The Saddest Cat in Ohio

Yesterday I was stuck at a gas station in the city of Medina, Ohio for an hour.  It was there that I met the saddest young cat, probably between 6-9 months old based on his/her size.  The pictures are a little out of focus, but you can see that it had white and tan markings, beautiful blue eyes, and matted fur.  I could see fleas or similar insects on his coat, and his left ear appeared to be bitten.  He had trouble walking, and it was difficult for him to chew food as he appeared to have either no teeth or very few.

The cat was so friendly and desperate for love that he was walking all over the tiny gas station parking lot, bringing him at risk of getting run over by a truck.  I went into the gas station and bought him a can of wet cat food, and when I put it down for him, I realized that this poor cat was likely blind.  He wanted the food, but he could only sniff for it and seemed to look right through me.  I put down the food and he took a very long time to eat it despite wet food typically being easier for cats to chew.

I called the Medina SPCA, but since it was Sunday, they were closed and I have not heard back.  I tried calling the Cleveland APL, but they were also closed and only take animals if they are dropped off and I had no way of transporting the cat.  The local animal shelter still uses the gas chamber (according to a google search anyway) so I could not call them. When I left, I cried about having to leave this cat in these horrible conditions.  If I didn't already have 2 cats, I likely would have taken him with me, but I was hours from home and couldn't bring a very ill cat in with my own cats and risk their health and safety.  It was still one of the hardest things I have had to do.

Please, if you live near Medina or can contact their SPCA, help this cat.  I literally can't stop thinking about his sad little face just wanting a little love and attention.  I was told that the cat has been hanging out at this station for at least a week, but I can't imagine that he will survive much longer on his own.  In honor of the last day of 'Adopt a Cat month', please help this little guy survive to at least experience some compassion.  The address of the gas station that I found him at is 2968 Ridge Rd, Medina, OH 44256.

My 5 favorite Political News Sites

Before you read this, note that the sites that I visit most often have a bit of a liberal bias and focus primarily on U.S. politics.  I'm often overwhelmed by the amount of news and research on the internet, so it can be difficult to find a few sites that are consistently interesting.  All of the sites are also free.

• The Huffington Post has a great politics section with intriguing headlines and pictures to go with the newest articles.  It gives the option of a quick view so that you can read the first few sentences of an article before opening it in a new tab, and it offers many short clips from youtube, television and news stories that are accompanied with a few paragraphs describing the video.  This way if you don't have time or the ability to use sound on your computer all of the time, you still get a good description of the video along with some thoughts on its impact..  It also links to various other news sites, so you do have various perspectives available on many topics.

• Media Matters frequently targets Fox News, and rightly so, but they also expose any lies recently covered on other popular news outlets.  They include clips of the TV news shows that they write about, and provide concrete evidence of any political bias and deception. They also have a great weekly radio show on the Sirius XM Progress Channel.

• Think Progress has articles on all types of interesting topics that affect Americans every day, and always have something worth reading that includes facts and statistics to back up any theory.  I'm a fan of their Tumblr site for the excellent infographics that entice you to read their articles.

• The Nation offers a weekly print edition that I subscribed to for awhile that certainly offered interesting reads, but now I visit their website instead.  Their articles are well written and well researched, and are often on topics that mainstream newspapers and news sites choose to ignore.  I really appreciate their willingness to report the truth even when it is uncomfortable.

• Politifact.com is not perfect and is sometimes a bit lenient on what they allow politicians to call "the truth," but if you want a quick analysis of a lie from a campaign commercial or an often repeated lie by any officeholder, this is a good site to reference.  If you are sick of someone you know touting a lie to discredit a politician that you support, a link to this site will often give you enough evidence to (at least) keep them from repeating the lie again in your presence.

I tend to keep up with my favorite news sources by following them on Twitter and Google+.  To read through headlines quickly and open up articles that seem interesting, I have created a Twitter list of my favorite news sources.  I've found that Twitter is the best place to get an an overview of what is in the news without getting too much commentary, pictures or opinions which can take awhile to look through. Google+ is great if I want to get pictures and details of the news stories before I read them, so I tend to be more selective in the news sources that I choose so I am not scrolling forever without finding many unique stories.

If you have a Kindle and haven't downloaded the "Send to Kindle" button for your browser, I definitely recommend doing so.  You can send any article that you don't have time to read at the moment directly to your Kindle allowing you to read it later.  This allows me to save articles as I see them and then curl up in the evening with my Kindle to read all of the articles I didn't have time to read earlier at once.

Fact-Checking Forwards

I strongly dislike forwarded emails such as this, but sometimes they need to be debunked. This is an email that I was forwarded today coupled with my email in response...

Joe Legal vs. Jose Illegal

Here is an example of why hiring illegal aliens is not economically
productive for the State of California ...

You have 2 families..."Joe Legal" and "Jose Illegal". Both families have 2
parents, 2 children and live in California. "Joe Legal" works in
construction, has a Social Security Number, and makes $25.00 per hour with
payroll taxes deducted...."Jose Illegal" also works in construction, has
"NO" Social Security Number, and gets paid $15.00 cash "under the table".

Joe Legal...$25.00 per hour x 40 hours $1000.00 per week, $52,000 per
year.

Now take 30% away for state federal tax, Joe Legal now has $31,231.00

Jose Illegal...$15.00 per hour x 40 hours $600.00 per week, $31,200.00 per
year. Jose Illegal pays no taxes... Jose Illegal now has $31,200.00

Joe Legal pays Medical and Dental Insurance with limited coverage $1000.00
per month, $12,000.00 per year. Joe Legal now has $19,231.00

Jose Illegal has full Medical and Dental coverage through the state and
local clinics at a cost of $0.00 per year. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00

Joe Legal makes too much money is not eligible for Food Stamps or welfare.
Joe Legal pays for food $1,000.00 per month, $12,000.00 per year. Joe
Legal now has $7,231.00

Jose Illegal has no documented income and is eligible for Food Stamps and
Welfare. Jose Illegal still has $31,200.00.

Joe Legal pays rent of $1,000.00 per month. $12,000.00 per year. Joe Legal
is now in the hole minus (-) $4,769.00

Jose Illegal receives a $500 per month Federal rent subsidy. Jose Illegal
pays rent. $500.00 per month. $6,000.00 per year Jose Illegal still has
$31,200.00

Joe Legal now works overtime on Saturdays or gets a part time job after
work.

Jose Illegal has nights and weekends off to enjoy with his family.

Joe Legal's and Jose Illegal's children both attend the same school. Joe
Legal pays for his children's lunches while Jose Illegal's children get a 
government sponsored lunch. Jose Illegal's children have an after school 
ESL program. Joe Legal's children go home.

Joe Legal and Jose Illegal both enjoy the same Police and Fire Services,
but Joe paid for them and Jose did not pay.

Don't vote/support any politician that supports illegal aliens...Its PAST
time to take a stand for America and Americans!

My Response:

First off, this email is not directed at anyone that either ignored it or found it untruthful in the first place, but let's examine the facts:

This "story" has been around since January 2009, circulating within social media circles and emails, so it is nothing new.

Labor: It is unlawful to hire someone who is not authorized to work in the United States. If you think that someone getting paid "under the table"  is given fair treatment, standard work hours, and that high of a wage, you vastly misjudge the labor market and the companies that are knowingly hiring these workers illegally.  They choose to hire "Jose" over "Joe" because it costs them a lot less money and "Jose" has no ability to complain as he would then be found out and potentially deported.

Healthcare: People that are receiving "free" healthcare are hardly getting proper medical treatment. They don't get yearly check-ups and dentist visits, x-rays, elective procedures or most pills.  Rather, they go to the emergency room when they are seriously injured or ill.  Yes, this may seem "unfair" in financial terms, but if you think that with this "free" healthcare that they would be able to identify an illness such as cancer when the illness is new and still treatable, you are mistaken.

Food: Food stamp programs have strict eligibility guidelines which someone like Jose would not meet.  Even if he did meet the guidelines, the actual amount is so little per day, that to eat healthy or to sustain growing children would require someone like Jose to still spend a portion of his income on food for his family.  Here is more information on SNAP eligibility: http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/applicant_recipients/eligibility

Housing: An undocumented person making this much money illegally would not be able to obtain housing voucher.  Here are the requirements for a Housing Voucher directly from the U.S. Dept of Housing & Urban Development: http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/public_indian_housing/programs/hcv/about/fact_sheet#2 

Obviously, immigrant families still need to pay for utilities, gas, etc. or choose to live without those services, but this was conveniently left out of Jose's costs in the email.

Anyone that gets pulled over is required to show their ID and insurance, both of which undocumented immigrants wouldn't be eligible to obtain at all under federal law.  If they are lucky enough to obtain a car with cash, getting pulled over could expose them and potentially get them deported. Most likely, they are paying for public transportation.

Being at "the head of the class" is a term that is no longer used, but let's assume the email is referring to class rankings.  They are based entirely on GPA and can't be changed based on immigration status or race.  Undocumented immigrant children often don't require for financial aid, but even if they did, they would be accepted to a university using the same standards that they use for everyone else.  Since the family would likely have difficulty even getting a bank account or obtain a loan, its likely they aren't able to pay tuition in cash and would not be able to pay any costs not covered by financial aid.

Finally, the term "illegal alien" is offensive; the acceptable term is "undocumented worker."  Calling someone an alien purposely dehumanizes them and makes people feel okay about treating them the way that this email does.  In addition, the word "illegal" means "not legal."  They are not "illegal" people any more than you would call someone that committed theft years ago would have to forever identify as "illegal."  They committed one illegal act, crossing the border.  Likewise, you can not blame children that cross the border with their parents.  They have no power to decide to stay behind, yet you still unfairly refer to them as "illegal."

Fact is, as U.S. citizens we have more rights and opportunities than undocumented immigrants.  If you don't think this is the case, try getting rid of your social security number and pretending to be undocumented.  You will not require for any of the programs already discussed, but you will also not be able to receive social security checks or medicare as a senior.

Please, check the facts before forwarding these types of emails without any sources. It is not to the benefit of anyone to receive an email like this full of false information and only perpetuates cultural stereotypes.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Angela Tombazzi

How to Shop in a Socially Responsible Manner

Many people use the internet to find out about events or decide where they want to spend their money and what they want to spend it on.  This offers a few opportunities for activists.  We can boycott companies that utilize child labor or unfair labor practices, and we can find companies that treat their employees well and contribute to society in positive ways.  Another tactic that has proven successful to change policy is online petitions.  Petitions can be very localized and specific or very broad in their goals.   They certainly don't always work, but even when they don't, it is bringing attention to issues that otherwise might be ignored.

Kita thinks unethical companies stink!

Step 1: Identify the very worst corporations.  While I linked to Oxfam, you can also do your own searches and investigations.  These are the most likely to pay their employees terrible wages while bringing in millions of dollars of benefits for their top executives.  Do you give your money to them in any way?  Try completely eliminating your purchases from one of the companies on this list first.  This can be particularly tough in a rough economy, but even if everyone makes only a few concessions in their buying habits, a huge difference can be made in corporate policies.

Step 2:  Check to see if there are any current petitions circulating to change the business practices of any of the corporation's that you identified.  Two places to begin are at Change.org and at Care2's petition site.  You can type in the name of the companies on each site and see if there are any petitions for you to sign.  If an issue is particularly important to you, start your own petition and share it with all of your social networks (and ask them to share it with their networks too).

Step 3: Identify the most socially responsible and successful companies.  These companies will likely pay their employees above minimum wage, not have their labor overseas in sweatshops, and make large donations to charities that are also socially responsible.  Is one company on this list a sufficient replacement for the corporation that you decided to eliminate?  If you are particularly supportive of any of the companies' business practices, you can share their website with your social networks to help them generate business, and you can let your friends and family know why you would prefer to give them business over other businesses.

This is only one example of a way to be an activist that requires little time and effort, but can still make you feel good about your actions.  Let me know if you succeed; I'd love to hear your stories and any suggestions that you have to make this list better!

Causes I Support

This is a Pinterest Board dedicated to promoting the websites of nonprofits, charities and causes that I support.  Please visit the sites that interest you and help out if you can!  Also take a second to follow my Pinterest boards to keep up with new causes that I add, people I admire and photos of the animals that I love.

Pet Blogging Suggestions

I'm a proud #petparent today because Zoey was chosen as Catster's Diary of the Day pick.  Check out Catster's Diary option if you like to blog about your cats and you can get a following of cat lovers pretty quickly.  You can also write about your pets with Dogster's Diary or Goodreads Writings feature and then share your posts on Google+, Pinterest (only if you have a picture on your blog post), Twitter, Facebook, Stumbleupon and Delicious in a matter of moments!

Buffer is a great tool to use to share your posts at optimal times, and Bit.ly can be used to shorten your links and track their clicks.  Don't get discouraged...it can take quite awhile to find your voice and gain a following, but if you stick with it and write about your own experiences, you can succeed.

Have other ways to promote pet blogging or pet adoption?  Let me know!  I am a strong believer in promoting pet adoption and hope that I can convince at least one person to save a shelter pet by sharing stories of my lovable dog and cats.  If you would like help to promote your pet blog, let me know and I'll look at it and let you know if I can help by promotion or suggestions.

Want to learn about our other cat, Seph?  Click here to visit his page!

If you have a minute...

Here is a new list of some amazingly simple things you can do online to help others:

Be a critic.  Start reviewing your favorite obscure books, movies, and small businesses to help them gain more customers.  Some sites that will let you start reviewing at are Google, Amazon, Yelp, IMDB, and Goodreads.

Be an expert.  Join a Google+ Community for a topic that you know a lot about.  If people post questions to the community, try to answer and help them out, or regularly offer general tips on the topic of choice.

Promote Adoptable Animals

Add a Petfinder widget to your site to help promote adoptable animals.  If you need help with this, contact me and I can walk you through the steps online.  http://www.petfinder.com/widgets-graphics/

Donate Items.  On Amazon, you can find wishlists for animal shelters & nonprofits.  Keep up with their wishlists and buy items when they go on sale on Amazon (you can ask friends & coworkers to chip in).  Then drop off or send your donations.

Share your favorite websites with the world.  Join StumbleUpon and add sites that you love but haven't gone viral yet.  Rate the sites that other people have added to help drive traffic to sites that you like.

If you have other suggestions on easy ways to help others, please let me know and I'll post them next week.

Share my Love of Reading

I love my Kindle that I got a year and a half ago, but I have always loved books.  A good book can make you rethink everything you ever thought you knew. When people insist that they need to have a book in their hands and can not switch to a Kindle  I disagree for a few reasons.  It isn't the feel of the pages that makes a book come alive.  It is the words of the author.  Storytelling has existed much longer than books have been around, whether spoken, sang or shared on other materials.  E-Readers give us the luxury of being able to have hundreds (or more) of books at our very fingertips, the advantage of being able to buy a new book the moment it is released without fighting in the stores, and the ability to choose a book
with a simple flick of the finger.  I can now get books for free without waiting months for the library's copy to become available.

There are, however, legitimate reasons to be wary of this type of technology.  Namely, the way that they and similar materials (I-phones, Androids, etc.)  are produced and their effect on human rights worldwide.  This is not the fault of the technology, but the result of corporations opting to save money for themselves rather than to help boost the lives of their workers.  Corporations in this aspect are wrong, both for outsourcing their work to other countries to save a buck, and by refusing to take responsibility for the working conditions in their factories overseas.  Instead of feeling guilty for having these luxuries at such an expense, make up for it by spreading the word of these abuses.  Visit Change.org and sign petitions calling on corporate responsibility; become familiar with organizations such as Oxfam that challenge these practices, and spread the word to the corporations on your own social media sites that their recklessness has to stop.  Wouldn't we all agree to pay a few more dollars for this amazing technology if it meant saving the lives of the people making them?  I know that I would.



Above are only some of the books that I have enjoyed over the years.  What books have had the largest affect on your life?  If you use the social networking site Goodreads, please look for my profile here.

Finding Volunteer Opportunities That Fit YOUR Schedule

Not everyone has a lot of free time, but there are ways to create social change without even leaving your couch.  Here are 3 of my favorite sites that have thousands of volunteer opportunities, yet make it very easy to find only those that are most relevant to you.

1. Change.org is a site for U.S. citizens to create petitions to the government.   Once you sign up, it only takes a few seconds to add your names to petitions created by people all over the country.  People start petitions for all types of reasons and the amount of signatures and potential media attention have had some have really helped out people in very real ways.  Check my profile to see what I've supported in the past.

2. VolunteerMatch is a site where nonprofits and corporations can post their volunteer opportunities.  Thousands of opportunities are listed all over the country and there are even virtual opportunities for you to do on your own computer right at home!  You can also create a profile there that links to your other social media sites and helps to find volunteer opportunities for you based on your own interests.

3.  Idealist is a site that lists both volunteer and career opportunities from nonprofit organizations.  It is a good supplement to Linkedin that helps you connect with people and organizations that have similar interests and beliefs.  You can find my profile here and create your own profile too.

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Reconsidering Youtube Channels

If you created your Youtube channel a long time ago or if you have never set one up, you may want to look into it now.  I edited my channel yesterday in about 15 minutes.  Unfortunately, I don't have many videos to post yet, but I plan to start taking more so I want to make sure that my youtube channel isn't stagnant.

My advice is to add a picture, feature some of your favorite youtubers (mine were mostly nonprofit organizations that I support, admire or work with), and link your other social media sites.  If you have videos floating around in your phone or computer, spend a little time uploading them to the site and see if you get any views.  You can also get analytics of your views to figure out where the viewers are coming from (the site they linked from, the country they are in, the date of their viewing).

It's easier than you think.  You can check mine out for ideas and I'd love new subscribers!

Angela Tombazzi's Youtube Channel