Every March, we celebrate Women’s History Month, an annual declared month in the United States and worldwide that highlights contributions of women to events in history. Its origins are found in 1978 when the school district of Sonoma, California, participated in Women’s History Week, a weeklong celebration designed around International Women’s Day, which is now celebrated on March 8. In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration when March was declared Women’s History Month. Its official centennial will be celebrated in 2011. The theme for 2010 is “Equal rights, equal opportunities: Progress for all.”

Last year, Speaker Nancy Pelosi has even issued her own public statement on the celebration, in which she states “Every March, we take time to honor the many women whose courage and vision have helped build and sustain our nation. We honor those who fought for progress; we acknowledge those who lead the charge today; and we recommit ourselves to expanding opportunities for all.” She also promises “Congress will continue to work to put women and children first. That includes investments in early childhood education, ensuring military families have the benefits they have earned and deserved, and strengthening the equal pay act. And as we do, we will take forward the lesson of Women’s History Month: that by knowing their power, women can, and do, change the course of history for all Americans.”

International Women’s Day has been observed since in the early 1900’s, a time of great expansion and turbulence in the industrialized world that saw booming population growth and the rise of radical ideologies.

It all began in 1908, a time of great unrest and active campaigning by women demanding shorter hours, better pay and voting rights. In accordance with a declaration by the Socialist Party of America, the first National Woman’s Day (NWD) was observed across the United States on February 28, 1909. Women continued to celebrate NWD on the last Sunday of February until 1913. (more…)

After a Starbucks customer received her coffee from the Barista, she was so inspired by the employee who thanked her in sign language that she wrote a letter to the company suggesting that all employees should do the same.

Starbucks has posted a video response at MyStarbucksIdea.com and the reader commentary there is extremely supportive.

Should Starbucks Baristas be able to say Thank You in sign language? How should Starbucks best accommodate hearing- or speech-impaired customers?

Watch the video below, and share your vote at MyStarbucksIdea.com.

You don’t have to learn sign language to tell the world you’re eco-minded!
You can help the environment by recycling your used printer cartridges and cell phones. Your inkjets, toners, and cell phones are worth more than you think!
Why not recycle them at eCycleGroup.com?

As the 2010 Winter Olympics draw to a close and athletes from around the world count up their Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals, it is also important to honor the planners of the great event with their own “Green” medal for making the 2010 Vancouver games one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable Olympic games ever.

As reported at the British Columbia Renewable Energy Blog,  The David Suzuki Foundation awarded the Vancouver Olympics with a bronze medal for its “climate scorecard.”  The Vancouver-based foundation lauded Olympic organizers for creating innovative and energy-efficient venues which use clean hydroelectric energy as well as waste heat from refrigeration systems, landfill methane, and ground-source heat pumps.

“We feel like we’ve raised the bar,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Some of these technologies will be a legacy for generations to come, that will benefit cities all over the world.” Such eco-friendly concerns come naturally to 45-year-old former organic farmer, who earlier ran the Happy Planet juice company, and whose primary form of transportation is a well-used mountain bike.

Grouse Mountain, Vancouver’s most visited attraction (drawing more than a million visitors annually) constructed its very own 1.5 megawatt wind turbine. Dubbed “The Eye of the Wind,”  this 213-foot tower was installed this winter and was fully operational in time for the Olympics. The force of the wind will spin the blades to speeds as high as 160 mph at their tips, and is expected to offset up to 25 percent of the Grouse Mountain’s annual operational electricity needs.

Offsetters estimates the 2010 Winter Games will create 118,000 tons of carbon emissions directly attributable to the 2010 Winter Games through venue construction, facility heating, and athlete travel. Additionally, the site estimates the event will produce 150,000 tons of ‘indirect’ emissions from flights and accommodation for spectators, media, corporate sponsors and their partners. Visitors to the event can offset their carbon footprint while attending the Games by purchasing offsets at the venue. Eco-minded Olympics fans around the world can purchase one ton of carbon offsets for $25 (Canadian dollars) at the Offsetters site and receive a commemorative certificate and a special limited edition Offsetters 2010 pin. (more…)

When watching fashion models stroll down the runway, besides asking “What on Earth is she wearing?” many a viewer wonders how they are able to walk in “those heels.” Depending on the designer, shoe styles may range from strappy and shiny to anteater-type ankle booties or skyhigh ankle-threatening platforms.

As a matter of fact, it can be quite difficult to sashay effortlessly down a glossy runway and stay footed like a mountain goat.

This cringe-worthy video from CNN.com and Youtube.com demonstrates what can happen when disaster strikes those high-fashion heels. You’ll only want to wear flats after watching this one!

This week marks the beginning of Lent, a period of 40 days of penance and reflection in which many Christians prepare for the coming of Easter. The week typically begins with feasting at Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) parties as people celebrate eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.

Ash Wednesday officially begins the season as many faithful receive blessed ashes on their foreheads symbolizing the confession and penitence of the day. The remaining days of Lent are symbolic of the 40 days of temptation that Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism.

According to the Journal Gazette/Times Courier “In addition to special worship services, Christians generally observe Lent with acts of introspection, self-examination, and repentance for one’s sins.” Some may fast or give up something (e.g., a food or an activity) during the time of Lent. Others spend the 40 days in prayer, practicing special devotions, or volunteering for various charities. (Technically, the time period between Ash Wednesday and Easter is 46 days, but Sundays don’t count, as each is considered to be a ‘mini-Easter.’)

This year, Reuters reports,  “Church leaders are encouraging people to give up their iPods for Lent, instead of more traditional vices such as chocolate, to help save the planet.”

What a great idea! The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, and the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, are calling it a “technology fast,” and are suggesting that people give up such devices as mobile phones or iPods as a way to cut carbon emissions during Lent.

“Instead of giving up chocolate for Lent, why not fast for justice … to help those suffering from the effects of climate change,” said Jones. “There is no climate justice for the poor. The Carbon Fast helps us change the way we live; the Climate Justice Fund helps the poor adapt to a changing climate.” (more…)

This man’s home built of Budweiser cans is the envy of his friends and neighbors. It’s eco-friendly and great-looking — until his visitors discover the cans are not empty!

You don’t have to build a house out of cans to show you can be eco-minded!
You can help the environment by recycling your used printer cartridges and cell phones. Your inkjets, toners, and cell phones are worth more than you think!
Why not recycle them at eCycleGroup.com?

It’s been nearly two weeks since the catastrophic 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Haiti, and people everywhere are moved by the tragic situation overseas. According to recent reports, more than 150,000 bodies have been recovered in the capital Port-Au-Prince alone, and the United Nations says it still does not know how many bodies remain buried in the rubble of collapsed buildings. Efforts are now shifting from searching for survivors to providing aid and shelter for the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the catastrophic destruction.

A report at CNN.com indicates that medical teams are currently organizing to provide assistance, as an onslaught of doctors have answered the call for medical aid. Unfortunately nursing staff and safe space to provide post-traumatic care are at an extreme shortage. Healthcare providers currently in Haiti suggest that doctors and physical therapists who want to help should wait to volunteer in a few weeks or months, when thousands of amputees will need significant, specialized post-operative care.

Are you looking for a way to provide some assistance to Haitian earthquake victims?  Thanks to Mashable and additional research, we’ve compiled the following short list of authentic and reliable ways to provide emergency relief to Haiti. (Please click the “More” link to review the list.) (more…)

Each week, Jonathan Ross presents music and celebrity chat on his BBC television show “Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.” In this entertaining video clip,  quirky Oscar-winning Hollywood anti-hero Christopher Walken reads a few lines from Lady Gaga’s hit song “Pokerface.”

I suppose we should be thankful he didn’t request “more cowbell!”

Click here to see Lady Gaga perform Pokerface. (more…)

It doesn’t matter whether you’re with the Chin or Coco, this entire situation has become an embarrassing mess for NBC, and EV-erybody has been talking about it.

Here it is in a nutshell:
Several, many, some, years ago, NBC made plans for Jay Leno to retire from his job as host of “The Tonight Show” and lined up Conan O’Brien to take his place. Conan took Lenos place in June 2009, and soon after NBC gave Leno a different show at an earlier time, put Conan (who was lovingly nicknamed “Coco” by some) into Leno’s old spot, and gave Conan’s old spot to Jimmy Fallon.

Just this week, NBC decided this arrangement isn’t working for them, so they’ve decided to muck with the lineup a little more. They want to give Leno a half-hour spot at 11:30, bump Conan back to 12:05, and move Jimmy Fallon later behind them.

According to Mashable,  Conan put The Tonight Show up for sale at Craigslist  though the listing titled “4 SALE: BARELY-USED LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW,” has been removed (thank goodness for screen captures, or this wouldn’t have been quite so funny). Over at Twitter, #teamconan is topping trending topics, and even the little Reddit Alien was sporting Conan’s hairstyle for a few days this week.

Jimmy Kimmel attempted to explain the situation by cutting a pie into pieces,  Rosie O’Donnell said she thinks Jay Leno “should walk away”  and  David Letterman has offered up his own suggestion as well–watch the video below to hear his take on it.

What do you think about all of this? Personally, I’m with Coco.  Please share your opinions with us at twitter.com!

I remember the first time I saw a musician do live music looping on stage: It was this amazing guitarist Newton Faulkner at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles last summer, and at first I didn’t know what he was doing. He was moving around on the stage, making a sound on one mic, then another sound with another instrument on another mic; a few moments later, I could hear the sounds building as each of his musical moments looped around and built upon the other create an amazing soundtrack that he created and then sang and played along with. It was fabulous!

While looping is commonly performed in the studio, It’s an amazing thing to watch as a musician employs this talent live. In this YouTube video, violinist Mark Russell rocks out, building a tune live, one musical loop at a time. Mark is also a composer and teacher who began studying classical violin at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia. Find out more about Mark Russell at www.myspace.com/markrussellviolinadventurer.

Have a great week!