In the August/September 2015 issue of AARP The Magazine, Viola Davis of ABC’s hit series, “How to Get Away with Murder,” talks about growing up in poverty and why giving back is important to her.
Now the star of a drama that has 9 million viewers on the edge of their seats, Davis said she is living her dream by just being able to afford a house. “When you grow up poor, you dream of just having a home and a bed that’s clean — that’s a sanctuary,” Davis said.
In her interview with AARP, the actress said that she grew up in a household with five siblings in an old building in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Her mother worked in a factory and her father groomed racehorses. “But grooms don’t make money,” Davis said. “Definitely not enough to feed a family of eight.”
Her family received food stamps that paid for groceries which did not last the entire month. Occasionally, Davis had to resort to garbage dumps for scraps and sometimes she had to steal from a store. When she was caught, she felt so ashamed that she forced herself to stop. Davis then had to count on other means to eat.
“Most of the time, the school lunch was the only meal I had. I would befriend kids whose mothers cooked three meals a day and go to their homes when I could,” Davis said.
The summers were difficult because she did not have school to feed her, but the winters were not much easier. The pipes in the building where she lived sometimes froze over, so the family did not have water to clean with or drink. The furnace broke, and the family would have to use each other’s body heat to stay warm.
Despite her hunger and unstable home life, Davis performed well in school. She and her siblings wanted to make sure they did not live in those conditions in the future.
“School was their haven,” Sara Davidson, AARP The Magazine writer, said. “And they stayed late, participating in sports, music, drama and student government.”
School was not only Davis’ means for nourishment but also where she found her calling. She entered the Upward Bound program, which funded her education at Rhode Island College. After graduating, she attended Juilliard for their drama program.
Continuing in her success, Davis won two Tony awards and later received two Oscar nominations.
Though it seemed as if Davis’ rise to fame was only increasing, she still had her doubts about being cast in a lead role. In her childhood years, she had experienced racism every day.
“People would throw things out of their cars and call us the N-word,” Davis said.
Because of this, she thought she was too dark-skinned to earn a big part in a Hollywood movie. “That notion was upended when, in 2014, she was offered the starring role in How to Get Away with Murder,” Davidson said.
In addition, although Davis was more than pleased with her life as a professional actress, wife and mother, she yearned for something more. She was asked to be the spokesperson for Hunger Is, and now she is dedicated to giving back.
Hunger Is was formed by the Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The campaign seeks to end childhood hunger. With her own experience in the matter, Davis gave a touching speech about her childhood struggles. The two non-profits then donated $100,000 to the causes of her choice.
Davis divided this contribution between many organizations in her hometown including Central Falls High School’s Thespian Society.
Helping kids achieve their dreams, or even getting them meals, has brought Davis more happiness than acting. Although she had a difficult childhood, Davis is still looking up.
“There’s buoyancy and lightness in me. I’m not angry about my life. I’m not bitter at all. I’m happy,” Davis said.
To read more about Davis’ interview, visit the AARP website.
– Fallon Lineberger
Sources: AARP, Entertainment Weekly, Hunger Is
Photo: Flickr
Viola Davis Talks About Her Childhood Struggles in Poverty
In the August/September 2015 issue of AARP The Magazine, Viola Davis of ABC’s hit series, “How to Get Away with Murder,” talks about growing up in poverty and why giving back is important to her.
Now the star of a drama that has 9 million viewers on the edge of their seats, Davis said she is living her dream by just being able to afford a house. “When you grow up poor, you dream of just having a home and a bed that’s clean — that’s a sanctuary,” Davis said.
In her interview with AARP, the actress said that she grew up in a household with five siblings in an old building in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Her mother worked in a factory and her father groomed racehorses. “But grooms don’t make money,” Davis said. “Definitely not enough to feed a family of eight.”
Her family received food stamps that paid for groceries which did not last the entire month. Occasionally, Davis had to resort to garbage dumps for scraps and sometimes she had to steal from a store. When she was caught, she felt so ashamed that she forced herself to stop. Davis then had to count on other means to eat.
“Most of the time, the school lunch was the only meal I had. I would befriend kids whose mothers cooked three meals a day and go to their homes when I could,” Davis said.
The summers were difficult because she did not have school to feed her, but the winters were not much easier. The pipes in the building where she lived sometimes froze over, so the family did not have water to clean with or drink. The furnace broke, and the family would have to use each other’s body heat to stay warm.
Despite her hunger and unstable home life, Davis performed well in school. She and her siblings wanted to make sure they did not live in those conditions in the future.
“School was their haven,” Sara Davidson, AARP The Magazine writer, said. “And they stayed late, participating in sports, music, drama and student government.”
School was not only Davis’ means for nourishment but also where she found her calling. She entered the Upward Bound program, which funded her education at Rhode Island College. After graduating, she attended Juilliard for their drama program.
Continuing in her success, Davis won two Tony awards and later received two Oscar nominations.
Though it seemed as if Davis’ rise to fame was only increasing, she still had her doubts about being cast in a lead role. In her childhood years, she had experienced racism every day.
“People would throw things out of their cars and call us the N-word,” Davis said.
Because of this, she thought she was too dark-skinned to earn a big part in a Hollywood movie. “That notion was upended when, in 2014, she was offered the starring role in How to Get Away with Murder,” Davidson said.
In addition, although Davis was more than pleased with her life as a professional actress, wife and mother, she yearned for something more. She was asked to be the spokesperson for Hunger Is, and now she is dedicated to giving back.
Hunger Is was formed by the Safeway Foundation and the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The campaign seeks to end childhood hunger. With her own experience in the matter, Davis gave a touching speech about her childhood struggles. The two non-profits then donated $100,000 to the causes of her choice.
Davis divided this contribution between many organizations in her hometown including Central Falls High School’s Thespian Society.
Helping kids achieve their dreams, or even getting them meals, has brought Davis more happiness than acting. Although she had a difficult childhood, Davis is still looking up.
“There’s buoyancy and lightness in me. I’m not angry about my life. I’m not bitter at all. I’m happy,” Davis said.
To read more about Davis’ interview, visit the AARP website.
– Fallon Lineberger
Sources: AARP, Entertainment Weekly, Hunger Is
Photo: Flickr
Ready for the Next Global Epidemic?
Less than one year ago, the Ebola outbreak scared the world and killed over 10,000 people. A recent poll taken by The World Bank Group reports that there are still concerns regarding the policies that are supposed to prevent another outbreak. Citizens in five different countries – France, Germany, Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom – say they are not convinced that the world leaders have taken the proper steps and protocols to prepare their countries for another global epidemic.
The World Bank Group’s article states that the poll reports nearly 6 in 10 people support investments and policy changes in developing countries that will help protect their own country from global epidemics. The first cases of Ebola during the outbreak were seen in some of the poorest countries in the world. These countries lacked the financial resources and manpower to deal with an outbreak that spread past rural villages and major cities, and quickly crossed borders.
What steps need to be taken to bring attention back to the fact that many countries are unprepared? Some responses from the poll state that by raising awareness about policies that help bring doctors, nurses and clinics to developing countries, epidemics can be prevented and policies can be developed to better prepare hospitals in our own countries as well. Policies that strengthen health care and stop a disease before it becomes an outbreak are needed.
With the risk of global outbreaks becoming increasingly common due to an overly connected world, the fact is that a batch of bad fruit on a cargo ship or a single sick person on a crowded airplane can start an outbreak.
– Elizabeth Steadman
Sources: The World Bank, PBS 1, PBS 2
Photo: Flickr
The Color Blue Puts an End to Sleeping Sickness in Africa
For rural Sub-Saharan Africans, a walk to the riverbank to wash clothes, gather firewood or collect water is a risky business. About 1 in 1,000 Tsetse flies, which swarm by the river’s edge, are carriers of a parasitic disease called sleeping sickness, which eventually infects the victim’s brains, driving them mad before killing them. In 2013, at least 7,000 cases of this rabies-like disease were reported.
Due to vague early symptoms such as headache, joint pain and bouts of fever, the disease is difficult to diagnose in the beginning. Although it is curable with drugs, patients are often experiencing its later stages before they realize they have been infected. True to its name, patients find it impossible to sleep during the night and impossible to remain awake during the daylight in its later stages.
Those living in rural areas may not make it to hospitals because of the far distance, but thankfully today, researchers have found that the number of individuals suffering from sleeping disease in the region of Uganda has been cut by 90 percent. The reason? Scientists have discovered a weakness for these insects with a lethal bite: the color blue. Because these flies search for something to bite which contrasts with green vegetation, bright colors, especially bright blue, drives them crazy.
With this newfound knowledge, along the riverbanks in the West Nile region in Uganda, handkerchief-sized blue squares attached to wooden stakes netted with insecticide are staked about every 50 yards. It only takes 3 minutes before these flies will drop dead. These life-saving fly traps are relatively cheap and have significantly contributed to a decrease in the number of people being affected by the disease. Last year, fewer than 10,000 cases were reported versus about 300,000 cases reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) during the height of its epidemic in the late 1990s.
WHO hopes to eliminate flies carrying the disease within five to six years. Ministry of Health worker Dr. Charles Wamboga has seen fewer cases and believes that a future free from this deadly disease is possible for a people whose very lifeline flows within their rivers.
– Nikki Schaffer
Sources: NPR, WHO
Photo: Flickr
Etta Projects Addresses Poverty in Bolivia
Etta Turner was 16 years old when she traveled to Bolivia as an International Rotary exchange student in 2002. Known for her compassion and commitment to social justice, the teen was prepared to provide for the less fortunate and help them change their lives. What was supposed to be a year away from her home and family in the States, however, turned into a lifetime when Turner was tragically killed in a bus accident.
The following year, in 2003, Turner’s friends and family founded Etta Projects, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the life and service of Turner. The organization works with the people of Montero, Bolivia, helping members of the community lead sustainable lives and achieve improved health conditions. Etta Projects supports projects that provide clean water, healthy food, quality education and stable income.
In the western hemisphere, Bolivia is the second poorest country after Haiti, with nearly 70 percent of its population living in poverty. About 23 percent of the population lives on less than $1 a day and 42 percent on less than $2 a day. Furthermore, about 90 percent of Bolivia’s children attend primary school, but only for a year or less: the average literacy rate of a 16-year-old Bolivian is at the third-grade level.
Etta Projects is dedicated to changing these statistics and helping the people of Bolivia. The organization is unique, however, in that it does not simply send money or resources to Bolivia. Rather, it connects with the Bolivian people to understand what they need and teaches them how to personally meet those needs.
To address and eliminate poverty in Bolivia, Etta Projects provides forums in which members of the community can identify their own problems and create plans to solve them. The organization forms strong, fundamental relationships with the communities it helps and the local governments that run them. They use their own resources and the available resources of the community to empower the communities to tackle their problems and issues.
The organization has five main projects: safe water and sanitation, health, nutrition, leadership and U.S. community outreach. Etta Projects is making a lasting difference in many Bolivian lives by listening to community needs, providing resources to meet those needs and leaving the community with valuable skills to lead sustainable lives. Miss Turner’s legacy of compassion and social justice absolutely lives on in the mission of Etta Projects.
– Sarah Sheppard
Sources: Etta 1, Etta 2, Etta 3
Photo: Doctors Without Borders
Couple Spends Wedding Day Feeding Syrian Refugees
One Turkish couple’s wedding celebration has gone viral on social media — but not for the reasons you might think.
Fethullah Üzümcüoğlu and Esra Polat tied the knot in Turkey’s Kilis province on July 30. While their families had saved money for a traditional post-wedding banquet, the couple decided to spend their wedding day feeding Syrian refugees.
Tens of thousands of war-battered Syrians have taken refuge in Kilis in the wake of Syria’s ongoing civil war. Moved to respond to the crisis, Üzümcüoğlu and Polat spent their reception feeding 4,000 Syrian refugees.
Wedding guests helped the newlyweds distribute dinners from food trucks and even organized a party for the refugees.
According to the International Rescue Committee, Syria’s ongoing civil war has fueled the world’s worst refugee crisis in a quarter-century. More than four million Syrians have fled the fighting, leaving the neighboring countries of Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Lebanon struggling to support the wave of displaced persons. The UNHCR reports that there are more than 1.7 million Syrian refugees in Turkey alone.
Kimse Yok Mu (KYM), the Turkey-based nonprofit that hosted the event, reported that the groom’s father, Ali Üzümcüoğlu, first suggested the idea.
“I thought that sharing a big delicious dinner with our family and friends was unnecessary, knowing that there are so many people in need living next door,” the father explained.
He presented the idea of a charitable celebration to the couple, who accepted.
“I was shocked when Fethullah first told me about the idea,” said bride Esra Polat, “but afterwards I was won over by it. It was such a wonderful experience.”
Photos of the selfless event have spread across social media, with many wishing the newlyweds happiness and blessings in their married life.
Üzümcüoğlu said that sharing their banquet with the refugees was “priceless.”
“We started our journey to happiness with making others happy,” he shared. “That’s a great feeling.”
– Caitlin Harrison
Sources: UNHCR, Washington Post, The Independent, International Rescue Committee
Photo: Elite Daily
Knitting Heals Hearts
A group of indigenous women in Bolivia has come together to form a new kind of knitting club. Instead of the typical woolen hat or sweater, they are weaving thin elastic metal into small plugs that are used to block hearts that can cause health problems in children.
Patent ductus arteriosus, or PDA, is a medical condition that occurs when a major blood vessel used to transfer blood from a mother to fetus in the womb does not close after birth. If a baby’s vessel does not naturally heal, it can leave a hole in their heart that causes irregular blood flow. PDA is twice as common in girls as it is in boys and is significantly more likely to occur in premature babies.
If the condition is mild, a baby can survive, and in some cases live, without symptoms. However, in countries with high altitudes — such as Bolivia — the condition is almost 10 times more frequent. Bolivia has one of the highest child mortality rates in the world and is one of the poorest countries in South America. There is a clear correlation between high infant mortality rates and poverty: in the past decade, U.S. federal health officials have released studies that show that infant mortality rates are 60 percent higher among women living below the poverty line. The mortality gap between rich and poor countries is, at least in part, created by the lack of adequate health care for people living in poverty-stricken countries.
PDA is generally treated with medicines or surgery. However, in poor or rural communities, it can be difficult to find the necessary medication or a clinic capable of safely performing the procedure. An alternate treatment is needed for patients who suffer from PDA but cannot afford the traditional treatment route.
This is where the Nit Occlud device comes in. Created by Dr. Franz Freudenthal, an Occluder is a tiny metal top hat-shaped device that can be inserted into the body through a catheter. The Occluder is folded so it is small enough to travel through a patient’s blood vessel until it reaches their heart. Once it finds the hole in the heart, it expands to its original size and shape and fills the hole, allowing the heart to function properly.
Dr. Freudenthal’s solution to PDA allows patients to avoid seeking expensive medication or complicated surgeries because it is cheap and accessible. With the help of individuals like the women in the Bolivian knitting group, Occluders can be made locally at a low cost by utilizing a skill already available within the community.
Medical solutions that are viable in poor countries are particularly valuable because patients living in those countries are more likely to face barriers to receiving treatment. Dr. Freudenthal’s Occluder is a wonderful example of how innovative treatments are making a difference in the lives of patients, not only in Bolivia but around the world.
– Brittney Dimond
Sources: BBC, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, New York Times
Photo: BBC
Clif Bar: Sustainable Nutrition and Development
You’ve probably heard of Clif bars. Whether you are leaving for work or school, running to the gym or caught up in the daily rush, Clif bars provide sustainable, long-term energy and doesn’t sacrifice taste or nutrition.
But beyond helping you attain a more sustainable body and mind, Clif Bar is also working to build a more resilient world. It is built on a bottom line of five “aspirations”: strengthening the company through long-term investment, creating a brand that is sustainable in its ethics, quality and authenticity, forming the company around the best interests of its employees’ creating strong, healthy communities, both locally and globally and forwarding conservation and restorative environmental practices. One way Clif Bar does this is through continual work toward a 100 percent organic brand.
“We start every recipe with the goal of [fully] organic products, but we don’t always get there depending on supply,” says Sue Hearn, senior director of communications. In pursuance of increasing the availability of organic crops, the company has invested in research, creating the nation’s first endowed research position focusing on plant breeding for organic crops at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“It is critically important that our young people know the benefits of organics and leverages them to develop solutions for all of agriculture. We deeply believe that healthy seeds and healthy soils are key to healthy plants and animals,” commented funder George Siemon.
The company’s headquarters — a former World War II valve factory that was remodeled using reclaimed materials primarily from railroad construction — is also a model of responsible development. It boasts soundproofing technology made from recycled jeans and one of the largest solar panel conglomerations in the United States. Despite its innovative, high-tech design, the company headquarters retains a utilitarian feel, much like Clif Bars themselves do. As further confirmation of the company’s environmental initiatives, its headquarters received LEED Platinum certification for the utmost environmentally-conscious design.
The company also encouraged employees to pursue a minimum of 20 hours of volunteer time a year, amounting to a massive 10,000 hours of community service logged in one year. Beyond building sustainably, the company is working to actively encourage growth in communities and impoverished areas all over the world through service work and research initiatives, such as its agricultural funding. Each year, employees participate in a company-wide bike ride to commemorate the company’s commitment to low-impact development and healthy living.
As a further example of encouraging sustainable, healthy living, the company pays its 320 employees to use its in-house gym for 30 minutes per day, take part in fitness classes and get nutrition counseling and subsidized meals. Rather than trying to balance work and life, founder and former CEO Kevin Cleary works toward integrating the two, providing payment for employees to do their dog-walking and dry-cleaning while on the clock, as well as daycare services alongside the company gym. Its commitment to the wellness of its employees, as well as its customers, has helped it become a reputable brand for empowering and supporting its workers.
This commitment has paid off. Clif Bar has a voluntary turnover rate of around 5 percent. Beyond worker benefits, it offers employees 20 percent shares in the company, increasing shareholder value and encouraging workers to lead initiatives in creating a more sustainable, productive brand. The worker engagement that has resulted, Cleary says, is remarkable.
So next time you need some fuel for a workout, workday or work-in-progress, consider a brand that is derived from and promotes healthy, sustainable ideas and projects to build a more responsible global community.
– Jenny Wheeler
Sources: TriplePundit, Clif Bar
Photo: TriplePundit
Engaging Fathers to End Intimate Partner Violence
According to the World Health Organization, 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence, and 38 percent of murders of women are committed by intimate partners. Violence against women increases during times of stress or conflict, which can occur in many developing countries, but domestic violence is also prevalent in the developed world.
Gender-based violence can inflict serious physical and mental harm. Examples include injury, sexually-transmitted diseases and depression. Furthermore, there is an economic cost to intimate partner violence. A United Nations report indicates that the costs of intimate partner violence in the U.S. in 2003 added to $5.8 billion. Costs can include medical expenses, lost time at work and deaths. In the developing world, costs will come in the form of slower GDP growth in addition to deaths and unemployment. These types of harm prevent families and communities from developing and contributing to the social and economic health of their communities.
Programs like the REAL (Responsible, Engaged and Loving) Fathers Initiative work toward minimizing these costs by creating more gender-equitable communities. Research has determined that one of the most effective ways to accomplish this is by positively engaging men to work with their partners and children to end patterns of violence.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cites different strategies to address violence in high and low-income settings. In higher-income settings, school programs that address dating violence have proven to be effective. In lower-income settings, programs that require the entire community to address gender equality are likely to be effective.
The REAL Fathers Initiative implemented by the Institute for Reproductive Health is a current program in post-conflict Northern Uganda. The project works to engage young fathers in efforts to reduce intimate partner violence and harsh punishment of children. Having programs that involve men can be beneficial in reducing domestic violence.
Mentors, who are fathers in the community, are trained in relationship skills and positive parenting practices. They are selected from the community and trained by the research team in order to work with other young fathers.
Initial testing of the program indicates that young fathers are making positive changes. For example, fathers are more involved in childcare and more dedicated to helping their wives with chores.
The Fatherhood Institute, a nonprofit in the U.K., recognizes the value in engaging fathers to break the cycle of violence. When fathers are more involved in the lives of children and supportive of their partners, communities can thrive with healthy family dynamics.
– Iliana Lang
Sources: CDC, Fatherhood Institute, Institute for Reproductive Health, UN Women, WHO
Photo: Dr. Phil
Trading Trash for Health Care in Indonesia
Three out of five Indonesians do not have access to health insurance and do not make enough money to visit the doctor. Instead, Indonesians delay their health and wellbeing until their symptoms turn into major problems.
In Jan. 2014, Indonesia started a new health insurance program managed by the Social Security Organizing Body (BPJS). By 2019, it will be the world’s largest health scheme, and according to the government, all 247 million residents will be covered. The health program impacts the middle class the most — that is, the people who are not poor enough to receive government assistance and not rich enough to buy private insurance.
After one year, the BPJS enrolled 133.4 million people in their new health program, exceeding their goal by 11.8 million members. Lack of infrastructure makes it harder for people in rural areas to make the drive to an urban hospital.
Dr. Gamal Albinsaid, the founder of Garbage Clinical Insurance, helps over 3,000 people afford health coverage by trading trash for health care. In Indonesia, many recyclables are wasted and only 50 percent of all of the country’s trash is collected. The abundance of trash left on the streets creates health problems for their citizens. A total of 3.22 million tons of plastic waste were generated along the coast of Indonesia in 2010. This was 10 percent of the world’s total that year.
All of the organic trash Albinsaid receives is turned into fertilizer and compost, while he receives cash for recyclable items. Four and a half pounds of plastic is enough to allow one patient two monthly visits to Albinsaid’s clinic.
“We’re changing people’s perceptions and habits towards garbage,” Dr. Albinsaid explains. “I believe if the positives of this problem are made known, it will excite a lot more people into adopting it.”
Indonesia ranks forty-eighth in the world for health and wellness and has an average life expectancy of 70 years. Health care in Indonesia is far from universal, but the country is doing better than most of its other Southeast Asian neighbors to promote health.
Only 0.9 percent of Indonesia’s GDP is spent on infrastructure for health care. Most of the gaps in the healthcare system are being taken care of by NGOs that treat Indonesians in the poorest and most rural areas of the country. An increase in health care spending is needed for Indonesia to successfully create a universal coverage program.
While many Indonesians may be critical of the universal health care plan, labeling it as “too ambitious,” the program is only 19 months old but is already showing signs for potentially being the largest universal health care program in the world. Until then, Garbage Clinical Insurance and NGOs are providing health services to many of Indonesia’s rural citizens.
– Donald Gering
Sources: Al Jazeera, Good News Network, The Guardian, Huffington Post, Social Progress Imperative, World Bank
Photo: Inquirer
How Teddy Bears Keep the Peace in Albania
Albania is known for its quirks and major differences if, indeed, it is mentioned at all. It is a smaller country that can be found in the Balkan Peninsula with a population of approximately three million. One of the first things to remember about this country is that a nod means “no” and shaking the head in the other direction means “yes.” The second thing to remember is if there is a stuffed toy hanging from a building, it ought not to be removed.
Yes, in this country, weather-beaten rabbits are hung by their ears, scarecrow-looking objects are posted by balconies and they are very important in keeping the peace of mind of Albanian cities. Like many Middle Eastern countries, these inhabitants seek to protect themselves against the Evil Eye.
The instrument that is used to provide this kind of protection is called the dordolec and the soft toys are also called kukull. Elizabeth Gowing, a reporter for the BBC, interviewed an owner of a furniture store: “‘It stops the evil eye from seeing our money,’… He explains that at first, he hadn’t hung a monkey up when he was building this place. ‘And then the police came. My son went out and bought a monkey and we’ve not had any trouble since.’”
The idea behind this practice is that the passer-by fixates on the dordolec and thus does not covet the property of the house it belongs to. There’s no direct correlation between these objects and a religious belief per se.
Michael Harrison from the U.K. says, “In Albania, such beliefs can be found in all religious communities, Muslim, Orthodox or Catholic – in fact, I encountered less examples of the dordolec in the north, in the area around Skhodër, where the Catholic Church is particularly strong.”
Religion doesn’t always relate directly to the customs of a country. A writer from the travel blog, A Dangerous Business, says, “In fact, most of Albania’s current reality can be traced back to that paranoid leader, Enver Hoxha, who ruled with increasing suspicion of the wider world until his death in 1985.” In driving through Albania, one might see numerous bunkers because Enver Hoxha generally isolated himself and had a strong fear of the outside world.
Now, visitors of Albania can expect to be welcomed with open arms with the natural expectation that national customs will be learned and respected.
– Anna Brailow
Sources: BBC, Dangerous Business, Michael Harrison
Photo: Flickr