.

Living Green

2008-10-29T23:07:00.000-07:00

In a June 2008 trend report by TrendWatching.com companies are now offering more eco friendly products to consumers based on a higher demand for green products. However, according to the report, these products have transformed from eco-ugly to eco-chic and now eco-iconic. Before green products, were over-priced, ugly and performed worse than their counterparts. Now they have become fashionable and even iconic, sporting bold, simplistic designs to show off their love for the environment.

Green products have hit supermarkets and super stores every where and are now being targeted to normal people and not just tree-loving hippies as in the past.

Cleaning products such as Method and Clorox Green Works have removed the chemicals and replaced them with products from earth such as plant oils and biodegradable recycled plastics for their containers. Shoe companies, such as the Nike Considered line and Adidas Grün Collection have used recycled materials in their construction. Stores such as Ikea and grocerie markets now offer recycled, reusable bags to use instead of brown paper or plastics bags. There is even a new trend in architecture that uses natural resources, such as solar, wind and water to reduce energy costs.

Many people have made a conscious decision to change their lifestyle to live a more earth friendly life. Many people have become interested in free-range meats and poultry as opposed to meat factories. California is even voting on Prop 2 on November 4, which will increase the size of animal pens, creating a better and healtier environment for the live stock. Car manufacturers are looking into alternative fuel sources for their automobiles. Sports cars, such as the Tesla and soon even a Prosche have turned in their gas tanks for electrical cords. European manufactures have converted turbos, once used to drastically increase horsepower to the engine, to now increase fuel efficiency in their turbo-diesel models. A lot of people are now looking towards public transportation as a better mode to travel in cities that have an adequate system.

It's nothing new, that people today are living more eco-friendly than 10 years ago. This attitude has even made fun of on the tv show Southpark, with jokes about being "smug". However, how many people are making eco-conscious decisions about cutting their carbon foot print?

Wikipedia defines the carbon footprint as the carbon footprint is a measure of the exclusive global amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases emitted by a human activity or accumulated over the full life cycle of a product or service.

Offsetting your foot print is important to the environment, because it is not just the responsibility of large corporations and the government to invest in carbon credits. While large industries pollute a lot, they do so because of the demand for their product by us.

The Conservation Fund, a highly respected NPO that rates 4 stars on Charity Navigator, has developed a new program that allows individuals to off set their carbon footprint. The program is known as Go Zero and works by planting trees in the U.S. Since 2000, the project has restored 20,000 acres of forest in the U.S. and planted 6 million trees.

Many of you have made conscious efforts to buy eco-friendly products to help our environment and make it enjoyable for our generations to come. Take this action one step further by off setting the resources you do use, such as electricity and gas for your home or fuel for your car, and donating to the Conservation Fund's Go Zero program. Not only will you be helping our environment, you will also be developing more forrest within the U.S. for us to enjoy.

'Cause Everyone Needs to Eat

2008-09-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

"There is no more important global goal than ending hunger," stated Alan Larson, Undersecretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs during the Clinton and Bush Administration, "More than 800 million people around the world are hungry or malnourished."
While the U.S. has been the largest supplier of food aid and contributor to the U.N.'s World Food Program, one billion people still live off less than one dollar per day. According to World Hunger Notes, 2.6 billion people live on less than two dollars a day and spend half of that on food.

The act of starving goes far beyond its definition or just being hungry. Without food or fat storage, the body begins to eat away its muscles in order to provide energy to keep the central nervous system and heart alive. The atrophy of the stomach weakens the percentage of hunger and thirst, so people will become dehydrated as well. Because of the atrophy of the muscles and severe dehydration, any movement becomes too painful.

World hunger map provided by the World Food Programme

As Larson stated, the most important goal is to end world hunger. However, this goal cannot be achieved by governments. This problem needs to be addressed by everyone because it affects everyone.

There are two things that you can do to achieve this goal: get involved by politics and donate to non-profit organizations.

It is important to understand what your candidate for President believes in this issue. The ONE Campaign has started a petition to Presidential Debate moderator Jim Lehrer calling on him to ask Barack Obama and John McCain their plans to fight global poverty. Click here to sign the petition so you know how your candidate feels about this important matter.

To eradicate this crisis, the people that suffer must learn to be self-reliance.

"Unlike many other relief organizations, we stay long after the crisis has ended to help communities fully recover and get back to self-reliance," states the International Medical Corps. "We believe no emergency response effort is complete without passing on the skills and resources communities need to be able to care of themselves. "

IMC is a non-profit, voluntary, non-political organization. Because of this they are able to help people that need help without taking sides on religion or politics. They have received a 4 star rating, the highest rating by Charity Navigator, with 92 percent of there income going directly to program expenses.

In 8 days, American Express is having the first voting to determine the top 5 projects for their Member's Project. AmEx is inviting people to come up with ideas to help people. After the voting, they will give $2.5 million dollars to the top projects.

IMC has backed a project that will feed malnourished children around the world.

Hunger and malnutrition kill more people in the world than HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. As food prices rise, this funding is even more critical. More people are being driven deeper into poverty trying to afford basic staples. Many have nothing to eat at all. Your vote makes it possible for fewer young lives to be lost because they do not have enough to eat.

While our government does give a lot of money and resources to people who need it, it is not enough. World hunger is something that can be fought and won with the support of the people from every nation. Learn about your politicians and find out what they believe in. Support non-profit organizations as well.

If you do not have money to donate, support in other ways. Donate your time by volunteering, sign the ONE Declaration, or check out Click to Give, a website dedicated to feeding the hungry with free ways to give.

Flickr Upload

2008-09-20T05:18:00.000-07:00

I have finally added some photographs to my Flickr account. I uploaded 104 photographs taken from Operation Defeat al Qaida in the North. While on this Op. I documented Marines and Soldiers from 2nd Light Armored Reconnaisance Battalion, 4th Tank Battalion, and 82 Airborne.

Cluster Bombs

2008-09-11T07:31:00.000-07:00

In August Russia began an armed offensive against Georgia. What started out with sniper attacks turned into a full invasion by the Russian military. On August 15 Russian airplanes began an air assault, dropping cluster bombs on Georgian targets, according to Survivor Corps.

“Russia has said it is only seeking to restore stability to the two regions,” according to an article on the NPR website. “Russia responded with air strikes on Georgian positions, not just in South Ossetia but also in Abkhazia, where Georgian troops still had a foothold in the Kodori Gorge region.”

The area also contains one of Georgia’s most important assets, a pipeline that carries gas and oil from Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to Turkey, said NPR.

Russia was not the only country guilty of using clusters bombs in this action.

“Georgia's Defense Ministry acknowledges use of the M85 cluster munitions,” stated the Human Rights Watch in an article by the Boston Globe.

Cluster bombs can be deployed from the air or the ground and release smaller munitions that spread out across an area. Once cluster bomb can house as many as a few hundred smaller bombs known as “bomblets”.

“Many bomblets fail to explode on contact, becoming in effect the equivalent of a land mine,” states an article by the National Catholic Reporter. “Estimates of failure rates range from 5 percent to 30 percent.”

The unexploded bomblets lie on the ground dormant until disturbed. Children easily mistake the small munitions for toys and pick them up to play with them. When so, they explode, killing or permanently maiming them. According to the Survivor Corps, 80 percent of cluster bomb victims are civilians.

Afghanistan is another country that has a brutal history with the Russians and cluster bombs.

“According to United Nations Mine Action Programme, Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world,” stated the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs website, “with 732 million square kilometers of its territory littered with mines and UXO.”

In May more than 107 nations came together in Dublin to negotiate a treaty to ban cluster bombs at the Convention on Cluster Munitions. The treaty is expected to be finalized and signed in Oslo in December.

If you would like more information regarding cluster bombs and their effects to civilians please check out the Survivor Corps and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. As well as, you can sign the People’s Treaty to ban cluster bombs.

Serve God, Save the planet

2008-09-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

"The gradual depletion of the ozone layer and the related 'greenhouse effect' has now reached crisis proportions as a consequence of industrial growth, massive urban concentrations and vastly increased energy needs. Industrial waste, the burning of fossil fuels, unrestricted deforestation, the use of certain types of herbicides, coolants and propellants,: all of these are known to harm the atmosphere and environment."

What does that mean to you? What do you think about the person that said it?

When the idea of global warming comes up, usually religion is completely left out of the argument on why we need to change our lives. On the cable media networks, often they will have one person, usually a left wing Atheist, arguing for change in the name of Science, with the other being a right wing conservative, that will spin the science conversation into a conversation about creationism just try to argue that the other is wrong about science completely.

One person Christians can look to for guidance on the subject is the Pope. Catholic or not, one cannot deny his Spirituality and knowledge of the Scriptures.

So what about that quote? It was said by Pope Jon Paul II in a message for the Celebration of World Peace Day, Jan. 1, 1990. 18 years ago, long before "an Inconvenient Truth" hit mainstream, the Pope was already talking about global warming.

Pope Jon Paul II continued his message about the destruction of the environment throughout his Papacy.

"It is therefore the inescapable responsibility of those who work with the name of Christians to give a credible witness in this area," Paul II said addressed to farmers and representatives of agricultural institutions from the five continents, as they gathered with the Holy Father as part of the Jubilee of the Agricultural World. "Unfortunately, in the countries of the so-called ‘developed’ world an irrational consumerism is spreading, a sort of ‘culture of waste’, which is becoming a widespread lifestyle."

J. Matthew Sleeth, MD, is someone who took this message and applied it directly to his life. In his book Serve God, Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action, he shares his journey from a consumerism lifestyle to a lifestyle of simplicity.

"'Tree huggers worship nature. I don't want to be involved with them'" Sleeth writes as a common misconception, "The problem today is not one of nature worship; instead, it is the worship of all things made by human beings."

Throughout his book, Sleeth talks about how Christians can be more godly and live a meaningful life by helping people, being less materialistic, and more charitable.

"On no subject is Jesus more clear on materialism: a life focused on possessions is a poor and misguided life," Sleeth continues," Simplifying means having less, wanting less, being satisfied with what you have or less than what you have. It does not mean boredom."

Throughout his testament, Sleeth shares his transformation as a chief of the medical staff at a large hospital to adopting a healthier, less materialistic lifestyle, which led to stronger relationships and a richer spiritual life. By using his knowledge and expertise as a former emergency room director, he shows how the destruction of the environment in causing illnesses, such as cancer and others, to peoples all over the world.

Through expert testimony, life experience, and Scripture, Sleeth shows how one can change their life and the world by living a simple practical life. If you are interested in the environment, or are a Christian, then you should read this book.

“When we kill off a species we go against God’s dual blessings,” Sleeth explains, “We cancel the life God gave to the species, and we forever lose the benefits of that species to humanity.”

For more information please refer to the author’s website, his book, or the Jon Paul II Institute for Theology and Enviromental Studies.

Save Trestles

2008-09-09T00:45:00.000-07:00

I believe that one of the many reasons that people do not speak out for what they believe in, is because they feel they won't be heard. In a culture, where corporations control our individualism as well as our governments, many people think that they can't and won't make a difference.

This is not true when it comes to an organization called Save Trestles.

The Transportation Corridor Agency has proposed to build a 16 mile long extension off the 241 toll road to route traffic around San Clemente. This project is expected to cost over 1 billion dollars and will connect with the 5 freeway at Trestles.

Trestles has been known as one of California's best waves. It is the only beach in the continental U.S. that hosts a pro tour surf event. The area around the beach, San Mateo, is also a protected land that separates San Diego County from blending into the suburban giant, Orange County.

The rapid growth of industrialization and population near coastal areas in the last decades has had a dramatic effect on the environment leading to a climate change (read global warming). Southern California is just one of many places that have had their beaches change because of changing weather and population.

Mexico is another country that is experiencing over development and changing coastal landscapes.

Many places in Baja California are looking into constructing marinas to boost American tourism. One of these places is San Miguel, a famous beach and campground north of Ensenada. According to Save the Waves Coalition, "Marina San Miguel", as it will be called, is a $370 million dollar project that will construct a 5 star resort and extend the Ensenada harbor 185 acres north, devouring San Miguel beach.

Another famous beach that is facing its end in Mexico is Salsipuedos. Known for its heavy barrel when it is breaking, Salipuedos, which loosely translates to "leave if you can", is closing its campgrounds to visitors because of a development project that create residency for about 2,600 people.

"Global warming is threatening Mexico's beaches, one of the nation's most beautiful natural resources," according to a blog on Los Angeles Times' website that "hurricanes and rising sea levels are eating away hundreds of miles of beaches in five Mexican states."

Mexico is not the only country losing their sand to heavier hurricanes and changing coast lines. Florida is another state that has experienced much of the same as well. Because of increased hurricane activity, communities are now walling their beaches to save water-front property. These walls create a problem because sand cannot flow back onto the beaches when the hurricanes are over.

The Outer Banks is a prime example of what happens when a coastal region is blocked by a wall. In the book "Drowning the North Carolina Coast" (North Carolina Sea Grant, 2003), notes that after 70 years of being pinned down by an artificial sand dune and roads connecting the islands, "large segments of the Outer Banks are already collapsing."

"Coastal habitats and wildlife are under pressure from human activities such as development and pollution. Now, sea-level rise and other climate changes due to global warming will create even greater challenges for our coasts," states the National Wildlife Foundation. "We are facing an ecological crisis that could see wholesale loss of wildlife populations and profound changes in our outdoor way of life. We must address the greatly accelerating impacts of global warming before it's too late and work together to protect and conserve the coasts"

Because of organizations like Save Trestles, we are able to come together as a community to save our beaches.

Guess who's back!

2008-09-08T05:43:00.000-07:00

So a miracle happend today. I just finished installing Lightroom II onto my computer. I had to look something up on the help files, so I clicked on Lightroom Help. The link directed me to a website on Adobe.com. However, the proxy blocked it. As one can expect, a lot of website are blocked for us to use on government computers here in Iraq. The proxies are setup to protect operational security as well as viruses getting into the system. Just like a lot of corporations, the military blocks access to websites as well. However, this was a site that I needed to view for my job so I called up the information assurance guys. He told me I should have already had access to the site because I am with Combat Camera and aparently we are supposed to get special access. So he gave me the code which I typed in to Internet Explorers setting and viola... I had access.

I decided to take the experiment one step further and see if I had access to check my Gmail account. What do you know, it worked. So I decided to see if I could get access to Facebook. Again, it worked. So I checked my blog. A miracle happened, and I had access.

I know I said I would do great things with this blog when I started in 8 months ago. However, I did not think that I would not have access to it in Iraq. So, now that I do, it is back up a running!

A lot for me has changed in the last 8 months. Normally I would talk about it, but it could fill pages, so I'll be brief. I helped some people, hurt some others, met some cool people, and some jerks. I traveled all over Iraq and stayed trapped on bases at times. I took some terrific pictures and saw some terrible things. I spent 3 months wandering the desert and a few more trapped inside a base. People were saved and a few were killed, bombs were dropped, while suicide vests were blown up. My heart was broken then I fell in love.

If you want to see some of my photos, just Google my name.

So stand by because my blog is now back in full swing.

What a dollar a day really means

2008-01-13T12:56:00.000-08:00

I think that when we hear catch phrases as "dollar a day" we do not know the full meaning of it. Statistics just blend together as a bunch of numbers with some being larger than others. So when we see advertisements on t.v. about how half of the world's population lives on less than a dollar a day, we think, "wow, billions of people live on a dollar a day. That's a lot of people." Then we forget about the real meaning and suffering of the people that the statistic shows.

Then a breaking news story comes between headlines on CNN or MSNBC talking about riots in Kenya. Along with the headlines, graphic images are provided with teens with machetes killing innocent people in the streets.

What happened? Isn't Kenya supposed to be that beautiful country in Africa with lions and grass plains that we see in movies? Why are there riots there now? Many of these questions go on and most Americans do not have a clue why.

This is going to be the first entry on Kenya of many. First I want to say, that like most African countries, the problems cannot be completely explained in a blog. So I will just cover a little bit for you. Also, Kenya is seen as a prospering country by many people across the world, when compared to other African countries. So why should I write about Kenya, when far many other countries have more serious problems than Kenya. So in a few sentences I will explain:

While Kenya does and have had their problems suffering throughout their history, it had always seen as a place of some stability. Tourism is big there, they allow the press to have offices there, and many people think of Kenya as what we see in the movies: vast beautiful plains with tall grass, glowing sunsets, lions and elephants. So when the riots broke out, a lot of people wondered why, because they didn't see it coming. many thought, "why is Kenya going back to violence and killings after they have been doing so well for so long?"

Well, they weren't doing well. With massive corruption in politics and the cities, millions of people in the slums in cities and villages were starving while the cats kept getting fatter in the cities. So for my first entry on Kenya, I will talk about the poverty in the country, not the corruption in the cities.

The BBC just came out with an excellent audio documentary on "Dollar a day" by Mike Wooldridge. There is a global target to halve world poverty by 2015. In this series, Wooldridge goes around the world to share real stories of individual people that live for less than one dollar a day. His first segment is about Kenya.

In the documentary he interviews people from that live in the villages of Kenya that live on less than a dollar a day. So what does that mean? Isaiah Mawangu of Kaimosi in Western Kenya is a farmer. He supports his disabled wife and six grand children from his farm. Most of the food grown on his farm is not for sale. Because the soil is not fertile, he can only grow enough maize to feed his family of eight people. He does grow tea and sells that as well for extra income. An income of about 6 dollars a month. That is what he has to live on.

Education in Kenya is free, but children have to buy uniforms, that cost about 3 dollars each. Doesn't sound like much but when you are supporting a family of 8 on 6 dollars a month, it is.

I encourage you to listen to the 23 minute documentary about Kenya and the farmers listening on less than a dollar a day. It is not all doom and gloom. You will hear stories from caring people, that while they are not rich, they have a positive attitude of life. Also, check out the story that was written.

Stay tuned for more. The next piece that will be up in a few days will go over the history of the Kenyans.

Get the word out

2008-01-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

Grassroots can be defined as involving the common people as constituting a fundamental political and economic group. This blog is meant to be a communal effort for change.

Today, because of technology advances, the world is our community. What happens in the deepest jungles or the driest deserts can be seen instantly. Great advancements towards a better world and horrible tragedies are an affect of these advances. Technology can be used for the good by educating our children or creating cleaner power resources. However, countries have been devastated by our advancements as well. Factories are being built all over the world so we can have cheaper goods. However, the price comes with child labor and destroying our environment. Weapons are now mass produced to be delivered into the hands of criminals on all continents.

The fortunate people of our community need to wake up and understand the damages we are causing aboard and on our soil.

I have set a goal to try to get 1 thousand visits my first month since posting my blog. I need your help. If you like what I have to say, please tell your friends and encourage them to tell their friends.

The Tata Nano

2008-01-10T20:24:00.000-08:00

Tata, an Indian car manufacture, anounced the release of the Nano Jan. 10 in New Delhi. The car boasts the title as the "world's cheapest car" cashing in about $2,500. At face value the car sounds like a excellant deal. Tata advertises that its 33 hp, two cylinders engine gets excellent gas mileage (lower than most of the motorcycles on the road in India). It also claims that it has excellent government requirements in crash testing.

However, controversy comes with the price. According to TimesOnline, Tato cut costs to meet their price. Safety features like two side mirrors were not installed. India also has limited crash testing requirements. If Tata was to properly crash test the vehicle so it could operate in Europe, it would double the cost of the car. While the car gets great gas mileage and has low emissions, India Times, argues that because of the low price, their will be many new customers that once were not able to buy a car. These new customers will hurt the enviroment according to the article. Also, in an another article by India Times, protesters showed up at the unveiling stating that farmers were robbed and not paid for their land that was used for the plant to make the cars.

India has a extremley high rate of deaths invovled in car accidents every year. Last year there were 90 thousand deaths on the roads. While India's drivers count for 1% of drivers in the world, their driving lead to 8% of the total driving deaths in the world.

So what should happen? Should people be able to drive a car when before they could not afford one, even though if it means that there will be repercussions?

* I understand that in America we drive the worst cars for the environment. This article is not to debate if America is better than the rest of the world. If it was, America would loose the bet. This article is to make you think about the costs that we have to make for luxury.

Educating the world One Laptop Per Child

2008-01-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

2 billion children in the world are poorly educated. In third world countries 1 in three children does not complete the fifth grade. In these countries the governments can only spend $20 dollars a year for educating their young.

One Laptop Per Child, a non-profit organization, is trying to fix that problem. Because these countries are so poor, even if enough money was donated to double what they spend on educating a child, not a lot of change would happen. Nicholas Negroponte, director of the MIT Media Labratory, dreamed the unthinkable and made it happen.

The answer? The XO. The XO is a computer meant to teach kids how to learn. It is much more than that though. Through this computer children in the poorest parts of the world get connected. Because of advanced technologies these children not only receive a better education they learn that there is hope outside of the place they live.

OLPC started as an idea. Because of micro-processing, better power consumption on portable computers and generous people, it became a reality. Because of a promotion, Give One Get One, that OLPC ran from Nov 12, 2007 through Dec 31, 2007, OLPC raised 35 million dollars and was able to distribute 100,000 XO laptops to Afghanistan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Haiti, Mongolia and Rwanda.

For more information check out One Lap Top Per Child.

Red Letters

2008-01-10T18:22:00.000-08:00

" A happy baby boy is bouncing in a crib in southern Africa. He looks and acts just like any other baby you've seen. He coos, he laughs. There is a spark of genuine joy in his bright eyes. Turn your head just a bit. Look over there- in the corner of the room. Do you see that woman with the lifeless eyes? She is the baby's mother. She looks down when you catch her eye, and though she knows you mean no harm, you can sense the fear marked by her bowed head.
"You want to know her story, so you ask questions. It is difficult to ask-what do you say? But it is even more difficult to hear her answers. She is a victim of an AIDS cleaning ritual. The victim of a lie. It is a lie that circulates across Africa and states that if you have sex with a virgin you will be cured of AIDS. this beautiful woman was systematically raped by men who thought her virgin blood would cure them.
"And that bouncing boy? That smiling boy? He was the product of that gang rape. His mother is dying of AIDS. And someday, a day that could steal the joy from this boy's eyes, he will learn that he is infected by AIDS."

excerpt taken from"Red Letters: Living a Faith That Bleeds" by Tom Davis.

Over 40 million people have AIDS in the world today. 11 thousand people will contract the disease tomorrow. 1,800 kids under 15 will contract the disease and 1,400 will die. Whether you wish to ignore the problem or not, AIDS is the number 4 killer on the planet.

Tom Davis states that this disease a pandemic. Larger then an epidemic because it effects all countries, people, races, religions and ages. While every country has a AIDS problem, no country is suffering from the disease like Africa. The list goes on and the stories are endless for the mass spread. However, wars, genocides, poverty, lack of education, hunger, and adultery are the main reasons to blame.

"Red Letters" is not just a book about the AIDS problem in Africa. Davis speaks from the heart and from the bible. He questions Christians reasoning for lack of action in Africa to help.

Red Letters are Jesus's Words. They are the Word of God within the Bible.

"Red Letters" is a call to witness for all Christians. Davis follows Jesus's life of service to his followers and the needy and argues that all Christians should "live a faith that bleeds." That through blood gives life.

"Red Letters" is a book for all religions and people. This is a problem that is killing millions of people every year. Davis describes the pandemic through emotional stories of real people along side of hard statistics. While the book is Christian and quotes the Bible throughout it, this book does not push Christianity. It is not meant to convert anyone. He focuses on the problem and why people should care about it.

I enjoyed this book very much. Davis gives a strong argument to stand up and fight for the cause. While this book may not be for everything, people that can't get past the Bible quotes or some with a weak stomach, this book is an important read to understanding the world's AIDS pandemic.

For more information check out:

Save Africa's Children, One, Global AIDS Alliance

The Chinese White Dolphin

2008-01-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

"To the dolphin alone, nature has given that which the best philosophers seek: Friendship for no advantage. Though it has no need of help from any man, it is a genial friend to all and has helped mankind."

- Plutarch

If you have ever been in the surf with a dolphin then you know how magnificent these animals really are. Every time I have been blessed with their presence I have felt an overwhelming calmness.

Dolphins seem to have life right. They eat, play and even have sex for fun. Dolphins have even protected people, like Todd Endris, from sharks. They are mans best friend in the ocean.

However, because of pollution, construction and over-fishing, dolphins are finding life harder and harder. The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, or Chinese White Dolphin, is coming closer and closer to extinction. "These dolphins could be extinct within 20 years," according to Robin J. Winkler, member of the advisory committee to the Green Party Taiwan, "if the government doesn't protect their habitat."

Pollution and construction are leading causes to the endangerment of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin. Millions of gallons of sewage are being dumped into the waters off of China. Because of the industrial waste and expansion of China, our environment is suffering.

The Chinese white dolphin has an estimated population of about 150. While there is photographic documentation of 88, but researchers have counted more. This is a problem that we are creating. By polluting our waters and not providing a proper alternative wildlife for animals to live in, we are killing dolphins.

For more information where you can help check out The Wildlife Adoption Center, Save Japan Dolphins, and the World Wide Fund For Nature Hong Kong.

Simple steps to ease you into the New Year and a better community.

2008-01-09T03:57:00.000-08:00

Most people that I speak with have not got involved with a program to help their community. When I listen to these people say why it is not because they do not care. Most of the time it is because they are uniformed on how they can help. Here are a few simple ways you can bring in the New Year, while helping out your community:

1.) Click on Ripple link. It only takes a second and you will educate a child in East Timor for two days. However, I encourage you to take an even further action if you have a website, blog, or MySpace account. Post a link to Ripple.org on your page so even more people can donate!
2.) Fast. I am not talking about being the next Ghandi and not eat for 30 days. Just 5 hours. Skip lunch and feed a child for a month. That's right: SKIP LUNCH AND FEED A CHILD FOR A MONTH! For 8 dollars you can feed a child for a whole month through the Feed the Children organization. I guarantee you will not starve if you miss one lunch. However, you can keep a child from starving. Also, fasting doesn't mean working through lunch. Put down the pen or turn off the monitor and reflect. On your life, others' lives, or maybe even call a friend or family member you haven't spoken to in awhile.
3.) Change a light bulb. Changing your light-bulbs in your home to a Compact Fluorescent Light-bulb (CFL) will not only save money on they energy bill but save energy. That means less pollution. Check out 18 Seconds for more information on how to save money and the environment.
4.) Buy Fair Trade items. They only cost a little more but the difference is worth it. Farmer's across the world are one of the poorest workers , working in some of the harshest conditions. Fair Trade Labeling Organizations International (FLO) is the organization that sets the standards so farmers earn a decent wage to feed their families. Many different products are certified by the FLO so look out for the labels next time your are in the grocery market.
5.) Donate. There are millions of NPOs out there that are looking for your money to help the needy. They don't ask for much, usually starting at just a few dollars. If $10 can save a child from starving to death, imagine how many people we could save. Next time you plan to log onto Myspace don't. Instead go to google. Search for a non-profit that interests you and help out. In the time that it wold have taken you to see your friend take another picture of them self in the mirror you could have saved a child.

These five simple ways can saves lives. They do not ask you to change your lifestyle, quit your job, spend your savings, or move to Africa. Other people have already done that for you. Instead they ask you to care. Care about others for only 5 minutes. For that 5 minutes is all it takes to save a life.

How to use this blog

2008-01-09T03:29:00.000-08:00

Because this site is a call to action, I hope that you take full advantage of what I have prepared for you. I will quickly explain what is here, so you know how to access the information. Then, I will quickly cover what to expect in the future as far as blogs and information for you.

This blog is like a lot of other blogs on the internet, so I won't go over everything. However, the main part of this blog is the white column to the right. This is the action column. Here you will find different sections:
1. Act Now! These links are not advertisments. They are simple ways you can save a life. For instance, Ripple, is a non-profit organization that has teamed up with advertisers and other NPOs. All you do is click the link and money is donated. Not out of your pocket, but out of the pocket of the advertisers. Aid for Kenya is another NPO where you can help the situation there, but I don't want to go into to much information in this post on the riots there.

2. Next in the column you will see a slide show posting photographs. Because this blog is a call to get involved, I am posting photographs taken from different photographers around the world. These photographs will change so I can show you the work of many talented photojournalist in the world.

3. Next is a new feed from World Vision. World Vision is a NPO that is currently helping over 100 countries in the world. There is too much about them to say here, but check out their website for information. This news feed will tell you stories that are not told on your local nightly news or on 24 news networks. These stories are about real people in horrific situations that cannot be described fully in words where compassion from people like you is greatly needed.

4. The last section is a recommended reading section. These are books that I have read and think that the information in them is important. Most of the books in there are non-fiction or have ties to journalism and photo-journalism. Let me make a quick disclaimer though before you get all freaked out. Yes, those books are being sold on an Amazon website. And yes the account is made in my name. So that means, if you are compelled to buy one of the books from the list, there will be a small portion (4% right now) that will go to me. However, that is not an attempt for me to make money. All the money made from people buying books from the list will either be used to purchase more books for more reviews or donated to NPOs. The reasons I choose Amazon is because it is simple, it works, and it has reviews (so you will get other opinions other than my own from this blog).

This experiment is at it's conception phase. The idea was conceived 16 hours ago. In the last 16 hours I spent most of the time, researching blogs, reading books about blogs, looking at blogs for inspiration, researching NPOs, news feeds, setting up the recommended reading list, setting up the blog and writing these posts. I have a lot more I want to do, but there is so much great information for to sort through right now, they will be posted as they develop.

What to look forward to: Great articles about situations (both good and bad) that are going on in the world, book reviews of non-fictions works that can further describe in detail the situations we are faced with that a 2 min news clip or paragraph can't tell you, ways to act and help our community (both locally and global), information about different NPOs that you can look into, and my experiences when I travel overseas.

So please, stay, learn, and act.

Will you walk with me?

2008-01-09T03:09:00.000-08:00

First I would like to thank you for visiting my blog. I understand there are millions of blogs on the internet these days, so for you to stumble across mine is an honor. This blog is going to be an experiment for me. I say experiment for several reasons. First, it is not going to be a blog just about me. I hope that this site will inspire people to go out into the world and give a helping hand. I do not know if my blog will be successful, however, for me not to write it, would be for me to go against what I believe. Let me explain why this going to be an experiment:

1.) The main focus of this blog will get people to act. I am not talking about giving up your profession and going to Africa for the rest of your life. I am talking about taking 5 minutes of your day, maybe daily, monthly, or even just once, to realize the need in the world to help someone. That's right, 5 minutes and you can save a life or contribute to the world. I will try to post quick and easy tips that people can do to help out. Also, there will be information on non-profit organizations that you can donate your time or money to.

2.) Visitors will also be informed of what is going on in the world. Too often do we get our information from tabloid news, if it leads it bleeds formats, and reality shows on television. However, the real issues are not said or televised on CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC. There are far worse problems than the Brittany Spears of our world and also far better stories then how to flip your house or make a million dollars. I will address these issues as they happen.

3.) Also, I will use this blog as a travel journal of my time overseas in Iraq. This is an experiment that I hope will go very well. Most Americans have no clue what is happening over there. During the year I will be there, I will post my experiences through my eyes (and stories through others'). However, this will be an experiment. Because I am a photographer in the military I have limitations and codes of ethics that I am responsible for to the military. However, I think you might be surprised on what you will hear, so stay tuned.

4.) The last concern I have is if this site will even be successful in my goal. Because of time restrictions and internet restrictions that I have in Iraq, I hope I will be able to update this site frequently, but I will not know until I get out there.

Hopefully this blog will be successful. This is not a site for me to use to gain an audience of my life or a number on a friends list. This site is a call to action and information. People need to know what is happening to our world. More importantly they need the guidance and encouragement to know that they can make a difference.