“There is no such thing as a small act of kindness.”

Scott Adams, the creator of ‘Dilbert’, finished the above comment with “Every act creates a ripple with no logical end".

I just read an article on the CNN feed found here which suggests social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter have proven beneficial as a way to get the message out to the masses – help Haiti!  And, the masses have responded!  The tweets, re-tweets, status updates, and FB group pages have prompted people to pull out their mobile phones and to send one very simple text message that triggers a $10 donation.

What started as something small - Hey, it’s only $10! - has made a far-reaching ripple such that more than $4 million has been donated to the American Red Cross’ Haiti relief program thus far.  Wow!

With the Canadian federal government’s announcement that they will match donations up to $50 million to Canadian registered charitable organizations, now is the time to act and create our own ripples.

As Adams also said, “you don’t have to be a ‘person of influence’ to be influential.” 

We can make a difference!  There are a number of charities that are offering legitimate ways to give (see link to CBC article).  These are just a couple:

Canadian Red Cross, donate online at:  www.redcross.ca/helpnow

Partners in Health: Haiti - Rogers Wireless and Fido customers can donate $5 by texting the word HELP to 1291.  Teaming up with ONEXONE, the donations are earmarked to go to Partners in Health: Haiti.

Reuters photo via dailymail.co.uk

Just when you thought it was safe…

Many people who have treasured memories in photos or important data will back-up those files on CD/DVDs for safe-keeping.  As we know, a computer crash could bring even the most reticent individual to tears accompanied by child-like temper tantrums.

So, you’ve done that.  You’ve been diligent about backing up the important files and one day you go back to retrieve one of those files and…what??!…you can’t?!  Huh?!

Check out this blog post by Jacques Giraud.   Interesting findings and may make us re-think how we store our data.

Excuse me ma’am, anything to declare?

Other than lots of great memories that I stashed away, yes sir…I also smuggled a nasty cold back into the country. 

I can guarantee the fashionable Parisian styles are not reflected in any way to the over-size PJ’s and fuzzy slippers that have been my wardrobe choice since we returned home.

Paris – Bonne Année - just a few more hours

After collecting all the fresh foods earlier in the week at the St. Germain market, we had everything we needed to make dinner at the apartment instead of going out to a restaurant. It was a great idea…very relaxing.

We made sure to dress very warmly for the evening and were on our way to the Champs-Elysées shortly after 9:30pm.  The crowds were already thick when we got to Place du Concorde.  People were singing, dancing, and drinking.  Every once in awhile we would notice a group of people all huddled together and then realized they were all standing on a metro grate and taking advantage of the warmth coming up through from the subway. 

The police seemed to have a significant presence, including a few with riot shields and shoulder protection (just in case).  Some of the stores had already boarded up their windows earlier in the day, but this is typical of many city stores when big, potentially rowdy, celebrations are about to take place.  We didn’t see anything that would warrant the use of it – everyone just seemed to be having a ton of fun, but better to plan for the worst.

The avenue itself was a sea of car lights and the sound of horns honking, but by the time we made it to the Arc du Triomphe and took a left towards the Eiffel Tower, things were significantly calmer (good for me, since I tend to get a little claustrophobic in crowds).  We, along with hundreds of others, were making our way to find a place along the Seine or one of the bridges for the best position to see the lights of the Eiffel Tower. 

With 10 minutes left to go, the tower was ablaze with a light show.  We had brought along a small bottle of Mumm’s and a couple of plastic glasses.  We were ready!

It’s hard to imagine that we were experiencing something similar, and yet so very different, a year ago in Amsterdam.  Who knows where we’ll be on December 31, 2010.  Whether we’re spending time with family and friends, or just the two of us exploring a new place…it is being together, arms wrapped around each other, grateful for our life together, and sharing hopes and dreams for the coming year…that’s what’s important to us.

Countdown begins…ten seconds to go…the lights make their way down the side of the tower, second-by-second until the cheers become deafening, the low barritone-like horns of the Bateaux Mouches (the tour boats of the Seine) were sounding, camera flashes everywhere, people kissing, and catching a glimpse of more than one ‘moon’ dancing across the bridge.  People stopped and took it all in.  The beginning of a new year…

2010 was upon us…Bonne Année!