On a Winter Solstice evening, during the longest night in December 21, 1996, I had already returned to my Lombard family home from Berlin, Germany after attending an international conference for Language and the Media at the InterContinental Hotel on Alexanderplatz. My Father had arrived home from working at Dominick's Food Store in Oakbrook Terrace. My Father, Mr. Roberto Hung, wanted to give me his Christmas Gift, a personal check for my Brother and Mother, $100.00 dollars, and also for Nathan S. Wittler and myself four days before Christmas Day in 1996...

The New Year's Resolution I Have Kept During 2011 is Reflected in My Personal Testimonial Account About My Father, Mr. Roberto Hung, Juris Doctor, Lombard Resident Homeowner, Taxpayer, Father, Husband, Employee at Dominick's Food Store in Oakbrook Terrace, The Pampered Chef in Addison, Felt-Products Inc. in Skokie, Illinois Victim of Heinous Hate Crimes in the Village of Lombard, District 5, York Township, DuPage County, Illinois 60148-3028, in the State of Illinois, United States of America.

A Winter Solstice Story from Gardenia C. Hung-Wittler on Vimeo.

A Personal Testimonial Account About Mr. Roberto Hung, Juris Doctor, Lombard Resident Homeowner, Taxpayer, Father, Husband, Employee at Dominick's Food Store in Oakbrook Terrace, The Pampered Chef in Addison, Felt-Products Inc. in Skokie, Illinois Victim of Heinous Hate Crimes in the Village of Lombard, District 5, York Township, DuPage County, Illinois 60148-3028, in the State of Illinois, United States of America.

A Winter Solstice Part 2 from Gardenia C. Hung-Wittler on Vimeo.

On Winter Solstice, December 21-22, 1996, I was teaching, translating and interpreting until 9:30 p.m. when I returned to my Lombard home, to find my Father, Mr. Roberto Hung, who had also returned from working at the Dominick's Food Store in Oakbrook Terrace in the evening. My Father wanted to talk to me about Christmas Gifts for December 1996 when he gave me personal checks for my Brother and Mother, my husband Nathan and myself, including another check for the Lombard Fire Department in the amount of $25.00 donation for the Holiday Fund. Afterwards, Mr. Roberto Hung went upstairs to make his late dinner...

Needless to say, I spent an entire "blue holiday" Christmas Day during 1996 at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital while the neurosurgeon operated on my Father, Mr. Roberto Hung who suffered from a severe traumatic brain injury with an aneurysm after he was hit with a blunt object on the head  by a Lombard intruder unbeknown to my Father upstairs on the second floor, while he was at home eating salmon during dinnertime upstairs on a winter solstice night.  My Father, Mr. Roberto Hung went into a deep comatose state which lasted close to one and a half to two months at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, DuPage County, Illinois.  December 1996 was the saddest "blue holiday"...and two years thereafter, my Father, Mr. Roberto Hung was attacked again during his sleep at Vencor Northlake Hospital by medical staff who killed him while he was asleep in the morning.

Throughout the year 2011, I have kept the New Year's Resolution to remember my late Father Mr. Roberto Hung who was abused, throttled and murdered at Vencor Northlake Hospital by Respiratory Therapist Ben Aguilar,  around 7 a.m. on June 18, 1998--before Father's Day.

One Day on Earth: 11.11.2011 For Lombard Resident Homeowners Victims of Crimes from Gardenia C. Hung-Wittler on Vimeo.

One Day on Earth on 11.11.2011, we remember Lombard Resident Homeowners Victims of Crimes in York Township, DuPage County, in the State of Illinois, United States of America. Eighteen (18) years ago, Mr. Roberto Hung, J.D. and Family purchased a Lombard home at 502 South Westmore-Meyers Road and Washington Blvd., near Saint Pius X Catholic Community Church, close to the Deicke Home For The Retarded on Division Street and Westmore-Meyers Road, in the surrounding area for Easter Seals Non-Profit Fundraising Organization for the Mentally Retarded, close to the Secretary of State Jesse White Motor Vehicles Facility, and one block north from Westmore Elementary School in District 5, for the Village of Lombard residential and business community.The same week, Mr. Roberto Hung, became sick and developed an infection in his thumb which required hospitalization at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston, Illinois.During the following years, Mr. Roberto Hung developed diabetes, high blood pressure, and began to lose his hearing and sight.In 1996, the same year Mr. Roberto Hung completed paying for his Lombard home, he was physically injured at home, when he was found unconscious after working at Dominick's in Oakbrook Terrace and The Pampered Chef in Addison, Illinois. He was injured with a traumatic brain injury, aneurysm, a cardiac stroke, and permanent disability which prevented him from working again while he lived in the Village of Lombard. Mr. Roberto Hung became a Lombard Victim of Crimes as a resident homeowner and taxpayer in York Township, DuPage County, Illinois, United States of America.

Gardenia Hung First Aid To Father and Mother in Lombard from Gardenia C. Hung-Wittler on Vimeo.

Lombard resident homeowner Gardenia C. Hung provided First Aid Medical Assistance to her Father Mr. Roberto Hung and her Mother when they were both found unconscious and physically injured at 502 South Westmore-Meyers Road and Washington Boulevard in the Village of Lombard, York Township, DuPage County, Illinois.

Gardenia C. Hung is providing a testimonial about the DuPage County Start The Heart First Chain of Survival CPR/AED Basic Training since she helped both her Father and Mother after they were both injured at home as Lombard resident homeowners.

Following First Aid CPR/AED training from the American Red Cross for first responders, American Heart Association CPR/AED Training at Alexian Brothers, CPR/AED for Family and Friends offered in Villa Park, and the DuPage County Health Department Save The Heart First Chain of Survival CPR/AED Cardiac Science Basic Training in the Village of Lombard, Illinois, United States of America.

The Village of Lombard, Police and Fire Department have not compensated the Family of Mr. Roberto Hung, his Daughter, Lombard Resident Homeowner as Victims of Crimes, Structural Disaster Roofing Water Damages and Losses at 502 South Westmore-Meyers Road and Washington Boulevard, one block southeast from St. Pius X Catholic Church, and one block southwest from Westmore Elementary School, near the Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White Motor Vehicles Facility.

The Lombard Fire Department, former Fire Chief Georges Seagraves, Keith Steiskal, and Lombard Police Chief Ray Byrne, Police Marilyn Gabinski, and others, have not compensated the Daughter of Mr. Roberto Hung for stealing personal clothing, belongings, and other household items from the garage at 502 South Westmore-Meyers Road and Washington Boulevard during 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.

In addition, the Village of Lombard has been damaging the existing landscape, shrubbery, Stark Bros. Golden Delicious Apple Trees, existing Rose Bushes, Lilacs, Spring perennials, and Strawberry plants growing around 502 South Westmore-Meyers and Washington Boulevard which have been purchased and planted by the Daughter of Mr. Roberto Hung and Family from 1993 through 2008.

The Village of Lombard Board has not responded to numerous letters, correspondance, and personal inquiries that the Daughter of Mr. Roberto Hung has made for compensation and restitution for All The Crimes, Structural Disaster Water Damages and Losses, Stealing, Abuse of the Homeowners' Rights in the Village of Lombard, York Towship, DuPage County, Illinois USA.  The Village of Lombard has not paid the Daughter of Mr. Roberto Hung as an Illinois Victim of Crimes during her life as a Lombard resident homeowner in Illinois.

Existing perennials and landscape garden around 502 South Wesmore-Meyers Road in Lombard, Illinois 60148-3028, United States of America.

Since I moved to the Village of Lombard, I had several near-death experiences and motor vehicles with mechanical failures leading to accidents on the Illinois roads and highways.  There was a bullet hole on the middle window of the Lombard Brick Bungalow facing Washington Boulevard at 502 South Westmore-Meyers Road in the Village of Lombard, York Township, County of DuPage, Illinois, United States of America.   My Lombard neighbors residing directly across Washington Boulevard reported criminal access to the Hung-Wittler Family garage after Midnight.  Lombard Police Reports support criminal access to the Motor Vehicles owned by the Hung-Wittler Family during their Lombard residency as homeowners and taxpayers at 502 South Westmore-Meyers Road.
When I was working as a Federal Employee Claims Examiner Analyst for the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Worman’s Compensation, Employment Standards Administration, General Services Administration at 230 South Dearborn Street, Klucynski Building on the 8th Floor, I had a motor vehicle accident while driving the Nissan 200SX near Lawrence Avenue in Chicago, Illinois during October 1991.
As a Lombard Victim of High Crimes at 502 South Westmore-Meyers Road, all my Illinois Motor Vehicles suffered from human sabotage and conspiracy malfunction leading to mechanical failures, damages, and losses which caused accidents on the highway during the course of employment as a Certified Court Interpreter, Translator at the Illinois County Courts, City Courts, and Traffic Courts in Aurora, Addison, Elgin, Joliet, St. Charles, Waukegan, Highland Park, Wheaton, DeKalb, LaSalle, Grundy, Geneva, Chicago, Skokie, and during employment as a Communications Consultant for Arroyave Language Academy in Highland Park and Arlington Heights, Berlitz Schools of Languages, Inlingua School of Languages, as an Adjunct Faculty for the College of DuPage, Business Professional Institute, Center for Independent Learning.  The AAA Motor Club and Shell Motor Club provided emergency towing service and assistance on the Illinois highways during Motor Vehicle Failures and Accident.  The Illinois State Police have assisted and witnessed the Geo Tracker Rollover Accident I had off the ramp from Route 83, Kingery Hwy, leading to I-90 one evening, on my way to Highland Park for the Arroyave Academy evening class I was teaching, when I returned from Berlin, Germany and London, United Kingdom in Europe.  During the rainy drive, the Geo Tracker Brakes failed to stop the motor vehicle driving up the ramp, and steered away from the road, off the highway onto to a water ditch.  I could not stop the Geo Tracker from rolling off and driving into the water ditch off the ramp on I-90 and Route 83, Kingery Highway.  The Geo Tracker was also stolen from the College of  DuPage West Parking Lot by the Police Academy, while I was teaching Spanish for Health Care Professionals at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, as reported by the Glen Ellyn Police Department.  I have had Flat Tires before going to work at the College of DuPage.  Also, the Geo Tracker had Electrical Failures when the Fuses Blew Out. 
Then, when I used the Nissan 200SX, the Front Axle Broke Off and Right Front Tire Drove Off the highway on I-90 off Route 83, Kingery Highway, when I was on my way to the Arroyave Academy evening class I was teaching in Highland Park, Illinois.  I had to call for Emergency Towing Service and cancel the last class I was teaching for Guillermo Arroyave Academy of Languages in Highland Park.
I tried to order a Brand New Mercedes SUV from Loeber Motors in Westmont, but the Motor Vehicle Has a Damaged Tire and Axle as an Imported Car from Germany—reported to the German-American Chamber of Commerce in Chicago, Illinois.
Afterwards, I used my Father’s White Mitsubishi Galant which was Damaged and Sabotaged when After Midnight Intruders into the Garage Used Glue Poured on the Engine, which Caused Smoke Leading to a Hole in the Engine Block—I have a Picture of the Hole in the Engine Block after the Mechanic Replaced the Entire Engine Block. The Mitsubishi Galant was permanently damages and given to Bongo’s Towing Service in Villa Park, Illinois.
Later, on May 29 and subsequently during June 2003, I purchased two (2) motorcycles, a Yamaha Zuma and a Derbi Boulevard 150 CC from Julio Aquino and Larry Wolfe at Champion Cycle Center, Inc. paying cash for both purchases.   Both, the Yamaha Zuma and the Derbi Boulevard 150 CC suffered from Motorcycle Mechanical Failures at Champion Cycle Center, Inc.
A.    MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION. THE 2003 DERBI BOULEVARD 150CC, WITHOUT A FOOT BRAKE, REQUIRES THE MOTORCYCLE DRIVER TO STOP THIS MOTOR VEHICLE WITH BOTH FEET. THE HANDLE BAR BRAKES CONTROL THE CYLINDER DISC BRAKE DRUM WHICH HAS BEEN SCRATCHED, WHILE THE (2) BRAKE PADS HAVE SLIPPED OFF, SLID OFF, CAUSING NOISY SQUEAKING, SHIRRING, AND SCRATCHING ON THE ROAD. IN ADDITION, THE 2003 DERBI BOULEVARD 150CC EMISSION EXHAUST SYSTEM IS STILL UNDER THE DERBI MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY. THE 2003 DERBI BOULEVARD 150CC HAS BEEN DAMAGED during the course of service by José Rivera, Service Manager, and the assigned mechanic, Jon Jon, due to carelessness, negligence per se, and failure to provide mechanical service for THE emission exhaust SYSTEM and THE welding of (2) two bolts securing the motor, as guaranteed by the DERBI MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY CONTRACT AND COVERAGE for Emission Exhaust Service (page 18, Derbi Red Power, Boulevard 150 cc., owners’ manual) which “covers class i motorcycle or motorscooter (50-169 cc): for a period of use of five (5) five years or 12,000 kilometers (7,456 miles), whichever first occurs. if an emission-related part on your motorscooter is defective, the part will be repaired or replaced by derbi. this is your emission control system defects warranty”; as well as in the Sales Purchase Agreement provided to the customer, gardenia c. hung, in this legal SETTLEMENT action. THE DERBI WARRANTY SERVICE CONTRACT APPROVED THE EMISSION EXHAUST SERVICE AND WELDING REPAIR ACCORDING JOSE RIVERA, SERVICE MANAGER AT THE CHAMPION CYCLE CENTER, INC. IN CHICAGO. THIS EMISSION EXHAUST SERVICE AND WELDING REPAIR REQUIRED A DETAILED DISASSEMBLY, TO TAKE APART THE ENTIRE DERBI EMISSION EXHAUST AND MOTOR SYSTEM FOR WELDING AND CLEAN UP MAINTENANCE, VERY CAREFULLY DONE BY A CERTIFIED WELDER MECHANIC, OFF-SITE, NOT AT CHAMPION CYCLE CENTER, INC. IN CHICAGO—SINCE DUST, DEBRIS, AND DIRT HAD PENETRATED THE DERBI EXHAUST EMISSION AND MOTOR SYSTEM WHEN JON JON, THE MECHANIC, HAD OVERDRILLED the HOLE FOR THE SECURING BOLTS WHICH HAD BROKEN OFF THE 2003 DERBI BOULEVARD 150CC ON THE ROAD. FOR THE RECORD, DEFERNDANTS AT CHAMPION CYCLE CENTER, INC. IN CHICAGO, FAILED TO PROVIDE THE REQUIRED DERBI EMISSION EXHAUST SERVICE AND WELDING OF THE (2) TWO BOLTS SECURING THE MOTOR AS PROMISED TO THE CONSUMER, PLAINTIFF PRO SE, GARDENIA C. HUNG, IN THIS LEGAL SETTLEMENT ACTION.
b. ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION. 0N NOVEMBER 11, 2004, THE ELECTRICAL BATTERY IN THE 2003 DERBI BOULEVARD 150CC STOPPED WORKING, DUE TO FRAYED ELECTRICAL WIRES, AND A POWER LEAK DUE TO A CRACKED HOLE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BATTERY PLATE AND COMPARTMENT UNDER THE SEAT. FURTHERMORE, THE ELECTRICAL FUSES WERE CHANGED AND REPLACED BY THE DEFENDANTS, THAT IS TO SAY JON JON, MECHANIC. AS PROOF, THERE ARE STRIPPED NUT BOLTS SECURING THE BATTERY, DUE TO OVERDRILLING WITH A POWER DRILL USED BY JON JON, DEFENDANTS AT CHAMPION CYCLE CENTER INC. IN CHICAGO. IN ADDITION, THERE IS THE OMISSION OF THE BATTERY PLATE WITH A CRACKED HOLE, WHICH HAS BEEN REMOVED BY THE DEFENDANTS AT CHAMPION CYCLE CENTER, INC. IN CHICAGO DURING 2004, 2005, AND 2006. THE REMOVAL OF THE 2003 DERBI BATTERY PLATE HAS CAUSED WEATHER EXPOSURE AND ENERGY LEAKAGE TO RUST AND PERMANENTLY RUIN THE ELECTRICAL WIRING, BATTERY POSTS, AND 2003 DERBI BOULEVARD 150CC OPERATING SYSTEM.
C. FUNCTIONAL DISREPAIR OF THE 2003 DERBI BOULEVARD 150CC CAUSED BY THE DEFENDANTS AT CHAMPION CYCLE CENTER, INC. IN CHICAGO HAS RENDERED THIS MOTORCYCLE INOPERABLE UNDER THE 625 ILCS 5/1-100 ET SEQ. ILLINOIS VEHICLE CODE. ESSENTIAL PARTS. TO DATE, THIS MOTORCYCLE DOES NOT HAVE THE REQUIRED LEGAL FOOT BRAKE. IT IS STILL MISSING (2) BRAKE PADS WHICH HAVE SLID AND SHIRRED OFF THE DISC DRUM BRAKES. THE 2003 DERBI BOULEVARD 150 NOW HAS A RUSTED BATTERY, WITHOUT A BATTERY PLATE, DAMAGED BATTERY POSTS, FRAYED ELECTRICAL WIRES WITHOUT POWER THROUGHOUT THE MOTORCYCLE TO START THE IGNITION SYSTEM. THE 2003 DERBI BOULEVARD 150CC DOES NOT START OR RUN AS A MOTORCYCLE.
II. CONTENTION OF THE PARTIES
Plaintiff PRO SE claims MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, AND FUNCTIONAL damages and losses to the brand new motorcycle Derbi Boulevard 150 and Yamaha Zuma, purchased from Champion Cycle Center, Inc. and sales agent, Julio Aquino, on May 29, 2003, and June 11, 2003. Within (1) one year of purchase, from 2003 through to 2004, the same motorcycle has been extensively damaged mechanically, electrically, and functionally during the course of service by José Rivera, Service Manager, and the assigned mechanic, Jon Jon, due to carelessness, negligence per se, and failure to provide mechanical service for emission exhaust and welding of (2) two bolts securing the motor, as guaranteed by the DERBI MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY CONTRACT AND COVERAGE for Emission Exhaust Service (page 18, derbi red power, boulevard 150 cc., owners’ manual) which “covers class i motorcycle or motorscooter (50-169 cc): for a period of use of five (5) five years or 12,000 kilometers (7,456 miles), whichever first occurs. if an emission-related part on your motorscooter is defective, the part will be repaired or replaced by derbi. this is your emission control system defects warranty”; as well as in the Sales Purchase Agreement provided to the customer, gardenia c. hung, in this legal action.
plaintiff pro se CONTENDS THAT DEFENDANTS AT CHAMPION CYCLE CENTER, INC. IN CHICAGO ARE LIABLE FOR CONSUMER SERVICE FRAUD, BREACH OF THE DERBI MANUFACTURER’S WARRANTY CONTRACT, AND PRODUCT LIABILITY FOR THE 2003 DERBI BOULEVARD 150 CC, WHICH DEFENDANTS, THAT IS TO SAY, MICHAEL WOLFE, MANAGER, ALSO DOCUMENT AS A PRODUCT DISCREPANCY, LISTING THE SAME MOTORCYLE AS A 2002 DERBI BOULEVARD, OR A MODEL ATLANTIS FOR SERVICE PARTS, IN THE SERVICE REPAIR ORDERS FROM CHAMPION CYCLE CENTER, INC. AS NOTED IN EXHIBITS A AND B.
CASE IN POINT, Plaintiff PRO SE’S chronology for discovery leading to damages and losses involving the derbi boulevard 150 during the course of service in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, based on service work orders by champion cycle center, inc. chicago.
1. May 29, 2003.- Brand new purchase of motorcycle Yamaha Zuma with a Foot Starter Crank from Salesperson, Julio Aquino, on-site.
2. June 11, 2003.- Brand new purchase of motorcycle Derbi Boulevard 150 from Salesperson Julio Aquino, with Derbi Warranty Service, without a foot brake. Returned in exchange Yamaha Zuma.
3. June 30, 2003.- For Derbi Boulevard 150, Oil and Filter Change/Inspection.
4. August 27, 2003.- For Derbi Boulevard 150, Electrical System is Out. No Power.*
5. October 5, 2003.- For Derbi Boulevard 150, Reconnect Speedo, Oil Change, Check
Over Bike.
6. October 17, 2003.- Derbi Boulevard 150, Does Not Start. (Electrical)*
7. October 30, 2003.- Replace Front Turning Signals.
8. November 8, 2003.- Front Headlight Does Not Work. Turns Off on the Road at Night While Driving on the Highway. No Front Headlight.*
9. April 3, 2004.- For Derbi Boulevard 150, Exhaust Bolts Break Off.* Temporary Repair by Jon Jon.
10. April 23, 2004.-“Customer is Informed Vehicle is Not Safe to Drive. Exhaust is Loose and Will Assume Responsibility. Loose Nut Bolt.Exhaust Bolt Broke Off. Mechanic Jon Jon overdrilled nut bolt hole and added a larger nut bolt temporarily. (Not Repaired Fully Under Derbi Warranty Service because the motorcycle had to be sent off-site for extensive repair)*
11. June 11, 2004.- Derbi Warranty Expired.
12. August 6, 2004.- Tune Up/Oil Change Service on-site.
13. September 23, 2004.- Check Headlight. Off. Open Seat. Brakes.
14. October 12, 3004.- Replace Front Brakes, Oil Change, Glue Front Right Signal Light.*
15. November 11, 2004.- Warranty – Exhaust – Screw on Battery. Underseat Plastic.
16. 2005.- Derbi Boulevard 150 Battery is Rusted along the Posts and All Electrical Wires. No Repair Done by Champion Cycle Center, Inc. Chicago. No Notice to Plaintiff by Telephone, Mail or in any way.
17. April 4, 2006.-Plaintiff’s Inspection notes Missing Battery Compartment Underseat Plate has been Removed at the Bottom. On-site Defendants Have Broken Right Turning Signal Light. No Repair Done At All since November 2004. Weather Exposure Outside Has Rusted Battery, Posts & Wires. Derbi Boulevard 150 Motorcycle Does Not Start. It is Inoperable. José Rivera Refuses to Repair this Motorcycle again, though Defendants have Broken the Right Turning Signal Light, On-Site at Champion Cycle Center, Inc. Chicago.
April 11, 2006.- José Rivera Telephoned Plaintiff to Start Charging Storage Fees On-Site for Derbi Boulevard 150, Though Defendants Have Not Repaired the Same as Requested during November 2004.

In the Village of Lombard, I had to engage the local mechanics for service repair and maintenance at Firestone Cassidy  Tire and Auto Service at 444 West Roosevelt Road, Lombard Auto Shop on Main Street and Madison Street, Westmore Towing Services, Nuts and Bolts Auto Repair at 333 South Main Street, Midas Muffler Auto Service at 832 East Roosevelt Road, and other Illinois Body & Fender Auto Repair Shops.
 
When I moved to the Village of Lombard during September 1993, the Hung-Wittler Family had four (4) Motor Vehicles which have been damaged, deliberately sabotaged by humans, and disabled after midnight at the garage for 502 South Westmore-Meyers Road and Washington Boulevard.  Although I still drive, I no longer have any Motor Vehicles in the Village of Lombard due to Conspiracy, Sabotage, Mechanical Failure, Damages and Losses at 502 S. Westmore-Meyers Road.  The Village of Lombard owes Compensation for Motor Vehicles Damages and Losses to the Surviving Family of Mr. Roberto Hung, daughter, and son-in-law Nathan S. Wittler as Illinois Victims of High Crimes in York Township, County of DuPage,  Illinois, U.S.A.

U.S. Presidential libraries became all the more familiar to me when my late father donated funds to the Richard Nixon Library and the Ronald Reagan Library. Dr. Roberto Hung, J.D. has been acknowledged for helping and contributing to preserve U.S. Presidential history in the making.


While reading an article about U.S. Presidential libraries last Spring 2002, I read that until 1939, these did not exist nor were presidential documents preserved after the U.S. president left office—Home & Away, AAA Chicago Motor Club, Illinois/N. Indiana, March-April 2002. The first U.S. President to donate his presidential documents to the government was the late President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who also contributed 16 acres of his family estate in Hyde Park, New York, as a location to preserve U.S. government history.


In 1955, the U.S. Congress passed the Presidential Libraries Act whereby it was established to maintain private and federally funded libraries for U.S. presidents to preserve their historical documents and memorabilia. Among current and existing U.S. Presidential libraries, we have:


The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum in West Branch, Iowa
The Truman Presidential Museum & Library in Independence, Missouri
The Eisenhower Library & Museum in Abilene, Kansas
The John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library in Boston, Massachusetts
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum at U of Texas in Austin, Texas
The Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace in Yorba Linda, California
The Gerald R. Ford Library and Museum at the U of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan
The Jimmy Carter Library & Museum in Atlanta, Georgia
The Ronald W. Reagan Presidential Library & Museum, near L.A. in Simi Valley, Calif.
The George Bush Presidential Library & Museum in College Station, Texas
The William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Arkansas
The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois

Last week, Tuesday, 19 November 2002, Springfield, Illinois inaugurated the Abraham Lincoln Library to preserve and study the former president’s historical documents, Civil War records, and Lincoln era memorabilia in the Prairie State where he lived from 1837 to 1861. Local news on TV featured Lincoln’s shiny copper plate profile made from copper Lincoln pennies, as well as the former president’s personal belongings, artifacts, sculptures, and presidential heirlooms collected and compiled over the years.


The life and times of former U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth president, will be researched and scrutinized as a sign of the American Civil War period. The Abraham Lincoln Library and Museum is still under construction in downtown Springfield, Illinois—general completion is expected to be in 2004.

Before Abraham Lincoln became the 16th U.S. President, he was elected to the Illinois state legislature, studied law, and was licensed to practice in Sangamon County, Illinois. He had been also a deputy county surveyor in Petersburg in 1836. Prior to Lincoln’s life in Washington, D.C., he practiced law in Springfield with his partner William Herndon, from 1843 to 1852. The Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices is an Illinois State Historic Site in Springfield. As a lawyer, Abraham Lincoln practiced in the Eighth Judicial Court in Illinois—at the Mount Pulaski Courthouse State Historic Site, northeast of Springfield, and at the Metamora Courthouse State Historic Site, (1845-1857), 15 miles northeast of Peoria.


The 2001-2002 Illinois Handbook of Government features and highlights the Illinois State Library’s Internet portal, Find-It! Illinois, your best source of information for State library, education, and government introduced by the Secretary of State, Jesse White at http:/www.finditillinois.org The library network system links all the Friends of the Library in Illinois and nationwide.

Editor’s Notes by Gardenia C. Hung, M.A., B.A.
--2002 Friends of the Helen M. Plum Library Winter Newsletter--A Reprinted  Article

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS
POPE BENEDICT XVI
FOR THE 45th WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY

Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age

June 5, 2011

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On the occasion of the 45^th World Day of Social Communications, I would like to share some reflections that are motivated by a phenomenon characteristic of our age: the emergence of the internet as a network for communication. It is an ever more commonly held opinion that, just as the Industrial Revolution in its day brought about a profound transformation in society by the modifications it introduced into the cycles of production and the lives of workers, so today the radical changes taking place in communications are guiding significant cultural and social developments. The new technologies are not only changing the way we communicate, but communication itself, so much so that it could be said that we are living through a period of vast cultural transformation. This means of spreading information and knowledge is giving birth to a new way of learning and thinking, with unprecedented opportunities for establishing relationships and building fellowship.

New horizons are now open that were until recently unimaginable; they stir our wonder at the possibilities offered by these new media and, at the same time, urgently demand a serious reflection on the significance of communication in the digital age. This is particularly evident when we are confronted with the extraordinary potential of the internet and the complexity of its uses. As with every other fruit of human ingenuity, the new communications technologies must be placed at the service of the integral good of the individual and of the whole of humanity. If used wisely, they can contribute to the satisfaction of the desire for meaning, truth and unity which remain the most profound aspirations of each human being.

In the digital world, transmitting information increasingly means making it known within a social network where knowledge is shared in the context of personal exchanges. The clear distinction between the producer and consumer of information is relativized and communication appears not only as an exchange of data, but also as a form of sharing. This dynamic has contributed to a new appreciation of communication itself, which is seen first of all as dialogue, exchange, solidarity and the creation of positive relations. On the other hand, this is contrasted with the limits typical of digital communication: the one-sidedness of the interaction, the tendency to communicate only some parts of one’s interior world, the risk of constructing a false image of oneself, which can become a form of self-indulgence.

Young people in particular are experiencing this change in communication, with all the anxieties, challenges and creativity typical of those open with enthusiasm and curiosity to new experiences in life. Their ever greater involvement in the public digital forum, created by the so-called social networks, helps to establish new forms of interpersonal relations, influences self-awareness and therefore inevitably poses questions not only of how to act properly, but also about the authenticity of one’s own being. Entering cyberspace can be a sign of an authentic search for personal encounters with others, provided that attention is paid to avoiding dangers such as enclosing oneself in a sort of parallel existence, or excessive exposure to the virtual world. In the search for sharing, for “friends”, there is the challenge to be authentic and faithful, and not give in to the illusion of constructing an artificial public profile for oneself.

The new technologies allow people to meet each other beyond the confines of space and of their own culture, creating in this way an entirely new world of potential friendships. This is a great opportunity, but it also requires greater attention to and awareness of possible risks. Who is my “neighbour” in this new world? Does the danger exist that we may be less present to those whom we encounter in our everyday life? Is there is a risk of being more distracted because our attention is fragmented and absorbed in a world “other” than the one in which we live? Do we have time to reflect critically on our choices and to foster human relationships which are truly deep and lasting? It is important always to remember that virtual contact cannot and must not take the place of direct human contact with people at every level of our lives.

In the digital age too, everyone is confronted by the need for authenticity and reflection. Besides, the dynamic inherent in the social networks demonstrates that a person is always involved in what he or she communicates. When people exchange information, they are already sharing themselves, their view of the world, their hopes, their ideals. It follows that there exists a Christian way of being present in the digital world: this takes the form of a communication which is honest and open, responsible and respectful of others. To proclaim the Gospel through the new media means not only to insert expressly religious content into different media platforms, but also to witness consistently, in one’s own digital profile and in the way one communicates choices, preferences and judgements that are fully consistent with the Gospel, even when it is not spoken of specifically. Furthermore, it is also true in the digital world that a message cannot be proclaimed without a consistent witness on the part of the one who proclaims it. In these new circumstances and with these new forms of expression, Christian are once again called to offer a response to anyone who asks for a reason for the hope that is within them (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).

The task of witnessing to the Gospel in the digital era calls for everyone to be particularly attentive to the aspects of that message which can challenge some of the ways of thinking typical of the web. First of all, we must be aware that the truth which we long to share does not derive its worth from its “popularity” or from the amount of attention it receives. We must make it known in its integrity, instead of seeking to make it acceptable or diluting it. It must become daily nourishment and not a fleeting attraction. The truth of the Gospel is not something to be consumed or used superficially; rather it is a gift that calls for a free response. Even when it is proclaimed in the virtual space of the web, the Gospel demands to be incarnated in the real world and linked to the real faces of our brothers and sisters, those with whom we share our daily lives. Direct human relations always remain fundamental for the transmission of the faith!

I would like then to invite Christians, confidently and with an informed and responsible creativity, to join the network of relationships which the digital era has made possible. This is not simply to satisfy the desire to be present, but because this network is an integral part of human life. The web is contributing to the development of new and more complex intellectual and spiritual horizons, new forms of shared awareness. In this field too we are called to proclaim our faith that Christ is God, the Saviour of humanity and of history, the one in whom all things find their fulfilment (cf. Eph 1:10). The proclamation of the Gospel requires a communication which is at once respectful and sensitive, which stimulates the heart and moves the conscience; one which reflects the example of the risen Jesus when he joined the disciples on the way to Emmaus (cf. Lk 24:13-35). By his approach to them, his dialogue with them, his way of gently drawing forth what was in their heart, they were led gradually to an understanding of the mystery.

In the final analysis, the truth of Christ is the full and authentic response to that human desire for relationship, communion and meaning which is reflected in the immense popularity of social networks. Believers who bear witness to their most profound convictions greatly help prevent the web from becoming an instrument which depersonalizes people, attempts to manipulate them emotionally or allows those who are powerful to monopolize the opinions of others. On the contrary, believers encourage everyone to keep alive the eternal human questions which testify to our desire for transcendence and our longing for authentic forms of life, truly worthy of being lived. It is precisely this uniquely human spiritual yearning which inspires our quest for truth and for communion and which impels us to communicate with integrity and honesty.

I invite young people above all to make good use of their presence in the digital world. I repeat my invitation to them for the next World Youth Day in Madrid, where the new technologies are contributing greatly to the preparations. Through the intercession of their patron Saint Francis de Sales, I pray that God may grant communications workers the capacity always to carry out their work conscientiously and professionally. To all, I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing.

From the Vatican, 24 January 2011, Feast of Saint Francis de Sales

BENEDICTUS XVI

© Copyright 2011 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

During the 25th Anniversary of the National Center for Victims of Crime in the U.S.A. with the upcoming events planned for the National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 10-16, 2011 and those to follow, I remember how I have become a Victim of Crime in Illinois at the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workman's Compensation. My name is Gardenia C. Hung, Illinois Victim of Crimes for the last twenty (20) years after I worked as a federal employee full-time at the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workman’s Compensation, Employment Standards Administration, General Services Administration, at the Klucynski Building, 230 North Dearborn Street, 8th Floor, in Chicago, Illinois. Since 1991-1992, I have been denied Crime Victims’ Rights in the State of Illinois for this 20-year-old case matter in Department of Labor court summons, court hearings, court appearances, arbitrations, meetings, panel discussions, U.S. Mail notifications, advisories, etc. In addition, the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation staff had me held by force to induce drug injection on the right thumb to paralyze my right hand and wrist during October 1991. I am writing to the National Center for Victims of Crime in 2011 for assistance, help, and compensation as an Illinois Victim of Crime in Lombard and Villa Park, County of Du Page, in the Land of Lincoln, U.S.A. I have been victimized and denied crime victims’ rights for the last twenty (20) years. In view of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, April 10-16, 2011, I am petitioning for justice, equity and fairness for compensation as an Illinois Victim of Crime under the Constitution of the United States of America as the theme for the year implies “Reshaping The Future, Honoring The Past”.

Twenty years ago, during 1991-1992, I was hired as a certified medical claims examiner, analyst, by the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workman’s Compensation, on the 8th Floor of the Klucynski Building, across from the Dirksen Federal Building. While I worked full-time as a federal employee at the U.S. DOL, OWCP Office, the first week of October 1991, I was injured, harassed, and abused during the course of employment, after 5:00 PM; since then, I have become an Illinois Victim of Crime because I worked for Richard Kadus, Phyllis Crane, Shelene Turner, Joan Rosel, Thom M. Sheridan and other federal employees reviewing and adjudicating fellow federal employees claims for the Office of Workman’s Compensation in Chicago, Illinois. As an Illinois Victim of Crime, I have been denied Victims’ Rights granted to others in the State of Illinois.

During January 1991, when I was working full-time for the U.S. Department of Labor, OWCP Office, I was trained and hired to review federal employees’ medical claims for work injuries suffered during the course of federal employment for adjudication, medical treatment, rehabilitation, vocational training, and a recommended monetary award. The first week of October 1991, after the visit of the former U.S. DOL Secretary Lynn Martin to the DOL Chicago Office, the Supervisor for Unit 2, Shelene Turner had returned from a two-week vacation touring Rome, Italy. Then, other federal employees like Anita Freeney and Lois Ware in Unit 2, also wanted to go on vacation and take their leave of absence immediately; so they started transferring their assigned OWCP claim files to the desk of Gardenia C. Hung for additional review, adjudication, and awarding, leaving several tall, high stacking files from their end of the office to the other side by the window cubicles where I was sitting. At the end of the day, Anita Freeney started screaming at me, shouting that I had to take all her pending federal employees’ OWCP incomplete and unfinished, harassing me while I was at my office cubicle desk, after Shelene Turner, the Supervisor, had gone home for the day—since I was staying after 5 PM, working extra hours without any compensation, leave of absence or vacation time off.

Then, Anita Freeney ran to Richard Kadus’ office, when the latter came out and started verbally reprimanding Gardenia C. Hung because of the former’s federal OWCP case loads and stacks, incomplete and undone, files stacked high on the medical claims examiner’s desk because Anita Freeney wanted to go on vacation, instead of continuing to work on her OWCP case loads—when it was not Gardenia C. Hung’s fault. Suddenly, Richard Kadus started abusing Gardenia C. Hung to force her to take some white pills he had and afterwards, injecting her right thumb with a drug from a hypodermic needle to paralyze her right wrist and hand, and marking her white shirt with blue ink marking a cross. As a Victim of Crime, I was abused and drugged by Richard Kadus and Anita Freeney at the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workman’s Compensation. Consequently, I had to be hospitalized for three (3) months at Rush St. Luke Presbyterian Hospital next to the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle Campus.

This federal incident also caused me a problem with my former employer, Jose Poquet, who was then the Executive Director of Premier GESA Assistance Groupe Européen, a travel emergency medical insurance network for North America, the Caribbean, Central and South America.

While I was hospitalized at Rush St. Luke Presbyterian Hospital because of the U.S. DOL OWCP Office abuse and induced drug injection on my right thumb, I was also injured and kicked by a security staff man at the hospital who abused me and caused an extended hospitalization which resulted in the loss of my job during January 1992. Richard Kadus would not let me return to work at the U.S. DOL OWCP Office when Illinois Senator Paul Simon was involved with the federal workman’s compensation office.

Even when I filed a Complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor, Annabelle T. Lockhart denied my claim for compensation and lied about the circumstances involving abuse of my person at the OWCP Office in Chicago, Illinois. U.S. DOL OWCP has not contacted or mailed any notifications to me as an Illinois Victim of Crime, thus denying me constitutional crime victims’ rights to date. I received a notice from the Social Security Administration that $20,000US dollars had been removed from my federal Social Security Pension for work performed during 1991.

One year afterwards, on September 2nd, 1993, my father, Mr. Roberto Hung, J.D. decided to purchase a Lombard Historic Brick Bungalow built in 1927 in the Village of Lombard, County of Du Page, Illinois. As a Lombard resident homeowner and U.S. citizen, the Village of Lombard Police had me kidnapped, tortured, sequestered, harassed, abused, and physically injured, so I would lose consciousness and forget who had kidnapped me. In Lombard I have become a Victim of Heinous Hate Crimes, Criminal Roofing Disaster, Persecution, Sedition, and Harassment.

After kidnapping me in Aurora, Illinois following a legal court interpreting assignment for Interlate Systems Inc. also known then as Pan Blanco in Elgin, a Lombard Policeman offered to drive me home my Lombard home and broke my right big toe, knocking me out, and injuring me at my Lombard home, which caused me to have a traumatic concussion, resulting in a mild stroke, and loss of consciousness so he could remove me from my home and sequestered me to an unknown DuPage Hospital where my family could not find me. Once again, I became a Victim of Crime by the Lombard Police Department. Afterwards, the Lombard Police continued to trespass and access my Lombard home without authorization by passing out the Hung Family’s household spare keys to intruders without the homeowners’ consent and approval.

During 2004 and 2005, the historic Lombard Bungalow suffered from a massive plumbing failure and criminal roofing disaster arranged by the Lombard Police Department and the Village of Lombard staffing employees, allowing weather elements like rain, snow, and wind to damage and deteriorate the roofing housing structure on the southwest side of the Lombard Historic Brick Bungalow built in 1927.

Then, on January 12, 2006, my Mother Mrs. G. Fong Ramos was set up for harassment by the Lombard Police Department, Scott Watkins, and other who failed to report her hospitalization by the Lombard Fire Department Paramedics and the Police who told me that she was removed to Wheaton, to be found at the Du Page Coroner’s Office. The Deputy Coroner and the secretary could not find my Mother’s body there. Since then, no one told me where my Mother was hospitalized or her location. Five (5) years have passed and my Mother is still alive in Illinois, even though I have not been contacted or notified of her whereabouts. My Mother, Mrs. G. Fong Ramos has an alias today and she is a Victim of Crime also.

Then on July 26, 2006, I was participating in a training seminar by Beth O’Neill at the Illinois Employment and Training Center for Listening until 4:30 PM, ready to go home in Lombard, when two women from Glen Ellyn reported that I had taken a mobile cellular telephone they has lost at home in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. So Lombard Police David Thiede and Pam Larsen falsely accused me of taking the mobile telephone in front of St. Pius X Catholic Church, two blocks from the Eastgate Shopping Center where I had been all day for employment training. This is another instance of serious and tragic Lombard Police errors and omissions which have added more Victims of Crimes by the Lombard Police in DuPage County, Illinois USA.

After November 5, 2008, when Keith Steiskal and George Seagraves from the Lombard Fire Department caused the criminal disaster demolition, looting, and stealing household and business assets from the Hung Family Estate at the Lombard Historic Brick Bungalow, I have been homeless and destitute in the County of Du Page, State of Illnois, U.S.A.

I moved to Villa Park on November 17, 2009 and during January 2010, I began to have problems of harassment , victim of screaming, pushing, and verbal abuse by Chuck Pickerill, Henry W. Hochstatter, Bobby Pickerill, and others from UHAUL of Villa Park, following a relocation to the King Construction Building owned by Alex King at 140 West St. Charles Road, Apartment 4B, in Villa Park, Illinois 60181. Chuck Pickerill is related to the Villa Park Fire Department as the son of Charles Pickerill, Jr. former Villa Park Fire Chief who had a heart attack while working at UHAUL in Addison on Sunday, during November 2009, the week before Thanksgiving.

Throughout these twenty (20) years, I have not received any compensation from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Workman’s Compensation as an Illinois Victim of Crime whose constitutional rights have been abused, disregarded, and ignored.  

This year the Office for Victims of Crime and the National Center for Victims of Crimes is planning for National Crime Victims' Rights Week during April 10-16th nationwide, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In order to remember millions of crime victims over time, the theme for this memorial is "Reshaping the Future, Honoring the Past" as a tribute to victims of crime who have suffered from abuse, heinous hate crimes, criminal disaster, persecution, harassment, injury, homelessness, and family loss of dear and loved relative members victims of crime in the U.S.A.

According to a letter by Joye E. Frost, Acting Director of the OVC, "Today, our greatest challenge may be to match, if not exceed, the legacy of past achievement in service to victims of crimes.  The Victims of Crime Act of 1984, the Crime Victims' Rights Act of 2004, and the many laws at federal and state levels stand as benchmarks of the first quarter century of the victim rights movement."

Source:  www.ncvc.org

Be there for the classic!!! Take Pace’s Soldier Field Express to the:

NFC Championship

Green Bay Packers v. Chicago Bears

Sunday, January 23, 2011

2:00 PM

Soldier Field Express departures:

Northwest Transportation Center (NWTC):                          11:30 AM

North West Point:                                                                  11:45 AM

Yorktown:                                                                               11:30 AM

Bolingbrook Park-n-Ride:                                                       11:30 AM

Burr Ridge Park-n-Ride:                                                         12:00 PM

Palos Heights Metra Station:                                                 11:50 AM

Oak Lawn Metra Station:                                                       12:15 PM

$4 one-way

(per rider)

This coming Monday, January 17^th, we celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King once wrote, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

Every year on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, Americans pay tribute to Dr. King and his message of justice, peace, and service to others. In that spirit, people come together for a national day of service- making Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a “day on, not a day off.” As community and faith leaders, you exemplify service to others in your ongoing efforts. The Featured Update below includes information about the MLK Day of Service efforts, which are led by the Corporation for National and Community Service. We hope these resources can support your work!

This week also marks the one-year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. So many of you and your congregations, organizations, and denominations continue to help Haiti recover, and responded so generously after the earthquake. And this week, we mourn all of the victims of the tragic violence in Tucson.

We have also just added a new section to the newsletter on “Upcoming Events.” You can check this section for upcoming conference call briefings with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other agencies, as well as regional and national conferences, webinars, and other opportunities that may interest you.

As always, the latter section of our newsletter includes updated grants that faith-based and community non-profits can pursue. Remember that it’s always important to review the funding announcement thoroughly to ensure that the grant is one that is appropriate to your organization’s mission, size, and scope.

Sincerely,

Alexia Kelley, Director
Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships
US Department of Health & Human Services

Source:  The Partnership Center Newsletter  

  Featured Update – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service is an annual opportunity for Americans to answer Dr. King’s call to help those in need. The Corporation for National and Community Service leads the efforts for the MLK Day of Service. If you’d like to locate a volunteer opportunity in your community, just fill in your interest area and zip code and find a project. If you or your organization has a volunteer project that you would like to invite other members of your community to join, you can register a project on MLKDay.gov. Whether it’s helping at a food drive or joining in a neighborhood cleanup, everyone can make a difference.

The MLK Day of Service also gives faith and community leaders an opportunity to recognize those who have made service and volunteerism a fundamental part of their lives, but who seldom receive acknowledgment. MLK Drum Majors for Service honors the work of community volunteers and shares their stories. We invite you to share your story of service and nominate your community hero as an MLK Drum Major for Service.

A Historical Homestead and Museum which was the first school in Lombard and the site for the Underground Railroad, the home of Sheldon Peck, renown portrait painter, and his wife, Harriet Peck, known for gardening with herbs and medicinal plants to take care of the sick. The original deed to the house dated 1843 was signed by U.S. President John Taylor.

The Peck House is a stop on the Underground Railroad where freed slaves stopped for refuge at "designated stations" to hide from persecution.

The Peck Homestead and Museum is located at 355 East Parkside, Lombard, Illinois 60148, just at the corner of Grace and Parkside Street, by the railroad tracks. Open to the public on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Also visit www.lombardhistory.org

Built in 1839, the Sheldon Peck Homestead is Lombard's oldest home.  The Peck Family moved to Babcock Grove from Chicago in 1837, to rural farmland westbound in a covered wagon driven by Sheldon Peck accompanied by his wife Harriet Corey Peck and five children.  Sheldon Peck purchased 80 acres of land in the County of DuPage and started building this house.  Peck's original deed is dated 1843 and was signed by U.S. President John Tyler, according to the Lombard Historical Society.  Sheldon Peck is known as an artist, portrait painter of early community settlers in Babcock Grove, later renamed as the Village of Lombard.  Mr. Peck was an early American pioneer, settler, a temperance advocate, a community leader.  He was a deacon in one of Babcock Grove's early churches.
 

"A Visit To The Sheldon Peck Homestead...is a Visit To Lombard's Earliest Days" according to the Lombard Historical Society.

Mrs. Harriet Peck was also well known and respected for her kindness and generosity, often caring for the sick in her own homestead facilities. Harriet Peck's Herbal and Medicinal Plants Garden was cultivated at the back of the Peck Homestead.

 

The Peck Family Homestead is located across the railroad tracks from the United States Post Office on St. Charles Road.



The Sheldon Peck Homestead and Historical Museum is the site of the oldest house in Babcock Grove, known today as the Village of Lombard.  It was also the first school in the community and a stop for the Underground Railroad in County of DuPage, Illinois.










Vestiges of the original iron railroad tracks still remain across the Sheldon Peck Homestead and Historical Museum at the intersection of St. Charles Road, Grace Avenue and Parkside Street.












Across the railroad tracks, pedestrians can cross St. Charles Road crossing Parkside toward the Peck Homestead and Museum, at the corner of Grace Avenue. 

 The Basilica of Our Lady Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre was built in Palma Soriano, near Santiago de Cuba , commissioned for construction by Pope Pius XI, following the honorary visit of the Holy See Pope Benedict XV in 1916, when His Holiness declared Our Lady Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre, Sovereign Patroness Saint of Cuba .  Cuban architect Félix Cabarrocas designed the new Catholic church in an architectural style reminiscent of the Revival of the Spanish Neocolonial movement, the same as the Catholic Church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen in La Habana, Cuba .  Concurrently, in 1916, the same year of Pope Benedict XV’s visit, Mr. Woodrow Wilson was re-elected as President of the United States of America . 

     During the 20^th century, the U.S.A. hosted the Exposition California-Pacific for Religious Architecture in San Diego , sponsored by Mr. Bertran Goodhue, a respected American architect for churches in the United States of America due to this architectural model pavilions which created momentum for the “revival of the Spanish Neocolonial Architectural movement” in North America , within the next two decades.  Bertran Goodhue’s architectural design for the Episcopalian Cathedral of the Santísima Trinidad in La Habana (which no longer exists) was one of the very first models of the style in Cuba and boasted of having an ornate, decorated entry in the architectural style of Spanish “churrigueresque” design, which would be imitated later in the following buildings, including non-religious structures.  At the time, the influence of the Episcopalian Church also arrived in Cuba from the United States and acquired a neutral, non-political stand.  From the first historic military occupation of the United States in Cuba at the turn-of-the-century, the Episcopalian Church had a stronger presence in Cuban and the new architectural constructions by Episcopalian Protestant Christians reflected Cuban-U.S.A. connections clearly.

     In addition, the Cathedral of Santiago de Cuba is the fourth one built over the same foundation and reconstructed with a Neoclassical façade in 1922, during the term of Pope Pius XI, who succeeded Pope Benedict XV at the Holy See in Rome , Italy .

     The Basilica of Our Lady Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre was also honored by His Holiness Pope John Paul II, who made the historical pilgrimage in 1998 from the Vatican in Rome, and crowned the statue of the Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre at the Basilica Sanctuary during his memorable visit to Santiago de Cuba and El Cobre, in Palma Soriano, Cuba.

     During the Spanish revival of religious architecture in Cuba , from 1898 through 1959, “the Republican era of Cuban history”, the architectural model of the basilica imitated the building of St. Peter’s Basilica as documented and reported by author and writer R.A. Scotty in his publication, St. Peter’s Basilica, reconstructed in 1506 at the Vatican in Rome, Italy, to commemorate the 500^th anniversary of this Roman religious relic in 2006.

     The etymology of the world “basilica” in Latin comes from Ancient Greek “basilike”, (stoa), which literally means “royal hall (portico, court)” from “basileus”, “king”.

     In architectural terms, a ‘basilica” is defined as an oblong building of Ancient Rome, Italy which has two rows of columns dividing the interior into a nave and two (2) side aisles, used as court or place of assembly.  A basilica is a church or cathedral accorded certain ceremonial rights by the Pope.  It is a Roman Catholic Apostolic Church with certain ceremonial privileges, like St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the Holy See at the Vatican in Italy—erected in the year 330 Anno Domini and pulled down in the year of Our Lord 1506 to be reconstructed as the new cathedral known as St. Peter’s Basilica today by the many Christian, Catholic faithful pilgrims and parishioners who gather for Sunday mass services and gather during religious holidays.   At Easter Sunday, last April 15^th, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI held an outdoor gathering at the end of the Easter Sunday Mass for more than a million Christian Catholics and visitors at St. Peter’s Plaza in Rome to pray for peace during times of war and violence around the world.

     Coincidentally, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated his 84th Anniversary birthday on Monday, April 16^th, 2011, within the religious Easter holiday time.

     The Vatican and Pope Benedict XVI both have expressed Christian Catholic interest, concern, and support for Cuba , its people as Cuban Roman Catholic and Apostolic faithful, and the Cuban churches who are devoted to their religious practices as Catholic Christians and worshipers of the faith.  In 2005, the Basilica Sanctuary of Our Lady Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre was blessed to receive a gift from Pope Benedict XVI, a new set of bells for the church bell tower on September 8^th, 2005, the anniversary of the apparition of the Patroness Saint of Cuba, sponsored by the Salesian Missions Order of Rome at the Vatican in Italy.

     For reference, “the same old bells which rung throughout the centuries used to call the copper miners and the faithful to worship at the Basilica of Our Lady Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre, and a call to praise God, our Lord Jesus Christ, his Son, and the Holy Spirit”.  These church bells have rung in proclamation of each new Pope, Bishops, Archbishops, and Cardinals of Santiago de Cuba during religious festivities and great national events heralding a new era of freedom, hope, and news, for instance, the historical world response to the proposal by the late British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill and U.S. President Mr. Frank D. Roosevelt who wished to include the Vatican in peace agreements at the end of the Second World War.

     On the 84th Anniversary of the building of the Basilica Sanctuary of Our Lady Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre built in 1927, we must recall the apparition and the finding of the statue of the Virgin Mary and the Christ child at sea, in the Bay of Nipe, floating on Cuban waters, near El Cobre and Santiago de Cuba.  

     In the year 1608, the story relates how Our Lady Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre was found as a statue floating on stormy waters near the Bay of Santiago de Cuba by Los Cayos when the brothers Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos, along with a 10-year-old slave boy, Juan Moreno, returned from collecting sea salt to preserve meat for the residents of Santiago del Prado, known today as El Cobre, near Palma Soriano and Santiago de Cuba.  These (3) three seafarers in Cuban waters rowed their wooden boat safely back to land, in spite of the high tide of the waves and the strong gusts of wind blowing through the Windward Passage along the Greater Antilles, on their return to Santiago del Prado.

     The mining town of El Cobre was founded in the 16^th century, 1550 Anno Domini, as Santiago del Prado, established by Spaniards and inhabited by native Caribbean Indians, also known as “Ciboneyes and Caribes”, as well as slaves.  According to anecdotes and oral history narratives, one day in the year 1608, Juan and Rodrigo de Hoyos, two native Caribbean Indians, and Juan Moreno, a slave boy, found a small statue of the Virgin Mary carrying the Christ Child in her right arm and a gold cross in her left arm, wrapped in swaddling clothes, not wet by the storm over the waves at the Bay of Nipe in Cuban waters.  The statue of the Virgin Mary and Child was floating on a wooden plank bearing the inscription, “I am the Virgin of Charity”—in Spanish, “Yo soy la Virgen de la Caridad”.

     If 1608 A.D. were the year that Our Lady of Charity, Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre appeared, then in 2008 would be the 400^th Anniversary of the apparition in Cuban waters and a tribute to the wonders of her miraculous works documented as votes of faith at the Basilica Sanctuary of El Cobre in Palma Soriano, Cuba.  Visitors mention that the Mother of Mr. Fidel Castro and Mr. Raúl Castro left a small golden guerrilla fighter at the feet of the Virgin as her sons battled the government of Fulgencio Batista ahead of the Cuban Revolution…

     In the 17^th century, the original church at El Cobre was dedicated to Santiago de Compostela, also known as St. James, one of the twelve apostles who preached the gospel in Spain , region of Galicia , and who is honored as a patron saint on July 25^th annually.  During the Middle Ages, St. James, also known as Santiago in Spanish, was the patron saint of pilgrims and the Knights of the Crusades.  St. James was the powerful saint of the Spanish Conquest.  So, the statue of the Virgin Mary and Child was placed in a thatched hut, like a stable, instead of in the church.  But, on three (3) successive nights, the statue of the Virgin Mary and Child, Our Lady of Charity disappeared from the hut and was found on top of the hill above El Cobre in Cuba .

     The Virgin of Charity and the Christ Child resided in several small shrines until 1630, when the copper mine at Santiago del Prado, in El Cobre was closed down and the slaves were freed.  Then Our Lady, Virgin of Charity and the Christ Child took St. James’ place above the high altar in the church, a symbol of the triumph of the Cuban people over the Spanish conquerors.  In 1731, when an attempt was made to reintroduce slavery, Our Lady of Charity, Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre became a symbol of emancipation for one of Cuba ’s largest slave insurrections.  In the end, the slaves were declared to be free.  This action for freedom spread devotion further to Our Lady, Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, Virgin of Charity.

     On the first day of the month of April in the year one thousand six hundred and eight-seven (1687), Juan Moreno at the age of 85 years reported this narrative in oral history as a notarized sworn statement, certified by ecclesiastical officials and archived for the record at the Archivo de Indias , Legajo 363, in Seville , Spain . (Source: www.ermitadelacaridad.org from the Shrine of the Virgin of Charity in Miami , Florida , U.S.A. )

Gardenia C. Hung (Wittler) has been writing prose, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction topics for the last forty-two (42) years in English, Spanish, French, and sometimes into Portuguese translation.  She has written poetry for Scholastic Magazine in Spanish encouraged by her lyrical expression and descriptive style.  Ms. Hung completed Elementary and Middle School in Santiago de Cuba with a diploma and certification in Spanish.  Then, Gardenia C. Hung continued studies in the United States of America for Middle School, grades 6th with Miss Honeywood, 7th, and 8th at Avondale Elementary School where she graduated with High Honors in Mr. Herbert Hebel's 8th grade homeroom, in Chicago, Illinois.  For Middle School English. Ms. Hung wrote original stories which received praise for writing style and authentic narrative topics, encouraged to continue studying English by Miss Kardos, her ESL teacher at Avondale Grammar School and other mentors, family, and friends.  Later at Madonna High School received, Ms. Hung received a High School Diploma with High Honors for graduation in the top ten percent of the Class of 1977 with majors in English, French, Art, History, and the Humanities in Chicago, Illinois.  Gardenia C. Hung was admitted at Northeastern Illinois University with Advanced Placement in English, French, and Spanish where she majored in Education, English, French, Spanish, Linguistics and minors in Music, Dance, and Physical Education to receive a Bachelor of Arts degree for the Class of 1982.  At NEIU, she received a summer scholarship from Laval University in Ville de Québec, Canada to major in French Linguistics, Syntax, and Phonetics. The following year, in 1983, Ms. Hung continued graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago for a Master of Arts in Communications & Theatre, which included majors in Rhetoric, Ethnography, and Theatre. Gardenia C. Hung has written publications for professional associations and community groups.  In addition, Ms. Hung writes for online media CNN iReport, Triblocal, Blogger, Facebook, WordPress, TypePad, and other social media groups on the world wide web.     

Languages and The Media Post-Conference Report Link
Sprachen und Media - Les langues dans l'audiovisuel

8th International Conference and Exhibition on Language Transfer in Audiovisual Media at the Hotel Intercontinental 6-8 October 2010, in Berlin

http://www.languages-media.com/downloads/LM_postreport_2010.pdf

www.languages-media.com

October 2012 is set for the 9th International Conference on Languages and the Media

 

All the wildlife was sleeping, all through the Zoo.  Not a creature was stirring, not even the Polar Bears... When about 1.5 million colored points of lights with music for ZooLights came to Lincoln Park to brighten the holidays, glistening and twinkling, all through the zoo's grounds, sponsored by ComEd and Charter One.  On the 16th Anniversary of ZooLights, Lincoln Park is proud of being ecologically-correct by reducing its environmental footprints through recycling, clean energy and innovative green design.  This year ZooLights displays have been replaced with LED bulbs to reduce its footprint by 2,085 pounds of carbon dioxide.

All visitors and guests are welcome after 4:00 p.m. through 9:00 p.m.  to meet Santa and take photos at the Kovler Lion House, or browse the Safari Shop for the Christmas wish list of exotic and unique holiday gifts.

There are ice artists carving to create icy cold sculptures.

Stop by the Landmark Café for a hot cocoa, chocolate, or warm spiced wine for the cold brisk walk around ZooLights.

AT&T is featuring the Endangered Species Carousel for children to enjoy a ride on their favorite wildlife at a cost of $2.75 each.

Enjoy your winterscape walking and browsing through the ZooLights musical show, free of charge, from December 17, 2010 through January 2nd, 2011 (Closed December 24-25). Located at the corner of 2200 North Cannon Drive, Lincoln Park.  http://www.lpzoo.org