Natural and Organic Living

More about charities, donations and philanthropy

nobody@vox.com(IceCookies) — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 22:42:35 -0800

I know I know that this is a makeup blog and while my mind and eyes are still ever scouting sales on cosmetics, clothing, and skincare, I'm totally obsessed with another cause - charity.

During the current tough economic times, the number of people and their needs increase, please continue your generous giving to meet the needs of the children, the poor and the homeless.

A couple of my favorite charities are

Feed the Children. When you think that your donation of a mere $8.00 a month could sustain, feed, keep alive a child for 30 days it makes that $8.00 the best investment imaginable! $24.00 a month for 3 children. Have a national preference? They've got that covered too serving many nations around the world. This group really makes helping others not only affordable but leaves little reasons left to a girl as why she shouldn't help. Even if you don't want to obligate yourself to a monthly donation they accept and wisely utitlize one time gifts.

Feedthechildren.org

Another favorite is

Life Outreach.

Can you imagine your gift of $50.00 feeding 5 children for 4 months?

http://www.lifetoday.org/site/PageServer?pagename=out_missionFeeding

A few others that have been brought to my attention that are also recommended by other Vox members are:

World Vision - this is another charity that is very popular in South East Asia and they do many great relief works all over the world. http://www.worldvision.org/

St. Judes Research Hospital - This great organization gives treatment to children of cancer regardless of their ability to pay. No patient is turned away due to inability to cover the costs of treatment.

http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2edae64c5b470110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD&vgnextchannel=b1f87ff0be118010VgnVCM1000000e2015acRCRD

Aid to Children- AIDtoCHILDREN.com is a dual-purpose site for building an English
vocabulary and raising money for under privileged children in the most
impoverished places around the world

http://www.aidtochildren.com

Note: Links will open in a new window

American Friends Service Committee (A-)
1-888-588-2372

· American Jewish Committee (A)
1-212-751-4000

*AmeriCares (B)
1-800-486-4357

*America's Second Harvest (A)
1-800-771-2303

· Christian Children's Fund (A)
1-800-776-6767

*Church World Service (A)
1-800-297-1516

*Direct Relief International (A)
1-805-964-4767

· Habitat for Humanity International - National Office (B)
1-229-924-6935

· International Medical Corps (A+)
1-800-481-4462

· International Rescue Committee (A)
1-877-733-8433

*MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger (A)
1-310-442-0020

*Mercy Corps (A)
1-800-292-3355

· Northwest Medical Teams International (A-)
1-800-959-4325

· Oxfam-America (B+)
1-800-776-9326

*Salvation Army (A)
1-800-725-2769

*Samaritan's Purse (B+)
1-828-262-1980

*Save the Children (A)
1-800-728-3843

Scholarship America (A+) To help displaced students with tuition and other needs.
1-800-537-4180

· UNCF/The College Fund (A) To help displaced students with tuition and other needs.
1-800-331-2244

*World Vision (A-)
1-888-511-6598

These charities perform favorably in relation to AIP’s benchmarks:

1) A charity should spend at least 60% of its budget on program services.
2) Charities should spend no more than $35 to raise $100.

Contact your favorite charities to find out if they provide the specific types of aid that you would like to fund, e.g., emergency relief, health care, infrastructure development, education, etc.

DONORS BEWARE
Americans wanting to help the hurricane victims should send contributions to only those charities with an established track record of helping people in this region.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Donation:

· Give to newly created charities only if you have reliable third-party verification of their credibility and/or have knowledge of and trust the officers and directors of the new group.

· Do not assume that a claimed celebrity endorsement is real or that the celebrity has adequately scrutinized the charity.

· Give with check or credit card instead of cash. There is little assurance that coin or currency donations will actually go to the intended beneficiary.

· Be cautious about giving to individual disaster victims that show up on covers of magazines or on television. Unpublicized victims may be more in need than publicized victims who are often flooded with gifts.

· Be cautious about giving in response to a telemarketing call. If you decide to donate, make sure you have reviewed all the information from the charity and ask what percentage of your contribution will fund the pertinent programs. For more tips on giving click here.

SEND A CHECK, NOT GOODS
The best way to help is by sending a check. Cash donations enable charities to buy the most needed types of food, medicine, clothing, shelter materials and other supplies. By buying relief products locally or regionally, charities can reduce shipping costs and more rapidly deliver assistance. Before sending any goods, first contact the charity to find out if they are appropriate and if it will be cost effective to distribute them. For example, after the tsunami in southeast Asia, boxes of donated winter coats, scarves and fuzzy hats, completely useless items in tsunami stricken nations with tropical climates, were sent to these nations.

CONSIDER GIVING TO CHARITIES NOT INVOLVED IN RELIEF EFFORTS
Unfortunately, donations to aid survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita may mean less donations to other charities, especially social and human services charities. Charities that aid the poor, the disabled and the homeless are suffering from three straight years of declines in contributions.

The public's focus on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita is likely to divert much-needed funds away from charities not involved in Katrina relief efforts. AIP urges donors to consider giving to these charities because there are many others still in need outside of the Gulf Coast region.

Source

The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP)

THE BEST WAY TO HELP VICTIMS OF HURRICANES KATRINA AND RITA

Updated August 27, 2007

The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) announces its top-rated charities currently offering services to the victims of the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Southeast U.S. Hurricane Katrina devastated major cities along the Gulf coast, including New Orleans, Biloxi and Mobile, with strong winds up to 140 mph in some areas and flooding. Not long afterwards, Hurricane Rita severely damaged small coastal communities including Lake Charles and Holly Beach in Louisiana and Port Arthur and Beaumont in southeast Texas.

Two years after the storms, recovery has been uneven and a great deal of work remains to be done. According to the Greater New Orleans Community Data Center, the population of Orleans parish is still less than 50% of what it was pre-Katrina, and the regional unemployment rate has actually increased in the past year. AIP, a leading charity watchdog that issues letter grade (A+ to F) ratings of nonprofit groups, identifies the following relief charities, which are providing aid to the victims. These charities have received an “A” or “B” grade based on the portion of their budget going to program services and their fundraising efficiency.

Charities with a “*” have announced plans to provide aid to victims of Hurricane Rita.

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Keep smaller mineral companies in business

nobody@vox.com(IceCookies) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:35:52 -0700

Stop the FDA Globalization Act of 2008!!

This summarizes the below linked petition against the Discussion Draft of the FDA Globalization Act of 2008, this legislation would put thousands of Small Indendent businesses out of commission by forcing them to pay outrageous registration fees and comply with burdensome paperwork.

If passed, this law would drive consumers back to the days when they could only choose between a few huge, faceless, nameless big box stores and brands for their cosmetics and personal care products. And fewer consumer choices always leads to higher prices without reflective quality.

Tell Congress you want none of it by reading this Petition and then leaving your comment below as your signature to the Petition opposing the draft law.

Signature and comment space at the end of the below linked page.

http://www.indiebusinessblog.com/indie_business/2008/06/stop-the-fda-gl.html

Sign the Petition by Leaving A Comment Below!
Indies Oppose the FDA Globalization Act of 2008

The petition is for everyone: consumers and the small businesses who make the products they love!

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Glowing Eyes and Clearer Skin

nobody@vox.com(IceCookies) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:44:24 -0700

Glowing Eyes

Some makeup artists feel that sometimes smoky eyes are a bit much for fair-skinned women. In this case it is suggested that one opt for a pale gold shadow and gray eye liner instead. This gives a subtle but sexy but sexy effect.

Use Two Brow Colors

Another makeup artist tip is to use less brow color where brows are thickest. Using a taupe shade to fill in the brows from the inner corners to the arches and a soft brown from the arches to the ends. If you blend these two shades together your brows will have a more natural look.

Black Soap

An excellent and very affordable skin cleanser that has proven itself to be quite effective in combating acne with me personally is African Black Soap. I came across this unusual looking natural soap at a market in town. A friend that I was shopping with immediately purchased all of the vendors small balls of soap raving about the excellent skin tightening and skin clarification properties of this soap. The bars were inexpensive and I convinced her to pass 2 on to me. Since using these for roughly 3 weeks I can say that this soap is great for doing exactly what my friend stated and my skin has never looked more clear.

Africanblacksoap

African Black Soap or Black Soap

Black Soap or African Black Soap originates from West Africa. It has been used for centuries in Ghana. Each region and tribe have their own recipe that has been handed down through generations. The color of African Black Soap varies depending on the region it's made in since the availability of the ingredients varies. African Black Soap from coastal regions of Africa contains a higher percentage of coconut oil whereas soap from the interior regions contains more shea butter

For centuries, Ghanaians have used Black Soap to help relieve acne, oily skin, clear blemishes and various other skin issues. African Black soap has also been used to achieve beautiful skin. Africans have also used this natural soap for bathing and washing their hair. Great for removing make-up. Black Soap will leave your skin soft, clear and smelling delicious. This soap is not scented.

Black Soap or African Black Soap comes from plantain skin a natural source of vitamins A & E and iron. (Plantain is a popular food in Africa, South America & other parts of the world. In some recipes, Cocoa Pod is used instead of plantain skins. Cocoa Pod is the shell of the Cocoa fruit. The cocoa beans are used for making chocolate or cocoa butter among other things.

Then the roasted plantain skin is mixed with palm oil, palm kernel oil to form the soap. The roasting of the plantains determines the color of the soap. The longer the plantains are roasted, the darker the soap. African Black Soap is centuries old, has numerous benefits & is not scented. It can be used by anyone who wishes to improve the quality of their skin.

What conditions is this soap proven to be useful for?

· Helps deep clean skin.

· Used on most skin types including rough and dry.

· Helps with bumps & spots.

· Helps reveal radiant, fresh & healthy skin

· Firms and tones the skin

FAKE BLACK SOAP is hard. It is dyed black. It does not contain any traditional ingredients, is loaded with vegetable oil, stains your wash cloth, and is chemically processed

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CHEW ON THIS: There is no such thing as an obesity epidemic

nobody@vox.com(HEALTH MATTERS / Heather Dube) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:04:57 -0700

A predominant part of leading & sustaining a healthy lifestyle is changing your mindset & being mindful.

As a public we have been brainwashed for years by television shows & untruthful food marketing and advertising about what we believe healthful eating & living should be; we have relied on these poor sources as our main source of nutrition & health education for our bodies, and today we are paying for it as a nation.

Look around you the next time you do a quick run to do errands, and simply be mindful about the % of people you see around you, adults and children, struggling with weight...the #'s are alarming. Compare this to what you saw 20, 10, even 5 years ago - there is undoubtedly a difference.

Being healthy & leading a healthy lifestyle first and foremost requires mindfulness and intention in every area of your life - it involves being in touch with how your body feels, do you feel stressed out about something? Is that why are you're eating that bagel, or are you TRULY hungry, does your body TRULY need those calories?

THINK PEOPLE THINK -- think and SET YOUR INTENTION constantly when it comes to nutrition. Don't eat mindlessly because you're at a conference or meeting and just because food sits on the table and it looks good, then you have to eat it? No you don't - ask your body first, am I hungry? Think about the time you last eat, is it truly time to eat again or will you be mindlessly consuming needless calories if you indulge?

As Americans we let our feelings & gratifications dictate our lives way too often - I want, I want, I want...and sadly we carry this poor attitude right over into food.

This comes into play just as much in our physical health and food today than ever before. The bigger, better, faster attitude of Americans has finally taken it's toll on our public health as a nation and it's got to stop. Eating should not be 110% of the time about pleasure and indulgence, we need to change our mindset as a country to understand that food is a way we honor the earth and land as we produce it, and honor our bodies and health and minds as we consume it in order to be prepared to live life to the fullest.

That said, here is a thought I think everyone in this country needs to hear: there is no such thing as an obesity epidemic; there is an over-feeding epidemic; a lack of quality nutrient food sources epidemic; & a lack of physical activity epidemic in this country - obesity is merely a symptom of these larger problems.

Branding the public health problem as an obesity epidemic merely pervades the incorrect mindset that health is not each individual's personal responsibility and it is out of their control, when in fact it is very much in their control, there are just those sadly that have not done yet what it takes to control it.

Kudos to those who have; it now becomes our job to pass on the invaluable lesson and MINDSET of a healthful life to those who haven't yet made this same discovery.

In health,

Heather Dube - Health & Wellness Coach
Wellcoaches LWC Trainee, NASM CPT, BA Psychology

www.youandimprovedcoaching.com
healthmatters.vox.com/
hdube@youandimprovedcoaching.com / 408.667.7551

Can Wellness Coaching Help You? Find out More Here.
"No matter our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born."- Dale Turner
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."- Albert Einstein

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Join MyBlogLog.com to Social Network Your Blog for Free

nobody@vox.com(Debbie) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 01:34:42 -0700

Steps to Signup for Free:

#1.) Under "debbie" Click On ""MyBlogLogProfile" and a new window will appear, then:

#2.) Where the Green Strip is on top Click On "JOIN/SIGN IN" and you'll be on MyBlogLog.com page to JOIN !

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Intro to Acupuncture

nobody@vox.com(Chinadoll) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 01:14:48 -0700

Acupuncture is among the oldest healing part of traditional Chinese medicine. As a whole medical system that originated in China, it is based on the concept that disease results from disruption in the flow of qi and imbalance in the forces of yin and yang. Practices such as herbs, meditation, massage, and acupuncture seek to aid healing by restoring the yin-yang balance and the flow of qi (TCM), acupunctureA family of procedures that originated in traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture is the stimulation of specific points on the body by a variety of techniques, including the insertion of thin metal needles though the skin. It is intended to remove blockages in the flow of qi and restore and maintain health. aims to restore and maintain health through the stimulation of specific points on the body

Acupuncture has been practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years.

Relatively few complications have been reported from the use of acupuncture. However, acupuncture can cause potentially serious side effects if not delivered properly by a qualified practitioner

involving the stimulation of anatomical points on the body using a variety of techniques. The acupuncture technique that has been most often studied scientifically involves penetrating the skin with thin, solid, metallic needles that are manipulated by the hands or by electrical stimulation.

Acupuncture needles are metallic, solid, and hair-thin. People experience acupuncture differently, but most feel no or minimal pain as the needles are inserted. Some people feel energized by treatment, while others feel relaxed. Improper needle placement, movement of the patient, or a defect in the needle can cause soreness and pain during treatment. This is why it is important to seek treatment from a qualified acupuncture practitioner.

Practiced in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years, acupuncture is one of the key components of traditional Chinese medicine. In TCM, the body is seen as a delicate balance of two opposing and inseparable forces: yin and yangThe concept of two opposing yet complementary forces described in traditional Chinese medicine. Yin represents cold, slow, or passive aspects of the person, while yang represents hot, excited, or active aspects. A major theory is that health is achieved through balancing yin and yang and disease is caused by an imbalance leading to a blockage in the flow of qi.. Yin represents the cold, slow, or passive principle, while yang represents the hot, excited, or active principle. According to TCM, health is achieved by maintaining the body in a "balanced state"; disease is due to an internal imbalance of yin and yang. This imbalance leads to blockage in the flow of qiIn traditional Chinese medicine, the vital energy or life force proposed to regulate a person's spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health and to be influenced by the opposing forces of yin and yang. (vital energy) along pathways known as meridians. Qi can be unblocked, according to TCM, by using acupuncture at certain points on the body that connect with these meridians. Sources vary on the number of meridians, with numbers ranging from 14 to 20. One commonly cited source describes meridians as 14 main channels "connecting the body in a weblike interconnecting matrix" of at least 2,000 acupuncture points

Acupuncture needles vary in size and use.

A few examples:

Nanolg

Huaxiasinglelg

Here are a few of the more than 2000 acupuncture points and the correlating conditions that they affect.

Accupuncture chart

Acu_ht2

Acu_ht3

A few of the meridian points and conditions that may benefit from the balancing of Qi in those areas.

LU5: CHI ZE

Location: In the cubital crease, on the radial side of the tendon of the biceps brachii, flex elbow slightly to locate the point.

Indications: Cough, asthma, hemoptysis, tonsillitis, pain and swelling of elbow and arm

DU21: QIAN DING

Location: 1.5 cun anterior to the Bai Hui (DU20) point.

Indications: Vertical headache, dizziness and vertigo, facial swelling, convulsions in young children.

PC1: TIAN CHI

Location: 1 cun lateral to the nipple in the 4th intercostal space.

Indications: Fullness in chest, pain in the hypochondriac region, tuberculosis of lymph nodes

ST42: CHONG YANG

Location: 1.5 cun distal to the Jiexi point (ST41), at the highest spot of dorsum of foot, the artery can be palpated.

Indications: Pain in dorsum of foot, paralysis of lower extremities, toothache, gingivitis, epilepsy.

BL35: HUI YANG

Location: Lateral to the lower end of the coccyx, 0.5 cun lateral to midline.

Indications: Back pain during menstruation, leukorrhea, impotence, diarrhea, hemorrhoids.

H6: YIN XI

Location: On the ulnar side of the wrist, on the radial side of the tendon of m. flexor carpi ulnaris, 0.5 cun above Shenmen (H7).

Indications: Neurasthenia, angina pectoris, palpitation, night sweating.

LU7: LIE QUE

Location: Above the styloid process of the radius, 1.5 cun above the transverse crease of the wrist. Or, when the index fingers and thumbs of both hands are crossed, the point is in the depression right under the tip of the index finger.

Indications: Headache, stiff neck, cough, asthma, facial paralysis.

EX2: TAI YANG

Location: In the depression, 1 cun posterior to the midpoint between the laterial end of the eyebrow and the outer canthus.

Indications: Migraine headache, eye diseases, toothache, facial paralysis.

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