redlg

School of Joy Needs YOUR help – Please Donate Today

redlg — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:36:40 +0000

In November, my mom and I were fortunate enough to stumble across an amazing school just outside the city of Siem Reap, on our long awaited trip to Cambodia. The humble school was started by a local Cambodian man named Sovannara Yang who is attending University while working two jobs and uses his own salary to run the school.

Located in the outskirts of the city, the school is nestled in the middle an impoverished neighborhood, where the resident children have no means of transportation to travel to the public school provided by the government. Having only been open for a short time, the children in this community are, for the first time, receiving an education and are eager to learn.

The biggest educational need for these children is for them to learn English. The native language, Khmer, is only spoken in Cambodia by Cambodians. Since tourism is a large source of employment for Cambodians, speaking English is a must to ensure a future for these children.

These beautiful children are excited and thankful for the opportunity to learn.

In addition to free education for this community’s impoverished children. The school of peace offers a way to make a living for several Cambodian women that are HIV positive. These women have the opportunity to make wallets, purses and jewelry from recycled newspaper and are able to support themselves and their families in this way.

Sovannara and his staff are doing a wonderful job in starting and running this school with the limited resources that they have. We had such an amazing time volunteering at this school, falling in love with the children and having Sovannara share his vision with us.

Here’s where you come in: The school is in need of a website for donations and a presence for prospective volunteers to find when planning their travels to Siem Reap. I have asked Sovannara if I could use my resources in the U.S. to build this site and he accepted with excitement. It will cost $500.00 to build this website the proper way and I am asking for donations to finance the site and help the School of Peace grow to an entirely new level. Any amount is much appreciated and know that you are helping each and every one of these children have a better today and an even better tomorrow.

Thank you so much for your time and god bless.

To make a donation, please click on the PayPal Donate button at the top of this blog.

Change

redlg — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 06:33:51 +0000

If change is so good for us then why are we so resistant to it?

I’ve been reading a lot of motivational and spiritual quotes lately, (thank you, twitter), and all them have a common thread. Each one, in their own way, says that change is a vehicle for growth, the path of learning, a GOOD thing.

Well, that’s easy for the millionaire sitting in his love sac, dressed in a white linnen robe and buddhist bracelet around his tan wrist (okay, that description may be a bit overboard, just go with me on this). My point is that it’s much easier to talk about how good change is for people than to actually initiate, experience or adapt to it.

This whole Tebow phenomenon has brought this issue to my attention but in a completely different light than I normally see change (not the currency….we’ve all seen the homeless episode of Southpark & I’m quoting the, ‘channngge’ line as I type…..if you haven’t seen it, go watch immediately…seriously, stop reading this and go watch it). We typically look at these types of issues in regards to personal issues and don’t see them on a societal level too often. Number fifteen has done just that. He is changing the way we all view and analyze NFL QB’s as we know it.

I’m serious about stopping to read this and go watch that Southpark, if you haven’t yet.

When the hype surrounding Tebow began at training camp, all of the experts in the media preached (that pun was completely intended) that he would never be a successful NFL QB based on everything they knew up to this point. Times are CHANGING, Tebow is forcing us to look at the way we anyalize the effectiveness one of the most important positions in the game. People said his throwing motion wasn’t correct, his technique was off…..and the list went on and on. Suddendly, against the speculation and the set criteria, the team began winning. I’m not saying the wins were pretty or that Tebow put up any special numbers. He is unconventional, non-tradional but mentally tough and he makes guys around him better. All I can say is that the constant variable on the squad since the W’s has been Mr. Tebow.

The reaction of the masses has been a mixture of prase, confusion….a few, ‘I told you so’s. What’s taking place is CHANGE. As sports fans and media, are having to change our way of judging and assessing a good quarterback (and perhaps athlete, for that matter). This transition, this change has left analysts and fans alike confused, baffled and uncomfortable. In the end, this is a story of the underdog, of the hard worker, of the genuinely good guy, overcoming the odds and leading a team and the masses of Orange & Blue fans to win after win. This story has swept the nation and has been a inspirational story amidst the sad and depressing headlines of murder, scandal and other sad stuff (like cute animals dying).

Let’s take this lesson of how we’re CHANGEing our view on NFL QB’s and apply it to other athletes. In fact, let’s take it beyond sports and apply it to life in general. Tebow’s story is the perfect example of how CHANGE really is a good thing. We will make it through the awkward stage as we try to make sense of the stats and number, that aren’t adding up to what we’ve been taught (just don’t ask me to hold your hand while you breath into one of those brown paper bags that people use when they have anixiety attacks….that freaks me out).

Fantasy Lockout

redlg — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:32:48 +0000

I’m about as interested in day 128 of the NFL lockout and the complex legal jargon that’s being thrown around as Britney Spears is in U.S. Foreign Policy. It’s getting exhausting listening to members of the media scramble for things to cover. If I have to hear one more breakdown of Tebow’s book, (not that I have any problem with him OR his fine writing skills), I’m going to go crazy!

The longer this thing goes on, the longer, players will keep having to train doing P90X in their unfinished basements and trying not to trip over their kid’s Tonka trucks, while running wind sprints in their backyards. The longer this goes on, owners will have to start assessing their fur coat and car collections for what might have to be auctioned off to keep their wives in the life styles they’ve become accustom to.

We already know enough about how the lockout is affecting the media, players and owners. I’m here today, to highlight one group that will be GRAVELY affected by this. A group comprised of almost millions, a group that will have their lives flipped up side down if there is not a 2011 NFL season. I’m talking about the almighty fantasy footballer. Millions of men and women waste away their days at work and home managing their fantasy football teams throughout the season. Some, regard fantasy draft day as a sacred holiday and have done things they aren’t proud of to acquire that free agent running back that is going to take them to the finals. Fantasy football is a way of life, a culture, for a big portion of beer drinking, hot wing eating, red-blooded Americans.

By now you’re probably wondering, what will happen to these poor unfortunate souls? Is there a 1-800 number I can call to donate to, like the kids in the third world countries I see on tv? If you’re a diehard fantasy footballer yourself, you’re probably silently weeping at your computer, pretending there’s something in your eyes.

These people will need something to do in the absence of a season. I fear water cooler talks that used to be full of banter about lineups and trash talk of who won last weeks’ game, will turn into chatter about the Kardashians and which designer Brad Pitt wore to the latest red carpet. That the addiction to playing fantasy sports is so deep that our fantasy footballers will turn to playing fantasy badminton or fantasy Cricket and start speaking with British accents and drinking tea instead of coffee. Why stop there? This epidemic could affect our children, our future. People could turn to fantasy pee wee football. I can picture it right now. Little Johnny being denied his orange slice and Capri Sun at half time because dad has the running back for the other team on his roster and he needs at least 30 yards this game for him to have a chance at winning his fantasy game this week.

I could go on and on about the consequences of the lockout for our beloved fantasy footballers but frankly, I’m getting bored and the “Strongbox” episode of Seinfeld just came on.

Look. All I know is that, if this lockout doesn’t end soon, our country could be in big trouble. The absence of fantasy football could lead to a nation full of Kardashian loving, tea drinking (pinky out), child sabotaging, group of scared and confused individuals. This lockout MUST end. If not for the players or the owners, it must end for the sake of our children (sorry Johnny).