This Video Will Make You Rethink How You Act Around Others
With the way most of us live our lives these days — giving zero f*cks — we often forget that there are young ones around watching.
I’m not saying that everyone should be a perfect role model in life, but if you’re responsible for a child, then you should act like an adult and strive to set a good example.
While our kids will likely end up just like us, there’s no reason you should be smoking, drinking or fighting in front of them.
This quick, 60 second PSA makes all of us think about our immoral behavior and puts into perspective what we’re really doing. Turn down for what? Turn down for the children.
NAPCAN’s latest campaign for a Child Friendly Australia
NAPCAN, Australia’s National Association for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, launched a thought-provoking television/cinema campaign this year with “Children See, Children Do”. The 90 second spot features children following adults, mimicking their habits. At first the pattern appears to be innocuous, talking on a mobile phone while walking through a city square, making a call on a public telephone, waiting behind the yellow line in a railway station. The behavior becomes more insidious with a girl copying a woman’s smoking habits on an escalator. A boy follows as a grown man carelessly knocks a struggling mother’s bag off her shoulder. We see examples of litter, drunken behaviour, road rage, racism and cruelty to animals. A woman yells at her baby, accompanied by her older daughter. A man is joined by his son as he verbally and physically abuses his wife.
The ride was completed in two days. It was another success for the fundraiser. Awareness was again attained. Many riders participated. Here’s an included video of the “faces of the riders“.
It’s not only the riders themselves. This event includes helpers, cooks, vendors, massage therapists, water “people”, organizers and many behind the scenes.
Here we honor all.
History of The SMART Ride
Like many things that change us and the world in some way, it starts with a dream, a vision, and an idea. The SMART Ride (Southern Most AIDS/HIV Ride) is no different. It was born out of a dream to make a real and significant difference in the lives of those infected, affected and at risk for HIV/AIDS.
In 2002, the idea was a welcome change to this kind of fundraising, but met much skepticism about the reality of meeting these goals of 100%. The ride became a reality one year later in November of 2003 with less than 100 riders and about 100 crew, miraculously we raised $169,000 and returned it all to AIDS Service Organizations.
A decade later over $5.3 Million has been distributed throughout Florida making SMART Ride the 2nd largest AIDS bicycle ride in the country and the only one of it’s size to give back 100%.
~They are involved because~
Some are Positive Some have lost someone to HIV/AIDS Some know someone living with HIV/AIDS Everybody believes it is the right thing to do
~~GALLERY~~
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~~The Faces of SMART Ride 2014 photos by BJ Spice~~
~~Published on Nov 18, 2014~~
The SMART Ride 2014, a fundraising bike ride from Miami to Key West to raise funds for those infected/affected by HIV in the South Florida area.
Like many things that change us and the world in some way, it starts with a dream, a vision, and an idea. The SMART Ride (Southern Most AIDS/HIV Ride) is no different. It was born out of a dream to make a real and significant difference in the lives of those infected, affected and at risk for HIV/AIDS.
In 2002, the idea was a welcome change to this kind of fundraising, but met much skepticism about the reality of meeting these goals of 100%. The ride became a reality one year later in November of 2003 with less than 100 riders and about 100 crew, miraculously we raised $169,000 and returned it all to AIDS Service Organizations.
A decade later over $5.3 Million has been distributed throughout Florida making SMART Ride the 2nd largest AIDS bicycle ride in the country and the only one of it’s size to give back 100%.
~~GALLERY~~
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Our participants come from across the State of Florida from as far south as Key West, as far North as Jacksonville, from Tampa to Palm Beach. Nationally from as far as Hawaii to as close as our neighboring state of Georgia, not to mention Internationally. We attract between 400-500 participants with each event, but we touch thousands more on the road as we travel between cities and towns, and with each donation that is made. Last year, close to 10,000 people donated to our efforts – that’s quite an impact!
Riders and crew range in age from 18 to 73.
~They are involved because~
Some are Positive Some have lost someone to HIV/AIDS Some know someone living with HIV/AIDS Everybody believes it is the right thing to do
The “Miracle of Love” team, leaves this morning for Miami. We have trained hard, and many months for this day. We will be on the road tomorrow morning, by 6:30 AM and ride 104 miles, to Duck Key. Saturday, we ride 64 miles to Key West. Thank you, to my friends and family, for your prayers, love, and donations.
My friends are there now!!
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What makes SMART Ride unique?
The ride is fully supported and designed to allow riders of all degrees of experience to participate. This is a ride not a race. Each participant pays an $95 registration fee and riders commit to raise a minimum of $1,250 in donations. Although that amount to fund raise may seem daunting, we are continually amazed by what we see participants accomplish. The average rider raises over $2,020.
My friends Jean Walburn, Maria Tilita Daugherty and Jenniffer Lugo
The Miracle of Love SMART Ride riders and crew just pulled out for Miami! Best of luck, may the wind be at your back .. .and know I am with you all in spirit. Your dedication, hard work, training, fundraising, and time culminate in one of the most exciting experiences! Thank you for all you’ve done and will do this weekend!
Google celebrates the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall with a video doodle
The Berlin Wall (German: Berliner Mauer) was a barrier that existed between 1961 and 1989 inclusively, constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin until it was opened in 1989.
The barrier included guard towers placed along large concrete walls, which circumscribed a wide area (later known as the “death strip”) that contained anti-vehicle trenches, “fakir beds” and other defenses.
The Eastern Bloc claimed that the wall was erected to protect its population from fascist elements conspiring to prevent the “will of the people” in building a socialist state in East Germany. In practice, the Wall served to prevent the massive emigration and defection that marked East Germany and the communist Eastern Bloc during the post-World War II period.
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, Google has posted a video doodle on its homepage which shows that the graffitied chunk of concrete, once a literal division, has been transformed into a symbol of unity, a reminder to passersby of the triumph of the collective human spirit.
The doodle features the people of West Berlin greeting their eastern counterparts on the night of November 9, 1989 and the pieces of the fallen Wall put up in different parts of the world including London, Soeul, Cape Town, Madrid, Moscow, Buenos Aires, Mountain View, Kiev, Sofia, Washington DC, and Berlin.
Explaining how the doodle was created, Ryan Germick & Liat Ben-Rafael from the Google Doodle team, in a blog post, says, “Determined to share this experience on the doodle and others like it around the world, we enlisted several folks and are grateful for their help. Our friends at veed.me arranged 17 international film crews to gather footage. The German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv) provided powerful archival photographs by Klaus Lehnartz and Heiko Specht to set context for the video. Googlers from around the world translated more than 50 international versions. Morgan Stiff edited it all together”.
The night the Berlin Wall fell was a pivotal moment in the collapse of communism and the start of the country’s emergence as the major power at the heart of Europe.
A 15-kilometer (nine-mile) chain of lighted balloons along the former border will be released into the air early Sunday evening – around the time on November 9, 1989 when a garbled announcement by a senior communist official set off the chain of events that brought down the Cold War’s most potent symbol.
The Berlin Wall was a barrier that existed between 1961 and 1990, constructed by the German Democratic Republic (GDR, East Germany) starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off (by land) West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin until it was opened in 1989.
Caritas – ending poverty, promoting justice and restoring dignity
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 165 Roman Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide.
Collectively and individually their mission is to work to build a better world, especially for the poor and oppressed. The first Caritas organization was established by Lorenz Worthmann 9 November 1897 in Germany. Other national Caritas organizations were soon formed in Switzerland (1901) and the United States (Catholic Charities, 1910).
~~History~~
In July 1924, during the Eucharistic World Congress in Amsterdam, 60 delegates from 22 countries formed a conference, with headquarters at Caritas Switzerland in Lucerne. In 1928, the conference became known as Caritas Catholica. The delegates met every two years until the outbreak of the Second World War when all activities came to a standstill.
Work resumed in 1947, with the approval of the Secretariat of State, and two conferences convened in Lucerne to help coordinate efforts and collaboration. Caritas was given a further endorsement when the Secretariat of State entrusted it with the official representation of all welfare organisations at the international level, especially at the United Nations.
The President of Caritas Internationalis is Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga and the Secretary General is Michel Roy.
Based on an ancient story about hunger and sharing, this animated video is part of Caritas’ “One Human Family, Food for All” campaign. The “allegory of the long spoons” teaches us that when we struggle to feed only ourselves, everyone goes hungry. But when we focus on our neighbor’s hunger, we discover there are ways to feed everyone.
Around the world, Caritas helps people so that they can feed their families. Learn more about our anti-hunger work at facebook.com/CaritasFoodforAll.
~~SPANISH VERSION~~
Basado en una antigua historia sobre el hambre y el compartir, el vídeo animado forma parte de la campaña de Caritas “Una familia humana, Alimentos para Todos”. La “alegoría de las cucharas largas” nos enseña que cuando se lucha para alimentar sólo a nosotros mismos, todo el mundo pasa hambre. Pero cuando nos centramos en el hambre de nuestro vecino, descubrimos que hay maneras de alimentar a todo el mundo.
Why are there so many differences between human beings? There are characteristics that define us in different groups, I accept that but deep down, we are the same.
We are conceived the same way, we come into this way the same way. Anatomically speaking, we are the same. The biological processes that keep our metabolism going and the cellular functions going are the same. Our DNA is the same.
It’s only outside, physical attributes that make us different.
“We may have different religions, different languages, different color skin, but we all belong to one human race.”
Photo credit: Anonymous Awakening
Why can’t we all realize this and accept that we are the same and that we are ONE?
What touches one, touches all.
We ALL bleed RED!!
The Potential is there, so is the Spirit. All that is needed is the Spark.
“We Are the World” is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World. With sales in excess of 20 million copies, it is one of the fewer than 30 all-time singles to have sold at least 10 million copies worldwide.
Following Band Aid’s “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” project in the UK, an idea for the creation of an American benefit single for African famine relief came from activist Harry Belafonte, who, along with fundraiser Ken Kragen, was instrumental in bringing the vision to reality. Several musicians were contacted by the pair, before Jackson and Richie were assigned the task of writing the song. The duo completed the writing of “We Are the World” seven weeks after the release of “Do They Know Its Christmas“, and one night before the song’s first recording session, on January 21, 1985. (The last recording session for the song was held on January 28, 1985). The historic event brought together some of the most famous artists in the music industry at the time.
The song was released on March 7, 1985, as the only single from the album. A worldwide commercial success, it topped music charts throughout the world and became the fastest-selling American pop single in history. The first ever single to be certified multi-platinum, “We Are the World” received a Quadruple Platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America.
~~U.S.A. For Africa~~
~We Are The World~
(1985 Official Video)
~~Published on Nov 14, 2012~~
“We Are the World” and raised over $63 million for humanitarian aid in Africa and the US. Following the devastation caused by the magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, a remake of the song by another all-star cast of singers was recorded on February 1, 2010. Entitled “We Are the World 25 for Haiti“, it was released as a single on February 12, 2010, and proceeds from the record aided survivors in the impoverished country.
I had seen this a while ago but wasn’t able to place it. It came across my Facebook timeline and I would like to share it with you.
The resiliency of some animals never cease to amaze me.
~A Passer-by Thought This Was A Pile Of Trash~
A Shocking Transformation
Did you know that homeless animals outnumber homeless people 5 to 1?
It’s not surprising to see an unwanted animal roaming the streets in even the smallest of towns. This is a heartbreaking reality we live with, but sometimes people find a way to help those dogs and cats in need. A group in Canada, the Quebec Society for the Protection of Animals, found the dog you see below on the streets.
He was so dirty and his fur was so matted, he could barely be recognized as an animal (let alone a dog).
He had so much matted, dirty fur that he appeared much larger than he actually was.
More than 50% of his size here was due to the fur.
So, his rescuers rushed to shave off the nasty hair.
And they revealed a loving, wonderful boy underneath.
He was a little frightened by the buzzer.
And all of the primping might have been new for him.
This poor dog was homeless and starving when the Quebec Society for the Protection of Animals took him in and gave him the attention he deserved. The transformation was nothing less than shocking.
If you find a homeless animal, please contact your local SPCA to make sure they are taken care of.
The world is grieving after Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was shot down above eastern Ukraine with 298 people on board. The crash has devastated at least 11 nations, with many passengers still yet to be identified.
All on board perished in the fiery crash in rebel-held territory near Torez, Ukraine at approximately 7.11pm local time. It was en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam.
There is no way to minimize this or any loss of human life. 298 people lost their lives yesterday in this terrible plane crash.
There’s one more fact that has come out. I need to acknowledge that the value of each and every human being in that aircraft has no price.
I feel the need to mention that among those who who lost their lives, there was a big group of scientists, researchers and activists headed to an International AIDS Conference.
The irony can’t be lost … they were headed on their quest to help others!
~~BY NEAL BROVERMAN~~
Researchers, activists, and scientists were all headed to Australia when their plane was reportedly shot down over Ukraine.
Reports indicate at least 108 people on the doomed Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were headed to Sunday’s 20th International AIDS Conference in Melbourne. That would be about one-third of the 298 passengers aboard the plane.
Australian media reported the grim news, which is now being picked up by American media. AIDS Conference attendees on Flight MH17 were headed to Melbourne; the flight continued from Kuala Lumpur to Perth, Australia, where they were going to connect to Melbourne.
One of the most prominent attendees was Joep Lange, who heads the Department of Global Health at the University of Amsterdam and served as a former president of the International AIDS Society. Lange had worked to combat HIV since the earliest days of the disease, helping advance antiretrovirals and slow mother-to-child transmission. Also on board was Glenn Raymond Thomas, a Swiss spokesman for the World Health Organization.
Organizers of the AIDS Conference released a statement that said, in part, “At this incredibly sad and sensitive time the International AIDS Society stands with our international family and sends condolences to the loved ones of those who have been lost to this tragedy.”
The Human Rights Campaign also issued a statement: “HRC wishes to extend our condolences to the friends and families of everyone aboard Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17. We are deeply saddened to learn about the deaths of the many HIV/AIDS advocates believed to be on the plane.
HRC joins the international community in mourning the loss of all those who lost their lives today, including such dedicated health professionals. They will be sorely missed.”
American academic and AIDS activist Gregg Gonsalves tweeted that “lots of AIDS researchers, activists, officials on downed Malaysia Airlines flight to Melbourne for Intl AIDS Conference”, naming Lange.
“Joep Lange was a leading AIDS researcher and clinician and an activist at heart. Lost today too soon on Malaysian flight 017. RIP,” he said.
The International AIDS Society confirmed in a statement that “a number of our colleagues and friends” en route to the conference were on Flight MH17.
“At this incredibly sad and sensitive time the IAS stands with our international family and sends condolences to the loved ones of those who have been lost to this tragedy,” it said.
Held every two years, the International AIDS Conference also is a forum for campaigners to highlight grassroots and financing problems.
It is due to start on Sunday with the 12,000 participants joined this year by former US president Bill Clinton and rock singer and poverty activist Bob Geldof.
We ALL are connected through HUMANITY!!
~100-Plus HIV/AIDS Researchers On MH17: ‘Devastating Impact’~
~~Published on Jul 18, 2014~~
The international medical community was shocked to find out MH17 was carrying more than 100 researchers bound for an HIV/AIDS conference in Australia.
~Bill Clinton over MH17 Shot Down: SICKENING~
~~Published on Jul 18, 2014~~
MH17 AIDS experts’ deaths ‘sicken’ Clinton (Daily Mail) The 108 Australia-bound AIDS researchers, activists and health workers killed when the Malaysia Airlines passenger jet was shot down over the Ukraine are “martyrs” in the fight against the disease, former US president Bill Clinton says.
Clinton has been one of the global leaders in the fight against AIDS and he described the deaths of so many AIDS experts as “sickening”.
The AIDS conference, the largest of its kind in the world with 14,000 attendees, is scheduled to begin on Sunday.
Tony, a 13 year old tiger, is used as a roadside attraction at Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana. Please support efforts to give Tony the life and home he deserves at a big cat sanctuary.
~Mission~
The objective of the Facebook page is to keep Tony’s story in the public eye, provide information and updates, and discuss ways we can help Tony legally and ethically to the home and life he deserves.
The Facebook page, Free Tony The Tiger, was created SOLELY FOR TONY.
~Company Overview~
Tony represents 1 of the thousands (estimated at appx. 5000*) of privately owned tigers in the United States whose numbers exceed tigers left in the wild. These captive tigers are: bred for profit, kept as “pets,” found in roadside zoos, attractions and circuses, tiger cubs are exploited in photo ops and exhibitions, others are condemned to canned hunts and sold on the black market. *Reference: http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/finder/tigers/captive-tigers/
We can help stop the abuse and exploitation of these magnificent cats by supporting The Big Cats & Public Safety Protection Act:HR 1998
This bill would prohibit private possession of big cats except at highly-qualified facilities like accredited zoos where they can be properly cared for and safely managed.
Take Action at this link with the easy contact form courtesy of Big Cat Rescue
Free Tony The Tiger is dedicated to raising awareness for Tony and to securing his release to an accredited big cat sanctuary where he can receive the care, home, diet, enrichment, medical care and respect he deserves.
It is also the mission of Free Tony The Tiger to bring attention to the severe problem of privately owned tigers in the United States.
There are more tigers in captivity in the United States than left in the wild. We can help stop the abuse and exploitation of these magnificent cats by supporting The Big Cats & Public Safety Protection Act
This bill would prohibit private possession of big cats except at highly-qualified facilities like accredited zoos where they can be properly cared for and safely managed.
Take Action at this link with the easy contact form courtesy of
Urgent update: Pending a veto from Governor Bobby Jindal, Tony the tiger will continue to languish in a cage as a roadside attraction. Please act NOW and tell Governor Jindal to veto Senate Bill (S.B.) 250 and send Tony to a sanctuary!
Tony the tiger has been caged and used as a tourist attraction at Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tête, La., for more than 10 years.
Tony is a 13 year old Siberian/Bengal tiger used as a roadside attraction at Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete Louisiana. Tony’s owner, Michael Sandlin, has bought, sold, bred, and exhibited tigers for OVER 20 years. In 2003, because of violations and fines, Mr. Sandlin and the USDA made an agreement where 3 of the 4 tigers he owned, Toby, Khan and Rainbow, were sent to Tiger Haven in Kingston TN. The USDA reduced the fines and allowed Michael Sandlin to keep one tiger, Tony.
Unfortunately for Tony, Louisiana Senate Bill (S.B.) 250 was designed to appease owner Michael Sandlin and allow his continued custody of the suffering tiger, despite the fact that his captivity of Tony was declared illegal by a state court of appeal. The Louisiana legislature should be ashamed of itself for creating a loophole to skirt its own state’s animal-protection laws just so that a truck-stop owner—who has repeatedly violated federal law by failing to provide tigers with adequate veterinary care and safe and sanitary housing and by handling tigers in a way that causes them undue stress or trauma—can continue to use a caged, deprived tiger as a sad “mascot.”
Tony deserves the chance to roam an area that is measured in acres instead of just feet and inches.
PETA is calling on Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal to veto the legislature’s ludicrous move, and as we have offered for years, PETA stands ready to help transport Tony to a sanctuary that will give him a real life.
Please call Governor Jindal at 225-342-7015 or 866-366-1121 and tell him to stand up for Tony.
Pick up the phone now! Take just a few minutes to make a brief, polite call to Governor Jindal. You can simply say, “Hello. I’m concerned about the welfare of captive tigers in Louisiana. I would like for you to veto Senate Bill 250.”
Tony is still “living” at the tiger truck stop in Louisiana, it’s very important that we the public keep the pressure on the government agency which decides the fate of Tony.
Our ship should never have been detained in the first place. But, along with her crew, the ship was illegally seized at gunpoint by Russian authorities in international waters last September 2013.
Since that day, with the help of millions of people around, we have become stronger and more determined to protect the Arctic from drilling than ever before.
LIKE and SHARE the good news!
Russia’s investigative committee (IC) this morning informed Greenpeace International that it has annulled the arrest of the ship Arctic Sunrise, which has remained in custody in Murmansk since a high profile protest against Arctic oil drilling last September.
Greenpeace reacted positively to the news but reaffirmed its belief that the arrest of the ship was illegal under international law.
Reacting to the news, Greenpeace International Executive Director Kumi Naidoo said:
“Millions of people spoke out against the illegal imprisonment of the Arctic 30, and today the final member of the group is free to come home. Our ship was arrested during an entirely peaceful protest against Arctic drilling in international waters. There was absolutely no justification either for boarding the ship or keeping her for eight months.
“This whole affair was a brazen attempt to intimidate those who believe that drilling for oil in the melting Arctic is reckless and unsafe. After months without proper maintenance our ship will need careful repairs, but like our campaign to protect the Arctic she will emerge better, fitter and stronger from this.”
The investigative committee recently extended its investigation into the protest at the Prirazlomnaya platform by two months, until July 24th. However, lawyers acting for Greenpeace International were informed of the ship’s release unexpectedly during a meeting in the port city of Murmansk this morning, June 6. The ship should now be able to leave Russia in the coming days.
Greenpeace lawyers were also informed that the investigation will continue in order to examine equipment found on the ship.
~Arctic Sunrise seized by Russian security agents~
~Published on Nov 8, 2013~
Previously unseen footage shows the moment the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise was boarded and seized by Russian security agents in international waters on September 19, 2013.
The footage shows Greenpeace International activists and crew responding peacefully with arms raised and how the ship was subsequently towed to the port of Murmansk.
It Is What It Is 