There once was an incredibly rich man who commissioned two talented artists for a project. The rich man explained that he would pay one million dollars to the artist who was able to paint the perfect picture of "peace".
Several months later, both artists returned with their paintings. The first was the most beautiful image of the sun shining down on fields of glorious flowers, while in the background a rainbow stretched over a tranquil blue lake...it was indeed a "peaceful" picture. The rich man commended the artist for his work and then turned his attention to the second painting.
Unlike the first, this painting depicted a violent storm with dangerous thunder and lightening, flooding rain, and a fierce wind that nearly bent the trees in half. Convinced that he had won the million dollars, the first artist proclaimed with a smirk, "Anyone can see this isn't a painting of peace!"
But the rich man quickly jumped in. "I beg to differ with you," he said pointing to one of the trees straining against the wind.
"There, safely nestled in the branches, sits a bird...and the bird's mouth is open in song because he knows that God has created the tree to withstand even the worst storm. And that, my friend, is peace."

Like the bird in the painting, each child who comes through the doors of Covenant House is in desperate need of protection. And with love, guidance and the vital resources that you help provide, these young people will rebuild their lives. This Easter, help shelter homeless kids from life's most terrible storms!

Five million Iraqis have been uprooted from their homes and are living in desperate circumstances, they still have limited access to food, shelter, health care, and essential services. The U.S. must act urgently.
Sign the petition here: http://www.refugeesinternational.org/iraq

Each day poor children around the world are abandoned at birth, barely fed by their parents, forbidden to go to school, targeted for sexual violence and exploitation. Why are these children singled out? Because they are girls.
There are three specific, realistic steps that President Obama can take today:
1. Require birth registration, which will protect girls from early marriage and child labor, and enable them to vote and get jobs;
2. Ensure that girls benefit as much as boys from aid money given to developing countries; and
3. Help create a procedure that would enable girls and boys to voice complaints against their governments.
Protecting the rights of girls promotes the health and economic growth of their communities and nations. Plan USA works to open doors for girls in developing countries — but we can't do it alone. We need world leaders to take notice and take action. We need concerned and compassionate activists like you to push President Obama to end discrimination against girls.
If we don't speak up now, millions of girls worldwide will continue to be denied equal rights, just because they are girls. No girl should be less nourished, because boys are fed first. No girl should face daily violence and abuse or sexual and economic exploitation. No girl should be deprived of an education. Join me in sending a message to President Obama, urging him to help every girl get the education, legal rights, and opportunities she deserves. Go to http://www.planusa.org/girl

The effect of drought and rising food prices in some parts of Ethiopia is headline news, yet few people know the truth of the situation.
Children are the most vulnerable to nutritional deficits and the first to succumb when there is not enough food to go around. The Government of Ethiopia estimates that 75,000 children under the age of five live with severe acute malnutrition. And 25 to 50 percent of children with severe acute malnutrition are likely to die if they don't receive proper treatment.
But there is hope for the children of Ethiopia. UNICEF-supported therapeutic feeding programs have been set up around Ethiopia following the establishment of a national protocol for severe acute malnutrition. This approach has revolutionized the treatment of malnutrition in Ethiopia, leading to a significant drop in mortality rates for malnourished children of all ages.
Bringing international attention to the plight of these children and the benefits of the therapeutic feeding programs can help save lives! Pledge to get the story out in your community today. How can you do this? Some ideas:
* Write a post on your blog or profile page about the drought in Ethiopia.
* Explain to your friends and family, book group or social club how malnourishment is affecting Ethiopian children.
* Send this pledge to friends so they can keep spreading the word!
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/209965929

Rozpoczęła się akcja "Misyjny SMS". Jest to inicjatywa Komisji Episkopatu Polski ds. Misji, której celem jest wsparcie polskich misjonarzy. Można to zrobić wysyłając sms o treści MISJE, pod numer 72032. Tegoroczna zbiórka przebiega pod hasłem "Oni czekają na Nadzieję”. Składka na rzecz misji zbierana jest również w uroczystość Objawienia Pańskiego, zwaną popularnie świętem Trzech Króli, w kościołach całej Polski.
Komisja Episkopatu Polski ds. Misji wspiera pracę ewangelizacyjną misjonarzy. Pomaga im w budowie i utrzymaniu kościołów, w prowadzeniu szpitali, szkół, przedszkoli i domów opieki, a także w walce z głodem i ubóstwem ludzi, wśród których żyją i pracują.
Akcja "Misyjny SMS" potrwa do końca października 2009.
http://www.polskieradio.pl/iar/wiadomosci/artykul81864.html

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/defending_life_at_all_stages
I ask the government to recognize, respect, and defend life at all stages, from the moment of conception to natural death. Just as slavery was allowed by law in this country at one time, we now allow a person to "own" another living being (one with their own unique DNA) and make all decisions regarding them, even whether they live or die. Let us make abortion a thing of the past, just as slavery has been relegated to history. Let us defend and protect the most helpless and innocent of our society - the unborn.
Abortion isn't a religious issue, nor is it a choice issue. Abortion is ageism, discrimination just as wrong as racism. ALL people are equal, even the youngest people.
Please register at change.org to vote for this cause.

A worried woman went to her gynecologist and said:
"Doctor, I have a serious problem and desperately need your help! My baby is not even one year old and I'm pregnant again. I don't want kids so close together."
The doctor said:
"Okay, and what do you want me to do?"
She replied: "I want you to end my pregnancy."
The doctor thought for a while, and after some silence he said to the lady:
"I think I have a better solution for your problem. It's less dangerous for you too. You see, in order for you not to have to take care of two babies at the same time, let's kill the one in your arms. This way, you could rest some before the other one is born. If we're going to kill one of them, it doesn't matter which one it is. There would also be no risk for your body if you chose the one in your arms."
The lady was horrified and said:
"No, doctor! How terrible! It's a crime to kill a child!"
"I agree. But you seemed to be okay with it." The doctor replied and smiled, knowing that he had made his point - there's no difference in killing a child that's already been born and one that's still in the womb.

Od 27 listopada do 31 grudnia 2008 można wspierać Banki Żywności wysyłając dobroczynne SMSy o treści POMAGAM na numer 7272. Całkowity koszt wiadomości to 2,44 zł z VAT. Uzyskany dochód, wyraz wsparcia indywidualnych osób, zostanie wykorzystany na bezpośrednią pomoc Bankom Żywności.
http://www.bankizywnosci.pl/akt.php?id=304

Most of what I really need to know about how to live and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sandbox at nursery school.
These are the things I learned:

Share everything.

Play fair.

Don't hit people.

Put things back where you found them.

Clean up your own mess.

Don't take things that aren't yours.

Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.

Wash your hands before you eat.

Flush.

Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.

Live a balanced life.

Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.

Take a nap every afternoon.

When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together.

Be aware of wonder.

Remember the little seed in the plastic cup? The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup -- they all die. So do we.

And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: look.

Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living.

Think what a better world it would be if we all -- the whole world -- had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together.

by Robert Fulghum

Dziś odbywa się Blog Action Day poświęcony walce z biedą i ubóstwem. Nie zmieniając stylu bloga (co jest jedną ze wskazówek akcji), wykorzystam tę okazję do podania linków do stron na których darmowy klik dziennie pomaga ubogim, przede wszystkim przez mikropożyczki i edukację, co jest najskuteczniejszym sposobem zwalczania biedy od podstaw. http://povertyfighters.com
http://solvepoverty.com
http://children.care2.com
http://www.theliteracysite.com
http://ripple.org
Jest też http://www.goodsearch.com i goodshop (pod tym samym adresem), gdzie organizację charytatywną wybiera się samemu i gdzie na jej rzecz można albo korzystać z wyszukiwarki, albo kupować w najpopularniejszych sklepach internetowych bez żadnych dodatkowych opłat. Jest też inna strona prawie taka sama jak goodshop - http://www.agoodcause.com.

12 października 2008 - Dzień Papieski pod hasłem: "Jan Paweł II - wychowawca młodych"
Już teraz możesz wesprzeć fundusz stypendialny Fundacji "Dzieło Nowego Tysiąclecia", wysyłając SMS o treści POMOC pod numer 7250 (2,44 zł z VAT), dzwoniąc: 0400 20 72 50 (2,48 zł z VAT) lub dokonując wpłaty na konto Fundacji: 81 1320 1104 2979 6023 2000 0001. Budujmy wspólnie "żywy pomnik" Jana Pawła II!
http://dzielo.pl/index.php?cid=592