Memorialization should not be about where or how a death occurred. It should be about honoring the life offered in service to country.
If we want to achieve the goals in front of us to make sure everyone can enjoy this luxury, we can't think that what works here is the solution that can be applied everywhere and instead of just leapfrogging, we're going to need to look before we leap.
Thousands of Somalis have been forced to flee an ongoing military offensive in Afgooye Corridor, Southern Somalia. More than 5,000 people have arrived, many on foot and carrying nothing, into overcrowded Mogadishu. I'm standing in Sigale camp, Mogadishu, and the trickle of people struggling in becomes a torrent. Mothers carrying children and their meagre belongings look shattered and collapse under nearby trees.
Think of karma banking as the Golden Rule on steroids. Don't simply do unto others as you would have them do unto you: do triple the amount of good for others as you could ever imagine receiving back.
A government that would cut support to middle-class families trying to support their disabled children so the wealthy can get more tax breaks would be a government with no decency.
Some private rhino owners are calling for the international trade ban... to be lifted so that the stockpiles of horn from rhinos who have died or been dehorned can be sold off. The idea that legalising trade in an endangered species can help to reduce poaching and protect the animals isn't new, and it can sound persuasive until you examine the evidence.
Take a moment to reflect on why we are celebrating Memorial Day. It is due to the sacrifice of these soldiers, men and women who have fought for our freedom.
If we want a generation of well-rounded leaders making positive contributions to society tomorrow, we need to provide pathways to success today.
Scandals are more media-friendly, while good deeds are usually not flaunted around. It's a good and admirable attitude. Yet mentioning good deeds once in a while may help understand that the fashion world is not just frivolous.
Making our neighborhoods safe won't be easy. We need to provide the young with the best, not the worst, educational opportunities. We need the police to make protecting the citizens of those streets a greater priority.
"You find that match. That person and that dog are there for each other, and we just help them together."
This G8 summit was, yet again, a missed opportunity for international leaders to make a real commitment to long-term food security and support for African and developing world farmers.
These women have seen no improvement in Afghanistan, and neither, they claim, has anyone they know. Poverty and the uncertainties of war seem to dictate their lives more surely than any government.
While too many Americans are struggling in this economy, it's particularly difficult for our young vets. Currently, more than 12 percent of our veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are unemployed. This is unacceptable.
In these tragic moments, when we have lost a friend, son, brother, father, mother, sister, daughter or fiancé, we have not lost all that they accomplished in their lives. Their legacies and examples will withstand time, as long as we continue to honor the fallen.
Last year a good friend of mine told me of how she felt of me being able to go to many places in honor of my fellow veterans. I don't consider it a vacation on any level, but as a way of continuing my duty. I believe this is how many veterans of my era and previous eras feel, as well.
The young soldiers of West Point performed the ultimate act of kindness in Judaism -- chesed shel emet, an act of loving kindness which cannot be repaid by the recipient of the act.
This Memorial Day, honor those who have fallen in service to the nation. They have given the last full measure and they surely deserve our respect and gratitude. But take just a minute to honor those who fought in our wars and lived. For many, their battles are far from over.
Adults often underestimate children's ability to grasp the heart of a concept -- or run with an idea of their own -- but we're wrong. They're a lot smarter and more take-charge than we think. We're seeing that ability take hold now with bullying.
Christian Fuchs, 2012.29.05
Carole Herman, 2012.29.05