How Could You Be So Heartless?

On Monday, as I sat with my mentee she began telling a story about a homeless man to one of her classmates who was sitting at the table with us.  The story went something like this. 

She was walking to Subway and saw a homeless man holding up a sign which read "I'm Hungry".  She said after she came back out the man kept pointing to his sign and yelling he was hungry.  Instead of just walking by, she said she went up to him and said, "I realize you are hungry, I'm not.  Just wanted to let you know my food was delicious. Yummm."  I was dead-panned.  I was like you're kidding right?  She said no.  Her rationale was she said it because he kept yelling that he was hungry.  Then she had the nerve to say she was offended when the homeless man called her a smart ass.

After listening to her story and watching her and her little friend laugh, I immediately asked her why she would even say that.  I even tried to have her empathize with the man who was obviously homeless and hungry but she just kept laughing like it was all a big joke.  It just made me sad and disgusted that she felt saying that was even the least bit appropriate. 

Things like that just make me question what is wrong with our society?  I could NEVER even imagine saying something like that to someone who was clearly disadvantaged.  All she had to do was walk by, no smart alect comments were needed.  If she wanted to help his cause she could've saved a piece of her sandwich or bought him a bag of chips.  How can people be so heartless?  I've never been homeless or even close, but I've always had a compassionate spirit and am selfless when it comes to helping others.  I just don't understand how others don't care about anyone but themselves.

While I enjoy being a mentor, that was the last straw for me.  I think after this school year I'm going to go back to focusing my efforts on working with the elderly.  These kids are something else and I feel like I'm not getting through to them.  When I work with seniors it is so much more rewarding and they are so appreciative when you spend even a short amount of time with them.  I'm truly fearful for the next generation.  How can so-called young, innocent children be so heartless?  

The Road to Health Care Reform

I very rarely blog about politics and political issues (with the exception of DC Mayor Adrian Fenty and School Chancellor Michelle Rhee) but this debate on Heath Care Reform really bothers me.

Today, someone tweeted that 16% of Americans are without health insurance.  I questioned that statistic but turns out it is equal to 46 MILLION people.  That's incredible!  It's sad to think we live in America and so many of us are not covered by health insurance.  I've been to third world countries and you could expect that from those societies, but here that just doesn't make any sense.  How did this happen and why has it been going on for so long?

The main argument I hear is people think by creating universal healthcare they are going to lose their own premium coverage or that they'll be paying for other people.  While that may be partially true, that's the way of the world.  We pay taxes don't we?  I'm young, single and don't have children but my taxes pay for education, welfare, social security and a number of other benefits that I'm not eligible to receive but I'm not complaining.

I have friends who have jobs but may be working in temporary positions or doing contract work here and there and they don't have insurance.  I'm always worried about what if something happens to them.  It's not their fault they don't have insurance and premiums are too high for them to be able to afford them without having an employer who's willing to subsidize it.

When will the Powers-that-be come together and pass Health Care Reform?  Are we really that selfish and greedy?  People shouldn't be living in poverty and without health insurance in America of all places.  Something has to be done.

Common Courtesy: A Thing of the Past

In my best Stephanie Tanner (from Full House) voice "How Rude" is something I've had to say a lot lately.
What ever happened to common courtesy? People seem to not care about anyone but themselves.  As much as I try to not take things personal, sometimes I'm known to get vocal when I feel I've been wronged.  I'm quick to make comments like "Oh thank you so much for holding the door" or "Oh excuse me, I didn't realize I was in your way." 

Clearly some people either do not have the proper home training to function in a society of decent people or they simply do not care.  Whatever it is I'm not ashamed of making my disapproval known.  If you've never done it you should try it sometime.  I hope people will get the hint.

So I've come up with a list of some of the things I can't stand but have to deal with all of the time.  I'm sure I'm not the only one either.

I can't stand when...

• People don't hold the door or elevator - Really you heard me walking right behind you, you could have held the door.
• You hold the door for someone and they either just walk through without touching it, they don't say thank you, or both. It really doesn't take that much time to say those two little words "Thank You."
• I go to the bathroom at work, and someone didn't flush the toilet.  It's not like they flushed it and everything didn't go down (sorry to be graphic), it's that they didn't bother to even attempt to flush it. Do you do that at your house? If so, that's nasty!
• People touch food. If you touch it you take it, especially when you know you didn't wash your hands.
• Going into a shop or grocery store and the workers don't speak.  I've worked in retail for many years, and the first thing you're taught is customer service, which includes greeting customers. If you can get that right maybe you need to work some place else that doesn't require verbal skills. Maybe become a mime.
• I speak to someone and they either smirk, give a head nod, or don't reply at all.  If I say Hi you need to mouth some type of words back to me.
• Someone bumps me or steps on my foot and acts like they did nothing wrong. You'd think it really hurts some people's souls to just say "I'm sorry". If someone has an object in their hand and accidentally bumps you that's one thing, but when someone knowingly  bumps/touches you if they had an decency they'd simply apologize or at least acknowledge what happened.
• People who chew with their mouths open. Didn't your Mother teach you when you were like four years old to chew with your mouth closed? What about chewing and smacking on food is deemed appropriate?  No one wants to hear you munching on chips or popping gum, that's just disgusting.
• People who stand too close. There's no reason I should be able to feel someone's breath on the back of my neck (unless I know them).  If I turn 90 degrees and I can touch you that means clearly you are too close. Back Up!

That's all for now.  What other forms of human indecency bother you?

Blogalicious DC

Last week my linesister and fellow blogger introduced me to Blogalicious.  What it is, is a national group of multicultural women who have an interest in blogging and social networking. 

A few of the women from the DC area who attended the 2009 Blogalicious weekend decided they wanted to host an event called "Creating Our Conversations".  The panel included four women bloggers of different ethnicities who blog on everything from where to go in DC (http://www.dcconcierge.com/) to the trials and tribulations of a young Breast Cancer survivor (http://fabulous-boobies.blogspot.com/).  It was an informative event and I look forward to their upcoming events.

The next Blogalicious conference will be held in October at the Ritz Carlton on South Beach.  For more information about Blogalicious weekend, visit http://www.blogaliciousweekend.com/

Below a brief video recap from the Blogalicious DC event held on February 17.


BlogaliciousDC Meetup Recap from Tyler New Media on Vimeo.

DC Mayor Fenty Is At It Again!

Growing up in Maryland and moving back to the Washington, DC Metro area, I've always been exposed to the politics of the District.  Watching NBC News like I do every morning, I saw DC's Mayor Adrian Fenty at his finest.  His arrogance and his constant antics make me want to move into the city just so I can campaign and vote against him in the next election.

DC has been a place known to accept their Black mayor despite his many down falls, case in point Marion Barry.  I have a lot to say about that fool but I'm not even going there this time.  Adrian Fenty has definitely worn out his welcome in the District and I look forward to the day when he's no longer Mayor.

You may wonder why I even care about the Mayor of DC, but being that I work here, eat here, and stimulate the economy of DC on a daily basis, I feel like I have a right to be irritated with his lack of concern for the residents on the Nation's Capital and those who commute into the city on every day.

Here's the video that just made me shake my head this morning and question why it is he's the Mayor.

Savvy Tips: Shopping For Haiti

It's hard to believe it's been over a month since the tragic, life-altering earthquake that has impacted the people of Port-au-Prince.  While the needs are still great in Haiti, the outpour of donation has dwindled over the past few weeks. 


Since I love to shop, I've been searching to find companies and designers who are donating a percentage of their sales to help various charities supporting the Haitian Relief Efforts. Here are some of the ones I've found so far.

Beauty & FragranceTen-percent of proceeds from the sale of Bond No9’s The Scent of Peace ($210) will be donated to assist parts of Haiti that have been effected by the earthquake. Click here to view the press release.  This fragrance can be purchased from Bond No9 stores in New York and Saks Fifth Avenue locations worldwide. Click here to purchase from Saks Fifth Avenue


Bliss is selling their glamour gloves to show their support to lending a helping hand to Haiti -- Seventy Five (75) percent of their $48 gloves (which moisturize your hands and are reusable) will go to help Haitian children. Click here to purchase


TechnologyFor the tech-savvy, App Relief, a group of iPhone application developers, will contribute anywhere from 50- to100-percent of their sales to the American Red Cross. Available through their website and the iTunes store. Click here to purchaseApparel
The Fame Monster with a big heart, Lady Gaga is donating 100-percent of the proceeds from this Special Edition T-Shirt ($27) to Hatian Relief. Click here to purchaseAccessoriesHavaiana, my favorite flip flop maker (whenever I actually wear them) are offering a colorful, limited edition flip flops. Thirty (30) percent of proceeds from the "Little Birds" print sandals will be donated directly to the Red Cross through March 1. (Havaianas Slim Little Birds Sandals, $30, at havaianas.com). Click here to purchase

FEED -- My personal favorite because I love these reusable bags. The FEED Project presents their latest project, the FEED Haiti Fund.  It has been established to support school feeding so that kids can get back to school and receive a daily school meal.


Their newest FEED Haiti 50 Bag, launched last Tuesday February 9, will provide 50 school meals to kids in Haiti through the UN World Food Program. Along with the FEED Haiti 50 bag, now through June any FEED 1 or FEED 2 bag purchased at feedprojects.com will have the bag’s donation go to their FEED Haiti Fund to provide even more school meals for Haitian kids.



Another Opportunity toShop for Haiti. Purchase a Tent for a homeless family.
Don't forget about Shaun King of Atlanta's Courageous Church.  He's asking people to purchase tents to be donated to the people of Haiti.  Currently many of them are forced to live under plastic tarps which will not protect them from the elements, especially with the approaching rainy and hurricane seasons.


For more information about his cause, click here. To purchase a waterproof tent from Amazon.com, click here and have it shipped to the address below:

Courageous Church
Attn: Shaun King
1330 West Peachtree Street, Suite 560
Atlanta, GA 30309

Things To Do: Terra Cotta Warriors

Okay I'll admit I'm a nerd and try my hardest to find the most interesting things-to-do in DC, whether it's a restaurant, gallery opening, unique tours, anything that's different from the norm, I'm down to try.

A few weeks ago, I heard about an exhibit at the National Geographic's Museum called Terra Cotta Warriors.  Me being a somewhat history buff, I did some research about these life-size 2,000 year old statues that were buried with the first emperor of China.  I was determined to go to see it before it left DC and made it way around the country.  Initially, I figured I'd probably go  one day after work and check it out by myself.  Surprisingly, my ex called me and invited me to go to an exhibition and it happened to be this one, but it was sold out (and is still sold out every weekend through February).  I ended up buying 2 tickets as well as a coffee table book about the history and giving them to him for his birthday which was the next week.  Of course, I knew he'd take me so it was a win-win.

I'll admit, I've passed by the National Geographic office building several times but never realized it contained a museum until recently.  So we arrived to the exhibit a little early and the docent suggested we stop by another photography exhibit instead of waiting in the cold.  I'm glad we took her up on the offer because they were some very interesting photos taken in an island called South Georgia that is known for it's beautiful scenery and a habitat of penguins and seals.  It's free to see the photos, so if you're ever in the area I'd recommend it.

After that, we walked back over to the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit, picked up our audio tour and began our journey.  We were told the history of the first Emperor of China who ruled in something like 200 BC.  When he died they buried him in a huge complex and surrounded him with over 6,000 life-size terra cotta figures to protect him into the afterlife.  As of now, they've only uncovered about 1,000 of the 6,000.  Apparently the US government is financing this project.  The figures weren't found until the late 1970s when 2 farmers were digging.  I found the exhibit to be very similar to the Egyptians and their building of pyramids and burying statues of servants, priests, doctors, etc to protect to King Tut once he'd died.  (Many of the statues can be seen at The Egyptian Museum in Cairo. I had a chance to see them last October.)

At the exhibit they had about 20 of the actual warriors they'd been able to reconstruct.  It was amazing to see the details in the facial features, their clothing and their stances.  Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take photos along the way but it makes sense.  At the end, I did have a chance to pose with a replica, so I was happy.

In doing my research, I found out National Geographic offers FREE tours every Wednesday for their 6:00PM show.  You must arrive by 5:30 and can receive 2 tickets per person.  If you're interested why not try something different, especially if you're on a budget.  Click here for more info about the free tickets.