Relay for Life 2014

As April gets closer and closer, that means it's time to start thinking about Relay for Life again.  As I mention in the video, we recently lost my good friend Nick to his battle with lung cancer.  While we were definitely shaken as a community, we have come together again over planning for this event and I really cannot wait to take part in it again.

If you would like to donate, you can visit my page HERE.

Happy Movember!

So, remember when I said I would be posting weekly LSAT prep updates and lots of content?  Well, obviously that was a lie.  This month has been far more crazy than I was anticipating, and I literally have not had time to get out my tablet and draw up a little check list.  Suffice it to say that prep is going well, and that I probably should stop using it as an excuse to not do my actual homework.

This past Friday, however, I let myself have a little fun by going to my university's basketball game.  It was a very special game in that the basketball team decided that they wanted to show their support of No-Shave-November (aka Movember).  They did this by attempting to break the world record for the largest gathering of people all wearing false mustaches.  Yes, this is a very strange world record (kind of makes you wonder who decides what to actually record, doesn't it?).  They passed out free mustaches and wristbands at the door and we recorded our attempt on video during half-time.  It was a really fun event and I have to admit that I don't look half-bad with a 'stache.

Happy Movember, everyone!  If you guys would like to know more about the mustache-movement and their quest to raise awareness for men's health issues, you can check them out HERE.

Donate to Save!

Hello, everyone!

The weather has taken a turn for the gorgeous here in San Francisco, and we've been enjoying a few days of heat and sun (or at least, as hot and sunny as it can get here in the city).  Today I have a favor to ask of you all.  In a couple of weeks I will be participating with a group of friends in A Relay for Life on campus to raise funds and awareness for cancer research.  Unfortunately, my family has quite a bit of experience with cancer and I felt like it was the least I could do to get involved in this amazing event.

I personally have already surpassed by fundraising goal of $200.  That being said, my team is hoping to raise $1000 and we could still really use some help.  If you would like to donate to me and therefore my team, you can do so here.

Thanks so much, guys!

Donate Your Votes!

Hi everyone!  Hope you're having a wonderful weekend; I know that, despite the huge amount of work I have, I'm actually quite enjoying myself.  Now, there is something a little more serious that I'd like to talk to you about.

Yesterday, my family received an email from a relative asking for us to help raise awareness for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  From what little reading on it I've done, it's exactly as it sounds: intense, chronic fatigue that does not allow those who have it to live life to its fullest potential.  Apparently my relative who is suffering from CFS is not even able to attend high school and is instead home-schooled to allow for frequent breaks and rest.

Now, you may be wondering, what does this have to do with me?  Well, there is no cure right now, but doctors are looking for one and they could use more support.  Chase Community Giving is currently encouraging people to vote for their charity of choice on Facebook.  The charities with the most votes will then be presented with $5 million in grants!  I've already cast my vote, but if you'd like to vote for the Neuro Immune Disease Alliance and CFS, you can do so here.

Thanks so much everyone, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!

May You Have an Ethical Mother's Day

Do you any of you find it a little funny that, on the week I said I was the most busy, I end up posting three times in three days? I do. But this is important, so I feel like it's worth sacrificing a few minutes of my time to actually write a short post.

Back in March, I wrote a little entry about an organization called Not For Sale. Well, my passion for the work they do to end modern day slavery has not cooled in the slightest. Rather, my friends and I turned our final ethics project into a Not For Sale awareness campaign. Anyways, what I wanted to talk to you about today was their platform Free2Work, which strives to make ethical business profitable by rating businesses on their production. As Mother's Day approaches, they are highlighting various flower companies that practice ethical production, as well as some that do not. They are trying to get one company in particular, ProFlowers, to improve their standards of production and recognize their worker's basic human rights. They currently have a petition going, and are hoping to reach 1,000 signatures. I know I personally don't want to send my mom flowers that have been picked by forced laborers.

If you'd like to sign the petition and help to protect workers against exploitation, please click here. Wishing you all a wonderful and ethical Mother's Day!

Not For Sale

Good news! I survived midterms and papers, and it's finally spring break! I flew home to sunny southern California on Saturday, and am enjoying the change of scenery and weather. I don't think I even realized how much I missed shorts and tank tops!

But I have something important and serious that I wanted to talk to you all about. I am taking a contemporary ethics class dealing particularly with immigration, and the book that we are currently reading is called Not For Sale by David Batstone. It discusses the "return of the global slave trade" and basically serves to make us aware that there are people facing economic slavery, sex trafficking, and child soldiery throughout the world. The cool thing about this book, though, is that it doesn't stop with that. Rather just being a book, it is the beginning of an entire movement, known as the Not For Sale Campaign. They have branches throughout the United States that focus on fundraising, educating, and training people to be "modern day abolitionists." What they do is very important, and it starts with simply educating people and making them aware of the atrocities that are being committed across the globe.

For those of you who are technically up to date, they make it very easy for you to be informed. Not For Sale also runs another website, Free2Work.org. This site is focused on making people into smart consumers. They take different companies and rate them based on the typical school grading scale here in the U.S., based on how ethically their products are produced. They have even converted some of their information into a handy-dandy app for the iPhone or iTouch. I know you all have at least one or the other of these devices, so check it out. It's completely free.

I really encourage you all to check out these websites and get some more information. Better yet, go buy and read the book. It will really change the way you think about things, and it will make you want to get involved, or at least live differently. I think it's important to say that I'm not getting any money or recognition for promoting the cause like this. I'm just doing it because it's something that really impacted me and opened my eyes to parts of the world around me that I didn't know existed, and I just want to share this knowledge and opportunity with all of you. What you do with it is your decision.

Happy March, everyone, and check back soon for more pictures from San Fran!