Although there are ample references for the rest of the assertions in your post, Anonymous, I can't find any resource which lists anything near the adult illiteracy rate quoted for Camden, NJ. Resources, please? That's not to say that improving literacy where needed is not a good project. It certainly is. Like the good done when teens try to decrease the market for fur pelts by educating their peers for the optimal impact which only teens themselves can provide, literacy projects are also a wonderful example of "Think Globally, Act Locally." and of how much difference one person can make. That is also true for those who educate new ferret people to avoid common mistakes, those who make sure that vets can access new health information for ferrets, and those who otherwise do some good deeds in this world, those who work their tails off to make fora available (like Bill Gruber does), those who provide very helpful websites, those who advance fields of knowledge even when doing so is on their own time and their own dime, etc. Just because there are other needs does not lessen those people's hard work; it just points out that others also need to devote some time to helping try to improve things in this world. Yes, I do agree that sometimes noticing things we find painful elsewhere provide distractions from what we can do to improve conditions in our own neighborhood. Certainly, the topic of fitch fur farms and pelting are not reserved for overseas anymore than any other painful topic is, whether discrimination based upon a range of factors, substandard education (Education is greatly worsening in the U.S. in science in the most of the nation, in math in too many places, in the arts in too many places, and in range of resources which can be used in history and in English in too many places, and teaching to the tests is only worsening conditions.), the lack of medical care for large segments of the population, humane legislation, mutilation, greatly restricted news coverage in the most popular media and as a result under-informed voters too likely to believe anything that gets repeated often enough even if without truth, etc. There are a lot of problems we need to tackle at home. The fitch fur market -- growing and killing domestic ferrets for fur -- is one of the things we can tackle somewhat on a local basis through peer education creating a disgust for the final product, and by seeking to get domestic ferret pelts included with domestic cat and domestic dogs pelts as illegal for garment use. There are, of course, so many more things needing attention, too, which is why the involvement of more people is needed. Not everyone can devote a lot of time and not everyone will share the same foci, but the first is expected and the second is a good thing. If most people would just do a bit -- just a little something each day or each week -- instead of expecting more and more work from those who already devote a lot of hours to doing what they can then so much more could be achieved in this world. It doesn't necessarily matter which project a person undertakes to help the world as long as it is not intolerant, otherwise destructive or violent. What matters is that more people take on some of the work themselves instead of expecting others to do so. In our ferret community and outside it we can all learn from the words of Margaret Mead who wrote "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." A person can't set out to save the world, though, because none of us can do that, but when we do a good deed, whether for another person or another species, instead of just tut-tutting then we move things a bit in the right direction and we inspire those who are helped or see the help to also try doing something good. Every good act creates a lot of good the originator never knows about, and a number of heart felt thanks which are never verbalized (though sometimes it sure would help the cycle if they were). So, from Steve and from me to all of the people here who devote time every week or every day to help ferrets, to help ferret people, or to help someone else: Thank you. [Posted in FML issue 4816]