June 2003
Tears on Grey Cement
"I watch the late night news to see Liz's picture among the victims. They misspelled her name, got her age wrong, and chose a really bad picture, for such a pretty girl."

May 2003
Learn about living organ donation
"Living organ donation is quickly becoming the most common source of organs for those in need of organ transplantion. "

April 2003
Our Tiny Messenger
"Every day I take special care to make sure I am not leaving my loved ones without knowledge of my love and appreciation for them"

A Jump Start
"How do you say “thank you” when the words don’t seem to be an even remotely adequate expression of how much such an act of kindness meant to you?"

5 Feb 2003
Visit NASA's Columbia site for information on the great heros that gave their lives to make all of our lives better, by learning about life off of this planet. An excerpt of US President Bush's comments at Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX.

"Their mission was almost complete, and we lost them so close to home. The men and women of the Columbia had journeyed more than 6 million miles and were minutes away from arrival and reunion.

The loss was sudden and terrible, and for their families, the grief is heavy. Our nation shares in your sorrow and in your pride. And today we remember not only one moment of tragedy, but seven lives of great purpose and achievement.

To leave behind Earth and air and gravity is an ancient dream of humanity. For these seven, it was a dream fulfilled. Each of these astronauts had the daring and discipline required of their calling. Each of them knew that great endeavors are inseparable from great risks. And each of them accepted those risks willingly, even joyfully, in the cause of discovery."

Read the entire speech here.

5 Feb 2003
Should we be the aggressor and invade Iraq without full UN approval and support? I believe the President is being too aggressive towards beginning a war with Iraq, and that we should be guided by the United Nations. Whatever your opinion, let your Senator or Representative know your thoughts. Go to www.House.gov and www.Senate.gov and look up yours, send an email or call their office. Participate in your government!

From Netscape Crime and Punishment Channel

Approximately 2,000 children were reported missing every day last year, according to the FBI. Most of those cases get resolved quickly, but many do not. There are things that you can do to make sure a child you care about doesn't become part of this grim statistic.
1. Parents MUST know the families of their children's friends.
2. Use the buddy system - NEVER walk or ride bikes alone, at night or even during the day.
3. Walk facing traffic so no one can sneak up and pull the child into their vehicle.
4. NEVER hitchhike or take rides from friends unless parents have given permission.
5. Always tell a family member or adult in charge where you will be and when you will be home.
6. Have a Secret Word known only to family members in the event of an emergency.
7. Don't put your child's name on their lunch box where any one can casually see it. (this goes along with the previous InGratia Thought on your child's name and sports team on your car. - Charlie)
8. Teach your child at a young age how and when to use 9-1-1, making sure they know their full name, yours, their address, and your phone number.
9. Teach your child that it's OK to say NO!
10. Teach them S-K-Y Scream, Kick, and Yell this will draw attention and may summon help.

9 Jan 2003
What is your SUV doing to the world?
Hello! Some new thoughts for you... I've been looking over a very interesting site called "The Detroit Project" by Americans for Fuel Efficient Cars. "The idea for this project came to me while watching -- for the umpteenth time -- one of those outrageous drug war ads the Bush administration has flooded the airwaves with. You know, the ones that try and link using drugs to financing terrorism." The organization's goal is to "change the driving habits -- of American consumers by asking them to connect the dots and think about the effect energy wastefulness is having not just on the environment, but on our foreign policy" according to founder Arianna Huffington. I tend to agree, check out the site.

Also, here is an interesting article at the New York Times site that discusses the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's research that discuss the dangers that S.U.V.'s and other trucks pose to occupants of passenger cars. One issue is "how different vehicles match up in a collision, and the second involves one vehicle's ability to inflict damage on others. S.U.V.'s ride higher off the ground than passenger cars, and their bumpers, engines, frame rails and hoods are higher. This mismatch puts the occupants of cars at a disadvantage because a colliding S.U.V. can skip over many protective features, like the sill of the passenger door. "

5 Jan 2003
Good Day! Two rather significant things have been occupuying my thoughts this new year, one is drunk driving, and another is a new year of volunteerism. I encourage you all to abandon one completely, and embrace the other completely! Can you guess which? ;-)

To help , Mothers Against Drunk Driving has a brilliant site dedicated to "Activism, Victim Services and Education." Please find your local chapter, volunteer and spread the word!

PositiveLift.com is another site "Changing Lives by Remembering Victims," they are dedicated to supporting the victims of drunk driving and their loved ones.

VolunteerMatch is a great site to find opportunites in your area. "VolunteerMatch is committed to bringing volunteers and service organizations together on behalf of community needs nationwide: FIND or POST a volunteer opportunity today!"

1 Jan 2003
Happy New Year!
Make a resolution to thank everyone in your life that means so much to you!

There are other volunteer opportunites as well, like posting notes about InGratia.org on your local coffeehouse or work bullitin boards, (I'll pay for printing of them). You can also help by donating to help pay our internet hosting costs, even sending us some great sites or ideas for stories would be great. Send your thoughts! We'd love to hear them!

On another note, I'd like to point out that Bill Maher's new book "When you ride alone, you ride with Bin Laden" is a great analysis of what we should be doing to help with the fight against terror. Similar to World War II when the US Government asked citizens to conserve resources to help the war effort, Bill points out some great ideas that we should be listening to. It's a bit expensive, but worth the cost!

Visit www.SupportTerrorVictims.org the NAVAH Organization, A Non-Profit Association for Volunteering & Assisting the Hurt. There are thousands of people who have been affected by the situation in Israel. So many families have been torn apart, so many hearts broken, and so many lives shattered or lost. The NAVAH Fund was established to assure victims of terror that they are not alone, that there is a place in our heart that feels their pain, and shares their suffering.

Also, one of my favorite organizations is the one that puts up all those great billboards! The Foundation For A Better Life is responsible for them, visit to find more great messages. They have many, including my favorite: Gratitude! 8-) no surprise there!
"The mission of The Foundation for a Better Life, through various media efforts, is to encourage adherence to a set of quality values through personal accountability and by raising the level of expectations of performance of all individuals regardless of religion or race."

Protecting your children

The stickers on the back of cars/SUV's that are meant to showcase the accomplishments and team membership of children. They often show a school name, sport or band affiliation, instrument or team number and the child's name. This seems to be a significant amount of information that a nefarioius person could use to gain a child's trust.

By a simple act of following a vehicle home or s seeing it in a driveway, a person could approach a child saying that he knew teammates, parents, played the same musical instrument or position on a sports team. This could be a dangerous gateway to gaining a child's trust, and is really too much information to leave available to everyone that sees your vehicle.

I encourage you to attempt to find a safer way to demonstrate how proud of your child's accomplishments you are, without endangering their safety.

Have a brilliant and safe day!

Charlie