Title:
A Noble Mission

Word Count:
349

Summary:
An inspiring article about the Free Wheelchair Mission, a non-profit organization working to enhance the lives of disabled people in developing countries.

Keywords:
wheelchairs, Free Wheelchair Mission, Don Shoendorfer

Article Body:
Over 25 years ago, a fellow named Don Shoendorfer was traveling in Morocco and witnessed a sight that inspired him to make a difference in the world. To bear witness to the sight of a crippled Moroccan woman dragging herself across a dirty road in the middle of town proved too much for him. Her image haunted him for many years to come, until he decided to put his education to use for those less fortunate. He has undertaken a task of great importance, which has the potential to change lives.

In 1999, Don established the Free Wheelchair Mission as a non-profit organization and set to work giving mobility and dignity back to disabled people in developing countries. With his PhD in Mechanical Engineering and an absolute heart of gold, Don has achieved what so many well intentioned organizations strive for. He has given thousands of people the renewed opportunity to live and experience life. And with that, he has given them hope for the future.

The initial challenge facing Don was that of developing a wheelchair that was safe and functional, but also relatively inexpensive. He set about doing research and development and, over time, came up with a design that has virtually eliminated the cost burden generally associated with wheelchairs and wheelchair production. The Free Wheelchair Mission has developed a wheelchair that sells for approximately $50.00 USF, which includes the costs of manufacturing, shipping, and distribution.

The second major challenge facing Don and his organization was the ability to provide these low cost wheelchairs to disabled persons in developing countries at no cost. To overcome this challenge, they have established partnerships with a number of charitable organizations. To date, they have provided wheelchairs free of cost to over 70,000 people in 46 countries. Their mission is to provide 20 million wheelchairs by the year 2010. This is a noble mission, indeed. The Free Wheelchair Mission has generated a lot of positive press for their amazing work, and they were recently acknowledged by the American President, George W. Bush, for the wonderful work they are doing. If only there were more people like Don Shoendorfer.

Title:
Legacies Are Societal Actions

Word Count:
661

Summary:
With the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and the fourth year following 9/11, American citizens are taking

Title:
Holiday’s Best Selling Consumer Electronics

Word Count:
432

Summary:
Shopping for the holiday season, you can never go wrong with gadgets! Here is a list of the top selling consumer electronics this holiday season.

The Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) is currently the most purchased gadget on the market. Not only can this device play games, you can also watch movies and listen to MP3’s anywhere, anytime. It also comes with WiFi technology, which allows you to link up with other players or browse the internet.

While the Sony PSP may be the…

Keywords:
holiday gifts, consumer electronics

Article Body:
Shopping for the holiday season, you can never go wrong with gadgets! Here is a list of the top selling consumer electronics this holiday season.

The Sony Playstation Portable (PSP) is currently the most purchased gadget on the market. Not only can this device play games, you can also watch movies and listen to MP3’s anywhere, anytime. It also comes with WiFi technology, which allows you to link up with other players or browse the internet.

While the Sony PSP may be the big seller for the year, the iPod nano is expected to takeover the holiday market. This version of iPod is the middle child, between the iPod shuffle and full version of iPod. Available in 2 GB or 4 GB models, this device can store between 500 and 1,000 songs and is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.

Another gotta-have gadget this holiday season is the PalmOne Treo 650. One of the newest and most advanced smartphones on the market, this is a combination between a PDA and cell phone. No more carrying around two little lifesavers; now you can have everything you need in one convenient device.

The Toshiba Qosmio G25-AV513 is the latest in laptop multimedia technology. This machine combines DVD, DVR, TV, MP3, and games

Title:
Self Defense- Crime Wave in Phoenix and Washington DC

Word Count:
365

Summary:
Crime waves are hitting at least two of our nations biggest cities. Citizens are in an absolute state of fear of “living” in their own cities. They have to realize that police are doing everything they can but cannot be everywhere all the time. Individuals have the right and duty to defend themselves.

Keywords:
Self defense, sexual assault, Phoenix, murder, non lethal self defense weapon, crime wave, stun gun, pepper spray

Article Body:
Recently on the Fox News Network, one of the stories was about a crime wave in Washington DC. What’s new you ask? Washington DC has a history of crime waves. These statistics are particularly startling when you consider that Washington DC has so many different levels of police. In the first twelve days of July 14 people have been killed and in the last 30 days robberies are up 14% and armed assaults are up 18%.

The crime wave comes at the height of the tourist season in our nation’s capitol. This is the third such crime emergency in the last four years. Tax paying, law abiding citizens are prohibited by city law from carrying lethal weapons to defend themselves because of a thirty year old ban on guns in Washington DC. Apparently only criminals can have guns. Does this show how effective such bans are?

Then came a story of two thugs terrorizing the city of Phoenix. One is called the “Baseline Rapist” because he hangs out in the southern part of Phoenix near Baseline Rd. He started his spree in August of 2005. He is believed to be responsible for 6 murders, and many robberies and sexual assaults. The other “Serial Shooter” has at least 5 murders. Sixteen of his victims have survived since he started his spree in May 2005.

Both killers have put the city in a state of terror. Citizens are rightfully afraid to go out alone after dark. Fear and paranoia are rampant.

Phoenix police are frustrated because after all this time and so many victims they don’t have a good description-so they are looking for two people in a city of three plus million.

There is only so much the police can do and they are stretched thin as it is. Citizens across the country would be well advised to start taking more responsibility for their own self defense. They should investigate carrying some form of non lethal self defense weapon such as a stun gun or pepper spray. Personal alarms such as sirens and whistles act as a good deterrent too

Self defense is called that because the responsibility for defending yourself lies with the individual. Police do a wonderful job but cannot be everywhere.