Archive for July 31, 2018

When it’s Good to Be All Wet

July 31, 2018 Comments Off on When it’s Good to Be All Wet

I just learned of a program starting up in my area. It’s called Showers to the People. The organization has a  mobile shower-truck  that alternates among several locations. It parks and invites homeless people to come in and take a hot shower. The people also receive a hot meal and clean clothing.

This is so important. You know how you feel when you’re grungy and smelly and in dirty clothes after work, gardening, or whatever. You don’t feel “human” again until you’re cleaned up, right? People living on the streets  or in their cars are no different. A shower, fresh clothes, and a full stomach pick up their spirits and allow them to endure another day of a hard life. It makes a big difference, too, for those who are searching for work–not only in presenting a fresh appearance but also in building their confidence so they have a chance at employment that will turn their lives around.

Showers to the People–a fantastic idea!

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This is a Win-Win-Wag Situation

July 30, 2018 Comments Off on This is a Win-Win-Wag Situation

Picture row after row of shy, anxious, unwanted dogs in their little shelter cubicles.  Enter a group of children bearing books. They scope out the most timid, frightened dogs and sit on the floor in front of them, open their books, and start reading to them. By the end of a single children’s book, the dogs are more relaxed and actually interacting with the children.

The dogs win: they become more open and trusting of humans, making them cuter and more adoptable.

The children win: they learn empathy while practicing their reading skills.

The dogs wag: they wag their way into adoption.

You have to watch this brief video.

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You Think It’s HOT? Get Used to It!

July 28, 2018 Comments Off on You Think It’s HOT? Get Used to It!

90 million of us are searching for relief from exceptionally high heat. Even those who deny that the Earth is warming are heading into air-conditioned rooms and guzzling cold water.

Problem is, this is only the beginning. Read “Historically Unprecedented Summer Heat” Will No Longer Be Unprecedented.

The World Health Organization tells us, “Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year, from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress.”  —  That seems like reason enough for us to do something.  What? Read the article.

 

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Family Giving Tree

July 27, 2018 Comments Off on Family Giving Tree

Do you have a Family Giving Tree in your area? If so, please support it with a box of crayons, a notebook or two, a soft pencil pack, a ruler, or an entire backpack filled with these things and other items kids need to start the school year. You can even donate a backpack online. How easy is that? AND some stores will either sell you a filled backpack or give you one when you buy one for your own child.

There are other organizations who do this: Kids in Need Foundation, Operation Backpack, A Precious Child, etc. All are needed if this gap is to be filled.

Why give to programs like this? Because educated kids can change lives, in their families, communities, and the world. Yet 16 million American kids arrive at school the first day too poor to provide their own necessary supplies.

I don’t normally ask for donations in my blog, but I’m making an exception this time, because it’s something most of us can easily afford and–here’s the important part–IT’S FOR THE CHILDREN!

 

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Which is It?

July 26, 2018 Comments Off on Which is It?

Today’s Thursday Thought isn’t a quote. It’s just some philosophy I came up with that seems to help me in stressful situations.  Here it is:

When you wonder if the glass is half full or half empty, tip it over and see what flows out.

 

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Women, Sex, and Photos

July 25, 2018 Comments Off on Women, Sex, and Photos

Someone please explain the facts of life to me. Whether it’s news or a Hollywood event, there’s a big difference in how men and women are photographed. The cameras will capture a male through a full-body shot and move forward to his upper body, often including his arm around a woman and a bright smile.  Photos of women are different, though. They  often start at the feet and move slowly up the body, capturing legs, butt, and boobs.

Maybe we’re just being shown the lovely/extravagant/outrageous dress the woman is wearing. But the men don’t always wear conservative business suits. Maybe it’s because the women strike model-poses that emphasize their figure. But the men strike manly poses and do manly things, like encircling their “arm candy.”  Could it be that the women enjoy the attention more than men?  Come on…we’re talking prominent people who earn a living based largely on their looks.

It’s time for camera-people to start at the men’s shoes and work slowly up, panning slowly past the crouch and up past the trim belly and tight butt and up to the $500 haircut.

No, I guess not, because that might be considered obscene.

 

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You May be Richer than You Think (or Poorer)

July 24, 2018 Comments Off on You May be Richer than You Think (or Poorer)

Where we live REALLY does matter…in terms of how rich/poor our salary makes us.  I thought this report was interesting in general, then revealing after I clicked the “View Interactive” button and selected my state.  Try it. Find out where the money you make for working hard at your job places you. The new gilded age–Income inequality in the U.S. by state, metropolitan area, and county.

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A Debatable Movie that Came True

July 23, 2018 Comments Off on A Debatable Movie that Came True

Ever see the movie “The Great Debaters”? About a teacher (Denzel Washington) who did the unthinkable at his mainly Black Texas college—he formed a debate team.  In 1935, people were more inclined to shake their heads at the endeavor than to believe that the team would actually go on to challenge Harvard.

Since then, Harvard has formed the Harvard Debate Diversity Program. This year, Southern Black students from Atlanta debated Harvard–and won!

It’s encouraging to watch these students–and Harvard–progress.

(If you haven’t seen the movie, rent it.)

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Laundry and Unhealthy Families

July 21, 2018 Comments Off on Laundry and Unhealthy Families

Love your babies? The keep them away from fabric softener.

 

Note VOCs are Volatile Organic Compounds. They pollute our indoor air and cause health problems.

(This Sensible Saturday hint thanks to Tina Silva Blease.)

 

 

[For more easy, money-saving, Earth-friendly tips, download a FREE copy of Green Riches: Help the Earth & Your Budget. Go to www.Smashwords.com/books/view/7000 or your favorite e-book seller and download to your computer or e-book device. Totally free, with no strings attached.]

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Thursday Thought on Friday

July 20, 2018 Comments Off on Thursday Thought on Friday

Yesterday (Thursday) was a special day for me, so I wrote about that instead of offering you my usual Thursday Thought quote (https://smthingscount.com/2018/07/19/its-a-special-day-for-me-a-personal-note).  This week, then, I’m mixing things up a bit by making Friday a Thursday.  Today’s quote takes a world view of Security.

“There will be no Homeland Security until we realize that the entire planet is our homeland. Every sentient being in the world must feel secure.” — John Perkins
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