Scott Base, Antarctica -- New Zealand Base Near McMurdo

John Miller, our USAP pen pal, visited the base run by New Zealnad which is near the American base called McMurdo. The New Zealand Base is called Scott Base (not to be confused with the American base called Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station we learned so much about last year). John was invited to dinner by his 26 New Zealand friends, and he sent us some groovy photos. How nice to have good neighbors even in Antarctica!

The photos John sent show a mixture of old and new things. The old Scott Base goes back to IGY which was the International Geophysical Year of 1957. In the photos, an old building and its interior are from that period. A newer base exists now and, as you see, has nicely well-lit meeting rooms (John's New Zealand friends are at the table), a library (notice the book that's named Antarctica), and bunks. It also has a lounge with a window that overlooks the Ross Ice Shelf towards McMurdo.

--Adrian

Below are comments that John emailed to us from McMurdo:

"I had the pleasure of being invited to dinner by my Kiwi friends from Scott base last Wednesday evening.

Afterwards I was given a brief tour of their base and its history dating back to the first IGY in 1957. I have included some pictures here ... They have a really nice lounge that looks out over the Ross ice shelf, and down to the original base built in 1957, in part by Sir Edmund Hillary...who was the Leader of the 1957 over-wintering party at the base.

. It is very much the same as it was back in 57', with a plethora of old pictures and artifacts from those early years. While much smaller than our Mcmurdo, Scott base has many of the same amenities including a bar, store, sauna, vehicle maintenance facility, library, movie room, computer room, and dorm style living quarters. Altogether, a very cozy place to spend the winter for the 26 Kiwi's doing so this year.

One of the many events that some dare to do here is the Polar Plunge. This is where a hole is cut in the sea ice and people warm up in the sauna, then run out and jump in to the Ross sea through the ice. Typically done at sunset, midwinter, and sunrise, with the air temp usually below zero, and the water temp around 20'. I understand it is quite a shock..
... ... ...

We still have a couple hours of daylight here in the afternoon, and will be totally dark in a couple of weeks. Auroras have been spotted in the early morning hours, but you need to get away from the town lights for the best view. One of my goals this winter is to get some aurora shots of my own either from Observation hill, out on the ice shelf, or from the castle rock area, if I can get someone to go with me.

Well, that's it for now, keep those emails coming ...

Take care,

John

"On the Ice" at McMurdo -- Photos of John Miller

(Here are two more stunning photos sent to us from Antarctica by our pen pal John Miller.
--Adrian)

Pegasus Crash, 1970 -- McMurdo, Antarctica

(John Miller recently visited the site where a US plane crashed in Antarctica many years ago. Here are some of his photos and what he wrote to us about it.
--Adrian)

Date: Friday, March 20, 2009, 4:02 AM A quick note to show everyone some pictures of the Pegasus crash site which we visited this evening. Weather was calm and the sunset was spectacular. Pictures really do not tell the story of just how beautiful this place really is.

John

"In October 1970, a C-121J super constellation called "Pegasus" crashed into an airfield near Mcmurdo. A storm had blown in from the south, as they're known to do, and completely eliminated visibility. The flight had already passed PSR (point of safe return), therefore lacked fuel to turn around and was left with no choice but to 'put the girl down.' After circling the runway for hours without getting a visual, they caught a quick glimpse on the last pass and set 'er down, sliding into a heavy snowdrift caused by the storm and spinned the connie around while flinging off a couple propellers, a couple engines, and the entire right wing. Nobody died."

Our Student Questions to Antarctica

Recently a few of our students had questions about life in Antarctica. Here are some of the student questions and answers from our pen pal John Miller, USAP, at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. In the photos we see John inside the McMurdo Station at work -- with electricity-- and outside "on the Ice." (Note: John was also in Afghanistan working with the US government recently and discusses that too. )
--Adrian

Dwana: "I am a Christian pastor in training and I know that you once did religious services at South Pole. I think it is very important for people to know about God. I would like to bless you and your family and the people who work with you, who are your family now until you return home. God Bless and keep you safe."

John:

Dwana, I am blessed to be able to offer a church service here at Mcmurdo as well, and having a number of people attend from our base and Scott base as well. I am looking forward to our Easter service next week, even if it will be dark. I'm praying for a full house for that service and the opportunity to share the true meaning of Easter with everyone, and offering the Lord's supper as well.

Thank you for your blessing and please remember my wife especially. She works so hard to keep our household running, feeding the kids, and working at a full time job as well. Truly I am, as Proverbs 18:22 says "He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord".

Take care and fight the good fight!

John

Eliria:
"Do you have people who live out there besides yourselves, like the Eskimoes? Did you name the penguin in the picture? How do you all stay dry? Do you wash clothes there? Do you go fishing? We had a great International Women's Day educational gathering at school, and I talked about Education of Women in Afgahanistan. I heard about your visit to Afghanistan. Can you tell me more about it? What was it like for women's rights there when you were in Afghanistan? Thank you. I wish you well."

Eliria, well there are only us visitors here on the continent, no indigenous people. The Maori migrated to the islands of New Zealand about 1000 years ago and not much further south. This is a very harsh continent with little wildlife for sustenance, no soil for growing crops, which would be impossible anyway because of the cold temperatures, and sea ice that may, or may not, break up during the summer months. Ross bay is literally teeming with life, but is also covered with many feet of ice, even in the summer months. Whales, seals, and penguin, are found here in abundance during the summer, but one would have to venture out onto the ice, which can become very unstable, to hunt them. Even the native birds, like the Skua, Antarctic Turn, or Snow Petrel, leave for the winter.

I really wish I could go fishing here but the ice is too thick, and it is not allowed under the current Antarctica treaty.

I was in Afghanistan for about six weeks back in 2005, while working as a government contractor on a base just south of Kabul. I met quite a few local Afghans who were really no different from me aside from their being Muslim. They lived under some of the worst conditions in the world and never complained. I was honored that, the day before I left, they asked me to share a meal with them. They have so little compared to us and yet they wanted to share with me.

I only saw women when we traveled to Kabul, or other camps, which was very dangerous at the time. Most women wore western style clothes but did cover their faces with a veil of one kind or another. I was told by one of the locals that only the wives of the Taliban fighters would wear a burka, and they were few and far between.

Thank you for your interest and questions,
John

Jennie:
"I am sorry that you had to leave your family so soon, to return to Antarctica. We were looking forward to you to visit our school one day. But I'm happy to hear from you again via the internet. I wish you well. Be safe"

Hello Jennie, I'm trying to put together a vacation for me and my family, that would include a stopover in New Orleans, some time next December. I look forward to the day when I can visit your school and meet everyone and share more about my time at the South Pole and here at Mcmurdo.

I do miss my family terribly, but work is work, and there was precious little of it in Nevada. I don't think I could do this if my kids were not all teenagers, or in college. But, this does give me the opportunity to experience a part of the world I could not afford to see otherwise, and has brought me new friends from all over the United States.

Thank you so much for your concern,

John

The Frozen House -- McMurdo, Antarctica

Here are two more spectacular photos sent to us from McMurdo Station, Antarctica by our pen pal in the USAP, John Miller. As John told us via email, this small hut in Antarctica had its windows broken in a storm, and it rapidly filled up with snow and ice. John dropped by later on to see what happened. That's him taking a break on the frozen sofa.
In the next photo we see what the visibility conditions are like in the Antarctic winter -- it's basically zero. Again, thanks, John, for the fantastic photos! I showed these to our students and teachers today at school, and they were amazed.
--Adrian

Below are John's own words in his email:

"Here are a few pictures of what this place looks like after two weeks of snow falling and 80mph winds. All told we received around 6 feet of snow ... Some places are scoured clean, while others have 10 foot drifts.

One of the buildings had a couple of windows broken out from blowing debris and which allowed snow to fill up the room making for some very interesting photos. Visibility at times was worse than zero....

Take care and enjoy the sunshine you have,

John"

Watch the Garden Grow

Inch by inch, row by row, Sr. Kathleen makes the garden grow...

Here are the latest photos of our flower garden in progress. In the photo are Sr. Kathleen and SVDP students.

--Adrian

GED Graduation Photos, Loyola University

Here are two snapshots I took at the GED ceremony today. Top photo, Rachel Nicolosi of the Literacy Alliance GNO speaking to the audience and graduates; bottom photo, GED graduates in caps and gowns. What a day it was !!

--Adrian

SVDP-ALC Graduates at the GED Ceremony at Loyola

Here are some photos I took of our own SVDP-ALC graduates today. It was exciting to see our three SVDP-ALC GED graduates getting their diplomas today at Roussel Hall at Loyola University. The three were (in top photo, L to R) Terrell Brumfield, Lance Williams, and Jor'dan Watson. You can see them here in the white caps and gowns.

In the next photo you can see two of our grads with Sr. Lory.

It was a great day that represented a lot of hard work and study. Congratulations to our graduates from all of us at SVDP-ALC !

--Adrian

Our RB&W Photographer, Miriam McGinn: GED Graduation

Here are a few photos I took of Miriam McGinn, the Photography and Art Editor for our new Literacy AmeriCorps student magazine called Read Beans and Writes (RB&W). Miriam came to SVDP-ALC a week ago and took some wonderful photos for RB&W including the fantastic pictures of the red beans logo and poster. She also took photos of the student posters for International Women's Day which we hope to use at a future event at Loyola.

But today the tables were turned as I got a few snapshots of Miriam herself as she practiced her art of photography. She was our Literacy AmeriCorps photographer at the Second Regional GED Graduation today held at Roussel Hall at Loyola Universiity.

GED graduates from around Greater New Orleans received their diplomas including four from our St. Vincent de Paul - ALC (see story above). Our thanks again to Miriam for visiting our school and taking all those great photos!

(See the photos Miriam took of our RB&W logo, Jennie's bean poster, and three of the International Women's Day posters, at left on this post. They look great!)

--Adrian

Student Writing: Carlen M. Foster

(Here is a very powerful and moving essay by a new student of ours at St. Vincent de Paul- ALC. Carlen discusses his earlier years, his struggles, and his redemption to a better way of life.
Adrian)

Knowing Jesus Christ
By Carlen M. Foster

Being raised by my grandmother, she tried her hardest to instill in me the importance of knowing Jesus Christ. I never understood why she would force me to join her church every Sunday morning. Also, I didn't believe that having a relationship with Jesus was as important as it is. As I grew older there were a number of situations that took place in my life which made me realize how wrong I was.

In October of 2007, I was indicted on a number of federal drug charges. I was facing up to five years in prison for these offenses. I began attending church every Sunday while out on bond. One year after being arrested, I joined the church I was attending and decided to be baptized again. I had received my date on which I was to be sentenced for the charges I was accused of. It just so happened to fall on my birthday. At that point, I began to pray and ask Jesus to bring me through my tough times and asked that I receive a sentence with no prison time included.

Well, my prayers were answered; and my faith grew stronger.

On December 14, 2008, I gave my life to Jesus. I was baptized and was determined to never lose sight of the One who was there for me when ever I called on Him. That very night I was involved in a home invasion in which my family and a close friend of mine life was in danger.
I called on Jesus and once again, He showed His power.

I have only Jesus to thank for not only myself still being alive today but also my family and close friend as well.

It took me a long time to know and understand why my grandmother would force me to church on Sunday as an adolescent, but I now have the answer and the understanding.

Green Jobs and Hazel's Blog

There is some really good information about Green Jobs on Hazel Parker's blog. Hazel has been the literacy education coach for Literacy AmeriCorps New Orleans this past year.
(See www.hazelsliteracylagniappe.blogspot.com/2009/04/literacy-lagniappe-tip-16-green-jobs.html)

Here is some of what Hazel said:
" I thought it would be appropriate to post some information about green jobs and adult learners. A few weeks ago, NIFL's Special Topics Discussion List addressed green jobs and basic skills. In response to a question about green jobs, the following resource was mentioned - Environmental Defense Fund's Green Jobs Guidebook, http://www.edf.org/article.cfm or http://www.greenforall.org/resources/green-jobs-guidebook. This guidebook provides the experience, training and skills needed for specific green jobs. Inform your learners about green jobs and let them know there are many possibilities for green collar jobs."

For more info on this and other literacy education topics, see Hazel's blog at www.hazelsliteracylagniappe.blogspot.com/

This information about Green Jobs should be helpful for our school now that Sr.Kathleen has begun the new project of growing a school garden.

(Note: The photo is of Hazel from her blog.)

Sr. Kathleen Grows a Garden at School

Sr. Kathleen is now growing a flower garden at school. Last week she brought in the large pot holden -- which is an old bath tub, but we don't call it that anymore -- and added some soil. Today she and two volunteer students planted some seeds and watered them down. You can see the packet of seeds in the photo. I think they are daisies; but I don't know much about flowers, so they could be cabbages or tulips for all I know.

I will, however, dutifully follow this story as our plants grow overtime; and I'll take photos. Yes, come watch the flowers grow, right here on this blog!

-- Adrian