Summer Lingers On, UN, Statehood, Immigration Decline, Colt Steps Forward, Africa, Goodbye Bolton, Storm Impacts, South Sudan, Cuba, Central America, Express, 9/11, Dreams

                 In late September, though fall has officially arrived, summer seems never                      to  have left DC, with temperatures again soaring past 90 F. Summer                           flowers are still blooming. [Please excuse all quirky spacing--cannot                             correct it.]

                         
            

The UN General Assembly has been meeting in NYC 17-30 September 2019. Climate change was a major focus, but Donald Trump only stuck his head in at that meeting. He gave a speech urging every nation to go its own independent way, then, taking a different tone, he asked for other countries to join in on his pressure on Iran. I happened to tune into his rambling, boastful press conference on Sept. 25, after his UN meetings, seemingly not scripted, where he expressed grievances at not getting credit for all his wonderful accomplishments, bemoaning relentless attacks by Democrats and the mainstream “fake-news” press. Why is he always under attack? Is it because others are envious of his unprecedented success? 

Incidentally, Republicans like to slyly refer to the “Democrat” Party, so I think Democrats should start referring to the Republic Party.

Finally, a Democratic House held a hearing on DC statehood HR 51, which would make the District of Columbia the 51st state in the nation! The Oversight + Reform Committee hearing on the Washington DC Admission Act H.R. 51 Sept. 19

Because fewer immigrants and refugees are being allowed into our country, our largest cities, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago, are experiencing modest population decline for the first time in history, just one of many Trump administration policies having adverse effects. Many jobs are in agriculture, construction, and elder and child care are also going unfilled.

One reason that California has so many homeless, as the Trump administration has so gleefully pointed out, is because of its year-round mild climate.

Bravo to Colt for suspending civilian manufacture of AR-15 assault rifles. May other gun manufacturers follow suit. The problem with guns is not only that can kill or main, fulfilling their main purpose, but that they are so subject to accident or impulse. How many kids have been killed accidentally? How many people have killed themselves in a moment of despair? What about the woman who entered the wrong apartment and killed a man inside his own? If she had not had a gun, might she have asked, “What are you doing here?” and found she was in the wrong place?

Congress is now discovering what I said years ago in my Honduras book, that Americans pay more for the same drugs being sold for less in other countries. Drug manufacturers charge what they think the market will bear.

The US is missing a bet as China and now Russia, invest heavily in Africa, the emerging continent. The US has always given massive aid to Israel and, to an extent, to Egypt, and that continues under Trump. But his administration has largely within drawn from what he calls “shit-hole” countries. Nonetheless, in an act of independence or defiance, Melania made an Africa visit.

I am not sorry to see John Bolton gone, but his replacement is not likely to be better. Also, I do agree with Bolton that inviting the Taliban to Camp David was inappropriate. This administration and others imitating it around the world show once again that “progress” can regress rather quickly. It’s not enough to fight the good flight to finally achieve something, then celebrate and simply rest on our laurels. Efforts must continue to keep the forward momentum going, whether those efforts involve attention to a marriage and raising children, or to protecting hard-won benefits like Obamacare and DACA, or to keeping international commitments on climate change and nuclear weapons.

American voters and policymakers had let down their guard, many feeling lukewarm toward Hillary Clinton and not appreciating the threat posed by Donald Trump, imagining that he was simply too ridiculous to win the presidency (very nearly the case). That’s why next time, voters must support his Democratic opponent, no matter who. I’m not crazy about Joe Biden, but if he is the candidate opposing Trump, I will certainly vote for him and so should you. Oddly, Trump and his main opponents--Biden, Sanders, and Warren--are all in their 70’s, a victory of sorts against ageism. Unfortunately, we here in DC have little say in choosing the eventual Democratic candidate.

Hardcore Trump supporters, like members of a cult, will remain loyal, though a few have been peeling off. New loyalists don’t seem to be joining Trump’s camp. Meanwhile, he continues to make himself the center of the news cycle, for which the media are grateful. After denials, now fearing release of the transcript of his phone call, he admits talking to Ukraine’s president about investigating Biden’s son Hunter. And to deflect attention, he is speculating on winning the Nobel Peace Prize (why not?) and attacking teenage climate activist Greta, a far more articulate speaker than he will ever be. Now, with impeachment looming, will he decide to quit and then embark on a paid lecture series to tap the dedication of his hard core? (Or might he simply keel over and leave this mortal coil?)

In a radio interview, an author of a book about VP Mike Pence described him as a more conventional politician than Trump, albeit with rightwing views. He was described as being in the mold of George W. Bush, though a bit more conservative. His wife certainly seems uncomfortable being allied with Trump. Reportedly, Ivanka and Jerod would like to get Pence off the 2020 ticket because Trump already has evangelical support locked in, so they might prefer a woman to reach out to a demographic Trump lacks.

As communities struggle in the aftermath of fierce hurricanes and storms that have decimated electricity and other resources, I cannot help thinking about rural villages I’ve been in, in Mexico, Central and South America, and South Sudan, where there never is any electricity, running water, or utilities of any kind. Folks live there without light bulbs, TV, or internet, but may take advantage of passing fuel-powered vehicles to hitch a ride to bigger towns to sell crops and firewood and buy oil for their homemade lamps, like those used in days of old. They may also buy bottled drinking water. However, if a hurricane swept through their village, though it might damage crops planted laboriously by hand and tumble makeshift dwellings, its effects would not be felt as acutely as in a more “developed” location. These remote villages, in hidden pockets all over the world, are often protected from the inroads of “civilization” by mountains or jungles. Their inhabitants have already adapted to living without amenities. Their carbon footprint is negligible.

Below are several brief descriptions with links to more information.

I continue to follow the fortunes of South Sudan after my humanitarian visit there in 2006, before independence. Hope this time the peace agreement between the president and vice president holds. https://www.yahoo.com/news/sudan-rivals-keep-deadline-unity-government-132109642.html

South Sudan launches mobile money to boost recovery from war,             AP

https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/south-sudan-launches-mobile-money-070402457.html

On Sept. 26, I attended a talk given by Vicente Morin Aguado, a Cuban independent journalist who lives with his family in Havana. He came to the US to attend a journalism conference and, until now, has not been very outspoken. But in his talk, he was frank about the repression against journalists in Cuba and the surveillance of the population as whole. The next day, he gave congressional testimony on Cuba. He came to US to attend a journalism conference and does not know what awaits him on his return to Cuba early next year. The highlight of his talk was about Obama’s visit to Havana, which, for the first time, gave the Cuban people hope. Obama’s speech, which was broadcast live only once and never rendered in print—also denounced by Fidel—made a strong and lasting impression, giving Cubans new hope, a hope that has been replaced by despair. 

Here is an article about the arrest of one of 6 new Cuban prisoners of conscience named by Amnesty International, where I serve as volunteer USA coordinator for the Caribbean: Rights groups denounce Cuba's arrest of independent journalist, [Roberto Quiñones] activists denounce harassment, Reuters, 9/14/2019 https://www.yahoo.com/news/rights-groups-denounce-cubas-arrest-231128826.html

We at Amnesty International have issued an Urgent Action for Roberto Quiñones https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr25/1047/2019/en/

And here is the action for five other newly named prisoners of conscience.

                                               

https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/amr25/0936/2019/en/

For years now, Cuban rafters landing on Honduran shores have sought asylum there; I have seen and heard about some of them. U.S. seeking to make Cubans seek asylum in Honduras: minister TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) Honduran Foreign Minister Lisandro Rosales said on Tuesday that negotiations with the United States could make Cuban migrants passing through the Central American country seek refuge there. https://www.yahoo.com/news/u-seeking-cuban-asylum-seekers-000741781.html

Cuba becomes the latest country to use bitcoin to subvert US sanctions https://www.yahoo.com/finance/news/cuba-becomes-latest-country-bitcoin-164410414.html

U.S. expels two members of Cuba's U.N. delegation, citing 'influence operations' (9-19-2019) reuters.com/article/us-usa-cuba-un/u-s-expels-two-members-of-cubas-u-n-delegation-citing-influence-operations

Honduras, Cuba to sign deal on deporting some Cuban migrants: Honduran president (Reuters) https://www.yahoo.com/news/honduras-cuba-sign-deal-deporting-055334802.html

Apparently, the Trump administration considers Honduras, as well as El Salvador and Guatemala, “safe” countries for asylum seekers when people are fleeing from those countries for their safety.

Honduras to accept more asylum seekers under latest US immigration deal, Reuters

https://www.yahoo.com/news/honduras-accept-morasylum-seekers-201244507.html

Hondurans feel fate of their unpopular president lies in US, Sept. 9, 2019  https://www.yahoo.com/news/hondurans-feel-fate-unpopular-president-040041966.html

                Clashes in Honduras on Independence Day

https://www.yahoo.com/news/clashes-honduras-independence-day-093418389.html While I am certainly no fan of the current Honduran president, Juan Orlando Hernandez, neither do I support Manuel Zelaya, an opposition legislator and his fierce opponent, who apparently organized the riots against him. A pox on both their houses!

Another family drowns in the Rio Grande (actually called Rio Bravo in Spanish). Drowning of U.S.-bound Honduran mother and son underscores plight of migrants https://www.yahoo.com/news/drowning-u-bound-honduran-mother-015333225.html

I did get malaria when I was in the Peace Corps in Honduras, but fortunately never dengue, of which there is more than one strain. Both are mosquito-transmitted. These days, I travel to Honduras only in the dry season, when mosquitos are fewer. Central America's dengue epidemic deadly in Honduras https://www.yahoo.com/news/central-americas-dengue-epidemic-deadly-040633256.html

[Nicaragua has been of special interest since my visits there, starting in the 1980’s.] Nicaragua guilty of 'gross' rights violations: UN https://www.yahoo.com/news/nicaragua-guilty-gross-rights-violations-un-145854509.html

Nicaragua bans 7 OAS officials from entering country, Associated Press MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) 9-14-2019— Nicaragua's government has banned seven officials from the Organization of American States who were scheduled to arrive in the capital of Managua, opposition leaders said Saturday. https://www.yahoo.com/news/nicaragua-bans-7-oas-officials-213751324.html

Pistol-packing senators confront Haiti's angry opposition

Reuters

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pistol-packing-senators-confront-haitis-201825303.html

When I used to do phone interpretation, sometimes I had to convey very technical remedial blackout information to experts in Latin America to get their systems up and running again. Blackout hits 4 nations in Central America, affects millions. AP [mainly Honduras] https://www.yahoo.com/news/blackout-hits-4-nations-central-223353218.html

I do miss reading the free Washington Post Express, especially while on the metro. It’s nice to hold a physical newspaper in your hand instead of reading it on line, especially someone like me who has no cell phone. To get a different perspective, I also pick up the right-leaning Washington Examiner, which has floated the warning that Trump might lose reelection. Some of its cartoons are clever, but mainly I find it, like others in the Republican camp, snide, sarcastic, and pseudo-intellectual.

On September 11, 2001, I was at the Peace Corps office in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, having joined the corps as a health volunteer in May 2000. Like many folks stateside, we were watching CNN live news in the office lounge when we saw the first plane hjt one of the twin towers, indicating it might have been an accident. Then another plane crashed into the other tower clearly no accident. Our director ordered us not to travel, to remain in place. Hondurans were shocked, believing the US to be invulnerable. When I made a holiday visit to Washington, DC, later that year, I saw the wreckage at the Pentagon. It seemed surreal then and still does.

To the extent we are able to recall our dreams (usually right after waking), they are an amazing and ever shifting kaleidoscope of past and imaginary experiences, of real people and composites undergoing a series of adventures that often even surprise the dreamer. I would imagine that the dreams of a child or young person might be less complex than those of an older person like me, who has undergone so many varied experiences all over the world.

Hurricane Dorian, Downturn Looming? Waffling on Gun Control, Central America, South Sudan, Cuba, Me-too in Transition, Late-Term Abortion, Random Calls, Household Laments, Late Son Andrew’s Birthday

Mr. Trump said he needed to stay in the US because of Hurricane Dorian, so he sent Mike Pence to Poland instead, while he stayed home and played golf all weekend. Trump probably was glad for the excuse and with Pence, the Poles got a more coherent visitor. So much for my friend living in Nassau in the Bahamas sent me a message that where he lives did not take a direct hit, though it had lots of wind, rain, and heavy flooding.

Discussions of a possible future economic downturn may help make that prognostication to actually come true. However, if it has to happen soon anyway, let’s hope it happens before the next election, as Donald Trump and company would have no plan to deal with it, except to increase the already humongous federal budget deficit, just as they have no real plan for anything else beyond the immediate horizon, only for mouthing off empty slogans.

Trump’s most significant economic threat to our nation and to the world is the trade war that he launched without consulting with allies, but if it brings about a world recession, everyone will be affected.  

Xi has the upper hand in the trade war that the Donald started because Xi doesn’t face election soon or ever. Furthermore, Trump’s negotiating style, marked by frequent changes of position, lacks the trust that a final “deal” requires. A “win-win” solution is not something Trump can ever imagine. Instead, he thinks he needs to vanquish trading partners to show that he is top dog.

After Trump’s attacks on Rep. Omar, it was amazing to hear a radio interview with some of her constituents, Somali refugees in Minnesota, some of whom had first learned English at ages 10, 12, or later, and are so much more coherent and articulate than the president who has dissed them.

Should Justice Ginsberg be flattered when Trump wishes her a speedy recovery when he would love nothing better than to replace her with another conservative on the Supreme Court, giving him something to brag about later? And calling Democratic Jews “disloyal” is not the greatest way to turn them into Republicans. Nor is cancelling his trip to Denmark because that nation won’t sell him Greenland likely to win him European allies. It’s like one of the temper tantrums he might have thrown when trying to bully his way into a real estate deal. No wonder Melania seems to have given up her anti-bullying campaign since the irony simply has become too great. Trump is just a big fat baby in an old man’s form, but not as cute, affectionate, or lovable.

Yet Trump himself yields to bullying from the right sources. A single warning call from NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre was enough for Trump to back off his promise of universal background checks, at least for assault weapons, and to reverse his initial agreement about red-flag laws, falling back instead on the tired “mental health” excuse for gun violence. If every shooter is labeled “mentally ill” after-the-fact, then that’s a handy retroactive excuse. It’s true that few guns go off by themselves, except when a child drops one, as happened to my son at age 11, injured in the foot, an injury that still plagues him, though he thankfully survived. However, even pulling a trigger intending to kill would not occur so often if there were fewer guns in circulation, as the experience of other countries with stricter gun laws and fewer guns has shown overwhelmingly. Your right to bear arms should not supersede my right to life.

Then again, Trump may support background checks after all. It’s uncertain. as he has waffled on this and many other issues, probably driving his staff crazy. He also has a very short attention span. The man is getting more erratic. Would he be labeled “mentally ill”? His Greenland caper and “King of Israel” remarks are just some of the latest. He does manage to make himself the center of attention during every news cycle. Trending now: Denmark Offered to Buy the Senate from the NRA.

Meanwhile, a second mass shooting occurred in August in Texas (an open-carry state). Where again was the NRA’s “good guy with a gun” taking down the shooter? Not only are people being killed at random, but many others are being injured for life. I know a young man here in DC who was shot at age 17 and has been quadriplegic ever since, needing constant help with feeding, bathing, dressing, and other routine activities. We are all at risk.

A woman who got out on the wrong floor of an apartment building and killed a man she thought was in her apartment, when he was really in his own, shows the folly of having a gun always at the ready. How many road rage killings, accidents, mistaken shootings of family members sneaking into a house a night, impulsive suicides, and children’s accidents are due to the instant ease of pulling a trigger?  

While Mr. Trump continues to have his fervid supporters among both ordinary people and Republican operatives, it’s hard to imagine a human being so devoid of the qualities that most people in our country and around the world would associate with leadership. He is physically unattractive, impolite, arrogant, mentally challenged, inarticulate, mean, greedy, a compulsive liar, and a sexual predator. Did an unfortunate combination of nature and nurture end up producing him? If he weren’t so widely destructive, it would not matter so much.  

Now, under Trump, we Americans get an idea of what it feels like to be governed, thwarted, harassed, bullied, embarrassed, exploited for personal gain, and deliberately attacked by the leader of our own government, much as happens to people living under dictatorships around the world. Mr. Trump bad-mouths other countries, then wonders why they pay him no respect. He has aroused the heads of once-friendly nations to turn against him and our country, and has attacked US states, the media, and Democrats, acting affronted whenever they oppose or criticize him. He seems offended when allies try to stick with the original Iran deal. He’s super sensitive to criticism, reacting defensively, doubling down on his offensive behavior. The Alabama hurricane Sharpie-gate caper is a case in point, where others rushed in to take the rap. 

The “capitalism with a human face” being advocated by some enterprises is a refreshing notion that challenges Trump and company’s “us-first” and maximum greed scenario. Let’s hope there is a public opinion shift toward more equitable sharing of the wealth that we all help produce. Some companies are aiming for a combination of shareholder, employee, and social benefit As someone taking IRA distributions from stock market investments, I’m willing to receive reduced benefits if I know that is benefiting others. We are all in this life together.

I especially like presidential candidate Andrew Young’s guaranteed income proposal. As Mr. Young points, a guaranteed income doesn’t seem to have sapped the energy and drive of red-state Alaskans. It’s not outright socialism or communism to combine capitalist production with a more equitable distribution of the wealth that we all create together. Some European countries are already doing that successfully. The uber rich cannot even spend or account for their all money.

Thanks to Trump’s lack of world leadership, the American dollar is starting to lose credibility, because a currency has value based only on trust and that is ebbing in the age of Trump. (Low interest rates now may be a warning sign.) For one thing, the Trump administration has allowed the US to accumulate too much debt. This may spur movement into digital or crypto currencies and lead to the dollar’s decline as the world’s currency. China, whose leaders have a longer-term vision, are launching a crypto currency. However, crypto currency may also be subject to manipulation, sabotage, and invasion of privacy.

TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - A Honduran court convicted the wife of former President Porfirio Lobo on graft charges, including siphoning funds from programs designed to help poor children, a judicial official said on Tuesday. https://www.yahoo.com/news/wife-ex-president-honduras-convicted-013800534.html

Here she is reported convicted and sentenced. She was first lady during my volunteer trips to Honduras. I recall hearing her on the radio. https://www.yahoo.com/news/former-first-lady-honduras-sentenced-001727098.html

Nicaragua is another country dlose to my heart, where I’ve visited often and where still have friends. Nicaragua guilty of 'gross' rights violations: UN https://www.yahoo.com/news/nicaragua-guilty-gross-rights-violations-un-145854509.html

Here’s a warning to first-world do-gooders to make sure their interventions in developing countries do more good than harm. Beware of unintended consequences! Such a warning should also be applied to the Peace Corps, where, at least, volunteers are not salaried, spend 2+ years actually living in a country at a very modest level, and regard their stay as a 2-way exchange, not first-world largess. https://brightthemag.com/the-reductive-seduction-of-other-people-s-problems-3c07b307732d

Haiti is another country where I’ve gone to try to make a difference.  Haitian president [Jovenel Moise] pledges to outlast troubles

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ap-interview-haitian-president-pledges-041109112.html

I’ve also been following the fate of Sudan’s former strongman Omar al-Bashir ever since I was in South Sudan in 2006, before it became an independent nation, back when he was a boogeyman for everyone in the south. There must some satisfaction in the south that he is gone now, even as South Sudan struggles with its own political divisions. Here is the article I wrote about my south Sudan visit: file:///C:/Users/melan/OneDrive/Desktop/Barbara%20Backup/Downloads/Sudan%20article.pdf

We who championed South Sudan’s independence from the north in 2011 have been sorely disappointed regarding the many human rights violations occurring in the south and the continued friction between the country’s president and vice president and their tribal followers. However, I would like to highlight one Amnesty International (AI) case, that of 17-year-old Magal Matioy Ngong, who is scheduled for execution om South Sudan.

When on 19 April 2018, Miguel Díaz Canel became the new president of Cuba, the change of leadership was seen as an opportunity to promote human rights changes in the country. Unfortunately, the first year of the Díaz Canel administration has not confirmed such expectations, as still today, in Cuba, freely expressing opinions and beliefs can put one’s freedom at risk. Freedom of assembly and expression has not improved much since my regular visits to Cuba, chronicled in my book Confessions of a Secret Latina: How I fell Out of Love with Castro & In Love with the Cuban People.

As of mid-2019, Cuban Prisoners Defenders, a coalition of dissident political activists, claim that at least 87 people are being detained on politically motivated grounds. Having reviewed a selection of those cases at AI, where I serve as volunteer Caribbean Coordinator, we have been able to name five new prisoners of conscience (POCs). This list of prisoners of conscience includes members of political and pro-democracy groups not recognized by the state, all of whom have been imprisoned for crimes that are either inconsistent with international law or used for decades in Cuba to silence critical voices. It is incredibly hard for us to verify information without being able to go to Cuba. As per my book, I am now persona non grata there.  https://amnesty.app.box.com/s/bmmmcm839hafbn7qmrd8ctcudnpm9wgj

[From a Canadian newspaper]

https://nationalpost.com/pmn/news-pmn/politics-news-pmn/amnesty-international-names-five-new-political-prisoners-in-cuba/

[Same from Yahoo News]

https://www.yahoo.com/news/amnesty-international-names-five-political-002717482.html

Here below is an introduction to the Cuban Amnesty prisoners in both English and Spanish.

https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/AMR2509362019ENGLISH.pdf

https://www.amnesty.org/download/Documents/AMR2509362019SPANISH.pdf

More Cuba news below.

How Cuba Taught Venezuela How to Quash Military Dissent

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-cuba-military-specialreport/special-report-how-cuba-taught-venezuela-to-quash-military-dissent-idUSKCN1VC1BX

More Cubans seek asylum in Mexico amid clampdown on legal path to US. The Guardian, Sept. 3. 2019  https://www.yahoo.com/news/more-cubans-seek-asylum-mexico-080049975.html

As has been mentioned before, the Me-Too era has left some men of a certain age, including politicians, retroactively being held accountable for what was considered acceptable behavior in the past. And the rules of flirting, the delicate back-and-forth of romance, still are evolving, but unless there is some acceptable and generally accepted method of getting to know each other, romantic partners will never get together.

An article in the Aug, 14 edition of the Economist discusses the US abortion issue at length. Reportedly, American abortion laws are the least restrictive on the planet. Many countries do not allow abortions at all and most completely restrict 3^rd trimester abortions, which are approved by only 13% of Americans as well and make up only a little more than 1% of all US abortions. Before extraction, the late-term fetus is euthanized with an injection, so feels no pain thereafter. I had been concerned about pain at that late stage of development. Certainly, in the 3^rd trimester, the expectant mother feels the movements of the unborn and knows that an independent “someone” is in there, as I can attest.  

Without a cell phone and with an unlisted landline number, I still get my share of random-dialed calls warning me that my social security number or bank account have been compromised, but if I ask for identification of either, that is not forthcoming. However, I was recently non-plussed when a woman identifying herself as a real estate consultant, addressed me very familiarly as “Barbara.” How did she know to connect my private number to my first name?  Probably nothing is private in the digital age. In all cases, when I realize the nature of a call I never asked for, I simply say, “No thanks” and hang up.

[Many apologies for erratic spacing hereafter, but cannot correct it.]

         Household troubles afflict us all, especially in a 124-year-old house. I                 found the first-floor half-bath toilet running, the same toilet that was                 there when we moved into the house 50 years ago. Then a courtesy call             came in from the water company about excessive water usage. While                 trying to stop the flow, I noticed the tank had cracked around the handle           

         and a piece was dangling. 

         Had I somehow banged the handle or the tank? I did manage to stop most of 
          the flow with a combination of foil, rubber, and a stone. My repairman said he                thought we should replace the entire toilet and he had a spare toilet that he had            been saving for just such an occasion. But loading it onto his truck, his helper                dropped the toilet and it broke. Talk about adding insult to injury! So, a brand-              new toilet had to be purchased. Meanwhile, further calamity on top of calamity,            hundreds of dollars’ worth of tools were taken from my workman’s open pickup.            Here is the new toilet after his all-day work: 

         

             When the toilet problem first surfaced, a woman from Eritrea had                       come to my place for a temporary stay. I’d vowed to host no more                     visitors, but this young lady was highly recommended by a former                     housemate. In the kitchen, she immediately smelled gas. It was not so               noticeable to me, as perhaps I’d gotten used to it. When she pointed it               out, I did smell it, but only faintly. I called the gas company, which                     promised to send someone out. However, we somehow missed                           connections and he ended up disconnecting the gas into the whole                     house. It took 4 days over the long weekend for another gas company               rep to come back and turn it on and find the leak. But then he turned 

             it off again, until I could get the pipe fixed on my own. Meanwhile, no                 gas stove, cold showers, and no gas clothes dryer. Finally, someone                   came to turn the gas back on and re-light all the pilots, but we missed               the oven pilot the first time around. Finally, all that has been fixed.                   One of the agents also changed out my old gas meter, which seemed                 to be giving us very low gas bills.

             September 4 was the birthday of my dearly departed son Andrew, who              would have been 52. We still miss him, but no longer with our initial raw grief.            Still, his death was a reminder that that the problems of robberies, gas leaks, and broken toilets can be fixed.