Every summer when the last day of school came, I knew one thing was for certain; we were going to the BEACH! My family would drive down to Destin, Florida every summer to embark on a week of fun in the sun. The Gulf was where I first learned 3 important life lessons. First, crabs are ridiculously fast and a challenge to catch. Second, to avoid jellyfish at all cost (they may look cool but boy do they sting). Lastly, it’s where I experienced my first crush (her name is being left out for fear that she might be able to recall this embarrassing encounter) I will say she was simply stunning, she stood 3 ft. 6 inches and had flowing blonde hair, we fell in love while making sandcastles. (and yes she really did have me at hello, Jerry Maguire style). Below is a photo of me from that summer.
[caption id="attachment_1644" align="alignleft" width="216" caption="Living the dream at age 5 on summer vacation"]
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As I surf the net and collect my daily dose of world news, I cant help but be sad about what is happening in the gulf because of the oil spill. The Gulf for me has so many nostalgic memories. For so long in my mind, oil spills only happened in the Middle East and Alaska, boy was I wrong. Now one is currently re-shaping the way people view the gulf. It is affecting the wildlife, the eco systems, and the people whose livelihoods depend on the previous two. I have seen spoofs, cartoons and various sketches about this but I am still unsure that we truly grasp the magnitude of this situation.
My generation will battle this eco-disaster the rest of our lives and the ramifications of this “accident” are still yet to be determined. We are at a cross point, we must show we care and that this issue is important. Have you ever been to the Gulf, if so think about all the memories you had there.
THIS is where I want to hear from you. What is your favorite memory from the Gulf, it could be a funny story or just a brief blurb. I would love to hear your thoughts so send them my way!
You heard me right. For just $25 you too can own a piece of the Gulf Oil spill.
HorizonRelief.org is offering you the chance to donate $25 or $100 with the proceeds going to local workers who are unable to obtain help from BP or the federal agencies. In exchange, HorizonRelief will send you an ounce of oil and marsh water recovered from the Gulf. If you have donate $1000, you receive a special numbered bottle.
The program is called Bottles of Hope and Vials of Opportunity and that is what it is working to bring. The most vulnerable, deck hands, day laborers and plant workers, are those being hit the hardest, while companies and business owners have access to many forms of aid. And, while HorizonRelief can continue to harvest vials of the contaminated water, the spill continues, with no end in sight.
So we ask you, is this a good way to give to these hard hit areas? Let us know what you think.
We’re getting excited about an event this Fall hosted by one of our
2009 Grand Giveaway winners –
Stop Child Trafficking NOW! The weekend of October 2nd and 3rd, in cities all over the country, Stop Child Trafficking NOW is hosting a walk to end child trafficking. I volunteered at the inaugural event last year, and we had a ball. In Dallas, we used a 5K section of a popular community path – Katy Trail – and set up shop on an overlook.
Not For Sale, local artists, and other anti-trafficking groups vended goods with proceeds going to the cause. Random people stopped along the trail to learn more. So many people did not know anything about child trafficking: 'What if it had been my daughter, my sister, my niece, my friend?’ & ‘how can I help?'
We educated our family and friends, asked for donations, and spread the word wherever we could. SCT NOW needs this kind of help again this year so they can take more predators off the streets and protect more children.
Project 7 will be at the Dallas event Oct 2 in full force, selling our products and talking to people about the facts on human trafficking. Check to see if there is an event near you
: http://www.sctnow.org. Sign up to walk, donate, and tell your friends!
Once you know, you are responsible.
About SCT NOW (source: http://www.sctnow.org):
Stop Child Trafficking has chosen to fund a bold, new approach, one that addresses
the demand side of child sex trafficking by targeting buyers/predators for prosecution and conviction. While over 260 organizations are currently focused on rescuing children, until the demand side is addressed, the supply will always exist. Few people know that virtually no convictions have occurred in the U.S. in the last 10 years, thus this heinous crime grows.
SCTNow has launched a national campaign to raise money for retired elite military operatives targeting the demand side of trafficking. These Special Operative Teams gather information on child predators both in the U.S. and abroad, information that will be used to convict child sex buyers. These operatives use the skills developed in the War on Terror in this war to bring down predators. Professional law enforcement have vetted this strategy and are eager to work with these operative teams once funding is secured.
The efforts of a single operative team will do more to save children than millions of dollars put toward rescuing victims. Even a handful of new convictions will become a strong deterrent to buyers heretofore undeterred. A predator pays as little as $25 for 15 minutes of sex with a child. For the same amount of money, a 4-man team of operatives can be placed on the field to stop him.
SCTNow held its first flagship Walk in September 2009 in New York City, with 40 cities nationwide holding simultaneous events, rallying thousands who will raise money to fund operative teams.
Never before has there been a campaign or event of this magnitude enabling every mother, father, son, daughter and friend to help put an end to the most despicable crime of our time! Stop Child Trafficking Now targets the source of child trafficking: predators who drive the sex industry everywhere in the world, including in your own local community. SCTNow looks to sponsors and donors to help fund highly qualified teams of operatives who build cases and execute missions that bring trafficking to a halt.
Most other organizations address child trafficking by performing rescue operations. SCTNow greatly supports their efforts, but believes for every child rescued another takes his or her place. Not until we stop the predators will we rid the world of trafficking. SCTNow's goal is to put predators behind bars and end the demand.
Bumpbadabumm babumm (trumpet style) …This is my first blog entry and I figured I would start my intern adventures with a special “Texan Edition”
I just moved to Dallas from the Natural State, google it to find out which wonderful state that is. I have now been a Texan for 3 weeks and I have noticed that Texans love their state and feel it is far superior than the other 49. I have also noticed unique phrases about the Lone Star state, such as “everything is bigger and better in Texas” or “all my ex’s live in Texas”. So now I will add my Texas Twist to this wonderful state with Brad the interns’s top ten list of “ you must be a Texan if”
10. You can recall hot summers by the year they happened easier than you can remember your mother's birthday.
9. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door but by the availability of shade.
8. You have owned at least one belt buckle bigger than your fist.
7. You eat 5 meals a week at a Tex-Mex restaurant.
6. You hang a flag of your alma mater outside your residence.
5. You drive at least 15 mph over the speed limit at any given time.
4. You proudly wear your Dallas Cowboys cutoff to church
3. Your idea of a 4 course meal is Ribeye, T-bone, Prime Rib and Filet
2 Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan their wedding date.
1. You know that "y'all" is singular and "all y'all" is plural.
AS PROMISED, here is my "Beatbox video"
Brad' beatbox skills
When I was nine, I played with Barbie dolls, spent time with my friends, swam every summer and stared at the back of Ryan Willis' head, hoping that he would some day return my unrequited love. Life was good and I felt safe. I had no idea what problems faced the world. And while sometimes being naive is a blessing in disguise, today's youth is proving to be a force to be reckoned with - when enlightened and tapped into.
Case and Point: Felix Finkbeiner, Germany's youngest climate campaigner.
Felix was only nine when he gave his first school presentation on global warming. Since then, Felix has traveled all over the country educating people on the need to plant trees and the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Billion Tree Campaign. Felix created a "Stop Talking. Start Planting." movement to support UNEP's target to plant seven billion trees by the end of 2009. Not only did UNEP reach their goal two months early, but thanks to Felix and hundreds of other children, 1 million trees were planted across Germany. No small feet! Just small hands doing the planting.
And Felix, now the ripe old age of 11, hasn't slowed down one bit. He has set up several Plant-for-the-Planet academies to continue climate education for students. He was named Champion of the Earth by UNEP, awared the Bavarian State Medal for services to Health and the Environment, recently addressed the European Parliament and was invited to present at the G8-Summit. Not bad for a kid who probably isn't dating yet!
Imagine what the world would be like if their were more Felix Finkbeiners. Maybe you have one sitting at home right now, who instead of playing Wii could help stop human trafficking or bring mosquito nets to children in Africa. Just think about it.
I will leave you with some parting words from the wunderkind himself - "When we cross the street, our parents take our hands. But as we go into the future, we have to take the hands of our parents." Well said Felix, well said.
To read more about Felix, check out this
great article from Positive News out of the UK.
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As I surf the net and collect my daily dose of world news, I cant help but be sad about what is happening in the gulf because of the oil spill. The Gulf for me has so many nostalgic memories. For so long in my mind, oil spills only happened in the Middle East and Alaska, boy was I wrong. Now one is currently re-shaping the way people view the gulf. It is affecting the wildlife, the eco systems, and the people whose livelihoods depend on the previous two. I have seen spoofs, cartoons and various sketches about this but I am still unsure that we truly grasp the magnitude of this situation.
My generation will battle this eco-disaster the rest of our lives and the ramifications of this “accident” are still yet to be determined. We are at a cross point, we must show we care and that this issue is important. Have you ever been to the Gulf, if so think about all the memories you had there. THIS is where I want to hear from you. What is your favorite memory from the Gulf, it could be a funny story or just a brief blurb. I would love to hear your thoughts so send them my way!
