You know what the “N” word is. It’s one of the most hateful things one human being can say to another human being. Yet, it’s in our music, our conversation, and casually batted around every day.
11 year old, Jonathan McCoy is trying to raise awareness about the harm the word does. He’s trying to get 100,000 signatures on a petition to send a message about hurtful and degrading the word is.
He won a special oratory award for an essay he wrote for his cause. Here’s the video of Jonathan giving that speech:
This is truly amazing. In Brussel, Belgium they have replicated a medeival carpet using begonias. It includes close to a a million flowers and spreads out for 300 square meters. Grass, tree bark, and other materials were added to blend the colors. 1,000 volunteers are needed to put it all together.
In 1971, the first Carpet of Flowers was created in Belgium’s capital. Now, the carpet is recreated every two year. The next display will be created in 2010.
If you are homeless in Jackson Heights, New York, you probably know the local bus driver who delivers home cooked meals. His name is Jorge Munoz and he’s been doing it since 2004.
Munoz is an immigrant from Columbia. He came to American in the 1980s to meet up with his Mother. He has since become a citizen.
In 2004, Munoz stared the An Angel in Queens program. His goal was to pick up meals that business throw away and hand them out to those in need. Soon, he and his family began cooking meals too.
His operations started feed 20 homeless people a day. He’s up to 140 meals a night! Munoz works as a bus driver, yet he delivers food daily rain or shine.
The 43 year old spends about $400 a week delivering food and his family spends their own money to help him. They also take in donations.
Munoz is just giving back to the community. For many of the people he feeds, the meal he provides is the only one they will eat that day.
If you’ve got some time on your hands, join volunteers Saturday September 20th for Caliofnria Coastal Clean Up Day. The day is designed to get all the garbage dumped by Summer revelers off of California’s shorelines and beaches. Groups from all over the state are planning clean up operations.
Last year, over 60,000 folks showed up. The cleaned up beaches, lakes, and rivers. If you can believe it, they hauled in over 90,000 pounds of trash. That’s alot of junk people leave behind!
What do you do after a hurricane has ravaged your community? Stop in at the local coffee shop to get the support you need. According to CNN, coffee shops have become the place where weary folks come to chat and lend help to their neighbors.
Some folks have gotten really tired of how slow cities clean up parks, roadways, and other public areas. They’ve taken matters into their one hands.
These rebellious citizens sneak off into the night. They armed with the tools of their trade: shovels, hoes, and buckets. They’ve set off to plant a tree, clean a park, and shovel debris. Everyone’s time is voluntary. All the plants, mulch, dirt, and gardening implements have been donated.
Why all the secrecy? These people are doing work that is not sanctioned by local government. They are doing it without approval and thus, might get in trouble for interfering with local policy.
The movement has been spreading throughout the country. People tired of seeing trash and graffiti litter their communities are taking actions. Although most of this work is illegal, city officials have yet to do more than comment. The public likes to see their parks and streets clean and flowery. Since it cost the city nothing to allow citizens to beautify it, it’s easier to turn a blind eye especially when that eye gets a beautiful, green park as a benefit.
