Thursday, January 17, 2013

#21 Project for Awesome

The Project for Awesome is a web-based initiative started by John and Hank Green. The idea behind the Project for Awesome is to create an entire day where youtubers upload videos about their favourite charities and social action groups. During the day, the Federation  to Decrease World-Suck (the company the brothers founded for this day of action) collects donations which go to the top five videos as voted by the community. In 2011 they raised $71,000 but this year the amount ballooned to over $450,000. This initiative doesn't just make people aware of various charities and causes, it also challenges people to actively campaign on the charity's behalf

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

#20 The Sound of Barely Frozen Puddles When You Step on Them

On the farm, this happens quite a lot. Oftentimes after the first big freeze there are hundreds of these frozen puddles which my brothers and I stomp on with merciless pleasure. These are sounds that resonate with the good times I've spent with my brothers and my dog, and they're sounds I'll remember when I look back on the days of yore, the days when snow and ice existed in southwestern ontario.
Plus it's so darn satisfying.

#19 Peer to Peer

I would like to be included in Peer to Peer next semester. After the first two sessions, I think it went incredibly well, and I'm convinced that there's a lot more we can do to educate grade 9's and of course, continue the conversation. I also believe that as someone who has never tried drugs/alcohol, I can offer a unique perspective that should be represented in this program.

#18 The Most Important Characteristic

There are many important things we look for in a leader, honesty, charisma, speaking skills, but I believe the most important characteristic in a leader is the ability to put others before themselves and truly lead others, not themselves. Many leaders these days don't do that. Across the world, we see many "leaders" who only "lead" by creating laws or situations that benefit them, and them alone. The true leaders are those who place other's interests over theirs, those who help others who are less fortunate than them, and those who are willing to compromise with others for the good of all people.
Are the "leaders" in the American Congress doing this? Are the "leaders" in Canadian Parliament doing this?
I don't think so.

#17 Ford and Fontana

Rob Ford and Joe Fontana should both lose their jobs. Both of them stole from taxpayers, and that should come with consequences. When a breach of trust that involves thousands of dollars being taken occurs, jail time should be taken into consideration. While I personally believe that Fontana deserves jail time and Ford doesn't (I legitimately believe that Ford had no idea that this contribution to "charity" was illegal), there is one thing I know for sure: neither of them should continue to serve as the leaders of the citizens they betrayed.