99 days

99 days goes by like the blink of an eye. Its just over three months. Three months. Just three months. Sometimes that time flies by and you wonder what happened. Sometimes that time drags on and you wonder why just why is this time going so slow? However, for one family three months was not long enough. It was a miracle that they even had those three months.

When I heard about this story I balled my eyes out. I cried and cried and cried some more. This story is truly remarkable.

A family in Arkansas had a baby boy named Eliot. He was a miracle baby born to a mother, Ginny and a father, Matt who loved him very much. The doctors said the mother would miscarry and the baby would never even be born. Well Eliot was born. Even after his birth the doctors said it was a miracle he was even alive. In the delivery room the mother of baby eliot said "oh he is crying. that means he is alive right?" Those are probably some of the most sad words I have ever heard in my life. Eliot was born with Trisomy 18. He had an underdeveloped lung and a hole in his heart. he also had DNA that placed information in every cell of his body that was faulty.

This family is extremely strong and brave. They were just so happy to have a baby and did not have time to be sad. Every day they celebrated the life of baby Eliot and photographed him. On his first month birthday there was a surprise party thrown for him. The mom and dad of adorable baby Eliot took turns throughout the day feeding him because it took an hour and a half to do so since he had to be fed through a feeding tube. Instead of feeling cursed that they had a baby that was born with these medical problems, they embraced him and learned how to care for him the best they could

on the 99th day of Eliot's life he passed away. At the funeral the family released 99 balloons to symbolize the 99 days of his life. This baby who never spoke a word to the world has ironically spoke volumes. His story stands as a message to millions. Life is too short and too precious to take for granted. This family truly cherished this gift from God. They never wasted a moment of time with Eliot. Everything good that happens in our lives is a gift.

God bless Matt and Ginny. God rest the soul of baby Eliot. may he rest in peace. May this story serve as inspiration to millions and remember to appreciate life.

abortion

Abortion is a very controversial topic that has long been debated from the court room to the class room. Abortion is when a human life is ended during pregnancy through a procedure. Throughout history, abortion has evolved into this topic that is widely discussed, even argued. This very controversial topic has stopped politicians from winning elections or has won politicians their ballot. There are many sides to this argument that range from people of varying socio-economic status as well as different religions and nationalities and political view points. Abortion sees no discrimination when it comes to its defenders and its opposes . The two opposing sides are pro-life and pro-choice.
In order to understand the arguments, one needs to understand the background. Abortion effects everyone in the world. There are court cases that date back from more than twenty-five years ago. The most well-known case is Roe V. Wade. In 1972, Jane Roe brought her case to court and it was decided that a woman can have an abortion if there was a valid reason proving the need for one. Although that is the most memorable case in abortion history, there was another case that laid the groundwork for Roe V. Wade. In 1965, Griswold V. Connecticut it was decided that it was illegal to outlaw contraceptives. These cases along with others have determined the fate of many women and their children.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), one in six woman have had an abortion. Abortions are not as safe as many people think. Abortions can cause injuries to your bladder and your bowels as well as an increased risk of breast cancer. Abortions cause complications for future pregnancies. A woman who had an abortion and becomes pregnant in the future can suffer from increased bleeding as well as an abnormal delivery with the baby having a low birth weight.
A human life begins from day one at conception. By day 14, a woman’s menstrual cycle is suppressed by the child through a hormone that they release. By day 21, the baby’s heart begins to beat. Therefore, as one can see that by the third week there is already a heart beat present. This is why many people believe that abortion is murder from the day of conception and not even from the time that the baby begins to develop. Currently, a baby can survive at twenty weeks outside of the womb. This means that at approximately five months a baby can survive on its own. Many people do not know this but according to the website, Abortionfacts.com, an abortion is legal up until the day the baby is born. This is an atrocity considering a baby can survive at twenty weeks outside the mothers womb.
Pro-Choice supporters run on the platform that a fetus is not human yet rather it is just a mass of tissues. Some of their arguments include that abortion reduces the surplus population of an alredy overpopulated planet. To pro-choice supporters, abortion is a safer alternative to childbirth. This is only the case if the mother has a high-risk pregnancy. However, in reality if an abortion is done incorrectly, the mother’s life is not at risk and she could possibly pass away. Another argument the pro-choice platform raises is abortion must be legal for women who have been raped. Even though rape is morally wrong and it should be a severely punishable act, it should not mean the product of that rape should be aborted. There are reports that show pregnancy from rape is actually less common than people think. Therefore, in the case of a rape victim they should have a hearing to justify their abortion.
Pro-life supporters come from different backgrounds, races, status etc yet they all agree that everyone has a right to life, especially an unborn baby. They run on the platform of it’s a human life and each one is valuable. The 2008 GOP platform made this statement in regards to abortion “At its core, abortion is a fundamental assault on the sanctity of innocent human life.” An innocent unborn baby should have the chance to develop and grow. People who claim to be pro-life strongly believe the government should not pay for abortions or the institute that gives abortions, Planned Parenthood. To counteract the argument that abortion should be legal because of overpopulation, the Census Bureau has released figures showing that the United States population is actually in a sharp decline with a birth every eight seconds and a death every eleven seconds.
Abortion is immoral and wrong. The taking of a life at any age should be considered murder. There are other options to abortion. There is the Save Haven foundation that takes a baby with no questions asked. A mother who is confused and distraught and unable or unwilling to care for the child can drop the baby off at any police station or fire department anonymously. The ending of a life at any age should not be allowed. As a society as a whole, people need to vote in order to elect officials who do not support the ending of a human life. There are alternatives such as education programs that teach young teens and any age, actually about safe sex. There are so many adoption options that exist and its better to know that a mother gave a child a better life with a family who can care for him or her than to know they ended a life. Plus there are many families who are unable to conceive that would love to adopt a child. There are many homosexual couples that would love to have a child in their lives that they could love and care for and raise as their own. If abortion becomes just a form of birth control it is absolutely unacceptable.
Abortion has its pros and cons. Morally, there are more cons than pros. The taking of a life at any age is not justifiable. In today’s society, there are so many other options that should not include abortion. Roe V. Wade was one of the most demoralizing cases ever tried in the court system of the United States. It laid the groundwork for many of the debates that exist today and legalized an act that is an absolute atrocity. Since the legalization of abortion, there have been increased rates of unwanted pregnancies and diseases. Abortion has affected many aspects of family life and placed a decreased value on the meaning of sex. Abortion effects everyone. Therefore, abortion should be illegal in the United States.

I am really curious to see how the next four years under the Obama administration lays the groundwork further for abortions. Democrats tend to be very pro-choice and that is just not a good thing. We can not allow women to use abortion as a form of birth control. I believe in the case of rape or severe high risk pregnancies where the woman's life is at risk, abortion is necessary. However, it should be on a case to case basis. Although I am sad for the loss of the abortion doctor down south that died recently and I think how he died and why he died is wrong. People come on now. Killing someone just to get a point across is not the answer. By killing that doctor, the murderer put himself in the same position he accused the abortion doctor of being: a murderer. And like I said, even though I am sad he was killed (may he rest in peace and may God forgive him), I do not agree with his profession. He killed babies. He ended the lives of thousands of babies and made a profit off of it by charging each woman $5,000 to $6,000 to have an abortion. He performed the abortions inhumanely and had no reservations about ending a pregnancy as late as eight months. He became a millionaire at the expense of thousands of lives. We can not allow doctors to become rich off of something so atrocious. We can not allow doctors to continue to do this to innocent lives who do not have the chance to speak for themselves. We need to outlaw abortion.

colors

So I am always interested to know the meaning behind things. Colors symbolize certain attitudes, beliefs etc. They can help you appear gentle, strong, powerful, playful, friendly and so on.


Blue is calming. It can be strong and steadfast or light and friendly. (Blue is one of my favorite colors). It can also symbolize loyalty. Blue to me reminds of the ocean. I love the color for that reason. The beach makes me feel so relaxed and so at peace. When I am on the beach I feel like for just a minute all is ok with the world.

Green is the color of nature, fertility, life. It is also the most restful color. Green is a symbol of self-respect and self-knowledge... Green is the color of balance. However, on the negative side green is also a symbol of jealousy. This is something I absolutely can not stand. This is the most wasted and weak emotion. Jealousy is the ulcer of the soul in my opinion.

Pink is the color of universal love. Pink is such a fun and pretty color. I absolutely love this color. Its a symbol of daintiness and lady like qualities. It is said to be a symbol of purity and innocence. Pink is said to symbolize that a person will never forget you. I think pink is just such a fun color. It says that you are flirty and fun yet innocent enough to maintain cute child like qualities. I accent so many of my outfits with pink accesories such as bracelets or headbands and even shoes! ( I have this amazing pair of pink stiletto heels...they are fierce!!)

Black. Ok so black is probably one of my all time favorite colors. Its a classic. It says professional and sophication. Black can be sexy. It can be mysterious. When matched with the perfect accessories you are sure fire show stopper. However, on the down side black can be see as someone who desires too much power and has a certain amount of depth that makes them almost evil. But what woman doesn't want to be viewed as powerful and sophisticated as well as mysterious and intriguing?? I know I do!

Red. It is the epitomy of strong radical emotions. Envy. Passion. Energy. Speed. Infatuation. Danger. Murder. Seduction. Red makes a statement. Its an eye catcher.

Yellow. Hunger. Deceit. optimism.

Brown. earth. energy. simplicity.


Black, blue, pink and green are definitely my favorite colors.

Sweatshops

Sweatshops are working environments that are generally very dirty and dangerous. They are hazardous to workers health and the workers have little to no rights. They work long shifts doing tedious work with little to no pay. Child labor laws as well as laws regarding overtime and minimum wage are usually ignored. Children of all ages are exploited in these sweatshops. Sweatshops produce anything from clothing to sneakers to furniture to pencils to coffee to bananas. In my opinion, sweatshops are degrading and horrible. Sweatshops are generally found in less economically developed countries aka third world countries. However, sweatshops can exist in an country, really. Those who support sweatshops say that these people choose to work in them and that they are aware of the conditions ahead of time. However, this is not the case in my situations. Sweatshops exist in third world countries due to outsourcing in developed nations. Developed nations outsource jobs to countries like Haiti and China because these countries have no laws or non-enforceable laws regarding exploitation. It is ironic because the sweatshop workers can not even afford to buy the products they make. They are able to make the products for ½ percent of what they are sold in the stores for. Sweatshops now are similar to the muckrakers movement during the early 1900’s when they exposed the horrors of working in the meatpacking industry. Although I believe globalization and free trade are great because it gives countries around the world more access to products they would not have if globalization did not exist, I do not believe that sweatshops are great. Sweatshops have been on the rise as globalization continues to occur. Stores like Victoria Secret, Gap, Old Navy and Disney have all drastically changed their policies to reduce or end their uses of sweatshops. I find sweatshops to be degrading and unnecessarily exposing humans to horrible conditions. Environmentally and morally, sweatshops are not good. There has to be another way to get things manufactured so that the environment is better protected and so that young children are not working 16 hours a day to make a shirt that they can not even afford to buy. Sweatshops allow corporations to become richer and richer because they are able to manufacture their products for a lot less by using sweatshops.

The international community needs to pull together and demand a drastic change in policies towards child labor and the use of sweatshops in manufacturing clothing. There are numerous resources available to find out if a product is ethically traded and if sweatshops were used in the manufacturing of that product. If the product was manufactured in a sweatshop I would consider writing to the head of the company urging them to change their policies and look to alternative sources for manufacturing.

Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes is one of the most influential political philosophers known to man. His writings on political theory are comparable to the level of writings of many great thinkers including Aristotle and Plato. In the 1600’s, Hobbes published numerous works on political theory. His ideas became part of many countries governmental structures and laws. For example, the system of checks and balances that exists in the United States was predicated off of Hobbes’s ideas. However, one of the most important pieces that was published was his ideas on the “social contract”. Hobbes was among one of the first people to be considered a “contractarian”. It is through Hobbes that the stage is set for many thinkers to base their works off of. During Hobbes’s time, he was considered to be controversial because ideas went against the church’s beliefs. His political theories served as the groundwork for later political philosophers to further develop the ideas and theories that Hobbes developed.
The state of nature is an idea that Hobbes utilizes to challenge people to think about how life would be without any government. In the state of nature, Hobbes views humans equally in the sense that we could equally kill each other. His view of humans in the state of nature is somewhat pessimistic. He believes that people are not benevolent beyond a certain superficial level. According to Hobbes, people tend to view their own lives more valuable than the life of someone else. Like Machiavelli, Hobbes believes that to some extent the ends justify the means in the sense that a person go to any length to achieve what they believe to be their most vital needs. In the state of nature, where no government exists there would be no central power that executes decisions for the people. Essentially, autonomy or self-government would be what occurs in the state of nature as people act on their own behalf deciding what is best for them with no higher authority to answer to.
Hobbes believes this will lead to a life of utter disaster and destruction because people are not capable of acting on their own behalf without becoming animalistic. Justification of the state was only existent if people consented to it. In the state of nature people are free to act on their own behalf and do what they feel is in their best self-interest. Hobbes’ view of the state of nature is somewhat pessimistic because when no authority exists humans behave more like animals. They take on animalistic behaviors, turning against one another, each one for themselves. It becomes everyone against everyone. Hobbes believes the state of nature to be a state of utter chaos. This is similar to the theory of “survival of the fittest”. Furthermore, social Darwinism or where every country; every society; every individual pushes to be the best in one or more aspects.
Hobbes believed that absolute monarchy is a necessary component in government to prevent the rivalry among people in their pursuit of their self-interests. Furthermore, the state of nature is merely a concept, according to Hobbes. However, it is not a concept to be taking lightly because there are countries that, in Hobbes’s view, have already been in the state of nature or still are in the state of nature. He believes it is something to be feared.
In the social contract there are numerous parties that exist. These parties would enter into agreement as rational and equal people. These parties are as follows: God, the state of nature, the sovereign and the people. However, in the Hobbesian Social Contract only people exist. Contracts are made from people to people excluding God, the state of nature and the sovereign. Hobbes believes that the sovereign are above the law. According to Hobbes, it is people who make the contract in spite of cooperation but father through fear. People do not willingly enter a contract knowing they will lose rights and power; a social contract is simply an agreement. Social contracts are based on the notion of consent; consent of both parties based upon a foundation of agreement. Even though one or several parties may have justifiable reasons for entering a contract, it is not the case of society as a whole. Further, these parties must enter into contract under the terms of rationality and accepting moral norms. If these conditions do not exist, the contract is not effective because the stability of the parties is unequal.
Hobbes does not believe in an actual existence of the social contract. He views it as a utopian idea that arises through fear as people desert their rights in the search of rationality to enter these contracts. He is not a liberal thinker and sees that following such a course leads to a tyrannical way of governing. Hobbes believes society should submit to a power that has unlimited reign; one that is undivided and sovereign. Essentially, Hobbes believes absolutism is the result of social contract.
In many ways, Hobbes’s ideas are similar to how I view my own life. We live in a global society where countries are interdependent upon each other. In our daily lives, especially in America, we enter into contracts more out of fear than cooperation because we do not want to be sued. Although, Hobbes is a pessimist in regards to man in the state of nature, he is generally right in his depiction of humans. At some points in my life I did something because I was going to receive something in return. However, unlike most people, I am an altruistic being; yet I understand that most people act in their best self-interests. However, I do not agree that absolute self-judgment and power is necessarily a bad thing as long as it does not become out of control. But this is exactly what Hobbes feared- the state of nature is all against all. It is an all out war where men do what is best for themselves even it inflicts pain amongst the members of society.
In America, we have a government that is supposed to oversee what goes on in the country. However, there was little to no regulation on Main Street or Wall Street thus attributing to the current financial crisis we are in. In some sense, I believe countries are on the brink of slipping into the state of nature where its everyone for themselves. Especially in the time of crisis (or war), people think twice about lending a helping hand because they have to put their life before someone else’s. We are slowly slipping because people no longer want to do for other or help especially if it is not going to improve their lives. So in that aspect, I agree with Hobbes that a state of nature is a state of chaos. However, I do not think as pessimistically as Hobbes because I believe there is good and evil in everyone; there just needs to be a balance.

McDonaldization- how it took over America

McDonald’s has grown to become one of the most influential symbols in contemporary American society and societies all over the world. McDonald’s influences every aspect of society, not just the restaurant industry. McDonald’s success is very noticeable. There is McDonald’s everywhere. At the rateof McDonald’s expansion, there may soon be one in your house (ewwww God forbid). Estimates show that their sales have rose to over 116 billion dollars and continues to grow. McDonald’s has taken the service industry by storm. Starbucks, KFC, Burger King and other fast-food businesses have taken McDonald’s uniformitarian policy and adopted it into their system.

When the first McDonald’s opened in Israel, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel was sent to be at the grand opening. The ambassador was approached by a young teenager and was asked for his autograph. The young teenager told the ambassador how he thought it was amazing to be the ambassador of McDonald’s. The U.S. ambassador corrected him letting him know he was not the ambassador of McDonald’s but the ambassador to Israel. The kid took back that he asked for his autograph and said he no longer desired his signature. This is really interesting fascinating to me because the teenager saw McDonald’s as more important than a political figure. As Americans, McDonald’s to us is simply just something we accepted as part of American culture; an icon if you will. It is just a place to grab something to eat really quick. However, in other countries, people see it as something much more than that.

Today, college cafeterias are beginning to look more like food courts you find in a mall where students have options like McDonald’s as well as Subway, Starbucks and Pizza Hut. Hotels like the Marriot are now supplying food to colleges so they would not be left out of the growing phenomena of McDonaldization. Fast food has become more readily available in hotels, airports and train stations. Some flights have even gone as far as to offer fast food options as in-flight meals. This to me is appalling though because fast food has taken over our lives. It consumes many people’s daily diets. America, in particular has completely embraced this fast-food drive thru way of life. Instead of sitting down to a nice healthy home cooked meal, families are instead just hitting up the nearest fast-food restaurant and eating that. Fast-food restaurants have changed the ways families connect. People no longer gather around the dinner table and discuss the activities of the day. Now they just take their "bag" and go off to their seperate rooms or locations.

Kids, especially, see fast food as merely a way of life. It is no longer a treat to get a happy meal but rather their daily dinner (or breakfast now that they have a wide variety of breakfast options). Despite nutrionists concerns, some schools are offering a free burger to kids that perform well in school. It is known as “an A for cheeseburger”. How disgusting is this? We reward kids who get good grades by giving something that clogs their arteries. This is absolutely atrocious.

Well why is McDonald’s so irresistible? It is a sign that people are in sync with this so-called contemporary lifestyle. McDonald’s monumental success lies in the fact that it offers calculability, predictability, efficiency and control. Calculability is everything able to be sized (time, cost, portion size as well as products offered). Predictability allows the consumer to know what to expect when they go to order something. Efficiency is the most important factor McDonald’s. It it the optimum amount of time of getting to point a to point b. Control applies to both the consumer and employee where they feel this time constraint output by the atmosphere in McDonalds. If a consumer eats too slow they may begin to feel this pressure to grab their food, eat it quickly and get out. Employees have this pressure to do well on their job or they are threatened by being replaced by machines as technology rapidly takes over the world. It is already happening in supermarkets, post offices, banks etc where humans are no longer needed in the workforce because machines are now doing their job. McDonald’s depends on these factors for its continued success in the fast-food restaurant industry.

An economic columnist dubbed McDonald’s as “the greatest restaurant chain in history”. Innovation is not discouraged in the workplace of McDonald’s among managers and franchises. McDonald’s continues as a force to reckoned with as they create a more health conscious menu (or at least they try). They have added salads and apples etc. However, they have also added iced coffee and mccafes to their menu as they compete with companies such as Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks, two well known franchises for coffee.

There is no doubt that McDonald’s has taken America by storm and the world for that matter.The McDonald’s franchise is located in over 100 countries. It is estimated that 96% of school age children could recognize the McDonald’s logo. All around the world from Beiijing to France, the majority of people see McDonald’s as a symbol of modernity and contemporary lifestyle. McDonald’s is considered to be “Americana” and it is something that world is becoming obsessed with. However, in my opinion, it is an unhealthy obsession. Although McDonald’s strives to be more environmentally friendly and health conscious, it is just not working. McDonald’s menu, like many other fast food places, is just loaded with fat and salt as well as other ingredients that can have harmful effects in the long run. It is processed food that is just not good for you.

As a business, McDonald’s has obviously done well for itself. It is one of the most recognizable icons in the world. Its profits out do companies that compete with McDonald’s strategic ways of running the company. Many fast food chains strive to achieve the “McDonaldization” way in hopes of increasing sales and worker productivity. If you look at it strictly from the business sense then yes. McDonald's is an amazingly strong company. They continue to expand their menu and sales increase exponentially.

However, I am not part of the “Mc” world. I find the food they serve to be disgusting and unhealthy. Ok Ok now I understand people need to eat on the go. But come on people, really? McDonalds?? Its nothing but pre-packaged pre-processed food. There are healthier food options out there.

10 most liveable cities and 10 most miserable cities

Every year Time Magazine puts out a list of the 10 most liveable cities in the world. I think this is really fascinating. However, for me I think I could just about live in any industrialized nation and make the best of it as long as the crime is not bad and life is sustainable. But anyway here is the list. I love how Australia and Canada each have three cities each on the 10 most liveable cities list.



So at a tie for number 10 are two cities : Zurich, Switzerland and Sydney Australia

# 8: Geneva, Switzerland

#7: Helinski, Finland

#6: Calgary, Canada (tie)

#6: Perth, Australia (tie)

#4: Toronto, Canada

#3: Melbourne, Australia

#2: Vienna, Austria

#1: Vancouver, Canada



10 most miserable cities in America:



#10. providence, Rhode Island

#9. charlotte, North carolina

# 8. Modesto, California

#7. Los Angeles, California

#6. Chicago, Illinois

#5. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

#4. New York City, New York ( I do not appreciate the fact that new york city is considered the fourth most miserable city in America to live in. Really?? Come on! Really? Williamsburg, Virginia should be on here. Its like a waiting room for the dying. Atleast New York City is full of life and action. Other than Historical Williamsburg (which is amazing and really cool and totally beautiful to see) there is nothing else in that damn town. Its boring. It bothers my allergies. The only tourist attraction is King's Dominion....whoooo hoo! New York City has so much to offer. It is a culturally diverse city that always excites you even after you have lived there for so long. I love NYC!!

#3. Flint, Michigan

#2. Stockton, California

#1. Detroit, Michigan

new baby in the family

So my cousin from my dad's side of the family just had her second baby at approximately 7 a.m. in the morning in Giza, Egypt. 12 a.m. our time. I am so happy for her as her family continues to grow. She now has two boys. (It just makes me optimistic for that future that I will hopefully have my first born child be a boy. My dad's side of the family is mostly boys. One of my aunts has four boys...the poor woman doesn't stand a chance in that family.) I know its a bit soon to be thinking about her third child considering she just gave birth to the second child but hopefully she will have a girl so that she can have someone who won't grow up too fast on her. Plus those two boys need something to protect and fight over eventually. A girl would be such a lovely edition to that family.

But anyway his name is Mohamed (he was named that for two reasons: 1. after the Prophet Mohamed (PBUH) 2. after my cousin's brother, his new uncle). I am sure he is going to be a little rugrat just like his older brother. I cannot wait to meet this little gizmo when I go to Egypt in July. If he is going to turn out anything like his big bro, Saif, then he is going to be so much fun to watch grow up. I am so excited to get to spend the summer with my cousin and her two sons as well as the rest of my dad's family. Hopefully my cousins from Saudi Arabia can make it to Egypt to really make it a family affair as we welcome this new little bundle of joy into our family.

May God bless my cousin and her husband and two sons and may God bless my entire family!

marrow doner

Back in april I signed up to be a bone marrow doner since I am not allowed to donate blood because I have severe anemia. I figured it was a good way to give back to the community. It is probably one of the best things anyone can do. Although the procedure for donating bone marrow is a bit painful, it helps so many people out in the process. Bone marrow is used to help many diseases including certain types of leukemia and lymphoma as well as sickle cell disease and other malignancies. It is estimated that every day in the united states 6000 people need a bone marrow transplant. Not many people are able to receive that transplant due to lack of proper donor matches. There are only approximately 11 million Americans who are signed up to be donors.

Bone marrow is found inside the bones of the hip, thigh and middle of the chest as well as other locations. There are two types of bone marrow: yellow and red. When a baby is born, all of its marrow is red. As the baby matures into an adult the marrow becomes yellow, leaving half the marrow in an adult body to be red. At the necessary times of increased blood cells, the body has the ability to convert yellow marrow back into red for that period. Bone marrow is a soft tissue that is generally fatty and when these cells mature they are released into the blood stream. If the cells are released prematurely this could be an issue.

There are two ways that a doctor takes bone marrow from a donor: 1. through a procedure known as a peripheral blood stem cell donation 2. through a needle inserted into the back of the hip bone to retrieve the marrow. When a person joins the registry they must do a donation kit where they fill out all their personal information as well as a health questionnaire. A donor must also complete a cheek swab. This is done to help determine the person's bone marrow type/blood. People can sign up to be bone marrow donors through the be the match registry. marrow.org. the registry is going on from now til June 22nd. make the choice to help save a life!!

Richard Avedon: Photographer

Richard Avedon may just be one of the greatest if not the greatest photographer of the century. His photos are amazing! Avedon is the epitimy of a photographer; more specifically a fashion photographer. He photographed women like fashion icon Twiggy. He was truly a visionary.



Richard Avedon was born in 1923 to Russian-Jewish parents. He attended Columbia University where he studied philosophy. In his early career he worked for the U.S. Merchant Marines during WWII as a photographer. Post WWII, Avedon attended the New School for photography. He worked briefly for a department store as their advertising photographer. Soon he was discovered by the art director at Harper's Bazaar. He also worked for Vogue magazine.



Avedon's work redefined the art of photography. He thought out of the box when it came to the direction he took with his photography. Avedon was not only a talented photographer but an author as well. He wrote several books including An Autobiography and Made in France. Richard Avedon worked for the New Yorker from 1992 until 2004, when he passed away.



An icon, a visionary, a legend, an inspiration Richard Avedon is one of the greatest photographers of the century!! His work has been featured in the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art. Hopefully everyone will appreciate his work in generations to come.

Hello Kitty- 35 years

So Hello Kitty recently celebrated its 35th anniversary. How cute is that??

I remember having Hello Kitty merchandise when I was a kid back in the 90's. I grew up with Hello Kitty and I have seen how Hello Kitty has transformed and how I have transformed. We sort of grew up together. (not really considering Hello Kitty is 35 and I am soon to be 20)

Hello Kitty originated in Japan in 1974 and became an international phenomenon that still exists 35 years later. The design started out with just a simple coin purse and now has everything from coin purses to stationary, pencils, accessories for little girls' hair, backpacks, purses etc.

According to various new sources, Hello Kitty has a theme for its 35th anniversary: Colors. Each color represents a certain message/symbol. These colors are supposed to help show fans all across the world what they know and love about Hello Kitty as well as how something that started off so small has become so big.

I just hope kids are able to appreciate and enjoy a fashion icon as much as I have in the past for another 35 years.