Have you ever wondered what all the statistics you read mean? I’m a very visual learner, I appreciate learning from books that balance text with images, graphics, tables and other visual representations of information. A friend of mine recently pointed out this amazing graphic created by David McCandless at Information is Beautiful.net.

Click on the image above to see the full graphic on McCandless’s website. This visual breaks down the amount of money that the world has given to the disaster relief in Haiti, updated as of January 24, 2010. The …

There are some new events that have been added to the Unpacking Development Events listing and Calender! The Featured Event of the Week is the The 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival which takes place from February 24 to March 6, 2010 in Toronto, Canada. http://humanrightsfilmfestival.ca/schedule/

FEATURED EVENT:
FILM FESTIVAL: The 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival takes place February 24 to March 6, 2010 in Toronto, Canada. All films, excluding the Opening Night Gala screen at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas Street West, Toronto.

http://humanrightsfilmfestival.ca/schedule/

Monday, February 22
LECTURE: Financial Crisis And Opportunity Forum on forging a new global order of peace and justice with KAIROS’s John Dillon. 7 pm. Free. Dovercourt Baptist Church, NW corner Bloor and Dufferin. davenport4peace.ca.
Tuesday, February 23
LECTURE: Energy Security in the Asia-Pacific region: beyond the security of supply …

I can’t wait!  Don’t really see how they’re linked, (just like I also don’t really get what cupcakes have to do with earthquakes either) but I love a good charity gimick, and I love a good group fitness class!

Running for a Reason is proud to present Black 2 Basics for Haiti. This fun, high energy fitness event will be held at Circa on January 31st. B2B for Haiti will attract health and fitness enthusiasts of all ages. In addition, the event will provide a fun opportunity for us to help …

Learning about all the stuff that’s happening around text message donations during the Haiti crisis.  It seems to be getting a lot of press!
This is the first humanitarian disaster where this type of micro-donating is taking a really big roll.  Plan Canada (who I work for blogging at Because I am a Girl) have raised over $3000 using Text to Donate technology so far.  This is nothing compared to the millions that the American Red Cross has managed to raise since Jan 12 using the same technology.
I’m not sure that …

Around this time of year, everyone is making lists both recapping and looking forward.  Here are a couple of my favourite lists right now:
MSF’s Top Ten Humanitarian Crises of 2009
Doctors without Borders writes this annual ironic top ten list to bring attention to hot spots around the world.
Change.org Top Ten Victories of 2009
This one looks at what members of the social networking site Change.org were able to accomplish in 2009 by mobilizing online.  Its pretty impressive!

My day started with a very cool Event which happened right in my living room! I watched people from over 124 countries participate by giving their voice to fight HIV/AIDS with Starbucks. Singing “All you need is love” and submitting a video to the Starbucks Love website. Starbucks (Red) Campaign is contributing money to the global fight against AIDS using various marketing campaigns, drink donations and in store purchases.
Events This Week:
Monday, December 7:
50 Comics In 60 Minutes (Toronto Food Bank):
Comedians perform. 9 pm. $5. Dominion on Queen, 500 Queen E. …

FEATURED EVENT OF THE WEEK:
EVENT: Empower: Youth, Arts And Activism
World AIDS Day launch of an HIV/AIDS activism manual for youth with drag shows, visual art and more. Thursday, November 26. 6:00-9:00 pm. Free. William Doo Auditorium, 5 Willcocks. cuhi.admin@utoronto.ca.
CONFERENCE: Ivey Global Health Innovation Conference
Tuesday, November 24, 2009. 7:30 am -5:00 pm. The Fairmont Royal York. 100 Front St. W. Toronto. www.ivey.ca/ichil
SEMINAR: Research 2 Receptor Series - BioMass and Green Energy
Tuesday, November 24. 11:30 am - 6:00 pm. University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus. Guelph Ontario. www.research2receptor.com/ridgetown.html
SUMMIT: Cultural Knowledge and the …

Last month I attended Case Camp, a social media “unconference” in Toronto. A meet up of social media professionals who heard talks from internet experts and enthusiasts speaking about the internet today and a bit about tomorrow. I’m bringing this up on Blog Action Day on Climate Change because I had a discussion with Trevor from EarthRangers about this blog and I mentioned that neither Kate or I feel that we are experts on environmental issues and so it hasn’t been a focus in a lot of our blog posts. …

FEATURED EVENT OF THE WEEK:

BLOG ACTION DAY 2009: Climate Change
Thursday October 15, 2009. Blog Action Day is an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global importance. Blog Action Day 2009 will be the largest-ever social change event on the web. One day. One issue. Thousands of voices. www.blogactionday.org.
LECTURE: The Nuclear Question Physicians for Global Survival
Forum with physician/activist Helen Caldicott. Tuesday October 13, 2009. Noon-1:30 pm. …