Our Usa Magazine

Our USA 速

magazine

Our Country Our People Our Stories ourusamagazine.com

Fall 2011 $6.95

our country, our people, our stories

Fall 2011

FEATURES

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26 Crusts of Wisdom

Graffiti of War

Are you a passionate pizza person? What makes the perfect pizza? Our friend Angela Madaras shares her recipes and thoughts.

Experience the emotions of war through the warfighters’ eyes.

12 Graffiti of War WWII Who was James Kilroy, and how did he make a lasting impression during WWII?

17 A Lion of America Overcoming many personal challenges, one young man is now aspiring to change the lives of many.

22 Inventing the Skateboard No, it wasn’t Plan B or Element or Powell who invented the first skateboard.

It was the Barkawitz brothers.

21 I’m Just Sayin’ 24 The Littlest Everyone’s girlfriend, Shelly Gail Morris, shares her wit and wisdom.

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Our USA Magazine

Jammer Contrary to what you might think, “There’s no crying or throwing up in derby.”

32

A Personal Tribute

Reflections from the lens and heart. One photographer’s look at tragedy and triumph.

34

Genius Code

Learn how taking just one step in the direction of your dreams can create everything.

38 Giving Thanks An Attitude of Gratitude. When we start to look for ways to show our gratitude, we will find more and more to be grateful for.

Life in Nebraska Photo by Anonymous

40 Making Things 46 In America

An unusual minister with an unusual method of inspiring his flock.

48

Living Morselicious-ly!

Mac ‘n Mo’s magical morsels, a new, healthy lifestyle.

DEPARTMENTS 4

Photographers

5 Contributors 14 20 Point of View Art, Poetry

25 Profile Sandy Pirdy

42 Made In America New York State Wines

Do you know the secret of the Finger Lakes?

53 Teachers Learn

Many Lessons, Too 49 Mash Up Contemplating the meaning of our flag and the significance it holds for those who revere it, and those who are indifferent.

44 Remember Them With Pride The words on the memorial will touch the hearts of everyone who visits: They Came In Peace

37 100 Words

54 The Bay to Breakers Race One of the world’s wackiest and largest races celebrates its 100th anniversary.

www.facebook.com/Our.USA.Magazine

A new, noticeable pride is emerging under the banner “Made in America” – and it’s gaining momentum!

Round Up

Photos, Poetry

50 My Hometown Family Album

51 Serendipity 52 Back in the Day The Littlest Table

59 Resources Our USA Magazine 3

Editor’s Note

Cover photo by Amber Wallace

Cher Valentino, Editor Wendy Junker, Marketing Director

“Due to recent budget cuts and the rising cost of commodities, as well as current market conditions and a few trillion dollars in bailouts for some corporations, the Light at the End of the Tunnel has been turned off.� I saw this scribbled somewhere, and thought if it weren’t so close to being accurate, it would be funny.

Well, I’m not pessimistic by nature, and I don’t want you to be either. So, we are trying to spread a contagious smile to everyone through the stories, photos, art and poetry that is displayed in this magazine – a magazine created by you, our readers!

We’d also like to give a big shout-out to our sponsors and encourage you to visit their sites and purchase their products.

Not only are they all quality products, they are all “Made in America!�

Finally, our Facebook page continues to grow, and will more than ever be the place to exchange ideas and information instantly.

Please come by, give us a thumbs up and join our FRPPXQLW\ <RX FDQ Ă&#x20AC;QG XV DW facebook.com/Our.USA.Magazine Have fun and enjoy!

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Our USA Magazine

~ Cher

Amber S. Wallace, a photographer in the foothills of North Carolina, thoroughly enjoys all of the creative aspects that are involved in the art of photography. www.fotofocusbyasw.blogspot.com

CJ, Production Manager Debra Jennings, Text Editing Bubba, Director of Goodwill

Center Spread â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Cathy Baldwin www.starvedartists.com/hymnandher

Back Cover Art â&#x20AC;&#x201C; David Mills Inspired by the events of Sept.11,2001 this painting Cascade is one in a series RI DEVWUDFWLRQV RI RXU Ă DJ www.davidmillsart.com p. 15

Kat Thek www.dingdingkatthek.com

p. 20,38,39 Robert W. Brunelle www.mrbrunelle.com ´0\ JUHDWHVW LQĂ XHQFH LV WKH LPPRUWDO Edward Hopper. It was his painting Early Sunday Morning that made me want to become a painter.â&#x20AC;? ~ RWB p. 23 Anita Peppers p. 24 Randy Litwin www.rlitwinphoto.com www.facebook.com/rlitwinphoto p. 26 Cheri Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien www.cheriobrien.com www.zhibit.org/obrienpaintedstools $ 3DFLĂ&#x20AC;F 1RUWKZHVW QDWLYH DQG DUWLVW VLQFH WKH DJH RI Ă&#x20AC;YH &KHUL FUHDWHV colorful, narrative paintings of her surroundings, family and several muses.

our usa magazine PO Box 761 Sidney, NE 69162 877-258-8152

www.ourusamagazine.com admin@ourusamagazine.com www.facebook.com/Our.USA.Magazine

p. 36 Elise Fallon

Copyright Š 2011 All rights reserved.

Reproduction in any manner, in whole or part is prohibited.

VOL.2, NO. 3 p. 37 Katherine Cambareri p. 37 Barbara J. Lloyd 49 www.bjlloyd.mosaicglobe.com p. 59 Liz Newman

Connections: Meet Some of Our Contributors Jaeson â&#x20AC;&#x153;Docâ&#x20AC;? Parsons Born and raised in Joliet, IL, Jaeson joined the U.S. Army in June 2005. Deploying to Iraq almost immediately after joining his unit in Germany, he served as the platoon medic for Bravo Company, 3rd platoon in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Serving with distinction, Jaeson earned many meritorious medals IRU KLV DFWLRQV LQ FRPEDW $IWHU GLVFKDUJH LQ WKH VSULQJ RI -DHVRQ FUHDWHG WKH *UDIĂ&#x20AC;WL RI :DU 3URMHFW WR KHOS $PHULFDQV DW KRPH XQGHUVWDQG WKH HIIHFW WKLV FRQĂ LFW KDV RQ WKH PLQG DQG VRXO RI the soldier. ZZZ JUDĂ&#x20AC;WWLRIZDU FRP

Chris Gagliardi Born in New Jersey, 30-year-old Chris Gagliardi is an advocate for change as a public advocate for the physically and mentally challenged. As Chris states, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was born to be an advocate for people who need a voice to be heard. I am no hero, I am doing what is right to help others speak up for themselves.â&#x20AC;? In his spare time he likes to do just about anything and more. www.tinyurl.com/3psxwsy

Shelly Gail Morris Shelly Gail Morris is â&#x20AC;&#x153;everybodyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s girlfriend.â&#x20AC;? A southern girl, Shelly was born in Atlanta, Georgia and now resides in good, old Nashville, Tennessee. She has been married for 26 years and has two boys and two dogs. She enjoys writing about strong women pursuing their dreams and following their hearts. Her book, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Open Arms,â&#x20AC;? will be released soon by Oak Tara Publishing. Please stop by her You Tube channel, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Girlfriend Central,â&#x20AC;? and add your musings and comments. www.ShellyGailMorris.com.

Mark Barkawitz 0DUN %DUNDZLW] KDV HDUQHG DZDUGV IRU KLV Ă&#x20AC;FWLRQ SRHWU\ HVVD\V DQG VFUHHQZULWLQJ +LV ZRUN KDV appeared in newspapers, magazines, literary journals, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;zines, and on dozens of websites. He has ,0'E IHDWXUH Ă&#x20AC;OP FUHGLWV DV VFUHHQZULWHU DFWRU DQG DVVRFLDWH SURGXFHU +H¡V WDXJKW FUHDWLYH writing classes, coached a championship track team of student/athletes, and ran the 2001 L.A. Marathon. He lives with his wife and two children in Pasadena, CA . www.woofbooks.com

Angela Madaras I am happily married to partner-artist Douglas Madaras, while healing my way through life with the help of loved ones, meditation, playing in the lake, organic gardening, cooking and a strong belief in living life with joy and gratitude. I am incredibly blessed to be alive, and love sharing my journey with others through writing, growing food for our CSA family and sharing recipes. www.angelasguide.com

Judy Eichstedt Judy Ann Eichstedt is co DXWKRU RI WZR SRHWU\ ERRNV RQH ERRN RI Ă&#x20AC;FWLRQ â&#x20AC;&#x153; 7KH /DVW Entriesâ&#x20AC;?, and has had numerous short stories and articles published over the last 25 years. Since H[SHULHQFLQJ KRPHOHVVQHVV IRU KHUVHOI VKH Ă&#x20AC;JKWV IRU WKRVH ZKR FDQ¡W Ă&#x20AC;JKW IRU WKHPVHOYHV www.2012TheLastEntries.com.

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*UDIĂ&#x20AC;WL RI :DU 3URMHFW :KDW :H $UH 'RLQJ DQG :K\ :H $UH 'RLQJ ,W

By Jaeson Parsons

A

s this war has entered its tenth year, our nation has become silently divided, the widening divide between soldier and civilian growing with each year. It has EHFRPH PRUH DQG PRUH GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW to understand the life and trials of a deployed soldier and their family. Although most Americans support our brave men and women, they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t grasp the magnitude of what effect this FRQĂ LFW WKHVH GHSOR\PHQWV KDYH on the families, and on the mind and soul of the soldier.

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Our USA Magazine

In documenting these images created by soldiers, marines and airmen, our aim is to give a unique glimpse into the minds RI WKHVH ZDUĂ&#x20AC;JKWHUV WR JLYH America an inside look at what has gone almost entirely unseen to the vast majority of the public.

Many of these images are raw, and created in the moment on unconventional canvases in a very unconventional war. This art, this emotion on canvas will help civilians understand what it

is to be separated from family, to lose one of your own in a blink of an eye, to get a feel, a WDVWH RI ZKDW PRQWKV Ă&#x20AC;JKWLQJ a very unpopular war is like. We want to bridge that divide growing in America, we want to bring back the empathy that is lacking for these men and women, and empathy is an emotion that requires understanding, which is RXU PLVVLRQ WR EULQJ XQGHUVWDQGing to Americans not familiar with the emotions of war.

Since returning from the Summer Expedition that took us to Iraq and Kuwait collecting images RI WKLV LQFUHGLEOH ´&RQà LFW $UW ¾ wehave been preparing for our upcoming multi-state gallery tour, which begins on Veterans Day, November 11 in Pottsville PA and continues into the spring, making stops in Chicago, Minneapolis, NYC, LA and San Diego, with cities being added every week. Our vision is to showcase the images we have collected during the expedition, as well as those that have been sent to us via our website and Facebook.

In addition, we have been recruiting artists both currently serving our nation at home and downrange, as well as veterans and military family members.

Through the exhibition, we hope to offer America a glimpse into this therapeutic and healing form RI UHOHDVH IRU WKRVH DIĂ LFWHG ZLWK the invisible wounds of war, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

The focus of this project, after the completion of our book, is to use those funds to help our brothers-and sisters-in-arms use DUWLVWLF H[SUHVVLRQ WR Ă&#x20AC;JKW WKLV inner battle, to heal those unseen wounds.

We believe art is therapy; having soldiers create what they saw, putting it on canvas and out of their minds, will help bring them closer to healing. Through developing a program of art therapy and support groups, with the help of the VA and university psychology departments as well as volunteers, we hope to bring

together veterans and service members with civilians to encourage dialog, promote camaraderie and create the skills needed to cope and one day heal from this debilitating invisible ZRXQG DIĂ LFWLQJ PRUH DQG PRUH RI RXU ZDUĂ&#x20AC;JKWHUV 2XU PLVVLRQ is to serve those who serve us, to ensure their successful reinteJUDWLRQ DQG Ă&#x20AC;OO LQ WKH JDSV RI DQ overburdened and underfunded VA system. I took a blood oath when I served with these men to never leave them behind, and that is our mission â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to ensure not one of our battle buddies is left behind.

We have, from the beginning, wanted to do something for our fellow veterans and current serYLFH PHPEHUV WKDW ZRXOG EHQHĂ&#x20AC;W every aspect of their life â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from their emotional and mental state to their creative minds and inFUHGLEO\ VHOĂ HVV DFWV RI VHUYLFH And it really comes down to WKLV DV VHUYLFH PHPEHUV JRLQJ through basic training, either as soldiers or Marines, airmen or sailors, we were getting yelled at, belittled, pushed to our physical and mental limits, but one thing kept us going â&#x20AC;&#x201C; each other.

When we went to war, some foreign hot (or frigid) hellhole thousands of miles from our warm beds, we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quit.

When we did some of the most GLIĂ&#x20AC;FXOW WKLQJV HYHU WR EH DVNHG of a citizen of this nation, we did it, not because of some politician or policy maker, some President or Congressman, we did it because of US. We did it for our brother on our left and Our USA Magazine 7

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our sister on our right. We did it, and would do it all over again, because we had each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back. Our reminders were everywhere, on our tanks and helicopters, on those rucks we carried and those aid bags we wiped clean of blood, Us...Us, you and I, and those we lost...US.

Therefore, our mission at the *UDIĂ&#x20AC;WL RI :DU LV WR FRQWLQXH WKDW tradition of support and camaraderie to support our brothers and sisters to our left and to our right. Why should we let the civilians corner the market on success? We are millions strong now, our numbers have grown.

That was our mission and still is, as veterans, former soldiers and Marines, and airmen and sailors.

US, By Any Means Necessary!

Why should our care for one another stop when we get our DD214? Why should our support of one another cease when we are assigned to Fort Couch? It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to and it damn well shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.

For those who want to get involved, we suggest our website, Our great-grandparents and ZZZ JUDIĂ&#x20AC;WLRIZDU FRP where grandparents did it in WWII; they can follow us on Facebook, they came home and grabbed Twitter, or our blog that details their success, took it and made our year-long journey. They can it their own. We can learn from order merchandise and request the mistakes of Vietnam; we shall not be judged by those who brochures at no cost to pass out wherever they see a need. Both never took a manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life for their country, who never watched their my partner and I are very accessible and can be reached buddies die in their arms, who via email or through Facebook. donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what it is like to

Our USA Magazine

taste the blood of their brothersand sisters-in-arms while their life is sucked away thousands of miles from their loved ones. We are strong, we made it through, and we can accomplish anything because of what we have already accomplished.

Although we have been growing exponentially over the course of the past year, we are still a small

operation and I can be reached 24/hours a day, 7/days a week.

Please send correspondence and

LQTXLULHV WR WKH DGGUHVV EHORZ LQIR#JUDIĂ&#x20AC;WLRIZDU FRP.

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Our USA Magazine

6XSSRUWHUV DQG 3DUWQHUV RI WKH *UDIĂ&#x20AC;WL RI :DU 3URMHFW Operation-Helmet.org ² 7KLV RUJDQL]DWLRQ KDV DJUHHG WR VSRQVRU 7KH *UDIĂ&#x20AC;WL RI :DU ([SHGLWLRQ E\ SURYLGLQJ KHOPHWV IRU the team at no cost.

ESS Advanced Eye Protection ² 7KLV FRPSDQ\ KDV DJUHHG WR VSRQVRU 7KH *UDIĂ&#x20AC;WL RI :DU 3URMHFW E\ SURYLGLQJ DGYDQFHG eye protection for the Expedition Team at no cost.

Grunt Style Apparel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; This company has agreed to provide 20 percent of their sales generated from our fans to help continue to fund our projectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s efforts.

Maxim Magazine ² -DHVRQ ´'RFÂľ 3DUVRQV LV QRZ WKH RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDO 0LOLWDU\ &RQWULEXWRU IRU 0D[LP FRP IHDWXULQJ DUWLFOHV ZLWK D military spin twice a week beginning August 2011.

USAA ² 7KH\ KDYH SRVWHG RQ WKHLU VRFLDO PHGLD RXWOHWV VXFK DV )DFHERRN DQG 7ZLWWHU DERXW 7KH *UDIĂ&#x20AC;WL RI :DU 3URMHFW DQG our upcoming Expedition.

10 Years and Counting (10YAC) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A collaboration of veterans, educators, scholars and civilians centered around providing an outlet for positive change ahead of the tenth year anniversary of 9/11. They are showcasing the upcoming gallery shows, HYHQWV DQG ERRN UHOHDVH IRU WKH *UDIĂ&#x20AC;WL RI :DU 3URMHFW GiveAnHour.org ² 3URYLGLQJ KRXUO\ PHQWDO KHDOWK FDUH IUHH RI FKDUJH IRU WKRVH DIĂ LFWHG ZLWK 376' WKH\ DUH RQH RI RXU QRQ SURĂ&#x20AC;W SDUWQHUV KHOSLQJ WR LQFUHDVH DZDUHQHVV DQG LQWHUHVW LQ WKH *UDIĂ&#x20AC;WL RI :DU 3URMHFW Exit 12 Dance Company â&#x20AC;&#x201C; We are working with Roman Baca, founder of Exit 12, and providing images for an upcoming FUHDWLRQ DERXW 376' DQG WKH VWUXJJOHV RI WKH $PHULFDQ :DUĂ&#x20AC;JKWHU C*A*M*M*O â&#x20AC;&#x201C; We hope to begin working with them in organizing therapy groups centered around music and art therapy.

Kellogg, Brown and Root (manages MWR facilities in Iraq) - They display our brochures and posters in six different locations.

Fluor, Inc (manages MWR facilities in Afghanistan) - They display our brochures and posters in 29 different locations.

Zoriah.com â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Zoriah Miller, a world-renowned humanitarian photographer, has generously allowed us to use some of his work on our website, for our brochure and in the upcoming book. He has been instrumental in providing direction and advice to us as we push to the next level. He has expressed high interest and respect for this project, multiple times.

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Engraving of Kilroy on the WWII Memorial. Photo by Luis Rubio

Author Greg Williams “Kilroy” (was here) in the MCV Tunnel System, VCU MCV Campus, Richmond, Virginia Photo by Taber Andrew Bain

There’s even a fun ez pass holder for your car A depiction of Kilroy on a piece of the Berlin Wall in the Newseum in Washington, D.C. 12

Our USA Magazine

Graffiti of War WWII Photo by Jaeson Taellious Olympia, WA

Legend has it that during WWII, a James Kilroy had the job of inspecting bulkheads in newly built troop transport ships.

(DFK WLPH KH ÀQLVKHG his inspection he would write this phrase on the bulkhead to prove it had been inspected.

Foxx Equipment Mural - Dinosaurs and Cavemen Seen in Kansas City, MO. Photo by Marshall Astor Chad spotted in Stockholm, Sweden.

Photo by Liftarn

The troops didn’t know its meaning, and found it funny, so they started immitating it and writing it in the most unusual places.

It is said to even be written in the dust on the moon.

7KLV & EHDUV D FRQÀUPHG LPDJH RI Kilroy Is Here as nose art dated during WWII Photo Courtesy Combat Air Museum Topeka, KS www.combatairmuseum.org

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Connections: Meet Some of Our Contributors Jack Wagner Photography has been Jackâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passion since the mid-1960â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. Since retiring from his executive role at IBM after 34 years, he launched his â&#x20AC;&#x153;Behind the Lensâ&#x20AC;? photography business. He has been capturing the progress of the World Trade Center site since 9/11 with his images. Sharing his work with others is his greatest pleasure. In addition to photography Jack is also an adjunct professor at NJIT in the School of Management. www.jackwagner.us

Tama Kieves Tama J. Kieves is an honors graduate of Harvard Law School who left her practice with a large FRUSRUDWH ODZ Ă&#x20AC;UP WR ZULWH DQG HPEROGHQ RWKHUV WR OLYH WKHLU PRVW IXOĂ&#x20AC;OOLQJ OLYHV 6KH LV WKH EHVWselling author of â&#x20AC;&#x153;THIS TIME I DANCE! Creating the Work You Love,â&#x20AC;? and is a sought-after speaker and career coach who has helped thousands worldwide discover and live their creative dreams. www.ThisTimeIDance.com.

Julie Reiser Julie Reiser is Co-fRXQGHU DQG 3UHVLGHQW RI 0DGH LQ 86$ &HUWLĂ&#x20AC;HG ,QF WKH QDWLRQV OHDGLQJ WKLUG SDUW\ FHUWLĂ&#x20AC;FDWLRQ IRU SURGXFWV ´0DGH LQ 86$ Âľ -XOLH KDV EHHQ IUHTXHQWO\ IHDWXUHG DV DQ H[SHUW on U.S. manufacturing and business by Fox Business Live, ABC, Fox, The Palm Beach Post, Sun Sentinel, South Florida Business Journal and many other news and radio outlets. www.usa-c.com

Larry W. Fish Larry was born and raised in the beautiful Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. In 2004 he moved to North Carolina with his wife, Lina. He enjoys ZULWLQJ VKRUW VWRULHV RI KLV \RXWK SROLWLFV QDWXUH DQG VFDU\ Ă&#x20AC;FWLRQDO VWRULHV Follow Larry on his blog, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Writing by Fishâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ZZZ OZĂ&#x20AC;VK EORJVSRW FRP

Dennis L. Page Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m an extrovert, conversationalist, news junky, writer, and gardener, preparer of all home meals, WUXWK VHHNHU KXVEDQG IDWKHU DQG JUDQGIDWKHU 0\ Ă&#x20AC;UVW ZULWLQJ FRXUVH ZDV LQ WKH HDUO\ V ZKHQ I learned to write as I speak and to express myself in the vernacular. I currently reside in the Southern Tier of New York State on the Pennsylvania border. www.pagesvoice.wordpress.com

Liz Newman Liz R. Newman is a freelance writer and novelist, and a stay-at-home mother of four children.

She holds a Masters in Clinical Psychology, and has served as a counseling psychologist at a community health center, a crisis center and a local school. She resides in the San Francisco Bay area, and dreams of one day having the time to join the PTA and go out for coffee. www.facebook.com/LizRNewmanAuthor 14

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Photo by Kat Thek Our USA Magazine 15

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Our USA Magazine

A Lion of America A Voice for the Voiceless

T

By Christopher C. Gagliardi and Yoav Sivam

here has never been another election like it in the country. In 2009, a man from Englewood, New Jersey, ran for state assembly against the districtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two incumbents. Though he won only seven percent of the vote in last Juneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Democratic primary, he considered that a victory in itself. And in the latest twist, one of his former opponents, Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, has now hired him to serve on KHU VWDII +LV QDPH &KULVWRSKHU C. Gagliardi, and, in a powerful twist â&#x20AC;&#x201C; he was born with infantile autism.

Born in Westwood, New Jersey on December 18, 1980, Gagliardi is believed to be the only person with autism to ever have run for SXEOLF RIĂ&#x20AC;FH LQ WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV according to the Autism Society of America. And other than Hillary Clintonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on to work for President Obama, there likely arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t many other instances in politics where a candidate has hired an electoral opponent. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When Chris was a baby, he didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do the things babies do,â&#x20AC;? said his mother, noting that Gagliardi was diagnosed with autism as an infant. â&#x20AC;&#x153;He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t crawl. He screamed when I cuddled him. $QG DW Ă&#x20AC;UVW , GLGQ¡W NQRZ ZKDW it was. There was no Google to ORRN WKLQJV XS DQG Ă&#x20AC;QG WKH ZRUG â&#x20AC;&#x153;autistic.â&#x20AC;?

Monahan says her sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political bug came naturally to him without much pushing from her. â&#x20AC;&#x153;From the earliest I can remember,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;he loved the rallies, took the bus to Democratic headquarters in Hackensack, liked making the calls for candidates. He wanted to vote when he was 14.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was hard for me to express how I felt,â&#x20AC;? said Gagliardi. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My Ă&#x20AC;UVW UHDO VHQWHQFH FDPH DW WKH age of 16, when I said, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mom, I need a hug.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; That was the day Gagliardi had a particularly unpleasant encounter with school bullies. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was always picked on by bullies,â&#x20AC;? he recalled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was called slow, retarded, freak, you name it. It got to be overwhelming sometimes.â&#x20AC;? ´:KHQ Ă&#x20AC;QDOO\ KH WROG PH â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mommy, I need a hug,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; that day , KHOG P\ FKLOG IRU WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW WLPH ever,â&#x20AC;? Monahan said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I thought, he knows I am his mommy. At the time I had breast cancer, but it was okay. Chris knew I was his mommy.â&#x20AC;?

Once Gagliardi started talking and came into his own, â&#x20AC;&#x153;his classmates saw Chris evolve before their eyes,â&#x20AC;? Monahan said. He went from bullied student to being elected student FRXQFLO SUHVLGHQW DW 5LGJHĂ&#x20AC;HOG Memorial High School. He was WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW VWXGHQW ZLWK PHQWDO

challenges to reach that pinnacle.

As student council president, he helped raise funds for families of September 11 victims, as well as for people with HIV/AIDS by teaming up with Broadway Cares/Equality Fights AIDS. After high school, Gagliardi wanted to go to college but couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. No local college had a transitional program for those with developmental challenges. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So I decided, you know what, I am going to put college on hold for right now,â&#x20AC;? he said. He looked for a job in downtown Englewood. He received job rejection after rejection, except from the Starbucks on Palisades Avenue.

Nine years later, he still works there stacking cups, just a block away from Vainieri Huttleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s GLVWULFW RIĂ&#x20AC;FH 9DOHULH 9DLQLHUL Huttle is a Democrat who serves in the New Jersey General Assembly where she represents the 37th Legislative District.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve known Chris for years,â&#x20AC;?

Vainieri Huttle said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;from the time I was a freeholderâ&#x20AC;? (a county legislator) Vaineiri Huttle served as a Bergen County freeholder since 2001, before she was elected assemblywoman in 2006. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I would see Chris at events where he would be singing opera or reading poetry. He caught my eye because people with special needs have always been close to my heart. So after the election (last year) I thought, who better to be outreach coordinator to people with special needs?â&#x20AC;?

certain things, among them a delegate for the democratic national convention in 2008, however, he was turned down.

After hearing many stories about KRUULĂ&#x20AC;F LQMXVWLFHV DQG DEXVH (among them a young man with cerebral palsy who was left on a bus in the freezing cold), Gagliardi had just about had it.

He decided at that moment to UXQ IRU RIĂ&#x20AC;FH

When Gagliardi decided to run for the assembly last year, his mother encouraged him but set conditions. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I said to him, hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the deal,â&#x20AC;? she recalled. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Find out what the campaign â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think of myself as an involves.â&#x20AC;? She saw the campaign opponent of Valerieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s,â&#x20AC;? said as an opportunity for her son *DJOLDUGL ZKR VSRNH KLV Ă&#x20AC;UVW to grasp that dreams take work. words at age seven and could not She told him, for instance, that she would help him collect speak more complex sentences the signatures New Jersey law until age 16. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t consider required to get his name on the it a campaign, but an adventure, ballot â&#x20AC;&#x201C; but only if he collected to see how far I could go. It many on his own. was an opportunity to challenge myself and to become a role model, to speak up for those like Gagliardi took on the task with gusto â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and with the help of me. People with physical and none other than Assemblywoman mental challenges donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have Vainieri Huttle, who told him the limitations, but expectations.â&#x20AC;? various rules behind collecting Gagliardi inherited his absolute love of politics from his mother, Lynda Grace Monahan, who had worked on Robert F. Kennedyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presidential campaign in 1968. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Politics was in my blood,â&#x20AC;?

Galiardi said.

But it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t politics as usual with Gagliardi; he tried out for FHUWDLQ RIĂ&#x20AC;FHV GXULQJ KLV WLPH LQ high school, starting out as an RIĂ&#x20AC;FH UHSUHVHQWDWLYH D VRUW RI congressman in school). After high school, he tried out for 18

Our USA Magazine

the signatures and submitting the petitions.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any campaign staff,â&#x20AC;? Gagliardi said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;just me and my mom. I told people, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;this is who I am and I want to improve your life.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; The reaction was, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Who is he? Where is he from, why is he doing this?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Monahan said that although â&#x20AC;&#x153;some people would look at us and walk away,â&#x20AC;? most voters were supportive and quickly signed the petitions.â&#x20AC;? When they reached the required signatures, Gagliardi asked his mom to go ZLWK KLP WR Ă&#x20AC;OH WKH SDSHUV LQ Trenton. She refused. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I told him, no, I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t,â&#x20AC;? Monahan said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to UXQ IRU RIĂ&#x20AC;FH \RX¡OO KDYH WR learn how to get on the train to 7UHQWRQ Âľ ,W ZDV WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW WUDLQ ride Gagliardi ever took by himself.

That ride capped a remarkable lifetime journey for Gagliardi, but it was on June 6, 2009 that his mom noticed how much he had grown from a young baby.

Monahan said her dream for her son, when he was a child, was simply that he would someday learn to speak for himself. But he ended up doing much more.

Her dream had been seen as a huge stepping stone. She saw his name up on the ballot, tears swelled up in her eyes and she cried in the voting booth. The RIĂ&#x20AC;FLDOV DVNHG ´$UH \RX alright?â&#x20AC;? She said that the tears were of joy, not of heartache, because this was a celebration.

Though he won only 15 percent of the vote in last Juneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Democratic primary, Galiardi considered that a victory in itself and not a defeat. He felt bad, though, that he had run against people he cared about deeply and still does.

Vainieri Huttle said she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mind it one bit; she thought it was a great moment for her to witness something extraordinary. And in the latest twist, his former opponent, assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, has now hired him to serve on her staff as Special Needs Outreach Coordinator for the physically and mentally challenged for New Jersey, as well as a self-advocate advisor to Autism NJ, an organization for bringing awareness to autism in New Jersey.

His mom cannot say enough how proud she is of her son. â&#x20AC;&#x153;During the campaign,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Chris spoke for everyone who faces discrimination.â&#x20AC;?

Now, Gagliardi is campaigning on one of the biggest issues that had affected him throughout his life â&#x20AC;&#x201C; bullying. Recently, he got a studentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bill of rights in New Jersey passed in the wake of tragic events where youths had taken their own lives due to

bullying. Among the people whose stories deeply affected Christopher was Phoebe Prince, a young high school student from Massachusetts, and Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers student who committed suicide because of bullying by people who he initially thought were friends. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bullying is a violation of a personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right to exist, and it has got to stop,â&#x20AC;? Gagliardi said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It should be deemed a crime against humanity.â&#x20AC;? He currently has a petition going on at change. org to make bullying illegal in any form. To date, more than 499 people (as of the publication of this article) have signed the petition, among them the daughter of KISS band member Gene Simmons, as well as Kathy Ireland and Leann Rimes. His goal for this petition is to get half a billion signatures to send to President Obama, and Congress with a message that youthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lives are in danger, and they are the future leaders of America and

the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our youth are the precious leaders of the future, they will be the ones to uphold the honor, dignity and more to make humanity and our country the citadel of the world for people to come to and to return to again and again, inspired, but more,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They are the ones who will make change a reality.â&#x20AC;? &KULV KDV PDQ\ LQĂ XHQFHV LQ KLV life that inspire him everyday.

Among them are Ronald Reagan, John and Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Daisaku Ikeda, a philosopher and Buddhist from Japan.

Chris quotes one of his favorite SDVVDJHV IURP ,NHGD ´$ JUHDW human revolution in just a single individual will help achieve a change in the destiny of an entire nation and further will help achieve a change in the destiny of the entire human race.â&#x20AC;?

To take a stand against bullying JR WR www.tinyurl.com/3psxwsy Our USA Magazine 19

I Am Blest

By Robert Braswell $ 3UD\HU ÀOOHG ZLWK thankfulness, A child’s laugh of happiness, A goodnight kiss, a fond carress, ‘Tis with these things, I am blest.

A summer day, warm breezes blow’n, A silent hour, the joy I’ve known.

A time for work, a time of rest, ‘Tis with these things, I am blest.

A conscience, clear, that I may see The world, in wealth and poverty.

To hold a hand that’s failed the test.

‘Tis with these things, I am blest.

A GOD to whom my thoughts reveal In silent moments, when I steal away And there, all my sins confess That I might be forever blest.

Ferris Wheel By Robert Brunelle 20

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I’m Just Sayin’

N

o matter how old you are, you have dreams—you know you do. Come on, seriously!

This is the time to do something about it, especially if you are out of the diaper era. It’s truly time to focus on a few things that you might have always wanted to accomplish. Maybe you dream of sky diving, or learning to ride a Harley, or taking cooking classes, or visiting Rome, or trying out for a play, or recording a song or two. Do it, sister! What are you waiting for? There is no time like the present.

We women diligently see to our day-to-day duties and tend to others like nobody’s business.

But when it comes to ourselves, we moan and groan and get lazy.

I know, I’m tired at the end of the day and a bag of chips and P\ VOLSSHUV ZLOO XVXDOO\ VXIÀFH We have to snap out of it. Make it happen. It’s so worth it.

By Shelly Gail Morris

Take some time and think about all the plans you made when you were younger. Maybe being a go-go girl at Studio 54 is out, but there are other goals you can still achieve. Sometimes the extra mileage can come in handy. I get a great feeling of contentment after I write a story.

No, I’m not all for investing your Yes, that sounds dumb, but I do.

What gives you that true feeling retirement and your life savings of worth and accomplishment? in peddling some product. Find What makes you smile when no a way to achieve your success one is looking? Start today. without pinning your dreams on others believing in you. You Be a success. Find your niche. could print up two zillion You can do it! You’ll feel truly absolutely hilarious kitchen magnets, but if no one buys them IXOÀOOHG DQG SURXG RI \RXUVHOI you really are going to feel like a You can look in the mirror and fool. Don’t go there. Make sure say, I may not be able to do a back handspring anymore, but this venture is doable. Discuss I have new unique talents. Nod it with your family, be open and just to reinforce the notion. Dare honest. Don’t ask permission. to believe in yourself. Get off Holy cow, woman, you do not need permission! Let me repeat your growing fanny. Dare to make it happen. I’m just sayin’. that. You are a grown woman and you do not need permission Sweet dreams.

Painting by F. Schrotzberg (Wikimedia) to follow your heart.

You’re braver now. If you fail— oh well, you fail. If you suck at it—ha ha—you suck. Laugh a little. Life will go on. It is not the end of the world. You’re old enough to realize that and not be devastated by the outcome of following a dream.

Our USA Magazine 21

Inventing the Skateboard

I

was born in a place called Kew Gardens, NY. Back in the early 1950s, before the invention of the skateboard, we rode scooter-boxes.

A scooter-box was made by taking apart a steel-wheeled VNDWH WKHQ DIĂ&#x20AC;[LQJ WKH ZKHHOV under the ends of a two-to-threefoot long two by four. On the nose of the two by four, a wooden fruit crate was nailed upright on its end. And on top of that, two wing-like, wooden handles were secured for steering. Then, to customize our scooter-boxes, we nailed or glued bottle caps all over the fruit crate.

Daddy made me one when I was just a little fart. And because we owned a small delicatessen in Astoria on Long Islandâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;above which we lived in an equally small apartment â&#x20AC;&#x201D; there was a bevy of assorted bottle caps to trick-out my ride.

In 1957, we moved across the country to Pasadena, CA. I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t notice any west-coasters ULGLQJ VFRRWHU ER[HV VR , Ă&#x20AC;JXUHG it was an east coast thing. In 1959, my parents bought our house on Mar Vista Avenue for $12,500.

And like most north/south streets in Pasadena, it was hilly. , Ă&#x20AC;JXUHG D VFRRWHU ER[ ZRXOG be fun to ride downhill, but Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d left mine behind in New York (no room for it on the propeller22

Our USA Magazine

By Mark Barkawitz driven commercial airline). So my little brother Bruce and I â&#x20AC;&#x201C; six and eight respectively at the timeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;borrowed one of my little sister Cyndiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s metal skates and went out to the garage to build RQH :H FRXOGQ¡W Ă&#x20AC;QG DQ\ WZR by fours, or a fruit crate of any kind. So, while Bruce took apart Cyndiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skate, I improvised our building supplies with what was DYDLODEOH D IRXU IRRW ORQJ VL[ inch-wide piece of dog-eared

cedar fencing. When I nailed the skate-ends on the bottom, the eight-penny nails stuck up through the top side, so I bent them over with the hammer. But they still looked dangerous. So we used scissors to cut a carpet IUDJPHQW WR Ă&#x20AC;W DWRS WKH FHGDU ERDUG DQG DIĂ&#x20AC;[HG LW ZLWK URRĂ&#x20AC;QJ nails. We stood back to admire our work.

Illustration by Kurt Gnewuch

“It’s pretty long,” Bruce said. ´/HW·V VHH LI ZH ERWK ÀW µ I sat over the back wheels, my knees scrunched up into my chest; Bruce sat likewise in front of me. We wobbled and put our hands down to steady ourselves.

“Just like a sled,” I said. We’d ridden a sled together during our last winter back east.

“What’re we gonna use for brakes?” he asked.

“Turn onto the parkway grass.”

Together we carried our two-man, boxless scooter-box up to the corner. We sat on it—he in front of me—and used our hands to steady ourselves on the downhill sidewalk until we got rolling.

We crashed every couple of houses until we got our leaning in sync. After a few runs, we made it all the way down from Claremont Street to the parkway in front of our house, where we rolled onto the St. Augustine grass, crashing and tumbling to a stop under the old oak tree, laughing our guts out.

We started experimenting with GLIIHUHQW ULGLQJ SRVLWLRQV ERWK on our knees, one sitting and one kneeling, one sitting and one standing behind. It was a lot of fun.

Other kids on the block watched us enviously. David, one of the bigger kids who lived on Claremont, came over to check out our ride as we prepared for another run.

Photo of Zane by Anita Peppers

“What is that?” asked David, ZKR KDG VWDUWHG D ÀVW ÀJKW ZLWK me right after my family moved onto the block. He threw nine punches at me; I blocked them all—the advantage of having a EURWKHU ZLWK ZKRP WR ÀJKW GDLO\ Then he said he heard his mom calling him and went home.

7KDW ZDV RXU ÀJKW “It’s kinda’ like a scooter-box without the box,” I said.

“For two,” Bruce added.

“Scooter-box?” David didn’t seem to know what I meant.

“What kinda’ wheels?”

“We took apart one of our sister’s skates,” I explained.

%UXFH ÁLSSHG RYHU WKH ERDUG David looked closer. “Huh. So it’s more like a board-skater.”

“Somethin’ like that,” I agreed.

“For two,” Bruce added again.

A few months later, David’s family moved to Venice Beach. Back then, Bruce and I thought that was some place in Italy. But it was actually just forty miles away on the coast just south of Santa Monica, where years later, with the invention of the polyurethane wheel, the Z-Boys skateboarding team would revolutionize the sport by riding empty swimming pools.

But back in ’59, it was my little brother Bruce and I who were the revolutionary innovators.

Oh sure, lots of people claim to have invented the skateboard in one way or another around that same time. But it was the Barkawitz Boys who invented the tandem skateboard. Unfortunately at six and eight years of age, we lacked the marketing skills and manufacturing capabilities of Wham-O and missed out on creating a family fortune.

And we got grounded for ruining our sister’s stupid skate. As with any revolution, its practitioners pay a steep price for progress.

USA

Our USA Magazine 23

%UDQG\ZLQH 5ROOHU *LUOV

T

By Kim Trauma Queen DeCostanza.

The Littlest Jammer After the jam, I had a word with her father about this amazing moment in derby history. This is what he had to say...

his is Rumble Kittie (aka Kylie Litwin). Fearless. Lightning fast. Ready to take on any seasoned derby doll. But seriously, how cute is she? Rumble Kittie is the daughter of our beloved photog, Randy Litwin, of R. Litwin Photography. She comes to mostly every practice – does the stretches and workouts, gets gussied up in her best derby gear. She even has a kittyshaped helmet to enhance her “Rumble Kittie” derby persona.

“She used to freak out over bugs and cry if she tripped.

Now she just yells ‘There’s no crying or throwing up in derby’ and pushes on. She’s not shy anymore and stands up for herself, and I often hear her yelling ‘I’m Rumble Kittie!’ while she plays.”

And that was that. White team went home with their heads hung low, and Rumble Kittie was MVP of the evening. Look out derby girls of 2023 – you’re gonna have some major competition here!

But after the workouts and stretches are done, she watches us from the sidelines as if we’re her heroes.

Until last night’s scrimage, that is...

Coach announced that Rumble Kittie would jam in the last jam. She was up against Sin Ickle – can you say intimidating? Rumble Kittie didn’t blink an eye.

Look at that focus!

And then she was off.

I think she may have knocked Sin straight off her skates. Rumble Kittie was on the black team, and even though white had their best defense on the line, she made them all look like amateurs!

24

Our USA Magazine

Just look at this skill!

brandywinerollergirls.com

C

Profile: Sandy Pirdy

reekside Fabrics, Quilts & Yarns opened seven years ago June, 2004 in Arcade, New York.

Below, owner Sandy Pirdy explains why she opened the store and what the last seven years has been like.

Currently we have two parttime employees, one of whom is my sister Deb. We also have EHWZHHQ Ă&#x20AC;YH DQG VL[ FRQWUDFWHG teachers because we offer classes in our spacious classroom facilities.

I opened the store when I was 45. My last child had just entered college and I felt it was the right time for some business development of my own, after having helped many community businesses to grow.

We have an extensive schedule of classes that we offer througout the year, including quilting, applique, knitting and dyeing fabrics, plus a bunch of fun projects thrown in for good measure.

I worked at an employment agency, and across the street IURP P\ RIĂ&#x20AC;FH ZDV D KXJH building that was for sale. I said to my husband, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hey, we ought to buy that place.â&#x20AC;? Incredulous, he asked me why. I said three ZRUGV ´$ IDEULF VWRUH Âľ 7KH UHVW is now history.

Since that time seven years ago, the business has grown into almost 2000 square feet of premium quality cotton quilting

and share; we see young moms trying to decorate or nest.

We are also a â&#x20AC;&#x153;go-toâ&#x20AC;? shop, a destination for the quilting and yarn enthusiasts across the country. We participate in a shop hop called Quilters Football League, which spans across the U.S., and we are in a local shop KRS LQ WKH IDOO <RX FDQ Ă&#x20AC;QG XV VSRQVRULQJ EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV DJULFXOWXUDO programs, arts programs and library programs. So you see, we are more than fabrics and yarns, we are our own, warm community.

I work far harder for myself than I would for anyone else, but I also enjoy each minute more!

Creekside is not a quick visit. It offers a comfortable place to get to know one another. We know our customers, and consider them our friends.

fabrics, luscious and trendy \DUQV DQG WKH Ă&#x20AC;QHVW VHZLQJ DQG embroidery machines Baby Lock has to offer.

We are personally involved in so many lives â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we see creations for new babies, anniversaries, memory quilts for people who have passed on; we see widows who need a safe place to be

www.creeksidefabrics.com.

Our USA Magazine 25

The Best Pizza Ever by Cheri Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Brien 26

Our USA Magazine

W

Crusts of Wisdom

By Angela Madaras

hen I started collecting and creating pizza recipes, I was working on a cookbook inspired by a close friend. Her brother was very ill at the time and was not eating very much due to medications and treatments for cancer. The one thing he did eat was his sister’s homemade pizza with really fresh, local and pure ingredients. She would go to nearby towns, and sometimes not so near, to source freshly made cheese, pizza crusts and other treasures. When time allowed, she made her own fabulous “from scratch” crust, which I myself have enjoyed on more than one occasion. Her brother seemed to gain strength from the love and care that went into every pie she tenderly crafted in his honor. In this way, she cared for him until the end of his journey.

My friend taught me the importance of spending quality time with loved ones. She helped me cultivate a certain passion for slow foods; like a homemade deep dish pie. Her passion and compassion inspired me to take time enjoying the simple pleasures of life with a special person or with many people for whom I cook, care and love! It is my desire for readers to take these crusts of wisdom into their homes, hearts and hearths, and to share the joy with loved ones, friends, neighbors and anyone who loves a good pie.

Basic Pizza Sauce Makes 3 cups and can be frozen if needed or stored in your refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Allow to cool a bit before adding to pizza. I like to make in advance so all ingredients can be assembled for a fast meal.

White Sauce This is a basic “rue” or cream sauce with a few seasonings added and a thicker base.

Saute in 3 Tbs. olive oil and 2-3 chopped large cloves of garlic ZLWK RQH ODUJH ÀQHO\ FKRSSHG onion until tender and soft.

Consider adding a touch of vodka or red wine for a sassier sauce.

Melt a stick of butter slowly then add slowly with a whisk 1/8 FXS ÁRXU RU PRUH XQWLO \RX JHW a paste. Add with a whisk some cream (stock and white wine can be used with cream as well) until you get the desired consistency.

Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and fresh or dried oregano to taste. I like a pinch or two of hot red pepper seeds for extra zest.

Then add your crushed tomatoes fresh from your garden or out of a can, but always try to use organic and try to get unsalted.

You want about a quart or more.

Simmer for 15-30 minutes and feel free to play with the seasonings. Add a touch of sweetener of choice for a fabulous rich sauce.

Fresh basil can be added at the end by adding whole leaves and gently stirring before taking off burner.

Meat Sauce Follow the same recipe, then add your choice of cooked and drained meat (ground lamb, turkey, beef, chicken, BBQ, sausage, ham, TVP, pepperoni, etc.).

Cook for about an hour for JUHDWHU ÁDYRU <RX PD\ QHHG WR add more tomatoes. I cheat and use jar sauce sometimes.

Pesto Mix in a blender any herb like basil, cilantro or parsley with olive oil, garlic, nuts or beans, and some cheese if you like, with seasonings to your desired taste.

Lasts longer with a tad of lemon juice and salt and can be frozen.

Great on pasta or side dishes and proteins.

Use a wooden spoon and thick bottomed pot for sauce and never let it simmer or boil.

Salt or a bit of grated lemon rind can really zest it up. Basil, nutmeg, pepper or rosemary are LQWHUHVWLQJ ÁDYRUV IRU WKLV VDXFH depending on your toppings. I also like it with pine nuts or ZDOQXWV IRU D QXWW\ ÁDYRU )RU D YHU\ ULFK VDXFH DGG ÀQHO\ grated pecorino or parmesan cheese. This sauce is great on thick or deep dish pizzas and those with sautéed spinach or greens toppings.

Our USA Magazine 27

Basic directions for no fault pizza dough and baking instructions Basic Pizza Dough Âź RXQFH \HDVW 1 tsp sugar 1 C hand-hot water & Ă RXU VHPROLQD XEOHDFKHG EUHDG RU FRPER RI DQ\ Ă RXUV

1 tsp salt 1Tbs high grade olive oil Cornmeal Crust 1Tbs raw sugar 1 C hot water (100-115 degrees) 1 envelope active yeast & VHPROLQD Ă RXU 1 C coarse cornmeal 1 tsp. salt Âź & ROLYH RLO (I like to use granulated garlic and crushed red pepper for this crust) Whole Wheat 1 Tbs raw sugar Âź & KRW ZDWHU degrees) 1 envelope active yeast & XQEOHDFKHG DOO SXUSRVH Ă RXU & ZKROH ZKHDW Ă RXU 1 tsp. salt Âź & ROLYH RU YHJHWDEOH RLO (Try adding toasted nuts, dried fruit, herbs, cheese, etc. for extra Ă DYRU RU DGG ZDOQXWV DQG scallions to the dough for a KHDUW\ Ă DYRU Ă&#x20AC;OOHG GHHS GLVK

Thin and Crispy 1 C hot water 1 envelope active yeast & XQEOHDFKHG Ă RXU Âź WVS VDOW (Here you could add dried herbs or garlic as well.)

28

Our USA Magazine

Place yeast and sugar in a bowl or measuring cup with 4 Tbs of hot water that is about 100-115 degrees and will feel warm to the touch. Let sit in a quiet, warm place for 10 minutes until it has a beige colored foamy look (set on top of dryer after you have done a load of laundry or in a sunny window where kid, kitty or doggy can not reach. Remember pies have disappeared from many windows on hot summer days.

Mix the dry ingredients in a wooden or glass bowl and create D ZHOO LQ WKH FHQWHU $GG Ă RXU and salt already mixed together; add oil and yeast mixture and mix into smooth dough with large wooden spoon. If dough is WRR WDFN\ DGG PRUH Ă RXU RU FRUQmeal. Do not stir too much as the gluten needs to stay intact.

You can create any shape or size pizza crust you desire. My favorite way is to cut the dough in two or three balls, then slowly roll each out and hand stretch or toss in odd shapes, and then place on a pizza bake sheet or stone, that is lightly oiled with olive oil or spray oil. Then brush olive oil all over the crust, especially on the edges. Brush more oil on the crust after baking to darken color or cover crust with foil to lighten.

For a crispy crust bake at high heat (450 degrees F) for 10-15 minutes. For a deep-dish, cook 5 minutes on bottom rack at 475, take out, brush with oil, apply toppings, cook on bottom rack for 5 minutes, then move to middle of oven for 25 minutes or until desired color (deep golden is best).

Buying store bought crust is OK too!

South of the Border Breakfast Pizza Scrambled eggs (slightly wet) SautĂŠed garlic, onions and veggies Smoked cheese (cheddar) Crumbled sausage or soysage â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or refried beans Cilantro Salsa (instead of sauce) â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thick, fresh and seasoned with cumin, chili powder and salt Midwestern Summer Pie Sliced fresh tomatoes Corn cut off cob Steamed zucchini Savory herbs from garden Topped with cheesy mashed potatoes made with Wisconsin Asiago Cheese Sprinkle fresh chopped chives over top Greek Primavera Roasted or sun-dried tomatoes Fresh basil and oregano Roasted garlic Caramelized shallots and onions Thinly sliced red, yellow bell pepper and hot banana peppers Thinly chopped broccoli and spinach Sheep or goat cheese Hot crushed red peppers on top Mediterranean Hummus Fresh chopped and marinated WRPDWRHV DQG Ă DW OHDI SDUVOH\ SautĂŠed red onions and spinach Roasted chopped beets Black olives pitted and cured in olive oil and seasonings Roasted pine nuts

Prime Rib Pizza Roasted garlic and pesto spread on dough Caramelized shallots Blue cheese crumbles Roasted thinly sliced potatoes Rare prime rib, thinly sliced Fresh ground pepper and salt Chopped parsley on top after it comes out of oven Veggie Delight Pesto and goat cheese spread Toasted and pine nuts Roasted peppers and cherry tomatoes, drained well Caramelized red onions and shallots SautĂŠed spinach, drained well Fresh chopped basil after pizza comes out of oven New England Pizza Thin, odd shaped crust Light rue for sauce Lobster, clam and crab meat SautĂŠed garlic with a pinch of grated lemon rind Fresh chopped parsley and chives Finely diced boiled potatoes with garlic and red onion

Skye Dog Pizza Paw Pie yes, for our furry friends Make a thin crust and roll out on pans and use cookie cutter shaped like a dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s paw.

Top with leftover meats and ERLOHG Ă&#x20AC;QHO\ FKRSSHG SRWDWRHV carrots and peas. Sprinkle with grated doggy vitamins or hard treats. After cooking, serve to your furry friend at room temp.

For a stuffed â&#x20AC;&#x153;casseroleâ&#x20AC;? style pizza, divide the dough into two balls, one a third and the other two thirds in size. Roll into circle then press the large ball with crust rising over top edge of oiled cake pan or casserole dish.

Bake at 475 for 5 minutes.

Roll out second ball large HQRXJK WR Ă&#x20AC;W RQ WRS RI GLVK 3ODFH Ă&#x20AC;OOLQJV LQ GLVK WKHQ FRYHU with smaller dough. Make slices in crust top. Follow the deep dish cooking directions.

I would use the cornmeal and basic crusts for any style pizza or calzone. The whole wheat is thick, chewy and nutty with a heavier feel. It can hold heartier toppings and is great for stuffed or deep dish varieties, and as a winter pizza. It also makes fabulous sweet pizza dough by adding more sugar, fruits and chocolate, seeds or nuts.

Play with it and experiment...

Add herbs, cheese, meat, olives, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, dried fruit, chocolate, candy pieces, vegetables, hot pepper seeds, etc.

WR WKH GRXJK IRU Ă DYRULQJ E\ gently folding it into the dough.

Always write down your recipe.

There are also great recipes available in other cookbooks or online, or you could grab your IDYRULWH WUDYHO EXGG\ DQG Ă \ WR Naples for a month and learn from a pro!

Photos by Jon Sullivan pdphoto.org.

USA

Our USA Magazine 29

3DWULRWLF :KHDWĂ&#x20AC;HOG E\ &DWK\ %DOGZLQ ´:H IRXQG WKLV Ă&#x20AC;HOG TXLWH E\ DFFLGHQW ,Q 6HSWHPEHU RI D ZHHN DIWHU WKH DWWDFN *DU\ &URQN RI -HUXVDOHP 1< SODQWHG KLV ZKHDWĂ&#x20AC;HOG WKLV ZD\ DV D WULEXWH (DFK OHWWHU LV DFUHV +H FRQWLQXHV WKLV tribute every year. This picture is from the summer of 2002.â&#x20AC;?

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I

A Personal Tribute

have been photographing the World Trade Center site since the attack on 9 /11, and have been tracking the progress over the years.

On May 5, 2011, I was at the site to photograph the rally and see President Obama bring a wreath to the site days after the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

I realized that I was photographing many of the same locations that I had the week following the attack in 2001. Then I took the time to look at the faces in the crowd, the faces of the police and security forces and those of the construction workers. It is those images that tell the story of the progress in lower Manhattan.

The police were there in force and they were ready for anything. But the look of fear and amazement was gone.

Their look was one of pleasure that they were there to protect this site and give advice to the people in the area. The people in the crowd were not looking around in amazement at rubble and destruction, but looking with pride at the progress of the buildings. Again, the fear in their eyes was gone.

In 2001, on the street in front of Trinity Church, were crowds of aid workers and doctors helping the rescue teams. Last week, there were crowds in front of the same church rushing to their appointments, checking their blackberries. As they walked

By Jack Wagner

you could see them glance down the street to the west and look at WKH )UHHGRP 7RZHU UHÁHFWLQJ WKH white clouds in the sky.

A fence that held a rescue worker’s respirator in 2001 now was the hitching post for a group of balloons that were celebrating the accomplishments of the day.

And the view from Church Street of the last remaining steel beam from the World Trade Center now gives people a complete view of all the buildings, including the 9/11 Memorial Building, and their progress as they reach toward the sky.

One can say that 10 years is a long time and that progress should be greater. I feel that the Rescue equipment hanging on the fence while its operator was treated in Trinity Church. (2001)

Outside of St Paul’s Chapel (part of the Episcopal Parish of Trinity Church) on May 5, 2011.

The pace of NYC does not slow down, but everyone looks toward the WTC site and smiles.

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progress is more than the QXPEHU RI Ă RRUV FRPSOHWHG and the number of steel beams on the site.

Progress is the rebirth of the area, the look in the eyes of everyone, and the feeling that now the time is right for the site to evolve into its next phase. You can see it in the IDFH RI HYHU\ SROLFH RIĂ&#x20AC;FHU DQG security agent surrounding the construction. You can see it in the pace of the steps of the construction workers. And you can see it in the casual glance of the NYC population as they go about their daily business.

I have tried to document these views with these photos.

From a vantage point on Trinity Place, the overall progress of construction is a blessing to all of NY and America. (2011)

Balloons hanging from a fence to celebrate the excitement of the day on May 5, 2011

Looking west from Broadway, one block from Dey Street, on Fulton Street, and seeing the beauty of the new Freedom Tower. (2011)

Looking west from Broadway down Dey St. and seeing the destruction that had been the World Trade Center Towers and the horror of 9/11. (2001)

USA

Our USA Magazine 33

The Genius Code How One Step Creates Everything Y

ou may think that passionate, successful people shot up as an arrow one day – knowing exactly what they wanted to do.

They drew up the perfect business plan on crisp white paper, not a grape jelly stain in sight. Got it done.

They’re lying on a beach right now– QHDU D ERQÀUH RI self-help books.

It’s this. They took one step in the direction of their hunch or desire. That’s it.

In my career, people have

I wanted to be a paid speaker at this one conference that, well let’s just say in laymen’s terms, hadn’t given me the time of day.

If you talk to actual successful, inspired people they tell you, “I had no idea what I was doing.” And then they share the same ramshackle story every time.

One thing led to another and another.

“I fell into it.” “I stumbled into it.”

“It was grace, man.”

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I’m a believer in following that inner voice, the wispiest silver thread, and allowing the Mistress of Tapestry to weave together the %LJ 3LFWXUH DQG WKH Á\LQJ FDUSHW

Right about now, you’d like a concrete example, I suppose.

Here’s one of mine from the vault.

Except that’s not the way brilliance rolls.

You almost get the image of them ÁRSSLQJ DURXQG DQG falling into great big barrels of honey and investment portfolios. You might just think they were all lucky bozos. But there is a technology to every one of these stories that you can use. It’s the arc of their magic, or the genius code, if you will.

By Tama J. Kieves

thought I must be a marketing genius or opportunity magnet.

But I’d say that what passes as “genius,” is really me following a sacred whisper inside. My tiniest gestures net results that others spend years and wads of money to make happen.

A friend of mine got invited to go camping with some of the organizers.

“I want to come with you on that trip,” I thought immediately. It felt like a ray of clarity.

Then came the cold feet. It would be a long drive, time away from income- producing work, and hours spent with individuals who obviously saw me as chopped liver – instead of prime time or prime rib. But I’m glad I followed my initial enthusiasm.

On the trip, I met Ann, one of the organizers, and told her how much I wanted to present a workshop at the conference. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sorry Tama, the speakers have already been selected,â&#x20AC;? she said kindly. I â&#x20AC;&#x153;stayed in the conversationâ&#x20AC;? as all good entrepreneurs or inspired freaks do. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m happy to speak for free,â&#x20AC;?

I volunteered. I really wanted to be there. I had this white hot sense that I belonged there and I followed that crazy, demanding energy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Well, at this point,â&#x20AC;? she said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;there are no rooms left for workshops, since theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all in use.â&#x20AC;?

She went back to eating some baked beans off her paper plate, poor woman, assuming Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d let her chew. But my inspiration, knowing sense, messiah complex or whatever it was, just wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t quit. I spoke from the place in my heart that loved the work I do. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maybe, I could offer an optional workshop during lunch, maybe outside, allowing people who wanted to â&#x20AC;&#x201C; to drop in.â&#x20AC;? A EXWWHUĂ \ Ă LWWHG QHDUE\ DQG $QQ¡V eyes lit up with possibility. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let me see what I can do,â&#x20AC;? she said.

So get this. She called the next week. A room had opened up.

And Ann decided to cover my travel expenses. Then the video team at the conference decided WR Ă&#x20AC;OP P\ ZRUNVKRS /DWHU Ann sent me a check for the workshop as well, even though I hadnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expected it.

But better still, some other conference organizers saw me speak

at this conference and invited me to speak at their coveted event in San Francisco. At that conference, I met another woman who invited me to lead an all day workshop at her organization in New York City. Someone saw me speak at that New York City event and invited me to speak to a large audience in Seattle.

This bright coin is still rolling down the hallway with no end in sight. And this is what I think to myself.

What if I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t listen WR WKDW Ă&#x20AC;UVW Ă HHWLQJ desire to go camping?

What if I ignored the electric hunch to talk to Ann? I would have missed so much abundance in my life.

Those involuntary suggestions are not isolated, random impulses.

They are foundational seeds for a garden that will keep growing.

Let me give you another example, this from Ray Bradbury, a IDPRXV VFLHQFH Ă&#x20AC;FWLRQ ZULWHU who also encouraged others to chase the light.

One day Bradbury felt inspired to walk on the beach. While strolling, he glimpsed some debris that he creatively imagined as the skeleton of a dinosaur.

The image stirred him to write.

That night, he got out of bed and wrote a short story. He ended up selling that story to the Saturday Evening Post. The story became D Ă&#x20AC;OP WZR \HDUV ODWHU

John Huston read that story, and called and asked Bradbury to ZULWH WKH VFUHHQ SOD\ IRU KLV Ă&#x20AC;OP Moby Dick. Because of working on Moby Dick, Ray Bradbury wrote an essay that got read by the 1964 Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Fair people, who asked him to take charge of conceptualizing the entire upper Ă RRU RI WKH 8QLWHG 6WDWHV 3DYLOion. Because of that pavilion, the Disney people hired him to help plan a major part of the Epcot Center.

You could say Bradbury just got â&#x20AC;&#x153;blessedâ&#x20AC;? over and over again.

Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d say he just did his part. He followed his desires. He worked according to his design. He honored the â&#x20AC;&#x153;messengersâ&#x20AC;? that came to him. He walked on the beach when the impulse struck.

He got out of bed and wrote the story. He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say â&#x20AC;&#x153;maybe tomorrow.â&#x20AC;? Or â&#x20AC;&#x153;once I get the kids through college, create world peace, get all my emails answered, my ducks in a row, and the laundry done.â&#x20AC;? He didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t ask, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that going to go?â&#x20AC;?

He took his next step and found out.

Just like Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, who attributes his mega-success to taking steps that had â&#x20AC;&#x153;no practical application.â&#x20AC;?

He shares how he dropped out of college, and took a calligraphy class for fun. â&#x20AC;&#x153;None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we ZHUH GHVLJQLQJ WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW 0DFLQtosh computer, it all came back Our USA Magazine 35

to me. And we designed it all LQWR WKH 0DF ,W ZDV WKH ÀUVW computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts.”

His ultimate success advice?

Follow what fascinates you even though you can’t imagine ZKHUH LW ZLOO JR 6D\V -REV ´<RX can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.

You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

So, what’s your next step?

Remember, it might not look like a “career” plan – because it’s a soul plan, a development in your destiny and your identity. You might be led to go into the bead store or book store. Or to take a nap for a week. Or forgive your ex-husband. Or sign up for a workshop in a faraway place. Or hike your dog in the wilderness.

When it comes to “next steps,” avoid being literal. Become spontaneous, ablaze, and panoramic. Become guided. Allow yourself to be moved from within. And do take a step. Move the chess piece forward and stay in the game. You’ll have a new vantage point and new brain chemistry. You’ll have a swelling sense of integrity, no matter what happens.

It’s easy in our culture to think you need a plan, a map, and a guarantee. But that’s what keeps you stuck. Free your genius. Stay committed, true, and dogged to the one thing you can do. Your only job is to listen to the next step. Your only job is to sniff the ground, let the wind inform your cells, stay alert to your desires and the undercurrent of a Universal Intelligence.

Every step is an answer to prayer. Every step is a devotion.

Every step is a pledge – I will serve, I will serve. I will listen.

I will honor. I will allow Life to reveal itself to me. I will discover. I will learn.

I will upgrade my cells with this experience. I will allow the Mystery to teach me. I will allow the Mystery to infuse my veins with a cocktail of love and amnesia, so that I forget every single limitation I ever thought I had -- and stumble into....and accomplish that which I came here to do. I am willing to take my steps. I am willing to go forward...

©2008-2011. Tama J. Kieves.

All rights reserved

Photo by Elise Fallon 36

Our USA Magazine

Tama J. Kieves is the bestselling author of “THIS TIME I DANCE! Creating the Work You Love,”

100 words The Original Tweet

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Photo By Katherine Cambareri

Family Sunday

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By Dennis L. Page

here were no malls, and Sunday Blue Laws prevented stores from opening. Church, a drive in the country and an aroma of a roast in the oven wafting through the kitchen represented “Family Sundays.”

By Larry W. Fish

ne day as I was walking between two buildings where I worked, a winter wren was tweeting on a street lamp. I tweeted and it stopped and looked at me. I kept tweeting DQG LW ÁHZ WR D WUHH EUDQFK D IHZ feet from where I was standing.

We tweeted back and forth for ÀYH PLQXWHV EHIRUH LW ÀQDOO\ ÁHZ away. Why did that little bird FRPH RYHU WR PH" :H VSHQW ÀYH minutes in each other’s lives. It was one of my most memorable experiences with nature. Take the time to enjoy nature. It is a free, unforgettable experience.

Playing outside was preferred, considering we only had three television stations. Street ball or football in the backyard was our sport of choice. We didn’t venture far from home because we never wanted to be late for dinner. We dined as a family unit and sometimes even in the dining room. Later we watched “The Ed Sullivan Show.”

Oh, I miss the warmth of “Family Sunday.”

My Closet Identity

By Tami Richards

H

aving been a closet poet for many years, I am trying to break out of the habit of hiding my prose and puns in my drawer of unmentionables beneath my late grandmother’s silverware.

Instead, I’ve begun posting poems on Facebook, hoping to reach someone who might enjoy a kind word or a clever(ish) quip.

Having spent the past 28 years devoted to parenting I surmise that I acquired my sense of responsibilities long before learning to revel in my freedoms to express their joys and triumphs.

Today I proudly embrace my poet, truly feeling that I’ve earned the lofty moniker.

Photo By Barbara J. Lloyd Our USA Magazine 37

A

Giving Thanks

s Thanksgiving draws near, many Americanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s are wondering what there is to be thankful DERXW , FDQ WHOO \RX IURP Ă&#x20AC;UVW hand experience that if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re ZLWKRXW D MRE \RX ZLOO GHĂ&#x20AC;QLWHO\ question what there is to be thankful for.

So what is there to be thankful about? I too, am worn out from lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hardships. When I questioned my six children, carefully choosing my words for they each have been affected by hard times, I was amazed at their replies.

wonderful man in the world.

I just knew that would be her reply and know love is always something to be thankful for.

You worry how to pay the utilities, because it will be a struggle to live without running water or heat in the winter.

Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy has presented us all with many obstacles that seem to be screaming in our ears â&#x20AC;&#x201C; impossible.

My oldest daughter told me she was thankful for all the experience she received while working because it can only help her out in the future. She did not go to college, yet became a manager through hard work and determination. Talk about a proud mother!

when I started this job and stressed out as well. However working with the elderly has given me more joy then I ever thought possible. They all have become friends that I cherish with all my heart. This is something I want to continue mom, reaching out to others.â&#x20AC;?

I was proud and moved by his answer.

I do not make light of the struggles we face, having to face many myself. It is without a doubt so hard on so many people right now.

38

By Judy Ann Eichstedt

Our USA Magazine

My youngest daughter gushed as she said, this year with all the bad times, was the year she became engaged to the most

My oldest son, who now earns far less than his last employment replied, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mom, I was so down

One of my married sons quickly said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;my wife and two beautiful

children, without a doubt.”

What a wonderful answer I said.

The other married child of mine was thankful for still working, but said that having found a woman he really loves and who loves him is like walking in heaven. Love is a great gift to us all.

Then I came to my youngest son who had to move back home early this year. He told me with a huge smile on his face, “mothers who, no matter what, are always there for you with arms wide open.” Now he got a huge hug from me.

What am I thankful about?

Well clearly my six children who KDYH DOZD\V ÀOOHG P\ OLIH ZLWK love and happiness. However there is still more. What about another day, for they are always ÀOOHG ZLWK QHZ SRVVLELOLWLHV What about laughter that clearly lifts one up. What about friends who stand by our side no matter what. Yes even in hard times we all know that no matter what our circumstances, we all have something to be thankful about.

All artwork by Robert Brunelle.

This page, right - Second Shift Below - Quitting Time To the left - Slow Night

Our USA Magazine 39

Making Things In America =

U.S. Jobs

By Julie Reiser

3UHVLGHQW &R )RXQGHU RI 0DGH LQ 86$ &HUWLĂ&#x20AC;HG ,QF

â&#x20AC;&#x153;M

aking things in Americaâ&#x20AC;? creates U.S. jobs, and there is no question that the number one issue facing our nation right now is the creation of U.S. jobs.

The American economy is in crisis, and millions of people are out of work and hurting. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Made in USAâ&#x20AC;? is becoming a beacon of light to many.

As a woman who travels this nation talking to U.S. manufacturers, producers and service providers in big cities and small towns, I am constantly struck by the overwhelming consensus by most Americans that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Made in USAâ&#x20AC;? is not only the right thing to do, but it may be one of the last vestiges of hope we have for re-building our American economy and creating jobs.

In the last month, I have been to big cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, Philadelphia and New York City. I have also traveled to small, rural, farming towns like Hayesville, North Carolina and Indiantown, Florida. Across the board â&#x20AC;&#x201C; city folks, country folks, rich and poor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; all see the importance of buying local, regionally and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Made in USA.â&#x20AC;?

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It is a grassroots movement that has garnered immense steam over the last few years, and has really taken hold of the American psyche in almost every corner of this great nation.

It bridges socioeconomic and political ideology.

At the major trade shows I have attended recently, there is a new, noticeable pride in the commentary that a companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s products are â&#x20AC;&#x153;Made in USA.â&#x20AC;? I hear amazing stories of creativity, perseverance, innovation, pride and resilience. I am constantly inspired by the ability of Americans to continue to see areas for improvement and innovation, as well as their steely determination to provide for their families and create thriving businesses despite the overwhelming challenges this economy offers.

Company after company will tell PH RI WKHLU Ă&#x20AC;HUFH FRPPLWPHQW to sourcing components here and manufacturing domestically.

They proudly detail all the many reasons why it is important to them. They talk of the American families they employ, train, care for and help with good salaries DQG KHDOWK EHQHĂ&#x20AC;WV DQG KRZ those U.S. dollars are then

recycled in our economy with consumer goods purchases, food, gas, investment and housing.

The pride I see and hear is palpable, and I am overjoyed to have a front row seat to witness it.

Even on the back roads of America, in the rural farming communities, we saw the American spirit alive and well.

We came face to face with innovative, determined, resilient $PHULFDQV Ă&#x20AC;JKWLQJ KDUG WR create new ways of revenue and business even in economically depleted and desolate areas.

Here there are local food stand proprietors, artists and shopkeepers all talking about the importance of â&#x20AC;&#x153;Buying Americanâ&#x20AC;? and supporting our communities.

Some of the wisest comments I have heard in my travels are from the down home, small town folks that so deeply and personally understand the importance of supporting our own communities, people and businesses.

Quite simplyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;making things in America = U.S. jobs! It really is just that simple!

0DGH LQ 86$ &HUWLĂ&#x20AC;HG ,QF LV DQ independent, non-partisan, leading WKLUG SDUW\ FHUWLĂ&#x20AC;FDWLRQ FRPSDQ\ IRU the Made in USA, Product of USA and Service in USA claims.

L. C. King Manufacturing in Bristol TN makes the Pointer Brand High Back, Low Back and Carpenter Overalls, and a wide array of other denim products. All are Made in the USA with American source raw materials. Established in 1913, the company remains owned by the founding family four generations later. www.pointerbrand.com

Hanky Panky, the lingerie phenomenon coveted by celebrities and fashion conscious women worldwide, is dedicated to innovative design, comfort, quality and U.S. production. Born in New York and still producing domestically in its 34th year. www.hankypanky.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Natalieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s orange and grapefruit juices use only Florida RUDQJHV DQG LV 86$ &HUWLĂ&#x20AC;HG IURP SDFNDJLQJ WR SURGXFW With awards from publications like Good Housekeeping and Real Simple, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best juice on the market.â&#x20AC;? www.orchidislandjuice.com 1.800.FRESHHH

The All American Clothing Co. offers you the opportunity to purchase high quality, comfortable, USA Made clothing. We produce a wide array of apparel products for men and women. We are a proud recipient of Made in 86$ &HUWLĂ&#x20AC;HG FHUWLĂ&#x20AC;FDWLRQ www.allamericanclothing.com

We welcome to our pages all these great companies whose products are Made In America. If you would like to be added to the roster, please give us a call. We offer a unique, GLYHUVLĂ&#x20AC;HG and poplular magazine at affordable rates. www.ourusamagazine.com

877.258.8152

We are a relaxed, conversational magazine. A magazine for friends, written by you, by your neighbors, about our great country and all the wonderful people who share it. Join in the fun and make your contribution - stories, photos, art, poetry.

Submisssions@ourusamagazine.com

3HDFKWUHH D OHDGHU LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;HOG RI WUDQVFULSWLRQ SURYLGHV VHUYLFH to hospitals, clinics and government facilities nationwide. :H¡UH FHUWLĂ&#x20AC;HG LQ WKH 86$ VXSSRUWLQJ D 8 6 ZRUNIRUFH ZLWK skilled personnel, top management, and experienced transcription leaders. www.PeachtreeTranscription.com Our USA Magazine 41

A

ttention France, Italy, Australia and the rest of the world. There is an astronomical expansion in the wine industry currently taking place and this prosperity is occurring in New York State.

Prior to 2000 New York had approximately 114 wineries.

However, the novelty of owning a vineyard and perfecting the product has caught on, and there are now 307 wineries operating in 51 of New York State’s 62 counties, delivering $3.75 billion to the state’s annual economic growth. The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in the Empire State, and as a native New Yorker, I and many other wine drinkers are elated with our newfound, homespun local businesses. All of the wine industry expansion equates to added tax dollars, a boom to tourism, business investment and business revenue, as reported by the New York Wine & Grape Foundation.

Some of the major wine regions in New York State include Lake Erie, the Finger Lakes and the Hudson River. Living in the area of the Finger Lakes gives PH ÀUVWKDQG NQRZOHGJH RI QRW only some of the most spectacularly beautiful countryside you will ever witness, but also an awareness of what my area offers in the form of quality and simply delicious wine choices. Cayuga, Seneca and Keuka Lakes have the most wineries in the Finger Lakes 42

Our USA Magazine

Region. People not familiar with this locality should know that these lakes were made by a glacier, thus forming viticulture areas due to glacial soil and the wonderful slopping hills.

An interesting fact, and one California may not appreciate, is that New York State has the oldest winery in the country. The

Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville, NY has operated nonstop since 1839, and is proudly America’s most aged winery.

I would encourage anyone who is remotely interested in tasting 1HZ <RUN·V ÀQHVW ZKLWH DQG UHG wines to schedule a wine tour.

There are several companies to choose from when picking a wine tour company, but it is the most economical, safest and scenic way to visit our wine country.

My personal choice would be Finger Lakes Winery Tours ZZZ ÀQJHUODNHVZLQHU\WRXUV FRP simply because they offer a wide array of transportation vehicles, from limos that seat 8-10 people, to mini buses, party buses, a limousine coach and even a trolley.

Whether you want to experience a wine and cheese or wine and food pairing weekend, or just a wine tasting, taking a professional tour is the best way to travel. Maybe you will be fortunate enough to taste some of the world’s ÀQHVW 5LHVOLQJV GXULQJ \RXU visit.

On average, a winery visit and tasting lasts a little under one hour. So, naturally it goes without saying that if you see several wineries in a day, you are also encouraged to stay at one of the numerous bed and breakfasts, hotels or inns which are sprinkled like diamonds along the gorgeous shores of the many lakes. My recomPHQGDWLRQ ZRXOG GHÀQLWHO\ be staying as a guest at the most luxurious and charming Geneva on the Lake Wine Country Villa & Resort. An absolutely breathtaking historic landmark, on ten beautiful acres.

When you buy New York wines you are supporting a product that has literally been made and packaged in America…and what a super, feel-good product it is!

Made in America New York Wines

By Dennis L. Page

GNU Free Documentation License Our USA Magazine 43

REMEMBER THEM WITH PRIDE

By Larry W. Fish

I

n the city of Jacksonville, North Carolina, which lies next to the sprawling Camp Lejeune Marine Base and its satellite bases, you feel a sense of pride.

Many of the Marines live in Jacksonville and you notice the worry, the fear, but also the pride of wives and husbands as the Marines go to Iraq or Afghanistan.

Just the other day, as my wife and I were taking a walk around our apartment complex, we stopped and talked to a Marine wife whose husband had been in Afghanistan for several months.

She loved talking about her husband and how proud she is of him.

I’ve lived in this city of Jacksonville, for seven years and I’ve never been called “sir” so many times in my life. Many of these Marines show us senior citizens respect and we need to show it in return. The lives of a military family can change in an instant.

44

Our USA Magazine

Many times I have seen in the local newspaper where someone stationed at Camp Lejeune has been killed in Afghanistan or Iraq. It gives me a sense of sorrow, but also a sense of pride knowing that these people have given their lives doing what they have chosen to do.

Located in Jacksonville, just off of Highway 24 on the road leading to Camp Johnson, is the Lejeune Gardens. Among the tall trees are three memorials. One is the Beirut Memorial honoring the ones who lost their lives in Beirut, Lebanon from 1982-84.

During the early morning hours of October 23, 1983 while most were asleep in the barracks in

Beirut, a terrorist driven truck loaded with compressed gasenhanced explosives drove into the barracks. The resulting explosion caused the collapse of the building killing 241 Marines, sailors, and soldiers.

The memorial in Jacksonville has 273 names, including, three Marine pilots who lost their lives in Granada.

The words on the memorial will touch the heart of HYHU\RQH ZKR YLVLWV “They Came in Peace.”

Another memorial in the area is the Onslow Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The memorial is one of the largest in the nation, and only one of a few that lists all the names of those who gave the XOWLPDWH VDFULĂ&#x20AC;FH LQ WKDW ZDU The 600 feet of glass wall is etched with the names of every one of the 58,229 heroes. :DONLQJ DURXQG WKH PDJQLĂ&#x20AC;FHQW memorial and looking at the thousands of names on the wall gives you a sense of sorrow, a tear in your eye, and deep appreciation for our devoted DQG VHOĂ HVV PLOLWDU\ PHQ DQG women.

Located between the Beirut and Vietnam Veterans Memorials you will see a piece of steel. It is QRW RXW RI SODFH IRU LW VLJQLĂ&#x20AC;HV heroes. It is a steel beam from the World Trade Center, KRQRULQJ WKRVH Ă&#x20AC;UHĂ&#x20AC;JKWHUV ZKR lost their lives on that terrible day in September 2001. It is also a symbol to the Marines in Iraq who showed honor to those Ă&#x20AC;UHĂ&#x20AC;JKWHUV If you ever make the trip to Jacksonville, NC, take the time to see WKHVH WKUHH PDJQLĂ&#x20AC;FHQW PHPRULals. Doing so, you will be honoring these men and women who lost their lives. You will feel pride welling up inside you and many of you will utter the words I did, God Bless America.

You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t walk through this area without getting a tear in your eye, a sense that the thousands of men and women around you, though gone in body, are alive in spirit. They will never be forgotten.

USA

Our USA Magazine 45

Round Up T

he air was cool and crisp, ZLWK WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW WULDO UXQ RI DXWXPQ The breeze bustled about, trying to impress folks with his frigid breath. The sky, periwinkle blue, contained not a cloud, and the day was just what the preacher ordered. Today was round up day at his church, the last Saturday in September, and this event culminated weeks of planning, rehearsing, serving and getting ready. Today was the realization of a dream that began in the preacherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind, months before, when he went to a small rural church that needed a rallying point. Thus was born the idea of round up.

My father, a minister for over Ă&#x20AC;IW\ \HDUV ZDV DOZD\V VRPHwhat different. Not only did he march to different drums, he usually played the tune to which he marched. He approached things in unusual ways all of his life, and, therefore, I was not surprised to hear of his plans for a western round up to instill enthusiasm, motivation and a victorious spirit in the hearts of a discouraged congregation. With KLV Ă DLU IRU WKH GUDPDWLF DQG WKH out-of-the-ordinary, he zestfully set about putting everything in operation, ably assisted by my mother, quite an organizer in her own right.

Round up began in the early afternoon with games. The bucking bronco, really a barrel slung 46

Our USA Magazine

on a rope between two trees, proved to be the star event, for it provided the most laughs, as one after another tried to ride it.

Gene & Mary Gibson Friends and guests, attired in various styles of western garb, visited and played together throughout the afternoon. The preacher once again stole the show, clad in his jeans and western shirt, with a two-holster belt slung round his waist. There were little old ladies in long dresses and bonnets looking like they were on a wagon train.

There were families dressed just alike, in jeans with shirts to match. Everyone, in addition to western clothes, wore a smile, for this was indeed a happy time.

Late in the afternoon the call went out from the chuck-wagon,

By Patricia Ann Hines

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eat!â&#x20AC;? Two big black wash SRWV VOXQJ RYHU D Ă&#x20AC;UH FRQWDLQHG spicy hot chili â&#x20AC;&#x201C; honest to goodness, real life western chili.

Big bowls of piping hot chili and beans were served, along with potato salad, cornbread DQG RWKHU ´Ă&#x20AC;[LQV Âľ 7KLV ZDV RQH of the favorite highlights of the afternoon. However, it was not the only one.

Showtime followed chow time, and during the entertainment many talents were discovered.

The old as well as the young participated. The young people and the music director sang old western ballads and songs. But, without a doubt, the star of the evening was my dad singing â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Heading for the Last 5RXQGXS Âľ 7KH RQH Ă \ LQ WKH ointment was the billowing VPRNH IURP WKH FDPSĂ&#x20AC;UH ZKLFK caused much coughing and sputtering among the singers.

6HYHQW\ Ă&#x20AC;YH \HDU ROG ´$QQLH Oakleyâ&#x20AC;? had folks rolling on the ground with laughter as she pranced around the stage attempting a shootout, only to have the barrel of her gun break and fall down. Some unexpected Indians came from the shadows, tied her up and carried her away.

As the shadows lengthened and the stars appeared, everyone began to drift to the huge ERQĂ&#x20AC;UH PDNLQJ D FLUFOH DURXQG it. To the accompaniment of a

guitar, voices were raised in the singing of old familiar hymns.

7KH ZDUPWK RI WKH Ă&#x20AC;UH DQG WKH fellowship brought fullness to many hearts and tears of happiness to eyes.

Then, in the quietness, my father led a devotional period, in which he challenged his people to be

courageous and expectant in setting goals for the new church year. +H LGHQWLĂ&#x20AC;HG VL[ DUHDV DQG VL[ VSHFLĂ&#x20AC;F JRDOV KDYLQJ WR GR ZLWK interests such as winning souls for Jesus Christ, increasing Sunday School attendance and being bolder in giving.

Round up ended with all the people holding hands and singing â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blest Be the Tie That Bindsâ&#x20AC;?; but the memories of round up glowed for months to come in the hearts and lives of all who shared the experience.

A feeling of excitement and renewal followed. This was, after all, the reason for round up.

Guitar and Fence Photo by Mary R. Vogt Our USA Magazine 47

morselicious living

I

created Mac-n-Mo’s Morselicious Treats for my dad, Mac, a diabetic and heart patient. Each morsel is Vegan/Gluten Free/ No Sodium/ 0-1g Sugar and No preservatives, and contains oodles of LOVE! Since starting my business at the end of December, 2010, I have embodied and inspired a fun and healthy lifestyle, and began writing a blog as The Morselist.

I purposely do not call my treats cookies as they do not contain sugar, butter, salt, eggs, or preservatives. So I named them morsels and, thus, began my fun, yet challenging path living and educating people RQ WKH EHQHÀWV RI D Morselicious Lifestyle.

A Morselicious life LQFOXGHV • Indulging in all life offers you • Giving yourself at least 20 minutes a day JUST FOR YOU • Choosing tasty/real/whole foods •Eating mindfully and graciously • Reading nutritional labels • Cutting back on sugar and sodium from processed foods • Laughing 48

Our USA Magazine

By Maura (Mo) of Mac-n-Mo’s

• Getting on your glow (preferably from at least 20 minutes of exercise every day) • Adding color (natural color) to your meals/plates/bowls • Experimenting with new tastes, foods, experiences • Spending time with loved ones, daily

• Expressing gratitude • Knowing we all have choices and deciding to choose • And when we make mistakes, because we will, be open to learning from them, get the lead out and continue moving...

These were in mine.

• Eggplant • Organic yellow squash • Organic zucchini • Mushrooms • Garlic • Fennel • Organic tofu • Fresh basil from my lovely herb garden • Fresh lemon from my friends tree (I live in California) Morselist Tip: Fresh Lemon acts as a great salt substitute!

• Black pepper • Red pepper • Low sodium canned tomatoes • Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) After roasting and sauteing the veggies in EVOO* and garlic, layer in a casserole dish. Top it off with sauteed tofu and fennel and a little tomato sauce.

Add your protein of choice.

Are you living Morseliciously?

Results – A Morselicious Meal!

To give you a head start on www.macnmos.com living Morseliciously, here’s one of my favorite and simple healthy • Store extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) in a Morselicious meal recipes.

Feel free to use any veggies you have in your fridge.

cool dark area. It will have a shelf life of at least 12 months as the natural antioxidants it contains help keep it fresh.

DREAM

A

Reverie of the Red Umbrella For me, art is all about telling stories, setting a mood, starting conversations. It’s like a window that opens onto my subconscious, ZKHUH , FROOHFW WKH ELWV DQG SLHFHV , ÀQG WKHUH DQG DOORZ WKHP WR WHOO a story. I want my art to create a distinct atmosphere of mystery, whimsy, organic movement or unnatural stillness. ~ Barbara J. Lloyd

Chair By The Bay

s Strange as It May Seem…

It All Came to Me in a Dream…

You Don’ Always Have to See Something with Your Eye… To Know that It is a Lie… Sometimes the Truth will Just Come to You… And You Will Know What to Do… With Your Eyes Closed You Can See Everything…

With Your Eyes Open You Can See Nothing…

You Can Only Feel and Wonder What’s the Deal?

But, Lucky for You, the Truth has Come to Rescue You… And Make You See What You Couldn’t See… While You Didn’t Want to See… ~Courtney Griggs

Pink Dawn Dream Our USA Magazine 49

Family Album

By Robert Trotta

T

his is my four-year-old son Matthew, making sauce with his nonna and nonno, (Italian for grandma and grandpa) and homemade pizza with his nonna. What I love about the photos is the fact that they symbolize a small part of the cultural background of my wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parents and my father (all three were born in Italy and came to America for opportunity, a better life, and found it). And now my son is learning a little bit about their culture. It is a wonderful bonding moment, too!

And now some bonding of our own.

In both photos my son Matthew and myself.

My wife, Giovanna, took the photos.

In the background (near our home) is the East River and the Triboro Bridge, connecting Queens, Bronx and Manhattan.

50

Our USA Magazine

R

each Out and Read was developed by pediatricians and early childhood educators to make literacy promotion a part of regular pediatric checkups so that children enter school prepared to excel. Exposure to ERRNV DQG UHDGLQJ LQ WKH ÀUVW years of life increases the probability of both healthy child development and school success.

Reach Out and Read is the model of a successful public-private partnership, and has changed the way that tens of thousands of primary care physicians practice medicine. By encouraging parents to read aloud to their children, Reach Out and Read doctors and nurses expand their practice and responsibilities to make a positive difference in children’s developmental skills and, consequently, in the nation’s economic health.

Over one-third of American children entering kindergarten today lack the basic language skills they will need to learn to read. And children living in poverty are especially at risk.

Children who start out with UHDGLQJ GLIÀFXOWLHV DUH PRUH likely to remain poor readers and ultimately fail in school. Without intervention, they will grow into adults with low literacy skills and poor economic potential.

Reading aloud is not only one of the best activities to stimulate language and cognitive skills, it also builds motivation, curiosity, and memory.

Serendipity*

Giving parents the information and the tools – beautiful, ageappropriate children’s books – to make reading aloud a daily activity enables parents to better prepare their children to succeed in school.

For two decades, through the Reach Out and Read program, doctors and nurses have gone beyond traditional medical care and provided parents with information on how to read to children at each developmental stage. Along with this advice, doctors give each young patient an age and culturally appropriate book to take home, to encourage parents to make reading aloud a routine activity.

The goal of Reach Out and Read is to ensure that doctors and nurses give literacy-related advice and children’s books as routinely as immunizations at pediatric checkups; both are exceptionally important.

Endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, Reach Out and Read has changed the way pediatrics is practiced in the U.S. by giving doctors an evidencebased strategy to promote child development and school readiness.

Children served by Reach Out and Read will develop the language and literacy skills necessary to read, complete school and succeed in life. The success of each child, and the collective success of at-risk children all over the country will mean increased productivity and economic security for our nation. www.reachoutandread.org Thanks to Karen Whittier at EmbraceActivism.com for this story suggestion. * If you know about a new and interesting site that you think many of your QHLJKERUV DQG IULHQGV ZRXOG EHQHÀW from and enjoy, please drop us a line and let us know about it.

Our USA Magazine 51

The Littlest Table

by Kate Martin There would never be anyone quite my age at the “little table.”

The closest in age to me would always be my younger sister.

She was four years younger.

For years, I wanted to eat at the “big table” just once. Somehow, it never happened. The years came and went, but I was always one of those at the “little table.”

Photo Flikr Creative Commons

T

hanksgiving has always been a big event in my family.

Since there were ten of us, we always had a crowd. Of course, there were always other people who joined us – relatives and friends. They came to spend a few hours with great company and great food.

Sometimes we were invited elsewhere. Usually, it would be someone’s house who also had a big family. Then our family gatherings would begin to resemble a small church congregation.

Of course, my parents had other ideas, but what could we do?

The hosts would insist we have 52

Our USA Magazine

As you can imagine, we had few objections to these gatherings.

There were a lot of new things to do, lots of kids to play with, and all the food you could even dream about.

I had only one objection...since there were so many of us, we would have to use two tables.

We labeled these the “little table” and the “big table.” All the adults and the older children sat at the “big table.” The small children sat at the “little table.”

For some reason, regardless of the number of children, I always ended up at the “little table.”

The children one to four years older than me sat at the “big table.”

Still, I would go back to the “little table” just for a day, if we could all be together once again! $XWKRU·V %LR $ GD\ LQ .DWLH 0DUWLQ·V life begins with a vigilant eye, and an open mind, to the many stories that lay behind the daily events of people, places and things. A well published writer with an appetite for life, Katie brings a warm glow to ordinary things.. making them extraordinary.

Clipart courtesy FCIT

Everyone was always afraid of running out of food. So, our KRVWV ZRXOG DOZD\V À[ ´H[WUDV µ It was a child’s dream. There was any type of food you wanted AND no limits.

thirds on homemade potatoes, or the picture perfect chocolate cake, with icing so thick it was hard to believe.

Now, years later, as an adult, , DP ÀQDOO\ VLWWLQJ DW WKH ´ELJ table.” You see, years later I was able to obtain our family table– the “big table.” Now, I sit at the “big table” for every meal.

USA

Teachers Learn Many Lessons,Too.

by Robert Trotta

I

W EDIĂ HV PH DQJHUV PH DQG frustrates me when the majority of my students do not stand for the pledge of allegiance. I may get six or seven who realize how respectful it is to salute that precious Ă DJ 6L[ RU seven who understand that theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting a (basically) free education in this place called America.

Six or seven children know that other kids their age, from just about any other country around the world, would do almost anything to sit in the very same desks that they are occupying.

pledging is something outside their boxes of things that should be done because itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the right thing to do.

But for the 20 or so other students who sit â&#x20AC;&#x201C; some talking about the number of points Lebron James scored in last nightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s basketball game, others simply wandering into space â&#x20AC;&#x201C; there is simply a lack of true understanding.

Schools are closed on Veterans Day and Memorial Day. Students are, undoubtedly, very happy. But I wonder how many say â&#x20AC;&#x153;thank youâ&#x20AC;? to a veteran who served his or her country with bravery, dedication and honor?

I wonder how many attend a parade celebrating the courage of our veterans? And I wonder how many actually take a moment to UHĂ HFW RQ ZK\ WKH\ ZHUH JLYHQ D

Even after we discuss the allimportant symbolism behind the UHG ZKLWH DQG EOXH RI RXU Ă DJ

Owning a pair of Air Jordans is

not a necessity. But coming to school with pens, a notebook and DQ DSSUHFLDWLRQ IRU WKDW Ă DJ DUH

GD\ RII LQ WKH Ă&#x20AC;UVW SODFH" True, not everyone personally knows a war veteran or can easily get to the site of a parade.

But do the men and women who VDFULĂ&#x20AC;FH WKHLU lives serving their country know all the people who live in the country theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re serving? No, but they still serve.

People waste so much time during the course of a day, either complaining, criticizing or commenting on Facebook.

But does anyone stop for just Ă&#x20AC;YH VHFRQGV GXULQJ WKHLU GD\ to salute these heroes in some personal way?

Yet, as I stopped to think about what other thoughts I had about this topic, I came to a new UHDOL]DWLRQ WKRVH VWXGHQWV who sit during the pledge of allegiance choose to sit because they have the right to choose to sitâ&#x20AC;ŚAnd that is what makes America so great.

A young patriot salutes heroes at the National Memorial Day Concert on the West Lawn of the United States Capitol.

USA

Our USA Magazine 53

San Franciscoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bay To Breakers Centennial Race

By Liz Newman

Photos courtesy of www.zazzlebaytobreakers.com

M

y nerves were shot as the day approached. In my mindâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye, I saw my motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face. A conservative, religious woman, I could see her mouth pursed in disapproval. Costumed freaks, naked people, I could hear her echo scornfully. The question of why I would want to participate in such an event hung in the air like the odor in the neighborhood on a sweltering hot garbage day.

Thunderstorms were predicted to hit San Francisco the evening of the 100th Bay To Breakers Race, and to continue throughout the next day. The impulse to cancel jabbed at my psyche. The will, the curiosity and the need to perform what I had trained for months to do, squelched the most unwelcome argument.

54

Our USA Magazine

Our brains are a funny thing.

They can be our greatest motivators, our best cheerleaders and our worst enemies. When WUDLQLQJ IRU D UXQ RU DQ\ Ă&#x20AC;WQHVV regimen in general, the brain WHOOV XV DW Ă&#x20AC;UVW DOO RI WKH UHDVRQV why we shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do something.

Why itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier to sit on the couch and chomp on a doughnut.

How dare we change, how dare we dream, how dare we run with costumed freaks and naked people.

At these times, we must let the mechanical part of our brain take over, and order our bodies to follow. There were days of training where I would stop talking to myself, and simply lace my shoes, pull my hair back and turn on the treadmill,

letting nary a thought creep into my mind. Eat your rice, clean your bowl. So the old Zen saying goes.

I trained for weeks, sweating and groaning on the treadmill as my middle and pinky toes burned underneath me, and my knees felt so rickety I was sure leg braces were a part of my near future. Some people say humans were biologically made to run for miles everyday, chasing and hunting down their food. I must be a descendant of fat bottomed aliens who lived off the fruit of the land. As soon as I get up, a body part starts hurting. But I was determined to run this race on my birthday, resigned to perhaps walking a bulk of the course.

With a maximum endurance strength of seven and a half miles two weeks before the race, I was going to get out onto the street and do the best I could.

When I pictured running, I SLFWXUHG JULPDFLQJ IDFHV Ă \LQJ GURSOHWV RI VZHDW FOHQFKHG Ă&#x20AC;VWV and feet pounding in a hard core beat on the pavement.

The night before, we ate at a popular restaurant called The Slanted Door, and my running mates and I loaded up on glass noodles with Dungeness crab and lamb chops with an exotic orange sauce. Diners were jovial and plentiful, laughing softly at their tables. They wore skinny jeans, scarves with a myriad of colors tied multiple times around their necks, and boots so high it seemed their legs would buckle under them any minute.

When they pushed open the glass doors of the restaurant, it seemed as if they would take off DV D JURXS DQG Ă \ LQWR WKH EOXH sky dotted with clouds that hung over the Bay Bridge. The diners held a quiet aura of elegance, and to me, this momentum of peace was nerve-wracking. I wondered to myself if I blended in with my own skinny jeans and healed black boots, or if they knew I was a fraud raised to disapprove of individuality, \HW Ă&#x20AC;JKWLQJ WKRVH IHHOLQJV RI disapproval in every moment of my existence. How could I have known that the mood of the evening was an absolute indication of what was to come at the race tomorrow?

As I peeked out of the curtains the next morning, the sky was glorious with puffy white clouds and rays of sunshine. I slathered on a handful of sunscreen and belted a provisions belt around my waist, the attached plastic ERWWOHV Ă&#x20AC;OOHG ZLWK DQ HQHUJ\ drink. On my head I secured a San Francisco Giants hat to show my city spirit. I took a last glance in the mirror at my meaty body, wishing I had the courage to carry off the Wonder Woman costume I had envisioned myself wearing, but remembering the waitress on Halloween at a local cafe in my hometown who wore the said garb, and spent the entire time her hands were free of plates yanking up the sagging red and gold bodice. My motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face appeared before me again. Naked people, she intoned with disapproval.

I gazed out the window of my hotel room, and saw a parade of participants heading towards their designated starting points.

From my vantage point, I could see a clown in full dress, red wig and striped suit, and a big

painted smile. How better to start the race, then to receive a visual welcome from a childhood memory such as the circus. I safety pinned my bib number to my shirt, and headed downstairs.

'LVNV RI DQ XQLGHQWLĂ&#x20AC;DEOH PDWWHU Ă HZ LQ D KDSKD]DUG YHUWLFDO pattern above the packed crowd in the street, as people cheered and called out to their friends as they herded themselves into the pre-designated corrals from which they were to start the race.

A naked man, covered only by a bandanna wrapped around the black hair on his head, clutched the sides of his body and shivered, as he looked around presumably for his friends.

Strangely enough, his nudity was not the threat I had anticipated. Instead, it enforced the vulnerability of every person running the race. It is a beautiful society we live in, where a lone, small boned man can stand naked in the street amongst a crowd energized by caffeine and energy drinks, and not be bothered by anyone.

Our USA Magazine 55

There was a sense of return to childhood in the manner of people of all ages, from the Winnie the Pooh and Elmo costumes to WKH Ă RZLQJ VNLUWV DQG SULQFHVV tiaras. For perhaps the only day out of the entire year, people of all gender, creed, nationality and disposition could perform an activity side by side and enjoy it.

As I walked toward Corral C, a light object came down and hit me on the head. I looked down at my feet. The object was a tortilla. For a millisecond, memories of a childhood growing XS LQ D VPDOO WRZQ Ă&#x20AC;OOHG ZLWK supremacists of varying degrees welled up, and I felt a sting as if I were the target of a racist joke. I looked about me again, at the crowd, a beautiful Seuratlike vision of multi-colored dots making a myriad of faces, and shook the feeling off.

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Our USA Magazine

Entering the race felt like boarding an amusement park ride. There was an awning with a digital clock display, and a hamper with a sign that read Clothing. Only in an altruistic city like San Francisco is the shedding of clothing an ingĂŠnue idea to collect garments for the poor.

My feet began to move, step after step, and increase in speed.

Running at full speed beside me was a tall fellow in a wig and full rock star/robot regalia. His H\HV ZHUH VKDGHG E\ UHĂ HFWLYH aviator sunglasses, and his face was covered with full make-up, lined lips with cheeks covered in EULJKW SLQN 7KH ORQJ Ă RZLQJ ZLJ XSRQ KLV IDFH Ă HZ EHKLQG him like a cape, the crimped locks light as feathers upon the wind. I gave him a respectful â&#x20AC;&#x153;woot, woot,â&#x20AC;? and continued on.

A hill rose before me, covered with a wave of people. I pressed on upwards, as bands played on the sidewalks, people hanging out of their homes toasted the runners with drinks in hand, and an emceeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice carried over the loudspeakers, encouraging the participants up the steep hill. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s it,â&#x20AC;? a woman said as I reached the top. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the worst of it.â&#x20AC;? I looked down and saw a gorgeous, sloping incline, and felt I had sprouted wings.

The miles began to tick by, and as I entered Golden Gate Park, I saw this city I had lived near for all my life through different eyes. Dark clouds poured a most welcome, light mist upon my face, for sweat was coursing down the bodies of even those running completely naked. As I ran past the seventh mile marker, which was the last, a cheeky bystander held up a sign that

read â&#x20AC;&#x153;Way to Go! Only Eight Miles Left!â&#x20AC;?

7KH ZKLWH FDSV RI WKH 3DFLĂ&#x20AC;F ocean were now visible. I sprinted into a run as I made the WXUQ WRZDUG WKH Ă&#x20AC;QLVK OLQH QRW wanting to get there faster than anyone else, but to make my SHUVRQDO JRDO RI Ă&#x20AC;QLVKLQJ WKH best it could be. I had not a time in mind, but I had come this far, DQG , NQHZ WKDW Ă&#x20AC;QLVKLQJ VWURQJ was how I wanted this race to end. My baseball cap blew off from the force of the mighty sea ZLQGV DQG , JUDEEHG LW LQ P\ Ă&#x20AC;VW and continued dashing toward the line. As I crossed, I threw my hands up in the air and formed a peace sign.

All form and fashion of people milled about on the other side of WKH Ă&#x20AC;QLVK OLQH 7KH HQGRUSKLQV of running seemed to be coursing through the air, as smiles were plentiful and the brisk chill from the ocean was as cleansing to the lungs as a cold shower is to the body. A wagon with a sign asking for support for a local school sold pupusas, a thick corn tortilla stuffed with cheese and pork, and a delicacy from my fatherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s country. To me, the sign was truly a welcome wagon. I KDG QRW RQO\ FRPSOHWHG P\ Ă&#x20AC;UVW race, but crossed over to a new way of seeing the people I share this world with.

If we exist on a macrocosmic level as well as a microcosmic level, the San Francisco Bay to Breakers Race is one place where these points of existence gel.

Some will stagnate, some will dare to stop and force against the stream of people, shouting rules and curses upon those who are WKHUH WR Ă RZ ZKR DUH QRW KXUWLQJ anyone. Some will continue on, energized by the others who share their presence, who press on toward the same positive goal, and no matter when they cross WKH Ă&#x20AC;QLVK OLQH LW LV WKHVH SHRSOH who have truly won the race.

USA

Golden Gate Bridge Photo by Tysto

GNU Free Documentation License Our USA Magazine 57

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â&#x20AC;˘Print your name, address, and phone number on your article, and on each photo. â&#x20AC;˘We ask for submissions of no longer than 1000 words. An average of 500600 words is good. Â&#x2021;3KRWRV 6HQG KLJK TXDOLW\ FRORU SULQWV Copies are preferable as we are not responsible for lost photos. Make sure to include your name and address on each photo. Please include a caption title with your photos. Â&#x2021;'LJLWDO 3KRWRV )RU GLJLWDO SKRWRV VHW your camera for the highest picture TXDOLW\ DQG VHQG XV -3* Ă&#x20AC;OHV 3OHDVH see the Photo Requirements page on our website. Â&#x2021;5HWXUQV ,I VHQGLQJ DFWXDO SULQWV \RX must send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to have your photos returned. â&#x20AC;˘Contributor grants Our USA Magazine the right of material to be used in the magazine, promotions, and on our website.

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Our USA Magazine

Send in your photos of our beloved â&#x20AC;&#x153;Stars and Stripesâ&#x20AC;?

As a continuing theme for Our USA Magazine, we would like to display â&#x20AC;&#x153;Old Gloryâ&#x20AC;? on the cover of each issue. From the White House to your KRXVH WR RXWHU VSDFH WKH Ă DJ RI WKH United States is one of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most widely recognized symbols.

Show your pride, and send in your photos!

Stand Tall. If you have a story about how the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan have affected your life, or the lives of your loved ones, please let us know.

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If you know about a new and interesting website or business that you think many of your neighbors and IULHQGV ZRXOG EHQHĂ&#x20AC;W IURP DQG HQMR\ please drop us a line and let us know about it. It just may be spotlighted in the next Serendipity feature.

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L.C. King Manufacturing Co. P.O. Box 367 Bristol, Tennessee 37621 423.764.5188 800.826.2510 www.pointerbrand.com Hanky Panky 12th Floor 373 Park Avenue South New York, NY 10016 1.877.447.4811 www.hankypanky.com Orchid Island Juice Company 330 North U.S. Highway One Fort Pierce, FL 34950 772.465.1122 www.orchidislandjuice.com All American Clothing 2149 Arcanum-Ithaca Rd. Arcanum, OH 45304 888.937.8009 www.allamericanclothing.com Peachtree Transcription Associates 430 North Jeff Davis Drive Fayetteville, GA 30214 770.991.2493 www.peachtreetranscription.net

Saying goodbye to summer

Photo by Liz Newman Our USA Magazine 59

Cascade By David Mills www.ourusamagazine.com