Brother and Sister Hollocaust Survivors Reunited After 66 Years

The last time Irene Famulak and her little brother Wssewolod Galezkij saw one another was 1942, as he fidgeted while she tried to kiss him goodnight. It may have been long ago, but the memories are painfully acute: it was later that night the Nazis would come into their home in the Ukraine and take the 17 and 7 year old siblings to German labor camps.

Famulak flew to the Ukraine after she was contacted by the American Red Cross Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center, with news that her one surviving sibling had been located. Galezkij, who had to be taken to the hospital after the emotional shock of learning his sister was alive in the US, was filled with joy as he clutched her on the tarmac after 17 years of searching and over six decades of wondering. "I don't believe anyone has ever known such happiness. Now, I truly believe I can die satisfied."

Linda Klein, the director of the American Red Cross Holocaust and War Victims Tracing Center, reports that the group has reunited 1,500 families since it began work in 1990, and over 50 families this year alone... all for free. They also help families find information about loved ones who died during the Holocaust. She says the searches can be like "looking for a needle in a haystack... When a connection is made, there are just smiles all around."

for the heartwarming photos and more details about Irene and Wssewolod, here is the original link: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/07/11/holocaust.reunion/index.html

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If you'd like to help create more happy endings (and more good news!) please feel free to contact the volunteer group which facilitates reunions like this one.

If you have questions about how to volunteer, contact Gabriel Kabik at the.simulacra@gmail.com
Particularly if you are able to translate Polish and other Eastern European languages, contact Jessica Duvall Wodarczyk at 410-624-2092, or mailto:Wodarczyk410-624-2092jduvall@arc-cmc.org

Special thanks to Gabriel Kabik for alerting the GNG to this amazing story.

Memorandum of Understanding to Improve Working Conditions

The governments of India and Malaysia have come together to fight for workers' rights by composing an official memorandum of understanding (MoU). This document carries significant legislative and psychological power towards helping Indians who are employed in Malaysia by overseeing the regulation of agents and brokers, some of whom extort money from those already struggling for an income. About 130,000 Indian workers are employed in Malaysia, where they are having a positive effect on the Malaysian economy. Both governments hope that this MoU will allow the economic benefits to continue to rise while protecting low-income workers from exploitation.

the original story:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-3215855,prtpage-1.cms

more information on MoUs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorandum_of_understanding

Pittsburgh Zoo Elephant Gives Birth to Baby Girl

Pittsburgh, PA, US

25 year old Savannah, longtime resident of the Pittsburgh zoo, gave birth to a 200 pound baby girl yesterday, after a grueling 21.5 month pregnancy.

Zoo officials are mum about the baby right now, declining to even reveal her name or her exact weight (200 lbs was a pre-birth estimate) until tomorrow's press conference. Spokeswoman Tracy Gray did comment "She's doing fine right now."

Taking good care of Baby is extremely important right now, as infant mortality in elephants is very common - about 30%. But, if everything goes smoothly, she may be able to come out into the elephant yard in at little as three days.

To read more and see pictures of Baby, visit http://post-gazette.com/pg/08192/896068-53.stm

Thanks to the Gander today for sending in this story.

Rotavirus Vaccine A Success!

Rotavirus is a nasty bug which targets many thousands of infants and young children with fever, vomiting, and diarrhea every year. Though not usually fatal, the disease causes about a week of misery for the patients and their parents. Many patients must be hospitalized.

Making its debut last fall, a vaccine against rotavirusappears to be working well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate a substantial reduction (78.5%) of confirmed cases of the disease this past year, compared with the average of the last 15 seasons.


Rather than being an injection like many childhood vaccinations, the rotavirus vaccine is administered orally. It's said to be tolerated very well.

To read more, visit http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/08/health/research/08prev.html?_r=1&ref=science&oref=slogin

Unlikely Adoption at Artis Zoo

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands

A red panda living at the Artis zoo in Amsterdam gave birth to cubs last month, only to abandon them. According to zoo spokesman Bart Kret, "She left them there, lying in the cold." Red pandas are an endangered species native to China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, and Burma. In an effort to save the babies, zoo employees kept them in an incubator. But without a mother, the cubs' chances were not good. One of them died last Thursday.

But the other cub has been adopted by an unlikely Mommy; a Dutch house cat. One of the zoo's employees' pet cat gave birth to a littler of kittens not long before the panda cubs were born, and she has graciously allowed the baby panda to sleep, play, and nurse with her own offspring. With luck, the cub will reach adulthood.

Anyone willing to sponsor the baby panda may earn the honor of naming her, according to zoo officials.

For more information, visit http://news.aol.com/story/_a/dutch-house-cat-adopts-red-panda-cub/20080709151909990001

And even if you DON'T want more information, visit that link anyway. There's a picture of a cat nursing a panda!

Cell Transplantation Helpful for Vitiligo Patients

Stable vitiligo is a skin disorder affecting about 1% of the world's population and is characterized by patches of depigmented skin contrasting against their normal pigmentation. Both because many people incorrectly assume that vitiligo is contagious, and because the patches appear in visible areas such as the face and hands, the psychosocial effects of this disorder can be very significant. The good news is that recent studies counteracted the condition using skin cells taken from normally-pigmented areas of patients' bodies and grafted onto the lighter patches.

Until now, treatment for vitiligo has consisted of ultraviolet (UV) light therapy, which can take a long time and be uncomfortable. Now there is another option, with a great success rate of 73 percent of patients experiencing up to 100% repigmentation after transplantation.

"Melanocyte-keratinocyte cell transplantation is a simple, safe, and effective surgical therapy," Dr. Mulekar, who conducted the studies, reports. "Patients with segmental and focal vitiligo can experience a prolonged disease-free period, which may extend through the rest of their lives."

for more info, check out the link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041019084015.htm

One Small Step: 15 Year Old Girl Walks for First Time

At birth, Jingle Luis' feet were severely malformed: an extreme case of clubbed feet, hers were upside down and twisted backwards. Walking was impossible without complete reliance on crutches. Because Jingle also suffers from mild spina bifida (a life-shortening spinal cord defect) doctors in the Philippines had found her unqualified for corrective braces or surgery as a child. When a staff physician from the Montefiore Medical Center in New York traveled to the Philippines for a Christian Mission, however, she was discovered and the Bronx hospital agreed to perform the surgery for free! By inserting pins into her feet and slowly turning them, Jingle's doctors were able to correct her condition.

Slipping on a pair of pink and white sneakers (the first shoes she'd ever worn) Jingle then took several steps all on her own. While she'll have to wear support braces for about a year in order for her bones to reset, she is expected to make a full recovery. Move over Jordan... if Jingle doesn't deserve a sneaker sponsorship, nobody does!

For the original story and photos of smiling Jingle, check out this link:

http://news.aol.com/health/story/_a/girl-with-twisted-feet-takes-first-steps/20080703092009990001