Activism and Advocacy on a Friday

I decided to write a little bit of a political post today; a call to action if you will.

I am currently teaching a class on Social Policy in America--our reluctant welfare state--so I'm even more invigorated to advocate for change and ask others to do so as well...bear with me.

As I drove to work on this chilly morning I thought of all the people and animals who would soon be having to sleep outside in freezing weather. Not a real cheery thought, I know, but it comes to mind each fall when I start rejoicing about the cooler weather...I love it, but I also have a warm, safe home and bed to crawl into when the thermostat dips.

Then, as I drove down the street where my office is located, I saw for the 3rd time this week, a scrawny pit-bull mix tethered to the front porch of a house with no food or water in sight and no adequate shelter. Now, I drive down this street every day, so I have noticed other animals treated similarly and have even reported the possible neglect/maltreatment of a different dog at the same house before, but obviously the message was not received. As soon as I walked into the office, I called City of Columbia Animal Services and reported the scene; they said they would pay the home a visit to investigate. It felt good to be able to be proactive, even on such a surface level, rather than just feel bad for the dog but do nothing.

hen, I read this on Indigo Journal: "Regarding the Senate vote on unemployment insurance that went off a moment ago, it’s worth noting that the only opponent was Sen. Jim DeMint (R), who represents South Carolina, where the unemployment rate of 11.6 percent happens to be the fifth highest in the country," I was appalled, but sadly not surprised either. Really? Sen. Jim DeMint, what were you thinking?--or were you?

My point in all of this today, is find something to be passionate about and advocate...if you're an animal-lover, help with the Humane Society's "Pet Soup Project". The project distributes pet food to pet-owners who otherwise would not be able to afford the food. Here's their wish list, and they need volunteers as well, contact Kelly Graham at 803-783-1267 or
mailto:kgraham@humanesc.org..

• Pull-along Trailer
• 1 Gallon Ziplock Freezer Bags
• Large lawn/yard garbage bags
• Plastic Grocery Store bags
• Pet Food Scoopers
• Pens
• Copy Paper
• Sharpies
• Bottled Water
• Paper Towel
• Battery Powered Hand Vacuum
• Canopy Tents
• Gas Cards
• Monetary Donations

If you're as fired up as I am about why Sen. DeMint wanted to refuse help to the close to 12% of the SC population that is unemployed right now, call him and ask why, here's his number: 803-771-6112.

If you want to do something to help the homeless population, volunteer at a local soup kitchen--and if you have kids, take them with you, it will be a valuable learning experience. Or, donate one of the personal hygiene items listed below for the United Way Hands for the Homeless drive:
Toothpaste - Toothbrush - New socks (men/women) - New washcloth - Plastic razor
TRAVEL SIZED: Shampoo - Soap - Lotion - Hand sanitizer
Drop off items at Trenholm Road United Methodist Church (3401 Trenholm Road) from Nov. 16-25 M-F 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Please, be an active participant in your community and think of those less fortunate. And let me know what this may have inspired you to do, or what you already do in your community to give back and advocate for those with no voice.

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Gifts that Give Back

I love to give gifts that serve a dual purpose or help someone else while bringing joy to the recipient too... My family has received a "Share of a Goat" or a "Flock of Chicks" as Christmas gifts via Heifer International for years; my brother-in-law usually starts asking me in November what animal they will get this year.


My church, Shandon Presbyterian Church, also holds an Alternative Gift Market every year, featuring local and international charities that people can donate money to in honor of friends and family for the holidays. The event is being held December 2nd from 6-7 PM in the church Activity Center this year.


I have recently begun getting e-mails from all the stores and on-line newsletters I subscribe to, advertising the "must-have" gifts this holiday season. I have found that many of them include gifts that give back to specific groups or charities, and so I decided to list some of my early favorites here:

My Smithsonian.com Newsletter recommended this: hand-beaded animals, (in this case a hippopotamus), whose sale will directly benefit disadvantaged women artists in Cape Flat townships of South Africa. Animals range in price from $24-$150 and are beautiful. See them here.

These eco-chic Mad Imports Raffia Leilani Clutches are stylish and fun.
Mad Imports is a socially & environmentally responsible company that markets handmade fashion accessories from Madagascar & Kenya. The sale of their products enables families to gain economic independence and promotes environmental conservation. Each clutch is $40.

The purchase of these hand-woven silk scarves from Global Goods Partners provides
land mine victims, people with disabilities and trafficked women with an opportunity to earn an income while gaining access to literacy, education and healthcare. They range in price from $32-$42.

This book, Shelter Dogs by Traer Scott looks amazing--I have had multiple animals who were strays or adopted from shelters and they are the best. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of this book goes to the ASPCA. The book is $19.95.

Or, if your friends and family are anything like me, and don't need any more stuff, consider donating to one of these worthy causes in their name:

http://www.kiva.org/- Kiva's mission is to connect people through lending for the sake of alleviating poverty.
Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.

http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.183217/- This is the most important gift you'll ever make. A charitable gift from Heifer's Gift Catalog will provide animals and training to help families build a better future for themselves and their communities.

And--a Columbia event that I never miss, where you can purchase unique and handmade Christmas decorations as well as fair-trade gifts--the 10,000 Villages sale at Shandon Presbyterian Church this weekend! November 7-8th; Saturday 9 AM -4 PM; Sunday 12 - 3 PM in the Activity Center. Visit the 10,000 Villages website to preview items here.

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A Word for Wednesday

rudite: learned or scholarly; characterized by great knowledge.


Today is the first installment of my soon to be weekly "A Word for Wednesday" blog post. I love words. Vocabulary has always been a strong suit of mine and I am passionate about certain words-the way they sound when verbalized as well as the meanings. In my opinion words fall into 4 basic categories.

1) Words you know and use all the time, in everyday language.
2) Words you know the meaning of, and may use on a very rare occasion, but have yet to insert them into your repertoire of usage. (For me, erudite is in this category).
3) Words you have heard before, but don't know the meaning of and may or may not try to use with limited success since you don't really know what it means.
4) Words you have never even heard before and therefore don't know the meaning of and never use.


In this weekly post I hope to expand my own vocabulary and share my love of words with you my fine and erudite readers!


The beautiful "E" is provided by fellow blogger, Jessica Hische, who posts her illustrated letters on Daily Drop Cap, and so graciously allows others to use the artwork in their own blogs. Thanks!

What are your favorite vocabulary words?

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What I'm Listening to...

If the above link is having technical difficulties, click here to see/hear the same thing...

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Wishful Thinking...

Tuesday's list of awesome things I'd love to have:

1. This cheese board made of re-claimed chalkboard from Uncommon Goods.

via here

2. This blackbird two lens reflex camera from Fred Flare. This is a 1920's stlye camera and can take pics in 3 different widths...ooohh... I would love it in blue or white :)

via here

3. A wall in my home that looks like this. I love the look of the photo/art collage on the wall here...I am trying to achieve that in my den (see below). I also really love the wallpaper!

Obviously, I have a lot more space to fill, but I just love the combination of old pictures and art.

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Fall Fox

Pretty Fall Fox Cuff, courtesy of The Illuminated Owl on Etsy.com

I heart this fox...

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Weekend Wrap-Up

My weekly Nickelodeon trip was not as exciting as the past few movies have been. Beeswax was great in terms of character development, but plot development, not so much... I was also starving throughout the entire movie which may have played into my praying that it would be over soon; I was fantasizing about the food and drinks at the Hunter-Gatherer.

And it did not disappoint. It has been almost a year, I think, since I have been to the H-G, and they have added some new items to their menu. Our table ordered prosciutto-wrapped manchengo cheese which was ah-mazing and an order of the ESB cheese spread. (I have no pictures of the appetizers- sorry, I was too hungry to snap pics at this point in the meal).
The rest of the H-G menu was largely unchanged, which in my opinion is a good thing. I always get a Ginny's Blue Cheese Salad and it never disappoints.

For my entree I ordered another old standby--a pizza with feta cheese and red onions.

James got one of the new additions to the menu-smoked chicken ravioli with a gouda cream sauce. It came with a small side salad and it was great. I could bathe in the gouda cream sauce.

Thursday at the H-G has long been a live jazz music night, which I had forgotten. Skipp Pearson and his band, including a keyboardist, stand-up bassist, and drummer, are great. Mr. Pearson is nationally known for his jazz sax skills.

On Friday I received an e-mail from The Columbia Cool, a new social networking website that lists events, hosts group pages for local businesses, and recently had a Melting Pot gift certificate giveaway! I entered the giveaway, and imagine my surprise and excitement when I checked the website to watch this video announcing the winner of the giveaway:


Yay! I won, I won!! I love the Melting Pot! You should join The Columbia Cool website to be eligible to win future giveaways.

Saturday was Halloween and James and I did pull off our Rachel Zoe/Brad Goreski get-up:


Unfortunately, my blonde wig was very cheap and very itchy and not attractive...so I wore it for about 5 minutes...I realize that was a key part of the costume, but I tried to compensate for it's loss with a steady plethora of RZ phrases and drama-inducing scenes. I think I called the name "Brad!" 1,000 times, with each name-call followed by a "Oh my God, this is OOC...we have 48 hours to style this shoot for V. Bananas." or "Brad, I need more coffee. I am flipping out right now." The Starbucks cup was a nice touch I thought, but champagne refills in the cup finally soaked it through. I am also sad I have no pictures of my shoes...they were 5 inch wedges, which incidentally are shoes I actually own, but don't often wear because of the difficulty I have in walking in them. They were classic RZ shoes. (Also, I know James would want me to disclose that his shirt is wet in the above pictures because he had just carried the keg--he was not that sweaty. At least not that early in the night--it was pretty humid though).

The party at Kim and Drew's house was totally OOC and ended in keg stands. Then we finished off the night at NiteCaps, which was also totally OOC--so many people!

Awesome weekend; looking forward to next weekend's events, the Harmony School Benefit on Saturday and the Camp Burnt Gin Benefit at Rosso on Sunday. Saw Kristian Niemi and Blythe Fisher, of Rosso Trattoria, at NiteCaps Saturday; they are thrilled and the event is sold out! So amazing for Camp Burnt Gin!

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