Participate!

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." -Ghandi

For Design Problem #3, I am focusing on the importance of everybody helping each other and helping the Earth we live on. I want to encourage, motivate, and inspire people to "do good." In anyway, any place, for anyone. First, I have designed sort of "notes to strangers" that other people will write or draw on, describing their vision of what good they would like to be seen done, toward others, or for the environment. After I get a lot of people to fill out these sheets, I'm going to roll them up, using biodegradable wax paper (If You Care brand... yes, it's really biodegradable! Excited!?) almost like a message in a bottle, minus the bottle, and send them away tied on yellow, helium filled balloons (which also degrade). I'm using cotton string, just long enough to tie the note to the balloon as not to disturb the environment/wildlife. Hopefully, people will find these notes, open them, and do whatever "good" the other person wanted to see be done! The bottom of the note requests that if found, and if the person does what the note says, that they write back or visit the blog http://participate4good.blogspot.com to let me know what they did/suggestions for further/future "good-doing!" Game plan: I'm going to set up a table in the CFA (focusing first on a specific audience...being Towson students, faculty, staff) with yellow balloons around, wearing yellow shirts, etc to rally up participants for the first part of the project! Why yellow? It's bright, it's happy, and it will catch people's attention! The rest is up to whoever finds these notes. I'm hoping for at least a 50% rate of people finding the balloons, considering I won't know exactly where these notes could end up! I was inspired to do this project by one of my best friends who did something similar as an elementary school student in Belgium. His class wrote letters to strangers and sent them away on balloons in hopes of gaining a pen pal. They received some replies from Germany, and other surrounding countries and cities! Now THAT, I think, is pretty cool. I'm hoping people will be inspired to do good, whether it's something that takes two minutes, two hours, or something that is ongoing... smiling at a stranger, starting a compost, riding your bike instead of driving, eating local/organic food... so many things, most that don't require you to change your whole life around, but simply take a small break and do something GOOD, that's out of your ordinary schedule. Doesn't seem too hard or asking for too much! I'm pretty excited:)

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better, it's not." -Dr. Seuss

NY Times: Phys Ed: Do Energy Drinks Improve Athletic Performance?

Posted December 8, 2010

So this article may not seem like it's related to social issues, but I chose it because it relates to adolescents and young adults using different methods to heighten their energy, attention, etc. to obtain better results in sports and in class. Although different, it reminded me of the project that Rhen, Liz, and Josh are doing in class on prescription drugs, as well as how so many students use (many times unprescribed) aderol to "do better" in school.

Not only do energy drinks not necessarily improve athletic performance as it is NOT a sports drink, although it is often times mistaken for one. They contain as much as a quarter cup of sugar in many,caffeine and other ingredients, like the stimulatory herb guarana and the amino acid taurine. "Because it is a diuretic, caffeine can contribute to dehydration... and the large amounts of sugar in energy drinks have been known to cause diarrhea and other gastrointestinal upset... which is certainly not going to improve anyone’s performance.”

The fact that people so young are already relying on things to boost their energy and performance is obviously not a good sign. If they ate healthy, exercised, and got an efficient amount of rest each night, these things wouldn't be such an issue. Yes, we are busy with school, sports, jobs, etc, but if we took time away from watching television, browsing the web, etc, we would probably have more time for the things that make our lives more healthy, and that would allow people to steer away from energy drinks, aderol, etc.

For Artists’ Fund-Raising, a Social Network Site

Posted on: December 7, 2010

"United States Artists, a nonprofit group founded by foundations and wealthy art donors to broaden support for working artists, will unveil a new Web site on Tuesday that solicits small donations from regular people to help underwrite specific artworks... Part social network, part glossy brochure, part fund-raising mechanism, the site seeks to democratize arts patronage as government support for the arts continues to decline and private sources of financing also shrink."

I think this is a fabulous idea! Why shouldn't artists be able to at least try to fundraise money for their projects? Funding for art is low, yet artists do so much (practically everything) for the visual world we live in. So, if the government isn't funding money for these projects, maybe other people are willing, which, a little surprisingly yet thankfully, they are! A lot of artists who tried out this site said they were embarrassed at first to ask for money from others, yet in the end, the Web site attracted "roughly 36,000 unique visitors and raised a total of $210,000, with an average of $120 from each of 1,500 small donors." Some artists raised anywhere from $5,185 to $20,300! Now THAT is exciting!

Check it out! http://www.unitedstatesartists.org/

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/07/business/07art.html?ref=technology

NY Times: On the Trail of Antarctica's Geological Secrets

Posted: December 7, 2010

The article discusses John Goodge's, a professor of geological sciences at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and Jeff Vervoort's, an isotope geochemist from Washington State University, research expedition in Antarctica. They are digging up and sending home samples of Antarctica crust, which is hidden below 8,000-12,000 ft of ice.

"Antarctica is bigger than the United States and Europe combined, but its geology is very poorly known. Why do we care about the geology of the Antarctic continent? Part of it is basic scientific curiosity, because we know from limited outcrop that parts of East Antarctica are as old as 3.8 billion years. It can tell us about the long evolution of continental crust formation as the earth had undergone chemical differentiation. Antarctica was a key piece in Pangea, Gondwana and Rodinia (huge supercontinents formed by the assembly of many of today’s familiar continents at roughly 250, 500 and 1,000 million years ago), and knowing more about its geologic architecture can help to refine the picture of global paleogeography as far back as 1 billion years ago. Lastly, because the polar ice cap and glaciers in Antarctica are critical to understanding past climate and ongoing processes of climate change, knowing more about the substrate for the earth’s largest ice cap and reservoir of fresh water will help to determine the stability and future fate of the ice sheet in the face of ongoing warming."

Obviously information like this is important if we are going to find solutions to the problems we are creating, or that may be naturally occuring on Earth today, such as global warming. Although there are some controversies facing global warming, researchers may be able to use these samples to determine more about the issue and how things may be in the future.

NY Times: Gay Teenagers Face Harsher Punishments

Posted: December 6, 2010

This article discusses how "gay, lesbian and bisexual teens in the United States are far more likely to be harshly punished by schools and courts than their straight peers, even though they are less likely to engage in serious misdeeds." There have been many studies to prove this. In addition, "lesbian, gay and bisexual teens overall were far more likely to be stopped by police, arrested or convicted of a crime than other adolescents...[Those] who said they had experienced feelings of same-sex attraction were more likely to have been expelled from school than other teens, and girls who labeled themselves as lesbian or bisexual appeared to be at highest risk for punishment, experiencing 50 percent more police stops and about twice the risk of arrest and conviction as heterosexual girls who reported similar levels of misconduct."

This is all absolutely outrageous. It disgusts me that people can treat others so differently and cruelly simply based on an attribute that they may not have or agree with. No matter where we go in life, no matter what we do or who we choose to be, we are going to be judged by at least some people in some way. Everybody is different and how boring would it be if we were all the same? Treating others disrespectfully and unfairly based on their sexual orientation is absolutely bogus to me... and the fact that our educators, protectors (police force, etc.) and courts can judge and punish people less or worse based on a personal characteristic that is part of what makes a person who they are, is really just embarrassing on their part and honestly they should be ashamed of themselves for being so close-minded and judgmental...I feel bad for them. But when and how is this all going to end? Just like racism and other stereotypes, I think it's just something that HOPEFULLY, as generations are born, they will gradually become more and more open-minded than the generation that came before them. As sad as it is, I don't think there is a way to completely alter everybody's thinking and personal "morals."

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/06/gay-teens-face-harsher-punishments/?ref=health

The Human Cloud Is A Greener Workforce

http://www.nytimes.com/external/gigaom/2010/11/12/12gigaom-the-human-cloud-is-a-greener-workforce-6156.html?ref=technology

NY Times: For Frequent Fliers, a Radiation Risk in the Skies

"Despite recent concern about whether airline passengers get a potentially dangerous dose of radiation from the new security scanners at the airport checkpoints, the real risk is after you board the plane, according to two new publications."

There are new security scanners being tested right now that, "unlike diagnostic x-rays that doctors send through the body... go through the clothes and bounce back, so the machine can create an image of the traveler under the clothing." There was talk concern about whether or not people would receive too much radiation from the machines. The scanners meet the standard for a “general use” X-ray machine, meaning that a person would have to have 1,000 scans a year before approaching the maximum allowed dose for members of the general public. Later, the amount of radiation people get AFTER getting on the plane was discussed and it definitely shocked me! At airliner altitudes, we actually get radiation from the sun and the stars, which can be hundreds of times higher than on the surface of the earth, where the atmosphere filters out radiation. Well that's definitely something I never would have even thought about before! Another interesting fact: "airline crew members flying long-haul high-altitude routes receive, on average, greater exposures than the typical radiation workers in ground-based industries where radioactive sources or radiation producing machines are used, [and] flying round trip from New York to Tokyo seven times a year would put a passenger or crew member at the limit enforced at industrial sites." Holy Moly! If we're already getting that much radiation from simply flying, is it really necessary for airports to expose us to even MORE radiation when going through security? There has to be other ways to make a scanner without potentially being able to harm us with much use over time. Although most people don't fly very often, there are people who fly A LOT, like business frequent fliers, and what about the pilots of the planes? It seems to me the inventors/designers of these super high-tech should be thinking about the long-term best interest of everyone... yeah they would stop potential terrorists, etc. from getting through security checkpoints, but maybe there are other ways of creating really efficient scanners/security machines.



http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/for-frequent-fliers-a-radiation-risk-in-the-skies/?ref=science

NY Times: Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post

"This is the first case in which the labor board has stepped in to argue that workers’ criticisms of their bosses or companies on a social networking site are generally a protected activity and that employers would be violating the law by punishing workers for such statements."

An employee of a company was illegally fired after talking negatively about her supervisor on her Facebook page, which was later followed by agreeing comments by other employees as well. When is the line drawn between work and personal life, and how do you even know the difference these days? Facebook is supposed to be a personal network for your friends, although yes, in some instances, it promotes/aids in communication for business as well. But, if someone can be fired for expressing their emotions about work OUTSIDE of work, in the same way they would talk or text or email about it, how can they legally be fired for it? Is that right? "An administrative law judge is scheduled to begin hearing the case on Jan. 25," so I guess we'll find out then! To me, it partially makes sense but it's partially outrageous. I think because we are such an advanced, technology/electronic "dependent" and active society, we should be careful about what we are posting out there, because there really is always a way for it to get out into the public now. So if you really don't want certain people seeing these things, should you post it on a site that anybody could potentially have access to? Probably not.

Educating Youth to Design Solutions for Social Issues

From an article on psfk.com:


When it comes to utilizing design or creative thinking to shape our society, few avenues are more direct or have more potential than reaching out and fostering a commitment to social responsibility within our schools and our children. An interesting newcomer to this form of education is Design Ignites Change, an initiative created by Worldstudio Projects and Adobe’s Youth Voices, which promotes and encourages high school students to use design thinking to solve real world problems. Fostered through a mentoring program which pairs creative professionals or university organizations with area high schools, the projects address a range of issues from diversity and hunger, to homelessness and gun violence. Each project is highlighted on the initiative’s website, and selected groups will receive financial grant awards in the form of student tuition or project funding. Design Ignites Change is also an interesting way of introducing creative fields as a career path for young people, and instills early the myriad possibilities to use it to approach social issues.

Youth outreach is also an integral part of the Center for Urban Pedagogy (CUP), a Brooklyn-based organization started in 1997 dedicated to making educational projects about places and how they change. We recently sat down with exiting Executive Director, Rosten Woo, a design historian and advocate for the demystifying of public policy. CUP approaches education from a number of directions, matching artists, designers, videographers, and urban planners, with community- or issue-based organizations, and youth groups. Masters of matching the right trifecta (artist/cause/school), CUP enables the production of research and design projects that engage students and effectively serve the community.

“Our work grows from a belief that the power of imagination is central to the practice of democracy, and that the work of governing must engage the dreams and visions of citizens. CUP believes in the legibility of the world around us. What can we learn by investigation? By learning how to investigate, we train ourselves to change what we see. “

By not just speaking at, but working with youth groups, projects like these hope to spark a lifelong interest in creatively serving the public good.

http://www.psfk.com/2009/04/educating-youth-to-design-solutions-for-social-issues.html#


PSKF is a great site for finding out about new designs and creating your own ideas! Check it out!

Trash-D!

http://www.trash-d.co.uk/index.html

Ethical, sustainable, and environmentally responsible clothing line! Check it out!

NYTimes: Japan’s Auto Parts Makers Try to Anticipate Shift to Electric Cars

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/03/business/global/03japancar.html?ref=todayspaper

Up!

Up! Illuminate your face? Now illuminate your space!

For Design Problem 2, Laura and I did a collaborative project on upcycling and the idea of reduce, reuse, and recycle. By focusing on a product that most women have in their homes, we created a series of fairly simple designs to create tea light candle holders using old makeup compacts. We were inspired by the thought that women use and consume so many cosmetic products, whose empty containers are usually later thrown away, left to sit in landfills, further destroying and polluting the planet we live on. Why not reuse them in a cool, fun, aesthetically pleasing way?! Not to mention reducing consumption on new items that you could easily (and enjoyably) design and make on your own, as well as reducing the pollution, etc. created from making the products. We then created a blog for Up!, http://upilluminateyourspace.wordpress.com/, with do-it-yourself instructions, images, and videos to follow to design and create these candle holders! This allows and encourages people to reuse what they already have and reduce further consumption and pollution from purchasing new items. A fun, different, and fairly simple way to make their home more beautiful, our planet cleaner, and their pockets fuller! Sounds like a win-win situation to me! :)


Up! Organic Tree Tabletop Candle Holder


Up! Organic Tree Candle Holder Series (Tabletop Piece, Standing Floor Piece, Hanging Wall Piece)


Up! Reflective Hanging Wall Candle Holder


Up! Lotus Compact Votive

NYTimes: From Farm to Fridge to Garbage Can

Posted November 1, 2010

This article, "From Farm to Fridge to Garbage Can" states that a quarter to half of all food produced in the United States goes uneaten — left in fields, spoiled in transport, thrown out at the grocery store, scraped into the garbage or forgotten until it spoils. A study in Tompkins County, N.Y., showed that 40 percent of food waste occurred in the home." They pointed out the ways to avoid food waste, why we do it, and why it's bad. While all of this is good to recognize, it doesn't DO anything. Living in the U.S. I feel like we feel as if we have the "right" to waste food... that if anything seems as if there might be the slightest chance that it has gone bad, we throw it out -- "when in doubt, throw it out" when the food should sometimes be "[given] the benefit of the doubt." However, according to this article, we still throw out perfectly good food a lot of the time. An estimated twenty five percent of the food we bring into our homes is wasted. "Wasted food also takes an environmental toll. Food scraps make up about 19 percent of the waste dumped in landfills, where it ends up rotting and producing methane, a greenhouse gas." People around the world are starving, some starving to death, and we throw out perfectly good lettuce just because it has a tiny brown spot, or buy double of things we already have because the fridge is already too packed that it's been left unnoticed. A little smack on the hand isn't going to change our ways, just like any other habit we have that affects the environment we live in and the people around the world. What is it going to take?

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/01/from-farm-to-fridge-to-garbage-can/?ref=health

Make-up Compacts?

So I guess the whole converting old pieces of furniture pieces is too "already been done." So, we wanted to gear toward using a single object/material to reuse in multiple ways. Here's what we came up with...

Every girl, well almost every girl, uses make up at least sometimes. I don't know about everyone else, but for some reason I also keep my empty blush and eye shadow compacts, even after their pretty much all used up, just to pile up in my countless make-up bags. I don't know why I do it, I just do. I know a lot of girls use compressed powder, etc, that probably pile up the same way. Laura and I decided to use this as the main recycled object for our project. We want to use the mirror part of the compacts to create a larger, decorative wall mirror. We also plan on making several different kinds of decorative candle holders using compacts, both the mirror part and the side that once contained the make up. Using paint and other materials, we will transform these once not so attractive containers that just unnecessarily took up space into beautiful, decorative pieces!

During brainstorming, after thinking of a bunch of different items that just lay around the house taking up space, we thought of a few other ideas as well... An end table made with stacked books, with an old decorative picture frame as the top (after thinking of this "brilliant idea," I researched already been done DIY ideas... this one has somewhat already been done, so I'm not sure about this one). I also was super excited when I thought of making decorative, comfy pillows out of old wool sweaters... also already been done. Then, I thought of how I could make/alter a sweater that can be folded and buttoned to create a pillow for road trips, plane rides, etc that can then be unbottoned and unfolded to wear as a sweater or use as a blanket. For now, just sticking with the compacts...

(Scratch the pillow to blanket idea...apparently they're called quillows? Already been done. Rats!)

Turning Asphalt Into Edible Education

Oct. 19, 2010

This article is similar to my first idea for Design Problem 2 of going to preschools and planting vegetable and fruit gardens with the children to gain appreciation of nature and in favor creating less production/pollution by home growing veggies, as well as promoting healthier eating. That's pretty much what Celia Kaplinsky, a Brooklyn elementary school principal, did with New York children.

There are already 285 school gardens in New York City, according to a recent state survey, part of a national school gardening trend. Most are small affairs, completely reliant on parent volunteers and teachers’ spare time...The P.S. 216 project, known as an Edible Schoolyard, is part of a second generation of gardens, which involve things like state-of-the art greenhouses, professional staff, large city grants, and ever-more-ambitious agendas. Ms. Waters’s project, for example, aims to find a solution to childhood obesity by integrating the lessons of food growing, food preparation and healthy eating through the curriculum. A recent study found that her projects in Berkeley had made headway toward that goal."

My opinion? This is great. More projects like this should be stirred up all around -- it's a great experience for children and teaches them at the core age that habits form. Like I said, they gain a better appreciation and understanding of nature and how it works, they get to really help and see the development/growth of natural things, all while eating healthier, natural and organic foods (in turn creating less pollution for foods that need to be shipped and cleaned from other countries, states, etc).

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/19/turning-asphalt-into-edible-education/

NYTimes: Needing Students, Maine School Hunts in China

Published Oct. 26, 2010

"Faced with dropping enrollment and revenue, a high school in [Millinocket, Maine], a remote town, has fixed on an unlikely source of salvation: Chinese teenagers. Never mind that Millinocket is an hour’s drive from the nearest mall or movie theater, or that it gets an average 93 inches of snow a year. Kenneth Smith, the schools superintendent, is so certain that Chinese students will eventually arrive by the dozen — paying $27,000 a year in tuition, room and board — that he is scouting vacant properties to convert to dormitories."

A school that once held over 700 students, now only has 200 students enrolled. It's enrollment decreased after the paper mill went bankrupt in 2003 -- a main source of jobs in the town. So, the superindendent of the school in this town is convinced that he will be able to get Chinese students to come to Maine to attend their school. I personally think this is crazy. I think that he is completely taking advantage of the fact that Chinese students want to come to the states, and feeding off of their nievety, probably thinking that anywhere in the States is amazing, fun, etc. Well, I don't know if anyone would really want to live in a remote area like Millincoket, Maine if they had the choice. I could be wrong, and perhaps this would be a good experience for Chinese students if they did choose to come study in this town for a year. Any way of being submersed in another culture is a great thing, given how sheltered many people around the world really are -- it opens peoples eyes to what is going on in the world around them (socially, economically, environmentally, etc), gives them new ways of thinking, and other great opportunities. But, I think Smith is completely taking advantage of the situation for his school's personal financial and academic gain. I don't know if I would say it's completely wrong or right one way or another, I just don't personally really agree with it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/education/27students.html?ref=todayspaper

NYTimes: Riches May Not Help Papua New Guinea

Published Oct. 25, 2010

"In 2014, ExxonMobil is scheduled to start shipping natural gas through a 450-mile pipeline and on to Japan, China and other markets in East Asia. But the project, which is expected to bring Papua New Guinea $30 billion over three decades and to radically increase its gross domestic product, will force a country already beset by state corruption and to grapple with the windfall... Local leaders worry about the continuing flow of guns [with more money coming in through ExxonMobil] into an area with almost no government presence, and no paved roads, electricity, running water, banks or post offices...While the West's richest companies are used to seeking natural resources in the world's poorest corners, few places on earth seem as ill-prepared as the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea."

Okay, first off, I think it's outrageous that we are going into the poorest countries of the world and robbing them of their resources in order to fulfill our greedy, snobby desires, in order to better OUR lives. And we wonder why so many other countries don't like us? I don't understand how we continuously take and take and take from other unbelievably poor countries to make our lives richer, easier, and "better." Did it ever occur to ExxonMobil that maybe it isn't that we need to go take oil from the poorest countries because it's becoming scarce everywhere else, but maybe that we need to find other means of energy? Probably not, because just like every other American business, their probably greedy and just want to fill their pockets the quickest, easiest way possible. What about sustainable development -- meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs? Or, like discussed in Designers, Visionaries, and Other Stories, Triple Top Line -- the objective to balance economic, social, and environmental responsibilities to aim towards a win-win situation and focus on 'effectiveness' rather than 'efficiency.' Sheesh, come on people.

Like Albert Einstein said, "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them."

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2010/10/25/world/1026PAPUA-2.html

Sites on reuse!

http://loadingdock.org/redo/Benefits_of_Reuse/body_benefits_of_reuse.html

http://green.thefuntimesguide.com/

Change of Pace!

So although I was really excited about working with children on the importance of the environment, I've had some change in my idea on the next project. Yes, still focusing on the environment -- the importance of reusing, reducing, recycling. Laura and I are going to do a collaborative project, focusing on taking old, "ugly," unwanted things, particularly furniture pieces, and turning them into beautiful pieces (in an inexpensive manner). Reusing what is already here, reducing the cost of making and buying a new of the same thing, which is recycling that old piece into something new and beautiful! Also, perhaps finding non-functional pieces and turning them into functional pieces -- once again, reducing, reusing, and recycling! Yay, I'm excited! Earlier in the semester I was telling Laura how I had needed a nightstand for a while. When going to Goodwill to donate clothes (inspired by my Materialism Geurilla Project), I saw an old, ugly, definitely not my style, nightstand. I bought it for $15 (the guy who worked there gave me $5 off). I bought a small bucket of paint from Wal-Mart (about $6), used a paint brush I had, and bought new handles for it ($8), and vwah-la! A super cute, fresh, new nightstand that I love! Muchhh cheaper than buying a new one. (I later saw one almosttt similar at Anthropologie selling for $675 or so! Is that really necessary? I'll take my own personalized one). Reduce, reuse, recycle! Laura reminded me about this and we were both kind of inspired! We plan on going to thrift shops, yard sales, etc. (Freecycle?) to find pieces to convert. If we use materials that are also environmentally friendly, that'd be even better! This also reduces furniture and pieces from being wasted, thrown away, and left to sit in landfills and rot. Why throw away pieces that with a little spice and tender loving care, could be amazing, gorgeous, and perfectly functional?! We want to have the pieces go toward a cause, or donate it to something, we just haven't figured it out yet! Still working out the kinks, but this is our foundation so far! :)

Here's a cool website I found sort of revolving around this same idea: http://weburbanist.com/creative-recycled-art-architecture-and-design/

"Many people associate environmentalism with gloom-and-doom predictions about the planet. While climate change is a serious issue, many artists, architects and other designers are also working on smaller scale green projects that both effect the environment and cause change by sparking discussion and reflection. While the actual direct impact of any given artwork or design may be small the cumulative result of their efforts is palpable and grows bigger with each creative and sustainable design or art project."

"Recycled Material Used in Furniture Design and Construction: While some of these works could be considered kitsch a number of these are not only functional but also aesthetically compelling. Many recycled furniture designs flaunt their former lives as anything from bicycle tires to bath tubs. Instead of simply going for an ultra-sleek piece of modern hipster furniture, why not try something a bit out of the ordinary that is also good for the environment?"

Other cool recycled products that I found on http://ecoble.com/2008/03/12/10-unusually-creative-ways-to-recycle-ordinary-objects/

Spice4Life: Teaching Children the Importance of Recycling

An article from http://www.spice4life.co.za/teaching-children-the-importance-of-recycling.asp

Teaching Children the Importance of Recycling

Actor Robert Redford was once quoted as saying: "I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?" But why be on the defensive when you can be proactive? And if research is to be believed, the majority of eating and lifestyle habits are formed in children by the age of 10. So, pay attention all parents - the responsibility for teaching your children the importance of recycling and caring for the environment lies with you. Adopting environmentally friendly habits and passing on these life lessons will ensure a sustainable environment for their future and the future is now!

In an ideal society, recycling should be as natural to your children as brushing their teeth, packing away their toys and putting on their seatbelts when climbing into a car. Not because they are radical environmentalists or the offspring of crazy “tree huggers”, but rather simply because it’s all they know! From a tender age, we teach our children to say please and thank you, we tell them not to talk to strangers, not to litter and so many other small yet essential life skills that we don’t even consciously think about. Why should lessons in environmental protection and recycling be any different?

The approach employed is personal but to be effective it should be fun. Scare tactics might work when demanding a clean up campaign for a messy bedroom, but will probably prove less effective in starting up a recycling regime. The Glass Recycling Company, South Africa’s national organisation responsible for facilitating the recovery of waste glass for recycling, is working hard at mobilizing citizens to improve glass recycling quotas. To this end, since its inception, successfully dented its target, by increasing the recovery of waste glass from 148 000 tons to more than 204 000 tons per year. This is effectively an increase in recovery of just over a 38% over a two-year period. But this growth trend needs to be sustained and grown further still and company is offering advice to help facilitate this process:- Knowledge is empowering so begin by educating your children regarding the potentially negative impact that glass has on our environment and how they can help make a difference by reusing and recycling it. Due to the fact that it is not bio-degradable, glass can cause: Unsightly litter Injury to human and animal life Pollution of natural water sources Fires – broken glass is a key factor in the starting of runaway veld fires which can have a devastating impact on the environment Due to the fact that glass does not decompose, it ends up in landfills which are not only unsightly, but have a negative effect on our soil, vegetation and underground water systems and are breeding grounds for disease carrying vermin Recycling is easy, and tips from The Glass Recycling Company to be followed include-: Recycle all glass containers – not just beverage bottles. Containers, which hold food, medicine, and household items and are made of glass are all recyclable Reuse old containers – they are great for storing paint, crayons, buttons and arts and crafts tools such as paint brushes, rulers and much more Explain to your children what is recyclable and what is not. For example, light bulbs and cookware such as “pyrex” are NOT recyclable. They have different properties that can contaminate a recyclable load of glass Plan your trips to the bottle banks to fit into your daily schedule – it will become part of your plan rather than a chore! Take your children along with you and show them how and where to put their bottles. In South Africa, it is not necessary to wash glass before placing it into “Glass Banks” in addition to this, we don’t need to separate different coloured glass into separate banks. All in all – recycling is very easy Encourage your child’s school to participate or start a recycling programme of their own There is no doubt that children are influenced by their peers. By making recycling a way of life and making it as habitual as the other lessons we teach them, before we know it, we will have a generation of recyclers that work together to build a sustainable environment. In this way, the balance in society will shift from a generation of non-recyclers to a generation of recyclers that respect our planet. To find more about a glass bank in your area, visit the Glass Recycling Company Web site www.theglassrecyclingcompany.co.z

Haha! Videos on humorous approaches to environmentalism and global warming!

http://noconsensus.org/comic-relief.php

Man, I really need to figure out how to post videos on here!

I keep looking for ways other people have already approached children about environmentalism, but all I can find are articles about children and the best learning "environment" ... I need to reword how I'm searching I think... the search continues.

Aha! I'm getting warmer!

From an article at:
http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-i-teach-a-child-the-importance-of-nature.htm

"Children aren't born understanding the importance of nature, but learn by modeling the behavior of those who are important to them. If they learn from observation that nature is disposable, that is how they will treat it. Children can learn the importance of nature by teaching them a few simple things." >>> The point/idea I'm getting at for Design Problem #2.

"Recycling is a great way to teach your children the importance of nature. It also makes them feel like they are contributing to environmental conservation. This makes it more likely they will continue the behavior later in life. Allow your children to collect all the cans and bottles in the house and trade them in for cash. It is a great motivating factor for children." >>> Good - yes. Boring- yes. I want something that will really stick. Something that's fun to them, that they will remember, and want to repeat.

Marijuana, Once Divisive, Brings Some Families Closer

This article discusses the use of marijuana by elderly people to help with their health issues, such as nausea, dizziness, pain relief from nerve damage, raising heart rate, lowering blood pressure, etc. In some cases, the use of marijuana has helped elderly people to ease off of their medical drugs. Although it may put some people at risk of falls, impaired cognition, impaired memory, and loss of motor control, it seems to have more positives than negatives. It is legal is some states now but not all. In some cases, children of the elderly people have been the suppliers of their marijuana and has brought some families closer by bonding while "making brownies," smoking together occasionally, etc. Although this sort of sounds ridiculous, if its works, it works! I think it's definitely interesting how something illegal and once so secret and so "bad" that we mostly heard younger people were doing, is now coming up as being beneficial for elderly people to use. Times are changing, that's for sure. I think that this if it truly is beneficial for elderly people to use and doesn't have as many side effects as medically prescribed pills, etc, then more doctors, practices, and states should be more open to medical marijuana (after much research and experimenting with the drug, of course). Like I said, times are changing, so we need to change with them at least a little. Closed minds won't benefit anybody, or the future.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/us/10pot.html?src=me&ref=general

In Topeka, the Price of Free Speech

This article talks about the Phelps' family, who practically make up the members of the Westboro Baptist Church. They picket the funerals of dead soldiers with signs that say things such as "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and have made many controversial stands. (As shown in the picture above with Fred Phelps). They have been at the "heart of decades of local debate about the proper limits of the First Amendment when speech is meant to be as purposefully inflammatory as it is here."

The Phelps' and the Westboro Baptist Church believe "the acceptance of homosexuality has doomed America."

"Fred W. Phelps, whose operation is at the center of the case before the highest court now, arrived [in Topeka] a half-century ago to work as a preacher for a local Baptist church. Now a self-described prophet of God’s wrath, Mr. Phelps has solicited outrage with his venomous protesting at military funerals all over the country — including the burial of a young Marine in Maryland that prompted the case before the Supreme Court — as well as burning the Koran and enlisting his grandchildren to stomp on the American flag."

This situation definitely makes you wonder exactly how far our freedom of speech should be able to go. Yes, it is a right as an American, however, doesn't this seem to be taking the right a little too far? When you're inflicting pain on other people (although it is not physical), isn't there some point where the line needs to be drawn? I think so. Surrounding a funeral of a loved one with hate signs, is disrespectful, insensitive, disgusting, and just rude. I honestly can't believe how some people are these days. Where is the respect?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/10/us/10kansas.html?pagewanted=2

For Those Near, the Miserable Hum of Clean Energy

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/business/energy-environment/06noise.html?src=me&ref=general

NY Times: Lead Poisoning Kills Nigerian Children

In the last six months, more that 400 children have died of lead poisoning in Nigeria. The deaths occurred in seven villages in Zamfara State, where runoff from illegal gold mining, which contains high concentrations of lead, entered the soil and water supply. Disturbingly enough, local residents are "reluctant to disclose the poisoning for fear the authorities will ban the gold mining... for two weeks, villagers in Bagega denied any deaths or illnesses among the children in the village." 

This is such a sad, disturbing story -- that villagers would risk and pretty much give up their children's lives for money. By not wanting to give up the gold mining, they are pretty much murdering their children, at least the way I see it. I feel like there should be some kind of punishment or consequence for this, however the article doesn't say anything about that. It simply states that, "denying that the problem exists 'delays and hampers intervention and makes it too late when it eventually comes." That is absolutely horrible. Innocent young lives in exchange for money. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/07/world/africa/07nigeria.html?_r=1&ref=world

Environmentalism

The environment has done so much for us, so we should always give back and do good for the environment... no relationship can be one sided, and our relationship with the environment is definitely no different. At the rate things are going today, we don't really have a choice if we still want to be able to use and enjoy the environment in the future. For my project I want to do something regarding environmentalism. I want to do something geared toward younger children -- the young people in society today are the ones who will shape our society's and environment's future. I feel like getting children to care and be passionate about the topic is one way to help ensure a better future for our environment and therefore a better well-being for humans. In a perfect world, it'd be a win-win situation:)

My four and half year old sister Hailey was definitely my main inspiration and motivation for chosing to do my project geared toward little munchkins. Friday I came home to visit her and she wanted to take our dog, Rico, for a walk around our property (my dad owns 30 acres) on a leash (he NEVER walks on a leash -- little kids are too funny). Anyway, she packed a little book bag of snacks for a picnic. As we were sitting on the grass eating, she went to throw the wrapper to her gummy snacks in the field. I explained to her how you're not supposed to do that and taught her about pollution, how it effects the environment, animals, our health, etc. She picked up her trash and definitely showed concern for the animals affected by pollution. The next day, my other sister, Paige, took her on a walk down the road where they could hear the electricity running through the electric lines above her. Paige asked if she knew what electricity was and Hailey said it's what "gives power to our house." Then Hailey saw trash laying on the side of the road and told Paige that that was bad and would hurt the animals and said, "Hey! I have an idea! We could get a bag and pick up the trash!" No joke. I was so proud of her. This just goes to show that things like this really do get engraved in little kids minds. Tell a 20 or 30 year old and they'll probably forget it by the next day, or think about it, feel bad about it, but do it anyway, or not do anything about it. I think it's the little kids we need to focus on now for a better future later!

From an article on suite101.com on Environmentalism:

Environmentalism is a movement to preserve the health of Earth and its ecosystems. While it is based in science, it's also inspired by values and spirituality.

-eliminating pollution

-protecting biodiversity

-restoring habitat

-slowing climate change

-conserving natural resources

-recycling waste

-reducing consumption

-increasing energy efficiency

-using alternative energy

-monitoring ecosystems

-designing, building and living green

-getting children outdoors >>> see, other people agree!

Other issues that interest me...

Alternative Energy

Cloning

Organ Donation

Racism

Rape

Immigration

War Crimes

Animal Experimentation

The debate between the scientific community and those who oppose animal experimentation involves some very difficult questions. Animal rights activists believe those who use animals experimentally for science and other research, even though responsibly, should realize their work treats animals as objects without rights. Others would counter this by saying their work is essential to our way of life and to human health and well-being, and that there is no real substitute for animal experimentation.

Alternative Energy

Alternative energy refers to non-fossil fuel sources of energy, such as wind, solar, and hydro (water) power as well as nuclear reactors, hydrogen, bioenergy, such as ethanol, and geothermal energy. Today, fossil fuels provide over 85% of the total primary energy used around the world; they also contribute to the world’s pollution problem and, some believe, global warming. Alternative sources of energy are under research in an effort to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.

Ethnic Relations

Ethnic communities in the United States today still struggle with the tension between preserving an ethnic identity and assimilating into the larger community. Immigrants generally try to preserve a sense of their native homeland and ethnic heritage, but in order to advance economically and socially, they often need to assimilate into the American community. The process of assimilation is not always smooth, as evidenced by tension between different ethnic groups and those who consider themselves Americans.

Having a Salvadorean father and a "white," American mother, I can definitely relate to both sides. But, I'm still drawn back to this..

Environmentalism

The ethical and political perspective that places the health, harmony, and integrity of the natural environment at the center of human attention and concern. From this perspective human beings are viewed as part of nature rather than as overseers. Therefore to care for the environment is to care about human beings since we cannot live without the survival of the natural habitat.

Hmmm...

Ideas for Social Design Problem 2:

I found a pretty cool site, http://socialissues.wiseto.com/Topics/CreationismVsEvolution/ that has an A-Z list of social issues -- pretty much everything you could imagine. Possibilities are endless. Perfect!

Ones that caught my attention:

Creationism vs. Evolution

Evolution is the process by which gradual genetic change occurs over time to a group of living things. Creationism holds that Earth was miraculously created as it exists today. Creationism is not based on any presently held scientific principles and members of the scientific community do not accept it as a possible theory for the origin of the universe; they reject the idea that it should be taught as a part of science education.

I think this is definitely interesting -- not sure how important it is in society today (apart from the science community) or how I could use it in a project, BUT it grabbed my interest. I think I interpreted it differently that what it really means. Scratch that one.

Environmental Policy

Environmental policy can be strictly defined as a government's chosen course of action or plan to address issues such as pollution, wildlife protection, land use, energy production and use, and waste generation and disposal. In reality, a government's environmental policy may be characterized by examining its overall responses to environmental challenges as they occur, or by defining its policy as the sum of plans for, and reactions to, environmental issues.

U.S. Measures to Protect the Environment Are Effective and Necessary:

The United States does a good job of preventing damage to the environment and responding to environmental disasters when they do occur. Despite the difficulties of operating within a large bureaucracy, key proponents of environmental policy have made programs like the Environmental Protection Agency's Superfund a reality.

Sorry, but this is a little funny to me. Although, yes, the U.S. might be doing a decent job on their response to environmental disasters, and preventing damage to the environment, they are in absolutely NO WAY doing enough!!! There is SO much more that we should be doing to better our environment and to lessen the DESTRUCTION of the environment EVERY MINUTE! I mean come on, look at Canada for example -- now THEY are taking effective and necessary measures to protect the environment. Here we are, greedy, lazy Americans who consume so much and destroy the environment so much in our own region that we don't have enough room to dispose of all of our crap anymore! So what do we do? We dump it in other countries! Did you know we don't even dispose of our used tires in our own country? Nope, we drop it off in other countries. Real cool.

Shoo I just got all worked up with that topic -- maybe I should use it as a lead for my project? I think so... but where to go with it...

This class is definitely to blame for my new, heightened awareness and passion for the topic of environmental efforts, sustainability, etc. I'm glad for it, though. The other day I saw someone throw a napkin out their parked car window, and I said something to them about. They picked it up. This morning, as my sister was getting ready and she was using her Aussie aerosol hairspray, I told her all about how bad it is for the environment. Well, she used it anyway, but I didn't.

200 families on brink of homelessness being treated like 'rats in a lab experiment'

So while searching for information, topics, etc for my next project, I came across a link to an article at NYDailyNews.com about an attempt to test how well a one-stop assistance program, called Homebase, is working. In order to do this, the Department of Homeless Services split 400 struggling families into two groups -- one half get rental assistance, job training, and other services through Homebase. The other half or the "control group" are shut out of Homebase for two years. Rather than helping them, the families were given a list of other agencies and were told to go hunt for help elsewhere. For two years, researchers of this project will track the two seperate groups using their Social Security numbers to see how each group "uses city services... such as shelter, public assistance, foster care," etc. Starting in August, letters were distributed to 400 families at random who were applying to join Homebase, informing them that they would be part of the study. They want to see if the "control group" will find aid through other agencies or if they will end up in shelters. The article also touched on the unhappy reaction of a pregnant single mother who lives in a one bedroom apartment with her 8 and 1 year old daughters who was dubbed a "have-not."

I think this is outrageous. A lot of people commented on the article, saying they think it is good, and that women who get pregnant who already have children they can't support shouldn't receive aid because it is their fault for getting pregnant again -- that people like this are draining resources that come from our tax dollars. Although, yes, I do somewhat agree with that statement, that our actions come with consequences and responsibilities that we must handle, I think to randomly select and divide families into "haves" and "have-nots" seems a little harsh, unfair, not right? But then again nothing is free, nothing is really, truly fair, and I suppose something like this has to be done in order to see how struggling and homeless families use their resources and what is available to them to better their own individual situations, rather than acting helpless just because they are struggling. I think too often in this society people who are needy are handed so much, so easily, for simply not having anything. Why not TRY to make something with what they have? Instead of acting helpless, DO something about it. For example, a single women with a low paying job who receives ridiculous amounts of aid and help simply because she made the decision to have a child that she can not support. But, say, a young adult just getting out of college with no job is prooobably not going to receive that kind of aid. Why? My opinion on this article goes back and forth. Definitely an interesting thing to think about.

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/09/30/2010-09-30_city_cruel_test_for_poor_families.html

Business of Green: A Future Built on Different Standards

Styria, a province in southeastern Austria, what was once an economic backwater, is now enjoying an economic boom generated in part by a regional project that has brought together 79 municipalities to promote local, green, self-sustaining businesses. Financed by the European Union, fourteen mayors came together to develop a sustainable business strategy -- they borrowed €1.5 million to help finance a local energy management agency. The agency provided advice on the design of sustainable energy projects and helped to develop local energy resources. Other small businesses have been encouraged to develop local resources, skills, and markets. Farmers, small businesses, restaurants, etc are also now using electricity supplied partly by solar panels, and even recycling the heat from their refrigerators.

Restaurants are also using produce of small, environmentally conscious neighborhood farms. The people have become a lot more eco-conscious and are showing a "newfound awareness of nature as a gift to be respected.” I think this whole effort of an entire province going green and becoming more conscious of the environment is amazing. It reminds me of the extreme efforts that Canada has taken in making changes and laws to help better the planet we live on -- not too many other countries seem brave enough or care enough to take such lengths to making a difference. I hope projects like these help influence other countries to follow their example, showing them it can be done, that it's really not hard, and that it is rewarding. Something small and silly, but like I read on my Sun Chips bag at lunch today, "Big changes can come from small steps," but I think I've stressed that through my entire blog!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/03/business/energy-environment/03iht-rbogvol.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=energy-environment

A "green" blog on energy and the environment!

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/

Beyond Fossil Fuels: Can We Build a Brighter Shade of Green?

Articles in the "Beyond Fossil Fuels" series in the NY Times examines innovative attempts to reduce the world's dependence on coal, oil and other carbon-intensive fuels, and the challenges faced. This particular article discusses the building of passive homes, which often use up to 90 percent less heating and cooling energy than similar homes built to local code. Although they are more expensive to build than regular homes, they later save homeowners an a lot of money with much lower energy and electric bills. They have no furnace but simply have great insulation, sometimes with people being the only source needed to heat the entire house and heated floors in the bathroom; they can be up to 80 percent more energy efficient than regular homes. Although there are only 13 in the United States to date, it is estimated that there will be about 300 by the end of this year. I think most people wouldn't want to build a passive home because of the extra cost, but in the end it would probably end up balancing out as energy bills would be dramatically lower, and it would be greatly benefiting our environment -- so if someone in the market for a new home has the means to do this, why wouldn't they? People seem so scared of change or too lazy to make the effort to simply try something new that they miss great opportunities like this one -- things that could be better in the long run for both the homeowners and the environment! This is the most I've really heard about homes being built like this and I think there should definitely be a bigger market for them. Little steps like this is will help to save and preserve the world we live in today.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/business/energy-environment/26smart.html?pagewanted=1&ref=business&src=me

(Published September 25, 2010)

NY Times: For the Unemployed Over 50, Fears of Never Working Again

Because of the economic collapse, people in their 50s who lost their jobs when the economy went downhill are having an extremely hard time trying to find jobs now -- people who have college education and have been in the work force for decades and in need of a job to pay for their retirement. After 14.9 million people were left unemployed due to the recession, 2.2 million being over 55, it is hard for anyone to get a job. However, companies are most likely going to choose a younger applicant with up to date technological skills rather than an older individual who is "rusty" after working with the same company for years, which, who could blame them? But still, it's not fair that after so many years in the workforce, it's nearly impossible to get back into it -- just because they are older than the young, new, fresh workers, they still need jobs and money, too!

(Published September 20, 2010)

NY Times: Still Few Women in Management

The article, "Still Few Women in Management" in the NY Times discusses the difference in wages between female workers and male workers, particularly manger positions, where women on average earn about 80 cents on every dollar a male manager makes. A report commissioned by the Joint Economic Council of Congress made a comparison between men and women "in a specific industry and in similar jobs, and also controlling for differences like education levels and age. On average, female managers had less education, were younger and were more likely to be working part time than their male counterparts." Although the gender gap has narrowed slightly over the last decade, female managers still earn less, especially when they are married and/ or have children. However, men lost the most jobs during the recession because of the types of industries they worked in. Although this has been an ongoing, obvious issue for as long as women have been in the work force, it still appalls me that with how advanced our society has become and how educated women are now, that they still are paid less than a man when doing the same exact job. They could be doing it a hundred times better than the man with the same position, but because of the simple fact that they are a woman, they are paid less. It's gross and for a country that is supposed to be equal and fair and full of rights, this situation does not seem fair or equal or right. This is 2010, not the early 1900s -- time to get with the program and make a change already! Women bare the children that grow up to make our nation what it is -- they should have more equal rights than anyone.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/business/28gender.html?_r=1&hp

(Published September 27, 2010)

The Need/Want Campaign

So for my project on addressing a social issue using DIY (Do It Yourself) and guerilla tactics, I wanted to raise awareness of materialism in the United States in contrast to other countries. After much brainstorming, research, and inspiration, I chose to design labels to be tagged on winter coats... winter coats to target a "right now" issue -- as the winter months are creeping up on us, more fortunate people are going to begin winter clothes and coat shopping (for things they may or may not need) while the less fortunate people will suffer the colder elements (because they don't have the means to keep warm). These tags will hopefully convince people (who really, actually don't need them) to not to buy the coats and to donate one regardless if they bought it or not. I hope this will make people adjust, even if only some, of their materialistic ways, and want to help in other ways as well. The tags read: "Do you really need this? The money you might spend on this coat could give 20 coats to needy children in Afghanistan. Think about it. Already have one? Donate one! NeedWantCampaign.blogspot.com. The blog that people are directed to has statistics, quotes, insight, and ways that they can make a difference, hopefully getting into their heads and hearts. Change happens one step at a time and every individual person really can make a difference. I want my project to make people want to be that change and make that difference.

My friend Alex and I went to the mall (Nordstrom, Macys, and Eddie Bauer) and Target. We took coats into the dressing room where we tagged coats (ranging from $99- about $250) and put them back onto the racks, usually putting them in the front of the rack. We pinned the tags either on the actual tag on the inside of the coat or next to the actual tag which usually hung from the sleeve of the coat. The tags, made with brown cardstock, green ink, hemp string, and small black safety pins, blended in well enough for the store employees not to notice anything out of the ordinary, but to catch the buyers' eyes. It was definitely a rush but so much fun and so worth it! (Hopefully I don't somehow get caught and get in trouble for it! But, "if you ask, they'll most likely say no!) :) Either way, it was worth it and I really hope it helps get my message out there and gets people to want to help, too!

My computer's acting funny so no pictures uploaded yet, but I'll definitely be putting pictures of the evidence up asap!

Cordaid People in Need Campaign

"Cordaid, which is involved in helping the most vulnerable groups in society, particularly adults and children struggling in the face of discrimination or exclusion, has launched this print advertisement campaign draw people’s attention. The campaign aims at making people aware about the misery of poor people in Africa while comparing it with the luxurious spending elsewhere in the world. At the same time campaign is urging people to make donation to help those poor people. The campaign clearly shows the worth of money for them. The advertisements are showing underprivileged people with their problems while holding luxurious articles in order to emphasize their fundamental needs of which they are deprived."

"The campaign has adopted a sharp approach to present the idea in order to penetrate into the minds of people. Moreover, giving luxurious articles in the hands of underprivileged person was definitely a good idea to show a clear cut demarcation of privileged ones and under privileged ones. The campaign was created by Saatchi & Saatchi, Netherlands. The campaign was also chosen as winner in Cannes 2007 Outdoor category." (http://www.adpunch.org/entry/people-in-need/)

For some reason my computer won't let me upload the advertisement, but go to http://trendsupdates.com/cordaid-ad-campaign-trying-to-make-big-spenders-guilty-to-gain-aid

I found this after creating my campaign and clothing labels which got me even more hyped up for my project and gave me hope that it really can make a change! The Cordaid People in Need Campaign is definitely based around the same idea as my Need/Want Campaign and my coat labels... making consumers feel guilty for their unnecessary spending, comparing it to what could be bought with the money they would be using on unimportant materialistic items, and giving them a way to help! I think this is way too cool! Guerilla tactic? I'd say so.

Human Rights?

"Human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality, place of residence, sex, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, or any other status. We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination. These rights are all interrelated, interdependent and indivisible." (http://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/Pages/WhatareHumanRights.aspx)

NY Times: Iran Lifts Sentence of Stoning For Woman 9/9/10

An Iranian woman was accused of adultery and the murder of her husband. She was originally sentenced to death by stoning and although this sentence was halted by the government, she was still facing accusations of murder followed by a possible death sentence or prison term. There was a tape found of the woman confessing to having a part in her husband's death, however, human rights groups "condemned the broadcast, and [her] lawyers said she agreed to appear in [the video] only after being tortured in prison." Human rights is a pretty obvious social issue. Although I find this article appalling, it really doesn't surprise me at all the wa other governments and countries treat criminal cases, especially pertaining to accusations made against a woman in a foreign country. Not only does it make me even MORE grateful to be an American, but it makes opens my eyes to how unfairly people are treated under other governments in other countries and that human rights aren't really human rights at all in some countries. I don't think many people are aware of this issue, too consumed in their (our) undeniable priveleges that come with being Americans. 

Google Instant: "The Third Half of Your Brain!"

NY Times: Google Unveils Tool to Speed Up Searches 9/9/10

Google has introduced "Google Instant," which "predicts internet search queries and shows results as soon as someone begins to type." They say they want to make Google "the third half of your brain." Although there are some glitches in the new addition to the search engine, the tool is supposed to cumulatively save us more than 3.5 billion seconds each day and it is supposed to be more convenient as results can be adjusted as new search words are listed. This invention reminded me of the never ending process of design -- we always need to be brainstorming, inventing, and creating new concepts, processes, designs, and products as the times change and as people's (and the environment's) needs change. These days, time is money, and the invention and innovation of new, better, more practical products is an ongoing project. 

Materialism

Materialism. We all know what it is and as Americans, I think it's pretty safe to say we are all undeniably guilty of it. Obsession and greed definitely play a huge role in this. As children in other countries don't have clean water to drink, enough food to eat, books to learn from, and shoes for their feet, we are, individually, splurging thousands and thousands of dollars each year on updating our cell phones and iPods, shopping for the latest, most trendy clothes and shoes, or the fastest, "cutest" car, most of which are eventually just thrown away (most of it just piling up in landfills, only destroying the Earth more than it already did during the creation of the darn thing) so we can move on to the next "coolest" thing. And that's just what they all are - things, stuff, completely unimportant and insignificant to the whole of our lives. And for what? Because we have the means to buy this stuff, because we are greedy and selfish and blinded to the reality of it all. While some people are sitting in their luxuriously furnished living rooms with their feet propped up watching their 72" plasma screen TV, texting their friends on their iTouch cell phone, surfing the web on their laptops, wearing their name brand clothes, all while eating a fat sandwich, families are starving, catching diseases, and dying because they literally don't have the means to SURVIVE. But what do we care? We have everything we need, want, and more, so who cares what's happening to anyone else around us or thousands of miles away? I think you're probably getting the picture. Now I'm not saying all of this as if I'm some saint who does no wrong and helps everybody, because I'm just as guilty of all of this as the next person. Materialism is like a disease -- it's contagious, it spreads fast, and it's hard to stop. But to make our world a better place, materialism seriously has got to be controlled in some way, or at least more awareness of the situation needs to be made in some way. Something that really gets put in someone's face to make them feel guilty about it and their careless, selfish ways. Something that might really engrave this problem into people's heads, even if only SOME people, that really might make them change their "materialistic ways" in some manner... every effort, and every person really can lead to a change. I think I have some ideas of how to bring about this social problem...
Think about this: At least 80% of the human population lives on less than $10 a day.