Melody's Blog Posts: Activism \ Policies \ Politics

Posts that explore activism efforts, propose policies, or provide political commentary. Topics include Planet Earth, education, charity, and government policies.

Jan '11

4

Daily Masterpiece Focus for 01/04/11

Today, I take a stand for those who are not yet able to stand solidly for themselves. If you are not helping others to see what you’ve seen, learn what you’ve learned or do what you’ve done, then you are not advancing humanity. Who will you stand up for today?

Feb '10

12

Redefining Humanity

Are you quick to judge others who are not like you? Do you use our differences to keep yourself separated from others?

Take some time to reflect on what humanity represents.

May '09

19

The Best Things in Life Are Free

What does a radiant smile, full-belly laugh, and beautiful flower have in common? They all lift our mood, take us to a higher place, and, most importantly, they’re free!

Nov '08

16

Urban Squeeze

Lately, I’ve been fuming about several trends that are unfolding within urban areas like Seattle, the Bay Area, and other populous cities.

Nov '08

10

All My CNN Men

Since I’ve been talking about CNN, crushes, and such. I thought now would be a good time to make a full confession about all the CNN men who light up my world. Here’s my heartthrobs.

Nov '08

9

Rising above a "Failure"

I wanted to share a post written by CNN’s Donna Brazile.

Nov '08

8

I Got a Crush on...

I’ve been holding on to this secret for months, and I just can’t hold out any longer. It’s begging to come out. So, here it is: I got a crush on David Gergen!

Nov '08

4

e-Day

Finally, the day is here and the wait is nearly over. In the meantime, e-day jitters are running high (or not).

Nov '08

3

Illusory Rhetoric

As the 2008 election winds down (thank goodness), the thing that I will not miss is the illusory rhetoric. Spin is definitely in when it comes to politics.

Nov '08

1

Last-Minute Voting Advice

The voting clock is winding down, and I couldn’t be more thrilled that it’s coming to an end. I can only imagine how the candidates feel.

Oct '08

16

Political Shutout

The greatest disservice of this year’s election soap opera, and the thing that I’m most disappointed about, is the exclusion of other parties and voices.

Oct '08

15

The Next Presidency

While I’m on the subject of politics, I thought I would throw out my views on the next presidency.

Oct '08

14

Political Amnesia

Like most people in every corner of America, I’ve been following the political soap opera that has been playing out for nearly two years.

Sep '08

29

"Rules" of Life

I ran across this set of 11 rules of life or 11 rules they don’t teach you in high school. They’ve been circulating for a while and incorrectly attributed to Bill Gates.

Aug '08

31

Gifted, Talented, or Skilled?

I’ve pondered the difference among these terms more than once. The distinction between gifted and talented depends on which source you use.

Aug '08

27

Being Ok with Being You

One of the clearest examples of being ok with being you is…Hillary Clinton.Tearfully, I watched her speech at the Democratic National Convention last night.

Aug '08

24

Bad Media Math

While I’m ranting about bad math (see Learning to Lose), I’d like to rant about patterns that persist in the media.

Aug '08

23

What a Waste

I love Seattle for many reasons.

Aug '08

16

The Business of Being Human

I have a very long list of topics to cover, but I felt the need to jump this one up in the queue. The topic is Senator John Edwards’ sex scandal.

Aug '08

11

Basic Education

Continuing from my previous education post (The Most Valuable Profession?), I wanted to share my thoughts on what needs to be taught as part of our basic education.

Aug '08

10

The Most Valuable Profession?

I’ve been pondering this question for a week or so. First of all, what is it that determines the value of a profession? Is it the amount of money a person earns in that profession?

Aug '08

5

Making Sense of the Senseless

Senseless things happen all the time that cause us to question everything, especially when we are at the center or affected in some way by these occurences.

Jul '08

23

Campaign Fun

Here’s the latest fun video on the candidates. This one comes from www.JibJab.com.

Jul '08

16

Getting Around Automated Customer Service

If you dislike (despise) automated customer service, you know the ones where you get trapped in say this or press this land, then you’ll love www.GetHuman.com.

Jul '08

15

Saving the Planet with Our Forks

I ran across a statement in a brochure the other day that made me pause and think: we can do more to reduce global warming by changing our diets than by switching to a hybrid car.

Jul '08

6

Emailing/IMing for a Cause

As much as people talk about Microsoft being evil, the organization does contribute to social change.

Jul '08

5

Taking a Stance (or Sit)

At my alma mater (UC Berkeley), a group of people took a stand to prevent a beautiful tree grove from being altered to accommodate a new athletic stadium (see their site Save the Memorial Oak Grove).

Jul '08

4

Ode to Nader

This video goes against the grain of most of my posts. In two places, it has one of those choice words. It has a statement that may seem religiously offensive. I couldn’t resist.

Jul '08

3

Fighting McCain

It’s McCain’s turn in my politico fun fest. Here’s a funny photo I found.

Jul '08

2

Hillary Spoof

Continuing in my quest to spread the love with the politico, it’s Hillary’s turn. Sadly, it took a while to find something that I considered not to be outrageously offensive (see The Isms).

Jul '08

1

Obama's Ears

I want to equally poke fun at politicians, especially given I’ve already posted on the prez twice.

Jun '08

30

Bush Joke

I swear I’m not Bush-bashing. This joke didn’t come from me.

Jun '08

25

U-N-I-T-Y?

Way back when, Queen Latifah had a song on unity (U-N-I-T-Y she spelled it out for us). Looks like there’s a new call for unity as the democratic party attempts to reconcile its two halves.

Jun '08

20

"Underdeveloped" Country?

Occasionally, I come up with topics that I don’t even know how to categorize. The question of an “underdeveloped” country is one of those ideas that keep popping into my head.