Cupcakes. Skinny jeans. Reality shows. All are trends that have exploded in popularity within the United States in the last decade. Another recent trend? “Saving Africa”. Earlier in the week, I wrote about the common myths and misconceptions having to do with the continent of Africa, many of which stem from the mainstream American media. …
Category Archive: Me Rescuing Me
Jun 05
Nine-Year-Old Blogger Changes School Lunch System
English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton once stated, “the pen is mightier than the sword”. An act as simple as writing has the power to influence people, sway opinions, and forever change the course of history. This centuries-old adage has shown itself to be true time and time again. Sometimes it is referring to something as powerful …
Jun 05
Don’t Give Up Hope: Women’s Groups Do Make a Difference
When I started writing my blog last week about the battle surrounding women’s health in Texas I was struck by what a powerful group Don’t Mess with Texas Women had become in just one year. But I was still a little skeptical that they or other groups could impact the system enough to protect their …
May 30
Defending Women’s Health in Texas
Think about Planned Parenthood. What are the first things that come to mind? Women’s health? Pro-choice activism? Legal cases? Abortion? All these words apply to the Planned Parenthood organization, but they don’t capture the entire scope of what it does. The organization has existed for more than 90 years but there are still lots of …
Feb 28
Who’s Business Is It? – A Closer Look at Tibet
So last week I sort-of sporadically decided that I’m going to Dharamsala, India in June (you can call it a graduation gift to myself). To let everyone, know Dharamsala is in northern India by the Himalayas and south of Tibet. Besides the community service I’ll be doing there, one of the most important reasons I …
Feb 01
A Solution We Can See
We observe our environment through all of our senses. Right now, as I feel the keys on my keyboard fall under the pressure of my fingers, I also watch the screen as the letters appear in front of me. I can hear the faint noise of the cars passing outside, and taste the spearmint gum …
Jan 16
Tackling Intergenerational Issues: Bolsa Familia
Have you ever seen the MTV show Skins? Wait, it’s okay, I won’t subject you to the embarrassment of admitting to it; I’ll fill you in. The show (a replica of a British hit) fictionally illustrates the lives of a group of American teenagers. These teenagers participate in pretty much every morally questionable activity imaginable …
Dec 22
End of Year Review: Arab Spring, Part Three
After reading parts one and two of this series on the Arab Spring, you hopefully have a better grasp on what some of the major moments of the movements were, how the revolutionaries in various countries drew inspiration from each other, and the difficulties of transitioning to a democracy. So, for this post, I thought …
Nov 23
Taking Back Our Rights
Evelyn Beatrice Hall, a writer who published a biography on philosopher Voltaire in 1906, concisely summarized Voltaire’s beliefs with the now widely recognized phrase “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” The Founding Fathers of the United States also seemed to take Voltaire’s teachings …


