list 50 men little boys should admire instead of symbols of money and violence

_{i.dailymail.co.uk}

The Men of the Skilled Veterans Corp – Fukushima, Japan

Ever since the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami of March, 2011, there has been serious concern of the possibility of a meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. This group of senior citizens, many of whom are retired engineers, stepped forward and offered their services.

The group, consisting only of retirees age 60 and up, says it is uniquely poised to work at the radiation-contaminated plant, as the cells of an older person’s body divide more slowly than a younger individual.

“We have to work instead of them,” says Yamada, referring to the estimated 1,000 workers currently at the nuclear plant. “Elders have less sensitivity to radiation. Therefore, we have to work.”

This amazing group of 250 senior men and women volunteered to go into harm’s way to help their fellow citizens and the future of their country during a time of horrendous tragedy.

_{article links are to cnn article and Daily Mail article}

_{anaheimwhitehouse.com}

Bruno Serato

Bruno Serato came from Italy 30 years ago, and worked his way from restaurant dishwasher to being the chef and owner of the Anaheim White House Restaurant in Anaheim, California. During his time in the U.S., he always gave back to the community that had allowed him to pursue his dream, and established the charity Caterina’s Club (named for his mother) to help the local Boys’ and Girls’ Club sustain its services.

In 2005, his mother came from Verona, Italy, for a visit. Serato took his mother to visit the Boys’ and Girls’ Club, and she was shocked to learn that many of the children there live with their families in seedy motels because they can’t afford a downpayment on an apartment, that they are near homelessness, and that they often had no real meal for dinner. (Breakfast and lunch were provided to them through school services during the week.) She urged her son to do something to help feed these children.

That night, Serato went back to his restaurant and made 70 pasta dinners for the children at the Club. He has continued making dinners for these “motel children” every night since, even through the recession, and now serves over 200 children a night. He is urging other restaurants in the area to do the same.

Bruno Serato is an example of how one man can use his resources to express gratitude for his blessings by helping those in great need.

_{link is to CNN.com article, photo from anaheimwhitehouse.com}

Richard Martin (1754 – 1834)

Richard Martin was an Irish politician and an animal and human rights activist. Animal welfarists remember him especially for pioneering legislation through the United Kingdom parliament to outlaw cruelty to animals. They also honour him as a leading founder of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA). Founded in 1824 the RSPCA was the modern world’s first animal welfare organisation. The RSPCA inspired other countries to establish similar societies, such as in 1866 the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Martin had a reputation for being extraordinarily kind hearted to people and animals, earning the nickname “Humanity Dick.” He was a keen duellist and considered as one of the best exponents of duelling in Ireland. When an unbalanced bully, George Robert FitzGerald, killed a dog, Martin challenged him to a shoot-out and they wounded each other. Martin is said to have encapsulated his passion for duelling and his concern for animals in a reply when asked why he defended animals so utterly. “Sir,” he said, “an ox cannot hold a pistol!” The law later hanged FitzGerald for another offence.

When aged 22 Martin became a member of the Irish Parliament. But when about 1800 the Act of Union dissolved the Irish Parliament he took a seat as a member in the United Kingdom parliament, representing County Galway, where he was born.

Martin fought for social reform on many fronts, including emancipation for Catholics, abolition of the death penalty for convicted forgers and freedom for slaves. But he is remembered in particular for the legislation, popularly called Martin’s Act, or the Cruel Treatment of Cattle Act, that, with the help of others, he drove through Parliament. Martin’s Act banned the ill treatment of equines, cattle and sheep. Martin’s Act was the first parliamentary law by any country to proscribe cruelty to animals.

_{image and link are to animalethics.org.uk}

Leon McLaughlin

Leon McLaughlin is a businessman of many talents. He has sold coffee machines in Canada, earned a real-estate license in California, and now owns and runs a shoe-shine stand in central Seattle.

A few years ago, Leon had an experience that changed his life and unexpectedly led him to start another business. While traveling on a vacation to Mexico, a local woman told Leon a story that changed his life.

She had a get-together at her home earlier that week. A well-meaning American visitor asked to use her bathroom. When he came out, he explained that he helped her out by draining the extra water that was stored in her bathtub. The woman broke down into tears. “You see, that was my water for the entire month,” she explained to her American guest.

Not only did it bring Leon’s Mexican friend to tears, but it also brought him to action. He immediately knew what had to be done: find a way to bring clean water to the world’s poor, especially children.

After some investigation and enrollment in water systems repair and maintenance classes, Leon decided to establish another business. This time he would start a non-profit, to bring his clean water equipment to the developing world.

LAM, LLC — or Leon A. McLaughlin — was founded with one mission: to address the critical need of the world’s clean water shortage by buying and sending purification equipment to where it is most needed. With the need for clean water in so many countries around the world, Leon sought the advice of an organization with some experience, World Vision.

“When I initially called World Vision to share my clean water vision with them, to my surprise, they listened with open minds and open hearts,” he explains.

The first water filtration machine was donated to World Vision and sent to Bolivia shortly after floods ravaged the country in February 2008. During his December trip to Bolivia with World Vision to see his filtration systems at work in several communities, and meet with local officials, Leon was touched even more deeply.

“It’s almost like seeing another Hurricane Katrina in the U.S., when you see how the children and their families are displaced,” he said. “You could see that there was a desperate need for clean water.

“The children had hope in their eyes, and need help. I’m glad that I’m part of this mission with World Vision, to be able to bring these children and their families clean drinking water.”

_{images are from seattletimes.nwsoure.com and beingthedifference.com, link is to World Vision article about Leon McLaughlin – visit the link to see the NBC news segment as well.}

_topnews.in

Admiral Mike Mullen

I am including Admiral Mike Mullen here even though, as head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Armed Forces, he might be considered a symbol of violence and not an alternative symbol for boys. However, the public stand he has taken in allowing gays to serve openly in the military was a stand for civil rights that took a considerable amount of integrity and bravery. In a field where machoism is highly valued, Admiral Mullen was courageous enough to point out that he, and anyone who has enlisted in the military, has served alongside many gay service members, and that their ability and willingness to serve and defend their fellow citizens should be regarded just as highly as their non-gay comrades.

Admiral Mullen, in my opinion, is an example of what it means to be an officer and a gentlman.

_{image: topnews.in, links are to Wikipedia about Admiral Mullen and to a New York Times article about his public support of repealing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”}

edit: I further applaud Admiral Mullen for demonstrating what appears to be a mindful approach to military intervention and, taking into consideration that he represents the U.S. military, comments encouraging sincerity and straightforwardness in communications with the Muslim world. “I would argue that most strategic communication problems are not communication problems at all,” he wrote. “They are policy and execution problems. Each time we fail to live up to our values or don’t follow up on a promise, we look more and more like the arrogant Americans the enemy claims we are.”

Roberto Clemente

“Anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t do it, you are wasting your time on this earth.”

It’s unfortunate that most biographies you will find about Roberto Clemente focus on his baseball career and not on his life off the field. I just finished watching a biography about this man, and was blown away by his depth and sense of humanitarianism. Roberto Clemente not only broke barriers in the world of baseball, he lived a life true to his ideals, speaking up about injustice and taking action to help those less fortunate. One of his dreams was to create a sports city for underpriveleged youth in his native Puerto Rico after he retired.

During a visit to Nicaragua in the early 70s, Roberto Clemente was impacted by the poverty he saw there, and the standards of living that reminded him of his own childhood growing up in Puerto Rico in the 40s. He felt such a strong connection to the people of Nicaragua that when Managua was devastated by a powerful earthquake in 1972, Roberto personally mobilized a massive relief effort. Upon hearing that some relief supplies were not reaching those in need because of theft and corruption, he decided to fly to Nicaragua to oversee the distribution. Tragically, Roberto Clemente was killed when his plane crashed into the ocean moments after take-off.

It is worthwhile doing a little digging to find out about this man beyond his baseball career.

_{image: nytimes, link: pbs.org, brief overview of the biography I watched.}

Muhammad Yunus

Muhammad Yunus (born 28 June 1940) is a Bangladeshi banker and economist. He previously was a professor of economics where he developed the concept of microcredit. These loans are given to entrepreneurs too poor to qualify for traditional bank loans. Yunus is also the founder of Grameen Bank.

In 1976, during visits to the poorest households in the village of Jobra near Chittagong University, Yunus discovered that very small loans could make a disproportionate difference to a poor person. Jobra women who made bamboo furniture had to take out usurious loans for buying bamboo, to pay their profits to the moneylenders. His first loan, consisting of USD 27.00 from his own pocket, was made to 42 women in the village, who made a net profit of BDT 0.50 (USD 0.02) each on the loan, thus vastly improving Bangladesh’s ability to export and import as it did in the past, resulting in a greater form of globalization and economic status.

The concept of providing credit to the poor as a tool of poverty reduction was not unique. Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan, founder of the Pakistan Academy for Rural Development (now Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development), is credited for pioneering the idea. From his experience at Jobra, Yunus, an admirer of Dr. Hameed, realized that the creation of an institution was needed to lend to those who had nothing. While traditional banks were not interested in making tiny loans at reasonable interest rates to the poor due to high repayment risks, Yunus believed that given the chance the poor will repay the borrowed money and hence microcredit could be a viable business model.

In 2006, Yunus and the Grameen Bank were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, “for their efforts to create economic and social development from below.” Yunus himself has received several other national and international honors. He is the author of Banker to the Poor and a founding board member of Grameen America and Grameen Foundation.

_{image: events.stanford.edu}

_{link is to Wikipedia article.}

Dr. Denis Mukwege

Alohanani already posted about Dr. Mukwege. But I read the link she posted (not for the faint-hearted), and it is clear that Dr. Mukwege cannot be recognized enough.

The kind of cruelty occurring in the Congo is more than you can possibly wrap your mind around. Makes you wonder how the U.S. can be so eager to send troops to places like the Middle East, yet be so slow when it comes to addressing atrocities in Sudan and basically turn a blind eye to the unbelievable violence against women and girls in places like the Congo.

_{image: blog.ushmm.orglink is to Glamour article on Dr. Mukwege and the women he tries to help in the Congo.}

Richard Loving

Richard Loving, along with his wife, Mildred, had the courage to stand up against the State of Virginia, which, along with several other states in the nation, maintained laws on their books that declared that love should not cross color lines.

It seems especially appropriate to celebrate the Lovings when, 42 years later, states are still telling consenting adults who they can or cannot commit to in a loving marital relationship.

The Lovings, Richard with their son, Donald.

_{images:findingdulcinea.com, fredericksburg.com., media.npr.org}

_{links are to a Wikipedia article on the Lovings and an SF Chronicle article on Proposition 8 – 43Things format would not allow link to the Wiki article on Prop 8 to work.}

Dan West, Founder of Heifer International

While serving as a relief worker handing out food rations in Spain during the Spanish Civil War, Dan West realized that what was needed were ways that communities could become self-sustaining on a long-term basis. Upon returning home, he founded Heifers for Relief (later Heifer International) with the hope of someday ending hunger permanently.

_{image: heifer.orglinks: wikipedia bio and Heifer International site}