Lisa Johnson 
Our lives can change in an instant. The horror that happened in Paris yesterday changed so many. I can barely get my head around it. Like after the Boston Marathon bombing.
The week that I spent in Paris in 1994 was life changing in so many good ways and I have longed to return.
This picture is from my trip. So many memories.
Paris, you are in my heart and my thoughts. Toujours.
Last Sunday morning, a television segment on Korean War Veterans highlighted a sad fact. The Korean War is often called “The Forgotten War” and that three year conflict (1950 – 1953) is largely overshadowed by World War II.
Unfortunately, a small and dwindling group of Korean War veterans in Massachusetts has largely been forgotten as well.
In April 1996, Governor Weld signed legislation allowing veterans still working in the public sector of the state to purchase up to four years of their military service toward their creditable service for retirement. The bill officially became law in July 1996 and affected all those who retired on or after that date.
However, the law leaves out veterans who retired prior to July 1996. Their military service has not been credited toward their retirement benefits. Many of these veterans who have been left out are retired public school teachers. Talk about serving your country!
In January 2001, Representative Edward Connolly filed the first bill at the request of a retirement group, to bring this benefit to those who were retired at the time the bill went into effect. Similar legislation has been filed over the years since then to rectify this oversight. However, none of the legislation has passed.
Marie Ardito, who was profiled in the New York Times, has been a tireless advocate for this group and is 120% dedicated to see this legislation become law. As the Information Coordinator for Massachusetts Retirees United, a nonprofit group, she has been informing the membership about the status of the legislation and working for years to push it forward. Ardito explains how the number of eligible veterans is decreasing.
At the beginning of 2011, we asked the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System how many veterans they had listed who had retired prior to April 1996 … They gave us 674 names. Within a 10 month period, of receiving the 674 names given by the MTRS, 17 died or 2.5%.
As of Nov 30, 2011 there were 657 left. As of May 1, 2013 — 30 more are deceased.
As of November 20, 2014, the number given to us from the Massachusetts Teachers’ Retirement System that were eligible for the bill was 454.
Bill H.3146 was filed by Representative James Miceli at the beginning of the current legislative session. On August 26th there was a hearing. But more must be done to make this bill a law. Call or email your state representatives and your state senators to tell them you are in favor of this legislation.
As time goes by, more of these veterans die without receiving benefits that they are entitled to. A 1997 Massachusetts Superior Court decision said that these veterans could not be excluded.
In full disclosure, I learned about this issue, because my father is one of the surviving 454. When he told me, I was so surprised. How could this be? But it is. I think Ardito says it best.
As one ages it becomes important that others value the way you spent your life. So many of those who served and were left behind with the original bill said the thing that matters more than the money is that the service they gave to our country is recognized.
Please, let them see that you listened, you heard, and you acted for them! Please vote H3146 favorably out of the Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee.
The average increase would be about $150 a month— I think the sacrifices they made and the service they rendered to this country is worth at least that amount.
I am aiming to get this out of committee ASAP as it will be 20 years on July 24, 2016 that they were left behind and 20 years is a long time to have one’s service recognized!
As you think about Veterans Day and how you can pay homage to those who served, helping to get this law passed would be a wonderful start.
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Flickr Photo: Korean War Veterans Memorial – Washington, D.C. by Austin Kirk.
The past few days it’s been warm. In the 70s and I’ve ditched my jacket. October had some very cold days and nights.
But November has been a breath of fresh air before heading into winter. The change in seasons stepped back for a bit to let us enjoy a gentle transition.
The bright colors of the leaves only lasts for a few weeks, so I like to take pictures and notice the differences. The type of light and shadows. The blue of the sky. The fluffiness of the clouds. Each day, even minute to minute, there are subtle changes.
The contrast between yellow autumn leaves and pink summer flowers is striking. Within a couple of weeks, they will mostly be gone.
These trees will look different. A more permanent chill will have set in. But for the next few weeks, I’m enjoying the transition.
Have a good weekend!
The best things about blogging is the people that you meet. I first “met” Karen Zgoda several years ago online through our mutual love of dessert.
Then we met in real life on a plane to New York for a food blogging trip to Greyston Bakery, where they make the brownies that go in Ben & Jerry’s ice creams. We had a lot of dessert.
Over the years since then, we’ve gotten together for more blogging adventures, though Boston based, that usually end with dessert. Besides having a sweet tooth, Karen also has a strong sense of justice that I really admire. Which is in keeping with being a social worker and instructor. What can I say? She’s a real sweetie! So now let’s get to the ninth part of the interview series, You Pick Six!
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What is a favorite simple recipe to prepare at home?
Campbell’s Tomato Soup and noodles. I dump the soup into a pot, slowly add a can of whole milk while it warms, and add shell noodles. It’s filling and delicious. As an adult I’ve tried different soups but this is the only one that brings me back to my childhood. I grew up poor with a single mother so money was always tight (a Happy Meal was truly a happy experience). While I’ve had enough scrambled eggs, fish sticks, and Chef Boyardee ravioli to last a lifetime, Campbell’s Tomato Soup and noodles is still a favorite comfort food.
What brings you peace every day?
Reading and laughter. I make time for reading everyday, preferably scanning Twitter and mental junk food web sites in the morning, finding something awesome and sharing it, and reading from a hardcover at night. My favorite is when I find something so ridiculous or funny or inspiring that it stays with me the entire day.
What inspires you?
Love. Connection. Weird people. Nerds. Passion.
What is a favorite quote?
“All that survives after our death are publications and people. So look carefully after the words you write, the thoughts and publications you create, and how you love others. For these are the only things that will remain.”
— Susan Niebur
What do you think that most people don’t understand about food?
There is a food glass ceiling. High end dining is more and more inaccessible and I grow frustrated with its inevitable dominance in the local food scene. High end can be awesome. My favorite cake in the world is the Momofuku Milk Bar Birthday Cake and while every bite is worth every penny, it is discouraging and deflating to look at the recipe to recreate it, which seems more impossible than the dissertation I worked on. 
On the other hand, I have friends who see food like this as a challenge and pull it off successfully both professionally and in their own kitchens, and may I forever be in their address book for dinner parties! However, this is not me. In my current tax bracket I’m aware that in no way, shape, or form am I the target demographic for these experiences. At the end of the day, I feel that food is just food.
I’m a full time college instructor but due to gentrification creep, I find I am avoiding wider and wider swaths of the city that seem out of reach in terms of my income, experience, and perspective. I miss working class places that served good, cheap food with no courses or expectations and were just fun. I used to love finding unexpected gems to blog about on Fussy Eater and I’d love recommendations for finding places like this. I am hoping to blog more and would like dessert suggestions. I let the dessert blog go a bit when focused on work life, and feel like I need to be more connected to the food scene.
Tell me about what you’re working on now.
As part of my work with #MacroSW, I’m working on a study to evaluate how social workers use Twitter to connect, collaborate, and network. I’m very interested in exploring how Twitter and social media can be used for social change activities.
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Thank you so much for participating Karen!
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Cake Screenshot: Milk Bar | Book stacks photo provided by Instructor Karen Zgoda.
