As technology has continued to advance, ways in which people become involved in the causes they care about has also evolved. Thousands upon thousands of people continue to organize and attend rallies, protests, public speaking events and other types of events to raise awareness about something they deeply care about, but technology, social media and blogging have opened up new doors for even more people to get involved. Bloggers Unite is a community of people who care. It is a website that facilitates blogging events that happen across the blogosphere and asks people to write about a particular subject in order to raise awareness and to help make a difference in the world. Bloggers Unite has become one of the best resources for people to create and manage a campaign of their own, regardless of what it is or how big or small it is.
Here is a list of six upcoming blogging events from August to December that you, as a blogger and as a voice, can take part of in order to help make a difference in the world. As we know, the voice of one blogger can soon reach the computer screens of millions.
Women’s Equality Day — August 26, 2010
On August 26th, 1920, the 19th Amendment was signed into the U.S. Constitution, giving women the right to vote. However, even after the Amendment was signed, some states refused to officially go on record in favor of the Amendment until as late as 1984. August 26th is a day that gives us the opportunity to recognize the struggle women faced when it came to being given the right to vote, as well as the ways in which women continue to struggle to have their equality recognized all over the world.
» Join the Women’s Equality Day blogging event
International Literary Day — September 8, 2010
September 8th was proclaimed International Literacy Day by UNESCO on November 17th, 1965 and was first celebrated in 1966. International Literacy Day aims to highlight the importance of literacy to people, communities and to the world. Approximately 774 million adults (1 in 5) lack minimum literacy skills; two-thirds of those people are women. September 8th is a day to remind the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.
» Join the International Literacy Day blogging event
World Suicide Prevention Day — September 10, 2010
On average, almost 3,000 people commit suicide every day. The International Association for Suicide prevention has been sponsored by the World Health Organizations and others to advocate for the prevention of suicidal behavior, provision of adequate treatment and follow-up care for people who attempted suicide, as well as responsible reporting of suicides in the media. September 10th is a day to raise awareness of what must be done on a global and local level to prevent suicide.
» Join the World Suicide Prevention Day blogging event
International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women — November 25, 2010
At least 1 in 3 women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime; the abuser is usually someone known to her. Violence against women continues to persist as one of the most heinous, systematic and prevalent human rights abuses in the world. It is a threat to all women, and an obstacle to all out efforts for development, peace and gender equality in all societies. The UN General Assembly designated November 25th as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and on that day governments, international organizations and NGOs are invited to organize activities on the day to raise public awareness of the problem.
» Join the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women blogging event
World AIDS Day — December 1, 2010
HIV/AIDS has been a global epidemic for more than 27 years. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently published national HIV incidence that showed much higher numbers than previous estimates. Individuals and organizations will recognize World AIDS Day on December 1st and this year’s theme is leadership–from all sectors, including government, but also leaders among individuals and families, communities, non-profits and other organizations.
» Join the World AIDS Day blogging event
Human Rights Day — December 10, 2010
Human Rights Day marks the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) adopted on December 10th, 1948. UDHR set down the basic principles at the very heart of the human rights movement and has enabled remarkable progress in human rights, inspiring international human rights standards, laws and institutions that have improved the lives of many around the world.
» Join the Human Rights Day blogging event
Activism is, and has always been, tremendously important. It is because of people who truly care about what’s going on in their country, state and local communities that really motivates others to help get something positive done. Do Something is one of the largest organizations in the U.S. that inspires and helps young people to get out, speak their minds, volunteer and act. They are helping to create a culture of volunteerism, on track to activate two million teens in the year 2011 and they are well on their way to that goal by helping teens do simple things that make a big difference.
Do Something is currently accepting applications from teens all over the country who are committed to serving with Do Something on their Youth Advisory Council. Do Something is looking for teens who are committed to helping mobilize their peers and provide valuable insight only teens today can provide. If accepted, that teen will remain on the Do Something Youth Advisory Council for a period of two years. In that time, they will connect with other YAC members in annual in-person meetings and monthly conference calls, as well as email correspondence. Teens will have the opportunity to participate in focus groups and having the power to influence the organization’s direction, keeping Do Something updated with what’s hot and what they feel most passionately about.
Just a few examples of the impact that the Youth Advisory Council has are:
Representing the Do Something Advisory Council at meetings, conferences and in the community at large by acting as official youth ambassadors.
Helping with the selection of Do Something grant winners by reading applications for grants and flagging their favorites.
Assisting in the creation of logos, images and campaign concepts.
Do Something relies heavily on their Youth Advisory Council, utilizing the input of the teens involved and essentially giving youth the opportunity, as well as the platform for participate in changing the world.
There are countless podcasts making their presence known on the internet. Regardless of your interests, you can find a podcast (or 50) that you can quickly become addicted to and like your favorite television show, not be able to miss an episode of. Podcasts bring back the love of radio, where we pay more attention to the words people have to say than the pictures we’re seeing on a screen. But radio isn’t cool anymore, now that it has become a giant business of deception and the people have always been more entertaining than the hired hands telling the people what they want to listen to.
The question is–what podcasts do you listen to? What are the top-rated podcasts that have claimed the attention and hearts of those who have been listening to it since its inception and what podcasts should you be listening to that perhaps the rest of the internet world hasn’t caught on to yet?
Here are 5 podcasts that are entertaining, thought-provoking and just plain awesome. You’re bound to find one that fits well.
This American Life
This American Life is the most popular podcast in the country. It garners more than a half million downloads per episode and includes much of the same content heard on the This American Life public radio show that is broadcast on more than 500 stations.
This American Life is comprised of an array on non-fiction stories, investigative journalism, fiction, essays and experimental story telling. This American Life helped to launch the literary careers of David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell and David Rakoff.
Muckmakers
Muckmakers is a blog dedicated to exposing corrupt politicians, businessmen, religious leaders, celebrities, or other public figures in the most brutally honest manner possible. It was created to inform the public of what is going on right under their noses and hopefully inspire and motivate people to want to do something about it.
The Muckmakers podcast has the same premise as the blog, where the two creators of the site can expand a little more on their thoughts and generally talk about what’s going on in the world. If you’re interested in politics and have a passion for analyzing everything from politics, religion and current events or just have a love of hearing about hot button debate issues, check it out.
WireTap
WireTap is a Canadian public radio show from Jonathan Goldstein, former This American Life producer. Like Jerry Seinfeld and Woody Allen, Goldstein takes an alter ego approach full of self-deprecating humor with the weekly installments of WireTap. In addition to discussing the minutiae of daily life, WireTap also features short stories.
The New Yorker Fiction Podcast
The New Yorker Fiction Podcast features both well-known and up-and-coming authors who read short stories they have picked by their favorite authors. The New Yorker Fiction Podcast is a great find for anyone who needs that literary pick-me-up.
Kink On Tap
Kink On Tap is a thoughtful, well thought out and captivating podcast that brings up topics like sexuality, society, culture, feminism and queer issues and activism. The two hosts of the podcast have weekly guests where they speak in-depth about issues the guest is intimately involved with.
Within just the past year, it seems as if we have experienced more severe weather and natural disasters than anyone can remember happening over the past decade. Also, more now than ever before, you cannot predict where severe weather will strike because the weather isn’t making much sense as of late. I live in Northeastern, Pennsylvania and just last week we had two tornado warnings and an actual tornado. That doesn’t happen in Northeastern, Pennsylvania; it has been pretty unheard of, but last week there it was, all over the news with headlines practically jumping off the page about how tornadoes do not happen here and yet, there it was.
It’s important to remember now that natural disasters can affect you wherever you live and it’s important to make sure you’re prepared if you are affected. That is what PLAN!T NOW hopes to help people do. Their mission statement:
“PLAN!T NOW advocates the empowerment of people through information and connection, and creates dialogue between people living in hurricane- and severe storm-affected areas and those who prepare coastal regions of the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean to withstand those storms. Operating with the understanding that no matter where you live, a natural disaster can happen at any time, PLAN!T NOW advocates the power of preparedness.”
Morgan Freeman, whom has come to be called The Great Narrator of Everything in this house, has recently been worked in coordination with PLAN!T NOW to help educate people on how to be better prepared when faced with the threat of hurricanes and tornadoes and how preparedness could help save us from untimely death and terrible destruction. He recently filmed a CNN video to raise awareness about being prepared for severe weather, a video that is incredibly timely as the threat of Tropical Storm Bonnie, what is now being called a Tropical Depression, targets to affect the Gulf Coast and could trigger an immense amount of damage.
Check out Morgan Freeman’s short video below and visit PLAN!T NOW to learn how to prepare yourself for natural disasters and how to support their cause.
One in five people in the United States is affected by a disability of some sort. That is an astounding number of people who every day, attempt to put their best foot forward and who are working every day to gain greater independence and create new possibilities for themselves.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has worked to eliminate the barriers and discrimination that those who live with a disability can face, including in the workplace. While the ADA has made great strides in it being unlawful for an employer of any kind of refuse to hire someone with a disability, about three quarters of people with a disability are unemployed and it isn’t by their own admission. Also, internet access for people with disabilities is only about half of what it is for those who are not living with a disability.
There is still a lot of work to be done in this country to ensure that those who live their lives with a disability are granted the same opportunities as those who are not and can still live happy and full lives.
Bloggers Unite is raising awareness and supporting people with disabilities and the people and groups who empower them by raising awareness. Bloggers Unite is asking that all bloggers, young and old, novice bloggers and veterans, band together on July 24th to empower people with disabilities.
It takes very little time to write a blog post and participate in Bloggers Unite’s People First: Empowering People with Disabilities blogging event. By all bloggers coming together on one day, you can really raise awareness and make a difference.
Join the event and publish your post on Saturday, July 24th letting people know that despite major gains, more needs to be done to ensure that people with disabilities enjoy the same access to resources and opportunities as those who do not live with a disability. There are currently 295 bloggers registered at Bloggers Unite for this event, so it is sure to be an amazingly resourceful and empowering day.
Activism, changing the world and making it a better place for everyone is important business. We always hear about how important it is to donate to the causes we care about, but actually getting out there and doing something about it is something entirely different. Not only can you make a difference in your community and the entire world without sparing a nickel, by going out there and changing what you feel needs to be changed will also give you a unique sense of accomplishment and you will know that you did good and you made a tremendous difference.
The Do Something Awards focus on social change and honoring the best young world-changers who are 25 years of age and under. The people being honored by Do Something are making the world a better place and Do Something is making sure that they get the credit they, and all of their hard work, deserves.
The Do Something awards aren’t like the awards shows you usually see. There are no violins, no tuxedos and no almost-wedding-like dresses in sight. This awards show is loud and awesome and truly representative of the rock stars that are behind social change.
This year, the Do Something Awards will be hosted by Jane Lynch, who we all know and utterly adore from Glee. They will air live on VH1 on Monday, July 19th at 9PM EST.
This is also a great time to make your voice heard. You can cast your vote for who you think should walk away with a Do Something Award. Choose from categories like the overall ‘Do Something Award’, which will be awarded to a young do-gooder under the age of 25. There are also movie stars, television shows, comedians, charities on Facebook and even a Twitter category (where @BPGlobalPR is nominated and you should vote for them because that Twitter account is hilarious, but in that really very sad kind of way.)
So, do something and cast a vote for your favorite do-gooder and then tune in on Monday, July 19th on VH1 at 9PM EST. to see if who you voted for won.
Summer is the time for going on vacation with your family, coming up with fun activities for your kids and best of all, enjoying the weather with good friends and great cocktails.
On the 4th of July Bacardi USA launched their “Salute to Summer’s Best 60 Second Cocktail Program” that will go on until Labor Day (September 6th). This program has brought together celebrity chef John Besh and celebrity mixologist Bryan Stowe, both who are also former US soldiers, who have created a phenomenal menu of cocktails and grilled dishes that are healthy and delicious. Both the dishes and cocktails feature and utilize the flavors found within Bacardi’s line of products.
The cocktail recipes on the menu take just 60 seconds to make and the grilled dishes take 10 minutes. With these recipes, you can put together an entire menu of exquisite recipes and accompanying cocktails that will look and taste fabulously. These recipes will also wow the pants off of your loved ones and will look like they were made in more than just a few minutes with incredibly easy-to-find ingredients.
The cocktail recipes use Bacardi’s unique and flavorful alcohol and some of the recipes include Grey Goose Fresh Berry Lemonade and Bacardi Limon Iced Tea. Among the grilled foods recipes you will find Grilled Chicken Breast with Tequila Cazadores Reposado Lime Glaze and Grilled Flank Steak with Louisiana Peach and Grey Goose Citron Glaze, among others.
Take a look at how easy it is to create the Bacardi hand shaken daiquiri in this video from Bryan Stowe.
You can find easy-to-locate recipes right on the cocktail recipes section of the 60 Second Cocktails Facebook page or you can download their entire recipe book! [PDF]
Bacardi USA hasn’t just put together some awesome menus for you to utilize throughout the rest of the summer using their products and flavors, although that is certainly pretty amazing. In addition to recipes and ideas for your own recipes, Bacardi USA has also committed to donate $75,000 to the USO and Bacardi consumers who are over 21 years of age can increase the total donation amount of $100,000 through their participation in the 60 Second Cocktails Facebook fan page. Every time someone becomes a fan of the page on Facebook, Bacardi USA will donate $1 to the USO until they reach $100,000.
As soon as I read the title of this book, the first thing I thought of was ‘Damn straight!’ and I am sure many, many other women thought that to themselves upon first glance, but If Women Ran the World Sh*t Would Get Done is a great deal more than just a completely spot on, oh-so-true title; it is a collection of wonderful, amazing, stupendous, inspiring, butt-kicking things that women have done, continue to do, and your motivation and inspiration to do all of the butt-kicking things you want to do.
Women have done a great deal of amazing, awe-inspiring, and out of this world things to improve the quality of people’s lives everywhere simply by imagining the world as they would like to see it and creating it. But despite all that women have and continue to do to change the world, we are still often denied the respect that we have worked for and undoubtedly deserve. Most often, we are not taken seriously and even degraded and ridiculed for the work that we do because of society that has yet to overcome the patriarchy.
Even if we’re not making international headlines, in Rachanow’s mind (as well as in all women’s minds!) we should be given Nobel Prizes for friendship. We should be celebrated for what we do for our friends, for our families, for our jobs, for the world, and yes, even for ourselves. Self love and self care are what a lot of women have trouble doing because naturally, we are nurturers; we take care of our friends and our families and we stand up for and battle for the civil liberties and rights that we should undoubtedly possess for our determination and hard work at our jobs but when it comes to doing for ourselves, we tend to make excuses and we tend to think that we have not done enough yet in order to simply celebrate how much we have kicked butt that day. Rachanow gives us all that kick in the pants we need to celebrate who we are and what we do every single day of our lives and gives us the permission we so often deny ourselves to celebrate what we do as well as who we do it for.
Every page of this book is full of inspiration and motivation to celebrate what we do all the time and highlights the courageous, mind-blowing things women have done. Women created The American Legacy Foundation in efforts to build a world where young people can reject tobacco and help your friends quit smoking for good. Trickle Up is another organization that was created by the minds and hands of a woman sick of hearing about eradicating poverty and who actually did something about it. As we continue to learn more about exactly what women have done throughout the years to change the world, Rachanow tenderly reminds us at the end of every section that we too have the power to do wonderful, amazing, stupendous, inspiring, butt-kicking things equipped with lined pages to remind ourselves what we do for our families, how we’ve kicked butt that day when we don’t feel as if we have done quite enough, what we would do if we ran the world, what we will demand in our lives that we are not currently receiving and refuse to accept anything less, and of course, what we will get done for ourselves–Because we deserve it for all we do!
If Women Ran the World Sh*t Would Get Done is a no-B.S. book that will jump start your mind to begin thinking about the world you would like to see and the steps you can take to create it.
Most women remember their first periods and no matter what emotion or range of emotions they experienced on that day, they can still look back on it many years later and smile–for one reason or another. No matter what a woman thinks about her period, the bottom line is that it is with us for the long haul. It is one of our long-term relationships and even if we love it or hate it, it is with us for the majority of our lives; and if we live with our periods for the majority of our lives, why do women (in general) constantly feel shamed by it?
A great deal of women will give you an odd, ‘what planet are you from’ look if you ask them to tell you about their first periods. Many women (and especially men) will visibly become bothered if you dare speak its name during a conversation. Most men downright refuse to go on late-night or after work runs to the store to pick up a box of pads or tampons and all of these situations deal with the shame that is associated with menstruation. Sure, our lack of openness can be chalked up to menstruation happening to be an awkward subject, but it goes deeper than that, especially considering that it doesn’t have to be and it only is because our society has let itself become a woman-shaming society.
I have always been very open about my body, my sexuality, and the miracles that the body of a woman can perform in her lifetime. I honestly did not know where this openness came from, being raised by a single father, but I always had strong female role models in my life, one of which was my father’s girlfriend who became my mother-figure throughout my childhood. She taught me that the anatomy of a woman is beautiful and despite the abuse I had endured as a child from my mother (and the reason why my mother has not been in my life for more than a decade) there is nothing to feel ashamed about when it comes to your own body because it is yours and no one else’s and no one can tell you that you are not beautiful and that your body is in any way something to be looked at as vulgar or disgusting; including menstruation. For a while I thought that perhaps my natural-born feminism was something instilled in me from my upbringing, but from running this website (and hello, have you noticed the name of my website?) as well as paying special attention to the women who come from my generation, I am noticing that there are a great deal of women who are coming out of the shame closet; who are demanding that the awkwardness associated with the bodies and bodily functions of women are what is truly shameful and that the period is something that should be spoken about openly and honestly. That is exactly what Rachel Kauder Nalebuff, a young woman of 18, did when she started asking women to tell her about their first periods.
Nalebuff realized with her own first period and hearing the story of her Aunt’s first period that she had kept a secret for over 50 years, that people needed to start talking about this and the other events that happen in a young woman’s life that people are simply refusing to talk about openly. Something needs to be done in this society that would let this silence continue for so long and keep so many women captive in its process of women-shaming. And so she started collecting stories from women and girls all over the world about their first periods and now presents us with an absolute gem, My Little Red Book, for women and girls of all ages who are either just about to get their periods, just got it and feel awkward about it, or for women who remember their first periods vividly and celebrate the right of passage that we as women have to talk openly about it.
There are 90 short stories in all and several names we’ve come to know through their own books and activism work make appearances in this book, including Jennifer Baumgardner, Meg Cabot, Megan McCafferty, and Gloria Steinem’s 1978 essay, ‘If Men Could Menstruate’ which originally had appeared in Ms. Magazine also appears in this book. There are stories of how many women thought themselves to be dying when noticing the small stain in their panties, women who “faked” their periods when knowing that their friends had gotten their periods before them, and my favorite is a story about a mother who when her daughter first got her period and felt awkward about it, she had to do something to mark the day and so she bought her daughter a vase full of red roses and in another story, her daughter talks about how special those roses were to here and how she had kept the vase for years after that first period. Another one of my favorite parts of this book is that so many women talk about the Judy Blume book, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret a book that you would think comes with all little girls at birth due to how widely-read and coveted it is, albeit a bit out of date for those of us who have never seen these menstrual pad belts Margaret speaks of.
My Little Red Book is a must for all women who have ever felt shamed or awkward about their period and also for every girl’s first period kit.
All of the proceeds of this book are being donated to charity because there is a lot to be done as far as making the bodily functions of women something that can be widely spoken about. There is also a great need for activism in countries like Africa, where because of the lack of menstrual supplies, a young girl will not receive the education that she is entitled to because one week out of every month will be spent out of school due to her period.
In the back of My Little Red Book, there is a section of books to read about periods including, yes, Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret and there is also a Do More section where your support for organizations like Planned Parenthood, who are the largest provider of sexual education and health services in the United States, as well as Choice USA, a youth-led organization that seeks to protect women’s reproductive rights, can tremendously help girls receive the sexual education that they too are entitled to. A company that I would like to add, is Lunapads. Lunapads are based in Canada and make reusable, cloth and fleece pads. Not only do they make a transition from disposables to reusable pads easy, their pads are completely harmless, unlike disposables that contain bleach and synthetic fibers. Lunapads also does great work for girls in Africa by giving them their Pads4Girls Kit and each pad has a lifespan of 5 years or more that will help African girls attend school when they have their periods.
You can find out even more about this book and even share your own first period story at MyLittleRedBook.net.
Margot Datz is a self-taught painter, sculptor, interior designer and prolific writer whose imagery and beautifully crafted metaphors whisk those who read her words away, almost immediately.
As a woman who lives by the sea and spends her life creating genius pieces of art, including a spectacular eighty-five-foot mural and bas-relief installation for the Arkansas Children’s Hospital and illustrations for four children’s books for friend Carly Simon, her talent is apparent and defined in her book, A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids.
Her book, while it may first look like a typical children’s book, is filled with the wisdom a woman learns through years of life experience. She advises that in order to even think about a man in your life, you must first not only accept, but truly love yourself, faults and all. She also goes through the types and behaviors of men and reminds us all that love is a luxury to have in one’s life.
While Datz advises us women on all of life’s little setbacks and luxuries, she also reminds us that it’s important to also focus on the fun stuff, like accessories and sexy lingerie that makes a woman feel her absolute best and it’s always important to be a little naughty.
I really enjoyed reading A Survival Guide for Landlocked Mermaids. It’s a cute and quick read, while also being inspirational and eye-opening for all women who have the pleasure of picking up this book.
Sexuality is something to be celebrated and explored and we hope to help you do just that with the articles and reviews we publish in our love and sex category.
As technology has continued to advance, ways in which people become involved in the causes they care about has also evolved. Thousands upon thousands of people continue to organize and attend rallies, protests, public speaking events and other types of events to raise awareness about something they deeply care about, but technology, social media and blogging have opened up new doors for even more people to get involved. Bloggers Unite is a community of people who care. It is a website that facilitates blogging events that happen across the blogosphere and asks people to write about a particular subject in order to raise awareness and to help make a difference in the world. Bloggers Unite has become one of the best resources for people to create and manage a campaign of their own, regardless of what it is or how big or small it is.
Activism is, and has always been, tremendously important. It is because of people who truly care about what’s going on in their country, state and local communities that really motivates others to help get something positive done. 
One in five people in the United States is affected by a disability of some sort. That is an astounding number of people who every day, attempt to put their best foot forward and who are working every day to gain greater independence and create new possibilities for themselves.
Activism, 
Summer is the time for going on vacation with your family, coming up with fun activities for your kids and best of all, enjoying the weather with good friends and great cocktails.
