Earth Science Week Oct 9-15, 2011

"Since October 1998, the American Geological Institute and its federal/private partners have organized Earth Science Week to help the public gain a better understanding and appreciation for the Earth Sciences and to encourage stewardship of the Earth.

This year's theme is "Our Ever-Changing Earth," and NASA is offering a variety of multimedia products and educational activities designed to improve understanding of the natural processes that shape our planet over time."

 

Somalia Famine & the Drought in East Africa

With the situation in the Horn of Africa worsening, everyone able should educate themselves on the crisis and look for ways to help. Even if all you have to offer is prayer, then lift it up. Let us not forget our neighbors and their familes—wherever they live. Here are a few links to get you started.

NEWS:  guardian.co.uk  pbs  reuters

AID: Oxfam  tumblr  MercyCorps

May God bless and keep you! Grace, Peace and Lovingkindness! 

 

Summer Work 2: idealist.org

If you have not used this site before, we highly recommend idealist.org (@idealist). They are in the business of connecting people who want to help with organizations and groups who are tying to help. It is free to use once you sign up. Their site provides listings for organizations, people and events, as well as, opportunities for volunteering locally, nationally and internationally. For career advice, they offer a non-profit career center and a graduate school resource center (@gradresources). To compliment these resources they host "Graduate Degree Fairs" in various cities. Last but not least, you can also look into working for Idealist itself.

Idealist's Mission and Vision

Our Vision
We would like to live in a world where:

• All people can lead free and dignified lives.
• Every person who wants to help another has the ability to do so.
• No opportunities for action or collaboration are missed or wasted.

Our Mission
Idealist connects people, organizations, and resources to help build a world where all people can live free and dignified lives.

Idealist is independent of any government, political ideology, or religious creed. Our work is guided by the common desire of our members and supporters to find practical solutions to social and environmental problems, in a spirit of generosity and mutual respect.

Looking for Summer Work Helping Others?

Working professionally with non-profit and charitable organizations is a rewarding and life-changing endeavor. As the needs around the world grow and organizations rise up to help meet them, the need to hire and train qualified staff increases in tandem. Who knows? You could change your career goals simply by spending a summer as an intern. Here at TAT, we will seek to provide you with the opportunity to find out. Over the next few weeks, we will be posting job opportunities with socially aware/conscious organizations, non-profits, and other charitable entities.

Our first look today is at charity: water. Clean water is a luxury for billions of people in developing nations. These people struggle daily for a bucket of dirty water. This they use to wash, cook and drink. charity: water is committed to bringing clean and safe water to these souls.

charity: water is offering internships in four different areas of their organization.

1. Digital Community Intern: "As the Digital Community Intern, you'll help us manage our ever-expanding community of fundraisers on mycharity: water. You'll also get to research, analyze and help us recognize successful campaign ideas. As a main point of contact for our fundraisers', your suggestions and feedback will be valued and use by our Community Manager and Director of Digital."

Please send a cover letter and resume to merry.mccarron@charitywater.org. 

2.  Design Intern: As a Design Intern, you'll jump on with our small but fast-moving Creative Team to help us keep our brand bold and consistent. You'll channel all the artistic energy you can muster into brainstorming, designing and assembling print materials. You’ll own a lot of immediate, day-to-day design projects, working right alongside our designers"

Please send a cover letter, resume and link to your gorgeous portfolio to greg.yagoda@charitywater.org.

3. Water Programs Intern: As one of our Water Programs interns, you'll help us manage water projects data, report to donors and publish the GPS and photos of our completed projects online. You'll work closely with our Water Programs team to help us connect our donors to their water projects."

If this describes you, send your resume and cover letter to interns@charitywater.org by Friday, April 15.

4. Communications Intern: As a Communications Intern, you'll help keep our brand bold and consistent through answering all incoming media requests and also pitching our story to interested outlets. You’ll maintain our media reporting process and also have the chance to help us run our fundraising events in New York City."

Please send a cover letter and resume to sarah.cohen@charitywater.org by Monday, May 2.

Un Viaje de Amor (A Journey of Love)

A few days ago, I was discussing with a friend of mine how reluctant we are to let people truly know us. It brought to mind what an old friend once said about me, “he's tough to be friends with.” I am not sure how he meant this, but it has always stayed with me. It sounds an alarm whenever a friendship fades away or I miss an opportunity to know or share with someone. In fact, it has taken many years for his statement to truly penetrate my defenses. What I noticed was not so much my highly selective criteria for possible friendships; but rather, how I had simply become a notorious repeller of people. At first, I just accepted it as “how I am.” This new awareness actually added to my insular way of living. I continued this way until I met someone whose interaction with me changed how I related to others. He was the catalyst I needed to awaken me from my slumber and push me past my own inertia. The consequences of that push were to set me on a journey of spiritual evolution. A pilgrimage in everyday life where I seek balance, peace and love.

Sam never knew the effect he had on me. When I first met him, I thought nothing of it. Over the next few years, I learned he had traveled the world studying and performing music with many great musicians. Now in his late seventies, he had planted roots and was living out his life producing breathtaking performances for his local community. Everyone within a hundred miles knew of him, and he was well-loved. Whenever he was around, he was flocked with admirers and friends. In public, Sam was always a hit. Someone this popular would usually fall to my periphery, as I tend to focus on those less noticed. Sam fell into this category until he showed up at a volunteer meeting I was attending. We both took on a six-month project, which had us working closely together. During this period, surprisingly, Sam and I became friends. We talked endlessly and found we had many interests, experiences and ideas in common. For that period of time, I saw Sam differently. In addition to his other skills and talents, he was deep, compassionate, sensitive and caring. Yet even with my new insight, when the mission was over, I left behind our new friendship. He went back to his busy life, and I went back to mine.

A couple of weeks later, I ran into Sam. We talked briefly of our work and that was that. Then I ran into him again. This time we talked less of our work and more about everyday stuff. Throughout the next several months and into the next year, I bumped into him regularly. During these interludes, he began asking me about healthy eating. He remembered us talking about health and diet while we worked on our mission project. I had mentioned a particular place I liked to visit to shop and eat good organic food. When I mentioned this place again, he asked for directions. From that day on, every time I saw him he asked me about that store. Over and over again, he asked me the same questions. At first I thought he had nothing else to say, so he just talked about the last thing we discussed (either that or he was forgetful or horrible at directions). So each time, I politely told him again where it was and went on my way. This happened week after week to the point of frustration. My responses became increasingly obtuse. “Why does he keep asking me this?” I demanded. “It’s ridiculous!” Then as God and the universe does ever so quietly, a small light penetrated my thick skull leaving with me a doubt. “What if I am the one being ridiculous or obnoxious? What if he is actually reaching out to me, and I am ignoring him?”

Up until then, not meaning to, I had been concerned more about me than I was of him. With the attention turned, I began to evaluate this as a reflection of my life. I realized I have always been more occupied with me than with others. Aside from volunteering, I was guarded and closed off to people. My encounter with Sam lead me to a different place where I discovered three things. First I learned that the key to any kind of openness or intimacy is vulnerability. For me to be open to someone, I have to expose some portion of who I am. Secondly, I began to focus on what Jesus said in John 15.13, "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends." You can add to this Mark 12.31, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." And thirdly, I realized that sincere love is not possessive—it has no expectations (I Cor. 13.4-5 & Brahmaviharas).

Caring for others is a selfless act. The key to selflessness is to cultivate love. To truly love others is to expect nothing in return. Love is unconditional. In order for this to happen, you must develop patience, acceptance and self-love. As I embarked on my journey, I came across a number of teachers who spoke of love in this manner. And while I cannot disclose in this post all the blessed ways I learned to achieve this type of love; I can, as an abridged reference, offer the verses above as well as the four “immeasurables minds” (Brahmaviharas) of Buddhism. The first immeasurable is lovingkindness, which is gentleness and benevolence toward others. The second one is compassion, which is concern for others and their burdens. The third is sympathetic joy, which is sharing in other’s happiness as well as your own. And the fourth is equanimity, which is finding inner balance through loving, accepting and forgiving yourself. For if you are not at peace with yourself, you cannot be at peace with others.

My next step was to contemplate the affect of others in my life. The most important dynamic to understand here is no one can control you. If I believe in myself and love myself, then what others say or do has no true baring. Only if I let it, does it. Next, I asked myself what is lost by others seeing me for who I am? This is not to say you allow everyone to see everything, but much of who I am is the same as who you are. It varies by degree or content, but we all feel and long for connection. Even Jesus was a little selective with what he shared at his gatherings and what he shared with his disciples. I am not saying you let everybody know everything equally. I just mean, the one thing we fear is rejection. But to be rejected, we have to ask for something. If I love without expectation, then I ask for nothing. Even if you run from me, my love stays. Granted, this does not fully cover mothers, fathers, siblings, children, spouses, or significant others. Those relationships are more complex in nature and fall under the “only share with” category (unless you are becoming a monastic of some kind). What it does cover, however, is how I view everyone else. All things have limits, we are still human, but in general, eighty percent of our lives probably can be shared with almost anyone. The other twenty percent is available to only a few (anything we would not share with anyone is not included here). I have tried to be less of a hermit and more open to what people are saying and feeling around me. Trying, at least, to listen enough and be kind enough to wish them well. It is the very essence of God to be a light and aid to others. If we do nothing more than show them a friendly smile, we have given them lovingkindness for a moment. And in the gloom, even a match light burns away the darkness.

When I began to question Sam's motives, I felt a great betrayal rest on my heart. I had done a reprehensible act by ignoring him. What if he was not just passing the time? What if he was lonely or disconnected and was hoping I would say, "Hey, why don't we go together?" Instead of asking him that, I had actually been blowing him off all this time. From that moment on, I had this sinking, panicky feeling. I told myself, I would ask him to have dinner with me the very next time I saw him. Our next meeting never came. Two weeks latter he died. I was devastated beyond words. As the news of his death became known, I heard stories of his life and learned that during his past few years; all of his acquaintances, accomplishments, and popularity had not given him what he longed for—just plain ol’good friends. Because he had stayed so busy, no one noticed. I noticed too late. I told myself, I would never be late again—not if I could help it.

As the nature of most people is to mistrust, many will not understand your sudden burst of kindness or openness. They may suspect you of trying to deceive them. But for some, and perhaps many, it will make all the difference to them. It will make their lives better. If it is even one person, then is that not enough to try for everyone. Mother Teresa was asked once how she was able to help the severely poor and infirm of Calcutta. She replied that each one of them is “Christ in a distressing disguise.” We have to see ourselves in the other person. Everyone is a part of God. Everyone is a part of everyone else. When we help them, we help ourselves. When we love unconditionally, we find a new way of being. We find a new source of positive energy. We find peace. When we show lovingkindness and love without expectation, we serve others, we serve ourselves; and, most importantly, we serve God.

Join Me On The Bridge (March 8, 2011)

"The idea for Join Me on the Bridge came from the Country Directors of Women for Women's programmes in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo - two countries which have seen some of the most devastating impacts of war in recent years and where atrocities such as rape, torture and violence against women are commonplace. Women from different communities decided to come together on a bridge which borders their two countries, in the heart of the conflict; to stand up for peace and an end to violence against women."



"We will be marking the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day on 8th March 2011, by organising an even bigger movement of women to join together on a bridge. Women, children and men, whether it's 2, 200, 2000, or more, will be joining together on bridges across the world, holding up banners, making a public statement that 'Stronger Women Build Bridges of Peace' and supporting women in war-torn areas. They will be calling for women to have a greater say at the peace negotiating tables and for countries to honour the UN goals they have signed up to, to bring an end to violence against women in areas of conflict."

"Women for Women International provides women survivors of war, civil strife and other conflicts with the tools and resources to move from crisis and poverty to stability and self-sufficiency, thereby promoting viable civil societies. We're changing the world one woman at a time. Visit womenforwomen.org for more information."

—from Join Women On The Bridge

"Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!"

Below is a copy of Dr. King's famous speech delivered by King from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington, August 28, 1963. It is just as potent and meaningful today as it was then. May we all share and spread his dream. May we all add our own dreams of equality, peace and love to it. May God Bless us!

I Have A Dream by Dr. Martin Luther King

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.
Martin Luther King, Jr., delivering his 'I Have a Dream' speech from the steps of Lincoln Memorial. (photo: National Park Service)

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. They have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.

As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied, as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "For Whites Only". We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"