birthday money to foster mom elsewhere

I knew I had money waiting at Kiva... but I didn't realize how many of those I've loaned to have fully paid off their loans.

My thanks to the Rosa Mistica group in Paraguay - brava!

They paid off in less than a year.

My thanks to Fatima Marisela in El Salvador - brava!

She is 100% paid in full in less than a year, too.

My thanks to Cucu Kurniasih in Indonesia - brava!

She received birthday money from me last year, and she is paid in full.

 

All together, they have returned to me the funds to support Jully in Uganda.

She is a refugee mother to six children, farming millet, sorghum, maize, and beans to support them and help provide them with an education.

Now, she wants to branch out -

wait for it -

by planting trees.

(smile!)

(Yes, that's a little pun humor, from me to you!)

 

One of the reasons I chose her and her loan is because there was an anonymous donor -

going by "the moonshot factory" -

who was doubling all monies for her loan.

Most excellent!

In fact, she is completely funded and good to go.

(smile!)

 

i thank You, God, for leading me to this opportunity to help another!

stamping out hunger, again

I even made a special trip to the grocery store yesterday, just for this occasion.

Specifically for this bag, I bought

canned beans, canned corn, canned hominy...

ramen soup, penne pasta, cereal...

then I even added a jug of electrolyte renewal fluid that Tony and Laura had bought for me last month.

I was sure to double-bag the load...

got to make sure it travels safely to those in need.

i thank You, God, that I am able to help.

car parts to go, please

Hey, that's a little inside joke to myself, y'all!

Happy International Women's Day!

Yes, it's that time again, and, as I have for the last seven years or so, I've ventured over to Kiva.org to find a loan that will get matched funds.

Remember that I'm trying to make sure I find a worthy candidate in a country that's not yet on my list, as well as having a market sector that's new to me.

Well, I was hardly on the site ten minutes when this one popped up!

A woman dealing in car parts in Togo?

That was too good to be true!

I have not yet been to that country, but my heart goes out to those in need of parts to make their vehicle work again.

Once upon a time, I used to do my own car repairs, first on a Chevy Monza for two years in San Diego, then on a Subaru in Tallahassee and Savannah for thirteen years.

Now, I drive a 2001 Saturn, my first new car ever, and after 20+ years, its parts are getting to be a bit harder to find.

So, I salute Ablavi and her endeavors to help the women and men in her community by trying to stock some of the items most needed.

I'm sure her two children are proud of their mom!

Me, too!

And to anyone out there in the ether that wants to help,

and especially wants to see their $25 in aid go twice as far,

here's the link to help her or anyone else!

Then you can get a special badge of honor, too.

Thanks!

salt marsh protection!

When the Georgia Wildlife Federation calls for action, I jump to it!

Most especially when someone threatens my beloved saltwater marshes, I respond.

Ah... I do so love their smell!!!

That always speaks of home to me.

And now, again, there are developers out there trying to pave that paradise to put up yet another parking lot...

but they're being tricky about it.

That's okay - the Camo Coalition knows their tricks!

Here was the call to action for me.

 

***

Dear Faustina,

Public ownership of Georgia’s coastal marshlands may be at risk. Votes taking place Monday, March 6, are imperative – please take action immediately.

HB 370, which passed out of the Judiciary Committee last week, substantially reduces the burden required to claim ownership of coastal marshlands. The current procedures maintain a high standard that is very appropriate to keep critical marshes under public ownership while allowing a person to assert and prove if they have a legitimate claim to the property.

Under the current public trust doctrine, Georgia’s coast is unparalleled in its quality. It is without question the best functioning coastal marshland along America’s Atlantic coast. HB 370 fundamentally changes the burden of proof to benefit petitioners that want to assert their personal ownership of Georgia’s coastal marshlands.

Ask your Representative to protect our coastal marshlands by voting NO on HB 370. Take action immediately to stop HB 370 from advancing.
TAKE ACTION IMMEDIATELY

MORE INFORMATION

HB 370 establishes an expedited process for the establishment of title to coastal marshlands (Kings Grants & State Grants). It would require a petitioner to provide the State Properties Commission an abstract attesting to the tracing of title to a King’s Grant. The State Properties Commission either agrees with this tracing or, after 180 days the tracing of the grant is affirmatively established and it becomes an affirmative factor in a special master evaluation. If the State Properties Commission does not accept the tracing and a subsequent court ruling establishes that not accepting the tracing is without just cause, the State must pay for the court proceedings. This type of ruling would be used in subsequent legal proceedings as an affirmation of the petitioner’s claims.

This legislation appears to favor the petitioner substantially in successfully claiming ownership of coastal marshlands and adjacent uplands…ostensibly to ensure they are protected for the future by securing them under conservation use of some type. Currently, coastal marshlands that are not designated as part of a King’s Grant are owned by the people of Georgia and are held in trust by Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources, thus they are already protected. Under the current public trust doctrine, Georgia’s coast is unparalleled in its quality. It is without question the best functioning coastal marshland along America’s Atlantic coast. This legislation fundamentally changes the burden of proof to benefit petitioners that want to assert their personal ownership of Georgia’s coastal marshlands.

These evaluations of claims of Kings Grants and State Grants of private ownership are fraught with complicate details and stipulations over property grants that might date from the 17th or 18th century. 180 days is simply not enough time for the State to adequately evaluate all aspects of these claims…the current system works, as is exemplified by the fact successful applications are regularly processed and granted.

Sincerely,

Mike Worley

President & CEO
Georgia Wildlife Federation

no more junk fees, please

Dear Faustina --

The day after the President targeted junk fees in his State of the Union address, we took your petition signatures and stories about unfair junk fees directly to the Federal Trade Commission – demanding it stop companies from charging you these outrageous and arbitrary fees.

[NOTE: I had signed the petition about two weeks ago.]

More than 40,000 of you signed our petition, and hundreds more shared your frustration over junk fees on your bank accounts, hotel rooms, airline and concert tickets, and internet/cable services. You can read our comments to the FTC here (pdf). 

We have HUGE momentum in the fight against junk fees. Not only is the FTC investigating these fees, the President is calling on Congress to pass the Junk Fee Prevention Act, and our experts are working right now to make sure that proposed legislation is as strong as possible.

Faustina, you helped make this happen! And we hope you’ll keep fighting with us in the coming weeks and months as we pressure federal regulators and members of Congress to end these fees, which can cost the average family more than $3,200 a year!

One thing you can do right now is to share our petition against junk fees with friends and family so they can be part of this money-saving campaign. We will need every consumer to join this fight, since so many corporations make huge profits off these junk fees.
Share the Petition

Share Your Junk Fee Story

Thank you again for all you are doing to fight junk fees. And we will back in touch soon with more ways we can work together to end these fees once and for all.

Marcus Jones
Consumer Reports

 

------- ------ ------

Always nice to get a pat on the back for doing the right thing.

Even better to find out that what you do has an impact on making life better for all.

Thanks, Consumer Reports, for letting me know that what I do helps!

a canadian marine sanctuary? yes, please!

This was the email I received.

"Speak up and make your voice heard by urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to designate the proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary!

Under the waters of eastern Lake Ontario lie historic shipwrecks that tell the story of America’s history. The 1,724 square miles proposed for the sanctuary designation encompass 43 known shipwrecks and one submerged aircraft that span over 200 years of history in the eastern waters of Lake Ontario.

These waters were transportation and trade routes for Indigenous Peoples and early European explorers. They were centers for military conflicts from land and sea, and they were critical to the development of the American West and the nation’s industrial core. Many more shipwrecks, historic aircraft, and several other underwater archaeological sites that may be of religious and cultural significance to Indigenous Nations and Tribes are also likely located in the area just waiting to be discovered.
Take action today and sign our letter to show your support for designation of Lake Ontario as a national marine sanctuary!

A Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary designation would:

    preserve and raise national awareness and appreciation of a historically-significant collection of shipwrecks and other maritime heritage and cultural resources;
    foster partnerships with researchers and educators to discover additional wonders beneath the waves and tell the story of our past in order to shape our future; and
    create business and job opportunities and benefit local community economic growth from tourism and outdoor recreation."

Please feel free to click the link and sign, too!

Thanks!!!

in memory of my middle brother

After becoming bereft from film of a football game...

and bouncing back to this time and space via a crossword puzzle...

I decided to go in search of a loan to honor memories of Ronnie.

Kiva showed this nerdfighter one that was perfect.

No, the recipient did not bear his name... but his heart is close to that of my brother's.

Marcel lives in Rwanda.

He has two children, as did Ronnie.

He is active in helping others around him and his well-liked, with loyal customers.

His store is helping those in a refugee camp to have needed supplies.

I know Ronnie, who chose to live homeless for the last years of his life, would approve.

Better yet, the loan only has a few days left to secure funding.

Right time, right place.

i thank You, God.