Helping: The Salvation Army Chelsea Turner Contributor In light of hard economic times, the Salvation Army is committed to helping collect clothes, toys, and money for those in need across America.  During the holiday season, bell ringers can be found outside thousands of stores across the nation. In 2009, the Salvation Army reported spending more than $3 billion to serve almost 30 million people.  They run money drives, volunteer programs, youth camps, elderly services, missing persons campaigns and aid veteran… Read more

Helping: Salvatore A. Giunta Staff Sgt. Salvatore A. Giunta is an exemplary model of helping.  He is the first living soldier since the Vietnam War to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. He was awarded the medal for his extraordinary acts of heroism on the warfront. In October of 2007, while walking along a mountain range in Afghanistan with fellow soldiers, Staff Sgt. Salvatore A. Giunta and his unit came under fire by Taliban forces. Giunta dodged rocket-propelled grenades and… Read more

Chelsea Turner Helping: Defense Secretary Robert Gates In addition to his commitment to slash wasteful spending from the U.S. military budget, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has made clear his position to give homosexuals the right to serve openly in the military. And why not?  Are we still so backwards in our mentality that we will continue the eugenics movement of the early 20th century? According to global news source Associated Free Press, a new survey given to active duty… Read more

Helping: California voters Despite Proposition 19 not being favored by the majority of voters, many choices voters made in both ballot measures and on legislative seats are sure to benefit California. In regards to the governor and senate race, Californians weren’t given much of a choice. With the candidates for governor, it seemed like the premise was to choose whoever seemed like less of a crook, and Californians chose as best they could. Jerry Brown has a sketchy past and… Read more

Chelsea Turner Helping: Rally to Restore Sanity and/or fear Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert strike the American people once again with humor and truth. That’s not to say comedians are the only people to see the world realistically or cynically, but when they can pull more than 200,000 people to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., they certainly have some backing. Stewart gave the most influential speech of the rally, his proposition being to restore the sanity of the American… Read more

HELPING: CHILE On Oct. 13, a Chilean rescue team managed to emancipate 33 miners who had been trapped 2,040 feet underground for two months. What started out as a routine rescue mission soon turned into an international event due in part to its complexity, genuine motive and impressive teamwork. With astounding proficiency, the team had every possible factor for success covered, and with national and even presidential support, ended the longest human entrapment underground in history. Their efforts proved that… Read more

Krystal Brooks HELPING Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Rarely would I ever speak positively of our public education–killing governor. However, this week he has managed to earn my praise and potentially alter my negative feelings of him. Schwarzenegger signed SB 1440, the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act, which requires that students who obtain an associate degree at a community college be granted admission into the CSU system with junior status. Before this went into effect, students would often have to haggle their… Read more

HELPING: L.A. County Beach Clean-up Volunteers Sept. 25 marked the 21st annual Coastal-Cleanup Day in L.A. The L.A. Times reported a record 14,131 volunteers helped clear our waves of waste. At 65 different sites, 50 tons of trash was removed. Things like crack pipes, a full goat hide, fishing line, a lawn chair, lead sinkers, and plastic utensils were pulled out of the ocean and onto the shore to be sorted and recycled. A big thanks to those volunteers who participated in… Read more

HELPING: Michelle Obama With the launch of her new campaign, “Let’s Move” against childhood obesity, first lady Michelle Obama is taking actions in to her own hands and encouraging our youth to eat healthier and stay active. I believe this campaign is necessary. Our children today are becoming more and more obese and it is becoming widely acceptable. Since when has it been okay to place our children’s health in danger? The first lady is advocating for healthier options in… Read more