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 …
Category: Awareness Building
Apr 12
Stop the School to Prison Pipeline
Have you ever heard of the school to prison pipeline? It’s likely you haven’t. Because it’s not something that receives a lot of publicity outside of the areas it affects. But it should. Which is why I decided to write this article today. I want to shine some light on something I believe is a …
Apr 04
The Homelessness Series: What About the Kids?
According to a report conducted by the Coalition of the Homeless last month, a record high 50,000 people slept in New York City’s shelters this January. Fifty-thousand people. More people are now homeless in New York City than at any time since the Great Depression. Want to know an even scarier fact? Almost half of …
Apr 02
Parents, Children and the Social Media Talk
Social technologies have broken the barriers of space and time, enabling us to interact 24/7 with more people than before. Most people spend their time sending emails, chatting with friends, posting videos or pictures, to being informed of the latest events. Everything can be done through Facebook, and Twitter. New social networking sites pop up …
Apr 02
Spotlight on North Korea
In the past few weeks, the Middle East and Europe have been the dominant geographic regions marking headlines across the media. A majority of people have been tracking the economic situation in Cyprus, the continuing violence in Syria, and President Obama’s recent trip to Israel. However, it is rather astonishing that the media spotlight has …
Mar 29
Rhino’s in the dark
So far this year, 156 rhinos have been killed in Southern Africa alone. This means that 2 Rhino’s were killed each day of the year so far. These statistics are shocking. Rhino horns sell for around $60 000 per Kilogram or $30 000 per Pound. One full Rhino horn can weigh up to 13.30 …
Mar 29
What Has Happened to Immigrant Rights?
I’ve written a lot about immigration as well as prison in my time with the SISGI Group. However, it never occurred to me to discuss the two issues together. Which was a huge oversight on my part. Because they often go hand in hand. Immigrants who are here without proper documentation or have visa issues …
Mar 25
Tourism in Cuba?
I’ve written a lot about the opening up of Myanmar and Bhutan and their possibilities for sustainable tourism, so today I thought I would look at another isolated country: Cuba. Travel between the United States and Cuba has been forbidden since February 8th, 1969, just a few months after the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis. …
Mar 21
The Homelessness Series: The Pursuit of Happyness
I’m just going to start off with the disclaimer: I love the movie The Pursuit of Happyness. I really do. However, I have one major objection to the film, which I would like to discuss with you. For those of you who haven’t seen the movie, here’s the SparkNotes version: A man named Chris Gardner …
Mar 18
Slacktivism is not Activism
Social media has become a fact for civil society. The ability to become involved with a social cause is literally at the tip of our fingers. Internet applications such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube facilitate the creation and exchange of user-created content on today’s social movements. Hype can be generated on social issues with …