January 2010

  • Help Save the Panther

    By sarajean on 1/30/10 11:27am
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    I don’t know about you, but when I hear about species extinctions or endangerment, I get pretty sick to my stomach. I’ve heard plenty of people wave these very real, very permanent losses off as a work of nature, of natural selection; after all, extinction has been happening since the dawn of time, right?

    In a word, yes, but that’s not a complete answer; we know that the number of species becoming extinct today are largely due to the actions of humans. The main causes of endangerment and extinction are the introduction of nonnative species, disease, pollution, loss of habitat, and overhunting. Most of these are directly caused by humans, and those that are not are still somewhat due to human involvement.

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  • Is E-mailing Your Congressman Worth the Time?

    By becksta on 1/22/10 4:07pm
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    CongressCongressI recently wrote (a little angrily) about a writer on Gawker who complained about the uselessness of using social media for Internet campaigns. A few days later, I got a status report regarding Burma and legislation in particular that would ensure that the US government would have a more watchful eye towards Burma.

    I dutifully followed the link in the status report to “Write my congressman”- all I had to do was type in my address, sign my name, and specify the type of legislation I was writing about and voila, the message was sent. Today, I got a message back from my congressman, telling me that my message was received (happily) and that if I wanted to follow a specific piece of legislation, I could check out this web site for the bill number.


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  • Celebrating Dr. King

    By sarajean on 1/18/10 10:59am
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    With the kiddos at home today, you might be wondering what to do with them so soon after holiday break. Sure, you could let them sit in their PJs and watch cartoons or play video games, but what’s the fun in that? Instead of another boring day off school, why not make it a fun day by celebrating the reason they’re off—Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

    Sometimes it’s hard to celebrate people—it’s not exactly the same as celebrating a cartoon character or commercial holiday where plenty of activities and decorations are readily available. How can you make Dr. King and his message accessible to your kids? Here are a few ideas to get you started.

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  • It's Definitely OK to Use Social Networking to Help Your Cause

    By becksta on 1/15/10 12:46am
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    Haiti EarthquakeHaiti EarthquakeI haven’t watched much of the footage from Haiti, not because I don’t care, but because I don’t have cable tv. This hasn’t stopped me from reading about it, thinking about it, and wondering what responsibility we in the West have for preventing these kinds of disasters or what we can do now to help.

    The two most straightforward ways remain the same for every type of disaster. They need donations of either your time or your money. I chose money, but only a little bit and then felt bad about my donation and its usefulness or lack thereof after reading an article on Gawker criticizing the “netiquette” of using social media to promote your cause.


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  • Tomorow is Humanitarian Day

    By sarajean on 1/14/10 4:56pm
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    Humanitarian Day is a holiday that honors the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by promoting unity, remembrance, and respect. Here are a few ways you might wish to celebrate.

    Light a candle in your home for all of the freedom fighters who have passed on—Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Miep Gies, Mother Theresa, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, Gandhi—any of your heroes who have fought for freedom. You could also light one for all of the victims who have suffered and died due to slavery, sexual slavery, and violence both in the past as well as those who suffer today.

    Vow to be a humanitarian. Talk about what it means to be one with your family. Decide together how you’ll do this—by volunteering, spreading a message of peace, acceptance, and love, traveling to other areas to volunteer as well as expand your global awareness, etc.

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  • 5 Ways to Help Haiti

    By sarajean on 1/14/10 7:01am
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    Estimates of 100,000 people killed and countless damages are in from the tragic earthquake that hit Haiti on Tuesday. If you are looking for a way to help, there are plenty of organizations open for donations and aid. Here are a few you may want to consider.

    Ask Obama for Leniency: If you have no money to donate, consider asking the president to grant Haitians temporary protected status and stop deporting people back to the country in this dire hour. There’s no reason to be sending immigrants back to a destroyed and dangerous area where their safety will be in peril. You can write to President Obama here.

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  • China's Gender Bias

    By becksta on 1/12/10 5:10pm
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    ChinaChinaThe one child-only policy in China has had some detrimental conseuquences to the population of China in terms of gender.

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