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yellowstone-jewelry.com
Playing Since: 1974
Experience Level: Purty Good
mralston has made 89 recent additions to Banjo Hangout 
Occupation: geologist
Gender: Male
Age: 59
My Instruments:
http://www.yellowstone-jewelry.com/Banjos/Collection/instrument%20Gallery.htm
Favorite Bands/Musicians:
Tommy Jarrell, Allen Brothers, Clarence Ashley, Ballard's Branch Bogtrotters, John Baltzell, Barter Young & Smith, Humphrey Bate, Mac Benford, Bentley Boys, Birkhead and Lane, Dad Blackard's Moonshiners, Blue Ridge Highballers, Blue Sky Boys, Bird's Kentucky Corn Crackers, Doc Boggs, Buck Mountain Band, Burnett & Rutherford, Callahan Brothers, Camp Creek Boys, Bob Carlin, Gaither Carlton, Carolina Buddies, Carolina Tar Heels, Carter Brothers & Son, John Carson, Carter family, Carter & Young, Fred Cockerham, John Cohen, Grey Craig, Kyle Creed, everyone at Clifftop, Clyde Davenport, Delmore Brothers, Hazel Dickens, Dykes Magic City Trio, East Texas Serenaders, Eck Dunford, Norman Edmonds, John D. Foster, J. P. Fraley, Freeny's Barn Dance Band, Fuzzy Mt String Band, Georgia Yellowhammers, Georgia Wildcats, Ted Gossetts String Band, Grayson & Whittier, Grinnell Giggers, Gray & Nelson, Hale & Derry, Ed Haley, John Hammond, Edden Hammons, John Hartford, Hickory Nuts, Highwoods, Willard Hodgins, Hollow Rock String Band, Tommy Jarrell, Oscar Jenkins, Jimmy Johnson's String Band, Grandpa Jones, Karl & Harty, Alfred Karnes, Buell Kazee, Fiddlin Van Kidwell, Walt Koken, Leake County Revelers, Marty Lebenson, Emmett Lundy, Bascom Lamar Lunsford, McFarland and Gardner, Dave Macon, J. E. Mainer's Mountaineers, Wade Mainer, Marcus Martin, Massey Family, Sam & Kirk McGee, Floyd Ming & Pep Steppers, Monroe Brothers, Byrd Moore, Narmour & Smith, NLCR, Nicholsons Players, North Carolina Cooper Boys, Chubby Parker, Phipps Holiness Quartet, Pickard Family, Charlie Poole, Pope's Arkansas Mountaineers, Dirk Powell, Prairie Ramblers, Price Family Sacred Singers, Obray Ramsey, Red Fox Chasers, Alfred Reed, Henry Reed, Ola Belle Reed, Don Richardson, Rigel's Fountain Citians, Jean Ritchie, Roan Mountain Hilltoppers, Fiddlin Doc Roberts, Art Rosenbaum, Rustical Quality String Band, Rutherford & Foster, Scottdale String Band, Mike Seeger, Shelor Family, Smiths Garage Fiddle Band, Smith's Sacred Singers, Arthur Smith, Walter Smith, Allen Sisson, Kilby Snow, Skillet Lickers, South Georgia HIghballers, Carl Sprague, Stamps Quartet, Stanley Brothers, Lowe Stokes, Stoneman family, Am Stuart, John W. Summers, Supertones, Taylor's Kentucky Boys, Tennessee Mountaineers, Benny Thomasson, Three Tobacco Tags, Stephen Tucker, Uncle Bud and his Plow Boys, Crockett Ward, Wade Ward, Doc Watson, Weems String Band, Whetstone Run, Whitmire Blue Sky Trio, Chris Wig, Dacosta Woltz, Tommy Jarrell
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Created 12/26/2007
Last Visit 2/8/2012
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Sunday, January 08, 2012 @5:53:31 AM
Sierra Leone (setting of the movie "Blood Diamond") sank right to the bottom of the UN's list of least-developed countries during its civil war in the 1990's. Since then, the country has been recovering but, like many sub-Saharan countries, they still have a long way to go to graduate from the bottom of the least-developed countries list.
The Penn State Chapter of Engineers Without Borders spent time in Sierra Leone from the end of December 2011 through the first week of January 2012 working to develop a latrine for the Covenant Primary School and to improve water supplies for the village of Baoma (population ~600). The population of Baoma grew significantly during the Civil War in Sierra Leone as people were displaced from the interior provinces.
The PSU faculty advisor to the PSU EWB chapter (a fiddler, civil engineer, and a personal friend) invited me (I'm a professional geologist) to be a professional mentor to PSU EWB for water resources issues. We spent about a week in Baoma assessing water resource issues, and will be spending the next couple of months working on water supply improvement alternatives back here in the US.
I came back to the US with some clear impressions:
* the median per-capita income in the village of Baoma is probably at or below the Sierra Leone figure of $800 to $900 (US) per year (formerly as low as $200/year). Many of the villagers live from hand-to-mouth. There is no social safety net in Baoma.
* the children of the village of Baoma are extraordinarily lucky to have Pastor Martin Simbo as leader of the Covenant Primary school.
* money donated to the primary school goes 100% to the benefit of the children.... no administrative overhead, no siphoning-off of funds by corrupt government employees, no handling fees, etc.
* the village has done a lot to improve their water supply, but they can use some help to meet additional needs.
I'm using this blog to invite any BHO member who has any discretionary funds for potential donation to humanitarian causes to consider donating to the Covenant Primary School and/or to the Water Board in Baoma. You can contribute to the Primary School by sending an e-mail to Pastor Martin Simbo and he will tell you how to contribute. Otherwise, you can e-mail me and I will help you to make a donation. The PSU-EWB chapter is helping the village to form a Water Board, and I will post information in the future on how to contribute to the water board. Please also feel free to ask me if you have any questions about the primary school and water supply projects.
There are more Baoma pictures in my Pictures folder , and I will be adding more info on the work in Baoma to my website.
   
Recent Forum Posts
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Village of Baoma, Sierra Leone (31 days ago)
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GENNETT OLD TIME MUSIC: CLASSIC COUNTRY RECORDINGS 1927-1934 (172 days ago)
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