Social justice, good. Charity, bad. At least that’s always been my philosophy. It’s simple. Straightforward. Easy to follow. Maybe that’s the problem. This personal philosophy first developed sometime around my sophomore year in college. After participating in several break trips, and spending a lot of time reflecting on systemic social problems and injustices, I grew …
Tag Archive: changemakers
Apr 18
The Homelessness Series: Back on My Feet
Anne Mahlum is a runner. Always has been. And in the early mornings of spring 2007, you could often find her running the sidewalks of Philadelphia, before heading to work for the day. On her runs, she would pass apartment buildings, businesses, and even a homeless shelter, which was just a couple blocks away. She …
Mar 15
Exploring the New Frontier: Space Mining
Growing up, many of you have probably watched Star Trek. Exploration of space was an exciting prospect indeed. What fascinated me though, while watching, was the huge abundance of resources available, such as basic raw materials, energy, even food and water. I remember thinking that if this was actually possible it would solve all of …
Mar 15
Proof One Person Really Can Make a Difference
It occurred to me the other day that we really ask a lot of the people who read our website. At the end of our posts we always ask you to do something to make a difference or to get involved in some way. And I personally love that about our site. But I know …
Mar 07
The NRA, Gun Owners, Advocates for Gun Control: Why Not Work Together?
There is no doubt that that the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., has heightened the political debate on gun control in the United States. The Obama-backed gun bills are considered a long shot in Congress. This is due to the opposing views on gun control in congress. One group in Congress is standing behind the …
Mar 05
Freedom Through Acting, Not Guns
In Palestine, there is a city by the name of Jenin located in the West Bank. A majority of the city’s population is made up of Palestinian refugees displaced from their homes. Thousands of young children, teenagers, and college age youth grow up within the walls of this refugee city, and the future they look …
Feb 25
Economics and Happiness
In the 1970s Richard Easterlin wrote an article titled “Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot? Some Empirical Evidence,” in which he described what is now known as the Easterlin Paradox and became the father of happiness economics. The Easterlin Paradox, simply stated, suggests that people do not get happier as they get richer. …
Jan 25
Celebrating Our Successes: Women in the Military
I realized today that I tend to write solely about negative issues. Or at least only about things I think we need to fix. I don’t have a problem with that in general. However, for this particular post I’d like to approach things a little differently. Instead, I’d like to celebrate a recent success in …
Jan 22
Acquiring a gun should be a “DMV” experience
Just four short weeks after 20 children and six adults were massacred in Newtown, , the sale of guns continue to spike . This surprises me, because the horror of Newtown was felt and seen across the globe. The massacre rocked the nation to its core. My immediate reaction was there has to be a …
Dec 17
#911: Harnessing the Power of Social Media in Emergency Situations
As I sat down to eat breakfast on Friday morning, I opened up my laptop and refreshed my Facebook page. Time to see the latest status updates and pictures from the night before. Just your typical morning run-through before heading out for the day… at least that’s what I originally thought. That’s before I saw …






