Sunday, April 13, 2014

social activism/ Clean the World/ Rehteah Parsons



Apr. 4 Social activism: I was reading in the Edmonton Journal about Craig and Marc Kielburger who are social activists.  They created Free the Children.  The Kielburgers writes articles about social issues in this newspaper and the Globe and Mail, and the Metro.

I really want to get a job that helps people and incites change.  In college, I took programs that were creative and practical like graphic design, arts and cultural management, and professional writing.

In my free time, I am the one signing petitions for Amnesty International, and putting up their emails on my blog and Facebook.  I’m spreading the word and telling others to sign the petition.  I have donated to this charity and other charities before, but I have stopped because I have to save money.  I have to help myself before I can help others.
I use this blog to broadcast news that I read or saw on TV and to share with my friends and family, and the internet. 

Maybe go into journalism, or TV news, news magazine shows like 20/20, and be like Oprah who spreads news and awareness.
Non-profit: I have been networking with my Professional Writing classmates.  One of them said she worked at a non-profit and was getting paid $14.95/hr so that’s pretty good.

Female circumcision: On Feb. 7, 2014, I read in the Metro “Female circumcision.  Opposition grows in Mali.”  On Feb. 5, 2014 “the International Day of Zero Tolerance to Genital Mutilation, Dicko Ongoiba joined hundreds of residents of a town outside Mali’s capital for a public declaration swearing off female genital cutting, which affects 89 percent of Mali’s women.”

The non-organization Tostan worked with 7000 communities in 8 African countries to denounce cutting.  They cut a girl’s external genitals without anesthesia, leads to loss of sexual pleasure, difficult childbirths, urinary incontinence and other complications.
India gang rape: On Feb. 7, 2014, I read in the Metro about “Seven arrested for alleged gang rape.”  The alleged rape of a co-worker’s wife (28 yrs old) and aunt (40 yrs old) in Mukti Rachak, a village 40 km north of Kolkata in India’s West Bengal state.  They were also cut with blades and are in stable condition at the hospital.

The fight with the co-worker was over a road building project.  The village had electricity and then the electricity was turned off by the electricity transformer, and then they were attacked.

Phillip Seymour Hoffman: On Feb. 7, 2014, I read in the Metro about writer Aaron Sorkin talk about Hoffman’s death:

“(Hoffman) did not die from an overdose of heroin- he died from heroin.  We should stop implying that if he’s just taken the proper amount then everything would have been fine.  He didn’t die because he was partying too hard or because he was depressed.  He died because he was an addict.”
Vladislav Tretiak: On Feb. 11, 2014, I was reading in the Metro “Russian icon a hero to one Canadian.”  Tretiak is a goaltender.  In 1987, a Canadian Michael Hunter was 14 yrs old who went to Moscow for a school field trip.  He got there and then he got sick.  His mom Julie was a chaperone there.  Julie was invited by the Canadian ambassador in Moscow to have dinner, and she told him that Michael is a big hockey fan.

The ambassador offered to invite Tretiak who was in town, and Tretiak visited Michael in the hospital.  The whole wing at the hospital was excited.  He stayed for 30 min. and took pictures.

My opinion: That is so nice to hear.
Black slavery: On Feb. 10, 2014, I was reading in the Metro “Canada’s unknown slave-owning past” by Takara Small.  She broke down the myths:

1. Slavery never existed in Canada, right?
It did exist in Canada.

2. Canada was the first to abolish slavery before other parts of the world followed suit.

There was a legislation in 1793 that a slave would get his freedom when he turned 25.  However, a lifespan of a slave was 20-25 yrs old.  Britain was the first to abolish it in 1833.
3. Black slaves escaped to Canada from the US.

They did escape to the US, but there was still discrimination, violence, and segregation.

4. Slaves who escaped to Canada, stayed in Canada.

Some slaves who got into Canada, moved back to the US once slavery was abolished in America.

Blindness: I read this article in the Metro on Feb. 10, 2014 “Teen Athlete’s Sight Restored.”  Canadian Opthalmological Society talked about how one doneor can restore sight for two people.

People with vision loss experience:

-twice the risk of a fall or premature death

-low income- the employment rate of working-age adults with significant vision loss is only 32%, and 50% of adults with vision loss live in poverty

-more medication errors

-two to five times as much difficulty with daily living

-three times as much clinical depression

-twice as much social dependence

Organsandtissues.ca/donate

Clean the World: I was reading in the Metro on Feb. 19, 2014 “Soap recycling.”  The “Florida-based charity Clean the World collects and recycles hotel amenities discarded by the hospitality industry, sending them to homeless shelters and countries in need.”


My opinion: Oh that’s good.  I was in high school when I learned about donating shampoo to women’s shelters because they need it.  I know that with homeless shelters, it’s important to donate men’s socks and gloves.
Politics:

Justin Trudeau: He made a light joke “In an interview taped on Thursday, which aired Sunday night, Trudeau said that Russia was upset about its men's Olympic hockey team losing out on a shot at a medal in Sochi.”


My opinion: I watched the video and I was kind of eh with the joke.  Well he said it in French.  I didn’t really think it was funny, and he said he wanted to make light of a serious situation.  It’s been over a month and he isn’t getting flack.

Alison Redford: When I saw this on the front page of the news that the Alberta Premier was resigning, I was kind of sad.  So she has a scandal about using tax payer’s money for her travel expenses.  That’s not good, but it could be worse.  For example, Rob Ford and his drug and alcohol addiction.  At least it’s not a sex scandal.
Paris’s first female mayor: On Mar. 31, 2014, Anne Hidalgo is Paris’s first female mayor.  That’s great.


Apr. 13: Alison Redford is now on Twitter:


Jim Flaherty: Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty has passed away.  I was surprised.  At least he accomplished a lot in his career, and he lived a long life of 64 yrs old.

http://globalnews.ca/news/1264776/ottawa-mourns-following-sudden-death-of-jim-flaherty/


Rehteah Parsons: I found this on Yahoo “How Canada has changed in the year since the suicide of Rehteah Parsons.”  There is a lot of discussions on this article:

21users liked this comment 3users disliked this comment
Arlene  •  1 day 5 hours ago
I cannot believe how insensitive and stupid people are! So girls are only good for #$%$?? Incredible!! First all before anyone posts anything anywhere you better be aware of the possible consequences of your actions no matter your age and NO ONE should die because of being bullied. Shameless! Sex is not a game of tag where you want to get an STD that in some cases can't be treated and both sexes (even grown ups better think about this one too before they stick anything anywhere) need to be taught that. 

You get HIV you sure as hell won't be laughing I can tell you that. I was a teenager once too but I made the choice not to put myself in situations like that. I will not even drink in bars because of the fear someone might slip something in my drink. As a female I know how easy it is for someone to take advantage of you and for someone who has been sexually harrassed several times I can assure you these "men" who thought it was "cute" to what they did do that poor girl they oughta have something removed because real men don't do that. For their actions a girl is dead and that is very unfortunate. Real men don't date rape women or post stuff like that or harrass women. They protect them with their life. That next woman that you post on line "having fun" at a party just could be your sister, your aunt, your cousin or your niece. What would YOU do if that girl was your family?? Maybe it would be so funny then would it.

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