Civility

So I am subscribed to  Mormon Messages on YouTube and this is one that came up that I think we should all be a little more aware of. Some people you wouldn't dream of talking to or treating as your equal simply based on looks. Here is a nice reminder that we are all human and we might need to think about how we are treating the people around us. Enjoy :)

USNS Mercy and the UCSD Pre-Dental Society

So a colleague of mine, Kent Carollo, came to give a presentation at one of the colloquiums last semester. He presented on a volunteer opportunity he had during last summer. He is a pre-dental major, and so he did some work with the UCSD who partners with the Navy's Hospital ship, the USNS Mercy to do humanitarian aid. They provided basic health and dental care to people who would otherwise not have access or means for any at all. Below was the UCSD's efforts in 2007. Also, the pictures above are links to their respective websites. Enjoy :)

Paul Mitchell "FUNraising"

So my friend Maria is going to the Paul Mitchell school in SLC, and she is blogging about her experiences in school. (Go to her channel here) Anyways, as part of the requirements, they have to attend a certain amount of charity events whether it be just attending or participating in giving service. After visiting their school's site, I realized that they raise a lot of money for charities. Here is a list of charities they support. Maybe I will get into those charities when I start running out of ideas. Enjoy :)

Girl Scouts

Of course, any scouting is good, girl or boy, but do boys sell delicious cookies? Not usually. I was never involved with this program, but it looks like a pretty good idea. It tastes like a good idea too. Here is a video about how girl scout cookies help the world! Enjoy :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Wy31SsNPv4
(embedding was disabled)

Individual Worth

So within the organization of the LDS church, there is the Young Womens program. So in this program, one of the values taught is that of Individual Worth. That means that there are lessons and activities based on this principle. One, for example, is this photo shoot that my cousin did for the girls in her ward. There are other ideas posted around the internet if you wanna check. Here is a video of maybe a similar photo shoot and some quotes too. Enjoy :)

NBA Cares

I love to see celebrities giving back to their community. These people make a ton of money doing what they love and they are huge role models in a lot of peoples lives but what more do they do to give to society than to show people what they will never obtain? Here we see this is not what is going on. These people are trying to better the society around them. One example of a charity that I have given to is the efforts of Patty Mills to help out Australia:

Both me and my boo bought this shirt to help Patty Mills of the Portland Trail Blazers to rebuild after the floods in Australia. Find out what you can do to help these guys in their efforts! enjoy.

http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/index.ssf/2011/03/blazers_patty_mills_keeps_push.html

From Porn to Purity

Chastity

So I came across this site when I was looking for the Dawson McAllister information to post. Its encouraging to see that there are religious associations that create sites like this. I recognize that this issue is not seen as a problem to a lot of people, especially those who are not religious at all, but it has to affect you in some way. I mean, when we all were younger in grade school, we recognized what was wrong by our teachers punishing us for saying or doing inappropriate things. Other times we might get away with it but still feel that we did something wrong. So what is influenced from the outside and what from the inside? Sometimes your conscious goes away if you have done things like this for so long. To me, it doesn't have to be a religious thing (though that strongly comes in to play) so much as it can be a logical thing. One of the arguments on the porn to purity site is that if you have some dark secret you are hiding, it can lower your self esteem or ability to communicate well with others. Especially if you keep it from your spouse right? How does it make them feel if you go somewhere else for pleasure? Another thing to me is, if you give in to your lusts so easily, you are de-evolving yourself. All the animals in the animal kingdom have to reproduce too, but you have the mind and conscious to stop yourself. Why would you do that? Such a waste of a brain. Self mastery says it can be accomplished. If you are like me and you like kung fu movies, you see the monks do it ALL THE TIME and they are wicked amazing at martial arts and a calm mind because they have focused their mind on other things. Sex is a distraction in our world. I mean really, besides our nature to have those feelings anyways, why do we need other media and things provoking it? I guess my thought of the day is master yourself and you will feel better about yourself.


If you want the religious perspective, I have provided those links, and there are more links on those pages. The LDS perspective is linked under the word "chastity" on the top of the page. And here is a quick video below as well. Enjoy :)