Mass animal deaths are not uncommon within the animal kingdom. Experts have been questioning the range of causes over the last five-years, and wondering how much influence humans have had on these events. For example, have the deaths of ocean life been caused by the Fukushima disaster and increasing acidity of oceans? But, what experts do know is that the mixture of different causes is leading to an alarming change in the aquatic world and steps need to be taken quickly – before it’s too late. Continue Reading…
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3D printing has grown in sophistication since the late 1970s. In the last few years, 3D printing has blasted onto the mainstream scene. It has gone from a technology primarily known only among techies and investors in such companies as 3D Systems and Stratasys to one that’s making headlines in just about every corner of life and industry, from healthcare, education, and entertainment to aerospace and auto.
Adapted from 10 ways to prepare yourself for a terrorist attack, by Brenda Tan and Rohini Samtani.
What is true love? Is it more than the passionate romantic relationship between two people? Can it include the sacrificial love of parents towards their children? Or the work of a man who took it upon himself to save a child from a lifetime of suffering?
Originally the song – What the World Needs Now Is Love, written by lyricist Hal David and composer Burt Bacharach – was slow to take off. But after The Supremes recorded it in 1968, it became a major hit. Its message was pure and simple:
“What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It’s the only thing that there’s just too little of.
What the world needs now is love, sweet love
No, not just for some, but for everyone.”
American arts critic George Heymont wrote in a recent article that current events around the world make the message behind Hal David’s lyrics more significant. Looking at the violence and trauma of the news headlines we long for a kinder, gentler world. Although these may be overly simple feelings, he says, peace on earth is dependent on how people treat each other on a one-to-one basis. “Sometimes, the intimacy of a simple act of love and kindness can send ripples of warmth and comfort through a person’s soul,” wrote George Heymont. “It’s not always about karma. On many occasions, extending a helping hand is the simplest and most logical thing to do”.
The following story shows how an act of love affected the life of a young girl, Zubaida Hasan, who lived with her family in a small, remote village in Afghanistan. In 2001, when Zubaida was 9-years-old, she was pouring kerosene into an indoor home cooking stove while it was hot. The fuel ignited and she caught on fire. Her face, neck, chest and arms were burnt. The burns were very serious. The lower half of her face had melted into her chest. Her parents took her to all of the local hospitals, but the doctors said they couldn’t do anything for her. Her father even took her to Iran for treatment. She was admitted to a hospital there for 20 days and then discharged. The doctors said that there wasn’t anything they could do for her.
In 2002, a year after the accident, her father took her to American Army base in Kabul. After meeting Zubaida the military doctors decided to contact the U.S. State Department to see what could be done. They were compassionate toward Zubaida and her family. She was suffering from a lot of pain and was unable to eat or sleep since her eyes and mouth couldn’t close. The military base contacted a well-known plastic surgeon from Los Angeles, Peter Grossman, who specializes in treating burns victims. Even he acknowledged that Zubaida was a serious case.
With the aid of a charitable organization that lends financial and social assistance to burn-injured children Zubaida was brought to America for treatment at The Grossman Burn Center. Peter Grossman estimated her treatments would take some three years to complete as she needed to undergo many operations. When Zubaida’s father had to return to Afghanistan Peter Grossman and his wife brought her into their home.
Zubaida, completed twelve major surgeries over a course of one year. The changes within such a short time were amazing. She began school for the first time and learned to speak English in 12 weeks. She attended psychotherapy and physical therapy, and developed friendships with her classmates at school. She had her first slumber party on her 11th birthday, in 2003, at the same time as her 10th operation.
In an interview with ABC News, Peter Grossman remembers going to a father-daughter dance at Zubaida’s elementary school with her. “I could see how proud she was to go the dance and have me be there with her. That just did it for me. I mean I said to myself, she is my child. While she is in this country, she is my child,” he said.
After Zubaida had her last operation, just 11 months after they had begun, it was time for her to return home. Though Zubaida enjoyed life in the United States, she also missed her family in Afghanistan. Peter Grossman said it would be a difficult thing to do, but realized it was necessary. He felt strongly for Zubaida’s parents who had loved her so much that they had sent her away to be healed. He travelled with Zubaida to Afghanistan. The Hasans couldn’t believe their eyes when they saw their daughter again. They were speechless. The moment was moving for Peter Grossman.
“Initially I felt pushed out,” he said. “But then I saw how she reconnected with her parents … and I felt a catharsis of all these feelings that I had had that perhaps I was leaving her in a place that she shouldn’t be. All of those went away… They may not have everything in the world,” he said. “They may not be able to provide her with all the luxuries in the world, but the one thing they can provide her with is love, and that is what they have for her and she has for them.”
Zubaidah and the Grossmans speak every week using a specially programmed satellite phone, and she has continued to visit them over the summers.
Sources: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-heymont/love-me-tender-love-me-tr_b_10096618.html and http://themindawakened.com/zubaida-hasan/ and http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/06/refugees-global-peace-index/396122/ and http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?id=132417&page=1 and https://grossmanburnfoundation.org/success-stories/zubaida-hasan/
