June 2010

  • Be a Part of Something Bigger Than Yourself

    By sarajean on 6/30/10 8:13pm
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    How many of us go about our business, day in and day out, doing the same things over and over again—work, school, kids, cleaning, cooking, sleep, repeat? In this kind of routine, we can often start to feel quite small, and our lives may lose some of the meaning they once held for us.

    Becoming a part of something bigger than ourselves can remedy this situation. This does not necessarily mean joining a religion or spiritual practice, though that absolutely can satisfy this Living To Do item. Meditating every day, doing yoga or tai chi, praying, or connecting to a higher power can help you feel more connected to the universe or your creator, giving you more meaning in your days.

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  • Summer Volunteering

    By sarajean on 6/29/10 11:58pm
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    Summer’s here, and along with the sweltering heat, ice cold lemonade, and flowers in bloom comes a plethora of opportunities to do good around your community. Here are just a few ideas you might wish to use in your volunteering adventures this summer.

    Indulge in passion fruit—or make fruit your passion! Open up a lemonade stand for a cause (such as Alex’s Lemonade Stand) with a twist: offer fruit juices or smoothies with real sliced fruit. People may pay extra for these sweet indulgences, especially in the heat.

    Cool people off. Hold a fun water day for kids with disabilities or the local hospice, if possible. Bring a sprinkler, a slide, and some water guns. Or simply make some sweet, cool treats to give out if playing in the water isn’t possible.

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  • Sign the Petition Against Alzheimer’s Disease

    By sarajean on 6/29/10 9:59pm
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    “Do petitions really work?” I get this question a lot when I forward, post, or ask people to sign petitions. The most honest answer is sometimes. I think personally-signed, written petitions do seem more powerful, and snopes.com will tell you that e-petitions do not work (though I think their research is largely based on the forward-type, email petitions that people circulate and never deliver to anyone, rather than the ones sponsored by legitimate websites that do deliver them). Petitions seem to work best at the local level, at least from my experience. However, when large amounts of people show support for—or displeasure against—something, change can and does sometimes occur.

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  • The Stonewall Uprising

    By lisala on 6/29/10 3:15pm
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    Some 41 years ago, on the night of June 27, 1969, a fairly routine police raid on New York City's Stonewall Inn, a popular queer bar on Christopher Street in Greenwich Village, turned into open rebellion. Police raids on queer bars were a matter of course, and this particular dive, a mafia-owned business, had a regular warning system in place involving a change in lights. The Stonewall opened in spring 1967 and was the only bar in New York City where men could dance with each other. Mostly the police turned up to harass cross-dressers, deliberately targeting the professional drag queens who performed in shows at nearby clubs, and the dykes, dressed in suits and trousers—technically illegal under the dress code.

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  • 10 Reasons to Give Flowers in July

    By sarajean on 6/28/10 9:15pm
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    Father’s Day is over, and the next parental, romance, or otherwise flowery-themed holiday isn’t for months. So why give someone flowers in July? The real question is, why not! Here are ten good reasons to give someone a flower or flowers in July.

    10. Because it’s summer!

    What could brighten up your best friend’s kitchen table better than a bouquet right now?

    9. Because your friend’s house stinks.

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  • Act Against the BP Spill

    By sarajean on 6/28/10 7:04am
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    As a country, we’ve shared an outrage over the past two months as a wasteland has been made of our beautiful Gulf Coast. We’ve created rage-filled Facebook pages like “1 Million People for the Plugging of the Oil Spill with BP Executives” and seen some hilarious yet still sad videos like this one. We’ve expressed frustration and anger as our government, BP, and basically everyone in power has failed to stop the spill—and has succeeded in destroying our land, water, wildlife, jobs, and people. All in all, we are largely together in this.

    Yet, as individuals, we can feel pretty powerless.

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  • Ivory Coast Soccer Star Didier Drogba Credited with a Civil War Cease-Fire

    By becksta on 6/16/10 11:00am
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    Didier Drogba Helped Stop an Ivory Coast Civil WarDidier Drogba Helped Stop an Ivory Coast Civil WarI was watching Portugal play the Ivory Coast during the first round of the 2010 World Cup when the sportscaster mentioned how Didier Drogba, who is the star player both for the Ivory Coast national team and a Chelsea player, just happened to save his country from a civil war. His words  may serve as an example of the most effective celebrity use of fame to reach peace.


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  • Tell Hershey to Stop Using Child Labor

    By sarajean on 6/15/10 5:48pm
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    When I tell friends and family about child labor, some are positively horrified. Didn’t we outlaw that years ago because it’s so dangerous, they ask? But when I mention its use in third world countries, many people get high and mighty about it. “Well, isn’t it better than no job at all? They can feed their families this way,” they retort comfortably, content to continue buying their products at cheap prices.

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  • Tell Dell to Ditch the PVC

    By sarajean on 6/15/10 8:39am
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    Polyvinyl chloride—it’s in so many things that we bring into our homes, you’d think it would be a safe ingredient. From shower curtains to water hoses, toys to even school supplies, it’s certainly everywhere—but it’s far from harmless. You may already be aware of the dangers of PVC, but just in case you aren’t, here are a few of its effects:

    • Its composition is carcinogenic, explosive, and highly toxic
    • Its production releases harmful chemicals into our environment; in fact, it is known as the most environmentally toxic plastic
    • It creates dioxins, the most harmful chemicals known on Earth, when burned
    • Known as “the poison plastic,” PVC
    • PVC released in the air, ground, water, and homes has been linked to causing cancer, hormonal disruption, immune system problems, and more

    It’s not a very nice plastic!

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  • June 14 is World Blood Donor Day

    By sarajean on 6/12/10 8:53am
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    Giving blood is one of the best things we can do for our fellow people. If you want to be a hero in your lifetime before you die, just give blood and you will instantaneously be one. Plus, you will be hugged by all, and get free cookies.

    I’ve already written ten good reasons why people should give blood if they can (I understand that some people simply cannot—and that some people who should be able to—and wish to!—are being prevented from doing so unfairly by the government), so here are some interesting facts about giving blood that you might be interested in.

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  • No Compromise on Female Genital Cutting

    By becksta on 6/7/10 1:29pm
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    I had a discussion with some people a few years ago about genital mutilation and specifically female genital circumcision (FGM). As a woman, I can’t imagine anything more horrific than having my clitoris circumcised. I was especially offended by a comment from one of the males in the group I was with; he actually said that if a girl had never had a clitoris, she wouldn’t miss it.


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