The Season of Giving

In the months surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday cheer fills the air. It's important to take some time and give to those who are less fortunate. I've made a list of five ideas to inspire you to participate in the season of giving.

1. Donate cans.

2. Volunteer at a soup kitchen.

3. Clean out your closet and donate the clothes you never wear.

4. Donate toys.

5. What do you get for the person who has everything? Donate to your favorite charity
in their honor.

Animal Testing

I thought that I'd write about animal testing within the cosmetic industry for my persuasive argument essay. As an animal lover, myself, I was attracted to this topic. I am very opposed to animal testing in the cosmetic industry because I feel that it is both immoral and inhumane. I'm writing to an audience that consists of cosmetic consumers in an attempt to persuade them to only buy cosmetics not tested on animals. My main reason being that if consumers support companies who test their products on animals they are contributing to the suffering and in some cases death of innocent animals. I plan to show my audience how much of a role they, as consumers, can play in eliminating such testing via purchasing power. In addition, I plan to alert my audience of their moral responsibility to the animals to take action, force change, and save lives!

THINK PINK

Pink… it’s the new black.

Will shopping cure cancer? It might help!

The month of October is designated as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which explains the pink invasion seen in many of the large department stores. Saks Fifth Avenue launches their annual Key to the Cure campaign every October. Every year a different big name designer designs a shirt, which is then modeled and promoted by a different celebrity. In addition, Saks designates one weekend in October in which it donates 2% of the weekend’s sales up to $500,000 to a cancer research fund. I find it wonderful that these big corporations are devoted to showing their support for the cause.

A wide range of designers and brands make a point of creating special edition products to be sold in support of breast cancer. Bobbi Brown has the Pink Ribbon Collection of cosmetic products while Ralph Lauren created the Pink Pony Fund for cancer care and prevention.

Consumers are encouraged to shop for the cure. How hard is that? Not very, if you’re anything like me and L O V E to shop. By mixing shopping, one of America’s favorite pastimes, with doing good, it’s impossible to feel guilty for your spending!


A Few Places to Shop Pink...
shopbop
dogeared jewelry
saks

Finding The One

During the first few weeks of university new students are exploring unfamiliar territory. As freshmen, we’ve officially left the nest. While some students may rejoice over the newfound freedom that accompanies no longer living at home, others may start to feel the effects of homesickness and loneliness. A student’s living situation can be the make or break factor in determining his/her feelings during these first few weeks away from home. Many factors including: whether or not you were assigned to a “good” residence hall, how you decorate your room, the types of people on your floor, and most importantly your roommate are all crucial in setting the mood for the start of your freshman here.

Roommates are a key part of the “college experience.” It all begins with the roommate selection process, which is a somewhat anxiety-inducing situation in this day and age. Thanks to the advancement of technology and the invention of social networking websites we, as a population, have said goodbye to the days of freshman showing up on move-in day and finding out with whom they will be sharing a room. Haunted by the horror stories about “the roommate from hell” nowadays, many incoming freshman choose to room with a friend or acquaintance. Meanwhile, others opt for the truly 21^st century method of finding a roommate: Facebook. On the other hand, some brave students chose to risk it all by using the university’s random partnering system. Are those of us who opted for the school’s system “old school?” and since when did the roommate selection process become a form of online dating?