Haiti Earthquake

It has been a year since an earthquake hit the island of Haiti. The quake, which reports say only lasted for a couple of seconds, devastated the region leaving more than a million people homeless and hundreds of thousands dead.

Volunteers poured into the region to help with the aftermath. Nightly, I sat glued to the television watching Anderson Cooper's AC 360 as he ventured into different areas showing the devastation. Days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months and we saw the same images, people living in close quarters- tent cities as they were referred- trying to make do with what they had.

Now a year later and it appears that the people of Haiti are still the same position they were in a year ago. CNN has done a piece the earthquake here. Here is a reflection from thefabulousdogooder.com that was posted on Huffington Post.com. And lastly, if you have a moment- take a little time to visit Haiti.Compassion for stories about recovery and rebuilding.

While a lot has been done in Haiti, a lot more needs to be done. If you are interested in donating to the continued relief efforts in helping Haiti move forward, please contact the Red Crossor UNICEF . If you know of any other relief agencies please post them in the comments.

100 days-

 ............its finally here- President Obama’s 100^th day in office.  Everything thus far is very matter of fact- his staff is not trying to make to huge a deal out of it, with Press Secretary Gibbs calling the benchmark a ‘hallmark moment’- not really that big of a deal- but you have to acknowledge it. Er'one has an opinion as to how he’s doing and by reading and reviewing articles yesterday and today, it appears most everyone feels the same- he is doing well! See some of the articles here, here & here.

While most feel the President is doing well, there are those who don’t quite see it that way. Since this is my blog, I prefer not to acknowledge the hate mongering because it’s just not necessary. Many of those who are critics seem to forget where we were a couple of years ago today. I don’t recall seeing tea parties or such a huge outcry of the President’s actions during the last administrations’ eight years but then again - most people have a very short memory.

I honestly feel the most important thing he has done for us as a country since he has become 44 is make us all take a closer look at our lives. How we are living, our performance, our relationships and most of all -what we value. Having him in office just makes me want to perform at a 150% instead of just the extra 110. It’s just a great feeling.  

In my perusal for articles about today’s benchmark, I came across one on the Huffington Post website and it talks about accomplishments and what can we (you and me) do to incorporate the 100 day marker in our lives to bring about as they put it – lasting change. Honestly, I did not know it takes approximately 100 days of consistent practice to ‘anchor newly learned behaviors’. They also talk about making S.M.A.R.T. goals. To find out what those are, see the article by Dr. Judith Rich here.

I have a couple of things that I would like to work on and have tried time & time again but because they are difficult, I always fall off the wagon at some point.  I definitely didn’t make S.M.A.R.T. goals J But I never stop trying!

Yesterday, my girlfriend Oneka came up with the 25 by 25 (25 pounds by December 25th, that is) and I plan on taking her up on that.  100 days from now will be 8^th of August, 2009. I will attempt to blog about where I am in the process since I want it to be that lasting change she mentions. I am also doing a challenge here at work to take 10,000 steps a day. The first day was kinda hard but the second day I hit it on the mark so we will see.

 What’s your 100 day plan? 

Also before I leave you, click on this link I found yesterday with images of the President and his family since the inauguration. Or you can just go to The White House.gov. 

 

Sad news, Thought Provoking news and just plain old FYI

Happy Friday to you all.... Here's a couple of stories that I found interesting. In addition it allows me to showcase some of my favorite spots for news and the like. Enjoy....

•  Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert has died. He was 58. See early reports here.
  
• In other political news, on a story that broke earlier this week, various bloggers are seething at Fox News for a story they did in which they referred to Michelle Obama as a baby mama. Poor judgement my ass......Check out the coverage of this ignorance as expressed in the opinions of writers at  The Daily Voice, The Huffington Post and Afrobella's . I would place a link to an urban dictionary but I don't to insult meh readers. 
  
• Sharon Tate's killer wants to get out of jail........ so she can die.. It says she is seeking a 'compassionate' release from prision...Wonder where that compassion was when she killed Tate. See the article here (taken from CNN's website). Damn bold if you ask me!
• The people who tied their son to a tree for being disobedient, could be looking at murder charges. See the article here from the Fayetteville Observer
• In sports, I am so feeling the way the Boston Celtics are playing in the NBA finals.They are up 3-1. See ESPN's coverage here in an article titled Into Thin Air. Fitting, don't you think? I don't want to get too excited cuz the fat lady hasn't sung as yet but if you're a fan, you can't help but feel excited about this one....Go Boston!!!!
  
• In Business news, Shaquille O'Neal is trying to make the transition smooth. See this article in the Orlando Sentinel. I always liked him. 
  
• Coming soon (July 11, to be exact) to an AT&T store near you Apple plans to release a new iPhone - at a cheaper rate nonetheless. The iPhone blog recently did posts on why you should and shouldn't upgrade to the new iPhone 3G.  I love a balance. 

And last but not least if you haven't heard this piece of news by now...sit first because you WILL be shocked...R ruh (that's R&B artist, R. Kelly for you non-listeners) has been acquitted of all charges. What did you say, "Blow you over with a feather"? Yea, I was shocked too! I had to check several credible news sources before I shared it with others. I am sure this is not the end of this, but this is where we are today 13 June, 2008. (Article taken from MSNBC)

Have a good weekend!