Category "How to Save the World"
June 08, 2005
How to Save the World Part. 2
Howyoucanchangetheworld.com, is an interesting website educating visitors on the "8 Pillars of Wisdom." That would be:
Equality
Democracy
Justice
Peace
Feminism
Freedom
Anti-Fascism
Altruism
This website has a more socialistic view than my own, and the solutions proposed are a little bit on the unrealistic side. We can't just disperse wealth in all parts of the world equally nor is democracy attainable in all parts of the world, as we have learned in the past. Cultural practices run so deep that it's not possible to simply "abolish" gender inequality and expect people to abide by them. Violence is not the answer but we simply cannot ask for change by threatning to fast ourselves to death. Alright, so I am a little bit extreme here. I believe that change will come, slowly but surely. I also realize we can't change everything, and we can't help everyone. When I went through this website, I wondered if this is what most readers of this blog thinks of me; unrealistic, unlogical. Their proposed solution to poverty made me think of Team America, the whole basis of the story is that Kim Jong I of Korea wants to bomb every big city in the world so that every place on earth will be a 3rd world country. As the movie quotes:
Kim Jong I: It will be 911 times 2356.
Chris: My god, that's... I don't even know what that is!
Kim Jong I: Nobody does!
Not really a time to joke...but at least it shows you the severity of what he was trying to achieve. It's basically the solution that I think Howyoucanchangetheworld.com proposes minus the mass destruction. Just a little bit absurd.
Posted by thao0226 at 05:10 PM | Comments (1) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
For the Children
Upon a reader's suggestion (thanks Tim. M), I decided to read the article, The Singer Solution to World Poverty. Yes, he does make a good point that "no one can argue that children have brought their poverty on themselves." The whole article places a certain responsibilty on your hands. Singer offers two links; first to UNICEF and then to OXFAM, both dedicated to the injustice, education, poverty, and hunger of children in developing and third world countries. How smart, as he follows that with, "Now you, too, have the information you need to save a child's life. How should you judge yourself if you don't do it?"
But the truth is that you and I would love to give money. Maybe we already do. Okay, if we do, we would love to give more. But singer suggests we spend all of the money that we do not spend on necessities to help other people. Well, we would love to do that too, wouldn't we? It drives me crazy that yes, yes, yes I have a heart for the world, I want to help everyone, but... I can't. I can't even give 50 cents a day? Or $1 a day, or anything? For the most part, it's a little inconvenient. Or the organization would like $30+ in advance it seems or you are just cynical about where that money is actually going.... and when you see the images of children on T.V. you...turn the channel? I confess, I do! It's hard to watch, it's easier to turn away, in my head I'm saying "I'm sorry", and I literally just can't watch it. Forgive me if I am just confusing you.
Basically, I intend on giving more to these charitable organizations as I get older and maybe have a career. During this time, I have to allow myself to be a little selfish because I have other dues as a college student such as utilities, food, clothes, rent, etc. When financially able, these organizations will definitely have a place in my pocket. Til then! Although, if you are able to and want to, they are wonderful organizations to support, so I encourage that too.
Posted by thao0226 at 03:32 PM | Comments (2) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
Don't Support This Market!
Silly me, I thought slavery was abolished 140 years ago. The Thirteenth Amendment states that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction" and yet, human and sexual trafficking (which is the equivalent of modern day slavery) still goes on in this country and across international borders. There are an abundance of websites you can click on to learn more about this matter.
Link 1
Link 2
Link 3
Many of those who are trafficked are women and children who are promised food, safety, work, education, etc. What happens essentially is that they end up being forced into prostitution, forced to work in sweatshops, farms, involuntary servitude, the list goes on. Globally, human trafficking is the 3rd most profitable criminal activity after drug and arms trafficking. An estimated number for the generated annual revenue is an astounding $9.5 BILLION. So I have given you International facts, let's try the United States. An estimated 14,500-17,000 people are trafficked into the United States each year.
First of all, how is this possible? Why is it so profitable? Because there is a market for it! Let me tell you, this makes me so sick that there are people out there like this and it makes me just as sick to know it is supported and profited in this country by who-knows-who. The United States government have taken steps to address it and try to help the situation with many protection acts, but it's not enough. I'm not blaming them, I don't know the the solution is either. The fact is, there are a lot of sick people out there and they hang real low. The numbers I provided are more or less, who knows! This activity is such an underground crime against human rights and is sadly really hard to detect.
Remember the sad fact that there is such a market here in the United States for this activity to thrive on. Don't support this market! This is one subject I am quite hopeless about, any ideas?
Posted by thao0226 at 02:58 PM | Comments (0) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
June 07, 2005
...With Liberty and Justice for All
I'm not necessarily interested in law. But I believe in justice. I do believe that people are wrongfully convicted and prosecuted every single day. Of course, I have nothing to back this up, it's just something I know that goes on. Some readings in the history class that I am taking talks about police brutality in mid-late 1900's; how they targeted American Indians, Black people, and Homosexuals. Police brutality is an ugly reality that is still in the air today, but a lot less of it going on for sure. I love history, but the more I read about the past, and the "past" as in less than 100 years ago, it just boggles me that people were just so ignorant and selfish and ....where were their brains?! Did they have any?! What kind of people even thinks of such things as segregation, slavery, "killing a Sioux as initiation," etc.... Wow, I got totally sidetracked. I was trying to introduce you to this website which is a petition to "Help Exonerate the Wrongfully Convicted" here. On an episode of CSI: Criminal Scene Investigation, one of the prisoners sends Grisom a video tape pleading he didn't do it, you're the only one that can help me. Jim Brass, the Captain says "that's what they all say."
But seriously, do you wonder how many innocent men and women are on death row or sentenced to life? Convicted by false testimonies, poor investigation, bad lawyers, and DNA yes, have often times showed up in the news that were mistaken! Of course there are creeps out there who molest, murders, and what have you, and they should be jail. But at this petition site, a man, Bruce Higgins says it best, "Our oxymoronic "criminal justice" system repeatedly convicts the innocent and frees the guilty. The federal Justice for All Act must be fully funded, and all states must adopt similar laws to protect the innocent so that any citizen will get a fair trial before being declared guilty or not guilty--and can be exonerated if wrongfully convicted."
So I encourage you to sign this petition. I know only 29 have signed so far and it may in fact never make an impact. But many of us will have a try at a jury chair one day, take that into consideration. But don't cause fights, I've heard of those too :)
Posted by thao0226 at 03:27 PM | Comments (0) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
Americorps
Upon Tim's suggestion, I started looking into what Americorps was about. It's a little bit less appealing to me, personally, but for anyone who is interested, here is a little bit more information. First of all, I gathered my information from Americorps.gov, the official website of the Americorps. It is basically like the Peace Corps except all of its assignments and projects are here in America. It is also tied to 2,000 other organizations in the U.S. Unlike the Peace Corps, however, Americorps does not requier a 2 year commitment. Instead, commitment to Americorps is about 10 months to 1 year, and memebers often commit themselves again. Assignments vary, but the include tutoring, mentoring, disaster relief, cleaning up inner cities or trails, building affordable housing or teaching computer skills.
Although Americorps has the element of being close to home, it doesn't really appeal to me and I am not sure why. I think that there is something less exciting about being here. But it definitely sounds like a good alternative so I will keep digging into it.
America is so vast that some parts of the U.S is the complete opposite of another. There has to be a reason why churches have all of these "mission trips" that my best friend used to go to each summer. She would tell me stories about how poor they were and how different it was. I guess I will have to figure this out for myself!
Posted by thao0226 at 02:46 PM | Comments (0) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
Homelessness Part 3
First of all, I hate hate hate hate hate hate these laptops and this Movabletype publishing system, I feel like screaming. Here I go typing my entry that was already nearly done. I may have some compassion for the world but I do not have any for these laptops, I wish I could kick them like the copy machine on Office Space. Great, I don't remember anything. I was saying...
I do understand where everyone is coming from through their responses because I feel the same way at times. And I do agree that personal safety is issue number one. As the title suggests, I took it upon myself to learn more about homelessness in the Twin Cities.
I found a good article here, talking about the myths of homeless people and what the situation is about it today. Many homeless people do work, there's a term for it, called "working poor." and rent requires about 30% of an individuals' income. 
The article also said that a report found in 2000 that 51% of homeless people were children or unaccompanied young adults, which is a large and disturbing number. Of course, there are centers for people who need the help, and I have yet to know that that much information about this subject. There is another article from pulsetc.com here. According the a survey done by the Wilder Foundation, there are about 8,000 homeless people in the Twin Cities. It's just hard to imagine for me that there are people out there in the winter since I can hardly stand the cold myself. Now I'm not saying "oh they are so poor you should give them all your money" or anything, I just think it's a good topic to know about. Jen mentioned that she volunteers at a food shelf and the other Jen volunteers at a homeless shelter on Thanksgiving with her family, which I think is wonderful.
Posted by thao0226 at 02:13 PM | Comments (2) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
June 06, 2005
Downtown and Homelessness
My friend and I were downtown on Friday to go see the film Cinderella Man, which was very good, by the way. With a little time to kill and him wanting food, we went on this mini hunt for a bar called Mission by the IDS Tower. We never found it. But on our search for this place that he swears exists, we ran into an older man who asked us if we had a buck to spare. I didn't have any cash/change and neither did he, so we said sorry and off we went.
Hm.
I've been so worked up about problems globally that I've sorta forgotten about the problems we face here, everyday.
What do you guys do in a situation like that? I always say/think it depends. More than enough, I've been described as a person who would give change to a homeless person on the street. Well, its true, I would, most of the time. But if they look like an average person looking for a quick buck, I usually decline to give. If they look like an average person and justifies why he needs it, I usually will. Sometimes when I'm in the mood, I just will, no questions. If they physically look like they really need it, I will. But this is interesting: It makes a difference that I am downtown. I have to say, there is this white-bearded man who plays the accordian at times around campus... and I, with a guilty conscious, will just pass on by. Make note, I don't carry cash normally anyway. What are your feelings on this?
Common things people say are, "don't do that, they'll just use it on smokes/alchohol" or "you can't help everybody" and I can't think of others, but there are many misconceptions. Maybe they chose this as their lifestyle. Perhaps they did not have the choice. Whatever the case, I see a lot of able people not only pass by homeless people, but sneer at them as if better than they are.
Well, this is sort of a mixed post. But everyone should keep in mind that you and I, sitting here, reading this, are very fortunate to have what we have. And when you can give, give a little, they need it more than you do.
Posted by thao0226 at 12:49 PM | Comments (6) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
June 02, 2005
How To Save The World
When you look up "save the world" or something similar to that on google, you get this blog. It is a blog titled none other than "How To Save The World." I believe it is a Canadian blog, and he is more elaborate than I could ever wish to be. He definitely has great advice and detailed how-to's. His links of archives and related links is extensive, you can find almost anything here, he talks about the environment, animals, the health care system, volunteering and other social/political issues. It's very interesting indeed. Overall, it really is interesting if you get a chance to check that out.
I'm not a big Bono fan (at all, what does he sing? He sings, right?) but I have seen this promotion constantly and if he wants world peace, well that is quite alright with me! You could go to a very good link here.
Enjoy!
Posted by thao0226 at 03:30 PM | Comments (0) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
"Don't be a Fool. Wrap your tool" (Van Wilder)
Say what?
I said, Don't be a fool, wrap your tool! It's from National Lampoon's Van Wilder, but I was just easing you into my next issue here. Is global over population a problem for us today? There are people who will argue the idea that it is no longer a problem for the world and basically we all need to chill out! I don't know what to say because the article is lengthy but he certainly has good points, you can view that for yourself here. The author, Sheldon Richman, makes note there are no natural resources, there are only man made resources. Richman writes, This brings us to a sadly unappreciated point: there are no natural resources. Resources are not natural; they are manmade. Nature provides a variety of stuff, but it comes with no instructions on what it is good for, if it is good for anything at all. It takes a human being to invent a use for it and thus make it valuable — a resource. The Indians lived in poverty amidst an abundance of potential resources, just as the poor Arabs lived for centuries with oil and Third World peoples live today on potentially rich agricultural land. Until a mind identifies a potential and discovers how to turn it into an actual, the stuff might as well not be there.
On the other hand, there are other sites and articles that say over population is a problem. While doing a random search on google for overpopulation, I came across this site. The author comments that 20,000 people died in an earthquake in India, the losses were made up before the West heard the news. People lose their faith in God over much smaller numbers of deaths. 98 die in a football stadium and a city mourns for years, 0.03% of the daily increase. There can be more than 98 extra people born while you butter your toast. It would not have even caused a blip in the hourly trend. A jumbo jet load every three minutes, a jumbo jet load EXTRA. Remember, I am not alking about births happening more than one per second, I am talking about the average surplus of births over deaths.
I guess what you believe at this point is up to you. But here is a clue, if you are not ready to have a baby, take precautions.
Posted by thao0226 at 02:11 PM | Comments (3) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
June 01, 2005
RRR! ..Part 2
This entry is in addition to the one before. The previous post was merely a reflection of a way that recycling has been embedded into my brains. You are all smart individuals. So you obviously know that reducing resources such as electricity and water is important when it is absolutely not neccesary. To reduce also means reducing waste in the sewers, your yard, etc. And Reuse? Well if you can reuse something more than once, heck, why not?! Besides being cost efficient now, we're not wasting our earths' natural resources, contributing even more waste than neccesary or adding to the problem. For instance, old computer? Old clothes? Good for nothing car? Give it away, Donate it, or sell it! Don't junk and crunk it! There are also other ways to help out, such as buying recycled products versus a regular product, especially when you are in a conundrum between brands! Oh, and please recycle batteries! For more information, click here! Basically, the web page explains that batteries may produce the following potential problems or hazards:
"Pollute the lakes and streams as the metals vaporize into the air when burned.
Contribute to heavy metals that potentially may leach from solid waste landfills.
Expose the environment and water to lead and acid.
Contain strong corrosive acids.
May cause burns or danger to eyes and skin"
I have a bag full of batteries that I have yet to take to a library where they will usually have a recycling bucket for! These days, I have a battery charger and rechargable batteries because they are so much more cost efficient and so much better for the environment! Do you know that in the UK alone, 30-40,000 tons of general-purpose batteries are used every year and only 1,000 tons get recycled??? And that's a UK website! Think about the USA!
Posted by thao0226 at 02:54 PM | Comments (3) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
What are your ideas?
Many of you have heard me ramble on and on delusionally about wanting to save the world and I have covered a few very simple ideas. But what sorts of ideas would you like to promote? What do you think would really make this world a better place? What would you like to see happen that would make your life worthwhile? Have any of you thought about these things? I'm positive you have! If possible, I want to know your thoughts, as far fetched or close to home as they may be. Many of you, I get a sense, are already a great asset to this world simply by being yourselves. Many of you volunteer, are vegetarians (to those who didn't understand that--- it's not that being vegetarian is single handedly saving the world, but you would be contributing!), or you have compasionate hearts.
Or, if you oppose the sort of opinions I have, I encourage you to tell me why. Blogs serve as a 100% public and open sphere, I allow comments for a reason, so please tell me when I am just flat out ridiculous! Thanks!
Posted by thao0226 at 01:58 PM | Comments (2) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
May 31, 2005
To Kyle C.
I apologize about the "Vegetarianism" post, I guess Goveg.org was not as navigable as I claimed it was! Obviously not since I can't find it again myself. Although, I did find a few more articles from GoVeg.org that has to do with the environment. They were essentially the same things. The direct link for these two pages are here and here. Enjoy!
Posted by thao0226 at 02:51 PM | Comments (1) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
May 26, 2005
Volunteer.
I used to volunteer at a nursing home when I was in middle school. We would feed the birds, carry trays, did water rounds for the residence and visit them. You know, it wasn't bad... You just can't do a whole lot as a 14 or 15 year old really. But when I started high school, I just stopped completely. My best friend got me into this program and she now works there as a receptionist. Apparently, our old friend Jean Elliot is still alive! Still alive? It's been years!
If you have the time to, by all means, find something you enjoy and volunteer! I have to ask myself, free time? What is free time? Many of us have the same problem. Put this simple concept in the back of your mind, so that when there is a time when you are able to, you may feel encouraged to do something! Anything at all. Do you like to build? Fix things? Paint? Do you like to cook? Talk to people? Greet? Do you you like children? Pets? Sports? There are so many oppurtunities out there. Another problem that we have, as students or people with a job, is that we have to make money! We have to study! I would be completely with you on that. So I don't mean to be a hypocrite about it, I KNOW IT!
Posted by thao0226 at 03:19 PM | Comments (4) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
Vegetarianism
Are you really just one person? Well, you're not two! I would love to tell you that 1 vegetarian makes a difference, but I don't know that for a fact. Inspire two friends, three friends, seven... now that makes some difference! Let's get to it.
People don't realize the impact that eating meat has on the world. 
While I don't actually believe that people should all stop eating meat, it is definitely something to consider.
Something to try?
Something you should educate yourself about!
I'm not trying to stuff tofu down your throat here, so chill out, lot's of vegetarians don't even eat tofu!
If you can't live without your steak, your buffalo wings, your ham, your Spam, or what have you--- you should still be aware about the harm of over consumption of meat in America. From GoVeg.org, you can learn a variety of things about the transition of going vegetarian/vegan, different recipes, health concerns, and links to other resources. A classmate of mine also hosts a blog about her journey from going vegetarian to vegan, called Veg Log. She has some very good arguments, links and insights about this topic if you are interested.
GoVeg.org is a super navigable website. Under "How does eating meat hurt the planet" it states: Eating meat leaves behind an environmental toll that generations to come will be forced to pay. Absolutely! And there is no better explanation than from the page directly!
Resources
In the U.S., animals raised for food are fed 70 percent of the corn, wheat, and other grains we grow. The world’s cattle alone consume a quantity of food equal to the caloric needs of 8.7 billion people—more than the entire human population on Earth.
Land
Of all agricultural land in the U.S., 80 percent is used to raise animals for food—that’s almost half the total land mass of the lower 48 states.
Water
Nearly half of all the water consumed in the U.S. for all purposes is used to raise animals for food. It takes 2,500 gallons of water to produce a pound of meat, but only 60 gallons of water to produce a pound of wheat. A totally vegetarian diet requires 300 gallons of water per day, while a meat-eating diet requires more than 4,000 gallons of water per day.
Pollution
Raising animals for food causes more water pollution in the U.S. than any other industry because animals raised for food produce 130 times the excrement of the entire human population—87,000 pounds per second! Much of the waste from factory farms and slaughterhouses flows into streams and rivers, contaminating water sources.
Energy
Of all raw materials and fossil fuels used in the U.S., more than one-third is used to raise animals for food. The energy needed to produce the food that a meat-eater would burn in walking a given distance is greater than the energy needed to fuel your car to travel the same distance.
Deforestation
Each vegetarian saves an acre of trees every year! The tropical rain forests are being decimated to create grazing land for cattle. The space equivalent to seven football fields is destroyed every minute. Fifty-five square feet of rain forest may be razed to produce just one quarter-pound burger.
Fast food is gross enough as is!
Posted by thao0226 at 02:45 PM | Comments (2) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
May 25, 2005
Attitude is contagious!
You know what? I write really long posts. And they take me a really long time to write them. After re-researching some information about the Peace Corps, I am now more determined than ever to join. Well guys, thanks for the encouragement! You will be hearing from my mother..... She intimidates some people, but she's just a tiny lady! I hope that you have enjoyed some of the pictures I have posted up, they were a part of the Peace Corps' photo contest. If you would like to see more of these pictures, HERE is the direct link to the photos site. These were the winners, in their respective categories. They were absolutely beautiful.
This blogs' purpose was initially to allow people to realize that one person does make a difference and every person in this world has the potential to do something good. I may sound like some loser while saying that, but it's O.K!
First thing first, just be good. In future posts, I can't guarantee I will suggest something sane! But for today, smile! Say something nice. Or if you're at the store and the line is long, don't sigh loudly in despair and go, "can't you go any faster" or something lame like that. Um, yes, it does make a difference to the world! You know what they say... Attitude is contagious!
Wow, do I sound like a stepford wife/mom OR WHAT?!
Posted by thao0226 at 04:57 PM | Comments (3) | How to Save the World
Category "How to Save the World"
The Peace Corps
What is the Peace Corps , exactly? When you go to www.peacecorps.gov, the official government site greets visitors with "Life is calling. How far will you go?"
Individuals who are interested in learning more about the Peace Corps have answers to questions they didn't even know they had, right at their fingertips. If your life is calling, this may be your answer. Or, you might not have a care in the world. Whatever the case, I think it's important for everyone to be aware of these kinds of oppurtunities and at least be aware of the fact that thousands of people are out there volunteering for good causes all over the world. They're your parents, your relatives, your neighbors, your peers and co-workers. I e-mail a good friend who is currently serving in Iraq for the Army. When I told him about plans to join the Peace Corps, he wrote back:
That sounds like great news about you wanting to join the Peace Corps. It's the only other job than being in the army, that really puts you on the front line of real world problems and disasters...you gotta respect the Peace Corp.
In a nut shell, Peace Corp volunteers are hosted in countries all over the world (72 currently, 138 total). At the present time though, there are 7,733 active members. Their total number of volunteers to date is 178,000! I commend all of these people! These volunteers work on issues concerning education, HIV/AIDS, agriculture, information technology, business development, and counseling youths. The site even says, "when you give, you get." The Peace Corps offer many benefits appealing to graduates: Valuable skills and unique experiences, credit oppurtunities for graduate school, loan deferments and reduction, and more. Another big bonus, after your service, you are given $6,000 to be used any way you would like. Your safety is a high priority and most of all, you are making a difference and changing lives. The Peace Corp is a 2 year commitment, you must be a U.S. citizen and be at least 18 years of age.
Have you ever wanted to travel the world? I've included some pictures from the official Peace Corps site for your viewing pleasure. Perhaps intrigue you a bit? Although, I do want to make it clear, I'm not trying to convince you to join the Peace Corps, I do not mean to force you to feel the same way that I do, just open your minds!
Posted by thao0226 at 02:56 PM | Comments (0) | How to Save the World