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Mary Griggs

~ The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

Mary Griggs

Monthly Archives: August 2016

The Wreath of Victory

27 Saturday Aug 2016

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Mary Griggs, Sports

rio2016

I really enjoy the Olympics. There is pageantry, patriotism and performances to dazzle the senses and quicken the heart. I watch as much as I can (cursing the broadcasters decision to not televise some sports or  only televise them on cable channels I don’t get or being sexist in their coverage) and grow misty eyed at the stories of athletes overcoming much to reach the Olympics. I cheer as Team USA climbs to the top of the podium.

And climb they did!

The United States won 46 gold, 37 silver and 38 bronze medals. That puts our medal total at 121. The next highest country, China, only had 70 medals total.

And our women! My, how far we’ve come.

In 2016, almost half (44%) of the Olympic medals were awarded to women’s events. That is huge increase from the only 25% in 1984 and not even being allowed to watch, much less participate in the ancient games.

The US Olympic team was comprised of 554 members, of which 291 were women. Those women went on to earn 61 of those 121 medals – including more than half (27) of the gold medals. Sakes alive but I love Title IX!

Team LGBT had a very big presence at the 2016 games as well. A record 55 Out athletes competed. Of special note is that TEAM LGBT’s medal count beat every country that criminalizes gay sex with twenty five Out athletes winning medals.

The athletes were smart, too – there are 1,018 incoming, current and former NCAA student-athletes representing 107 countries and 223 US colleges and universities scheduled to compete.

There are certainly problems with the games – corruption in the awarding of games, financial ruin for many nations/cities who host, issues around gender defining, use of performance enhancing drugs, marketing gone amok, etc. But, to see those smiling faces of the athletes as they hold their medals and hear their nation’s anthem play is to make it all worthwhile.

Because the Olympic ideal IS worthwhile – the best and the brightest, putting their bodies and hearts on the line and achieving excellence through competition. The Olympic motto is inspiring, too – “Citius, altius, fortius” meaning “swifter, higher, stronger.”

As the crafter of the modern Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin, put it: “The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”

Exactly.

Now I just have to get through the next four years until the next Olympics.

* The title of this blog post comes from a poem by Pindar:

Who, then was given
the wreath of victory
for his speed of foot,
putting before his eyes
the game’s glory,
achieving thought in action?

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They’re trying to wash us away

17 Wednesday Aug 2016

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Louisiana

The Aaron Neville performance of the Randy Newman song, Louisiana 1927, keeps playing in my mind:

Louisiana, Louisiana
They’re trying to wash us away
They’re trying to wash us away
Oh Louisiana, Louisiana
They’re trying to wash us away
They’re trying to wash us away

That song is about the great Mississippi River flood of 1927 that left 700,000 homeless in Louisiana and Mississippi.

flooding picHere are some statistics from the August 10-13 flooding that is currently devastating much of Southern Louisiana:

Over 30,000 people had to be rescued. Eight people are dead, a unknown number are still missing and 10,000 people are in shelters (Update – 11 dead)

More than 40,000 homes were damaged including 90% of the homes in Denham Springs and 75% of the home in Livingston parish which are considered damaged or destroyed

34,000 homes and businesses are still without electricity

Interstate I-12 was closed for 40 miles in both directions between Baton Rouge and Covington. I-10 was closed for 20 miles between Baton Rouge and Gonzales.

Much of area remains underwater.

20 parishes have been declared a major disaster by the federal government

Acadia
Ascension
Avoyelles
East Baton Rouge
East Feliciana
Evangeline
Iberia
Iberville
Jefferson Davis
Lafayette
Livingston
Pointe Coupee
St. Helena
St. Landry
St. Martin
St. Tammany
Tangipahoa
Vermilion
Washington
West Feliciana

It may seem like we’re whining about being ignored by the national media. Trust me, that attention really will help the Louisiana congressional delegation in getting needed assistance from the federal government during the long recovery process ahead.

Thanks to all who have contacted me to check in and make sure that I’m okay. New Orleans escaped the flooding and while we got pretty wet from the rain, we aren’t underwater like the rest of the area.

It is our turn to help all those who stepped up to help us after the levee breaks following Hurricane Katrina.

 

Here are some resources:

Resources For flood Victims:

Shelter information for Affected Parishes

The Louisiana governor’s office can be reached at (225) 342-7015. The Gov Office webpage on disaster relief can be found here.

FEMA Claims Handbook

If you are are in a parish currently included in the federal disaster declaration, you can register with FEMA at disasterassistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362. If your parish is not yet included in the federal declaration, you must register by calling 1-800-621-3362.

For those who want to help:

Read this first: When Disaster Relief Brings Anything But Relief

New Orleans Moms blog on how to help

Info on preparing and shipping a cleaning bucket.

Dirty Coast is updating its famous Soul is Waterproof t-shirt, with proceeds to go to the Second Harvest Food Bank

Acknowledging all the help and support locals provided to their neighbors, $15 from each sale of the Cajun Navy t-shirt will go to the Baton Rouge Area Foundation Louisiana Flood Relief fund.

Hope this helps.

We are #OneLouisiana

 

 

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