This has been a brutal week for me emotionally. Much has happened.
I am a Penn State University alumna. I am proud of my degree, proud of my teachers, proud of my fellow alumni. My husband is a Nittany Lion. My son is a Nittany Lion. 
Penn State has accomplished many wonderful and positive things in its time, has graduated many leaders of commerce and society. Unfortunately, Penn State is composed of human beings, not just bricks and mortar. And there was a huge tragic failing on the part of Penn State people. I am not going to talk about that issue. I have my thoughts, my personal convictions. I would like to think I KNOW how I would behave in a given moment. I certainly hope I know how I would behave after the shock of a moment has passed. There is no excuse ever for leaving a child at risk. None. Never. I have to leave it at this, because I begin to cry at this point.
Now for the mundane. My cell phone died. I need a new one. If you want a “smart” phone, there are really only 3 for my particular needs. One company I feel has not much future and so that is out of the running. The 2nd has been winning me over slowly, product by product. The third company I have begun to view as “wrongness”. Their policies are to gather information on all individuals and sell that. They are in the business of datamining identities. They don’t believe people have a right to anonymity, to use aliases on the internet. Their policies imply (and perhaps state directly) that people using aliases are somehow bad, criminal, unsavory, and for all I know just down-right unclean. I’m not buying their phone. I happen to believe in Ahuva Heliosense (no, that is not the name on my Penn State diploma) and all for which Ahuva stands. Ahuva is very much a real, functioning, LEGITIMATE, HONEST, MORAL human being. And guess what – she has disposable income.
So why do I tell you these things? Because yesterday I was donating money to charities, both as my PSU Diploma name and as Ahuva.
There is a grass-roots movement of Penn State alumni, who are shocked and horrified at what has befallen the children, their families and our family of PSU. We have come together to raise money for RAIHNN – The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network. 
RAIHNN is the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. In less than 2.5 days (60 hours) ProudtobeaPennStater (#ProudPSUforRAINN) had raised half our goal of $577,000, one dollar for every PSU alumnus. I COULD have donated directly to RAIHNN. Or to some Pennsylvania charity. But the medium is the message. I used #ProudPSUforRAINN because PENN STATERS DO GOOD also. Do not tar and feather us all. Understand that we too are parents, children, family and we are/know/love people who have suffered sexual abuse. The current students are themselves children and not to blame in this issue. Although some of course have acted foolishly and disrespectfully (and may, unfortunately, continue to act in such fashion), the VAST majority are doing the “right” things. We are proud to be Penn State and we WILL redeem our good name and reputation. We WILL do what we can to right wrongs committed under our name. We ARE Penn State and we WILL have success with honor. So we stand with pride under our name to help heal the world.
Back in June our good friend Bear Rasmuson died. I posted the other day about the event being organized by Callipygian Christensen. The goal was to raise money for The Blues Foundation – HART Fund. Again I could have simply gone to that website and donated, using my credit card. But 
I am Ahuva. I am Penn State. The medium is the message. Hear me roar!
Ahuva's Blog 