Students in the town of Joplin, Mo., returned to school yesterday as the city continues its attempt at a return to normalcy following the devastating EF-5 tornado that ravaged the town on May 22. What isn't normal, however, is the renovated department store in a local mall that has temporarily become the Joplin Public Schools' new high school.
Greg Boyd, Joplin High School's assistant principal, told The Associated Press that school officials expect to call North Park Mall the school's home for the next three years.
Interestingly, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Embassy in Washington, D.C. has offered to donate up to $1 million toward the new school building and the purchase of new laptop computers for all of the high school's students.
The embassy's initial $500,000 donation will go toward Joplin Public Schools' “One-to-One” initiative, which established the goal of providing laptops for each of the high school's 2,200 students. The UAE will also match any other outside donations toward the initiative up to $500,000, for a total of $1 million.
I never thought I would ever say this, but thank you United Arab Emirates. Your kindness in a time of great tragedy is appreciated, and will be remembered.
People never cease to amaze me.
ReplyDeleteNow, if they'd knock off the Jew-hate and drop the price of oil by fifty or sixty bucks a barrel, I might REALLY get my friendship groove on.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I was amazed by the seeming level-headedness of the Muslims in Britain during the recent rioting.
ReplyDeleteNow, if only they would;
A) Stop the hatred of Jews, wishing for the destruction of Israel.
B) Stop the vile habits and beliefs toward women and children.
C) Stop sending terrorists all over the world.
D) Stop. . . Oh never mind. Just go on as you were before this moment of weakness.
The rulers of the UAE have no friends. Not in the region (their people, their imported workers, the Iranians, the Saudis) or the world - except for the United States.
ReplyDeleteThey have oil but not enough; they tried to build a "Singapore on the Gulf" (Dubai) but that didn't work out so well. The US Navy is their security.
Pity a tribe that scrambles and claws to the top of the greasy pole only to find it a dangerous and lonely place.
Nobody has gotten rich betting on a change of consciousness in the Arab world (er... maybe make that "human race generally") but if I had to give odds I'd say that the gulf Arabs of the UAE have the best chance of an epiphany.
The UAE are probably the most "friendly" towards Israel of all the Arab countries. There were even sort of diplomatic relations for a while. IMO they live in too much terror of the Iranians and other assorted extremists to get too friendly with us, but if there's hope for any kind of relationship, it'll probably come from them - as long as they stay alive long enough.
ReplyDelete