You know you’re already going to be on Facebook or MySpace all day tomorrow desperately trying to create witty status updates-so while you’re at it why not takepart and use your online social network to show your support for World AIDS Day and help raise awareness of HIV among your friends. Post messages of support on your profile, add take action links to your page, and create a status/quote message that lets your network know you support World AIDS day.

Visit the Facebook World AIDS Day page here: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=44267619275
Visit the MySpace World AIDS Day page here: http://www.myspace.com/worldaidsday
And add your photo to the “World AIDS Day 08″ Flickr group here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/wad08

I love my classic Converse Chucks. I also love that Converse joined the Project Red cause. This year Converse created the Converse 1HUND(RED) in which Converse commissioned 100 musicians, graphic and graffiti artists from all over the world to create one-of-a-kind sneaker designs inspired by the global fight against HIV and AIDS in Africa.
So why not buy a holiday gift this year that not only looks good, but does good? takepart and get your Converse Reds today http://www.joinred.com/Learn/Partners/Converse.aspx. Or why not purchase a pair for yourself in honor of World AIDS Day and support the fight against AIDS in style.You can also customize your own (PRODUCT) RED sneakers online with their “MAKE MINE RED” platform. 5-15% of the net sales goes directly to the Global Fund.

I guess everything nowadays gets outsourced to other countries, including healthcare.

Some U.S. insurance companies may start to include foreign medical procedures among those covered by their health plans. Insurance companies have been loosing money since a number of uninsured Americans have gone abroad for cheaper surgeries.

As many as 150,000 U.S. citizens underwent medical treatment abroad in 2006 — the majority in Asia and Latin America. That number grew to an estimated 750,000 in 2007 and could reach as high as 6 million by 2010. Patients are packing suitcases and boarding planes for everything from face lifts to heart bypasses to fertility treatments.-Time.com

Many U.S. doctors and dentists are concerned that their patients are using foreign hospitals for care that may be dangerously cheap. Risks of medical tourism include failure to have proper follow up care upon return to the US, not using safe and accredited facilities, and the potential risks of combining surgical procedures with long flights and vacation activities.

takepart learn more about surgical safety and facility accreditation at the Joint Commission International website http://www.jointcommissioninternational.org/

Tuesday is the International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women, established by the United Nations a mere nine years ago. I don’t want to depress you too much, but there’s a lot of upsetting statistics that reinforce the need for such a holiday. The United Nations describes violence against women as “perhaps the most pervasive human rights violation that we know today.” An estimated one third of all women worldwide have “been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her.”

One region of the world where violence against women is occurring at alarming rates that are significantly higher than international averages is the Congo. As I wrote recently, the violence in the Eastern region of the country is spiraling out of control with overstretched UN Peacekeepers doing what they can, with limited resources, to prevent further escalation of warfare. Over five million people have already died in the country’s civil war. Violence against women, including raping hundreds of thousands of women, has been and continues to be one of the main weapons of war in the Congo.

The Enough! Project, has been leading efforts to raise awareness of the dire situation for women and girls in the Congo and promoting diplomatic options to stop the warfare. Indeed, for women and girls to be safe in Congo, the warfare must end. takepart today to learn more about the history of the Congo and stay informed with Enough about actions you can take to stop the violence.

(photo: Robynjaye)

Fran Drescher from The Nannny recently traveled through Central and Eastern Europe as a United States Public Diplomacy Envoy for Women’s Health Issues. (Read about it on her blog.) Drescher was diagnosed with uterine cancer eight years ago and has since shared her story of survival with tens of thousands of women all over the world.

takepart and help ensure Stage 1 diagnosis for all women with cancer. Stage 1 is when cancer is most curable, this is why early detection is so vital. Check out http://www.cancerschmancer.org/ for more info and ways to get involved.

Last week, in honor of National Hunger and Homeless Week, I wrote about lots of fantastic organizations addressing hunger and homelessness across the country.  There are a range of things these groups are doing to address these issues: providing housing, shoes, health care, job training and fielding soccer teams. Who would ever say soccer that being like David Beckham is a way to address homelessness? It’s not exactly the first thing that comes to mind. But, let me introduce you to Street Soccer USA, which organizes “soccer for social change” programs nationwide.

It also runs the Homeless USA Cup, where inner city soccer teams and social services agencies compete for the title. The winners then compete in the Homeless World Cup which begins in Australia on Thursday.

However, this is more than just soccer. The program is a catalyst for social change by helping participants find new directions in their lives to transition from homelessness to stable housing and employment. The organization says that “77% of participants in Street Soccer programs make a significant life changes such as moving off the street, or pursuing further education.”

The team is currently practicing in my town, Los Angeles, before heading to Australia in a couple of days. takepart to follow the national team or to learn more about the program.

(photo: Ctd 2005)

I love making presents for the holidays, but sometimes I run short on time (read: lazy) to make something for everyone. So, if I’m going to buy a gift I like to know it’s helping the world in some way, which is why Tom’s Project Holiday is such a great idea for the holidays. When you purchase a pair of Tom’s shoes, the company will donate one pair of shoes to a child in need. This season Tom’s is asking you to help them give 30,000 pairs to children in Ethiopia to protect them from podoconiosis, a soil transmitted disease that can be prevented simply by wearing shoes.

takepart by giving a gift make a huge difference in a child’s life.

Melting polar ice caps, extinction of endangered species, worsening air pollution, wildfires, droughts, spread of diseases.  These are all frightening effects of global warming that make me want to takepart to further reduce my personal contribution.  What do they mean to you?

Well, you could be part of the 1/5 of the general US public that doesn’t believe global warming is happening. Yes, it’s not just Sarah Palin and Dick Cheney who are the naysayers but a whopping 60 million Americans. I think part of the problem is the phrase “global warming.” An increase of one or two degrees on the planet will have drastic effects on its delicate ecological balance but people might be able to ignore (to some degree) how it affects their daily lives. And, some people might think that having Miami Beach weather in Seattle might be a good thing (though I don’t know if culturally people in Seattle would be happy about that).  However, global warming doesn’t mean warmer temperatures everywhere. It means chaos on the planet with warming in some places, colder temperatures in others and a complete churning of the intricate, delicate balance of nature.

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Baltimore City Public Schools has announced plans to open an organic farm where its schoolchildren will learn about healthy eating. The plans for the facility, called Fresh Start Farm, calls for 33 acres of neighboring Baltimore County to be used as a living, growing classroom for often economically disadvantaged City public school students, where they will learn about healthy diets and sustainable living by growing their own plants in the soil.

The project is being spearheaded by Baltimore City Public School’s new food service director Tony Geraci, who previously founded First Course, a culinary program for low-income and at risk youths, two categories Baltimore City is no short supply of. A 2007 survey found that one fifth of Baltimore City High School students are obese. Following national trends, the rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease are also much higher in the City than both State of Maryland and national averages, particularly amongst the African-American community that makes up nearly two thirds of Baltimore’s population.

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While plenty of pressing issues occupy our headlines today, it may not be long before “water crisis” spans the front page. To address the looming problem YouthNoise’s Drop Campaign is uniting youth activists in an effort to increase water conservation and improve access to clean water for all.

The Goal of DROP is to amplify the voices of young people in raising awareness of our water crisis, build a strong coalition based movement, and find unique and innovative solutions to fixing it.

takepart by signing the Drop Facebook pledge and follow these water saving tips to help conserve this precious resource.