National Cemeteries

National Cemetery Listing

The Department of Veterans Affairs' (VA) National Cemetery Administration maintains 138 national cemeteries in 40 states (and Puerto Rico) as well as 33 soldier's lots and monument sites. Please note that there is not a VA national cemetery in every state. You may also want to check the listing of State veterans cemeteries.

ALABAMA

Alabama National Cemetery:  Montevallo, AL 35115:  Open

Fort Mitchell National Cemetery:   Ft. Mitchell, AL 36856: Open

Mobile National Cemetery:  Mobile, AL 36604:  Closed

ALASKA

Fort Richardson National Cemetery:  Fort Richardson, AK 99505:  Open

Sitka National Cemetery:  Sitka, AK 99835:   Open

ARIZONA

National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona:  Phoenix, AZ 85024:   Open

Prescott National Cemetery: Prescott, AZ 86313:  Cremation Only

ARKANSAS

Fayetteville National Cemetery:  Fayetteville, AR 72701:  Open

Fort Smith National Cemetery:  Fort Smith, AR 72901:  Open

Little Rock National Cemetery:  Little Rock, AR 72206:  Closed

CALIFORNIA

Bakersfield National Cemetery:  Arvin, CA 93203:  Open

Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery:  San Diego, CA 92106:  Closed

Golden Gate National Cemetery:  San Bruno, CA 94066:  Closed

Los Angeles National Cemetery:  Los Angeles, CA 90049:  Closed

Miramar National Cemetery:  San Diego, CA 92122:  Open

Riverside National Cemetery:  Riverside, CA 92518:  Open

Sacramento Valley National Cemetery:  Dixon, CA 95620:  Open

San Francisco National Cemetery:  San Francisco, CA 94129:  Closed

San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery:  Santa Nella, CA 95322: Open

COLORADO

Fort Logan National Cemetery:  Denver, CO 80236:  Open

Fort Lyon National Cemetery:  Las Animas, CO 81054:  Open

Pikes Peak National Cemetery:  Colorado Springs, CO 80925:  Open

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Congressional Cemetery Government Lots:  Washington, DC 20003:  Closed

FLORIDA

Barrancas National Cemetery:  Pensacola, FL 32508:  Open

Bay Pines National Cemetery:  St. Petersburg, FL 33708:  Cremation Only

Cape Canaveral National Cemetery:  Mims, FL 32754:  Open

Florida National Cemetery:  Bushnell, FL 33513:  Open

Jacksonville National Cemetery:  Jacksonville, FL 32218:  Open

Sarasota National Cemetery:  Sarasota, FL 34241:  Open

South Florida National Cemetery:  Lake Worth, FL 33449:  Open

St. Augustine National Cemetery:  St. Augustine, FL 32084:   Closed

Tallahassee National Cemetery:  Tallahassee, FL 32311:  Open

GEORGIA

Georgia National Cemetery:  Canton, GA 30114:  Open

Marietta National Cemetery:  Marietta, GA 30060:  Closed

HAWAII

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific:  Honolulu, HI 96813:  Cremation Only

ILLINOIS

Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery:  Elwood, IL 60421:  Open

Alton National Cemetery: Alton, IL 62002:  Cremation Only

Camp Butler National Cemetery:  Springfield, IL 62707-9722:  Open

Danville National Cemetery:  Danville, IL 61832:  Open

Mound City National Cemetery:  Mound City, IL 62963: Open

Quincy National Cemetery: Quincy, IL 62301:  Closed

Rock Island National Cemetery:  Rock Island, IL 61299: Open

Confederate Mound: Chicago, IL 60637:  Closed

North Alton Confederate Cemetery:  Alton, IL 62003:  Closed

Rock Island Confederate Cemetery:  Rock Island, IL 61299:  Closed

INDIANA

Crown Hill National Cemetery: Indianapolis, IN 46208:  Closed

Marion National Cemetery: Marion, IN 46952: Open

New Albany National Cemetery: New Albany, IN 47150 : Cremation Only

Crown Hill Cemetery Confederate Plot: Indianapolis, IN 46208: Closed

Woodlawn Monument Site: Terre Haute, IN 47802: Closed

IOWA

Keokuk National Cemetery: Keokuk, IA 52632: Open

Oakdale Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Davenport, IA 52807:  Closed

KANSAS

Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery: Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027: Cremation Only

Fort Scott National Cemetery: Fort Scott, KS 66701: Open

Leavenworth National Cemetery: Leavenworth, KS 66048: Open

Baxter Springs City Soldiers' Lot: Baxter Springs, KS 66713: Closed

Mound City Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Mound City, KS 66506: Closed

KENTUCKY

Camp Nelson National Cemetery: Nicholasville, KY 40356: Open

Cave Hill National Cemetery: Louisville, KY 40204: Closed

Danville National Cemetery: Danville, KY 40422: Closed

Lebanon National Cemetery: Lebanon, KY 40033: Open

Lexington National Cemetery: Lexington, KY 40508: Closed

Mill Springs National Cemetery: Nancy, KY 42544: Open

Zachary Taylor National Cemetery: Louisville, KY 40207: Closed

Evergreen Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Southgate, KY 41071: Closed

LOUISIANA

Alexandria National Cemetery: Pineville, LA 71360: Closed

Baton Rouge National Cemetery: Baton Rouge, LA 70806: Closed

Louisiana National Cemetery: Zachary, LA 70791: Open

Port Hudson National Cemetery: Zachary, LA 70791: Cremation Only

MAINE

Togus National Cemetery: Togus, ME 4330; Closed

Mount Pleasant Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Augusta, ME 04330: Closed

MARYLAND

Annapolis National Cemetery: Annapolis, MD 21401: Closed

Baltimore National Cemetery: Baltimore, MD 21228 : Cremation Only

Loudon Park National Cemetery: Baltimore, MD 21228: Closed

Point Lookout Confederate Cemetery: Ridge, MD 20680: Closed

MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts National Cemetery: Bourne, MA 02532: Open

Woodlawn Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Ayer, MA 01432 : Closed

MICHIGAN

Fort Custer National Cemetery: Augusta, MI 49012: Open

Great Lakes National Cemetery: Holly, MI 48442 : Open

Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery: Mackinac Island, MI 49757 : Closed

Lakeside Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Port Huron, MI 48060: Closed

MINNESOTA

Fort Snelling National Cemetery: Minneapolis, MN 55450: Open

MISSISSIPPI

Biloxi National Cemetery: Biloxi, MS 39531: Open

Corinth National Cemetery: Corinth, MS 38834: Open

Natchez National Cemetery: Natchez, MS 39120: Open

MISSOURI

Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery: St. Louis, MO 63125: Open

Jefferson City National Cemetery: Jefferson City, MO 65101: Closed

Springfield National Cemetery: Springfield, MO 65804: Cremation Only

Union Confederate Monument Site: Kansas City, MO 64108: Closed

MONTANA

Fort Missoula Post Cemetery: Missoula, MT 59804: Closed

Yellowstone National Cemetery: Laurel, MT 59044: Open

NEBRASKA

Fort McPherson National Cemetery: Maxwell, NE 69151: Open

Omaha National Cemetery: Omaha, NE 68138: Open

Forest Lawn Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Omaha, NE 68112: Closed

NEW JERSEY

Beverly National Cemetery: Beverly, NJ 08010: Closed

Finn's Point National Cemetery: Pennsville, NJ 08070: Cremation Only

NEW MEXICO

Fort Bayard National Cemetery: Fort Bayard, NM 88036: Open

Santa Fe National Cemetery: Santa Fe, NM 87501: Open

NEW YORK

Bath National Cemetery: Bath, NY 14810: Open

Calverton National Cemetery: Calverton, NY 11933: Open

Cypress Hills National Cemetery: Brooklyn, NY 11208: Closed

Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery: Schuylerville, NY 12871: Open

Long Island National Cemetery: Farmingdale, NY 11735: Cremation Only

Woodlawn National Cemetery: Elmira, NY 14901: Cremation Only

Albany Rural Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Albany, NY 12204: Closed

NORTH CAROLINA

New Bern National Cemetery: New Bern, NC 28560: Closed

Raleigh National Cemetery: Raleigh, NC 27610: Closed

Salisbury National Cemetery: Salisbury, NC 28144: Open

Wilmington National Cemetery: Wilmington, NC 28403: Closed

NORTH DAKOTA

Fargo National Cemetery: Harwood, ND 58042: Closed

OHIO

Dayton National Cemetery: Dayton, OH 45428: Open

Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery: Seville, OH 44273: Open

Camp Chase Confederate Cemetery: Columbus, OH 43204: Closed

Confederate Stockade Cemetery: Sandusky, OH 44870: Closed

Woodland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Cleveland, OH 44104: Closed

OKLAHOMA

Fort Gibson National Cemetery: Ft. Gibson, OK 74434: Open

Fort Sill National Cemetery: Elgin, OK 73538: Open

OREGON

Eagle Point National Cemetery: Eagle Point, OR 97524: Open

Roseburg National Cemetery: Roseburg, OR 97471: Open

Willamette National Cemetery: Portland, OR 97086: Open

PENNSYLVANIA

Indiantown Gap National Cemetery: Annville, PA 17003: Open

National Cemetery of the Alleghenies: Bridgeville, PA 15017: Open

Philadelphia National Cemetery: Philadelphia, PA 19138: Closed

Washington Crossing National Cemetery: Newtown, PA 18940: Open

Allegheny Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Pittsburgh, PA 15201: Closed

Ashland Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Carlisle, PA 17013: Closed

Mount Moriah Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Philadelphia, PA 19142: Closed

Mount Moriah Cemetery Naval Plot: Philadelphia, PA 19142: Closed

Prospect Hill Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: York, PA 17404: Closed

PUERTO RICO

Puerto Rico National Cemetery: Bayamon, PR 00961: Open

SOUTH CAROLINA

Beaufort National Cemetery: Beaufort, SC 29902: Open

Florence National Cemetery: Florence, SC 29501: Open

Fort Jackson National Cemetery: Columbia, SC 29229: Open

SOUTH DAKOTA

Black Hills National Cemetery: Sturgis, SD 57785: Open

Fort Meade National Cemetery: Sturgis, SD 57785: Closed

Hot Springs National Cemetery: Hot Springs, SD 57747: Closed

TENNESSEE

Chattanooga National Cemetery: Chattanooga, TN 37404: Open

Knoxville National Cemetery: Knoxville, TN 37917: Cremation Only

Memphis National Cemetery: Memphis, TN 38122: Cremation Only

Mountain Home National Cemetery: Mountain Home, TN 37684: Open

Nashville National Cemetery: Madison, TN 37115: Cremation Only

TEXAS

Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery: Dallas, TX 75211: Open

Fort Bliss National Cemetery: El Paso, TX 79906: Open

Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery: San Antonio, TX 78209: Open

Houston National Cemetery: Houston, TX 77038: Open

Kerrville National Cemetery: Kerrville, TX 78028: Closed

San Antonio National Cemetery: San Antonio, TX 78202: Cremation Only

VERMONT

Green Mount Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Montpelier, VT 05602: Closed

Prospect Hill Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Brattleboro, VT 05301: Closed

VIRGINIA

Alexandria National Cemetery: Alexandria, VA 22314: Closed

Ball's Bluff National Cemetery: Leesburg, VA 22075: Closed

City Point National Cemetery: Hopewell, VA 23860: Closed

Cold Harbor National Cemetery: Mechanicsville, VA 23111: Closed

Culpeper National Cemetery: Culpeper, VA 22701: Open

Danville National Cemetery: Danville, VA 24541: Cremation Only

Fort Harrison National Cemetery: Richmond, VA 23231: Closed

Glendale National Cemetery: Richmond, VA 23231: Closed

Hampton National Cemetery: Hampton, VA 23669: Closed

Hampton National Cemetery (VAMC): Hampton, VA 23667: Closed

Quantico National Cemetery: Triangle, VA 22172: Open

Richmond National Cemetery: Richmond, VA 23231: Closed

Seven Pines National Cemetery: Sandston, VA 23150: Closed

Staunton National Cemetery: Staunton, VA 24401: Closed

Winchester National Cemetery: Winchester, VA 22601: Closed

WASHINGTON

Tahoma National Cemetery: Kent, WA 98042: Open

Fort Lawton Post Cemetery: Seattle, WA 98199: Closed

WEST VIRGINIA

Grafton National Cemetery: Grafton, WV 26354: Closed

West Virginia National Cemetery: Grafton, WV 26354: Open

WISCONSIN

Wood National Cemetery: Milwaukee, WI 53295: Closed

Fort Winnebago Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Portage, WI 53901: Closed

Forest Hill Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Madison, WI 53705: Closed

Forest Home Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Milwaukee, WI 53215: Closed

Fort Crawford Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Prairie du Chien, WI 53821: Closed

Mound Cemetery Soldiers' Lot: Racine, WI 53405: Closed

National Cemeteries: Definition of Burial Space

Open This cemetery has space available to accommodate casketed and cremated remains.

Closed This cemetery is closed to new interments. The only interments that are being accepted are subsequent interments for veterans or eligible family members in an existing gravesite. Periodically however, burial space may become available due to a canceled reservation or when a disinterment has been completed. When either of these two scenarios occurs the cemetery will assign such gravesites or columbarium niches to other eligible Veterans or family members at the time of the request. Since there is no way to know in advance when a gravesite may become available, please contact the cemetery at the time of need to inquire whether space is available.

Cremation Only: This cemetery has space available for cremated remains. We may be able to accommodate casketed remains in the same gravesite of previously interred family members.

https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/allnational.asp

Arlington Changes

From GMA:

“Army proposes changes to who qualifies for burial at Arlington National Cemetery”

The Army is proposing changes to who is eligible for burial at Arlington National Cemetery amid a nationwide effort to increase access to burial options for America's veterans as existing cemeteries, including Arlington, run out of space. According to the proposed changes published by the Army last week, service members who die on active duty, but not in combat, would no longer be eligible for burial at Arlington. There are fewer than 95,000 remaining burial spaces there for nearly all of the 22 million living service members and veterans currently eligible, the Army said. The proposed changes come as a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found additional actions are needed to increase veterans' burial access across the country. Currently, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimates that 92% of veterans have reasonable access to burial options, defined as a national or state veterans' cemetery located within 75 miles of the veterans' home, the GAO said. While the National Cemetery Administration has plans to establish 18 new national cemeteries in urban and rural areas to increase that access, the GAO described the office's progress as "limited" and "years behind its original schedule for opening new cemeteries." The primary challenge delaying the completion of cemeteries has been acquiring suitable land, the GAO found. Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of more than 400,000 service members and their family members, is expected to break ground on a 37-acre expansion next year. But that change will not be enough to address the shortage in burial sites there. Congress directed the Army to revise its eligibility criteria to ensure the cemetery could remain an active burial ground. At the current pace of burials, Arlington could be closed to new interments by the mid-2050s, including Medal of Honor recipients, the Army said. The new guidelines proposed by the Army set aside 1,000 grave sites for current and future Medal of Honor recipients. Below-ground interment would be reserved for service members killed in action, recipients of the Silver Star and higher awards who served in combat, Purple Heart recipients, combat-related deaths and former prisoners of war. Presidents and vice presidents, as well as "veterans with combat service who also served out of uniform as a government official and made significant contributions to the nation's security at the highest levels of public service," would also qualify. "Arlington National Cemetery is a national shrine for all Americans, but especially those who have served our great nation," said Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy. "We must ensure it can honor those we have lost for many years to come." The proposed changes will now begin the federal government's public rule-making process, which includes soliciting feedback from the public. The full list of proposed changes is available online. The proposed changes would not affect previously scheduled services, veterans' burial benefits or veteran eligibility at VA national and state cemeteries, the Army said.

^ Arlington National Cemetery needs to change its burial policies if it wants to stay open. While it is a really nice cemetery (I’ve been there many times) people tend to want to be buried there because it is considered the unofficial “National” cemetery (meaning the best cemetery of the US.) I have been to National cemeteries around the country and they are really well preserved and give the same respect that soldiers, veterans and their spouses buried there deserve. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/army-proposes-changes-qualifies-burial-arlington-national-cemetery-081408207--abc-news-topstories.html

Unity Day

 Day of German Unity 

German Unity Day (Tag der Deutschen Einheit) is annually held on October 3 to mark the anniversary of the nation's unification. It remembers when the Federal Republic of Germany and the Democratic Republic of Germany united to create one single, federal Germany on October 3, 1990.

Is Day of German Unity a Public Holiday?

Day of German Unity is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.

What Do People Do?

Many people have a day off work and big public celebrations are organized. These include:

Speeches by politicians and other leaders.

Concerts.

Communal meals.

Food and culture presentations from Germany's regions.

Fireworks.

The celebrations' atmosphere is festive, welcoming and safe. Each year a different city hosts the national celebrations. Many mosques in Germany are open to the general public on October 3. This is an initiative to stimulate contact between Muslims and non-Muslims and to emphasize the role that Muslims played in forming modern Germany. German Unity Day is the only national holiday in Germany, as all other holidays are administered by the individual states.

Public Life

German Unity Day is a public holiday in Germany so post offices, banks and many businesses are closed. Nearly all stores are closed, although a few may be open in some city areas. Bakeries, petrol stations and stores at railway stations, airports and near highways are often open. Public transport services may run as usual, at a reduced service or no service depending on where one lives or intends to travel. There may be some disruption to traffic around large celebrations.

Background

Following World War II, the area that was Germany was divided into four military sectors controlled by France, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Soviet Union. On May 23, 1949, the sectors controlled by France, the United Kingdom and the United States became the Federal Republic of Germany. On October 7, 1949, the sector controlled by the Soviet Union became the German Democratic Republic, which in Germany is generally referred to as the DDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik). The two countries developed very different political and economic systems and, due to the political tensions in post-war Europe, there was little contact between the inhabitants of the two countries. Life in the DDR was characterized by harsh repression against political adversaries. Thousands of inhabitants were kept under intimate surveillance by the infamous East German secret police, the Stasi (Staatssicherheit). At least 137 people died trying to escape from the DDR. On September 4, 1989 citizens of Leipzig protested peacefully against the DDR government. More so-called “Monday demonstrations” soon took place in other cities across the DDR. The protests called for political reform and to open the borders. On November 9, 1989, the checkpoints between the two countries were opened and people were allowed to travel freely. This date marked the "fall" of the Berlin wall. These events lead to political change. Democratic elections paved the way for unity in the German Democratic Republic on March 18, 1990. The "Treaty of Unification" was signed by both countries' leaders in August that year. Finally, Germany's unification became official on October 3, 1990.

Symbols

The Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin wall were two important symbols of Germany's division following World War II and Berlin's and Germany's unification in 1990. Images of the Brandenburg Gate and the Berlin wall's destruction are often displayed on German Unity Day. The German unification treaty also symbolizes the day and its meaning. Germany's flag is displayed, particularly on public buildings, on German Unity Day. This flag is three units high and five units wide and is divided horizontally into thirds. The top third is jet black, the middle third traffic red and the bottom third is gold. Together these colors represent the freedom of Germany as a whole and each of its people. In the past, the colors represented: the darkness of servitude (black); bloody conflict (red); and the light of freedom (gold).

https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/germany/german-unity-day

German Unity

Braille Uno

From USA Today:

“Uno launched its first Braille deck. Here's where you can find it”

The popular card game Uno achieved another first: a version available in Braille. Mattel announced Tuesday that it is dealing out Uno Braille, the game's first official deck available in Braille. The deck was designed in partnership with the National Federation for the Blind. Each card has Braille on the corner identifying the card's color and the number or action available. The box features Braille on the front and back, directing players to a website where they can download instructions as Braille readable files. There are voice-enabled instructions available through Amazon's Alexa and Google Home. "We’re making a real impact on a community that has been underserved by providing a game that both blind and sighted people can play together,” Ray Adler, Mattel's global head of games, said in a statement. The game is available at Target in stores or online for $9.99. Two years ago, Uno launched a version of the game for players with color blindness, called Uno ColorAdd.

^ This is really cool. I used to play this all the time when I was younger and now the blind will be able to as well. ^

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/10/01/uno-popular-card-game-first-deck-braille/3830579002/

43% Down

From the BBC:

“Russian alcohol consumption down 43%, WHO report says” 

Russian alcohol consumption decreased by 43% from 2003 to 2016, a World Health Organization (WHO) report says. It attributed the decline to a series of alcohol-control measures implemented by the state, and a push towards healthy lifestyles. The WHO said the drop in alcohol consumption was linked to a significant rise in life expectancy. It noted that Russia had previously been considered one of the heaviest-drinking countries in the world. "Alcohol consumption has long been recognised as one of the main driving factors of mortality in the Russian Federation, especially among men of working age," the report said. But from 2003 to 2018, alcohol consumption and mortality decreased, with the most significant changes occurring in causes of death linked to alcohol. In 2018, life expectancy in Russia reached a historic peak, at 68 years for men and 78 years for women. Alcohol-control measures introduced under former President Dmitry Medvedev included advertising restrictions, increased taxes on alcohol and a ban on alcohol sales between certain hours. The restrictions on alcohol are one of the most striking changes in Russia in recent years.

In Moscow, the all-night kiosks crammed full of vodka, beer - and whole, dried fish taped to the glass - are long gone. You can only buy alcohol in shops, or from delivery firms, until 11pm. That includes beer which wasn't even classed as booze in the old days.  And if you do buy a bottle, you can forget drinking it in the street. That's banned here now, and police fines are common enough for most people to stick to the rules.  Alongside the new restrictions, there's been a big push on healthy living that's coincided with an expansion of the middle class. Many Russians are increasingly health-conscious, like their European and American counterparts - and like their president, who's filled calendars with his action-man photoshoots over the years. But drinking patterns are linked to wealth as well as health. In poorer communities, away from the big cities, drinking cheap surrogates and home-made alcohol is still common.

^ I am curious if this percentage is based on alcohol sales in Russia or if it is about the actual amount of alcohol a Russian drinks. Russians have been very good at finding ways around government alcohol programs and laws (like the Alcohol Rationing of the 1980s.) Many still drink the same amount of alcohol by making or buying illegal moonshine – they just don’t get the official alcohol from the store. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49892339

Female Vet Businesses

From Military.com:

“It's Time to Turn Up the Volume on Women Veteran-Owned Businesses”

VR Small is a Navy veteran, founder and executive director for the Veteran Women's Enterprise Center (VWEC).  Veteran-owned businesses are getting a lot of attention these days. But a subgroup of veteran entrepreneurs must contend with misaligned resources, a side effect of stereotypes in the general public about what it means to be a veteran. With six women veterans in office on Capitol Hill, efforts are finally being made to bring long-overdue women veteran issues to the forefront. The creation of the Servicewomen and Women Veterans Congressional Caucus and the launch of the House Veteran Affairs Committee's new Women Veterans Task Force are a start at bringing these issues into focus. But women veteran-owned businesses remain in the shadows. The problem is seen in the statistics. Women veteran-owned businesses (WVOBs) made up 15.2% of all veteran-owned businesses in 2015, according to Census Bureau statistics. About 97% of those businesses have no employees, but the 3% that do employ more than 100,000 workers and reported over $10 billion in receipts over a five-year reporting period. That data, says the National Women’s Business Council, shows that growth in the sector is happening, but is only a fraction of what it could be. "If veteran women-owned employer firms generated receipts proportional to their share of veteran-owned employer firms (3.3 percent), these firms would have receipts that stood at about $29.3 billion," the National Women's Business Council said in a 2017 report based on the Census Bureau's Annual Survey of Entrepreneurs. The council further found that for every dollar a male veteran makes in his business, a female veteran makes just $.07 in hers.

Why? One reason could be that resources available from various business-focused organizations and federal agencies often don't meet the immediate needs of WVOBs. Service types and locations are often not designed specifically with women in mind. And many agencies seem unwilling or unable to effectively and regularly engage WVOBs in developing the social and financial capital necessary to scale their businesses. When we fail to effectively engage WVOBs, we lose the added value to our society of this highly diverse population that represents nearly every ethnicity, race, gender orientation and age group. Statistics also suggest that support for WVOBs impacts more than just the business owner and their employees. According to statistics from Refinery29 and Chase, women in general are the primary breadwinners in 40% of households. This suggests that supporting women-owned business growth and self-sufficiency will ultimately help build stronger families, support thriving communities and add fuel to our nation's economy. The time is now to turn up the volume so we can hear and respond more effectively to the often silent voices of female veterans. These military women are trained to accomplish the mission using whatever resources are available, and they will rarely be the squeaky wheel that gets the oil. Instead, most will struggle in silence, never being given the opportunity to articulate what they truly need to succeed. And because many female veterans don't self-identify, the local business community assumes that women veteran-owned businesses represent a limited population. But that is yet to be proven. There is a movement in the right direction. For example, one project taking on the charge of strengthening the voices of WVOBs is the Veteran Women's Enterprise Center (VWEC)'s "Moments that Matter" research project, in collaboration with the Dallas Federal Reserve Bank. The Moments that Matter local survey focuses exclusively on engaging women veteran-owned businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. WVOBs in all 13 counties are encouraged to turn up the volume and let their voices be heard by taking the survey. While several surveys have been conducted for veteran-owned businesses in general, this local survey is designed to capture data that will clearly define transitional moments in these WVOBs' entrepreneur journey. That, in turn, will help identify and connect them to the resources they need to effectively scale their businesses. Those steps will ultimately help them build a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem that supports consistent access to essential social and financial capital.

The survey is also the VWEC's pilot project for the development of a regional and national tool that can be used to provide an annual report on the status of women veteran-owned businesses, keeping the volume up and tuned into their ongoing challenges and successes. When we consider funding support to and for our veteran communities, we should consider women veteran-owned businesses' silent contributions as a potential gold mine, and it often pays to dig deeper, and invest more, if you really want to strike gold. And as we work toward equality for all women, we must ensure that equity is instituted across the board. To effectively acknowledge and engage this group, we have to change the narrative. When we say "veteran," we need to immediately envision men and women who have faithfully served our nation.

^ This is a really interesting article on a topic (female military veterans) I don’t know too much about. It made me want to learn more about the specific issues that female veterans face over male veterans. ^

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2019/10/01/its-time-turn-volume-women-veteran-owned-businesses.html

Ordered Peace

From Reuters:

“Bosnia ordered to remove church from Srebrenica survivor's land”

Bosnian authorities were ordered on Tuesday to remove from a Muslim Bosniak woman's courtyard an Orthodox church which was built after she was driven out by Bosnian Serb forces who killed 22 of her relatives in nearby Srebrenica. The final and binding ruling by the European Court of Human Rights should end a 20-year legal battle by Fata Orlovic and members of her family who escaped the 1995 Srebrenica massacre and returned to their village in the Serb-dominated region of Bosnia to find the large church 30 meters from their front door. The court found the Bosnian Serb authorities' failure to comply with the binding decisions of 1999 and 2001 ordering full repossession of the land had seriously harmed the Orlovics's property rights. It said the authorities had to ensure the removal of the church from the land within three months and pay 5,000 euros ($5,500) to Fata Orlovic and 2,000 euros to 13 of her relatives in respect of pecuniary damage. In 1993, Serbs drove all Muslims from Konjevic Polje to Srebrenica, a U.N. safe area which they overran two years later, killing about 8,000 Muslims in what is seen as Europe's worst atrocity since World War Two. Two international courts declared the massacre as genocide. While Orlovic was in exile, the Serb authorities appropriated her land and built the church for Orthodox Serbs who had fled there from the homes they had owned in the Muslim and Croat-dominated areas. This was common practice across the Balkan country, where churches, mosques and whole new communities have sprung up in what Western peace officials condemned as a tactic to preserve the results of ethnic cleansing. Orlovic's situation highlights the myriad problems faced by hundreds of thousands of people who fled ethnic cleansing in Bosnia's 1992-95 war and wanted to return to their homes. "This is a typical case dealing with the right of a returnee to property," Faris Vehabovic, a judge at the court, told the Klix news portal. "The only difference is that it had become a symbol of persistent fight for justice by one woman and family," he added.

^ Hopefully this sentence will finally end the drama that this family has had to endure since the end of the Bosnian War and help others in the same or similar situation. It doesn’t matter to me if the person/family involved is a Bosnian Serb, a Bosnian Muslim or a Bosnian Croat of if the religious building was an Orthodox Church, a Mosque or a Catholic Church. ^

https://www.yahoo.com/news/bosnia-ordered-remove-church-srebrenica-130502629.html

Rejecting Integration

From the Moscow Times:

“Belarus Rejects Russia’s ‘Unacceptable’ Terms of Integration”

Belarus believes that its ally Russia’s terms of integration are “unacceptable,” its foreign minister has said following media reports that the two countries plan to form an economic confederacy in the next two years. Russia and Belarus, currently members of a largely symbolic union state, have been in talks to deepen their integration, a process that has fueled concerns of a possible quiet annexation by Moscow. The Kommersant business daily reported last month that the countries plan to unify their customs and energy policies by 2021 and establish a single tax code, civil code and list of foreign trade rules by 2022.  “Frankly speaking, [Russia’s] initial proposals stipulated the inclusion of certain provisions that were unacceptable, particularly for Belarus,” Vladimir Makei, Belarus’ foreign minister, told the RBC news website Tuesday. Makei said the creation of supranational bodies as outlined in the proposals runs afoul of the 1999 Russian-Belarussian deal, which envisions a union state with a common currency, legal system and a joint defense and foreign policy. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko addressed the so-called supranational bodies earlier this year and “clearly said they don’t comply with the [1999] treaty’s provisions,” he said.  “We must pay more attention to implementing a coordinated agricultural and industrial policy — this is the most important thing,” Makei said. “There are no political issues whatsoever associated with the formation of a federation or a confederation.” Russia props up the Belarussian economy with cheap energy and loans, but Minsk is wary of allowing too much Russian influence, fearing threats to its sovereignty.

^ Belarus has a right to be concerned with Russia since Putin has shown (through his actions) that he has no issue using the Russian Military to invade, occupy and annex different countries to get what he wants (ie. Crimea, eastern Donbas, Georgia, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, etc.) ^

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/10/01/belarus-rejects-russias-unacceptable-terms-of-integration-a67540

Cop Guilty

From the BBC:

“Amber Guyger: US ex-cop who killed neighbour found guilty”

A US former police officer who shot dead her neighbour inside his own apartment in Dallas has been found guilty of murder. Amber Guyger, 31, argued she killed Botham Jean, 26, after mistakenly thinking she was in her own flat and that he was an intruder.  The verdict comes after a tense seven-day trial in which Guyger admitted: "I shot an innocent man." The four-year police veteran is facing a possible life sentence in prison. Cheers broke out as the verdict was announced. Guyger slumped down at the defence table and wept. Victim was eating ice cream when he was shot Guyger's lawyers argued she was distracted by sexually suggestive texts with another police officer and had just completed a nearly 14 hour shift when she made "a series of horrible mistakes" on the night of 6 September 2018. Prosecutors accused her of bursting into Jean's apartment "commando-style" and firing at him while he was eating a bowl of ice cream on his sofa.  Assistant District Attorney Jason Fine called her testimony "garbage" and said her actions were "not a mistake". During the trial, the Texas Ranger who led the investigation testified it was common for residents at the complex where both Jean and Guyger lived to accidentally attempt to enter the wrong flat due to the building's design. Guyger's testimony - "I was scared whoever was in my apartment was going to kill me" Guyger testified that she found the door unlocked, and noticed it open slightly when she pushed her key into what she said she thought was her apartment.  Prosecutors said the off-duty police officer failed to recognise signs, such as Jean's distinctive red door mat, that she was standing outside the wrong flat.

'The tide is going to change'

"This is a victory for black people in America," said civil rights lawyer Lee Merritt after the verdict was read. "It's a signal that the tide is going to change here. Police officers are going to be held accountable for their actions and we believe that will begin to change policing culture all over the world." "This should have been automatic. This should have been anticipated, expected", he continued, describing cases of police officers being punished for shooting unarmed black men such as Jean, as "rare". The shooting sparked protests as community members feared that Guyger would not be held accountable. She was initially arrested several days after the killing and charged with manslaughter before being released from jail that same day. After weeks of tensions, she was eventually arrested and charged with murder. Botham Jean, a native of St Lucia, worked as an accountant at Pricewaterhouse Cooper at the time of his death. Former Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings was among those to praise Jean after his death, calling him "a model citizen".

^ This was the right verdict for this crime. It was clear from the beginning that Guyger killed Jean and the fact that she was a police officer was the main reason she thought she could get off of murder charges. She may not have intended to kill Jean, but the fact is she did and he was a completely innocent man inside his own apartment. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49899264

Unbreakable Bond

From Military.com:

“New Memorial to Vietnam War Dogs Celebrates 'The Unbreakable Bond'” 

Whenever Ed Reeves has looked at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., he has focused on the panels containing the names of those who died on Sept. 12, 1970, and Feb. 14, 1971. It was on those days, Reeves said, that were it not for his dog, Prince, "My name would be on that wall." Instead, nearly 50 years later, the Grove City resident visited a different wall Saturday at Motts Military Museum in Groveport, a southwest suburb of Columbus, for the dedication of the Vietnam War Dog Team Memorial. Its three black granite panels are inscribed with the names of 4,244 dogs that served during the war, as well as the numbers that were tattooed inside each of their ears. Also listed are the 297 dog handlers, one veterinarian and two vet technicians who died in Vietnam. The panels surround a life-sized bronze sculpture modeled after Prince and Reeves, who was among the approximately 10,000 men who served as dog handlers in Vietnam. Inscribed on the center panel of the memorial are the words, "The Unbreakable Bond." The total cost of the memorial was $110,000. The three panels were designed and constructed by Columbus Art Memorial, using granite from the same area in India that produced the stone for the Vietnam Memorial in Washington. The sculpture was created by noted Zanesville sculptor Alan Cottrill. Decades later, Reeves and other handlers -- including Tom King of Hamilton Township, Franklin County -- still struggle to control their emotions when discussing their combat buddies. "We went through a lot together," said King, 73, his voice cracking at the memory of his dog, Fritz. "The only things that held me together were my letters from home and playing with Fritz." Adding to the emotion is the fact that while Reeves and King finished their tours and came home, their dogs stayed behind. After working with new handlers, most Vietnam war dogs that survived combat either were euthanized or given to the South Vietnamese Army, according to the U.S. War Dog Association, based in New Jersey. Only about 200 returned to the United States. "Our group formed because there was a lot of guilt from the dog handlers that survived (the war)," said Ernie Ayala, vice president of the Vietnam Dog Handler Association, incorporated in California. "The dogs saved our lives, and that's what they get? They stayed there and we got to go home." Reeves, 69, has been a volunteer at Motts Military Museum since 2012. He spent years investigating the fate of his dog, Prince, and wrote a book about it that was self-published in 2016. That prompted Lori Motts-Byrd, the museum's assistant director, to start raising funds for a memorial. A $50,000 grant from the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission was instrumental, she said, as well as private donations. "From talking to Ed and finding out more about what the dogs did, I thought, `Something has to be done. People have to know about this,'" Motts-Byrd said.

Serving together

Dogs have been used for military purposes since ancient times, but it wasn't until World War II that the U.S. government authorized specialized training for dogs to serve as scouts and sentries, among other duties. The war dog association estimates that 4,900 dogs -- mostly German shepherds, like Prince and Fritz -- served during the Vietnam War, but incomplete records were kept in the war's early years. In 1966, King was a military policeman stationed at Lockbourne Air Force Base (now Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base) in Columbus when he was "volunteered" by a commanding officer to become a dog handler. Fritz trained with King as a sentry dog -- dogs that generally were not used in combat, but to guard perimeters of bases. King and Fritz arrived in Vietnam in January 1967. Though there was often gunfire and shelling heard near their base at Tuy Hoa, King said he and Fritz never faced mortal danger together. "He loved working and loved when I took him to swim in the South China Sea," King said. King went home in January 1968, leaving Fritz behind. Reeves, who grew up a dog-lover, volunteered to be a dog handler after he was drafted into the Army in 1969. He was paired with Prince, who was trained as a scout dog, used to go out on patrol and detect people as well as mines and booby traps. On Sept. 12, 1970 -- the first day "in country" for the duo -- Prince alerted Reeves' unit of activity nearby. That "allowed us to get the jump on them rather than them on us," said Reeves, who narrowly survived the resulting firefight. On Valentine's Day 1971, Prince and Reeves were scouting a trail for a platoon when Reeves saw the dog go around a small tree that was lying across the trail. He called Prince back, and the dog again went around it. Reeves looked for signs of a mine, and finding none, started to step over the tree. "Prince came up underneath me and his nose stopped dead on the ground," Reeves said. "Luckily, I pulled my foot back." They searched the spot more closely and found a small mound of dirt which was hiding an unexploded American mortar shell rigged up as a mine. When Reeves went home in July 1971, Prince stayed.

A dog's fate

After Reeves came home, "I followed the news and wondered every day, `What's he (Prince) doing? Is he still alive?'" he said, pausing to control his emotions. "Then the stories came out about how the dogs were treated over there." Ayala said the dogs who were euthanized either were ill or deemed too aggressive. Most of the dogs in good condition were given to the Vietnamese. In the mid-2000s, a group organizing to build a war-dog monument came upon a vast trove of military dog records at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Reeves and King were able to get their dogs' records. King found out that Fritz had been euthanized. In 2009, he also connected with the family in Ogden, Utah, that had donated Fritz to the military. Starting in 2006, Reeves embarked on a long journey, first tracking down the Minnesota family that had donated Prince, and then discovering that Prince had been one of the few war dogs that had returned to the United States. Prince worked for four years detecting drugs for U.S. Customs and Border Protection in San Diego. Reeves connected with Jerry Stachowitz, the customs handler who worked with Prince, and also found Jensen's Kennels, where Prince lived. One of the kennel's owners told him Prince had retired in 1978 and lived to the ripe old age of 15. That thrilled Reeves. "The only thing that would have made me happier is if I got to take him home with me," he said.

^ The dogs that served in the US Military in Vietnam are soldiers just like the men and women who served there are. Unfortunately, like the men and women who served there the US has treated the dogs who served there without the dignity and respect they need for far too long. While things have improved over the years for the men and women it has been even slower for the dogs. This memorial is a fitting way to show the respect that the dogs working for the US Military in Vietnam,  that were often abandoned after their service, deserve.  ^

https://www.military.com/off-duty/2019/09/30/new-memorial-vietnam-war-dogs-celebrates-unbreakable-bond.html

Who's Who

From the BBC:

“Trump impeachment: Who's who in whistleblower story?”

A mystery whistleblower, a former comedian and the president of the United States. These are some of the main players in a story that is becoming ever more complex - and could see the president being impeached.

1) Donald Trump

Who is he?   The president of the United States of America.

What's his role? Without him, there would be no story. Here's what we know about his involvement: Mr Trump himself has acknowledged that he personally blocked nearly $400m in military aid to Ukraine At about the same time, he spoke by phone with Ukraine's new president In the call, Mr Trump pushed Ukraine's president to investigate his leading domestic political rival, Joe Biden A complaint by a whistleblower in the intelligence community, who spoke with White House sources about the call, alleges Mr Trump used "the power of his office to solicit interference from a foreign country in the US 2020 election" Mr Trump says the investigation is part of a "witch-hunt" against him, and he denies that military aid was withheld in order to put pressure on Ukraine. He has also demanded to know who gave information to the whistleblower, saying the source was "close to a spy".

2) Volodymyr Zelensky

Who is he? Like Mr Trump, he's a former TV star. A one-time comedian with more than 8.5 million Instagram followers (who now see fewer of his exercise videos, but more photos of him meeting world leaders), he was elected president of Ukraine in a landslide win in April.

What's his role? The man on the other end of that 25 July phone call. As our man in Kiev explains, the contents of the call proved to be a bit embarrassing for Mr Zelensky when they were released. Not only were there a number of attempts to flatter Mr Trump, but it appeared that Mr Zelensky was willing to open an investigation into Mr Biden's son, at Mr Trump's request. The big question - and one US investigators may be keen to ask Mr Zelensky and his associates - is whether the call (the two presidents' first detailed conversation since the Ukraine election) took place with a pre-condition that the Biden case be discussed.

3) Joe Biden

Who is he? The vice-president under Barack Obama's presidency for eight years, he is now the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election. 

What's his role? It's the fact that Mr Biden is leading polls to be the Democratic candidate that is the most relevant detail here - if chosen, he would be the man facing off against Mr Trump for the presidency in November 2020. Most polls suggest Mr Biden would win in this scenario. In brief: Mr Trump alleges Mr Biden abused his power while in office. He suggests Mr Biden pressured Ukraine to back away from a criminal investigation that could implicate his son, Hunter (more on him later). The issue is that if Mr Biden was just a retired member of society right now, Mr Trump's request to Ukraine would be of little consequence. But because Mr Biden is (for now, at least) his biggest rival for the presidency, it opens Mr Trump up to claims he was working with a foreign power to influence the election. "This isn't about me," Mr Biden said on 26 September, "it's a tactic that's used by this president to try to hijack an election so we do not focus on the issues that matter in our lives."

4) Hunter Biden

Who is he? Mr Biden's 49-year-old son, who has worked as a lawyer and lobbyist.

What's his role? His part in this convoluted saga relates to his position on the board of Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company, which he held for almost five years from 2014. While Joe Biden was vice-president, Ukraine's most senior prosecutor was investigating the company, but was then dismissed. Mr Trump and his allies have suggested that Joe Biden encouraged the prosecutor to be fired. But there has been no evidence of wrongdoing by Hunter Biden - and the Ukrainian prosecutor who replaced the one who was fired (and continued his investigation into Burisma) told the BBC there was no reason for Ukraine to investigate the Bidens and that any corruption with Burisma happened before Hunter Biden joined the board.

5) Nancy Pelosi

Who is she? The woman who, as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, could hold the key to Donald Trump's future in her hands.

What's her role? Ever since Democrats retook control of the House last November, Ms Pelosi has resisted calls by some within her party to start impeachment proceedings against Mr Trump. That changed on 24 September, when she announced the opening of a formal impeachment inquiry, saying the president "must be held accountable".

Why has Nancy Pelosi made her move now? Impeachment isn't the same as a criminal conviction, and it doesn't necessarily mean Mr Trump would be removed from office. If the inquiry moves forward, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives will vote on any charges. If Democrats were to remain united, the measure would be carried - and Mr Trump would become the third president in US history to be impeached. But the proceedings would be expected to stall in the Senate, where the president's Republican party holds enough seats to prevent him from being removed from office by a two-thirds majority.

6) Rudy Giuliani

Who is he? The former mayor of New York and, most relevantly to this story, President Trump's personal lawyer. 

What's his role? Mr Giuliani, one of Mr Trump's most vocal cheerleaders, has been central in pushing the suggestion that the Bidens were involved in wrongdoing in Ukraine. He has been speaking to Ukraine's prosecutors - past and present - about the case since late 2018. In an interview with the Atlantic, Mr Giuliani said he was simply "straightening out government" by calling for investigations into the Bidens. "It is impossible that the whistle-blower is a hero and I'm not," he said. "And I will be the hero! These morons - when this is over, I will be the hero."

7) Viktor Shokin

Who is he? The prosecutor fired by Ukraine's former government.

What's his role? A summary of Mr Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president, released by the White House, shows Mr Trump made reference to Ukraine's former prosecutor general, calling him "very good" and "very fair". "A lot of people are talking about that, the way they shut your very good prosecutor down and you had some very bad people involved." He was referring to Viktor Shokin. Joe Biden has been quite open about the role he played in getting Viktor Shokin dismissed, saying there were concerns he was not doing enough against corruption. Mr Biden even said he threatened to withhold $1bn in aid to Ukraine unless Mr Shokin (the man who, at the time, was investigating his son's company) was fired. Speaking before the Council of Foreign Relations in January 2018, he recounted a conversation with Ukraine's government. "I said, you're not getting the billion," Mr Biden said. "I'm going to be leaving here in, I think it was about six hours. I looked at them and said: 'I'm leaving in six hours. If the prosecutor is not fired, you're not getting the money.'... He got fired." Mr Biden was not the only political figure to demand Mr Shokin be fired, however, and other Western nations and the International Monetary Fund had criticised the prosecutor's inaction on corruption.

8) The whistleblower

Who are they? Exactly.

What is their role? They - we do not know if it is a man or woman - wrote to the chairmen of senate committees on 12 August expressing concern over Mr Trump's phone call with the Ukrainian president on 25 July. They also alleged that the White House acted to "lock down" all details of the phone call between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky, and that the call transcript was not stored in the usual computer system. All we know about the whistleblower is that they are a US intelligence officer - or at least were, when they wrote their letter. They specify in their letter to Senate officials that they do not work in the White House, but it is clear they are well-connected to people who do. US media have reported they are a CIA officer who once worked at the White House. The inspector general of the intelligence community, Michael Atkinson, said in a letter to the acting head of national intelligence that he knew the whistleblower's identity, but they had asked for it not to be disclosed.

^ With all the different politicians and people being shown on all the different media about this story it can be hard to figure out who is really involved with this story and who is just being asked about the story, but isn’t really involved in it. This should help end that confusion (except where the whistleblower is concerned.) ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49838433

Names Known

From the BBC:

“Canada reveals names of 2,800 victims of residential schools”

For more than a century, they were anonymous. But now the names of 2,800 indigenous children who died in Canadian residential schools will finally be known.  From Abel Evan Francois to Zotique Kahkikyas, one by one, the names of residential school victims were read aloud in a powerful ceremony honouring "the children who never came home". It took more than a decade for researchers to identify nearly 3,000 children who died in Canada's residential schools - compulsory boarding schools run by the government and religious authorities during the 19th and 20th Centuries with the aim of forcibly assimilating indigenous youth.  Many families were never notified, and the children were buried in unmarked graves.  "Children were taken away and put into these schools absent of love and care and affection. I think many of them probably passed away in quite lonely circumstances," says Ry Moran, the Centre's director. But on Monday, their names were finally heard, when the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, in partnership with Aboriginal People's Television Network, unveiled a national memorial register. "Today is a special day not only for myself, but for thousands of others across the country. To finally bring recognition and honour to our school chums, to our cousins, to our nephews, to our nieces, that were forgotten," says Barney Williams, a residential school survivor and member of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nations in Meares Island, British Columbia.  "We're ensuring that people know these kids. Know that when we talk about the children who never came home from these schools, they were real children with real names who came from real communities with real families. This makes the gravity of what we're dealing with, as a country, all the more real," says Mr Moran. The Centre now hopes to collect the stories behind the names on the register.  "We're taking an important step to make sure the children who never returned home from those schools were honoured, celebrated and most importantly loved," he says.

What were residential schools? 

From about 1863 to 1998, more than 150,000 indigenous children were taken from their families and placed in state-run boarding schools.  The children were often not allowed to speak their language or to practise their culture, and many were mistreated and abused.  The landmark Truth and Reconciliation report, released in 2015, said the policy amounted to "cultural genocide". Since 2007, the Canadian government has settled with thousands of living survivors, paying more than C$3bn ($2.3bn, £1.8bn) in what is considered the largest class-action settlement in Canadian history.  In recent years, the Canadian government has made reconciliation with indigenous people a priority.  Monday's memorial for the students who never returned is one of many ways that governments and institutions are trying fulfil the recommendations listed in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report. 

^ It is important to know your country’s dark past (especially when the events only ended 21 years ago.) The reading of the names is an important step in making all Canadians (indigenous or not) aware of what happened as well as the fact that every single one of 2,800 children was an actual person with a family and while their country may have betrayed them at the time of their death that now their stories and lives are being officially remembered. ^

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-49884387

REAL Deadline

From Hospitalitynet:

“Study: Millions of Americans Could Be Affected by REAL ID Deadline in 2020”

Almost three out of four Americans are unprepared for the October 1, 2020 deadline for full implementation of REAL ID, and millions could be prevented from boarding a plane because they do not have the required identification, according to a study commissioned by the U.S. Travel Association. Next October 1, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will implement the last phase of enforcement of the REAL ID Act—the law originally passed in 2005 which will require travelers to present a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or other approved form of identification to board a flight. According to the survey conducted for U.S. Travel by Longwoods International, a market research consultancy, 72% of Americans either do not have a REAL ID-compliant driver's license or are unsure if they do. The study also revealed a significant REAL ID awareness issue, with more than half of Americans (57%) saying they did not know about the upcoming deadline. Many Americans also lack the alternatives to REAL ID-compliant, state-issued driver's licenses—such as a U.S. passport. 39% of Americans say they do not have any form of identification that will be accepted starting October 1, 2020. This equates to an estimated 99 million Americans that may not currently hold the proper identification to board an airplane starting next October. Based on this data, U.S. Travel economists estimated the potential economic impact of REAL ID implementation: if REAL ID standards were to be fully enforced immediately, at least 78,500 air travelers could be turned away at TSA checkpoints on the first day, costing the U.S. economy $40.3 million in lost travel-related spending. If that trend sustained for a full week, the figures could grow to more than half a million (549,500) air travelers prevented from boarding planes and $282 million in lost travel spending. "Our survey gave us the answer we didn't want to hear: that there is alarming lack of awareness and preparedness a short year out from REAL ID going into full effect," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. "This is significant not only because it will inconvenience travelers and create confusion at U.S. airports—it could do significant damage to our nation's economy." "That's why the U.S. Travel Association has launched a broad education effort alongside the full spectrum of public- and private-sector travel stakeholders: airports, federal government agencies, tourism offices, and the huge community of large and small businesses that depend on American travelers—we need all hands on deck to avert a big problem next October." The challenge, Dow noted, stems from all of the U.S. states and territories having individual—rather than concerted—processes for implementation of REAL ID standards. The U.S. Travel Association is leading an initiative by private-sector travel stakeholders to better prepare the country for the October 1, 2020 REAL ID deadline. The association has developed a toolkit filled with resources for its membership and other allies to help educate Americans on what a REAL ID is, and is coordinating engagement with policymakers and government agencies to proactively address the awareness deficit pre-deadline.

U.S. Travel also released a series of policy recommendations to mitigate the challenges caused by REAL ID implementation:

1.) Modernize the REAL ID statute: Amend the REAL ID Act to allow for mobile and web-based REAL ID applications and to permit TSA to accept mobile or digital REAL ID-compliant driver's licenses, which will reduce DMV backlogs and increase checkpoint efficiency.

2.) Designate registered traveler enrollment as an acceptable alternative: Utilize the existing security and identification features of trusted traveler programs, including TSA Precheck, to reduce the need for a REAL ID Act-compliant driver's license at airport checkpoints.

3.) Transition TSA checkpoints to automated identity verification: Accelerate the implementation of automated identity verification technology for passport holders and trusted travelers, which will strengthen security, improve checkpoint efficiency, and decrease the number of travelers that arrive at TSA checkpoints without accepted identifications.

4,) Develop alternative screening procedures for travelers without accepted licenses: TSA should work with the private sector to develop procedures for clearing travelers that do not have a REAL ID or acceptable alternative after October 1, 2020. Turning away large numbers of travelers at the checkpoint is simply unacceptable.

Methodology for the study:

To help quantify the challenges posed by REAL ID implementation, the U.S. Travel Association commissioned Longwoods International, a market research consultancy, to conduct two surveys measuring the public's understanding of REAL ID identifications and the October 1, 2020 enforcement deadline for commercial air travel. The July 2019 survey was an online self-completion survey fielded July 9 through 12, 2019 using a national sample randomly drawn from Dynata's consumer panel of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over. The results were weighted at tabulation to correct for differences between the observed sample and the sample universe using the most recent Census targets for age, gender, income, household composition and region. The survey has a margin of error +/-3% at 95% confidence level. The September 2019 survey was an online self-completion survey fielded September 4 through 6, 2019 using a national sample randomly drawn from Dynata's consumer panel of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over. The results were weighted at tabulation to correct for differences between the observed sample and the sample universe using the most recent Census targets for age, gender, income, household composition and region. The survey has a margin of error +/-3% at 95% confidence level.

^ There is exactly 1 year left before Real ID starts and people without a Real ID compliant card (an estimated 99 million Americans) won't be allowed on planes or any Federal building. I got my Real ID compliant Driver's License last April and my Great-Aunt (who will be 90 in 18 days) got her Real ID compliant Driver's License last week. Every US State and Territory has a Real ID compliant Driver's License or Non-Driving ID card so either get one within the next 12 months or be prepared to use your US Passport, US Passport Card or US Military ID Card to go into anything run by the Federal Government. ^

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4095252.html

Adopt A Shelter Dog

ADOPT A SHELTER DOG MONTH

October is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month. ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) sponsors this event to promote the adoption of dogs from local shelters. According to the ASPCA, approximately 3.3 million dogs enter shelters every year. When these abandoned and often abused animals find their way to a shelter, each one needs a forever home and their potential is limitless. Some of the benefits of adoption are often hidden. Human and canine both enjoy increased activity and social interaction through daily walks. Humans develop patience as they learn the ways of their new four-legged companion. Dogs explore the many scents of the human lifestyle, usually discovering shoes are off limits.  No matter the breed, size or demeanor of the human, er, canine, the shelter will take the time to find the right home for their animals. They schedule visits and have procedures in place to promote healthy adoptions for families and individuals. While some dogs have experienced injury or illness, the shelters work with veterinarians to heal the animals before making them available for adoption. Of course, donations and volunteers are always welcome. Dogs love to be walked, played with and loved even if they haven’t found their forever home.  Every moment they spend socializing increases their opportunity for adoption.  During Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, visit, volunteer, donate and adopt!

HOW TO OBSERVE

Ideally, the best way to celebrate would be to adopt a shelter dog. However, if you are unable to do so, spread the word. Volunteers and donations are welcome, too! Post it on Twitter, Facebook, and any other social media you can think of using #AdoptAShelterDogMonth.

HISTORY

In 1981, the American Humane Association founded Adopt A Dog Month in response to the growing number of dogs and puppies entering shelters every year. Along with the need for shelters and adoptions, spaying and neutering help curb the rise in unwanted pets, too.

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/adopt-a-shelter-dog-month-october/

Shelter Dog Month

October Dates

October 2019

Month: 

Adopt a Shelter Dog Month 

American Pharmacist Month 

Apple Jack Month 

Awareness Month 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month 

Clergy Appreciation Month 

Computer Learning Month 

Cookie Month 

Domestic Violence Awareness Month 

Eat Country Ham Month 

International Drum Month 

National Diabetes Month 

National Pizza Month 

National Vegetarian Month 

National Popcorn Popping Month 

Sarcastic Month 

Seafood Month

Weekly Celebrations: 

Week 1 Get Organized Week 

Week 1 Customer Service Week 

Week 2 Fire Prevention Week 

Week 2 Pet Peeve Week 

14 - 20 Earth Sciences Week 

Week 3 Pastoral Care Week

October, 2019 Daily Holidays, Special and Wacky Days: 

1 International Coffee Day 

1 International Day for the Elderly 

1 National Homemade Cookies Day 

1 World Vegetarian Day 

2 National Custodial Worker Day 

2 National Kale Day 

2 Name Your Car Day 

3 National Boyfriends Day 

3 Techies Day 

3 Virus Appreciation Day 

4 National Golf Day 

4 National Frappe Day 

4 World Smile Day 

5 Do Something Nice Day 

5 International Frugal Fun Day 

5 World Card Making Day 

5 World Teacher's Day 

6 Come and Take it Day 

6 Mad Hatter Day 

6 Oktoberfest in Germany ends, 

6 Physician Assistant Day 

7 Bald and Free Day 

8 American Touch Tag Day 

8 Yom Kippur

9 Curious Events Day 

9 Emergency Nurses Day

9 Fire Prevention Day 

9 Leif Erikson Day 

9 Moldy Cheese Day 

9 Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day  

10 International Newspaper Carrier Day 

10 National Angel Food Cake Day 

11 It's My Party Day 

11 National Fossil Day 

11 World Egg Day  

12 Cookbook Launch Day 

12 Old Farmer's Day 

12 Moment of Frustration Day 

12 National Gumbo Day 

13 International Skeptics Day 

13 Sukkot

14 Be Bald and Free Day 

14 Columbus Day 

14 National Dessert Day 

15 White Cane Safety Day 

16 Bosses Day 

16 Dictionary Day 

17 National Pasta Day 

17 Wear Something Gaudy Day 

18 No Beard Day 

19 Evaluate Your Life Day 

19 Sweetest Day

20 Brandied Fruit Day     

21 Babbling Day 

21 Count Your Buttons Day 

21 National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day 

22 National Nut Day 

23 National Mole Day 

23 Tv Talk Show Host Day 

24 National Bologna Day 

24 United Nations Day   

25 Frankenstein Friday 

25 Punk for a Day 

25 World Pasta Day 

26 Make a Difference Day 

26 National Mincemeat Day 

27 Hindu Diwali Day 

.27  Mother-In-Law Day -

27 National Tell a Story Day - in Scotland and the U.K. 

27 Navy Day 

28 Plush Animal Lover's Day     

29 Hermit Day 

29 National Frankenstein Day 

30 National Candy Corn Day 

30 Mischief Night 

31 Carve a Pumpkin Day 

31 Halloween 

31 Increase Your Psychic Powers Day

http://holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/october.htm

October!