The Japan Earthquake: How to Help

The catastrophic devastation left in the wake of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan has left thousands in dire need of help for the most basic of necessities. We know many of you out there want to offer aid in some shape or form, but are perhaps overwhelmed by the wide variety of options available online and offline. We've gathered a list of relief agencies and other donation projects with the goal of getting aid into the hands of those who most need it, letting the people of Japan know our thoughts are with them. Join Apartment Therapy today in an act of charity and hope…

Online Donations for Relief Agencies:

Japan Society Earthquake Relief Fund: Japan Society has partnered with several Japanese and American non-profits working on the front lines of disaster relief and recovery. 100% of tax-deductible contributions will go to organization(s) that directly help victims recover from the devastating effects of the earthquake and tsunamis that struck Japan.

The American Red Cross: Those who want to help can go to Red Cross site and donate to Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami. People can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to help those affected by this disaster.

Oxfam: Oxfam is working to identify partners to assist people who are suffering in the Pacific tsunami disaster and whose voices may not otherwise be heard, targeting hard to reach areas affected by the disaster.

UNICEF: UNICEF's focus is providing aid and care to the children affected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. UNICEF has prepositioned staff and emergency supplies throughout the region to assist vulnerable children and families should the need arise, but your aid is essential.

Doctors Without Borders: Doctors Without Borders has already been dispatched to provide mobile medical aid in Miyagi Prefecture, with hopes of finding and treating survivors. Please note, at this point, the organization is drawing on unrestricted donations given to MSF to fund efforts, and are not accepting donations specifically earmarked for the recovery efforts in Japan.

Save the Children: Save the Children has launched an appeal for $5 million to help children affected by Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami, specifically with the goals of providing and setting up child-friendly spaces to provide a protective environment where children can spend time with other children and trained teachers.

The Salvation Army: The Salvation Army in Japan immediately dispersed teams following the disaster to the most severely affected areas where they are distributing basic necessities to survivors. These teams will also assess the damage to discern the next steps in their relief efforts. With 200 officers, 3,000 members and nearly 1,000 employees already in Japan, your donation will likely be put to work immediately. Mobile users can also text JAPAN or QUAKE to 80888 to donate $10.

If you're unsure whether to donate to an organization, we recommend checking their standing and credentials via charity research organizations, such as GiveWell and Charity Navigator. File any fraud complaints with the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Known as IC3, the Center is a partnership of the FBI, National White Collar Crime Center and Bureau of Justice Assistance. Also, call the National Center for Disaster Fraud at 1-866-720-5721 to report the fraud

http://www.unplggd.com/unplggd/the-japan-earthquake-how-to-help-141547

Album Review: Lupe Fiasco "Laser"

Is Lupe Fiasco on the verge of completing an almost-flawless hat trick of album releases? That’s what the die-hard fans of the Chicago MC may very well be thinking. In 2006, Mr Fiasco dropped the incredibly slept on Food & Liquor album, followed by the exceptional The Cool. Whilst commercially they didn’t make any waves, creatively, lyrically and conceptually Lupe’s two albums were heralded by rap purists, bloggers and anti-mainstream fans. Hence, Lupe’s third album was being touted as the final piece in the Fiasco puzzle which would cement his place in Hip Hop folklore and possibly win him the full adulation he deserved. But label issues (which included an online petition being birthed) put his Lasers project on hold. That is, until now. With more attention than originally expected, can Lupe maintain his Cool persona to drop ‘the’ album all Fiasco followers have waited over three years for? For those who believe change is good, the first ‘change’ from the prior Lupe albums is that the poet/spoken word recitals which opened each album are omitted. Instead, the track ‘Letting Go’ (featuring Sarah Green) provides an intro, finding Lupe scorning over the many plights in the world, which are eased by a soothing chorus. But from the assuring nature of the opener comes pure anarchy. ‘Words I Never Said’ is a lambasting offering, where Lupe’s unapologetic verses on the war on terror, the media and society burn into the listener’s conscience whilst Skylar Grey, the 2011 go-to girl for big hooks, crashes into the track with pain-filled wailings on the chorus. Whilst it’s meant to cause one to think, the excessively loud production on ‘Words…’ causes the message to get somewhat lost amidst its controlled chaos.What Lasers doesn’t miss out on is Lupe’s trademark lyricism; he remains on point topically and still possesses the same vigour and humour which was awash on his previous works. ‘Beautiful Lasers (2 Ways)’ is a heart heavy track expressing the pangs and toils of life whilst, akin to previous Lupe records, ‘State Run Radio’ finds Fiasco rapping as the voice of a dystopian, corrupt radio station intent on keeping music formulaic, artists suppressed and creativity null and void. But even with the clever spins which Chicago’s hometown hero brings to songs, what ultimately weighs down Lasers is the production throughout the 12 tracks. Feeling overproduced at times and experimenting with heavy and soft rock, the score provided is uninspiring; even for those who appreciated Lupe’s previous ‘experimental’ offerings. Choruses seem lazy, which takes the impact out of some of Lupe’s stronger verses, notably on the lead single ‘The Show Goes On’ and whilst concepts held together Food & Liquor and The Cool a lack of a concept on this third offering leaves the project feeling void at times. Lupe, in the past, has been compared to Nas by many and one common trait they share in this instance is the inability to pick consistently good beats to tear into. Nevertheless, we are still given moments to fully savour. ‘All Black Everything’ is impeccable; where a haunting production from The Buchanans provides a canvas for Lupe to drop stellar verses of a world which didn’t encounter the various racial, prejudicial events which have shaped today. Another solid highlight is the club-influenced ‘Break The Chain’, featuring Eric Turner, producer Ishi and the UK’s double time lyrical chief Sway. If there is one thing which should be taken from this listening experience is that any delay/shelving of an album will always have effects on its overall outcome. The Lasers we are presented with today is not the same Lasers which would have been offered two or three years ago. Lasers is far from a bad album. It packs enough barbs and cleverness for fans of deciphering wordplay to enjoy and it touches on numerous issues many would shy away from. What has happened, however, is that Lupe Fiasco has created his first ‘commercially aware’ album, which will arguably do more for his popularity than any of his previous releases. But for those who expected an impeccable creative record which goes against-the-grain, unfortunately another lengthy wait is in order to see whether one of the most exciting rappers to emerge will return to his ingenious roots. http://www.soulculture.co.uk/reviews/lupe-fiasco-lasers-album-review/

Album Review: Adele "21"

Adele releases her sophomore album today, titled “21.” The now 22-year-old was one of a crop of young British female singers with a 1960s soul tinge, including Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and Duffy. Those artists have struggled to keep the momentum going after splashy entrances. Will “21″ firmly establish Adele as a soul belter? Speakeasy heard a couple of songs from the album when Adele played the WSJ cafe and we’re convinced.

“With a top-notch production team behind the album, including Rick Rubin and Paul Epworth, every track is a highlight.” [Ian Wade, BBC] “Rolling in the Deep,” the album’s first single, provides Adele with the perfect stormy vessel; her voice tossing and turning, shipwrecked and mad but never losing control. There are other worthy tracks on “21,” like the Rick Rubin-produced “He Won’t Go,” with its elegant piano and ticking beat, and the softly sentimental “Turning Tables,” but they don’t scrape at an exciting greatness… Occasionally, Adele finds herself in lesser territory, like “Don’t You Remember,” which sounds overwrought in both construction and performance.” [Margaret Wappler, LA Times}

http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/02/22/adele-21-review-revue/

America Is NOT BROKE!

Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you'll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-grandparents had, America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash. It's just that it's not in your hands. It has been transferred, in the greatest heist in history, from the workers and consumers to the banks and the portfolios of the uber-rich.

Today just 400 Americans have the same wealth as half of all Americans combined. Let me say that again. 400 obscenely rich people, most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer "bailout" of 2008, now have as much loot, stock and property as the assets of 155 million Americans combined. If you can't bring yourself to call that a financial coup d'état, then you are simply not being honest about what you know in your heart to be true. And I can see why. For us to admit that we have let a small group of men abscond with and hoard the bulk of the wealth that runs our economy, would mean that we'd have to accept the humiliating acknowledgment that we have indeed surrendered our precious Democracy to the moneyed elite. Wall Street, the banks and the Fortune 500 now run this Republic -- and, until this past month, the rest of us have felt completely helpless, unable to find a way to do anything about it.

By: Micheal Moore

http://www.michaelmoore.com/

The Great Migration of Style

This weekend, I took a late night flight from Charlotte to New York to attend an internship fair in Manhattan. While not particularly looking forward to the traffic, the hustle of the subways, or the crowded streets, I was looking forward to seeing the infamous New York style.

I was sixteen when I made my first trip to New York. It was the dead of winter and everyone, fashionably of course, bundled under layers of clothes. Colorful scarves, sleek coats, snazzy boots, and spiffy hats. Yep, New Yorkers had style. I returned to New York five years later, this time in fall, and witnessed that same style. Before my trip this weekend, it had been four years since I'd visited New York, and my eyes were starving for that New York flare.

Unfortunately, I left New York still hungry. This time around it wasn't like before. The New Yorkers were merely dressed, leaving their "impress" at home. There was no flare. No umph! The clothes just hung on the people as they walked. Nothing colorful,nothing sleek, nothing snazzy, nothing spiffy. Maybe I just expected too much. Or maybe I'd seen similar style in other places here in the South such as Atlanta, DC, or Charlotte. Yeah, that's it. I'd seen style in other places. It no longer has only one residence.

So in a few years, naturally, the remakes of "Sex and the City", "The Devil Wears Prada", and "Confessions of a Shopaholic" will be filmed below the Mason Dixie Line,The valid style, particular that of the South, swag as many call it, is evidence that fashion forwardness is no longer exclusive to New York. As many people have left the world's capital for new and smaller places, it seems that style has migrated as well.

Why women settle?

So this note was inspired by myself, and a couple other situations that I've noticed.... And my idea is to understand why we as women settle, specifically with MEN. We as women always settle for LESS than what we deserve from guys.... It must be a universal thing. But settling for a GUY because you are afraid to be alone is the WORST thing you could possibly do because in the end no one will be hurt but you. We as women have to understand that a man will ONLY do what you allow him to do, nothing more and nothing less. All I'm saying is, find a guy who is WORTH settling for, not some guy who you think will change and everything will become a fairytale, because the more you live in a dream, the harder it is for you to awake. (Let that marinate) We as women should stop letting guys trample over us just for the sake to say we have a MAN! You will never be happy with any guy you meet, good or bad, if you are not first happy with yourself. We all fall victim to a guy that you really like a great deal, hell may even love, but if they guy that you are so head over heals for does not reciprocate that same affection then what is the point of continuing to deal with him??? Every girl has a guy that they just can NOT let go, but if you DID let them go I PROMISE that you will find a guy who gives u everything you thought that guy was giving you a plenty more. As Kevin Hart says we put guys on too high of a pedestal... No that’s not the case! You just have to find the RIGHT guy that will SIT high on that pedestal with you. I’m not saying that I am perfect, I feel included in this letter just as much as any other girl, but we DESERVE soooo much better as women and until you think you deserve better as well, you will never find it. All self worth definitely comes from within, and it just takes some longer than others to realize that. So the next guy you are involved with ask yourself... "Is he making me happy and is he bringing out the best in me for US?" If your answer is negative then you already know what you should do. The saying says "Find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot" and that statement couldn’t be more true! By Jahnna L. Hunter www.twitter.com/sexychoklit jahnna.hunter@asurams.edu

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I saw this commercial and fell in love. Not with Geico but with the Grandfather. So ENJOY!