The Riotous Readers are taking August off, but here's a heads up on September!

If you ever wondered about the Greeks (invented democracy, philosophy, science, theater, among other things), read Thomas Cahill's book Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter. This is not your old high school history book but a literate, almost poetic, discussion of the contributions of Greek civilization to our Western frame of thinking. Some of you may have read his earlier books: How the Irish Saved Civilization and The Gift of the Jews. His books are beautifully written as well as thoughtful.

Copies of the book are available at the Middletown Library. We will be meeting on Wednesday, September 13 at 7:30 PM in Fellowship Hall. For more information about joining us for our usual riotous discussion along with refreshments, call the Church Office at (732) 671-1905.

The Fabulous Friday Morning Walkers have been walking in County parks! This is a great way to have stimulating conversation while putting your body into shape. We walk in some familiar and unfamiliar places. Call the church office at (732) 671-1905 if you are interested in joining us.

The AAUW Bookstore is closed during July and August. Watch for our fall reopening announcement.

MISSION IS TO THE CHURCH AS A FIRE IS TO BURNING

Help the Calico Cat Thrift Shop, a store for the community operated by the Community Outreach Group that sells gently used items to persons who cannot afford even discount prices. It also has a food pantry. If you have a few hours during the week, the Calico Cat could use your help. Call (732) 671-0550 if you would like to help in this important ministry.

Famine in Somalia

The UN definition of famine is based on acute malnutrition among children under five reaching more than 30 per cent, and deaths from hunger reaching two people per 10,000 every day. This point had been reached in two areas of southern Somalia. The UN estimates that more than 11 million persons, mainly children, are in urgent need of food assistance as a consequence of the worst drought in more than 60 years and the political situation.

The question is why in this famine there is so little international aid. The answer seems to be a combination of politics, disaster fatigue, and fear. The UN World Food Program has been prevented from feeding millions in territory controlled by Al-Shabab. Mogadishu is divided between the weak UN controlled US backed administration and the forces of the Islamists.

The pictures and videos from the refugee camps near the Kenyan and Ethiopian borders are bleak – hundreds of people walking for days and weeks to find food. One woman who arrived in the Dadaab refugee camp wailed in terrible grief to find that the baby she had been carrying on her back was already dead.

Over the last 18 years since the failure of Black Hawk Down, there has been no government in Somalia – only warlords who fight among themselves. However, during all this time, U.S. oil companies have been operating and it is their influence that has kept the United States involved in Somali politics and its warfare.

Church World Service is providing food assistance to Somali refugees, Kenyans, and Ethiopians in various refugee camps along those borders. In addition to emergency food assistance, CWS is providing seeds and other post-drought recovery assistance eastern districts of Kenya and Ethiopia.

CARE has been the primary provider of basic services since 1992 including food, education, and medical services to the 400,000 people living at Dadaab.

What does it look like to see your child die of starvation? You can save lives by contributing to one of the organizations accepting contributions for famine relief in the Horn of Africa.

ORGANIZATIONS ACCEPTING CONTRIBUTIONS – FIND THEM ON THE WEB

The following organizations collecting donations for aid to Somalia are members of InterAction, a coalition of American relief groups that requires its members to adhere to certain standards of integrity and accountability:

ADVENTIST AND DEVELOPMENT RELIEF AGENCY
Box 4289, Silver Spring, Md. 20904

AFRICAN MEDICAL AND RESEARCH FOUNDATION
420 Lexington Avenue, Room 244, New York, N.Y. 10170
(212) 986-1835

AFRICARE
440 R Street, Washington, D.C. 20001
(202) 462-3614

AIR SERV
Box 3041, 1902 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands, Calif. 92373
(714) 793-2627

AMERICAN FRIENDS OF ACTION INTERNATIONALE CONTRE LA FAIM
815 15th Street NW, Suite 632, Washington, D.C. 20005
(202) 783-5947

AMERICAN FRIENDS SERVICE COMMITTEE
1501 Cherry Street, Philadelphia, Pa. 19102
(215) 241-7158

AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE
15 West 26th Street, Ninth Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017
(212) 683-1161

AMERICAN RED CROSS
Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013
(800) 842-2200

AMERICARES
161 Cherry Street, New Canaan, Conn. 06840
(800) 486-HELP

BAPTIST WORLD ALLIANCE
6733 Curran Street, McLean, Va. 22101
(703) 790-8980

CARE
660 First Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10016
(800) 521-CARE

CHURCH WORLD SERVICE
Box 968, Elkhart, Ind. 46515
(219) 264-3102

CONCERN AMERICA
2024 North Broadway, Box 1790, Santa Ana, Calif. 92702
(714) 953-8575

DIRECT RELIEF INTERNATIONAL
Box 30820, Santa Barbara, Calif. 93130-0820
(805) 964-4767

DOCTORS OF THE WORLD
625 Broadway, New York, N.Y. 10012
(212) 529-1556

FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY
7729 East Greenway Road, Scottsdale, Ariz. 85260
(800) 2-HUNGER

GRASSROOTS INTERNATIONAL
48 Grove Street, Somerville, Mass. 02144
(617) 628-1664

INTERNATIONAL AID
17011 West Hickory, Spring Lake, Mich. 49456
(616) 846-7490

INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS
5933 West Century Boulevard, Suite 310, Los Angeles, Calif. 90045 (310) 670-0800

INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
386 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10016
(212) 679-0010

LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF
390 Park Avenue South, New York, N.Y. 10016-8803
(212) 532-6350

MSF-USA (DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS)
30 Rockefeller Plaza No. 5425, New York, N.Y. 10112
(212) 649-5961

MAP INTERNATIONAL
2200 Glynco Parkway, Box 50, Brunswick, Ga. 31521
(800) 225-8550

OPERATION USA
8320 Melrose Avenue, Los Angeles, Calif. 90060
(213) 658-8876

OXFAM AMERICA
26 West Street, Boston, Mass. 02111
(800) 225-5800

PRESIDING BISHOP'S FUND FOR WORLD RELIEF/EPISCOPAL CHURCH
815 Second Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10017
(212) 867-8400