Stampede in Cambodia

When I asked my fellow Torch students for ideas to write my blog about, my friend Jessica Hoffen had quite the answer. During the water festival in Cambodia's capital in late November, hundreds were killed in the panic that followed when a few people were electrocuted on a bridge. The crowd ran and either drowned jumping off the bridge, were suffocated, or trampled. This event was utterly shocking to me not just because of the scale of the tragedy, but the way this occurred. I am confused as to how so many people could be driven to such hysteria and no one was able to help. Furthermore, I got way too many results when typing "stampede" into cnn.com.I couldn't help but think of the death last year that occurred in our own country from a stampede, on Black Friday. Need I say more?

Global Warming Still On Track

Carbon dioxide emissions only fell by 1.8% due to the recession, which is not as much of a drop as expected. Even worse, the increase of 3% carbon dioxide is said to be restored by next year. In short, global warming and greenhouse gases are still a huge problem.
To learn more about this predicament go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11799073
So what is being done? Oh I know! Facebook is making a second coal-powered data center. For $450 million. I think this is worth mentioning because corporations, especially those like Facebook which influence millions of people all around the world, should think of themselves as role models. They should be advocating for clean energy to inspire individuals to do the same.

Personal Impact

I'm sure many of you have seen the Facebook event Support Sorkin Blog Commenting. Many students are choosing to participate this Wednesday to support Mr. Sorkin, a spanish teacher who is now undergoing treatment for cancer. I have heard many great things about this teacher, and have tried to support him through the many little projects our school is doing. Then I came across his blog, read every post in one sitting, and was inspired on a whole new level. He speaks of his daily struggles with such strength and even though I don't know him personally, I completely understand why his former students and other teachers have so many great things to say. I highly recommend reading the blog.
To those of you who know someone whose parent is suffering from cancer, understanding can be powerful. I have a friend in that position and I try remember when they can't spend time with me, the incredible hardships they must be dealing with at home. It is important to try to be understanding and supportive every chance you get because little things can make a world of difference.

The Real Global Impact

I was surfing the internet this morning looking for some inspiration and I stumbled across the website http://www.charity.org/ which led me to a foundation actually called Global Impact. I read on and discovered that this organization has raised over $1.2 billion for "the world's most vulnerable people." The charities that Global Impact funds provide education, disaster relief, health care training and more to those in need.

Learning about the charities on this site and what they do in countries all over the world really ignites my passion for service. It is my dream to someday become either a doctor or journalist so that I can use my abilities in less fortunate areas to make a difference. I would love to join forces with a program like Doctors Without Borders because there are so many people who lack medicine and basic medical care. Children without simple immunizations for diseases that already have cures. Malnutrition affects 195 million children worldwide and mostly in areas not affected by armed conflicts.
Journalism is another passion of mine because awareness sparks action and journalists raise the awareness. Without dedicated reporters to tell the stories of the people who are so often overlooked, it would be incredibly difficult to help.

No matter what career you choose to pursue, anyone can help better the world.
(And I'm not trying to be preachy and pretend like I have been, or even will be, flying to a third-world country anytime soon, I'm just saying that pitching in to help organizations like Global Impact is a great way to help others from home!)

Water

Google water. Any website you visit about lack of clean water will give you a statistic like this: One billion people don't have access to clean, safe drinking water. Now think about that for a second. Water is everywhere; oceans, rivers, all living things. I'm willing to bet that some of you, like me, have some kind of water or water-based beverage with you right now. So how can we explain that statistic? Well, it has to do with poverty, which leads to lack of sanitation and education. Lack of education leads to more poverty, and so on. It's an endless cycle that has been going on for ages.
What I would like to focus on is the women and children effected by this. The task of collecting the disease-ridden water often falls to them. (The water happens to cause 80 percent of diseases killing more people then all kinds of violence, including war.) So, women are forced to walk miles every day. There are countless problems with this. First, the carrying of heavy containers and walking through harsh terrain causes many different health problems. Second, women and children are subjected to sexual assault and other dangers along the way. Third, spending all of their time and energy trying to find dirty water, keeps women from getting an education, which is one of the main tools people need to get themselves out of bad situations to begin with. Every additional year that a woman receives an education is thought to reduce child mortality by 5-10 percent.
The only thing that gives me hope in regards to this situation, is that because there are so many problems related to lack of water for men, women and children, that means there are also endless ways to help. Donating money may help ship clean water to refugee camps. It may help build wells to be used for years to come. It may provide medical care for children suffering from diseases brought on by lack of sanitation.
We know how important water is, we just need to care.

Why Global Impact?

I have decided to name this blog Global Impact because I want to use this opportunity to spread awareness for political, environmental and human rights issues that I am passionate about. Even though I know I can't make much of a difference alone, if I can inspire one more person to make a difference then I will consider this a success.

I want to start with a call to action. There is a website gaining popularity these days that deserves recognition. It is called socialvibe.com and it allows members to support a charity or cause that they believe in and partners with various advertisers to actually raise money for your cause. Please check out this website, look at the list of big-name sponsors, and complete a few activities on the website whenever you can. The more you participate, the more money and therefore the bigger impact you will make.

On that note, my current Social Vibe charity is the Whaleman Foundation. If you have ever seen or heard of the documentary The Cove, than you know what this foundation is all about. Every activity I do on the website donates money that saves whales, dolphins and oceans themselves.

This cause is important to me because I’ve always loved the ocean, and all sea creatures, specifically dolphins. The Whaleman Foundation, in addition to cleaning up beaches worldwide, focuses on the slaughtering of Bottlenose dolphins and small whales that occurs six months out of every year in Taiji, Japan. To learn more please visit:
http://www.savejapandolphins.org/educate.php#

One more way marine mammals are being harmed is by the sonar needlessly sent out during Navy training. The sonar waves burst whale’s eardrums, leaving them defenseless and unable to find food or other whales. And that is the least of their problems. To find out more about what sonar does to marine life visit: http://www.savebiogems.org/whales/ and click “Take Action” to send a form letter to the Obama Admistration to repeal the law President Bush set in place to increase sonar use around endangered whale habitats.