FLU (Influenza)

On December 19, 2014, I came down hard under the bad, bad super-bad flu!!!

Yea! I had this super-bad flu on last Christmas Day!!!

I only leave cell BL-49 on Thursday and Monday mornings to shower and go to Health Service Unit (HSU). Also to shower on Saturday morning!

Therefore, I don't know how I caught the Superbad flu!

But better now!!!

Be careful [stay well!!] out there!

Keep wondering!!!

THE PRESIDENT ROCKIN IN THE WHITE HOUSE TO 'FORTUNATE SON'...

'Veterans Day concert 2014 performance PBS.org John Fogerty rocked-out Credence anti-war 'Fortunate Son' to rockin President Barack H. Obama, First Lady Michelle and soldiers in attendance at the House...The White House.gov.

Check-out: Rolling Stone December 4, 2014 [RS1223] Rollingstone.com/random notes,pp29-30

By: Leon Irby Dated: December 27, 2014

PRISON NEWS

The making of a new documentary on the criminal justice and corrections system...

Executive producer Oscar actor Ms Susan Sandaron.

Source: OK TV! (a) OKTV USA December 17, 2014

Corrected: Ms Susan Sarandon

By: Leon Irby Dated: December 28, 2014

That's what people say:

Jargon _____________________

Shoot the puppy [V]

Definition: to engage in an unpleasant yet necessary task; to deliver bad news

Usage: It is really too bad our artisanal toothpaste wasn't a bigger hit. Now we've got twice as many salespeoples as we need. I'm jujst glad we were able to wait until after the holidays to shoot the puppy.

Source: Entrepreneur January 2015p 24 January 2015/Entrepreneur.com

By: Leon Irby Dated: December 27 2014

Patient Name: Irby, Leon
Living Unit: HU-N

Common Cold/Flu instructions

Colds and influenza (commonly known as flu) are sicknesses that are found in all age groups. If you have the Cold or Flu you may have a fever up to 104 degrees F, dry cough, sore throat, general body aches or backache, very bad headache, chills, very tired, and pain when you move your eyes, or a burning feeling in the eyes.

There is no special care for a cold/flu, but the following ideas may help you to feel better.

1) Get a lot of bed rest, 7 to 8 hours or more each day.

2) Tylenol or Ibuprofen may help with some of your discomfort. They are used for pain relief as well as for helping to lower fevers. You can get both of these at the canteen. ANTIBIOTICS ARE NOT USUALLY EFFECTIVE IN TREATING THIS TYPE OF ILLNESS.

3) Decongestants or cold pills may help with the discomfort of a stuffy, runny nose, itchy watery eyes and sneezing. Chlorpheniramine is the cold tablet you can get at the canteen.

4) You should drink a lot of fluids. You should drink an extra 1-2 quarts of fluid over what you usually drink each 24 hours.

5) Throat lozanges (available at canteen) may help a sore throat feel better. You can also gargle with warm salt water 3-4 times daily.

Nurse's signature
Date: 12-21-14

By: Leon Irby Dated: January 5, 2015

VOLUNTEERING IN NORWAY

THE WONDERS OF NEW TECHNOLOGY

Within the past several months, we received an email from Fred, a web developer/programmer based in Oslo, Norway. Fred contacted us in response to an ad we listed on a volunteer website in which we were seeking a web developer. At first, we were very surprised that someone so far away was interested in helping a small non-profit organization in the Chicagoland area.

After emailing back and forth, Scott, our Interim Executive Director, got on Skype at around 2am Chicago time (9am in Norway) and spoke with Fred about his interest. Instantly we knew that this was going to be a great fit. Fred was very enthusiastic about social justice, and was very knowledgeable about the various issues we have with our prison system in the United States.

Currently, Fred is working on a system where we can deliver audio links/MP3s to our Aunt Mary Storybook participants. As our society becomes more and more connected through the internet, and as many new computers are no longer coming with CD drives, we feel it is important to adapt to the changing technology. When the system is up and running, caregivers and their children will not only receive a new book, but also a username and password to an online system where they will be able to hear their incarcerated parent read the story to them. This system will work through the computer or their mobile device. To ensure that everyone receives the recording, we will continue to offer CDs to families without an internet connection or computer.

Fred has been such a tremendous help to our organization, and we cannot thank him enough for it! Tusen takk, Fred!

By: Leon Irby Dated: December 27, 2014

* * *

BOARD PROFILE: PHIL

B/As a new Board member at CJT, can you tell us a little bit about yourself?B/
I work as the Prison Response Organizar for the John Howard Association of Illinois (JHA), the only citizen monitor of our state's penal policies and practices. In my work, I process the thousands of letters and calls JHS receives annually from incarcerated individuals and other people impacted by the criminal justice system.

After graduating from Loyola University of Chicago with a B.A. in Political Sciences in May of 2013, I became a full-time staff member at JHA. I started with JHA as an intern furing the summer of 2012 and remained as both volunteer and part-time staff until I was granted a full-time position. As a formerly incarcerated person, I empathize with the issues and challenges people in our penal institutions must grapple with on a daily basis.

B/What do you hope to accomplish during your term as a Board member?B/
I appreciate the opportunity to serve on the board of Companions Journeying Together. In this role, I hope to foster educational Opportunities for the children of incarcerated parents by encouraging these kids to begin reading at an early age, the cornerstone of scholastic success.

A solid education can break down the barriers standing in the way of these kids' path to socio-economic advancement, enabling them to break free of the cycle of poverty and incarceration that too many young people are caught up in by no fault of their own. This begins when a child reads early and often.

B/What do you think the public needs to know about those who are incarcerated?B/
"Inmate" is a broad term that blankets many individual human beings. The men and women that are incarcerated in Illinois' prisons and jails are in fact a diverse group of persons from a variety of backgrounds that committed an act within a spectrum of criminal offences that range from mere nuisance to behaviors that led to tragic and terrible results.

Some incarcerated persons are decent folks that did a bad thing. They should be held accountable for their actions, but are not deserving of being permanently branded as unscrupulous and irredeemable. Like all of us, inmates are individuals whom are worthy of forgiveness. Many of them are capable of earning their way back into the fold of society if given a chance to do so. Regardless of what their parents did, I believe that a just and wise society will not forget about the children impacted by their parent's incarceration, but rather, will provide them with the support they need to lead happy, productive lives.

* * *

(PHOTO OF TWO DOGS WITH HEARTS AROUND THEM)

BECOMING A FRIEND
(From Silver Lining's "Moments with God")

It takes work to be the helpful, considerate, caring person that others will want to know and spend time with, but it's well worth the investment. Being a friend means that you need to reach out. Is there someone that you can think of who needs to know that you are there for them - that you are a friend who cares? Pray for the spirit of friendship. so light up your life and radiate some brightness to someone who needs you.
"Dear God, shine through me and help me lighten another's darkness by showing the same friendship that you extended to me. Show me a person that is desperate need of a friend today. Help me be sensitive, caring, and willing to go out of my way to meet this person's need right now, whether it be emotional, physical or spiritual.
Thank you that when I need a friend, YOU are the friend that sticks closer than a brother or a sister. In Jesus' name, Amern."

We lose vigor through thinking continually the same set of thoughts. New thought is new life. Prentice Mulford

Success is relevant to coping with obstacles... But no problem is ever solved by those, who, when they fail, look for someone to blame instead of something to do. Fred Waggoner

Self-confidence cannot be taught... it must be caught.

* * *

DIVINE PLAN (from "Healing Thoughts")

"Lead me in your truth, and teach me; for you are the God of my salvation; For you I wait all day long." Psalm 25.5

Some days I may be better at coping with physical and emotional challenges than other days. Yet there may be days when I feel as if I am at the end of my patience and drained of energy. Whenever I am feeling sad or frustrated, I know what will restore my hope and energy: I call on God for comfort and strength.

My faith is in God. Because I hold on to my faith, I will not give up hope or give in to fear. I believe in the divine timing of a divine plan. In the next few moments, blessings might appear that I had not even considered.

Immersed in prayer, I feel the assurance of God's presence and reassurance that a divine plan is unfolding.

I hold on to my faith in God and know that a divine plan is unfolding.

There is only one way to conquer fear and that is to face it! Come-alive-power gives courage!

When life hands you a big disappointment, it's time to make new plans.

How do you move a mountain? You move a mountain one truckload at a time. You chisel away one chip at a time.

* * *

January 2015

Joan's Newsletter

"ABOUT MY FATHER'S BUSINESS" (Testimony on Prison Time)

Hello, my name is Tyrone and I'm an inmate in a Wisconsin prison. On August 14th, 2013, I will have served 15 years of a 46 year prison sentence for armed bank robbery. At the age of 54... soon to be 55, my prison time continues to be a daily challenge. The prison environment can be quite hostile at times and it takes its toll mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually! You're separated from family and friends, which can leave you feeling alone and forgotten. Soon follows fear, doubt, confusion, despair, self-pity and feeling just plain hopeless. There's a proverb that states: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick..."

It didn't take me long to figure out that I had no friends in prison! This is except for those who had ulterior motives for personal gain including sexual relations. My grandparents were the first to pass on and soon afterwards my parents. My remaining family members all lost touch one-by-one! This includes my daughter and only child, who is a single mother of four children. I feel so helpless knowing my prison time is sometimes harder on them... than it is on me. Nonetheless, I struggle to hold on! I do not believe there is a deeper or more painful wound than this.

My daughter has only been able to visit me once, primarily because of the travelling distance between here and Pennsylvania... where we were born and raised. No visits or phone calls make it easier to block things out and to cope with my prison time. However, this can lead to a hard-heart and becoming insensitive to healthy feelings and emotions. Furthermore, it can lead to isolating and being anti-social. In short, the practising criminal takes on the convict mentality. He believes his being in prison is an excuse for everything and it's everyones fault, but his own! They also think that every inmate is either a child-rapist, homosexual or snitch! When they themselves go on being posers, pretenders and players who are angry, mean and downright arrogant. Nonetheless, they are lost souls!

There are times when I feel like I'm hanging by a thread, but grateful that I make it from one day to the next. I'm unsure how long I can go on living in two different worlds (prison and the outside), and question whether I'm becoming institutionalized or not. I questioned this on Christmas Eve Day, after a fellow Christian asked me if I had heard from my family? Suddenly, I realized I had not heard from them... nor had I gave it any thought!

Today, as a new creation in Christ I cling to "The Author and Finisher of my faith" who promised to "Never leave me, nor forsake me". Through serving the Lord, I have learned how to make good use of my time... 'For an idle mind is the devil's workshop'. Therefore, take responsibility for your life and like me... do something to help yourself. Be creative and get involved with programs, projects and other events. Set goals, have a purpose and a plan that will benefit others as well. Make a quality decision to start giving back! Most importantly, pray for your victims' and others.

There is hope for the changed life! Therefore, trust your soul to "The Anchor and Lover of your soul". Like the movie 'The Shawshank Redemption', I had to get busy living or dying. I had to allow my prison time to become a bittersweet experience, and get better rather than bitter! I was always in such a hurry to get out of prison, I failed to get the prison out of me! Sure society and technology have advanced, and there will be many challenges. However, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". Prison isn't where I want to be, but it's where God is using me and so I'll keep praying: "Father... not my will, but Yours be done".

Keep the faith,
Tyrone Emig #204824 * S.C.I. * 100 Corrections Drive * Stanley, WI 54768-6500