Gang interventionists distribute food, prayer -- and a sense of change

Gang interventionists distribute food, prayer -- and a sense of change

By Scott Gold
June 28, 2009
Alfred Lomas stood at the front of a bus. "This," he bellowed, "is not a bus!"

The driver pulled out of the Dream Center, a church ministry where Lomas directs a mobile food bank. Lomas stared into the anxious faces of congregants and do-gooders, his sunglasses hiding dark, deep-set eyes that have seen more than their share of hurt, much of it of his own making.

"This," he said, "is a vehicle of hope!"

The bus lurched and sighed into South Los Angeles. On Slauson Avenue, once a sturdy spine of industry, they passed empty, tin-walled warehouses and an abandoned rail yard. With every pothole, piles of supplies on the bus threatened to tumble -- bags of oranges, boxes of peanut butter, even dog biscuits.

"These children see terrible things," said Lomas, 45, quieter now. "Let's transform the atmosphere. The goal is love."


Each month, Lomas' crew distributes prayer and 80 tons of free food in the city's urban core. A growing number of civic leaders, including police commanders, are watching. It is not so much Lomas' food program that has drawn their attention, but what he does with his free time: building a renewed sense of community in South L.A.

With gang violence down, city officials are looking to secure lasting change in South L.A., in part through a large injunction targeting six gangs in a 13.7-square-mile area straddling the Harbor Freeway. Critical to the success of that campaign is the work of gang interventionists, who act as liaisons between police and gangs -- "like the social workers in the places no one else will go," said Brian Center, executive director of A Better LA, a nonprofit that combats violence in South L.A. and funds 26 interventionists.

Lomas is emblematic of the possibility and the delicacy of that work.

The city is scrambling to "professionalize" the ranks of interventionists, providing new oversight and training in an effort to separate the credible from the pretenders. It's no simple task.
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Gang interventionists distribute food, prayer

Some veterans of recent wars find homelessness at home

Some veterans of recent wars find homelessness at home
By Jia-Rui Chong
June 29, 2009
It was, back then, a joke Luis Pinto shared with his Army buddies in Iraq. As they were all eating food out of tin cans, living out of rucksacks, moving constantly from place to place, Pinto cracked, "If I become homeless, I'm ready."

But five years later he didn't actually expect to find himself sleeping in alleys in Whittier or in friends' cars, too busy getting high to hold down a regular job. A suicide attempt on March 16 was the shock he needed to start putting his life back together.


His mother drove him to the Salvation Army's shelter in Bell, where he has been living and taking classes on drug addiction and coping skills since the end of March.

"I had a lot of issues from my time in the service and I had not dealt with them," said Pinto, a soft-spoken 27-year-old who still sports a military crew cut. "I felt, when I came out, 'I deserve time to relax and party.' It got out of control."

While veterans and homeless advocates have long grappled with homelessness in previous generations of veterans, Pinto appears to be part of a new, building wave of the problem among those coming back from the latest wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-homeless-vets29-2009jun29,0,4512932.story
Linked from ICasualties.org

Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Award

Nominations being accepted for Fisher awards

Staff report
Posted : Sunday Jun 28, 2009 8:38:53 EDT

Nominations are being accepted for two award programs that recognize individuals and units for humanitarian service, and excellence in electronic warfare and information operations.

The Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher Distinguished Civilian Humanitarian Award was established by the armed forces in 1996 to honor the founders of the Fisher House Foundation, which has built numerous “comfort homes” near military and Veterans Affairs medical centers for the use of military families.

The award recognizes a private sector individual or organization that has demonstrated exceptional patriotism and humanitarian concerns for members of the U.S. armed forces and their families.

Nominations for service performed in 2008 must be received at the Army Incentives Awards Board by July 31. For specific details, consult ALARACT Message 171-2009, DTG 051413Z.
http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/army_fisheraward_062809w/

Is this the minute that changed Michael Jackson's life?

I didn't want to jump on the death of Michael Jackson. There is certainly enough coverage of him all around the world. There is one question that is not being asked. Did Michael Jackson have PTSD?

Michael Jackson was filming a commercial for Pepsi when his hair caught on fire. He fell down the stairs after. Reports on line claim this is when he began to use pain killers.

1984: Michael Jackson burned in Pepsi ad
Michael Jackson has received hospital treatment for serious burns to his head after his hair caught light during a freak filming accident.
The 25-year-old entertainer was singing his hit "Billie Jean" for a Pepsi Cola commercial in Los Angeles when the special effects went wrong.
Three thousand fans saw a firework display erupt behind the superstar, showering him in sparks and setting light to his hair.
Michael Jackson burned in Pepsi ad
Watch this video clip

Jackson seems to have changed soon after this. Is this the minute that changed Michael Jackson's life?

Traumatic events can change anyone's life. The trick is getting the right help but back then, PTSD was not being talked about. To this day, there are many psychologists and psychiatrists unaware of what trauma can do to people. They misdiagnose PTSD all the time because it can appear to be so many different things if they are not looking at trauma.

Hallucinations can be looked at instead of flashbacks.
Paranoia can be looked at instead of what comes with PTSD along with OCD. The list goes on. When you read the events of this person's life, you can see many of the classic signs of PTSD. Irrational behavior, recklessly spending habits followed by reports of heavy medication.


We watched him change physically and the way he was acting but we also saw changes in his music. Thriller, Bad and We Are The World, all came out in the 80's.
We Are the World





PTSD can be mild for many years. On medication, it is possible that symptoms of PTSD could have been masked. What could have sent it, again, if he had PTSD, would be another stressful event in his life.





By 1993 he didn't look the same.

1993: Jackson accused of child abuse
Police in Los Angeles are investigating allegations of child abuse made against singer Michael Jackson.
The spokesman for the star says the allegations are a plot to discredit singer.

Jackson 1984

Jackson 1988

Jackson 1994

With all the coverage of Michael Jackson and all the hours talking about him on the news, wouldn't it be a good idea if someone asked this question?

Dogs more actively integrated into rehab

Dogs more actively integrated into rehab

By Alysia Patterson - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 28, 2009 13:48:10 EDT

FORT CARSON, Colo. — Army Spc. Cameron Briggs washes down a cocktail of prescription drugs every day for post-traumatic stress disorder and a brain injury he suffered when four roadside bombs rocked his Humvee in Iraq.

Tramadol for pain. Midrin for debilitating headaches. Minipress to suppress nightmares. Klonopin to control anger and anxiety.

His next dose of treatment will come from an unlikely source: a purebred Golden Retriever.

A new Veterans Administration program adopts dogs from animal shelters, trains them and matches them with wounded warriors home from Iraq and Afghanistan to help with their recovery.

For Briggs, his dog will be trained to help him find his wallet, cell phone and keys, which he habitually loses because of cognitive memory loss. The dog also will brace Briggs, who has an ankle injury, so he doesn’t have to use a cane or walker in public.

“I call him my little battle buddy,” the 24-year-old Briggs said as he strapped his old camouflage assault vest onto Harper. It’s modified to store biscuits and toys instead of ammunition. “I most definitely think he’ll help me transfer back to civilian life.”

VA hospitals nationwide are integrating service dogs into treatment plans for disabled vets, said Will Baldwin, a vocational rehabilitation counselor for the VA in Denver. The program was formed after Freedom Service Dogs, a Denver-based nonprofit, recently partnered with the VA.
go here for morehttp://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/ap_military_service_dogs_062809/

Vt. town comes together for paralyzed soldier

Vt. town comes together for paralyzed soldier

By John Curran - The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Jun 27, 2009 15:41:23 EDT

HYDE PARK, Vt. — For Pfc. Andrew Parker, it was a bittersweet homecoming: He was hailed as a hero, feted with a star-spangled parade and showered with gifts at a welcome home ceremony.

He had to watch it all from a wheelchair.

Parker, a 21-year-old Army cavalry scout, was paralyzed in November when a roadside bomb blew up the vehicle he was driving on patrol in Afghanistan.

On Saturday, after months of rehabilitation in Veterans Administration hospitals and a community fundraising effort that added wheelchair-accessible accommodations to his parents’ house, the wounded warrior came home.

Riding in his wheelchair in the back of a flatbed truck, a smiling Parker took in the flag-waving well wishers and the hand-lettered signs — “For your sacrifice and our freedom” and “Thank you, Andrew” among them — on a six-mile parade to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7779.
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http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/06/ap_army_vt_paralyzed_soldier_062709/

Houston, We've got a problem! This time with veterans claims

Here we have Houston Texas with the worst problem in the country. The same state where the Governor wanted to pass on stimulus money and complained about socialism never seeming very concerned that the veterans in his own state were falling behind, suffering from claims not being approved and in between suffering for serving the country ending up wounded, they were further wounded financially while having to fight the same country to honor their claims.

When did Texans stop caring about the men and women serving on their military bases? When did they stop caring about the veterans in their state? Any ideas? So how can it be they are not holding their own governor's feet to the fire to make sure these veterans are taken care of properly? Why aren't they holding their senators and congressmen personally responsible for neglecting them all these years? Is this a matter of national honor or party loyalty? Veterans are suffering all over this country and so are the men and women serving today. If we do not immediately resolve to do whatever it takes today to meet the need of today's veterans, we will in turn betray the men and women risking their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan today. This cannot remain a national disgrace.


While it was predictable this would happen, and much has been reported over the last 8 years about things getting worse, we can't say none of that will help now. It's high time it did so that it never, even happens again.

We had a President and his cabinet while all of this was happening and there were two occupations sending over 1.7 million off to fight in both of them. Why weren't they planned for? Who was held responsible for the suffering of all of these veterans? What was congress doing up until 2007 when the Democrats took over and started the ball rolling on play catch-up? Yes, that's right, the Democrats are the ones pushing for all that has happened for the troops in the last couple of years. While they can excuse the fact the Republicans had control over the House, Senate and the White House, they are not off the hook either for the mess.

People are wondering where they were when the need was getting so out of control, but none of them decided to make a public issue out of any of it. It's not that they didn't try to do something because I heard most of their speeches on CSPAN. The problem is, not very many people will sit and listen to the floor speeches or read transcripts. They turn on TV for entertainment and spend very little time watching the news. So why weren't the Democrats and the Republicans that were paying attention, on every single channel making sure the public was aware of the dire need the troops and our veterans were in? Where was the media?

Instead of inviting congressmen and senators on their cable news shows to answer questions on this crisis, they were asked some pretty stupid questions over and over again instead of asking them questions that would do someone some good. Where are the questions now? Any ideas when the talking heads over at FOX Cable news will start to ask or prove they care? Any ideas when they will find time in between covering Michael Jackson and South Carolina Governor Sanford? Realizing these stories are big news, reporting on them will not really make a difference in this country. They don't have to spend so many hours on either one. What happened to their obligation to report on the events that do have a direct impact on our lives?

Backlog of VA claims in Houston one of highest
© 2009 The Associated Press
June 27, 2009, 5:14PM

HOUSTON — Houston has one of the biggest backlogs and some of the longest waiting times in processing veterans' claims for disability benefits in the nation, according to the most recent data released by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Nearly 18,000 veterans are waiting for the Houston VA Regional Office to process their applications for disability benefits, the Houston Chronicle reported Saturday.

Also, 26 percent of those claims in Houston have been pending for more than half a year, compared to the national average of 21 percent.

Total claims in Houston, including nondisability compensations and pensions, add up to almost 24,000, with 24 percent pending over six months. That percentage is also higher than the national average.

The number of claims on appeal from Houston — 11,389 — is the highest in the country.

"The situation at VA's Houston office is among the worst in America," said Paul Sullivan, executive director of Veterans for Common Sense, a national advocacy group. "Our veterans and their families deserve better."
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http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/6500860.html

Billy Mays, died in Tampa FL after being hit in the head

UPDATED 6-29-09

Pitchman Billy Mays Had Enlarged Heart
PopEater
Popular product pusher Billy Mays had an enlarged heart and likely died over the weekend of a pulmonary embolism, or blocked artery, a medical examiner told reporters on Monday. There was no sign of head trauma. He was 50.
Dr. Vernard Adams told reporters that Mays' heart weighed 500 grams, or about 17.6 ounces. A typical male heart weighs about 10-12 ounces. The "heart disease that was found was certainly capable of causing the sudden death that he experienced."

There was no indication of drug abuse, prescription or otherwise. Further test need to be made and the official ruling of cause of death won't be available for several weeks, Adams said.
Mays told his wife, Deborah, he didn't feel well when he went to bed Saturday night. In the morning she found the booming-voiced OxiClean pitchman unconscious. Earlier in the day, he said he was hit on the head when the airplane he was riding in had a rough landing at Tampa Bay's airport.
However, doctors found no evidence of head trauma during the autopsy.
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Pitchman Billy Mays Had Enlarged Heart

Billy Mays, OxiClean pitchman, found dead
Story Highlights
Billy Mays, 50, is best known for his ads in which he shouts the attributes of OxiClean

The pitchman was pronounced dead Sunday morning, authorities said

Mays was on a plane that had a rough landing in Tampa, Florida, on Saturday

CNN) -- Infomercial pitchman Billy Mays died at his Tampa, Florida, home Sunday morning, authorities told CNN.


OxiClean pitchman Billy Mays died Sunday morning at his home in Tampa, authorities said.

The 50-year-old known for his shouting OxiClean ads was pronounced dead at 7:45 a.m. The Hillsborough County medical examiner will perform an autopsy, Tampa police Lt. Brian Dugan said.

Mays was on the US Airways flight from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Tampa on Saturday that had a hard landing at Tampa International Airport when the plane's front tire blew out. There were no reported injuries on Flight 1241, US Airways told CNN.

According to a local Tampa TV station, Mays said: "All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping. It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/TV/06/28/mays.death/index.html

Drive-by shooting hits motorcylce charity ride

3 killed in drive-by at motorcycle fundraiser
Story Highlights
Three people killed at California motorcycle club fundraiser, authorities say

Fundraiser was held by group known as Old School Riders

Authorities do not know if shooting was random

By Janet DiGiacomo
CNN

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Three people were killed and at least seven wounded Saturday in a drive-by shooting at a motorcycle club fundraiser in California, authorities said.
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http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/28/california.shooting/index.html

Guardsmen say chemical exposure changed lives

Guardsmen say chemical exposure changed lives

By Sharon Cohen - The Associated Press
Posted : Sunday Jun 28, 2009 8:40:07 EDT

Larry Roberta’s every breath is a painful reminder of his time in Iraq. He can’t walk a block without gasping for air. His chest hurts, his migraines sometimes persist for days and he needs pills to help him sleep.

James Gentry came home with rashes, ear troubles and a shortness of breath. Later, things got much worse: He developed lung cancer, which spread to his spine, ribs and one of his thighs; he must often use a cane, and no longer rides his beloved Harley.

David Moore’s postwar life turned into a harrowing medical mystery: nosebleeds and labored breathing that made it impossible to work, much less speak. His desperate search for answers ended last year when he died of lung disease at age 42.

What these three men — one sick, one dying, one dead — had in common is they were National Guard soldiers on the same stretch of wind-swept desert in Iraq during the early months of the war in 2003.

These soldiers and hundreds of other Guard members from Indiana, Oregon and West Virginia were protecting workers hired by a subsidiary of the giant contractor, KBR Inc., to rebuild an Iraqi water treatment plant. The area, as it turned out, was contaminated with hexavalent chromium, a potent, sometimes deadly chemical linked to cancer and other devastating diseases.
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Guardsmen say chemical exposure changed lives