Japan

So I'm sure if you follow me on Twitter you're sick and tired of hearing about it but this is super important to me.  I feel like now, just a few short days after the earthquake and following tsunami in Japan that people are just going back to their daily lives and forgetting about the continuing devastation occurring in Japan which breaks my heart.  Also, I know very few people read my blog but maybe some of you read but don't follow me on Twitter so it's worth a mention here as well.

For those that don't know, I love Japan.  It started with a simple love of my favorite anime and has blossomed into an appreciation for their culture as well.  I'd love to visit Japan and several times have looked into teaching programs there as well as study abroad but life tends to get in the way (and the fact that I'm a total pussy and can't take not seeing my family for more than a month & my husband is not keen on sushi.  Yes I've told him there is McDonald's but he's not convinced, well unless our "president" gets re-elected, then he said we could move there haha. :D I win, kinda.)  Pretty much the gist of the story is that I love Japan and it holds a special place in my heart.

So this is my call to you.  If you haven't, please donate.  I know money is tight, trust me, I know, we have a baby boy on the way and a LOT to do to prepare for him as well as other things that daily life throws at you as well.  Not complaining, just saying, times are rough for many right now.

There are some very easy ways to help though:

(Everything in red is a link- wanted to make it obvious ^.~)

You can donate to the Red Cross, which I have done.  You can either go to their website to donate or you can simply text from your phone the word REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to relief efforts.  (I believe text is US only)  It doesn't get much easier than that.  Seriously.  I did it at midnight in my pjs from the comfort of my bed, so that hopefully someone in Japan that lost their entire home can at least have somewhere safe to sleep themselves.

Another way is donating to Doctors Without Borders.

Lady Gaga has also designed a bracelet you can buy for $5 and all proceeds go to help those in Japan and you also have the option to add more of a donation at checkout.

Save the Children is also helping with relief efforts and accepting donations on their website as well as allowing us another super easy way to donate- Text.  Simply text JAPAN to 20222 to donate $10.  (Text is US only)

Also, if you're interested in keeping up with the news of Japan I have heard from several people in and from Japan that some of the best news reporting comes from NHK.  I have noticed local news tends to focus on Americans in Japan (sorry but country of origin doesn't matter especially in a disaster like this) and our media is famous for reporting before they have the whole story.

You can also see some of what all the money to places like Red Cross is going to at places like this Flickr because it's nice to see the good being done as well as keep informed of all the disasters that keep occurring as nuclear plants attempt to combat meltdowns and the death toll rises.

I will also add to this list as I find reputable places to donate as well.  I am considering doing something like photography prints for donations as well so if you head over to my photography site and see something you like, hit me up and we'll see what we can do. ^.^  I know I'm not famous or anything (yet ^.~) but hey, get a print for a donation now and brag to your friends later when I'm famous, haha.