was nominated for the Academy Award. 

It was during the filming of Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2005, that she met her current partner, Brad Pitt.  Though she was accused by many for the breakup of Pitt’s marriage to actress Jennifer Aniston, there was no public confirmation of their relationship until her 2006 People magazine interview where she declared herself pregnant with Pitt’s child.  Since then, the couple has adopted three children from Cambodia, Ethiopia, and Vietnam, and has given birth to two daughters and one son. 

It was during her time in Cambodia filming Tomb Raider that Jolie became interested in humanitarian issues.  As Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Jolie has traveled to Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, and Ecuador, to name a few.  She has spoken before Congress and continues to donate her time and money on behalf of children, refugees and other humanitarian issues around the world.  In 2006, she and Pitt founded the Jolie/Pitt Foundation to which they made donations of $1 million each to Doctors Without Borders and Global Action for Children. 

In February, 2000, female readers of Jane magazine voted her “The Female Actor who Makes your Knees Weak”, and Jolie responded, “They're right to think that about me, because I'm the person most likely to sleep with my female fans. I genuinely love other women. And I think they know that."   Later that same year, Elle magazine asked her about relationships, and Jolie answered, “Honestly, I like everything. Boyish girls, girlish boys, the heavy and the skinny. Which is a problem when I'm walking down the street.”  Pitt is no slouch either in the LGBT world, stating in Parade magazine, “I have love in my life, a soul mate–absolutely. When someone asked me why Angie and I don’t get married, I replied, ‘Maybe we’ll get married when it’s legal for everyone else.’ I stand by that, although I took a lot of flak for saying it–hate mail from religious groups. I believe everyone should have the same rights. They say gay marriage ruins families and hurts kids. Well, I’ve had the privilege of seeing my gay friends being parents and watching their kids grow up in a loving environment.”

Angelina Jolie has homes in several countries and lives with her partner Brad Pitt and their six children.

Angelina Jolie, One of 30 profiles in 30 Days; August 31, 3:35 PM
Galveston LGBT Parenting Examiner
by: Tracy Kachtick-Anders, Blog Author at examiner.com (Tracy is an artist, doula, and director of Open Arms Campaign, a non-profit to recruit foster and adoptive families)

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