This comes from the organization Kulanu:

ABAYUDAYA JEWS DELIVER FOOD RELIEF TO UGANDAN VILLAGERS FACING FAMINE

ACEGEREKINEI VILLAGE, Uganda, July 29, 2009 — Members of the Abayudaya Jewish community today delivered 2,420 pounds (1,100 kg) of food relief they donated to hungry families among the estimated three million inUganda facing starvation in a worsening famine.

The Ugandan government says there are food shortages in 52 districts in the north and east brought on by drought and other factors. Nearly 40 people have died so far of hunger-related complications in the East African nation of about 32 million.

Rabbi Gershom Sizomu said here today he wanted to act before those numbers got worse.

“Central to our Jewish values is saving lives,” Rabbi Sizomu told the 65 families sitting on the ground in the shade of a large tree next to mud-hut homes with thatched roofs in this remote village in northeastern Uganda. “We wish you well and we pray that God brings this to an end.”

He was speaking in response to a village elder who thanked the Abayudaya for coming “and for rescuing us.” Acegerekinei is in Katakwi, one of 17 hardest-hit districts that the government says are experiencing famine.
 more this way»

January 19th, the day we celebrate Martin Luther King, jr. and his dream, and the day before Barack Obama takes office as President of the United States, Democrats around the country are declaring a day of service to America. What a cool way to show your patriotism the day before Obama is sworn in! I want to highlight some events around the country where people can give back to their local community. I posted this as part of an earlier diary but realized that since the diary was aimed at people in Washington, D.C., no one who would be interested would see it. So, if you live in Washington, D.C., you can find some community service events for January 19th here. But if you live in Arkansas, Colorado, Virginia, Florida, Wyoming or Washington State, read on:

Democrats Work connects Democratic volunteers with visible, tangible service projects in their communities – cleaning up neighborhoods and parks, supporting schools and teachers, planting trees, sponsoring soccer clinics, and working at food banks. Democrats Work has events on Jan. 17th-19th in:

* Arkansas: Arkansas Foodbank Network in Little Rock

* Colorado: Denver Rescue Mission; Canned Food Drives in Denver with House District 5 here, here, or here (all on January 17th); Serve Lunch at The Crossing in Denver; Food Bank of the Rockies; Jeffco Action Center; Cleanup Tollgate Creek in Aurora

* Florida: New Smyrna Beach Cleanup

* Virginia: Clifton Road Cleanup

* Washington State: Work at the Northwest Harvest Foodbank in Kent; Restore Cheasty Greenspace in Seattle; Planting at the Duwamish Riverbend Hill in Tukwila (January 17th)

* Wyoming: Help at Interfaith-Good Samaritan in Laramie

America is about to enter a new era, leaving the Bush fiasco behind. Start this new era by reconnecting with your local community.

I got this from the National Jewish Democratic Council:

Please join the National Jewish Democratic Council and other Jewish groups on:

Monday, January 19, 2009
1:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
5701 Marinelli Rd.
Bethesda, MD

for an afternoon of giving back to the Washington, DC community in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.

Participate in a variety of service projects including:
decorating placemats for the Children’s Inn at the National Institute of Health, making cards for soldiers serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, making 1,500 bag lunches for area homeless shelters, a bone marrow drive, and much more!

To learn more and to register please click here!

If you have any questions regarding this event please contact Abby Bruell at 202.216.9591 or at abby_at_njdc.org.

What a cool way to show your patriotism the day before Obama is sworn in.
 more this way»

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, this is excerpted right from Daily Kos. It is a cause I have focused on before and I chipped in again this year. From Daily Kos:

Many of you know the story of Kossacks' involvement with saving the Pretty Bird Woman House, which is a women's shelter on the South Dakota side of the Standing Rock Reservation. Last fall we conducted a fundraiser thatraised enough money to buy the shelter an entire new house. Since this week is the beginning of the holiday giving season, I want to give you an update on the shelter and some ideas for donating if you are so inclined...
 more this way»

I recently posted on a wonderful expression of how Americans would rather sacrifice a day's pay than repeat McCain lies. Some 40 call center workers in Indiana walked out of their job rather than read the script provided by the McCain campaign that was nothing but lies and smears. To me THAT is what America is all about. They knew they had been handed a script that wasn't right...and they walked out.

Now there is the case of a woman buying a foreclosed house then turning around and giving it back to the owner:

I assume Marilyn keeps the house and is mainly letting the original owners keep living there (it was unclear to me if she returned the house or merely let them stay). But the fact is this is the second story in a couple of days emphasizing that people are inspired to do the right thing.
 more this way»

I blogged about Matt first at The Awearness Blog after I first saw the video via Metafilter. Metafilter is a snarkful community of wen connoisseurs who have a witty remark or twenty at the ready. So it was with shock that I saw comment after comment of Mefites saying that this video brough a tear to their eye.

I've watched this video at least 50 times --my kids have been playing it all day today. It's not the music or the somg that brings a tear to my eye. I can be in a different room, like I am right now, and listen to the music and have no reaction.

No.

It's watching the pure joy, the pure radiance, the pure light beaming from all those dancing, happy faces that makes me cry.

I cry because it is so uncommon to see such selfless joy these days. Matt has a quality not of "whatever" but of real in the moment joy.
 more this way»