An Obitaury From Iraq

ينعى شعب العراق فقيده الراحل الشيخ كهرباء اثر مرض عضال في البنى التحتية , والد كل من نور وضياء ومكيف هواء .. وشقيق المرحومين هاتف وماء وابن عم كل من المرحومين كاز وغاز وبنزين ونفط .. وحضر التشييع الحاج فانوس أبو يده .. والحاجة جولة واختها صوبة .... وعدد من اللمبات ونيونات الشحن ومجموعة كبيرة من المولدات ....

إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون

Source: E-mail from an Iraqi friend.

USS Lexington Museum On The Bay

During our visit to Corpus Christi, Texas last month, we toured the USS Lexington Museum on the Bay.

The retired aircraft carrier has been converted to a museum. It's so big that we couldn't finish touring it during our first visit. If you ever decide to tour it, make sure to wear comfortable shoes and spray OFF on your skin. The mosquitoes in Corpus Christi are very skilled.

As usual, I took many pictures. Here are some to share with you.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
The radars tower over the USS Lexington.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
A ship propeller is displayed at the entrance of the USS Lexington Museum On The Bay in Corpus Christi, Texas on April 26, 2010.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
A U.S. Navy Blue Angels' aircraft is displayed at the entrance of the museum.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
A Boeing F/A-18 Hornet is painted as a U.S. Navy Blue Angels on the flight deck of the museum.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
A GH-3 Nightingale sits on the flight deck of the museum.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
An F2H-2 Banshee (front) and an A-7B Corsair II (back) sit on the flight deck of the museum.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
An A-7B Corsair II sits on the flight deck of the museum.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
An A-6E Intruder sits on the carrier deck.


© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
An AH-1S Cobra rests on the flight deck of the museum.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
A Pearl Harbor diarama shows the proximity of ships as the Japanese navy attacked.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
The Bugs Bunny cartoon evolved from a USS Lexington CV-2 Minuteman drawn by Don Foster, who served aboard the Lexington. After WWII, he went to work for Warner Brothers Studio. (Info source: USS Lexington Museum on the Bay)



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
Various knots are displayed on a wall at the museum.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
Commanders State Room remains in tact on the USS Lexington.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
Lt. George H. W. Bush USNR's sacktime dairies and medals from WWII are displayed at the museum. He later entered politics and became the 41st President of the United States (1989–1993).



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
The USS Lexington original ship's bell is displayed at the entrance of the museum's hanger deck.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
A U.S. Navy Shore Patrol Jeep is parked on the hanger deck of the museum.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
U.S. Navy Shore Patrol Willys variation Jeep is displayed on the hanger deck of the museum.



© Fayrouz Hancock / newseagles.com
Mark photographs airplanes on the hanger deck of the museum.

Sisters In War, The Book

With the Iraq War fading from the American peoples' memory, Christina Asquith's book "Sisters In War" didn't get much attention compared to books published earlier during this war.

Since 2003, I've read a number of books about the war in Iraq. Most of those books reflected the author's position on the war in Iraq - no matter how much the author tried to stay neutral. I couldn't tell one way or the other with Christina Asquith's book because it reflected the position of the four women whose stories she covered in the book.

My favorite woman in the book is Manal Omar, a Palestinian-American who opposed the Iraq war. But, she accepted an offer from Women to Women International, and she went to Baghdad in 2003 to help Iraqi women in many good ways. She's an example of how someone can oppose a war, but still help rebuild the lives of people traumatized by war and disorder.

The book focused on the Iraqi women as well as their dreams and struggles in a world that has changed so much. Since 2003, a simple walk on the street requires some good survival skills.

The book is a page turner. I hope you get to read it, enjoy it and learn something new about Iraq.

---

Sisters in War

Help Haitian People Today

If you haven't heard of the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday, then you need to move to another planet.

If you have heard of the earthquake and haven't helped yet in any simple way, then you must do so before you go to bed tonight.

Don't wait until tomorrow or next week. The Haitian people need your help today.

New York Times blog, The Lede, did the homework for you. Donate to your favorite relief agency and have a wonderful night.

IraqiGirl: Diary of a Teenage Girl in Iraq

I don't usually buy books based on blogs. Why buy the book when you could read the blog for free? But, this is HNK's blog turned into a book. She's the exception.

I finished reading the book this morning. I'm happy HNK got her blog published. But, I'm also sad to re-read her struggle with life under fire. No matter the darkness around, HNK always finds something to get her going every day. This optimism is what makes the book a wonderful read.

In an interview with a group of American students, HNK was asked what her wonderland would be like. Her answer was simple, "In my wonderland we would have electricity and clear water."

Do you see how the Iraqi wonderland is way different that ours?



IraqiGirl:
Diary of a Teenage Girl in Iraq

Helping Photojournalist Stephen Coddington and His Wife Marian

Source: Save Steve Family Blog

I haven't been blogging that much lately. So, I'm not sure how many still check this blog.

If you still check this blog, please read the following from fellow blogger Melissa Lyttle.

Photojournalist Stephen Coddington and his wife Marian are in their 30s, living in Riverview (Tampa Bay area) and are the parents of two children, ages four and seven. The Coddingtons are a young couple, deeply in love and raising a family together.

On April 1, 2008 Marian suffered a brain aneurysm. After 6 months in hospitals and care centers, she was transferred to one of the best facilities in the nation, The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. From there, she had to go to an acute care hospital for several surgeries.

Stephen stayed by her side in Chicago, working with her caregivers to help her return to a normal life. The health insurance company dug in its heels, refused to return Marian to the Rehabilitation Institute and stopped all payments to the acute care hospital. Ultimately, Steve brought Marian home, and assumed the role of single parent and sole caregiver, therapist and advocate for his wife.

Marian's mind is active and she understands fully what is going on around her, but her body has essentially locked her in. She can't walk or care for herself, and she is working hard at learning to speak again.

Steve has used up his family leave time and has neither the helpers nor the money to provide the care she would need for him to return to work. Although the newspaper has continued to extend his leave, he's been fearful that at some time, the paper would have to cut him loose.

savestevesfamily.blogspot.com

If you can give, something, anything... it'll help. There's a donate button (Paypal link) on the Web site.

Also there's a benefit concert for the Coddington's at Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa on Sunday, August 23 (starts at 4 p.m.). If you're in the area, it's $10 to get in, and it's a day of great music for a good cause.
So come..."

Best,
Melissa Lyttle

If you have money to donate, then please do. What's happening to this couple could happen to any of us and we all know it.

Thank you for your help in spreading the word.