These are hardtimes, Just the beginning of the year 2010, an unexpected tragedy just happened in Haiti that was hit by an earthquake. Though I cannot really tell the exact details as of now, but as I am surfing the web, the news says that the fatalities/dead could reach up to more than a 100 thousand. News around the world are still on updates about the situation there as well as web surging for information about the Haiti quake.

These are the organizations gathered around the web that gives support and accepts donations for Haiti Earthquake victims.

Red Cross,

UNICEF

Doctors Without Borders

Wyclef’s Yéle Haiti

mGive Foundation(Mobile donations),

Complete List of Charitable Organizations

Action Against Hunger, 877-777-1420

Agape Flights, 941-584-8078

American Red Cross, 800-733-2767

American Jewish World Service, 212-792-2900

AmeriCares, 800-486-4357

Beyond Borders, 866-424-8403

CARE, 800-521-2273

CarmaFoundation

Catholic Relief Services, 800-736-3467

Childcare Worldwide, 800-553-2328

Concern Worldwide, 212-557-8000

Cross International, 800-391-8545

Direct Relief International, 805-964-4767

Doctors Without Borders, 888-392-0392

Feed My Starving Children, 763-504-2919

Food for the Poor, 800-427-9104

Friends of WFP, 866-929-1694

Haiti Children, 877-424-8454

Haiti Foundation Against Poverty

Haiti Marycare, 203-675-4770

Haitian Health Foundation, 860-886-4357

Hope for Haiti, 239-434-7183

International Medical Corps, 800-481-4462

International Rescue Committee, 877-733-8433

International Relief Teams, 619-284-7979

Lutheran World Relief, 800-597-5972

Medical Teams International, 800-959-4325

Meds and Food for Kids, 314-420-1634

Mennonite Central Committee, 888-563-4676

Mercy Corps, 888-256-1900

Operation Blessing, 800-730-2537

Operation USA, 800-678-7255

Oxfam, 800-776-9326

Partners in Health, 617-432-5298

Rural Haiti Project, 347-405-5552

The Salvation Army, 800-725-2769

Samaritan’s Purse, 828-262-1980

Save the Children, 800-728-3843

UN Central Emergency Response Fund

UNICEF, 800-367-5437

World Concern, 800-755-5022

World Hope International, 888-466-4673

World Relief, 800-535-5433

World Vision, 888-511-6548

Yele Haiti, 212-352-0552
Wyclef Jean’s grassroots org
Text Yele to 501 501 to donate $5 via your cellphone

Sources : MSN , Yahoo

Peñaflorida, fondly called “Kuya F,” was named 2009 CNN Hero of the Year. In his acceptance speech, he said: “Each person has a hidden hero within, you just have to look inside you and search it in your heart, and be the hero to the next one in need.” Sophia Dedace file photo “Efren Peñaflorida, who started a ‘pushcart classroom’ in the Philippines to bring education to poor children as an alternative to gang membership, has been named the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year,” the world-renowned Cable News Network said in an article posted on its Web site.

The 28-year-old Peñaflorida will receive $100,000 from CNN. The network’s top anchor Anderson Cooper announced the winner at the conclusion of the annual awards ceremony.

Earlier, Peñaflorida told GMANews.TV that should he win, he would pledge the prize money to the children that his group, the Dynamic Teen Company, is helping.

In his acceptance speech at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, CNN quoted him as saying: “Serve, serve well, serve others above yourself and be happy to serve. As I always tell my co-volunteers… you are the change that you dream as I am the change that I dream and collectively we are the change that this world needs to be.”

The taped event will be aired on November 26, CNN said.

Peñaflorida won over nine other “CNN heroes,” seven of whom were American. One of them, 20-year-old Jordan Thomas, lost both his legs in a boating accident and set up a foundation that provides prosthetics to poor children who have also lost limbs.

News of Peñaflorida’s selection spread briskly among Filipinos through the Internet. One Facebook user, Kristine Fonacier, had recently spent a year as a volunteer in Guyana. “We need all the hope that we can get from our Manny Pacquiaos,” Fonacier wrote. “But here Efren Penaflorida has made a name for himself on the global stage not because he’s enormously successful or fabulously wealthy, but because he’s given his time to ‘helping others.’ It’s such a simple but world-changing idea, and it’s high time we Filipinos get behind it.”

Last October, CNN opened the online voting for its Top 10 Heroes. Peñaflorida said that being included in the top 10 alone was already an honor. Still, he refused to take credit for the recognition. “If the people vote for me, they are actually voting for the poor kids DTC is teaching and the dedicated volunteers behind this work,” he earlier said.

CNN said more than 2.75 million votes were cast during the seven-week online voting. The network, however, did not indicate how many votes Peñaflorida got.

Peñaflorida, who hails from Cavite City in Cavite province Philippines, started the Dynamic Teen Company in 1997.

His group used “Kariton Klassrooms” or mobile pushcarts to reach out and teach underprivileged children [See: A CNN hero started with a pushcart full of hopes].

The DTC has now over 2,000 members teaching basic reading and writing, and even personal hygiene to marginalized children in slum areas in Cavite using pushcarts filled with books, pens, tables and chairs.

From CNN.com:

Lopez improved his undefeated record 25-0-0, 23KOs, while Gerry has 54-7-0 36KOs.

Well, there is still hope for the Filipino fans as Manny Pacquiao will step into the ring in a week and may he regain the honor of winning for probably the most important fight of his career.

When people talk about television these days, they’re talking about Reality TV. It’s dominating the tube right now. We’ve got Survivor, Fear Factor etc, The Apprentice, The Amazing Race, American/Pinoy Idol, Pinoy Big Brother, Pinoy Dream Academy and many more.

Topics like who was picked by the Bachelor and who was dump by the Bachelorette, who was Hot and who was thrown off the Island. The viewing public’s fascination with these shows is growing at a rate matched only by the number of them in production.

But why reality? Whats behind the popularity and the boom. Here are the lists.

1. Money – “Theres no trick”, these shows are really cheap in terms of production. Say for example before the show “Friends” is one of the highest rated show on television, earning millions in advertising. But each of the six actors gets paid $1 million per episode compared to ‘Survivor’ gets ratings almost as high and doesn’t come with those costs.

2. We’re Voyeurs- these shows erased the boundaries between the public and the private. Anybody whose been deliberately eavesdropped on a conversation in a train or in a room or any places is going to relate to these shows “We’re a curious species I should say”

3. Genuinely Surprising – People get to be amazed the twist and turns in the show, especially when there are challenges or tests in the contestants or people in the show, it creates an adrenaline rush to viewer and wanting to wait and see what’s gonna happen next.

4. “thank-God-its-not-me” mentality- These shows can display a lot things and happenings which is particularly related to our daily lives, the dating aspect for example where , viewers can say they already been there but relieved that they are not the ones rejected or embarrassed themselves in national television.

Well, that’s for my list so far, I know there are other reasons behind the camera. But whether we like it or not, more of these types of shows are gonna be made and seen in the future.

Quote for the post – “Reality Bites”- jerminix