Maggie's Nest

Haiti Earthquake: How To Donate To Haiti Earthquake Relief

2010-01-15T04:54:00.000-08:00

5:14 p.m. on January 12, 2010 - CNN World reported a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck southern Haiti, as announced by the U.S. Geological Survey. U.S. State Department told to expect "serious loss of life" in Haiti.

These charities are providing direct relief to Haitians following Tuesday's devastating earthquake:

American Red Cross
Online: http://www.redcrossstl.org
Telephone: Call 314-516-2782 or 314-516-2800
Text message: Text the word “HAITI” to 90999, and a $10 donation will be given to the Red Cross. The $10 donation will appear on your next mobile bill.
Mail: 10195 Corporate Square, St. Louis, MO 63132-2905

Food for the Poor Haiti Earthquake Relief
Online: http://www.foodforthepoor.org
Telephone: 954-427-2222
Mail: 6401 Lyons Road, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073

World Vision Haiti Earthquake Relief
Online: http://www.worldvision.org
Telephone: 866-280-6587
Mail: P.O. Box 9716, Federal Way, WA 98063-9716

UNICEF Haiti Earthquake Relief
Online: http://www.unicefusa.org/haitiquake
Telephone: 1-800-4UNICEF
Mail: U.S. Fund for UNICEF, 125 Maiden Lane, New York, NY 10038

Wyclef Jean's foundation, Yele Haiti.
Online: http://www.yele.org
Text message: Text "Yele" to 501501 and $5 will be charged to your phone bill and go toward Hatian relief projects.
Telephone: 212-352-0552
Mail: P.O. Box 2345, New York, NY 10108

Samaritan’s Purse Haiti Earthquake Relief
Online: http://samaritanspurse.org
Telephone: 800-528-1980
Mail: P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607-3000

International Rescue Committee
Online: http://TheIRC.org
Telephone: 877-REFUGEE
Mail: P.O. Box 96651, Washington, DC 20090-6651
Mail: P.O. Box 3000, Boone, NC 28607

Catholic Relief Services
Online: http://CRS.org
Telephone: 800-736-3467
Mail: 228 W. Lexington, Baltimore, MD 21201-3413

Episcopal Relief & Development
Online: http://www.er-d.org
Telephone: 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129
(No mail option)

American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
Online: http://www.jdc.org

Reaching family or loved ones:
For inquiries about relatives living and who have citizenship in Haiti, please be patient and call repeatedly until the lines clear or contact other family members who live nearby. Telephone, Internet and other communication lines are often disrupted in times of disaster. People trying to locate U.S. citizens living or traveling in Haiti should contact the U.S. Department of State, Office of Overseas Citizens Services, at 1-888-407-4747 or 202-647-5225.

PS: Good people are coming out to help in the Haiti earthquake aftermath. But so are the bad ones. I've tried searching "Haiti earthquake" and the top 10 results include websites that automatically download malwares and viruses. Bad!

Goodbye Pizza Hut!

2009-06-22T00:39:00.000-07:00

Some sad news - Pizza Hut will just be a thing of the past.

This famous name had been around since 1958 and fortunately, with a couple memories of my own - dining with friends and loved ones in this old restaurant chain and international franchise, stopping by to order a take-out, or just hanging around when life becomes boring - somehow, the company's name and logo had become familiar.

But the company has decided not really to go out of business but to change the name to attract the younger generation. (Gosh! And the point being?)

"There’s a big trend in general around having confidence in the foods that you eat. People over the age of 35, whose frequency with pizza is declining, said one of the big things that would reignite their passion with the category is to have a pizza made with multigrain crust and an all natural tomato sauce. And yes, we’re also introducing another vocabulary word with Pizza Hut, which is ‘The Hut.’ That ties in nicely with (today’s) texting generation. We wanted to make sure that Pizza Hut and ‘The Hut’ become common vernacular for our brand."

By the way, the company will now go by the name of "The Hut." Doesn't sound like pizza parlor to me...

Certified Susan Boyle Fan!

2009-05-23T21:26:00.000-07:00

I will certainly watch Susan Boyle's next performance on Britain's Got Talent. If I don't get the chance to watch her on TV, I will look for her video performance on YouTube.

I became a fan of this amazing lady when I got to watch (and listened) her sing on YouTube. I was only curious about this reality talent search contestant who became a popular talk on the web. So I searched for her audition performance. And wow, I mean WOW! I really cried when I heard her sing - I didn't know why. It may sound stupid but when I heard her singing "I Dreamed A Dream," it's like someone was giving voice to my (and to many people's) sorrows or whatever you call it - all those emotions that were best kept hidden than expressed and get ridiculed or exploited.

Perhaps, in ways I couldn't really articulate, I've emphatized with this woman who was looked upon by her humble appearance. Sometimes, people loathed innocence and simplicity - half-wanting to feel good with the comparison, half-jealous why some people remained uncorrupted despite the hardships of life...

Watching Susan Boyle triumphed over the narrow-mindedness of the audience was also empowering. It reminded us not to look or act like everybody else just to belong and not to trade natural traits for sophistication just to win the world. Of course, the unlikely singing sensation also did some things that were not natural for her. She came out of her shell and took the risk of being mocked and hurt by people - telling us that taking risks is important when there are some things in life that we want to improve. A little change wouldn't hurt.

Although Susan Boyle's audition number on the reality talent search was enough to win me over, I also did some research on her life and found out that she had learning difficulties and was always bullied when she was a child then later, struggled for work as an adult. It must have been hard living her life. There was no wonder why she sang her rendition of I Dreamed A Dream so perfectly - all her bitterness and frustrations have been poured into that song to make a masterpiece.

And so now that Susan Boyle was no longer the woman with frizzy hair and homely appearance, I am anticipating. I have said in my blogs that I wouldn't deny that right of hers for self-improvement. Maybe her next singing performance will no longer be as stunning as her Les Misables piece in terms that she had already proven her great talent, went into a little make-over, and even caught the interest of famous people like Oprah Winfrey and Barrack Obama. I am looking forward to her next singing moment on television because I would love to see the new Susan Boyle and how the changes in her life have affected her and the rest of the world. And of course, I would love to hear that heavenly voice again.

Inspire me one more time and I will proudly say that I am a certified Susan Boyle fan!

Kate Moss Vs Neighbor's Birds

2009-05-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

"If you don't like my pussy, I don't like your bird!"

Ooops, no obscenity intended...

But Kate Moss was probably thinking about this when she was reported to be running around her Britain home to shoo away her neighbor's doves.

Last year, the supermodel's neighbor complained about the stench from her drains, brought about by the two persian cats she raised.

Now it's payback time as it was Kate Moss' turn to complain about how her neighbor's birds have been causing chaos while flying into her home, making mess and even triggering the security device.

A source revealed to a British newspaper, "Kate is being driven mad by the doves. They have entered the place via the veranda and taken up residence. They’re causing havoc, setting off her state-of-the-art alarm and making a real stink – literally. They’ve started relieving themselves over her antique furniture leaving unsightly stains and a vile smell. Kate has spent hours running around the place trying to make them fly away. Unfortunately, the doves seem to have taken a real shine to her."

'Wonder how great was Kate Moss' appeal that even birds long to be close to her too...

Seriously though, it's a basic lesson of "loving thy own neighbor" here - if you want to criticize Kate Moss for her domestic shortcomings, better keep your own fault at bay first.

Happy Mother's Day Milla!

2009-05-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

I always love Milla Jovovich, especially on films. She's my favorite Hollywood celebrity - strong, sexy, mysterious. And with her own share of insecurity as well:

"Because I started working so young, there was always that stress and that worry of, 'Am I good enough? Am I making the right choices? Am I living up to the potential that my mom and my dad thought that I had?'

I think that the confidence was always there on the outside, but on the inside I was having a lot of doubts."

...But on mother's day, Mila Jovovich is just a picture of contentment - her face beaming not with doubts but with motherly pride as she carries her 1-year old daughter Ever while waiting for their ride:

Obscenity - Britney Spears' "If You Seek Amy"

2009-05-09T09:19:00.000-07:00

Britney Spears' "If You Seek Amy" song goes like this:

La la la, la la la
La la la, la la la

Oh baby baby have you seen Amy tonight?
Is she in the bathroom is she smokin' up outside? Oh
Oh baby baby does she take a piece of lime
For the drink that I'mma buy her do you know just what she likes? Oh

Oh oh, tell me have you seen her? Because I'm so oh
I can't get her off of my brain
I just want to go to the party she gonna go
Can somebody take me home?
Ha ha, he he, ha ha ho

Love me hate me, say what you want about me
But all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy
Love me hate me, but can't you see what I see?
All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy
Love me hate me, la la la, la la la

Amy told me that she's gonna meet me up
I don't know where or when and now they're closing up the club, oh
I've seen her once or twice but boy she knows my face
But it's hard to see with all the people standing in the way, oh

Oh oh, tell me have you seen her, because I'm so oh
I can't get her off of my brain
I just want to go to the party she gonna go
Can somebody take me home?
Ha ha, he he, ha ha ho

Love me hate me, say what you want about me
But all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy
Love me hate me, but can't you see what I see?
All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy
Love me hate me

Oh, so what you want about me?
Oh, but can't you see what I see?
Oh, so what you want about me?
La la la, la la la

So tell me if you see her
'Cause I've been waiting here forever
Oh baby baby if you seek Amy tonight
Oh baby baby we'll do whatever you like
Oh baby baby baby
Oh baby baby baby

La la la, la la la
La la la, la la la

Love me hate me, say what you want about me
But all of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy
Love me hate me, but can't you see what I see
All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy

Love me hate me, say what you want about me, yeah
Love me hate me, but can't you see what I see?
All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy
Love me hate me

Oh, so what you want about me?
Oh, but can't you see what I see?
Love me hate me
Oh, so what you want about me?
All of the boys and all of the girls are begging to if you seek Amy

Now, where's the obscenity?

Actually, I also didn't quiet figure out why the song was criticized for obscenity issues - until my brother tells me that:

If-You-Seek-Amy is actually F-U-C-K Me!

Hahaha! Considering Britney Spear's freak nature and disturbed romantic entanglements with men, I think it's true. Pretty genius for a fallen pop star. Of course, she wouldn't have done it without the help of her songwriters. Anyway, I'm starting to like Britney Spears for her eccentricity!

Christina Who?

2009-05-01T01:45:00.000-07:00

Christina Applegate, star of ABC's "Samantha Who?,"tops the recent list on People Magazine's "Most Beautiful" issue.

Christina is lovely and smiling and all, but what makes her most beautiful perhaps is her winning battle with cancer. She has already undergone a double masectomy and reconstructive surgery for the treatment of her illness.

With a pretty face like that and a positive outlook in life (not to mention her new beau Dutch musician Martyn Lenoble), she have all the reasons to celebrate life and inspire people - giving her the feeling of being the most beautiful person in the world.

MAGPIES

2009-04-24T04:14:00.000-07:00

By JUDITH WRIGHT

Along the road the magpies walk
with hands in pockets, left and right.
They tilt their heads, and stroll and talk.
In their well-fitted black and white

they look like certain gentlemen who seem most nonchalant and wise
until their meal is served - and then
what clashing beaks, what greedy eyes!

But not one man that I have heard
throws back his head in such a song
of grace and praise - no man nor bird.
Their greed is brief; their joy is long.
For each is born with such a throat
as thanks his God with every note.

I Heard The Bells Ring For Maggie

2009-04-24T04:05:00.000-07:00

By Bernice Angoh

Oh Maggie
my precious little dottie
I remember you
child of wonder, born for a fight
I never taught you how to spell the word
I never thought my fight would become yours
Maggie, Maggie, I remember you
holding my finger as we walked the park in summer
your little daisy dress flapping in the wind and
two skippity feet that bruised a knee once in a while
You were one to never give up and never be afraid
but I never taught you to spell that word
for never in my wildest dreams
did I ever want my fight to become your fight
Still, you fought well my child, you fought hard
I have been watching from afar since that day I left you behind
but I was never far away, I was always by you, with you, in you
serving up every teardrop to calm you down
and wiping them again to keep the shine in your eyes
my child of wonder, born to fly
my daughter, my friend, in this plight
you have fought long enough and now you must rest
come, let me craddle your head against my bosom
come, let me polish your bones and give them to Jesus
He will make them new again
No use shall they serve you here above but a remembrance
of the fight you put in them--they shall serve another well down below
child of wonder I fought to birth
come let me craddle your sweet head against my breast
come let me polish your bones and give them to Jesus.