The Fresh Air Fund NEEDS host families for the Summer of 2010

I was asked to publish this letter.
If you can help pls contact them.
I don't know who are they, I did not control the information.

In 2009, The Fresh Air Fund's Volunteer Host Family program, called Friendly Town, gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.

The Fresh Air Fund relies on donations to provide memorable summers to NYC children.

The Fresh Air Fund needs hosts for the summer of 2010.

More than 65% of all Fresh Air children are reinvited to stay with their host family, year after year.

Thanks to host families who open up their homes for a few weeks each summer, children growing up in New York City’s toughest neighborhoods have experienced the joys of Fresh Air experiences. Fresh Air Fund Host Families "It is rewarding to see the smile on our Fresh Air child's face as she enjoys the simple things we take for granted..."  Friendly Town host families are volunteers who live in the suburbs or small town communities. Host families range in size, ethnicity and background, but share the desire to open their hearts and homes to give city children an experience they will never forget. Hosts say the Fresh Air experience is as enriching for their own families, as it is for the inner-city children. There are no financial requirements for hosting a child. Volunteers may request the age-group and gender of the Fresh Air youngster they would like to host. Stories about real Fresh Air host families and their New York City visitors are just a click away! To learn more about becoming a host call (800) 367-0003! Fresh Air Fund Children Fresh Air children are boys and girls, six to 18 years old, who live in New York City. Children on first-time visits are six to 12 years old and stay for either one or two weeks. Youngsters who are re-invited by the same family may continue with The Fund through age 18, and many enjoy longer summertime visits, year after year. A visit to the home of a warm and loving volunteer host family can make all the difference in the world to an inner-city child. All it takes to create lifelong memories is laughing in the sunshine and making new friends. The majority of Fresh Air children are from low-income communities. These are often families without the resources to send their children on summer vacations. Most inner-city youngsters grow up in towering apartment buildings without large, open outdoor play spaces. Concrete playgrounds cannot replace the freedom of running barefoot through the grass or riding bikes down country lanes.  Fresh Air children are registered by more than 90 participating social service and community organizations located in disadvantaged neighborhoods in the five boroughs of New York City. These community-based agencies are in close contact with children in need of summer experiences in rural and suburban areas. Each agency is responsible for registering children for the program.  What do Fresh Air children enjoy? Playing in the backyard Laughing in the sunshine Catching fireflies Riding bicycles Learning to swim Running barefoot through the grass You can give a child the experience of a lifetime with your gift to The Fresh Air Fund! Every year, The Fresh Air Fund gives thousands of inner-city children the priceless gift of fun – and opens the door to a lifetime of opportunities. Whether it's a two-week trip to visit a volunteer host family, or a fun-filled and educational stay at one of our camps, our programs make for unforgettable memories – and open a world of new friendships and fresh possibilities. We are a not-for-profit agency and depend on tax-deductible donations from people like you to keep our vital programs flourishing.  Donate online now Gazing at the stars on moonlit nights Building sandcastles Simple pleasures of life away from the inner-city

I Began To Believe In Horoscopes

All my life I was interested in "paranormal" thingsand had many battles with the persons that do not believe in them. I wrote different times in this blog about ghosts, legends, forecasts etc. It's interesting. Everybody of us knows that something this exists. We feel and see, we hear it. But most of us do not believe own eyes. Even the science confesses that something is in the area. :-) Something that they can't understand, prove, but the instruments show the existence of this something.

So, I believe in ghosts, in spirits. If we see only 8% of the possible range, other 92% HAVE to exist even if our eyes are not able to see it, no?

From other side, I do not remember what I did in the belly of my mother. But it does not prove, I did not was there. Or I'm not right?

Said this, I have to confess, I've never believed in horoscopes.
I learnd much enough about the semiprecious stones, and know, all the "definitions" about the corrispondance between stones and Zodiac are somethng invented and arranged to tell the same things in all the world and to sell the stones well. Before this agreement between the jewellers every vendor and healer said an other thing about horoscope and this was not good for their incomes. As said, I was just sceptic about it and knowing this made me completely contrary all the "Zodiac"-talks.

A year ago I read the Chinese (or similar) horoscope for that year. It was said, the year was very bad for me. It was the year of Ox, and I was born in the year of Ox, and it was the bad combination for me. In fact, 2009 was too bad and too tragic. My Chinese friend will surely say, it was the time to finish the old period and to begin "new life". I can really see the events of the last year as finishing that part of my life.

In January I read about this new Chinese year, Tiger will be excellent for me. Maybe it's because I adore these animal. What is interesting, I really feel that I begin a new period. What was too difficult for me before seems to be easy. What I want to say, I began to believe in Horoscopes. In Chinese Horoscopes at least.

A Legend About The Miracolous Resque

When the tourists visit the Dom of Salerno, they rarely notice this fresque in the last apse of the crypt. And they are not right. The picture is very interesting first of all because it represents Salerno in XVI century. Second is the event represented on it.



The episode was not very rare in the life of the town: Saracens came very near that time and wanted to sack it. There was nothing and nobody to protect the people, and the only thing they could do was to pray Saints to help them.

The Saints listened to the poor frightened residents of the town. There was terrible storm that day and all the Saracen's ships went down. No one Saracen remained alive to tell about it.

Salerno was save and the life continued happy as before.



The most interesting part of this story is that it was the same salvation in Naples too.
I don't know, which of these legends is truth. But Salerno has this beautiful testimonials -and Napoletans do not have it. ;-)))

Rain Does Not Leave Us

I was too busy in the last period and had not time to write in this blog, so this post is about the weather. ;-))) You will understand from the photos, it's the main theme in our lives till today.

You are just tired to read about rain. But it's the sad fact of reality: it rains here without stop for months, from september, and there was never so much rain as from November 2008 till today. It rains, rains and rains.

I was in Salerno some days ago, and it was a sunny day there. Well, not tooooo sunny, a few drops fall on the town, but generally the day was very beautiful. I closed our museum at 13:00 and went home. My husband had to finish his work at 14:00, and he said, he will pick me up. I had one hour to walk in the direction of our home. You know, I like walking. Specially with this nice spring sun, such pastime is a simple marvel of the existance.

I walked slowly and enjoyed the sun on my skin. Just near Vietri I rose my head and opend my eyes... On the photo is what I've seen in that moment.



There was this "feather blanket" over the mountains. And it moved!!!!

I opend my eyes and my mouth and looked at it astonished. I had not raincoat neither umbrella. And my road passed just in the middle of this monster. I did not know what to do but decided to continue till Vietri and to conceal myself in a bar there.

I was fortunate this day. Those terrible clouds went away till I came in the zone where they were. So, I could continue to walk. Imagine how happy I was.

More photos: