One Flexible Volunteer

When I was staying with my aunts in California, I noticed how much plastic spoons they had lying around. Brought them home from everywhere! They used them a lot. The sturdier ones they re-used far too many times. While I have no qualms about reusing, I do, however, have a [conditional] aversion to plastic dinnerware, especially when you have the option not to use it, like when you’re cooking and eating at home.

My husband and I use plastic, sure we do. Sometimes. Tupperware (all of which were handed down to us), straws, cups, SPOONS. But only when necessary (it’s what we call “drastic plastic”). Because it affects our health and, not to mention, the environment (repeat after me…Glass is Bad-@$$!)

Then I come across this poster. Got it off the Simplify Your Life blog. It says it all! Not only are we complicating life with a plastic spoon, but we’re also giving the environment a pretty hard time with it.

Its appeal lies in its most literal sense. But it also speaks of a more general, perfect idea — the easiest way from point A to point B is a straight line; less is more; the best things in life are nearest (air we breathe, light we see, duties at hand, STAINLESS SPOON IN THE KITCHEN).

“Just wash the spoon when you’re done with it.” Simply brilliant.

PS—My aunts don’t use plastic spoons, forks, and sporks at home anymore. I made sure of that before I left.

There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.

“

—	Mother Teresa

SuperDonate - Every Second Counts »

What if there was a way to give to charity without even having to shell out any money, or lift heavy loads, or get up from where you’re sitting right this very second? Would you do it?

I’ve been using SuperDonate to help my chosen charity - the Philippine Aid Society. And I encourage everyone to pick their cause and do the same. You (quite literally) have nothing to lose. Meanwhile, your chosen charity can benefit from it hugely. Here are a few FAQs that will help shed light on this very practical yet helpful donation tool:

What is SuperDonate?

SuperDonate is a small, safe program that runs on your computer. While SuperDonate is running, you will automatically be donating to the charity that you have selected. You will also be helping organizations solve big scientific, mathematical or medical problems. Finally, you will be helping reduce energy waste and pollution.

Will SuperDonate affect my computer’s performance?

You won’t even know that it’s running! SuperDonate only uses your CPU resources when your computer is idle (no keyboard or mouse activity for 1 minute).

For example, when you leave for lunch, SuperDonate will automatically start working. When you get back, SuperDonate will instantly give back all of your CPU resources. If needed, you can easily pause SuperDonate when performing a CPU intensive task. You can change many settings to let SuperDonate work best with you how you use your computer.

Is SuperDonate safe for my computer?

It’s 100% safe. The distributed computing system runs in a secure Java sandbox that has no access to your files. Java was built from the ground up to protect your personal information and files. SuperDonate does not install anything else on your computer - no spyware, no adware.

What does SuperDonate cost?

SuperDonate is completely free. You’ll never have to pay for anything.

Where does the money for charity come from?

There are organizations that need a huge amount of computing power to solve important computational problems. Rather than buying and maintaining many computers to do this, they can use a distributed computing service to solve their problem. This lets them tackle computational problems that they otherwise wouldn’t have the computing power to solve. Your computer will help organizations solve these computational problems.

Organizations are willing to pay money for access to this distributed computing service. When an organization uses this system, they pay a certain amount of money in exchange for the CPU processing power they get in return. This money is then what goes towards the charities. SuperDonate will give at least 80% of the money generated by your computer to the charity that you have selected. The rest of the money will go towards maintaining and supporting SuperDonate.

What problems will my computer help solve?

Distributed computing networks like SuperDonate are regularly used for many real-world problems, including: AIDS and cancer research, pharmaceutical drug discovery, economic forecasting, web indexing and clean energy research.

Some more examples of possible projects that could benefit from SuperDonate are here and here.

How is SuperDonate helping the environment?

Using a distributed computing service such as SuperDonate is good for the environment. Very large data centers are being built every day for computing needs. Not only are these data centers expensive and inefficient, but they’re also a significant source of energy waste and pollution. The New York Times reported in May 2008 that “data centers will surpass the airline industry as a greenhouse gas polluter by 2020.” By letting idle computers do the work instead, these wasteful data centers do not need to be built.

How do I use SuperDonate?

First, download and install the SuperDonate program by clicking on the Download button on this website.

When SuperDonate is running, select the charity you want to donate to by clicking the Options button. From there you can learn about and select the charity you wish to donate to. Then click OK and you’re done! The program will now automatically donate to your selected charity for as long as it’s running.

Where can I learn more about the charities?

When you run SuperDonate, you can choose what charity to donate to by pressing the Options button. From here you can learn about the different charities that SuperDonate supports.

Every second counts. Go to SuperDonate.org for more information on how you can make a difference today.

Frizzy!! How was your trip? Back in Manila?

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Hey! Yes! Got back early this month. My trip was short but sweet. Missing family and friends over there. Are you ready for the DW Christmas special? I hear it’s gonna be EPIC!!! :)

My family and I took a trip down to Cagayan de Oro, Iligan, and nearby provinces in Mindanao just this past August. And it was beautiful.

After typhoon Sendong (international name Washi) hit south of the country over the weekend, hundreds of people lost their homes, their loved ones, and even their own lives. The devastation and grief felt in these areas are just indescribable. The pictures say it all.

With our donations, both monetary and in kind, I know we can make these places beautiful again, help these people smile again.

7 Ways to Help Typhoon “Sendong” (Washi) Victims

There are many ways to help the victims of Typhoon Sendong:

1. Give donations through local TV stations and other businesses. Drop-off donations such as bottled water, food, blankets, and clothes are welcome in the following places:

7-11 Stores. Cash donations may be coursed through 7-11 stores without service fees. Official receipts will be provided for the donors.

Caritas Manila. Please call 563-9311 or 564-0205 for pick-up requests.

Civil Relations Office at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. Call 912-6615 or (0917)247-1252.

GMA Kapuso Foundation. 2/F Kapuso Center, GMA 7, EDSA Diliman, Quezon City. Check their website for more information on how to make financial donations.

Kaya Natin/Ateneo School of Government. Ateneo de Manila Quezon City. Donations are welcome from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. until Wednesday.

LBC branches worldwide. LBC will deliver your donations for free; please call 858-5999 to inquire about branches nearest you.

News5 Aksyon Center. San Bartolome, Novaliches, Quezon City. Please call 938-6393. Cash donations may also be sent through the following bank accounts:

BDO Peso Account
Account name: TV5 Kapatid Foundation Inc.
Account No. 005310-410164

BPI Peso Account
Account name: TV5 Kapatid Foundation Inc.
Account No. 1443-05333-2

Sagip Kapamilya. ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. Mother Ignacia cor. Eugenio Lopez St., Diliman, Quezon City. Donations may also be made online or through any of these bank accounts:

BDO Peso Account
Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 39301-14199
Swift Code: BNORPHMM

PNB Peso Account
Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 419-539-5000-13
Swift Code: PNBMPHMM

BPI Peso Account
Account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Inc.-Sagip Kapamilya
Account Number: 3051-1127-75 (West Triangle, Quezon City)
Swift Code: BOPIPHMM

Drop Center in Metro Manila c/o StartArt Project. 10A Alabama st New Manila Quezon City. Tel. No. (0926) 711-2450

2. Send financial donations online.

You may donate to the Philippine Red Cross cash using your credit card, PayPal, GCash, or Bancnet. Alternatively, donations from overseas may be coursed through PhilDev.

3. Make donations through your Philippine mobile phone.

Smart subscribers may also send financial help to the Philippine Red Cross through text. To donate, cell phone users should text RED to 4143. Valid donation amounts are 10, 25, 50 and 100 and will be charged to the subscriber’s prepaid load or postpaid bill.

Smart Money users can also transfer funds through their mobile phones to the official Baha Fund account number 5577 5130 6822 1104. Donors may also deposit cash to the same Smart Money account number in any Banco De Oro branch nationwide or through Hapinoy and Cebuana Lhuillier outlets.

Globe subscribers may send help to Red Cross. Just text RED and send to 2899. Valid donation amounts are 10, 25, 50, 100 (For ex, RED 10).

4. Volunteer to help repack goods for typhoon victims.

In Metro Manila, contact the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) Chapel Road, Pasay City and look for Francia Fabian at (0918) 930-2356. They are also accepting in-kind donations.

5. Pray.

There is no better time to pray than now. Pray for lives lost, thank God for lives spared, seek forgiveness for all our shortcomings, and ask that healing - of mind, body, and spirit - come to those who need it.

6. Spread the word.

Post news articles, death toll updates, missing-person announcements on social networking sites like Facebook, Google+, and Twitter. Blog about it then link to websites that accept donations for Typhoon Sendong victims.

6. Invite others to get involved.

Encourage your friends, colleagues, neighbors, and family members to donate, volunteer, share whatever resources they might have, and, above all, pray, for our ailing brothers and sisters in Mindanao, and for the whole world.

Help Our Typhoon Victims »

Help has been pouring in from all over the world, but as the death toll and number of missing persons continue to rise, more is definitely needed. Dear readers, friends, and family, here and abroad, we implore you - please PLEASE donate whatever amount you can to the Philippine Red Cross or World Vision so that the victims of this terrible natural disaster can receive aid. And FAST. Click HERE to get more information on how to donate directly. You may also contact me as my husband and I plan to send out donations in the next few days ourselves.

Going Back to the Start

I saw this ad campaign for the first time on the big screen. I remember it was at an AMC in downtown Phoenix just this October and it came on right before the main feature (I like being early so I get to watch all the previews and what not. Sure glad I caught this one).

Not only is the song one of my favorite songs of all time (covered by no other than the inimitable Willie Nelson himself - genius!), but the visuals are quite appealing as well (admit it, the lego-esque piggies are just too cute). More importantly, the message was way too real, far-reaching [and simple] to ignore.

It depicted the life of a farmer who started small, expanded into an industrial animal factory, and then realized that he had to “go back to the start” and do things better for a more sustainable future. Chipotle commissioned both the short film and the song to rally behind the need for the development of sustainable food systems. And I say good for them!

You, too, can support the cause. Download “The Scientist” by Willie Nelson (even if you have the original and live versions by Coldplay) available now on iTunes. Proceeds go to The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation. $0.99 well spent. Definitely.

Never before has man had such a great capacity to control his own environment, to end hunger, poverty and disease, to banish illiteracy and human misery. We have the power to make the best generation of mankind in the history of the world. ~ John F. Kennedy

“

Google Gives Back 2011

This Christmas season, many have started to give and do what they can for charities, causes, individuals, and organizations in dire need of help. Web giant Google is one of them.

For 2011, Google has spearheaded (and upped the ante, so to speak) charitable efforts for various organizations that give importance to the same things that the company holds dear - STEM (science, technology, engineering & math) education, education for girls, empowerment through technology, and fighting human rights violations such as modern-day slavery and human trafficking.

Google is encouraging each and everyone of us to take part in their effort to educate minds and alleviate injustice. In any and every way we can. We can all start by spreading the word.

Visit http://www.google.com/landing/givesback/2011/ to learn more about these organizations - the people involved, their goals, and beneficiaries.