A SYMBOL OF OPPRESSION IS FINALLY REMOVED!

There has been much controversy and discussion about the removal of the Confederate Flag lately.  Many claim that it is a symbol of victory and an important part of history but there is much violence, racism and hate associated with this flag:

Bree Newsome (with assistance of a friend) took the initiative and climbed the flag pole to take down the flag herself.  We all understand and know what transpired during the civil rights movement.  There was no equality for people of colour during that time.  People of colour couldn’t use the same fountains and washrooms of whites, they couldn’t go to the same schools.  And if you spoke or advocated for equality; you were beaten, degraded and even killed.

I applaud those who came before Bree Newsome and stood up to their oppressors, people who demanded respect and equality and who didn’t want to be treated like they were unworthy.  All over the world people like; Harriet Tubman, Representative John Lewis, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Booker T. Washington, Mohandas and Kasturba Gandhi, Cesar Chavez, Malcolm X, Desmond Tutu, Bob Moses and Ella Baker fought their oppressors and demanded change around the world.

Today, this type of oppression continues by those who are supposed to serve and protect everyone.  It is common to see videos of white policeman beat and kill so many people of colour.  When politicians are debating creating barriers, fences and walls to keep immigrants out, what else are we supposed to conclude except that these same politicians are pandering to the white racist America.  If they are treating minorities from other countries this way, it isn’t inconceivable to believe that politicians and legislators want to keep America’s minorities disenfranchised, poor, uneducated and oppressed.

So, when you hear your friends say things like; “they do it to themselves”, “if they were not committing the crimes, they wouldn’t be in jail”, “they are supposed to listen to the police” and so many other ignorant statements, they are just regurgitating the sentiments expressed by corporate media to insure we keep those same minorities lucid and submissive.

The REVOLUTION OF LOVE continues – we are the many that have had enough of those few who want to continue this oppression.  Knowledge is power!  With knowledge, determination and passion POSITIVE CHANGE is inevitable.  So many have given their lives to ensure those people who have oppressed others and their symbols are removed but never forgotten.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

I HAVE A DREAM…ALSO.

“Never, never be afraid to do what’s right, especially if the well-being of a person or animal is at stake.  Society’s punishments are small compared to the wounds we inflict on our soul when we look the other way.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

There are so many individuals that have and continue to inspire me to help create positive change in the world, people like; Mohammed Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, Jane Goodall, Louise L. Hay and Ingrid Newkirk, just to name a few.  These people have risked so much to raise awareness about the social injustices so many people (and animals) face on a daily basis.  In celebration of all he has accomplished in the Civil Rights movement and to honour Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 19 – here are some facts you may not have known about this very inspiring man:

• Won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 at the age of 35.  To this day, he is still the youngest male to ever receive it.
• His speech, Why I Oppose the War in Viet Nam, went on to win him a posthumous Grammy and he has also been awarded the Medal of Freedom and Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honours an American civilian can receive.
• As a result of helping organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott that lasted 385 days, King was not only arrested but his house was also bombed.
• Martin Luther King Jr was not the only member in his family to be assassinated – his mother, Alberta Williams, was also tragically killed in her Atlanta church in 1974.
• There are  two places outside of the United States that celebrate Martin Luther King Jr day:  Toronto, Ontario CANADA and Hiroshima, Japan.
• Despite being enacted in 1983 all fifty states didn’t observe Martin Luther King Jr day until 17 years later.
• His name was originally Michael, not Martin.
• King convinced ‘Uhura’ on Star Trek, Nichelle Nichols, to continue on with the role after the first season.  Nichols (who later went to work for NASA) stated he told her not to leave the show because she was not only playing a black personas a main character on TV, but she was also playing a character that didn’t conform to the stereotypical black person of the day, usually portrayed.  Rather, Uhura was portrayed as an intelligent member of the crew and an equal to those around her.
• There are over 700 streets in the United States named after Martin Luther King Jr.
• Between 1957 and 1968, he traveled more than 6 million miles and spoke at more than 2,500 events.
• U2’s song, “Pride (In The Name of Love)” was written about Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther Kings ‘I Have A Dream’ speech was delivered on August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.  This speech inspired millions of people everywhere to stand for justice, equality and love.  Read the full speech here:

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

We must do our very best not to forget the amazing work people like Martin Luther King Jr. have done in order to ensure that all people are treated equally.  We must honour their legacy by spreading their passion in creating positive change in the world.  The world is a much better place knowing that Martin Luther King Jr’s words, actions and ultimately his life, created so much positivity in the world.

“When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows.  Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice.” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Together, we can make the world a more positive one.

BRIEF BIOS OF GREAT PEOPLE and HOW THEY INSPIRED POSITIVE CHANGE

What inspires you to create positive change in the world?  Have you ever thought about the countless individuals who have risked and even gave their lives fighting for injustices around the world?  We all know their names:

Harriet Tubman:  Born enslaved, liberated herself and returned to the area of her birth many times to lead family, friends, and other enslaved African-Americans north to freedom.  Advocate for women, the Union and enslaved people.  A leader to the civil rights movement.  Escaped to freedom at the age of 27 in 1849.  Returned to Dorchester County, Maryland USA (her birthplace) approximately 13 times to liberate friends, family and other enslaved African-Americans via the Underground Railroad.

Dian Fossey:  Undertook an extensive study of gorilla groups over a period of 18 years.  Financed patrols to destroy poachers traps.  Helped in the arrest of several poachers.  Strongly opposed wildlife tourism, as gorillas are very susceptible to human anthroponotic diseases like influenza for which gorillas have no immunity.  Viewed the holding of animals in “prison” (zoos) for the entertainment of people as unethical.

Martin Luther King Jr.:  Born Michael Luther King Jr., later changed his name to Martin.  Graduated High School at the age of fifteen.  Received B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College and later received doctorate degree at Boston University in 1955.  In December of 1955, he accepted leadership of first great Negro nonviolent demonstration of contemporary times in the United States.  During an 11 year period between 1957 – 1968, King traveled over six million miles and spoke over twenty-five hundred times.  He directed the peaceful march on Washington, D.C., of 250,000 people to whom he delivered his address, “I Have a Dream”.  He was awarded five honorary degrees and named ‘Man of the Year’ by Time magazine in 1963 and became not only the symbolic leader of American blacks but also a world figure.  At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King Jr. was the youngest man to have received The Nobel Peace Prize – when notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over his prize money of $54, 123 to further advance the civil rights movement.

Mother Teresa:  Born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in Skopje, Macedonia in 1910.  At the age of twelve, she knew she had to be a missionary to spread the love of Christ.  At eighteen, she left Skopje and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missions in India.  From 1931 to 1948 Mother Teresa taught at St. Mary’s High School in Calcutta, but the suffering and poverty she glimpsed outside the convent walls had such a deep impression on her that in 1948, she received permission from her superiors to leave the convent school and devote herself to working among the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta.  In 1950, Mother Teresa received permission from the Holy See to start her own order, “The Missionaries of Charity”, whose primary task was to love and care for those persons nobody was prepared to look after.

Nelson Mandela: 

Born on July 18, 1918 in Qunu, South Africa.  Son of a chief, Nelson Mandela studied law and became one of South Africa’s first black lawyers. Early in the 1950s he was elected leader of the youth wing of the ANC (African National Congress) liberation movement. When the country’s white minority government prohibited the ANC in 1960, Mandela became convinced that armed struggle was inevitable. Inspired by the guerrilla wars in Algeria and Cuba, he organized a military underground movement that engaged in sabotage. In 1962 he was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment for high treason and conspiracy against the state.

From 1964 to 1982 he was confined to the notorious prison island Robben Island, together with several other resistance leaders. He was then moved to prison on the mainland until his release in 1990. During his imprisonment, Mandela became a rallying point for South Africa’s oppressed, and the world’s most famous political prisoner.

Nelson Mandela shared the Peace Prize with the man who had released him, President Frederik Willem de Klerk, because they had agreed on a peaceful transition to majority rule.

Harvey Milk:  Born on May 22, 1930 in Woodmere, New York.  Harvey graduated from New York College for Teachers (now State University of New York) and enlisted in the Navy in 1951.  Discharged in 1955 with the rank of lieutenant junior grade.  He worked as a public school teacher on Long Island, a stock analyst in New York City and production associate for Broadway musicals, including Jesus Christ Superstar and Hair.  During the 1960’s and 70’s he became more actively involved in politics and advocacy and he demonstrated against the Vietnam War.  In late 1972, Milk moved to San Francisco, where he opened a camera store on Castro Street, in the heart of the city’s growing gay community.  Just over a year later, he declared his candidacy for the San Francisco Board of Supervisors – he lost but emerged from the campaign as a force to be reckoned with in local politics.  In 1975, he ran and narrowly lost.  His close friend and ally Mayor George Mascone, appointed him to the city’s Board of Permit Appeals, making Milk the first openly gay city commissioner in the United States.  In 1977, he easily won his third bid, and was inaugurated as a San Francisco City-County Supervisor on January 9, 1978. 

Harvey Milk spoke out on state and national issues of interest to LGBT people, women, racial and ethnic minorities and other marginalized communities.  One of these was a California ballot initiative, Proposition 6, which would have mandated the firing of gay teachers in the state’s public schools. State Senator John Briggs, seeking to marshal anti-gay sentiment and an agenda of hate and diminishment for political gain, spearheaded the initiative. With strong, effective opposition from Milk and others, it was defeated at a time when other political attacks on gay people were being successfully waged around the US.

Princess Diana:  Born Lady Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961 in Sandringham (Norfolk, England).  Married Prince Charles on July 29, 1981.  Princess Diana pulled out of being patroness or president of over 100 social institutions and charitable organizations.  She took her role as patron of the English National Ballet, the Leprosy Mission and the British AIDS Help seriously.  She was known for her humanitary and fund-raising work for international charities.  She received recognition for her charity work and for her support of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.  From 1989, she was the president of Great Ormond Street Hospital for children, in addition to dozens of other charities.

“I remember I used to sit on hospital beds and hold people’s hands.  People used to be sort of shocked, but to me it was quite a normal thing to do.  These people need hope.  They also need encouragement.”

Mahatma Gandhi:  Born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, more commonly known as ‘Mahatma’ (meaning ‘Great Soul’) in Porbandar, Gujarat, in NorthWest India on October 2, 1869.  Married (via arranged marriage) at the age of 13 to Kasturba Makhanji.  Began college at University of College London at age of 18 in September of 1888.  Determined to adhere to Hindu principles, which included vegetarianism as well as alcohol and sexual abstinence, he found London restrictive initially, but once he had found kindred spirits he flourished, and pursued the philosophical study of religions, including Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism and others, having professed no particular interest in religion up until then.  Following admission to the English Bar, and his return to India, he found work difficult to come by and, in 1893, accepted a year’s contract to work for an Indian firm in Natal, South Africa.  Despite arriving on a year’s contract, Gandhi spent the next 21 years living in South Africa, and railed against the injustice of racial segregation.  Witnessing the racial bias experienced by his countrymen served as a catalyst for his later activism, and he attempted to fight segregation at all levels.  He founded a political movement, known as Natal Indian Congress, and developed his theoretical belief in non-violent civil protest into a tangible political stance, when he opposed the introduction of registration for all Indians, within South Africa, via non-cooperation with relevant civic authorities.

David Suzuki:  Co-Founder of the David Suzuki Foundation.  David Suzuki is an award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster.  Dr. Suzuki is a geneticist.  He graduated from Amherst College (Massachusetts) in 1958 with an Honours BA in Biology, followed by a Ph.D. in Zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961.  In 1972, he was awarded the E.W.R. Steacie Memorial Fellowship for the outstanding research scientist in Canada under the age of 35 and held it for three years.  He holds 25 honorary degrees in Canada, the U.S. and Australia.  He was elected to the Royal Society of Canada and is a Companion of the Order of Canada.  Dr. Suzuki has written 52 books, including 19 for children.  His 1976 text-book An Introduction to Genetic Analysis (with A.J.F. Griffiths), remains the most widely used genetics text-book in the U.S. and has been translated into Italian, Spanish, Greek, Indonesian, Arabic, French and German.  Dr. Suzuki is also recognized as a world leader in sustainable ecology. He is the recipient of UNESCO’s Kalinga Prize for Science, the United Nations Environment Program Medal, UNEPs Global 500 and in 2009 won the Right Livelihood Award that is considered the Alternative Nobel Prize.

Ingrid Newkirk:  Animal rights activist, author and Co-Founder and president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 1980.  Born in Surrey, England.  Ingrid became an animal activist at the age of 21 after discovering that a neighbour abanded some kittens and decided to bring them to an animal shelter.  This life-changing experience let to her first job working in behalf of animals – cleaning kennels and investigating cruelty cases.  Ingrid served as deputy sheriff, a Maryland state law enforcement officer with the highest success rate in convicting animal abusers, the director of cruelty investigations for the second-oldest humane society in the U.S., and the chief of animal disease control for the Commission on Public Health in Washington, D.C.  Under Ingrid’s leadership, legislation was passed to create the first-ever spray-and-neuter clinic in Washington, D.C.  She coordinated the first arrest in U.S. history of a laboratory animal experiment on cruelty charges and helped achieve the first ever anti-cruelty law in Taiwan.  She spearheaded the closure of a Department of Defense underground “wound laboratory”, and she has initiated many other campaigns against animal abuse, including ending General Motors’ car-crash tests on animals.

Let the stories and actions of all the people mentioned above, inspire and motivate you to create positive change into our world and universe. 

Resources:

www.nobelprize.org

www.peta.org

www.gorillafund.org

www.royal.gov.uk

www.harriettubmanbiography.com

www.milkfoundation.org

www.princess-diana.com

www.davidsuzuki.org

www.ingridnewkirk.com

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

 

REMEMBERING 2013

As we say goodbye to 2013 – I would like to reflect on the stories that I find to be the most inspirational and personal to me.

Saying goodbye to Iringa, Toka and Thika – TORONTO ZOO ELEPHANTS

There has been much controversy surrounding the Toronto Zoo elephant program but it was a controversy that ended with a positive outcome for Iringa, Toka and Thika – the three elephants that have been relocated to PAWS, I 35-hectare sanctuary located in Sand Andreas, California.  The sanctuary has been divided in half to accommodate the African elephants before they are integrated with the other three that are already residing there. 

Bob Barker – who has been pivotal in this relocation, was present when the elephants arrived and indicated that it was about time that the elephants were relocated.  “I have never met with so much acrimony as we did in Toronto,” he said.  “And why I don’t know.”  Bob Barker covered the cost of the move and relocation of the elephants. 

Iringa and Toka, youngsters spared from a deadly cull in Mozambique – arrived at the zoo in 1974, the year it opened.  Thika was born in Toronto and has never known life outside of the Toronto Zoo’s one-hectare zoo.

The elephants will now live on rolling grassland with trees, meadows, lakes a walnut orchard, three heated barns and a Jacuzzi. 

Here is the video of Iringa, Toka and Thika’s arrival:

Iringa, Toka and Thika – the morning after their arrival:

It costs about $70,000+/yr to care for an elephant – PAWS welcomes any donations to ensure their well-being.  To make a donation, please visit the PAWS website at:  http://www.pawsweb.org/donate_online.html

FREEDOM for the ARCTIC 30

Greed speaks loudly when peaceful activists are threatened to be jailed for defending the Arctic waters and wildlife from oil drilling and greedy oil companies.  The 30 activists and crew members of the Arctic Sunrise, were illegally removed from the Arctic waters and their ship (at gunpoint) – for defending the Arctic waters.  Many people supported these brave men and women – government officials from many of the countries the detainees were from spoke out against Russia and demanded their freedom.  As a Canadian – I am ashamed of our government for not getting involved or even making a statement on behalf of the Canadians who were illegally detained in Russia.   Stephen Harper – the Conservative Prime Minister of Canadian supports BIG OIL and has recently announced that it would submit a claim for 1.7 million km of the Arctic seabed, including the North Pole.  The Canadian Alberta tar sands is an environmental nightmare – imagine the damage that will be done if the Conservative and Harper Government are allowed this claim?

The real criminals are not the Arctic 30 – it is those policy makers that ensure that the big oil companies get what they want.  The Arctic 30 should be deemed heroes for protecting our waters and our environment from those the real criminals who have no regard for wildlife and the environment.

The 28 activists and two freelance journalists, including Canadians Ruzycki and Paul, who were illegally detained by Russian forces on board the Arctic Sunrise on September 19th were granted presidential pardon on December 18th after spending more than two months in prison.

http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/recent/Canadian-Greenpeace-activists-held-in-Russia-for-three-months-arrive-home/

http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/Blog/the-true-north-melting-and-oily/blog/47719/

To ensure that Greenpeace continues to protect our planet – please visit their website for past victories and current battles:  http://www.greenpeace.org/canada/en/  The link will also allow you to make any donation.

The passing of Nelson Mandela

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

There is nothing more than I can say about a man whose legacy speaks volumes.  Nelson Mandela was a pivotal force for equality, compassion and love not only in South Africa, but around the world.  His legacy will live on!

Please read his bio as posted on the Nelson Mandela Foundation website:  http://www.nelsonmandela.org/content/page/biography

PETA’s ACTIVISM in 2013

Here are PETA’s 11 Most Important Animal Rights Videos of 2013 *** Please note:  Some of these videos are graphic and will require you to sign into your account to view the video.  In my opinion – if it is too violent to watch – It is too violent to buy or eat!!!

For more information regarding PETA’s activism or to make a donation to PETA – please visit their website:  http://www.peta.org/#/

BRIDEGROOM – A story about LOVE

Watching this documentary put many things in perspective for me.  Some of us should really be thankful for living in a country where all are treated equally under the law.  This is one reason why so many in the LGBTQ community are fighting for equal rights and protections under the law in the United States and around the world.

If we really make it a point to treat others the same way we want to be treated – we can make so many positive things happen for ourselves, for each other, for our environment, for animals and for the planet.  It is time to break the mold of what you believe to be true – think outside the box and enlighten yourself.  Once you are free from what you believe MUST be the truth – then amazing things will happen and have happened.  Don’t let yourself be the obstacle from what good you can contribute.  Let 2014 be the year you create a life that is authentic, compassionate and loving.

I will leave you with a video and song that was released in December of 2012 – “Clown” by Emeli Sandé, enjoy and HAPPY NEW YEAR – much health, happiness and love to all of you!

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

AN IMAGE TRIBUTE TO NELSON MANDELA

Nelson Mandela was an inspiration to me – he was a man who believed that everyone should be treated equally and he fought passionately for this all of his life.  A man so encompassed in his beliefs that he spent 27 years in prison for them.  Mandela was and will continue to be a huge and inspirational voice for those who are deemed less equal than the ones who oppress them.  The world has lost a man who was compassionate, fearless, brave, loving and inspirational – he may be gone but his legacy will live on in all those whom he has inspired.  Here is my YouTube tribute to Mr. Mandela.  Please note:  The images I used were images from the internet and I take no credit for any of them.  The song I used is entitled “The Rivers Divide” from Kristine W.  This song can be found on her albums ‘Stronger’ (Japanese Import) or the version I used – from ‘Straight Up With A Twist’.  Her voice and the lyrics of the song bring so much more emotion and life to this video.

You can purchase the song via iTunes or via her website:  http://www.kristinew.com

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

THE BEST OF 2013

Here are some of my favourite moments of the past year………

PEOPLE/EVENTS

THE ARREST, DETAINMENT and RELEASE OF THE ARCTIC 30

The crew of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise took part in a peaceful protest at Gazprom’s oil rig to call attention to the threat of oil drilling and climate change. The ice is retreating and oil companies are moving north to drill for the same stuff that’s driving that melting in the first place. It’s madness.

These brave activists looked at the scientific evidence of man-made global warming and the threat it poses to the Arctic, and decided to do something about it. A freelance photographer and videographer were there simply to document their protest. Just as in years past, the resolve and courage required to win a better future for our children requires personal sacrifice, a sacrifice the Arctic 30 are now making. They made their stand in the interests of us all.

Here is a list of names of those HEROES who were brave enough to peacefully protest climate change and drilling for oil in the Arctic:

Peter Henry Willcox (United States), Miguel Hernan Perez (Argentina), Camila Speziale (Argentina), Colin Russell (Australia), Ana Paula Alminhana Maciel (Brazil), Phil Ball (United Kingdom), Kieron Bryan (United Kingdom), Alexandra Harris (United Kingdom), Frank Hewetson (United Kingdom), Anthony Perrett (United Kingdom), Iain Rogers (United Kingdom), Alexandre Paul (Canada), Paul D. Ruzycki (Canada), Faiza Oulahsen (Netherlands), Mannes Ubels (Netherlands), Anne Mie Roer Jensen (Denmark), Sini Saarela (Finland), Francesco Pisanu (France), Cristian D’Alessandro (Italy), Jonathan Beauchamp (New Zealand), David John Haussmann (New Zealand), Tomasz Dziemianczuk (Poland), Roman Dolgav (Russia), Denis Sinyakov (Russia), Dima Litvinov (Sweden), Marco Weber (Switzerland), Gizem Akhan (Turkey), Ruslan Yakushev (Ukraine), Andrey Allakhverdov (Russia), Ekaterina Zaspa (Russia).

The above, and additional information about the Arctic 30 and Saving the Arctic is posted on Greenpeace’s website, here is the link:  http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/campaigns/climate-change/arctic-impacts/Peace-Dove/Arctic-30/

BARACK OBAMA’S SPEECH at THE NELSON MANDELA MEMORIAL SERVICE

YEB SANO’s CLIMATE CHANGE SPEECH AFTER TYPHOON HAIYAN

MALALA YOUSAFZAI – INSPIRING STORY and ADVOCATING FOR WOMEN’S RIGHT TO BE EDUCATED

ENTERTAINMENT

Some of my favourite cds of 2013: 

M.I.A. (Matangi), Nine Inch Nails (Hesitation Marks), Daft Punk (Random Access Memories), Kanye West (Yeezus), Atoms For Peace (Amok), OMD (English Electric), Alison Moyet (The Minutes).

Some of my favorite videos:

LADY GAGA and RUPAUL

DAFT PUNK featuring PHARRELL WILLIAMS

ATOMS FOR PEACE

NINE INCH NAILS

MADONNA – SECRET PROJECT REVOLUTION

LGBT ISSUES

The powerful story of love as told by Shane Bitney Crone in the great documentary – BRIDEGROOM (A hopeful Oscar contender).  Here is the movie trailer:

Edie Windsor (LGBT activist) on shortlist for TIME’s ‘Person of the Year’ along with:  Bashar Assad (President of Syria), Jeff Bezos (Amazon founder), Ted Cruz (Texas Senator), Miley Cyrus (Singer), Pope Benedict Francis (Leader of the Catholic Church), Barack Obama (President of The United States), Hassan Rouhani (President of Iran), Kathleen Sebelius (Secretary of Health and Human Services) and Edward Snowden (N.S.A. leaker).  President Barack Obama was TIME’s 2012’s Person of the Year.

COMING OUT OF THE CLOSET and LIVING THEIR AUTHENTIC LIVES

Jason Collins (NBA player), Tom Daley (Olympic Diver), Raven Simone (Actress, The Cosby Show), Bob Harper (The Biggest Loser), Wentworth Miller (Actor, Prison Break), Earvin Johnson III (NBA’s Magic Johnson’s – of son).

Not only are these individuals risking their careers by issuing a statement that they are gay, bisexual or lesbian – they may be empowering other individuals who are gay to do so.  Many LGBT people are shunned from their friends, families and communities because they are born gay.  This leads to high rates of suicide and homelessness in the community.  So if these people – empower others to live their authentic lives, I applaud them whether they intentionally or unintentionally wanted to become role models for others in the LGBT community.

What were your favourite moments of 2013 and how have they helped create a more loving, compassionate and positive world?  Let’s make 2014 the year of the peaceful protest!  Let’s start our REVOLUTION OF LOVE and be more compassionate to animals, our planet and to each other!

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

 

 

NELSON MANDELA – GOODBYE

R.I.P.  – Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (July 18, 1918 – December 5, 2013)  – Despite the threat of violence and death – Nelson Mandela faced the greatest odds fighting apartheid in South Africa and became a beacon of hope, justice, peace, love, compassion, human rights and equality around the world.  May his legacy live on!  Here is his inspiring speech after his release from prison after 27 years:

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

THE BEST SPEECH EVER!!!!

Throughout history – leaders, activists, politicians, celebrities, CEO’s, and ordinary people have given some very motivating and inspirational speeches, people like; Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Louise L. Hay, John F. Kennedy, Harvey Milk, Nelson Mandela, Dalai Lama, Barack Obama – I could go on.  No other speech has touched my heart and stirred so much emotion in me than the one I am about to share.  This speech comes from the movie ‘The Great Dictator’ starring Charlie Chaplin.  I always thought that Charlie Chaplin was a silent film actor and was never aware that he actually had a speaking role.  I am glad I came across this and that I am able to share it with you.   Let you imagination go as you listen to his words – visualize and think about what he is saying.  His words are profound and have never meant as much as they do today.  I hope this inspires you to act with compassion, without judgement, and only with love.  I also hope that this creates an awareness in you to act for the greater good of humanity so that we can all live in peace and with kindness towards one another.  The REVOLUTION of LOVE has begun and we will win!!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RYlAPjyNm8

Together, we can make the world a more positive one!

Original painting by Robert Pavao (please contact me if you are interested in a copy).

INSPIRING QUOTES

Here are some inspiring words from some of very inspiring people:

NELSON MANDELA

Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.

“A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination”

“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur.  You take the front line when there is danger.  Then people will appreciate your leadership”

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.  If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart”

DR. WAYNE DYER

Wayne Dyer, PH.D., is an internationally renowned author and speaker in the field of self-development. He’s the author of over 30 books, has created many audio programs and videos, and has appeared on thousands of television and radio shows.

“How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours”

“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”

“What we think determines what happens to us, so if we want to change our lives, we need to stretch our minds”

LOUISE L. HAY

RECENTLY DUBBED “the closest thing to a living saint” by the Australian media, Louise L. Hay is also known as one of the founders of the self-help movement. Her first book, Heal Your Body, was published in 1976, long before it was fashionable to discuss the connection between the mind and body.

“I find that when we really love and accept and approve of ourselves exactly as we are, then everything in life works”

“If you are willing to do the mental work, almost anything can be healed”

“All the events you have experienced in your lifetime up to this moment have been created by your thoughts and beliefs you have held in the past. They were created by the thoughts and words you used yesterday, last week, last month, last year, 10, 20, 30, 40, or more years ago, depending on how old you are”

MARIANNE WILLIAMSON

Marianne Williamson is an internationally acclaimed spiritual author and lecturer. Six of her ten published books have been New York Times Best Sellers. Four of these have been #1 New York Times Best Sellers. A Return to Love is considered a must-read of The New Spirituality. A paragraph from that book, beginning “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure...” is considered an anthem for a contemporary generation of seekers.

“Forgiveness is not always easy.  At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it.  And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness”

“The practice of forgiveness is our most important contribution to the healing of the world”

“Love is what we were born with.  Fear is what we learned”

BILL CLINTON

William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001.

“If you live long enough, you’ll make mistakes.  But if you learn from them, you’ll be a better person.  It’s how you handle adversity, not how it affects you.  The main thing is never quit, never quit, never quit”

“Let me say this as clearly as I can:  No matter how sharp a grievance or how deep a hurt, there is no justification for killing innocents”

“We must teach our children to resolve their conflicts with words, not with weapons”

WARREN BUFFET

Warren Edward Buffett is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is widely considered the most successful investor of the 20th century.

“Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago”

“Emotional makeup is more important than technical skill”

DAVID SUZUKI

David Takayoshi Suzuki, is a Japanese Canadian academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a Ph. D in zoology from the University of Chicago  in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at the University of British Columbia from 1963 until his retirement in 2001. Since the mid-1970s, Suzuki has been known for his TV and radio series and books about nature and the environment. He is best known as host of the popular and long-running CBC Television science magazine, The Nature of Things, seen in over forty nations. He is also well-known for criticizing governments for their lack of action to protect the environment.

 

“Education has failed in a very serious way to convey the most important lesson science can teach: skepticism”

 

“If we pollute the air, water and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us”

 

“For the sake of our health, our children and grandchildren and even our economic well-being, we must make protecting the planet our top priority”

 

 

INGRID NEWKIRK

 

Ingrid Newkirk is an English-born British American animal rights activist and the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the world’s largest animal rights organization.

 

“When it comes to having a central nervous system, and the ability to feel pain, hunger and thirst, a rat is a pig is a dog is a boy”

 

“Being asked to support humane meat means being asked to support the suffering of animals in transport, to approve of treatment that causes them palpable fear, their bodies shaking and their eyes wide as saucers, as they are slung by their legs into crates that are slammed onto the back of a truck”

 

“I think if you are against cruelty and you look at what happens to animals in slaughterhouses and on factory farms, you have to be completely against eating meat”

 

JOHN LENNON 

 

John Winston Ono Lennon, was an English musician, singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a founder member of the Beatles, the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed band in the history of popular music.

 

“Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans”

 

“I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky.  I believe that what people call God is something in all of us.  I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right.  It’s just that the translations have gone wrong”

 

“If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace”

 

WOODY HARRELSON

 

Actor, environmental activist, ethical vegan and raw foodist and supporter for the legalization of marijuana and hemp.

 

“The war against terrorism is terrorism”

 

“I think my best skill in this whole deal is as a conduit to try to bring people together, because I think it’s in our unity that we’ll have the greatest strength”

 

“The common man or women, whether they are Israeli or Palestinian or Catholic or Iraqi or American, the common man just wants to live in peace and justice in a clean environment.  When we look around the world and we see that is not the case, we know the will of the majority is not being listened to, that’s the first sign that our system is broken”

 

“There are a helluva lot more of us who care about our environment in the world than we realize.  We’re the majority, and we can do something about that” 

 

HARVEY MILK

 

Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.

 

“Hope will never be silent”

 

“If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door”

 

“It takes no compromising to give people their rights.  It takes no money to respect the individual.  It takes no survey to remove repressions”

 

“Coming out is the most political thing you can do”

 

REPRESENTATIVE JOHN LEWIS

 

John Robert Lewis is an American politician and civil rights leader. He is the U.S. Representative for Georgia’s 5th congressional district, serving since 1987, and is the dean of the Georgia congressional delegation.

 

“I say to people today, ‘You must be prepared if you believe in something.   If you believe in something, you have to go for it.  As individuals, we may not live to see the end”

 

“When I was 15 years old in the tenth grade, I heard Martin Luther King, Jr.  Three years later, when I was 18, I met Dr. King and we became friends.  Two years after that I became very involved in the civil rights movement.  I was in college at the time.  As I got more and more involved, I saw politics as a means of bringing about change”

 

“If you’re not hopeful and optimistic, then you just give up.  You have to take that long hard look and just believe that if your consistent, you will succeed”

 

These quotes and words come from people who were and continue to be passionate about what they strongly believe in, whether that is our environment, politics, animals, human rights and freedom – they have all been and continue to be conduits for positive change.

 

Together we can make the world a more positive one!

 

GET UP STAND UP – DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!

There are so many people who want to be conduits for positive change in the world – some are still with us and some have been long gone, people like:  Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Dian Fossey, Jane Goodall, Ingrid Newkirk, Princess Diana, Mother Teresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr. John F. Kennedy, Bill McKibben….I could name thousands that have been extensively profiled in the media but the people who are most important in creating positive change in the world are those that act.

Change can’t happen if people do not get involved.  The worldwide Occupy movements have caused a new protest movement against BIG CORPORATION and Government that we haven’t seen since the 60’s.  These Occupy movements possibly sparked mass protests worldwide such as the uprising against President Mubarak in Egypt, the protests against Monsanto, the mass demonstrations against the KXL Pipeline and so on.

If we are to live in a society where we hold freedom, democracy and justice for all – we must RISE UP against those who wish to take those privileges away from us and that means holding BIG CORPORATIONS, Governments and dictators accountable for their actions.  We have seen peaceful protests around the world become violent not because of the protesters but because of the police that are acting on behalf of the government.  There have been media blackouts so that others around the world don’t see the mass protests against their countries governments.  Countries around the world are being held hostage by their own governments and corporations all because of greed.  Why are we allowing these governments and corporations to destroy our world?  Why are we allowing countries to go hungry?  Why are we allowing banks to ‘pay off’ government officials and putting the world in a massive financial crisis only to watch our governments reward them?

It’s time to get up and stand up and we must not give up the fight…..(thanks Peter Tosh and Bob Marley for making it so simple).  When are you going to “get up and stand up” – What is it going to take for you to create positive change in our world?

TURKEY – DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!

DEMONSTRATORS FOR THE EARTH – against the Keystone Pipeline, Drilling in the Arctic, Deforestation in world forests, etc…. – DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!

THOSE FIGHTING FOR HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUALITY – DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!

FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS – DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!

AGAINST CORRUPT RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS/GOVERNMENTS/BIG CORPORATION – DON’T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don’t give up the fight!

Preacher man, don’t tell me,
Heaven is under the earth.
I know you don’t know
What life is really worth.
It’s not all that glitters is gold;
‘Alf the story has never been told:
So now you see the light, eh!
Stand up for your rights. come on!

Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don’t give up the fight!
Get up, stand up: stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up: don’t give up the fight!

Most people think,
Great god will come from the skies,
Take away everything
And make everybody feel high.
But if you know what life is worth,
You will look for yours on earth:
And now you see the light,
You stand up for your rights. jah!

Get up, stand up! (jah, jah! )
Stand up for your rights! (oh-hoo! )
Get up, stand up! (get up, stand up! )
Don’t give up the fight! (life is your right! )
Get up, stand up! (so we can’t give up the fight! )
Stand up for your rights! (lord, lord! )
Get up, stand up! (keep on struggling on! )
Don’t give up the fight! (yeah! )

We sick an’ tired of-a your ism-skism game –
Dyin’ ‘n’ goin’ to heaven in-a Jesus’ name, lord.
We know when we understand:
Almighty god is a living man.
You can fool some people sometimes,
But you can’t fool all the people all the time.
So now we see the light (what you gonna do?),
We gonna stand up for our rights! (yeah, yeah, yeah! )

So you better:
Get up, stand up! (in the morning! git it up! )
Stand up for your rights! (stand up for our rights! )
Get up, stand up!
Don’t give up the fight! (don’t give it up, don’t give it up! )
Get up, stand up! (get up, stand up! )
Stand up for your rights! (get up, stand up! )
Get up, stand up! (… )
Don’t give up the fight! (get up, stand up! )
Get up, stand up! (… )
Stand up for your rights!
Get up, stand up!
Don’t give up the fight! /fadeout/

TOGETHER, WE CAN MAKE THE WORLD A MORE POSITIVE ONE!