John Fenzel

A Letter from Dujiangyan, China: Finding Hope in Rubble....

nobody@vox.com(John Fenzel) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:03:18 -0700

I just received this extemely poignant letter from a young friend in China--"Frank"--whose hometown was destroyed in the May 12th earthquake. We have been praying for him and his family. If words can bring tears, this one will certainly achieve that, in spades....

_____

Dear John,

How are you these days? It's been a long time.... We are the survivors of the big May 12th earthquake. Now my family is safe, my parents are living in the countryside. The big earthquake destroyed our houses, our beautiful hometown. We lost many things. My hometown, Dujiangyan is not far from Wenchuan, now the beautiful city has been reduced to ruins, many people dead, many buildings destroyed ……..

That day, I'll never forget, at that time, I was sitting in the classroom ... suddenly, we all felt the ground shake, and the room also shook. We all ran out of the classroom. At the corridor, I couldn't stand up...many bricks fell off the roof...I tried my best to rush out. At that time crying, shouting could be heard everywhere. I said to myself : " No , no, my life won't end at this moment...I will do many things, and my dream....."

When I arrived the playground, I was so weak and tired that I got onto my knees. At that moment, we saw many buildings around us collapse...many students and teachers were crying. I prayed to God for my parents, my family's safety. Still, we felt the ground shaking. Parents rushed to school to see their children.

I prayed, prayed.....Suddenly, I saw my parents coming toward me. I hugged my mom...she cried..and my dad said: "we are all safe, but our house was destroyed." I said: "the most important thing is that we are safe."

My parents asked me to stay in the school. They would go to see my grandparents.

I thanked God ……

The next day, I went downtown to see my house. When I arrived, I saw the familiar roads, buildings, the houses , all the sights I recalled from my days of childhood. I was very sad.

The whole city was like a "death-city." ...The dead bodies could found everywhere, people crying, shouting...nurses, doctors, soldiers were busy with their work. I wanted to cry, "who can tell me, why?"

Nearly 2 months passed. Many people grew more anxious with every passing day, and many people still had no news. Our senior three students in DJY, moved to another city near Chengdu. Now we are studying, living here, preparing for our College Entrance Examinations. The government offers excellent foods and facilities for us.

The earthquake was terrible, but the world is full of love. Today, we are also sad at the news that the terrible earthquake killed so many people around us. But we do believe we can be strong and brave when facing a terrifying natural disaster. We also believe we eliminate our psychological shadows and actively prepare for the College Entrance Examination.

So I will work hard to rebuild our beautiful hometown in the future.

After the exam, I want to be a volunteer to help more people, to help more survivors, help them to learn to smile again...to be brave and strong.

Because tomorrow is another day.

Only now, has a computer been available for me to use...and to write to you.

Best wishes for you.

Yours,

Frank

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

WWI Cemetery on the Asiago...

nobody@vox.com(John Fenzel) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:11:41 -0700

Photograph of a WWI cemetery produced by Rocco of the Military Cemeteries on the Asiago...

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Standing on the Curb...

nobody@vox.com(John Fenzel) — Wed, 28 May 2008 20:25:53 -0700

Today, I flew on a Southwest Airlines flight from Louisville to Baltimore. I routinely fly this route, on this airline--but this time it was different. Profoundly different. On board, were 38 veterans of World War II who were flying in to see the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. for the day. It's a fabulous program that is run by volunteers and donations under the "Honor Flight Tri-State" organization.

During the hour and a half flight, I listened to the awe-inspiring stories of these great Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines. Most of them had never met each other before--all were from the State of Ohio. But for some of them, it was a reunion. One B-17 pilot I met had just learned that the Tuskegee Airman sitting beside him had flown security for some of his bombing missions over Germany and Italy. Another Soldier had discovered that the Marine sitting beside him was a 3rd Grade Classmate.

Both boarding the airplane and prior to deplaning, this esteemed group of veterans received well-deserved ovations. Today, we are losing our World War II veterans by an estimated 1200 per day.

I wondered where we found men of such character and courage...who willingly flew their bombers under the most formidable odds during the Doolittle Raid, who scaled Riva Ridge, who landed into the Normandy surf amidst heavy machine gun fire and artillery? Who were so willing to sacrifice themselves for our freedom so many decades ago?

My answer came in a quote worn by one of the volunteers who accompanied the veterans:

"Some of us get to stand on the curb and clap as they go by."

-Will Rogers

To learn more about the Honor Flight Program, go to www.honorflighttristate.org

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Passing the Buck...

nobody@vox.com(John Fenzel) — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:36:08 -0700

In a recent New York Times article, entitled "Where was the Wise Man?" former Treasury and current Chairman of the Executive Committee of Citigroup, Secretary Robert Rubin denies any responsibility for the enormous losses that have hit Citigroup in the wake of the sub-prime and credit crises:

“By the time I finished at Treasury, I decided I never wanted operating responsibility again,” Mr. Rubin, 69, said during a two-hour interview in his office. Sitting in a red-cloth chair and propped against a thick book to support a bad back, he made it plain that responsibility for Citigroup’s staggering losses can’t be laid at his feet.
“People know I was concerned about the markets,” he says. “Clearly, there were things wrong. But I don’t know of anyone who foresaw a perfect storm, and that’s what we’ve had here.”

“I don’t feel responsible, in light of the facts as I knew them in my role,” he adds.

But did he make mistakes?

“I’ve thought a lot about that,” he responds. “I honestly don’t know. In hindsight, there are a lot of things we’d do differently. But in the context of the facts as I knew them and my role, I’m inclined to think probably not.”

I've met Robert Rubin, spent time talking to him in his office, and walked away completely impressed with the man. In fact, they really don't come any better--he's decent, professional, experienced, kind, and brilliant. But in this case, he's dead wrong. When you are sitting in an office on the executive floor of Citigroup's headquarters in New York City, getting paid $15+ million a year, issuing denials rather than accepting one's share of responsibility for poor management decisions (and effectively blaming them on others)...well frankly, it just boggles the mind. As the "Wizard" of Citigroup, he absolutely shares responsibility for the disaster that has hit his organization.

Ultimately, that is the difference between leadership and management. Managers pass the buck. Leaders make the buck stop where they sit. Reading Rubin's statements, I was surprised. More than anything, I was saddened. Rubin is better than that.

And then yesterday, anticipating statistics that would confirm an anemic economy, President Bush also pushed the blame for the nation's economic woes elsewhere, blaming Congress for "letting the American people down." No admission of responsibility there either....

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

What a Game!!!!

nobody@vox.com(John Fenzel) — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 15:14:03 -0700

Wil Nieves is all smiles as he reaches home after his two-run homer to right gave Washington a victory.
Photo Credit: By John Mcdonnell -- The Washington Post Photo

I took my family to this Nationals game against the Chicago Cubs last night at the Nat's new stadium (which is BEAUTIFUL by the way!)...and all I can say is WHAT A GAME!!!! In a tied 3-3 game at the bottom of the 9th inning, Wil Nieves hit a two-run homer that won the game, 5-3. Needless to say, the crowd went absolutely wild. I'd recommend a visit to a Nationals game to anyone--it's a tremendous experience. Below are some photos of all of us in some rather incredible seats right above the Nationals' dugout....

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

All Due to YOUR Efforts! - VA Loan Increase Passes Senate...on to the House!

nobody@vox.com(John Fenzel) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:57:25 -0700

Recently, we learned that VA loans had not been included in the conforming FHA loan limit revisions, and so after my last post on this stark oversight by Congress, many concerned citizens (below), like you, managed to mobilize the American public to contact our elected officials.

As a testament to YOUR efforts, the U.S. Senate has just this week passed H.R. 3221, which incorporated provisions to boost the limit on veterans' home loans. The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 signed into law in February 2008 did not include an increase for the VA Home Loan Program. To correct this oversight, Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI), chairman of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, introduced S. 2768. This provision proposes the appropriate increase to the VA Home Loan limits -- provisions derived from this bill were included in H.R. 3221. If enacted, provisions in the bill would provide for this increase throughout the calendar year. The bill now moves to the House of Representatives. If approved by the House it will move to the President to be signed into law.

So what is left for all of us to do? Contact your congressmen and women; let them know what you think of this issue--and that they should support H.R. 3221. If you would like to support our veterans, ask Your Congressman and Senator about their Support for the Veterans Mortgage Stimulus Clarification Act of 2008....

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

THE FINAL PUSH: Madison's Mission: Possible!

nobody@vox.com(John Fenzel) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 15:09:46 -0700

Dear Friends,

On April 26th, our family will be walking again this year to help find a cure for diabetes. As most of you know, this is a cause very close to our hearts because our niece, Madison, was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes when she was 4. We stay frequently with Madison’s family (my sister) during our stays in Washington, D.C. Being around Madison so often, and helping her with her carb counting at each meal is a constant reminder to us of what this fun, vivacious little girl has to manage every single day … until we find a cure.

We appreciate everyone who donated to Madison’s Mission: Possible! last year, and ask that you consider donating again this year. Scroll down this post a bit and you will find all of the details. If you are in the D.C. / MD area you can also join our team and walk on April 26th. There is information on walk sign up below as well.

If you do anything, please read below to learn more about juvenile diabetes and Madison’s Mission: Possible! and then forward this link on to others. Our mission is to ultimately create more awareness about juvenile diabetes. More awareness we will certainly help raise more money…which will actively contribute to finding a cure for this terrible disease. By sending this on to others, you are helping. Thank you for your generosity.

Warmest regards from our family to you and yours,

John, Ciri, Anna, Erin and Luke

*************************************

Madison's Mission: Possible!

Madison with her brothers Nick (7) and Braden (4)
There isn't a day that goes by without us hoping that this disease doesn't effect the boys too.

Dear Family, Friends, and anyone who will lend an ear and a hand:

Since our daughter Madison was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in July of 2003 at the age of 4, we have been very active in volunteering and fundraising for The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). We realized very quickly that there was no known cause for the disease, and thus no known cure. Without so many of you behind us and supporting us along the way, we could not possibly do what we are trying to do in getting Madison, and so many kids just like her, cured.

When the doctor told us that Madison had Juvenile Diabetes, the first reaction was to ask when it would go away (assuming that with the word 'juvenile' in it, she would grow out of it). The solemn response from the doctor was that it was a chronic disease with no cure, only management with insulin. While Madison is so responsible and good about handling all that she has to endure (multiple finger pricks, insulin pump site changes and counting every carb that she eats), these are not the things that a 9 year old should need to be great at.

The one day that we feel like we have power over this disease is when we participate in the JDRF Walk For A Cure. It is a day that we come together with friends and family to actively find a cure instead of wait for one. It is amazing to see the number of people that come out for this event. The sad thing is that the numbers are growing because more and more families are being diagnosed each and every day. We say "families" because it is the whole family that lives with this diagnosis.

It is time for us to walk again on Saturday, April 26th, and we hope you will help us to make this our most successful year yet, both in fundraising and in the size of our walk team.

With our most sincere thanks,

Mike, Lisa, Madison, Nicholas and Braden Zehring

What is JDRF?

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) is the leading charitable funder and advocate of type 1 diabetes research worldwide. Since its founding in 1970 by parents of children with type 1 diabetes, JDRF has awarded more than $1.16 billion to diabetes research, including more than $137 million in FY2007. More than 85 percent of JDRF's expenditures directly support research and research-related education. JDRF is consistently among the highest rated charitable organizations for its fiscal responsibility. Click Here for more information about JDRF.

All donations to JDRF for Madison's Walk are 100% tax deductible.

What Can We Do?

It all starts with that question...and grows from there! After we got home from the hospital following Madison's diagnosis, we told her that we would do everything that we could do to find a cure. We found JDRF shortly thereafter, and have been actively involved ever since.

In the past 4+ years you have helped us to raise more than $45,000 to get Madison one step closer to life without diabetes. We have been consistently blown away by the generosity of our friends, family, and people we have never even met.

This year we are hoping to raise even more! We have set our goal this year to raise over $20,000! We cannot do this alone, so we are asking for your help once again!!

Join Our Team!

Madison's Mission: Possible

Sign up to join us on walk day!

We will be walking on Saturday, April 26th at Centennial Park in Columbia, Maryland. We have been so fortunate to have our team grow each and every year, and hope that if you are around and available, that you will join us too! The walk registration begins at 8am, the walk kicks off at 10am, and there will be lots of food, friends, music and fun!

To walk with us, click to Join Madison's Team.

Make A Donation!

If we could find a cure on our own, we would do it. It is so hard to ask others to help sometimes, but when it is something that is as important as our child's health, and the well-being of so many other children and families out there, we have to put our pride aside and just ask.

Madison has asked us when her diabetes will go away. Madison has asked us how much a cure costs. Madison has even asked Santa to make a donation to help find a cure for her (Which he did...What a great guy!). Madison has told us that there is a cure, the scientists just need enough money to find it. This is where we come in, and we cannot do it alone, so all we can do is ask you: Please help us to help Madison!

How?

There are a couple of ways that you can make a donation to support JDRF and to support Madison's Mission:

1) Click HERE to make a donation online.

2) You can mail a check directly to Madison and we will forward it onto the JDRF office for you. All checks should be made payable to JDRF. Mail to:

Madison Zehring
7120 Altford Court
Elkridge, Maryland 21075

If your company is looking for charitable giving opportunities, please share our information with them. If your company does matching donations, please take advantage of the opportunity to double up on your donation!!

With corporate donations of $2500 or more, we can include the corporate logo on the Maryland walk t-shirts, as well as on the signage at the walk! To be eligible for this the donation amount and commitment needs to be made prior to March 3rd! Please let us know if your company would be interested in this sponsorship opportunity!

Whether you can donate $1, $5, $500, $5000 or even $50,000, all of these donations come together and a make a big difference for these kids and their families and are very much appreciated! If you cannot make a donation at this time, please pass this e-mail along to your friends and family, and know that we understand and appreciate all you do to support us and our cause!

Share Madison's Mission

The success that we have had in the past with our fundraising has so much to do with all of you passing our message along to your friends and family, and them doing the same, and so on! So please take a moment to forward this e-mail on to everyone in your address books and keep Madison's Mission going!

We have consistently been touched and blown away by the generosity and kind messages and cards that we have received from friends, family and people we have never even met. We cannot even begin to express how much this effort and outpouring of support has meant to us over the years, and truly gives us hope that Madison will not have to live with this disease forever!

Each year we have a chart in our kitchen that tracks our donations toward reaching our goal. This year we will have another chart...to see if we can receive donations from every state in America!!

What is it like to have diabetes?

Have you ever wondered what it is like for Madison having diabetes? Outside of actually having it, there is no absolute way to have you experience it (nor would we want you to), but if you would like to have a brief glimpse into what Madison has to do on a daily basis, I would encourage you to do this exercise.

~ First, put a tight rubber band around your wrist. (It is important to have it somewhat tight so that you are constantly aware that it is there, as Madison is constantly aware of her disease.)

~ Next, when you wake up in the morning, before you eat, snap the rubber band against your wrist (This is Madison's first finger prick of the day).

~ Now, around 10am, if your stomach starts to feel like you are really hungry, it means your blood sugar may be going low...snap the rubber band against your wrist. (Madison needs to check her sugar any time she feels really hungry, nauseous, shaky, emotional or lethargic to see if her blood sugar is causing these feelings.)

~ Before you eat lunch, snap the rubber band again.

~ In the afternoon, if you are feeling shaky or lethargic, snap it again.

~ Before dinner, snap it again.

~ Before you go to bed, snap it again.

~ Set your alarm for midnight, wake up and snap it again (this is just one last check to make sure you will be ok through the night).

~ The next morning, you can take off the rubber band, Madison can't...she starts all over again.

* If you thought that it was annoying and uncomfortable doing this for a day, imagine being 9 years old and pricking your little fingers more than 11,500 times...several pricks every single day over the past 4 1/2 years! This isn't even accounting for the shots she used to endure several times a day, or the insulin pump site changes that she endures now.

Please help us get this rubber band off of Madison and all the other kids like her!

Thank you so much for your time in reading through this information. If you can make a donation to Madison’s Mission, we thank you! If you would like to join our team for the walk, we welcome you! If you pass this information along, we are in debt to you. For you simply supporting our goal to find a cure for Madison and all the others living with this disease, we appreciate you more than you may ever know!

Sincerely,

Mike, Lisa, Madison, Nicholas and Braden Zehring

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Supporting Veterans: A Bill that Deserves Your Support

nobody@vox.com(John Fenzel) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 16:09:56 -0700

If you would like to support our veterans, ask Your Congressman and Senator about their Support for the Veterans Mortgage Stimulus Clarification Act of 2008....

For more information, contact: Brian Lawrence, (202) 225-3527

Washington, DC — On March 10, 2008, House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Ranking Member Steve Buyer (R-Ind.), introduced a bill to include mortgages guaranteed by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the economic stimulus package signed into law by the President on February 13, 2008.

Congressman Buyer and Congressman Michael Michaud (D-Maine) had previously sent a letter to House leadership on January 28, 2008 recommending that leadership include the VA Loan Guaranty program in the Stimulus Bill.

Noting that VA’s loan program was not included in the bill to move the economy forward, Buyer stated, “Unfortunately, in the rush to compile the economic stimulus package, the Veterans’ Loan Guaranty program was not included. As a result, veterans desiring to use the VA program do not have the same advantages as other borrowers using non-VA backed mortgages. My bill, H.R. 5561, Veterans Mortgage Stimulus Clarification Act of 2008, will remedy that inequity and give veterans access to the same increased mortgage amounts as those backed by Freddie Mac.”

The economic stimulus package authorized government-sponsored entities like Freddie Mac to guarantee loans for up to 175 percent of current limits in some high cost areas. VA-backed loan limits are normally tied to Freddie Mac limits but the language in the stimulus package did not maintain that connection.

“The beauty of the VA Loan Guaranty program is that it pays for itself so this change to the stimulus package will not increase the deficit,” Buyer said. “I urge the House leadership to get veterans back into the game as soon as possible.”

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

A Memorial Service for Fallen Comrades

nobody@vox.com(John Fenzel) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:56:04 -0700

I recently received this email from my brother, Michael, who is commanding a battalion in Afghanistan. A memorial service for one of his fallen soldiers....

From: "Fenzel, Michael R USA LTC USA 1-503 IN BN"
To: john@johnfenzel.com
Sent: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 9:14:11 AM
Subject: A good link

Thought you'd be interested in this link. Had it handed off to me today. Hard to relive this event.

http://www.johndmchugh.com/slides/memorial/

Love you guys,
Michael

Read and post comments | Send to a friend

The One-Fifth Solution and the Loan Shark Bailout....

nobody@vox.com(John Fenzel) — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 19:31:13 -0700

We're now hearing that the Federal Reserve is plotting the mass purchases of mortgage-backed securities as a possible solution to our deepening credit crisis. Despite Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's assurances to the contrary, taxpayer dollars are being seen as a key financial instrument to help restore confidence--but the real twist of irony in all of this is that the confidence they hope to reinstate is not with consumers or taxpayers, but rather with themselves.

As the banking system continues to be racked by forced sales, falling prices and asset depreciation that is likely to exceed $1,000 billion, banks are refusing to lend even to themselves. The general panic that has since ensued is reminiscent of the great financial crises in history--to include the Great Depression. Here in the United States nearly 100 mortgage companies have shut their windows in 2007, compared to only 17 instances in 2006. Particularly concerning is how the sub-prime crisis is apparently (and predictably) now spreading to prime mortgage assets, as witnessed last week with the Fed-assisted bailout of investment bank Bear Stearns.

Add to the subprime and credit crises, the steady devaluation of the Dollar and you begin to see an unfolding disaster of tsunami proportions. As the Fed reduces interest rates to boost liquidity, the dollar is devalued further. As a result, foreign bond holders have begun to exercise a collective vote of no confidence in the assets they hold and the policies we are now implementing to salvage the situation. Nowhere was this more evident than at last week's auction of 10-year US Treasury notes, where Asian, Mideast, and European investors simply looked away. As one observer noted:

"The share of foreign buyers ("indirect bidders") plummeted to 5.8 percent, from an average 25 percent over the last eight weeks. On the Richter Scale of unfolding dramas, this matches the death of Bear Stearns."

Former US Treasury secretary Lawrence Summers dismissed the measures Paulson and Bernanke were taking to increase banks liquidity as property defaults continue to rise. "It is like fighting a virus with antibiotics," he said.

So, as the Fed has moved to allow banks to trade their mortgage bonds for US Treasuries, their stated goal is to create an additional $200 billion in liquidity--but is that enough when the total damage is expected to be $1,000 billion? Simply stated: it's a one-fifth solution.

Are we, in effect, bailing out loan sharks?

Bailing out an automaker, airline or steel company can make eminent sense when they have been afflicted by adverse market conditions or inefficient management systems; but as taxpayers, the question we should be asking is whether it's at all justifiable to bail out lenders who knowingly implemented (or purchased) irrational loans they knew borrowers could not afford--based solely on greed. Add to this the excessive bonuses and severance pay that is being awarded to the CEOs who led their firms into bankruptcy, and you begin to see the schizophrenia of it all.

As distasteful as it may seem, nationalizing the offending banks, even for a time, may be the best worst-case solution....

Read and post comments | Send to a friend