The Facts:
• 
As of January 23, 111,481 people were confirmed dead. An estimated 90,000 more are still buried beneath the thousands of collapsed buildings.
• Before the search-and-rescue effort ended on January 22, rescuers pulled 134 people alive from the rubble.
• On January 12th, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck the nation where 80% of its population lives in poverty. About 50 aftershocks over a magnitude of 4.5 have hit Haiti since the initial earthquake.
• According to the U.N. 609,000 are now homeless in the capital of Port-au-Prince.
• In a country where about 40% of its population is made up of children, there is widespread concern that children who appear orphaned may have just been separated from parents. In the panic and rush to aid survivors, organizations like Save the Children are calling a halt to adoptions and evacuations. Of greatest concern is that the disaster situation will make it easy for children to disappear into child trafficking circles—a heinous practice that becomes rampant after every disaster around the world.
• Over 580,000 people received water from Unicef while the Red Cross has delivered an additional 30,000 liters.
• The World Food Programme has distributed 1,167,000 rations, but millions more are needed in the weeks and months ahead as the country tries to work through the aftermath.
Most of us don’t have ties to Haiti, but that doesn’t mean we’re not bonded by the ties of humanity. They too are our brothers and sisters and in their time of need, please consider helping them any way possible. The organizations below are currently accepting donations along with countless of others. There is usually a minimum of a $10 donation; $10 can buy us three gallons of gas or a ticket to the movies. But it’s a small sacrifice when that $10 can be combined with other donations to get medicine, doctors, food, clothing, and shelter to the homeless and the helpless.
Save the Children
I was 12 when my seventh grade teacher asked the class to work on an assignment in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Ecstatic about the creative project, I wrote a 
poem inspired by the famous “I Have a Dream” speech. While I understood its basic premise, I was a tad young to really grasp its profound impact and meaning.
After I handed in the assignment, my teacher pulled me aside and asked me what I knew about the speech. She then took the time to explain its socio-political implications at a level that a 12 year old could appreciate and even at such a young age I appreciated King’s speech because freedom was every American’s right, not the privilege of a few. I asked her if I could redo my assignment, which ended up winning a prize at our county competition celebrating the renowned leader.
While America has come a long way since 1963, the fight for equal rights rages on for many Americans who don’t fit the mould today. The power of King’s rhetoric is as viable in 2010 as it was back then. As he said: “…when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
Here’s praying and hoping that that day will come sooner rather than later.
Excerpt from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech on August 28, 1963 in Washington D.C.:
“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."2
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”
Sources: Picture from the Associated Press www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk&feature=player_embedded#
It’s that time of year again. Another year has come to a close and another is off to a fresh start. Of course this new beginning inherently implies another round of resolutions—some which will be kept and some which will 
fall to the wayside. According to a 2008 study, only 8% of people who make resolutions actually achieve them each year.*
As with all good intentions, the thought is nice but if they lack follow-through, they’re rather worthless. All of my New Year’s resolutions are fabulous—until reality hits. Ideas are great, action is better. (Ask me for an update in six months. I just might resolve to never commit to another New Year’s resolution!)
We each have our challenges and things we’d like to change. I’m hoping that by writing mine down this year, I’ll feel more obligated to keeping them.
My top five resolutions are:
5) Eating healthy & exercise, exercise, exercise!
This should be the easiest resolution to keep since it was last year’s number one resolution and one of the only ones I’ve ever kept. Every day from Thanksgiving through New Years brought with it a hectic schedule. Smart food habits flew out of the window in favor of convenience and comfort. The hard part is re-adjusting to healthy living again. But I know I can do it and I will.
4) Keeping up with my blog
Last August when I launched the blog, I felt exhilarated. I kept up with it as best I could until November. The holiday season threw a wrench into all of my best laid plans and intentions. I vow to have at least one new blog post each month.
3) Perspective
Clarity often occurs out of necessity, not rational thinking. Goal #3 is to organize my needs and wants and make sure all of my choices are for the betterment of my #1 priorities—my family. So, here’s to a year of no more wardrobe shopping (sad sigh) or trips to Hawaii (double sad sigh), and paying off my bills.
2) Finding an agent and/or publisher
I love writing. While I don’t expect them to change the world, my novels are a creative outlet for me and provide me with a sense of accomplishment. I’ve always wanted to write. Unfortunately, I never considered the uphill battle that goes hand-in-hand with it. The publishing world is driven by luck and circumstance. There are so many variables in finding an agent and publisher that it’s impossible to plan for it other than to research agencies, submit your best work, and pray for a miracle. The whole process is daunting and disheartening, but I’m wholeheartedly setting my sights on the publishing world this year. And if I don’t find an agent or publisher by the end of December, at least I won’t be able to say that it was due to my lack of effort.
1) Spend more time with my kids
Easy to say, hard to do. Life gets in the way. Now matter how much I plan our time together, other obligations always present obstacles—work, cooking, cleaning, paying bills, running errands, volunteering at school, writing my books. The list is endless. Sometimes it’s not even another responsibility; it’s just sheer exhaustion. As much as I want to read to the kids or watch a movie with them at night, my body wants to pass out under a cozy blanket. Whether imposed upon us or self-imposed, daily demands often take priority over the most important people in our lives. Even if I break the other four resolutions, this one is a keeper for 2010.
We’re halfway into January and I’ve got my work cut out for me. How are your resolutions holding up?
Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2010!
Source: * Stephen Shapiro's 24/7 Innovation
Baby New Year Image
As of January 23, 111,481 people were confirmed dead. An estimated 90,000 more are still buried beneath the thousands of collapsed buildings.
• According to the U.N. 609,000 are now homeless in the capital of Port-au-Prince.
Red Cross
Doctors without Borders 
