Giving Thanks For Going Without This Thanksgiving

Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.Sorry, I could not read the content fromt this page.

View the original article here

The Joy of Giving: Helping the Victims of Typhoon Haiyan

The Philippines had never experienced a typhoon like this. Yes, this archipelago of 7,107 islands has become accustomed to several storms year after year, but have never encountered a typhoon like Haiyan; which, according to Wikipedia, is an exceptionally powerful tropical cyclone.

The world has recorded typhoons as strong as category 4 but Haiyan, according to a CNN report is category 5 or 6. My memory is still fresh from watching TV. The reporter delivered the weather update with such vigor and a mixture of weird enthusiasm and dread. He said with an overly excited tone of voice, this Typhoon has made a landfall in the Philippines but even though it did, it didn’t show any sign of slowing speed. Later reports said Haiyan has made 4 or 5 landfalls but its velocity has remained the same.

According to The wall street Journal/Asia, “The disaster panel said 1, 757 people are missing and 3.54 million people are displaced because of Haiyan, which whipped up a 15-foot-high storm surge that drowned many people”.

As of this writing, the official death toll is now pegged at 5, 500 and basing on the report above, it might increase in the coming days. I was touched when I saw this comic strip created by Gavin Aung Than and published by Zenpencils.

Anthony is a Lifehacker who lives and breathes giving tips to make your life easier. He is also a broadcaster/professional blogger who is fueled by cappuccino and Rock Music. If he's not busy writing for clients, and churning out e-books for greenhorn broadcasters and freelance writers, he gives tips to entry level broadcasters and freelance writers on his site The Write Freelance

View the original article here

20+ resources for better giving and living a more altruistic life

Global Issues TEDTalks Peter Singer explains the “effective altruism” movement at TED2013. Photo: James Duncan Davidson

Every day, most of us do something morally indefensible — we go about our lives without sending help to the 6.9 million children under the age of 5 who will die this year from poverty-related disease. In today’s talk, philosopher Peter Singer makes the case that ignoring these kids is as inhumane as ignoring a child who’s been hit by a car on the street in front of you.

Peter Singer: The why and how of effective altruism “Does it really matter that they’re far away?” asks Singer. “I don’t think it does make a morally relevant difference — the fact that they’re not right in front of us, or the fact that they’re of a different nationality or race.”

But he’s not saying this to make us feel bad and helpless. Today’s talk actually delivers good news: that through what Singer calls “effective altruism,” we all have the ability to make a difference. Effective altruism begins with reason – the realization that all lives are of equal value — and looking for charities that affect the most lives, the most effectively.

To hear how a single person — and one who is nowhere close to a billionaire – can make a big impact for good in the world, watch this talk. And below, some resources to get you thinking about giving more effectively.

Peter Singer’s top 10 recommended charities:

Against Malaria Foundation. Of those 6.9 million children who die every year of poverty-related illness, 1 million succumb to malaria. AMF provides insecticide-treated bed nets, which only cost $5 apiece.Schistosomiasis Control Initiative. Protecting a child from worm-based disease for a full year costs around 50 cents. This organization works with governments to make sure it happens.The Humane League. Invests time, money and energy to reduce animal cruelty and save the lives of animals, focusing on farmed animals.GiveDirectly. This nonprofit transfers money to poor individuals in Kenya, letting them spend it for food and other basic needs, or on high-return investments.Oxfam International. This mega aid organization works in a wide range of areas, including disaster relief, education, sanitation and women’s rights.Proven Impact Fund. Dedicated to data and results, this fund from Innovations for Poverty Action supports interventions with strong evidence of success.The Fistula Foundation. Fistula is a ghastly injury during childbirth, and it afflicts women living in the poorest areas of the world. This organization provides needed surgery.The Hunger Project. Encouraging men and women to end their own hunger, this organization assists poor villages for five years, relying on the local workforce to build skills and take over before they leave.Vegan Outreach. A nonprofit that seeks to expose and end cruelty to animals.Population Services International. A global health organization that focuses on family planning, a simple service that can improve the health of women and their children.

Resources for finding other charities to support:

GiveWell. This nonprofit does in-depth research on charities and highlights a small number that do a remarkable amount of good per dollar they receive. (Singer recommends this site.)Effective Animal Activism. One of the causes nearest to Singer’s heart is animal liberation, and he is impressed with this charity evaluator that focuses on animal suffering.Charity Navigator. The largest charity evaluator in the U.S., Charity Navigator has data and ratings for nearly 6,000 charities.Great Nonprofits. A site dedicated to informing would-be donors through reviews from board members, volunteers, experts and regular folks who’ve interfaced with a charity.

Resources Singer recommends for connecting with other people interested in doing good:

Giving What We Can. The members of this international society make a bold pledge: to donate 10% of their income to eliminating poverty in the developing world. A good place to connect with others, and to find high-quality organizations to support.The Life You Can Save. At this site, you can pledge to donate any percentage of your income to those in need. In addition to directing you to great charities to support, it’s also a log for local volunteer opportunities.Effective Altruism. A blog from Peter Singer and William MacAskill dedicated to the tenets of effective altruism.The High Impact Network. This group has a great acronym – THINK. Members meet up to ponder effective giving — both strategically and creatively.

A resource for finding the career that does the greatest good:

80,000 Hours. Named after the number of hours most people will work over their lifetime, this career advice site has a twist – it gives advice on how different careers can have an impact on poverty. As Singer mentions in his talk, the site doesn’t shy away from unusual answers; it suggests that working in finance and donating a percentage of your income could fund multiple aid workers.

And further reading in effective altruism:

Want more advice on how to parse the world of nonprofits and giving? Check out Dan Pallotta’s tips for picking a charity that’s right for you »

View the original article here

The story behind my new TED Talk: Giving teachers what they deserve

education TEDTalks Bill Gates speaks on teachers’ need to get better feedback. Watch his talk during our first television special, TED Talks Education, airing Tuesday, May 7 at 10/9c on PBS. Photo: Ryan Lash

By Bill Gates

I spend a lot of my time working to help improve America’s schools. I’m also a big fan of TED Talks. So when TED’s Chris Anderson asked me to give a talk as part of a special TED session on education, I jumped at the chance. The show premieres on PBS this Tuesday, May 7, at 10 p.m. Eastern/9 p.m. Central. (Here’s a preview. And you can find your local broadcast time.)

John Legend hosted the show and did a fantastic job. John cares a lot about improving education and is investing a lot of his own time on the issue. I first met him when we were both involved with the documentary Waiting for Superman, and I could tell right away that he was an impressive and well-informed guy, in addition to being a super-talented musician. It’s great that he’s using his fame to draw attention to the need to improve our schools.

We taped the TED show last month in a beautiful hall at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York City. I was very impressed with the lineup of speakers. One of the great things about the TED format is that it can accommodate lots of different kinds of speakers, from energetic storytellers to more analytical people like me who are hardcore about numbers and systems. That helps the audience look at the topic from lots of different angles.

In this case, they had education experts like Geoffrey Canada, who runs a terrific program called the Harlem Children’s Zone, and Dr. Angela Lee Duckworth, whom I’ve met with a few times as part of my own learning about education. They also had several passionate teachers from around the country. One of them, a chemistry teacher named Ramsey Musallam, startled everyone with video of himself blowing stuff up in class. John brought the house down with a beautiful performance.

For my part, I talked about what I think is the most powerful idea in education today: getting teachers the feedback they deserve so they can improve their practice.

It’s amazing to think about how much coaching is given to, say, professional athletes. I have a coach who gives me feedback too. (You’ll have to watch the show if you want to know why.) But most teachers get almost no feedback at all. And the vast majority of countries that outperform us in education have some formal way to give their teachers feedback. So this is an area where innovation and investment can make a big difference for teachers and students in this country.

As always, the TED team put together a great show, and I’m happy to have been a part of it. I hope you get a chance to watch it.

Find out more about TED Talks Education, airing on Tuesday at 10/9c on PBS »

And stayed tuned to TED.com on Wednesday, May 8, when we will post a full-length version of Bill Gates’ inspiring talk. Curious about his favorite talks in the meantime? Watch his TED playlist »

View the original article here

Giving Warts the Slip: Remove Warts with a Banana

Warts are small, rough, raised, unsightly patches of dead skin, usually found on the hands or feet, and are the most common human skin infection. Warts are caused by the human papillomavirus, (HPV-1) which enters your body through a break in the skin—we tend to pick up these unsavoury hitchhikers in places like gyms, swimming pools, dressing rooms, common shower areas and yoga studios. The virus implants itself just below the surface of your skin, and then goes to work building a protective shell of dead skin cells, which is what we commonly refer to as a wart.

Warts are generally considered unattractive, and as they are usually on a visible part of our body, we want to get rid of them, especially when they appear on the soles of our feet, causing us discomfort when we walk. Warts sometimes go away by themselves, but then there is also the risk that leaving them untreated can cause them to spread; both on your own body, and to other people.

There are many ways to remove warts, such as freezing them off; surgically removing them; or burning them off with salicylic acid, used in wart-removal remedies. There are also natural and less costly methods of removing warts, from using vinegar to covering them with duct tape. One of them most unusual ways is to use a banana: I first heard this method from my dermatologist, and it works—I tried it.

Don’t use just any banana: green or slightly yellow-green ones are the best. A banana’s moisture will soften a wart, allowing the banana’s virus-killing enzymes to penetrate down to the root of it. As bananas age, the enzymes in the skin break down the starches and fibers that are useful for killing viruses.

1) Soak the area around the wart for ten minutes—this softens the dead skin covering the wart and speeds up the process.

2) Use a pumice stone to remove the loose dead skin. Keep removing dead skin until it gets sensitive.

3) Apply a few drops of tea tree oil to the wart.

4) Cut a piece of banana peel large enough to cover the wart, and place soft side down.

5) Hold the banana skin in place with a bandage.

6) Replace the banana skin when it dries out.

The virus is least vulnerable when the skin covering it is dry: the banana skin keeps the wart moist and allows the tea tree oil to penetrate down to the level where the virus lives—this oil will kill the virus when it comes into contact with it. You may have to repeat the steps above several times, and each time, you will find the wart shrinks a bit. Keep at it until the wart disappears;  if you slack off, the virus will hurry to grow the protective layer back. So, the next time you eat a banana, remember there are other uses for the skin before you throw it out.

SEE ALSO: 5 Small Hacks to Improve Your Health in 2013 and Beyond

Featured photo credit: Bunch Of Ripe Bananas At A Street Market In Istanbul via Shutterstock

View the original article here

10 Mindful Minutes: Giving Our Children--and Ourselves--the Social and Emotional Skills to Reduce Stress and Anxiety for Healthier, Happy Lives

"Goldie Hawn embodies delight and joy, and 10 Mindful Minutes radiates these. Her book can help any adult-parent, grandparent, teacher-make double use of their moments with the children they love and have a terrific time while helping shape that child's brain for a lifetime of resilience and happiness."
-Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence

Across the country, the revolutionary MindUP program, which was developed under the auspices of the Hawn Foundation, established by Goldie Hawn, is teaching children vital social and emotional skills. By understanding how their brains work, children discover where their emotions come from and become more self-aware. They learn to appreciate the sensory aspects of their lives and to value the positive effects of mindfulness, compassion, and kindness. This, in turn, empowers them to manage and reduce their own stress-and helps them be happy.

Those who have seen the remarkable effects of this program have been eager to learn how to implement it in their own homes and use its practices for themselves, too. Now, for the first time, its secrets are being shared with all parents and children in 10 Mindful Minutes.

Price: $24.00

Click here to buy from Amazon