Nothing warms our hearts quite like witnessing the impact of alumni philanthropy among our students. We see it everywhere — in the classrooms, on our stages, among our volunteer organizations — and yesterday, we watched our students pull off the ultimate THANK YOU for the donors who help make their UMBC experience possible.

In honor of National Philanthropy Day, students spent their free hour yesterday writing thank-you letters to alumni. Some of them even drew pictures of True Grit inside (our students are so creative)! We’re so grateful they’re grateful!

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Yes — you read that title correctly.

In one of the craziest stories in a crazy election year a furry feline  from Springfield, Virginia ran for a seat in the US Senate and received the third most number of votes in the race.

His campaign slogan? “It’s OK to vote the humans out.”

Hank the Cat’s campaign began as a joke, but gained support from animal rights activists as November 6th got closer, raising almost $60,000 that will be donated to animal rescue groups. And although Hank received far less votes than former Governor Tim Kaine (D) and Senator George Allen (R), the Virginia Board of Elections has counted approximately 7,319 write-ins for the kitty.

On his campaign website, the cat stated the following:

Hank knows that the key to a better America and a brighter future is the creation of jobs — jobs that will improve a street, a town, a state, and the nation. These time-tested ideas and Hank’s energy and determination make him the best candidate for the job, and have brought millions of Virginians from frustrated voters to energized campaigners.

Seems legitimate, right? Heck, I would have liked what I saw if I was reading this out of a voters guide. 

But, back to reality — this is a campaign to elect a cat to Congress.

His owners, Anthony Roberts and Matthew O’Leary, said they stood outside of polling places for almost twelve hours on election day, waving signs picturing a hopeful-looking Hank with sparkling eyes and shiny fur. They even enlisted some of their friends to do the same in other precincts. 

They are not disappointed with Hank’s loss — both are incredibly pleased with the efforts. In regards to the results, Roberts said,

Regardless of the votes, we still raised $60,000 for animal rescue. There are literally going to be lives that are saved with that. From our personal point of view we got to share our kitty with the entire world, and that’s really great.

So was this some wacky animal rights activism? Or was it a cute campaign? Do you think that Hank for Senate made a mockery out of the democracy for running for Congress? More importantly, are voters mocking the democracy for actually voting for a cat?

Regardless, you can still buy a Hank for Senate t-shirt, coffee mug, tote bag, or bumper sticker if you so desire to support this fluffy candidate’s case for animal rights.

Things are not good in the Gaza Strip today.

The 25 mile long sliver of land borders on Israel and is the crowded home to 1.7 million Palestinians and the controversial ruling party Hamas.

If you’ve checked any news or social media today- you’ve no doubt seen articles, tweets, and pictures of the violence and destruction occurring in the Gaza Strip. 

Beginning on November 8th, Israel has conducted a series of attacks in Gaza, in response to months of rocket fire into southern Israel from Hamas.  

The first target and victim of these attacks was Ahmad al-Ja’abari, the leader of the military wing of Hamas.  

USDemocrazy understands that the “fog of war” is just as prevalent (if not more) in the media, as it is on the ground.  

As you tackle the conflict of navigating yourself through the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, these may be of great use: 

• “Gaza in Pictures” from flickr; a timeline of photos over the past few days, complete with descriptions.  

Al Shifa hospital struggles with the number of casualties…

• Amnesty International’s brief report from today, calling on BOTH sides to end indiscriminate violence.  

The international community must put pressure on both sides to fully respect the laws of war and protect civilian lives and property.

•  The Institute for Middle Eastern Understanding’s  (IMEU) “Watching Gaza” twitter feed, where people in Gaza are providing real-time updates from the civilian point of view.

Drones. F16. Raid. Apache. Martyr. Unconfirmed. Confirmed. Ambulance. Sirens. North. East. That’s what we’ve seen for hours.

"College remains a hurdle for many with disabilities. Now a new study offers insight on what separates individuals with special needs who are ultimately successful in higher education from those who are not.

In interviews with recent graduates with disabilities, researchers found that students who earned degrees shared the ability to self-advocate and persevere. They also had good insight into their abilities and limitations and often cited a strong relationship with at least one faculty or staff member on campus...."

The following part-time positions have been posted within the past week to UMBCworks. Login to your account (via the link in the Jobs & Internships topic in myUMBC) and find details and application instructions as well as hundreds of other job postings!

9254339 - Rehabilitation Counselor - TAY - Humanim
9254820 - Typist - Geoffrey Mitchell, LLC
9254300 - Mobile Apps JavaScript Developer - CargoTel, Inc.