Tuesday 23 September 2014

Get off your high horse......

This is completely my own opinion. I do not mean to stir the pot. A tweet was made the other day that really rubbed me the wrong way.  It was regarding the water used in the ALS ice bucket challenges and how it wasn't done in other countries because they don't have the luxury of clean running water. A known person made this comment. Before I start....I am going to post some facts that I made sure I found before posting this. I have stewed on this statement for over 24 hours now. It's just as aggravating now as it was when it was posted.

~ More than 70% of fresh water is used for agriculture.
~10% is used for human consumption.
~783 million people do not have access to clean and safe water, meaning 1 in 9 worldwide do not have access to safe and clean drinking water.
~89% of the worlds population has access to improved drinking water.
~There are 500 000 diarrhoeal deaths per year.
~Diarrhoea is no longer among the 5 leading causes of death. It is still in the top 10.

~8.2 million people died from cancer in 2012. It is the leading cause of death worldwide
~Chronic disease causes 60% of deaths worldwide. 80% of those deaths occur in low and middle income countries.

~Outdoor air pollution in cities are rural areas caused 3.7million premature deaths in 2012. 88% of those deaths occurred in low to middle income countries.
~80% due to heart disease and strokes
14% due to COPD and lower respiratory infections.
6% due to lung cancer.

~Tobacco kills 6 million people year.
~More than 5 million are a result of direct tobacco use, more than 600 000 are the result of non smokers exposed to second hand smoke.
~1 person dies every six seconds from tobacco, that's 1 in 10 adult deaths.

~35% women worldwide have experienced violence from a spouse or significant other.
~More than 2000 children die from an injury that could have been prevented.
~ 6.3 million children under 5 died in 2013, that's almost 17000 a day.....
~83% of deaths are caused by neonatal or nutritional conditions.

~450 000 people are diagnosed with ALS every year and they all succumb to this within 2 to 3 years. It is fatal.

The top 10 leading causes of death in the world in 2012
1. Ischaemic heart disease
2. Stroke
3. COPD
4. Lower respiratory infections
5. Trachea bronchus, lung cancers
6. HIV/AIDS
7. Diarrhoeal diseases
8. Diabetes mellitus
9. Road Injury
10. Hypertensive Heart disease.

 Celebrities or people with influence are approached by organizations to help them spread the word of what could be done to help those who need it. Be it clean drinking water or helping make Cancer a word of the past. We would all like to see all of the world issued irraticated. But that takes all kinds of people helping out will all organizations. I don't understand why they think their charity is more important than another charity. It is complete bullshit. I get what they are doing. I firmly believe in helping those who need it. I do not agree with you telling me that just because people where doing the bucket challenge makes them any less than a person because there are children in Kenya who do not have complete access to clean and fresh water.....think about that the next time you open a bottle of water....or you have a nice warm shower after being out for days in the wilderness..... Just because people are helping fight a cause doesn't make it any less important that the cause you believe in and are helping with.

They push their charities and organizations on their minions. And they all follow. I am sure everyone has donated because their favorite celebrity has said it will help out people in need. I have grown up watching ads for all sorts of charities. I have my charities that I believe in . Some are local and some are worldwide. I believe everyone at some point needs to help out. Not to make yourself feel better but to help make a difference. If you think about how much celebrities make by doing either movies, music or any other form of arts, authors, directors, public speakers. They make enough money to probably help fix a huge portion of the worlds problems....do they? No. Why because they go to these countries and push their minions to make a difference. And then go home at the end of the day and sleep in their big cushy beds and that's it. Until they are approached again to do the exact same thing. Not all celebs are like that either. I am not generalizing about them all. But how often are they helping out at home? Half of the united states is struggling. They have homeless and starving adults and children. And what do they do? They turn away. It's shameful.

Just because we help out with different organizations doesn't make us any less of a person. That is the impression I got from this person. That because some donated to ALS, who have most likely donated to other causes and issues that are concerning, they are getting shamed because they poured some water on their heads. Piss off. Seriously. Do not think you are better than me because your status helps you help out in a bigger way. Everyone does their part in their own way. Do not imply that what I am doing is wrong because you believe in something else.

Get off you pedestal and look around you. There is more than one world issue at hand. Everyone is trying to their part.

In closing I am adding a list of charities...I know there are some that I have missed and I am sorry. Also, please look within your city and see what you can do to help. There is always things you can do, help at a soup kitchen, food banks and lots of other things. I am not perfect. But I do not take for granted what I have and what I have been given in my life, when there are millions struggling to survive day to day. Just get off your high horse.....

Charities
www.heartandstroke.com  click on Donate Now
www.lung.ca/donate-don/index_e.php
www.cdnaids.ca/helpcasfightaids
www.freethechildren.com/donate
www.thewaterproject.org/donate
www.cancer.ca  click Donate
www.diabetes.ca click Donate
www.crohnsandcolitis.ca  click Donate Now
www.als.ca/en/donate
www.redcross.ca/donate

(I found my facts on the WHO website)

Like I said before this is completely my opinion.

~Me~

Saturday 13 September 2014

A normal seeming day....now with a different meaning

Happy Sept 13th......today would have been my 6th wedding anniversary. Yep. Just six. Together for a total of 12. Today was the day I said I do. And I didn't. Today is going to be a day I feel I let everyone down. My parents paid for my wedding.......that was a waste. People came celebrate the day. That's gone. Today is the day I got up early with my two best friends and my cousin and got ready for the day. Hair,  make up the whole bit. Put on my dress.  I loved my dress. Dominic put on his little suit...omg was he cute.  Then the limo came...yes my Dad got me a limo. We headed down and I got married to who I thought (even tho he proposed 3 times prior and I said no) I would spend the rest of my life with. You can change your last name.....but you can't change the person who had it first.  Then pictures. Oh man. We had great pictures. I loved them. The the supper.  Dancing with my Dad. I'm a Daddy's girl. I love him more than life. I loved our dance. I was a special moment. Dancing with my friends and family.  I love to dance so I hold those dances close. The gift opening the next day. Jesus. I am a horrible person. Making people spend all that money and now for what? God I am bad person.

Why couldn't I make it work? Why didn't I just become the person he wanted me to be?

I am sorry for letting everyone down.

~~