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Groton Daily Independent
Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 079 ~ 31 of 40
eld. They remained connected as Jordin Sparks sang the national anthem.
The Cardinals had their own symbol of unity after a weekend of protests in the NFL, gathering along
the goal line arm-in-arm during the national anthem. They were joined by team president Michael Bidwell, his family and general manager Steve Keim.
“It’s just to show unity,” Cardinals team captain Frostee Rucker said. “There’s so much negativity going on. People are trying to pull us apart. We always want to stay together.”
More than 200 NFL players kneeled, sat or prayed during the national anthem on Sunday after President Trump said any player who does not stand for the national anthem should be red.
Sparks, whose father Phillippi played in the NFL, had “PROV 31:8-9” written on her hand while she sang the anthem.
The bible verse says: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
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For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
Mexican women show resolve in earthquake’s aftermath By NATACHA PISARENKO, Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP) — When a magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck central Mexico, toppling buildings and leaving hundreds of people trapped, Mexicans quickly mobilized a mammoth rescue operation involving police, re ghters, soldiers and other professionals bolstered by an army of everyday civilians.
The volunteer workers have come from all walks of life, and they include large numbers of women, underlining social changes in recent years that have seen Mexican women move into roles traditionally restricted to men.
Women did participate in rescue work after the devastating 1985 quake that killed thousands in Mexico City, but only in relatively small numbers. Juana Huitron, the most famous of the female “topos,” as Mexi- can volunteer searchers were known, has said she faced machismo back then.
Since then, even though women still make up a smaller percentage of the workforce than their male counterparts, they have become leaders in education, business and the arts.
And since the deadly Sept. 19 quake, women are working alongside men digging into rubble to search for possible survivors, leading campaigns to collect food and medicine for those left homeless and com- forting relatives of the deceased.
Here are some of their stories:
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KAREN PINA: doctor with the Red Cross
From the base of a crushed apartment building, Pina coordinated between searchers, doctors and am-
bulance teams to arrange medical care for those rescued from the debris pile.
“Not having anything to tell the families of those trapped made me feel helpless,” she said. “I pulled out
three people alive, which was worth every ounce of effort spent these days. I cried every time we found someone.”
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LIZABETH JAZMIN LOPEZ: volunteer
Wearing a hard hat and re ective vest, Lopez joined in the arduous hunt for survivors, shoveling through
mounds of rubble the rst day after the quake.
“I was 14 years old during the ‘85 earthquake. I was a Girl Scout. I volunteered at a donation center,
but with fear. In 2017, I have a lot of strength and hope,” Lopez said. “Tragedy makes you value life and as a society. Together we can lift up a country with love and hope.”
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FRIDA ISLAS: student
A 22-year-old, Islas was studying when the quake struck, knocking out power in her school’s building.