No those are measurements for a building but that is the name of the project that Drew Johnson created. His goal to travel around the country volunteering – one state per week for 48 weeks. He already has visit 18 states, what a great way to spend a year. Johnson on his website 48 by 48 journals his progress via a blog and tweets. As he states: “not just words but actions too.” What Johnson is doing is making a small difference on a daily basis. I too, like he does, hope that his story inspires young people to make a difference. It takes one person to start a trend, who knows maybe there may be more people following suit in the upcoming year. All the best Johnson!

Read More:

• 48 by 48
• Drew Johnson: Volunterring In 48 States In 48 Weeks

Yes, we all know that Japan is one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, but a 7.0 really doesn’t sound small to me. Following the earthquake, a tsuami warning was issued. It still amazes me that a word that  most of us were foreign to us up til the devastating tsunami in 2004, has now become such a part of our vocabulary.  And at one time we were so afraid of tsuamis, and today we get issued warnings after what seems like every major earthquake. Well, one positive thing about Japan and earthquakes – if one can word it that – is that there was no real damage reported or any fatalities. I guess we should count our blessing especially since just back in 1995, when an earthquake hit Kobe Japan was not as fortunate.

Read More:

• Tsunami advisory canceled after 7.0 earthquake off Okinawa
• Strong quake hits Japan’s Okinawa, no major damage

It’s nice to see that famous people stepping up to help in such disasters. Whether is be John Travolta flying in aid or the many artists who came together to re-record “We are the World” each of these acts just go to show how important it is for each of us to play a role in helping one another.

Some Stories:

• Travolta flies jetload of relief supplies to Haiti
• Quincy Jones, Lionel Richie pass ‘We Are the World’ baton
• Classical stars sing The Prayer in aid of Haiti quake victims
• Sean Penn Saving Lives in Haiti
• Ricky Martin gathers stars to raise money for Haiti victims

The Po river, Italy’s longest river, is currently being polluted by an oil spill that occurred  in Italy.  The spill was apparently deliberately done as a sabotage. I just can’t understand why someone would want to do something like this? Forget about how it will harm the waters but what about the animal life and ecosystem. What is wrong with people? This is truly an act of environmental terrorism. Are we as humans really becoming that shallow that to get our payback, as it is being stated that someone who knew this  plant did this act, we would not care about the consequences of generations to come? Really what is becoming of our world and its people!

Read More:

• Officials Warn of Ecological Disaster Caused by Oil Spill in Italy
• Oil Spill Threatens ‘ecological disaster’ in Italy.
• Italy oil spill termed eco-terror
• Environmental disaster looms from River Po oil spill

“A massive iceberg struck Antarctica, dislodging another giant block of ice from a glacier, Australian and French scientists said Friday.” Could this be further evidence that we are indeed in a major global warming trend? I’m not so sure, especially with the amount of snow we have gotten this year. I don’t see any warming going on here. But to be serious for a minute, I can’t help wonder what kind of effects this will have on its surroundings. There were talks that these icebergs will “impact the colonies of emperor penguins and other wildlife that use the area for feeding.” So whether or not this is due to global warming or not, the truth remains that it will have an impact on our world around us.

Read More:

• Two Huge Icebergs Let Loose off Antarctica’s Coast
• Giant iceberg splits from Antarctica
• 2 massive icebergs floating off Antarctica
• An Iceberg the Size of Luxembourg Breaks Free From Antarctica