Monthly Group Walk - February 27, 2009

In Honor of Black History Month the Memorial Miles took their February group walk to The African Burial Ground National Monument locate at the corner of Duane and Elk Street in Lower Manhattan.
After being absent from the last two commemorative monthly walks, I caught up with the group this past friday and I am now finally on this site. How did it happen? I don't know, maybe with a larger participation I would have kept my mouth shut and someone else would have volunteered to do the blog, however it was a golden opportunity for me to finally sign up and share my experience. I guess after all this rambling, I should introduce myself.
My name is Amadou Bah and I am a Memorial Miler.
I have lived in several places in the world and to make a long story short, I moved to NY two years ago from Chicago, affectionately called the windy city!!!!
As we all do our miles individually, I usually keep a hard copy (Thanks for the diary Tom!!!) of my thoughts with the promise that I will one day share everything (as in thoughts that I have while completing my miles) with the people that visit this site. However, every weekend I make the same promise: I'll blog tomorrow, and now tomorrow has turned into 6 months. We all have our reasons why we have not blogged here and I won't be the one to point the finger, however as they say better late than never, right? Right!
As stated above, this past commemorative walk led us to the "African Burial Ground National Monument". Honestly, I was totally oblivious to the fact that such place existed here, especially so close to my place of business. Tom and Paul were so kind to share their knowledge that we, the group, thought that maybe it should be the theme of our walks, to provide something educational(which is actually the goal, Lol!!). Paul went on to explain, why these ancient burial ground were never marked and how some more places like this one were discovered upstate. The conversation along Broadway was very animated, until we arrived to Duane St., there was just a handful of people on that street as opposed to Broadway, the weather was actually mild (we were expecting rain!) and we caught a glimpse of the sun! After a half block, there we were, at the burial ground. It was a bit quiet, and I know for me, it was kind of a time for reflection.
The monument looks like an elevated triangular structure that opens into a circular shape. The monument, most of it is made out of marble, and Tom, feel free to correct me if my perception of what was used is incorrect, just being an engineer, that's all... Either side of the triangular shape had inscription and of course ancient african symbol, one synonym of eternal life. The interesting part came when we acually walked into what I called the "ring of life", the interior wall had several symbols with inscription below describing what they stood for. The floor of that structure was organized in age group and sex gender. Your age and gender determined how you were buried given the afore listed categories. Not only that it shed light on how these customs were maitnained so many years ago, we also discovered, maybe I should say observed, something that totally amazed us.
Once placed in the epicenter of the oval structure, any word spoken in any direction would echo at a significant higher decibel level than spoken, and it was mainly audible to only the speaker.
The intent was to meet with the design architect but it was not possible... However, it permitted us to pose each other several questions so that the day we get to meet with the architect responsible for the edification of this monument we would be ready to ask questions... And maybe at the time I will have also blogged about the interior of the GSA building that house more instructional material and maybe you will have taken it upon yourself to visit that place...
I guarantee you will find it eductional and would want to know more... I did!!!

January 30, 2009- Monthly Group Walk

In celebration of the inauguration of a new U.S. President, it was only fitting for this month's group Memorial Mile to be walked to the Wall Street location of the inauguration of our first President, George Washington.

Here, (left to right) Malik, Paul, Barbara, Tom, and Jean Paul (with Kamrin taking the picture) pose in front of the Federal Hall National Memorial, location of President Washington's inauguration.

The interior of the Memorial was featuring a great exhibit of presidential events throughout American history. Here Barbara, Abdul, and Malik pose in front of part of the exhibit the exhibit.

Also there was the bible George Washington used at his inauguration as well as the stone slab he stood on while being sworn in. It was some very cool stuff....

On our way out, we hooked up with a camera crew and......is that Mike Myers?? Not sure who or what it was, but Tom, Barbara, and Abdul stopped by for a quick picture and a few words on camera promoting Memorial Miles!!

Until next month, a so long from the Milers!!!

Memorial Miler goes to West Coast!

Memorial Miler Paul heads to San Diego and shows the Shirt on the West Coast!


Paul w/Sponge Bob - San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park


Some of the very neat animals at the Park


Some of the friends I made on the trip.


Birch Aquarium - a dip in the Pacific Ocean - Balboa Park in Downtown San Diego.

San Diego is one of the coolest places on the Pacific Coast Highway and the Memorial Miles Tee-Shirt made the scene. It has a quirky charm that manages to blend its history as a naval base with an atmosphere that's laid back even by California standards. It may not have Disneyland but it does have SeaWorld, San Diego Zoo, the Wild Animal Park and good opportunities for whale-watching. San Diego can also offer great nightlife in its downtown Gaslamp Quarter, cultural museums, beaches and bays.
Some of San Diego's top attractions that we took in:

Old Town, Historic Trolley Ride, La Jolla, Southern Pacific Coast Highway (Route 101), Carlsbad, Great Restaurants and;

Balboa Park - Undoubtedly one of the finest city parks in the USA with not only its gardens and the world-famous San Diego Zoo, but also museums, theaters, golf, tennis, swimming pools, velodrome and many other recreational facilities.

Gaslamp Quarter - San Diego's downtown nightlife quarter can trace its history back to 1867, when it was founded. In those days and during San Diego's Gold Rush days in the 1870s, the Gaslamp Quarter was notorious for the many dubious pleasures that were available there. In the 1900s it was known as the Stingaree District, allegedly because it was as easy to get stung here as by a stingray in San Diego Bay. It's not quite so wild and dangerous today, being now a national historic district of old houses, restaurants and nightclubs, and the place to be for Mardi Gras in San Diego.

San Diego Wild Animal Park - 15500 San Pasqual Valley RoadPart of the San Diego Zoo, located about 30 miles from downtown San Diego with 1800 acres where over 3500 animals live in natural habitats, helping the Park's work to preserve endangered species. From Australian rain forests to the African plains where the Lion Camp is a popular attraction. Don't miss the Kilimanjaro Safari Walk, the Kilimanjaro Safari Walk, the Hidden Jungle and Condor Ridge, which has helped save Californian condors from extinction.

About CRES (Conservation and Research for Endangered Species)
The Zoological Society of San Diego's center for Conservation and Research for Endangered Species (CRES) is the largest zoo-based multidisciplinary research team in the world. Biodiversity conservation is the theme that unites the work of CRES, and scientific innovation is the means by which CRES achieves its success.

Housed in the state-of-the-art Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center for Conservation Research at the entrance to the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park, CRES scientists generate, share, and apply scientific knowledge vital to the conservation of animals, plants, and habitats, locally and internationally. CRES encompasses five research divisions: Applied Animal Ecology, Behavioral Biology, Genetics, Wildlife Disease Laboratories, and Reproductive Physiology, as well as a dedicated Conservation Education Lab. In addition, the Beckman Center supports work done by the Giant Panda Conservation Division at the San Diego Zoo, the Native Seed Gene Bank, and the Conservation Research Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

Over the last 30 years, the work of CRES has grown to include international field conservation programs in more than 20 countries worldwide. The CRES vision is to become the global leader in applying advances in science and technology to the conservation and recovery of endangered species. CRES identifies the most pressing problems for species conservation and then applies the most innovative and creative science possible to solving them. To achieve this goal, CRES scientists have identified six key strategic areas for focused research: Sustainable Populations, Bioresource Banking, Wildlife Health, Habitat Conservation, Restoration Biology , and Conservation Education.

Meet a Memorial Miler- Abdul Karimi

My name is Abdul Karimi, I am from Afghanistan and I am a subcontractor doing security and customer service for the World Trade Center.


I have become a part of Memorial Miles program in order to help raise funds and awareness for the National 9/11 Memorial & Museum.


On September 11, 2001, I was in school in Brooklyn. I was in the hallway when a friend told me what was going on. We looked out the window and saw the first building burning. We had to go to our next class, Of course, it was all anyone would talk about in the class. I am Muslim, and the teacher was saying some negative things about me- I didn't take it to heart because I knew that I was not involved that situation. When we came out of that class, both towers were gone.


For the Memorial Miles program, I sincerely hope that people get together, unite, listen, and understand how we can make progress from this situation and how far we can go- from New York to other states, all by word of mouth.


We can make this happen by doing the same thing every day, not thinking about the work, and just do it and see how far we can go!

Day 102

The winter is firmly here, and the streak gets a little more challenging. Despite the snow and the cold, Memorial Miling kept me going, with my two- mile run, although in somewhat non- traditional running garb. As of December 21st, in the 102 days since September 11, 2008, I've run a minimum of two Memorial Miles each day, for a total of 290 Miles.

South Street Seaport Monthly Group Walk - December 12, 2008

Prior to the group walk some of the Memorial Milers made donations to the Marines Toys for Tots.



Start of the Group Walk out side 115 Broadway.

On a cold and blustery December day, the Memorial Mile team held their monthly group walk to the South Street Seaport. The Seaport is within walking distance of Wall Street and Lower Manhattan's many tourist destinations, and is listed as one of New York City's five top attractions. Street performers, outdoor concerts, landmark buildings, excursion vessels, historic ships, the holiday Chorus Tree, breathtaking views of the Brooklyn Bridge and Statue of Liberty create a unique waterfront environment you will find only at The Seaport.

The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located where Fulton Street meets the East River, and adjacent to the Financial District. The Seaport is usually considered a historical district, distinct from the neighboring Financial District. It features some of the oldest architecture in downtown Manhattan, and includes the largest concentration of restored early 19th-century commercial buildings in the city. This includes renovated original mercantile buildings, renovated sailing ships, the former Fulton Fish Market, and modern tourist malls featuring food, shopping and nightlife, with a view of the Brooklyn Bridge.



Some of the Ships at the South Street Seaport

Lightship Ambrose was the name of the lightship serving as the sentinel beacon marking Ambrose Channel, the main shipping channel for New York Harbor, from 1823 until the station was replaced by Ambrose Light, a Texas Tower, in 1967. Between 1823 and 1967, several ships were commissioned Lightship Ambrose and served at the station.
The Lightship Ambrose (LV87), built 1908, served her station until 1933 when she was reassigned to serve as the Lightship Scotland, a station much closer to Sandy Hook, New Jersey. She moved around to various stations, but has kept the name of her most famous station, Ambrose. In 1964, she was retired from the Coast Guard.


The Peking, built in 1911, is a steel-hulled four-masted barque.


South Street Seaport Holiday Tree.

The Memorial Mile Team Members want to wish everyone a Healthy and Happy Holiday Season!

67th Aniversary of Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

In the early morning hours of December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese navy launched a surprise attack against the United States' naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. Over 2,400 Americans perished as a result, and over 1,200 were injured. The Japanese raid on Pearl Harbor was one of the great defining moments in history. As a result of this act, then-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made the grim decision to enter the United States in World War II to fight with the Allies against the Axis powers.