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.
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.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.
No two people with a disability are the same, nor do two different people living with a disability have the same needs. That point is especially true when you enter the realm of driving. A disability should not possess the power to take away one’s ability to drive a vehicle or to ride as a passenger in a vehicle, especially considering there are resources available to disabled people, their loved ones and those who care for them. That is exactly the belief system held by the people of NMEDA, a national non-profit organization that is dedicated to educating consumers who are buying mobility equipment and products.
NMEDA has certified dealers readily available at an unbelievable amount of locations to help you or the person you care about pick out the absolute perfect automotive mobility solutions that will cater to the specific and unique needs of each individual. Their purchase process is simple and meant to take the stress off of you when it comes to figuring out exactly what you need and how it will work in your vehicle. NMEDA’s Quality Assurance Program is the only nationally-recognized accreditation program for the Adaptive Mobility Equipment Industry, making them not only an amazing resource for those who need them, but they have the accolades to prove how influential and consistent their service has been through the years.
What I really love about NMEDA is that they are a non-profit. They have a refreshing mindset where they believe that they must have a systematic and documented approach to the quality of service they give to people. They are a service that brings you, the people, straight to the resources you need, by making it possible for you to locate a dealer that is closest to you and giving you a simple process in order to get you what you need, when you need it. They also have an amazingly vast hub of information meant to make sure you are able to educate yourself about what it will take to get you or your loved one back on the road and back into the driver’s seat of their own life and independence.
NMEDA ensures that you are getting the service and the solutions that you need and that are completely right for you on a personal level. Stop scouring the internet or catalogs for adapted wheelchair vehicles and locate a NMEDA dealer by simply entering your zip code to get started.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Mission Foods. All opinions are 100% mine.
Tacos can easily become a dinner staple in any household. They are made here quite often because they are so easy to put together, very quick, and everyone gets to make their own with the stuff they love to eat, which can be a lot of fun, especially for kids and immature adults alike, like myself, I’m proud to report.
When you typically think of tacos, it’s customary for hard taco shells to immediately come to mind. However, I don’t typically use them. Hard shells are pretty bad on my teeth and I’ve always hard some pretty bad dental problems, which severely limits what I can eat by what they can handle. It is for that reason that I will always opt for soft tortillas to substitute hard taco shells and it just so happens that the brand I am always looking for is Mission.
Mission flour tortillas are delicious and they can be used for a great deal of quick and easy dishes for dinner, lunch and even breakfast if you’re looking to make yourself (and your family) some delicious homestyle breakfast burritos. They are as versatile as they are a healthy and great choice for your meal preparation needs.
Yes, I did say healthy! Mission flour tortillas contain no trans fats and they are cholesterol-free. They are most definitely a brand to keep in mind when you’re doing your weekly grocery shopping and if you check out their website at MissionMenus.com, you will find a ton of quick and easy, budget-friendly meals that are all under $10. That is amazing when you’re on a budget and have a whole family to feed.
Mission Foods not only makes healthy, budget-friendly and delicious foods, they are also making a difference in the lives of hungry children in America. They support Share Our Strength, which is the leading national organization committed to ending childhood hunger in America.
Have a great recipe of your own that your family flips over every time you make it using Mission flour tortillas? Enter it in the Mission Menus Challenge where you could win some really awesome prizes. The Mission Menus Challenge is hosted by Chef Sara Moulton and those who submit their budget-friendly recipes will have the chance to compete in a cook-off in Los Angeles. There will also be weekly prizes, in addition to also getting a chance to win a $10,000 dream kitchen makeover. The grand prize winner of the cook-off will win round-trip airfare and hotel accommodations for two to the Mission Menus Challenge Cook-off, which takes place on September 10, 2010 at the Hard Rock Cafe in Los Angeles.
The submission deadline for original, budget-friendly recipes using Mission flour tortillas is August 9th. Make sure your recipe includes Mission flour tortillas, is original, and is able to feed a family of five for $10 or less.
Walmart has had more than just a few problems in terms of their image and being a corporate blanket that moves into cities and bankrupts local businesses and families. Throughout the past few years they have taken many measures to soften their image and this year the company is focusing on revitalizing small and mid-size farms in the US.
Walmart’s new Heritage Agriculture program [PDF] will build up smaller farms in order to get local produce into stores. That means that not only will Walmart be receiving their produce from local farmers, but they will also be assisting farmers to reach the standards they need to be at in order to be able to distribute at a higher level than they have in the past.
Walmart’s decision to utilize local farms has a definite advantage for everyone involved. Walmart will of course be saving money by doing this because they will be spending less on paying for trucks on produce to be delivered to their locations, the scaling back on delivery trucks will reduce carbon emissions and has a positive reaction on the environment and Walmart and their customers will be supporting local farmers in their communities.
While the Heritage Agriculture program is merely in its beginning stages, this is definitely a step in the right direction, especially for such a heavy-hitter on the corporate food chain. My assumption is that after some tweaking and attention paid to the issue of seasonality, this could be something that more businesses could want to look into.
If there are two immensely wealthy people out there who can really get behind the Robin Hood belief system of taking from the rich and giving to the poor, it’s Bill Gates and billionaire investor Warren Buffet, who are launching a campaign to get other American billionaires to donate at least half of their wealth to charity.
The Microsoft co-founder and billionaire investor have approached a handful of the country’s billionaires over the past year to donate at least half of their wealth to charity. They are asking these people to pledge to donate either at some point during their lifetime or at the time of their death. Philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad are two of the handful of people who have been approached; they have already announced their pledges to donate.
Former Gates Foundation CEO, Patty Stonesifer spoke to The Associated Press about the campaign, telling them that of the handful of the billionaires approached so far, they have all embraced the campaign to share the wealth and help those less-fortunate than themselves.
This is a really awesome campaign. I can’t wait to see more news break about this and see who the country’s other big givers are.
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.
Mission flour tortillas are delicious and they can be used for a great deal of quick and easy dishes for dinner, lunch and even breakfast if you’re looking to make yourself (and your family) some delicious homestyle breakfast burritos. They are as versatile as they are a healthy and great choice for your meal preparation needs.
If there are two immensely wealthy people out there who can really get behind the Robin Hood belief system of taking from the rich and giving to the poor, it’s Bill Gates and billionaire investor Warren Buffet, who are 
