Archive for the ‘Helping Others’ Category
I kept myself occupied pretty much of the morning by making a change in my sidebar. I wanted a double head over the left and right columns and had to work it out to get it to display correctly. Jenn over at Everyday Randomness pointed me in the right direction telling me that I needed to mod the sidebar.php page in my themes directory. Of course it was a little more involved than simply adding a few lines of text. I had to add a division to the page plus add a division to the style sheet also. Not too bad but I sure am glad I know how to cut and paste. Its easier to copy then mod some code rather than writing it from scratch. You can see the result of a few hours of off and on work by looking at my ad on the right. I have been hosting websites for friends for some time now and intend to expand hosting to blogs also. Let me know if I can help you, or any input you might have. Thanks.
I have been busy moving a good friends blog and a customer of my file-house hosting to her own domain name that matches her blog Brain Foggles. It was quite a learning experience for me as I had never done it before. First off I did a little research on the web and said to myself that shouldn’t be too much trouble. Well I underestimated the difficulty and the little knowledge I had gained as it was not quite enough. First thing I ran into was the plugin I had found to expidite moving a blog from site to site would not work as the database is too large. I had attempted to move it using the Velvet Blues Update URL’s plugin, but ran into a snag right away as I was limited to a 2mb file and this one was just short of 4mb’s. Plus I was creating a new database as we did not want the old site to go down at all until we had the new site up and running. So I exported the Mysql database onto my computer and uploaded it as the new database for the new site. That was pretty straight forward but where I had trouble was renaming all instances of the old domain to the new domain. I found a great blog site that helped me a ton. My Digital Life had the information I needed to work with the Mysql database. It made life so much easier and I can’t thank them enough. Alright now I have I said to myself but once more my hopes were dashed like a ship against the rocks. I had an error with the php code. It was Warning: array_keys(): The first argument should be an array in */wp-includes/widgets.php on line 676, (*= your root directory). This I found out was a common occurence when moving blogs and was caused byt the text widgets. So back to the Msql database into the options table hunting the text widgets line. Once there you remove everyting in the table and woooo hoooo its working minus the text widgets. So I am back off to the old site to get the text widgets text. It all goes in one at a time making sure none of them break the instal and we are done. I feel confident now that I can move pretty much any WordPress blog onto my hosting server as long as I have access to the old blogsite. Now I find out she has a contest running and wants to hold off the move for 3 more days. Oh well I know what I am doing now so it shouldn’t be the big deal it was when I started.
I have mentioned the OLPC (One Laptop Per Child) program in the past. Here In South Carolina some 500 laptops are going to distributed to children in Marion County according to South Carolina Superintendent of Education Jim Rex. South Carolina is the first in the nation to use the privately funded program. Funding for the laptops going to Marion County schools comes from Greenville executive Erwin Maddrey and Charleston business woman Linda Ketner. This is so generous of them and can make a huge difference in the lives of the children who receive the laptops. The laptops are easy to use and have features such as a small keyboard designed to fit small hands, built in camera, stereo speakers and a microphone. These laptops are virtually indestructible being mostly water proof and kid proof. Students in 4k to the fifth grade are eligible to receive one. I would like to personally thank both Mr Maddrey and Ms Ketner for their generosity. Hopefully others or the state legislators will step up and get started on getting these computers into the hands of all the students in the state that can not afford one of their own.
Back when my daughter and son were were young I had an accident at work falling and blowing out my shoulder when I landed on it. The insurance company fought it all the way. Denying everything, trying to get out of not only paying me but my doctor bills as well. Finally I had to get a lawyer to sue them into doing the right thing. It sure would have been nice to have found someone doing litigation funding. If we had not of had savings we would have lost everything waiting on a settlement and still not able to work. Law Max can help you survive the time it takes to settle without taking the first offer because you are in dire financial need. Scared of losing your home or being evicted. I sure wish they had been around all those years ago as we could have used them.
I am a little behind on this post but the tragic events in neighboring states really touched me and I had to write about them. There has even been a miracle overnight as they found a little baby boy tossed from the wreckage that was his home – with his mother who they found dead – and landing about a hundred yards away buried under the debris that was once his home. Finding him was truly miraculous as they only decided to search once more after they found the wreckage of a baby carriage. Once again the man upstairs is watching out for us.
Ok that out of the way what I was going to talk about was I reached another milestone in my commitment to quit smoking. I believe that is the correct word too, – commitment – you have to be truly ready to commit to breaking the tobacco habit. Wednesday was a full month of me not smoking or actually the last cigarette I smoked was on a Wednesday night a month ago. Every day it gets easier to not smoke though I do still want one even right now as I type away to you my readers. Every time I sit back to gather my thoughts and put them to page I almost unfailingly reach for a cigarette. It takes a lot of determination not to fall back into that trap again and it is a trap. Cigarettes are a seductress who will wrap her cold fingers around you in a vise as if to never let go. I have read where some people claim that marijuana is the gateway drug to other drugs but I beg to differ as I feel it is cigarettes that are the gateway drug. Once you start smoking cigarettes you are, if you are young, either stealing them or getting someone else to buy them for you. and you are sneaking around to do it. Placing yourself amongst others that are sneaking around smoking and maybe doing even more. Such as smoking pot and or drinking. Smoking cigarettes and drinking seem to go hand in hand anyhow. I am not going to go off on a tirade from the top of the biggest box of soap I can find about the ridiculous laws that foster the violence from the drug trades.
I will say this, smoking is a hard habit to break and you need to muster up all the will power you can to beat it. I have a very close friend who is working on her first week of being smoke free. It is going to be harder on her as there is another smoker in the house and it is too cold to banish him to the outdoors. But having a smoke free home really helped me to quit as I would have to go outside or come down to my computer to smoke. Try making as many areas around you as possible, smoke free. Force yourself to get up and go elsewhere to smoke. Going outside is a very good thing if you are smoking as it protects others from breathing your second hand smoke and especially in the winter months will make you want to hurry back in again. Cutting back the amount of the cigarette you smoke will help too but the only true thing that will ever make you quit smoking is yourself and your will power. There are many aids to assist you in your quest but ultimately it is upon your shoulders to quit or not.
??? The death count has went up since I posted yesterday, They found 7 more souls lost to the killer storms. Lets just hope the federal response time will not be so woefully lacking as it was after Katrina hit the gulf coast. Probably not as these people may not have been as poor as the residents of New Orleans who languished for days on end awaiting help that was so slow to come. Help that was too late for some as they perished awaiting relief. I could write a book articulating the inadequate response from the federal government. The only ones on top of their game were the men and women of the Coast Guard who tirelessly, flew mission after mission saving stranded people. It breaks my heart still to think of the way our president and his staff bent over double to insure that help got there the very next day. (Insert Sarcasm Here) I can say with all honesty that I truly believe that if the storm had flattened an affluent city that the response time would have actually been overnight and I would not have to hold my tongue in cheek when I say that. There is a double standard in this country and it is not based on race or color of skin, though it is based on color and that color is green – money green – that along with the greed it brings out in people. But here I have gotten away from the subject at hand and it is the poor unfortunate people who have lost everything they own and are now trying to pick up the pieces. Now would be a good time to donate to the Red Cross as they can use your help. Right now they have a massive effort across five southern states to bring relief to every storm stricken community. Already Red Cross workers are on the job – providing shelter, feeding victims, and search and rescue workers,- and lending emotional support to all. They are encouraging families forced from their homes to register – or have a friend register you – on the Red Cross Safe and Well web site. On the site, people within a disaster area can register themselves as “safe and well” by selecting and posting messages for friends and family. Since the disaster struck, a total of 14 shelters have sheltered more than 450. Over the past two days, Red Cross volunteers have provided devastated residents and emergency workers with thousands of meals and snacks.?
??? Once again the Red Cross beats any efforts from our government. Lets just hope their response won’t be like Katrina’s – too little, too late.
???? I was all set to give you my spin on the elections yesterday but feel a more pressing need to speak out for the 48 that were killed in last nights storms across the south.Dozens of tornadoes roared through the night killing at least 48, where they are standing now on the death toll and it could reach higher but let’s pray it does not. Rescue crews, some with the help of the National Guard, went door-to-door looking for more victims in the southern states of Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas and Alabama. In Jackson, Tennessee the small campus of Union University sits. Though the campus looks like a war zone with practically every building sustaining some damage and having students trapped in the devastated dormitories, no one was killed or critically injured. The man upstairs was looking out for them cause the buildings look like a bomb went off. It is amazing that everyone survived it.
??? My heart goes out to the families and friends of these people who were lost last night. My heart goes out also to the ones who though they may be relatively ok as far as physically. But in dire shape as they lost their homes and or business or even their job as some of the pics I have seen this morning look like a plant with tanks out back that was nearly flattened. There is no way that employees will be able to work there it for weeks or months it looks like. It is times like this I wish I were wealthy so I could help these people out. I am sure the Red Cross will be out there with help and hopefully Bush will declare a disaster area of the effected areas where they can get federal help to rebuild their homes and lives. I hope all of you will keep the survivors, their family and friends in your heart and prayers.
Are you like me, an animal lover, who would love to be able to take care of more than the pets we now have? Well I have found a web site – The Animal Rescue Site – that will allow you to help feed abused, neglected, and abandoned animals by simply clicking a button on their web site. It takes only a few moments to visit and click the purple button to donate food to these needy animals. Corporate sponsors and advertisers use the number of daily clicks to donate food in exchange for advertising and public relations. They pay CharityUSA, the parent entity of the site on a per click basis. CharityUSA then directs a percentage of the ad revenue to animal shelters and sanctuaries. They then keep the remaining funds. The Animal Rescue Site is not a non-profit entity so it should not be confused with charity even though it does send a large portion of its revenues to the needy. While you are there you can click the tabs to give for hunger, help sponsor mammograms, click to give free health care for children, donate books for literacy, and assist in saving the rain forests. Now that I have explained that let me also make sure you know that upon your clicks, all proceeds are donated 100%. There is no profit off you clicks only giving. Now if you would visit every day and tell ten of your friends to tell ten of their friends and so on and so forth there would be a big difference made for abandoned pets and humans as well. Over all it is a win win situation for those in need. Can you please help them?
Hunger is a terrible thing and it is – lucky for us – something very few if any have ever had to deal with. But to most of the world hunger is something that must be dealt with on a daily basis. The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving. It is estimated that one billion people in the world suffer from hunger and malnutrition. In the Asian, African and Latin American countries, well over 500 million people are living in what the World Bank has called “absolute poverty”. Every year almost 15 million children die of hunger or hunger related problems. It is not just third world countries that have hunger issues. Even here in the United States one out of every eight children under the age of twelve goes to bed hungry every night.
This is a terrible thing and even though you want to help you are not able to financially. Many of us live from paycheck to paycheck, just barely getting by. My readers may remember me posting about the FreeRice site that gives away rice with every correct question on vocabulary. I have found yet another site where you can help feed the poor for free. It is estimated that over 3 billion people in the world are struggling to get by on $2.00 US per day. The site is The Hunger Site. Since its launch in 1999 the site has helped feed the world’s hungry. To date there has been more than 300 million visitors that clicked the yellow “Click Here to Give – it’s FREE” button. Turning the clicks into more than 500 million cups of food. They also sell ad space and have a store that features hand made items from various countries. They have numerous pages of items in their store. Anything from hand carved gourds to Peruvian silver jewelry. And all the profits go to a good cause, feeding the hungry. Most items will tell you how much food is being donated per purchase. But you do not have to purchase anything whatsoever to give away free food everyday. Simply visit the site everyday and click the Yellow “Click Here to Give – it’s FREE” button. It will only take a few moments of your time and can mean the world to someone else.
Christmas has past and we rang in the new year last night. I hope each and everyone of you had a great time last night and have a happy and prosperous 2008. I know many have to celebrate with spirits and hope those that did don’t feel too rotten today. I know I have over indulged myself on past near years celebrations. But nothing like that for me no more, doctors orders, with my medications it isn’t a good idea to mix with? alcohol. Its supposed to really intensify the effects . One drink feeling like a half a dozen they say. Which might be a good thing if I still wanted to let the world slip by me as I?partied away. Its not the product itself that is bad but the manner in which you use it.
I haven’t sat down and wrote a list of resolutions as I am not that organized anyhow. Perhaps that would make a good one for the top of the list. That and lose a few pounds as I am getting “too big for my britches” as they used to tell me when i was a youngster. I further resolve that I will try to be more helpful to my fellow man. I have tried to live by that rule all my life as we were taught from early on the blessings of sharing and helping others. Things like giving away a free month of hosting on my file-house hosting service. I hope I can keep that up as it is a great feeling helping others. I am a mentor for the DOUA (Disabled Online Users Association) and am very proud to be a member of such a giving group of people.
Check them out if you want to help people who are trying to help themselves as well as others. It is giving a hand up not a hand out.
I do intend to keep this blog up and running giving you a glimpse of the world going on around you through my eyes and their perspective. I look forward to comments, good or bad, or any other critique that you may have. Thanks to all my visitors for reading and visiting my site. May you be blessed in the years to come.