WHO IS SAM SIMON?

Who is Sam Simon and why should we care?

Sam Simon is an entertainment mogul.  He is co-creator of the multiple Emmy Award-winning The Simpsons writing genius behind hit shows like Taxi, Barney Miller, Cheers, The Tracey Ullman Show, The Drew Carey Show and the FX series, Anger Management but it is not his celebrity status that I want to write about.  I want to write about his BIG heart, animal advocacy and his compassion.

Sam Simon has been diagnosed with terminal colon cancer but continues to advocate for animals.  Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), has recently stated, “Sam Simon may be a big Hollywood figure, but it’s his big heart that makes him a PETA soul mate.”  Sam Simon serves on PETA’s Executive Committee and has been a vegetarian since he was 19 and vegan since joining PETA years later.  He attended a PETA news conference with Bob Barker, another animal rights activist and previous game show host of The Price is Right, in which he indicated (regarding using animals in film/television), “If you can’t afford the CGI (computer-generated imagery), either do a rewrite or do a cartoon show like I did.”

Simon is known for his work within the Sam Simon Foundation, which rescues dogs from shelters and trains them to assist soldiers who return from war with physical and mental trauma.  He addresses animal homelessness by sponsoring spay and neuter surgeries in low-income areas of Los Angeles and has assisted PETA launch their newest mobile spay-and-neuter clinic.  He has also hosted PETA fundraisers at his home in L.A.  Simon once donated his fee for an episode of The Drew Carey Show to PETA because the plot involved greyhound racing, and he fleet that he could not in good conscience keep the money.

Simon has donated his time, his heart and his finances as mentioned above and has been pivotal with his work with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and Save the Children.  He has taken up the hobby of buying up captive animals from places like zoos and circuses and recently answered PETA’s and ARAN’s (Animal Rights Action Network) appeals to rescue Benjy, an Irish breeding bull believed to be homosexual, from slaughter.  Mr. Simon has also donated a $2 million ship to Sea Shepherd’s anti-whaling fleet.

PETA’s Norfolk, Virginia, headquarters has a new moniker – the Sam Simon Center – in honour of his advocacy for animals.  He once said of PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, “I say yes to everything she asks me.”

Imagine what positive and loving changes you can contribute to if we only allowed ourselves to say “yes” more often.  We can make huge and positive differences in the world – we can become beacons of hope for people and animals that can’t stand or speak for themselves.  We can be instruments of change when so many of our governments and corporations can only think of the ‘bottom line’.  Sam Simon’s compassion and endless generosity should be an example of humanity’s greater good and what we can accomplish.  This blog is my way of showing my gratitude for his generosity and for creating positive change in our world.

If you would like to help in creating positive change – please donate to any of the not-for-profit charities that Sam Simon supports, here are the links:

http://www.peta.org/ (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals)

http://samsimonfoundation.com/ (The Sam Simon Foundation)

http://www.seashepherd.org/canada (Shepherd Conservation Society)

http://www.savethechildren.ca/ (Save The Children)

Together we can make the world a more positive one! 

 

DID YOU KNOW…SOME FUN FACTS and RECORDS

Have you ever wondered what/where the world’s tallest freestanding structure was or what the all-tim best-selling non-fiction book was?  Do you know what world destination is the most visited?  What of social media – do you prefer Facebook, Twitter or Google+ Well, look no further because I am about to share some of the answers with you now.

ANIMALS

Elephant

The oldest elephant ever was Lin Wang, an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), who died on 26 February 2003 aged 86, at Taipei Zoo, Taiwan.

Grandpa Lin, as he became known, carried supplies through the jungles of Myanmar (formerly Burma) for the Japanese army, during World War II. He was even taken prisoner by the Chinese in 1943. Lin Wang retired to the Zoo in 1954. The average age of an Asian elephant is 60 years.

Snake

The longest snake in captivity is named Medusa, she resides in Kansas City, Missouri USA and is 7.67 metres long or 25 feet, 2 inches.  She weighs 350lbs.

LITERATURE

The best-selling non-fiction book in the world is The Bible. 

Codex Leicester by Leonardo da Vinci is the most expensive book ever sold – $30.8 million (sold in 1994).  Bought by Microsoft mogul Bill Gates.  A 72-page document (and therefore not a printed book), Codex Leicester is a collection of scientific writing and gained its named from Thomas Coke, Earl of Leicester who bought it in 1719.  The journal covers theories on astronomy, water, rock, air, the moon and the heavens.

Sources:

http://www.abebooks.com/blog/index.php/2013/09/25/top-10-most-expensive-books-ever-sold/

MUSIC

Billboard HOT 100 Top Group – The Beatles

Billboard HOT 100 Top Female Artist – Madonna.  Madonna is also Billboard’s Hot 100 top female artists.  She has had the most top 10 singles, a total of 38.  She has sold over 305 million albums worldwide and is the best-selling female recording artist according to Guinness World Record.

Best Selling Digital Artist – Rihanna 

Sources:

http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/8000/best-selling-female-recording-artist 

BUILDINGS/TOWERS

The tallest freestanding tower in the world is located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.  The Burj Khalifa houses offices, residentials units and a hotel.  It measures 829.8 metres tall.

MOST TRAVELLED TO DESTINATION

Here are the top 5 most travelled to locations or destinations in the world (according to the Business Insider):

5.  Niagara Falls (22.5 million)

4.  Union Station, Washington D.C. USA (32.8 million)

3.  Central Park, New York City, NY USA (37.5 million)

2.  Times Square, New York City, NY USA (39.2 million)

1.  Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas, NV USA (39.6 million)

FILM

The top 5 grossing films of all time are:

5.  Frozen (2013) – $1.2 billion

4.  Harry Potter and The Deathy Hallows Pt II (2011) – $1.3 billion

3.  Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) – $1.5 billion

2.  Titanic (1997) – $2.1 billion

1.  Avatar (2009) – $2.7 billion

TELEVISON

Here are the top 10 series finales in television history (US):

10.  Home Improvement – May 1999 (35.5 million)

9.  Family Ties – May 1989 (36.3 million)

8.  All In The Family – April 1979 (40.2 million)

7.  The Cosby Show – April 1992 (44.4 million)

6.  Magnum P.I. – May 1988 (50.7 million)

5.  Friends – May 2004 (52.5 million)

4.  Seinfeld – May 1998 (76.3 million)

3.  The Fugitive – August 1967 (78 million)

2.  Cheers – May 1993 (84.4 million)

1.  M*A*S*H – February 1983 (105.9 million)

http://www.etonline.com/tv/144979_10_Most_Watched_TV_Series_Finales_Ever_Gallery/index.html?page=MA==&itmCnt=MTg=

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook – Has approximately 1.15 billion users, 350 million photos are uploaded everyday and 751 million users access Facebook from a mobile device.

Twitter – Has approximately 500 + million users and approximately 20 million twitter accounts are fake.

Google+ – Has approximately 500 + million users of which 67% are male.

Pinterest – Has approximately 70 + million users of which 64% are female.

Instagram – Has over 130 million users and MTV is the most followed with over 1.2 million followers.

Linkedin – Has over 238 million users.

Technology has allowed the world to come together to witness some of the most amazing things in the world.  We have witnessed triumphs and tragedies across the world.  Revolutions were organized using social media.  We are able to receive instant messages of events happening across the oceans and throughout the universe.  With all the milestones we have witnessed – imagine the great things to come and the potential to create positive change around the world by sharing, following, favoriting, pinning and liking.

Together we can make the world a more positive one!