Jessica Jackley: Poverty, money -- & love.

Poverty, money -- & love [Jessica Jackley, co-founder of Kiva]

"For me, the best way to be inspired...is to stop and to listen to someone else's story... Believing in each other, really being sure when push comes to shove that each one of us can do amazing things in the world. That is what can make our stories into love stories and our collective story into one that continually perpetuates hope and good things for all of us. So that, this belief in each other, knowing that without a doubt and practicing that every day in whatever you do, that's what I believe will change the world and make tomorrow better than today."

Love it.

Gil: "Psh, he's just a hater."

In discussing Sunday (Halloween):

Garland: yup
scrub it up
me: haha
no im being a minion!!!


Garland: u aint that cute
me: :(
i know
but i want a million of those!!!!
im obsessed with them
:D
me: "Gil: hahaha
tell garland i disagree"
yeahhh!! w'dupppp

[insert a series of major typos/typing fails]

Garland: ...
you totally failed typing up that snipet
TWICE
me: haha i know, i kept hitting enter
Garland: hehe
silly you
i guess a minion would do something silly like that
i suppose you are becoming more like one
cute
DONT LET THAT GET TO YOUR HEAD THO
me: HAHAHA
i actually LOLed in class.
sigh.
this is why im gonna fail my midterm later
Garland: i have such awesome powers.

Summer '07.

I remember coming back from my summer in Peru and hearing about the Korean missionaries that were held hostage in Afghanistan. I remember hearing about the pastor who sacrificed his life to save his team and about his wife's amazing strength & faith when she spoke to her 9-year-old daughter about the death. I remember crying by myself when I heard this story. I remember the year before, when Ani asked me what my passion was and I responded "missions." I remember when Ani heard about the Korean missionaries and, knowing what my passion was, came to me and asked me not to go to anywhere as dangerous as Afghanistan. I remember looking at him and telling him that I couldn't guarantee anything because wherever I was to go, I was going to go. I remember him getting worried and I remember trying not to tear up too much as I explained to him that my passion for healing a broken world was so strong that I would die for it.

I may not be as intensely on fire as I was back then, but I do know that my passion is still there and that I would still die for it.

I'm looking forward to May 2011.

Agents of change.

Awww. You know you're special when someone not only quotes you, but puts your quote into some pretty graphic that looks like it belongs on someone's Tumblr page :)



Haha. Thanks, Jeannie.


PS - Yesterday, I made the comment that a sign that you've pretty much succeeded in my field, the sign that you've done something pretty spectacular with your life, is when you're mentioned, quoted, interviewed, or (best of all) highlighted by Nick Kristof. Hero.

Just because...

[via Alicia's Food For Thought]

Print is not dead.

I wanted to post this up a while back when Design*Sponge first presented the new design magazine Anthology.



I was reminded of this when I came across another video this morning. A piece created by Lane Smith titled It's a Book.



Not only are these videos adorable (I pretty much love everything about the Anthology one) but they remind me of why I have 2 bookshelves overflowing with printed pieces, about 10 more books strewn across my bedroom, and 3 more in the mail coming to me.

About Smith's book, Adam Gopnik writes in the New York Times:

“The moral of Smith’s book is the right one: not that screens are bad and books are good, but that what books do depends on the totality of what they are — their turning pages, their sturdy self-­sufficiency, above all the way they invite a child to withdraw from this world into a world alongside ours in an activity at once mentally strenuous and physically still.”

Perfect!

More water talk. #BlogActionDay2010

Just earlier, Mark and I were talking, and the fact came up that a lack of clean water kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. He mentioned that this was the fact that struck him the most about the water issue. It's pretty horrific and really puts into perspective how deadly water can be for many in this world (one in eight billion, actually). Not to sound callous, but it sounds about right. If over 38,000 children are dying every week because of water-related illnesses, then yeah, I can believe that the issue kills more people than all the wars and acts of violence occurring in our world.

Mark went on to comment that the Nobel Peace Price should go to the person who most alleviates the water problem.

Honestly though, there are so many who are working on this issue from so many levels. The solutions are already there. But it takes more than just organizations like Charity:water or Lifewater International to change the numbers. It takes people and mobilization. Unfortunately, for every great idea or solution we have out there, there is even more apathy and inaction.

I read this quote from Christian just yesterday as he was presenting MakeSense at the i7 Summit in Paris yesterday:

"Reward success. Celebrate failure. Punish inaction."

I know it was more in relation to the work that MakeSense is doing, but it made me think yesterday. Yeah, "punish" is a strong word but it's true that the biggest hindrance to development and progress in our society today is inaction, often driven by apathy. It is one of the things that keeps me up at night -- how can we motivate people to bring social change or to do social good?

It's been one of the things that has been on my mind a lot. It's one of the main reasons why The 3:18 Movement was birthed. And it so happens we're currently focused on the clean water issue.


Moving onward, I do have to say that I am incredibly glad for today. It has been such an inspiring day -- what with Blog Action Day (#BlogActionDay2010 #bad2010), The Feast conference (#feastongood), the RSA animation on Sir Ken Robinson's talk of social change, and a work meeting with some amazing & dedicated NYC women in fighting sex trafficking.

Today was the reminder I needed of why I do what I do and how much I love doing it.

Lastly, consider doing some of the following:

• Blog/tweet/FB/whatever about the water issue.
• Join The 3:18 Movement's campaign by either walking for a cause or joining the 3:18 team
• If you can't do the walk on October 23rd, consider sponsoring one of a walker. The money raised will bring clean water, health education, and community development to hundreds in Northern Uganda.
• Sign the petition below:

Petitions by Change.org|Start a Petition »

Let's change the world :)

Blog Action Day 2010: Water.

[One day. One issue. Thousands of voices.]

So this year's theme for Blog Action Day 2010 (today!) is water.
How amazing is it that there are over 5,000 blogs at this moment -- nearly 40,000,000 readers -- in nearly 140 countries all blogging today about the same thing: Water.

It makes me even happier to be doing the walk next Saturday (October 23) advocating for clean water systems, health education, & community development in war-affected Northern Uganda.

Of course, the issue of clean water is beyond just the region of Northern Uganda. It is a global issue, affecting even those of us in the great land of the United States with our lovely (though not vegan or kosher, but still completely harmless & fairly pure) New York City water that we can drink from tap.

Today, WATER is a human rights issue, a health issue, a sustainability issue, an environmental issue, and a global issue. When one out of eight of us don't have access to clean water, when more people die every year because of this than all forms of violence (including war), when 38,000 children die each week from water-related illnesses, this becomes our issue.

Below are some facts that I pulled from the official Blog Action Day 2010: Why Water? website. Click on the link for more tidbits.

• Cell Phones vs. Toilets: Today, 2.5 billion people lack access to toilets, but many more have access to a cell phone.
• Food Footprint: It takes 24 liters of water to produce one hamburger. That means it would take over 19.9 billion liters of water to make just one hamburger for every person in Europe.
• Technology Footprint:The shiny new iPhone in your pocket requires half a liter of water to charge. That may not seem like much, but with over 80 million active iPhones in the world, that’s 40 million liters to charge those alone.
• Waste Overflow: Every day, 2 million tons of human waste are disposed of in water sources. This not only negatively impacts the environment but also harms the health of surrounding communities.
• Technology for Good: Do you want to measure how much water it took to make your favorite foods? There’s an app for that.

And of course, there's so much more that you can learn about on the website as well as at UNICEF, WHO, charity:water, etc.

RSA Animate: Changing Education Paradigms.

RSA Animation on Sir Ken Robinson's view of how to bring up young leaders and thinkers.

Everything about this is brilliant. The animation is impeccably done and perfectly in line with what the lecture is about too. And of course, the lecture by Sir Ken Robinson is spot on and makes me want to jump into education reform advocacy, ha.

It's not the entire talk but you can catch the full length of Sir Ken Robinson's presentation on changing our educational system on RSA's website.

Sneakerness Vienna 2010.

Yum.

I may have to start watching Outsourced.

Because apparently I have a thing for brown boys.

Life is so lacking sometimes.

It's moments like these where a combination of things just make me realize that this world is never going to be perfect and that it is broken, and often mundane or ugly or depressing. This isn't to say that Life isn't beautiful too...but there is undeniably something missing to it, something that this world cannot offer. This is manifest in the fact that this world can not and never will be perfect.

It is moments like these where I find great comfort in knowing that I still have enough faith to say that there will be better days beyond this world. The fact that I look forward to something greater in the future is assuring to me in regards to my faith.

I still am not too happy that in the mean time I have to be in this broken place. But what can you do.

Minor differences.

(Taken from The Oatmeal)

This was totally me last night (without milk):





Sigh.

Breaking the news on Gchat...

Me: so i actually started...
uhhh
wait
dont yell at me
Gil: ....
i'm scared
Me: ok, well, i'm going to start an alcohol fast
hahah
Gil: WHAT?!
NOOOO
WHY?!?!??!
*sniff*

Movies for a cause: The Candy Shop.

Really looking forward for this new metaphorical movie by Whitestone Motion Pictures.

I know these are for children but I still want them for myself.

Aviator hood


Apple print school bag

Brought to you by Quirk Collective. Super cute.

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah

8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
he burns the shields [b] with fire.

10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth."

11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Selah