May God send miracles to those touched by the devastation of the May 20 tornado in Oklahoma……just when you think there is no hope, a miracle happens…..watch this awesome video:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=50147264n
I hope that the universe allows us to experience more stories and videos such as these in the wake of such tragedy…..
Here is a link of what you can do to help:
http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/20/us/iyw-how-to-help-moore/index.html
I am amazed at how so many people are afraid to face the realities of what is happening around them and how they don’t want to get involved in issues that inflict injustice on other people, animals and the environment. I scan the Facebook pages of friends and acquaintances and am awestruck at the meaningless posts they want others to read. Here are some examples (without mentioning names, of course):
I know…..why is it so wrong for people to post these things – they are only sharing these things for laughs or because they are proud. Maybe it’s me – but I don’t enjoy poking fun at people anymore or telling everyone on Facebook that I love porn. Maybe I am making too much of an assumption – I have posted pictures of concerts I have attended and of authors I have met. Why do I feel that the posts most other people make are not as authentic? Why should I care? I don’t know what contributions these people make to social, political or environmental causes. Here’s why I care…..
I know some of these people and I know their personalities and their habits…..when someone tells me they don’t recycle because their landlord doesn’t supply them with the resources to recycle, why should they bother? They would rather surf the net for pictures of hot guys or follow the lives of porn stars than engage in a conversation with their landlord about setting up a recycling station in their building. That’s the reality.
I have also engaged in pretty heated debates on Facebook because of what someone may have posted. I stand behind everything I post – because I believe whatever I post 100% I try not to judge the lifestyle’s of others but will stand up for what I believe in. Many people have commented on many of my Facebook posts telling me “why do you post those, they are too violent”, “I don’t want to see that”, “Facebook isn’t for activism”. I guess Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites are only for ‘hooking up’, porn, making fun/judging others or to post meaningless crap that continues to distract people from the realities and injustices BIG corporations, BIG oil and our governments are creating to ensure we don’t ‘remove our blinders’.
I may not be able to go to the Arctic to make a point that Shell/Exxon/BP or any other oil company should not be drilling there – but I can certainly post and blog about it to get the message out. I may not be able to afford an electric vehicle right now but if I keep spreading the word to pressure our governments and the automobile industries, maybe I will one day. I may not be blocking transport trucks from delivery animals to slaughter houses but I can surely share the horrors these animals go through and possibly making someone think twice before they purchase factor farmed animals.
I know and understand our need to be desensitized to social, political and environmental issues – life is difficult, but if we continue to leave our blinders on, imagine what the world would look like tomorrow? Think about it for just one moment – if people didn’t advocate for the environment and sustainable energy, what would our environment look like today? If people didn’t advocate for equality or human rights, what would our world look like today? Imagine if we didn’t have PETA or individuals who actually care about the pain and suffering animals go through, what would our world look like today?
Social media is a powerful tool – with it, we can send messages across the globe instantaneously and start revolutions, we can ignite the spark and let the flames of positive change engulf the planet. Are you ready?
Let me tell you what I am not……I’m not a scientist, physicist, a climatologist, or an expert on environmental issues. I like to weigh the pros and the cons of any situation and do enjoy a good debate. In terms of the planet and our environment - there is no need for debate. Scientists have been warning us that if humanity continues to rely on fossil fuels and dirty oil instead of thinking about sustainable energy, we would cause a shift in climate change that would have a devastating effect on our planet and humanity forever.
I am 44 years old and I have always had a love for nature and our environment. As a teenager, the extent of my environmental activism was wearing t-shirts about saving the planet and protecting our forests. At that time (nearly 30 years ago) I didn’t understand the severity humanity’s actions would have on the planet – whose fault is that? I don’t know. Should I have taken more of an interest, should our government and politicians taken this issue more seriously, should we have relied on the educational system to put emphasis on environmental issues? Scientists warned us over 25 years ago that our dependency on fossil fuels would have a devastating effect on our climate but the urgency of their message was ignored and now we are in a ‘do or die’ situation and we must get involved.
So many of us fear the knowledge of climate change and don’t want to disrupt their lives with this knowledge. Many people think “what’s the point, there’s nothing I can do about it now”. Thoughts like this are so dangerous because when we close ourselves off from the reality of what is happening – we close ourselves off to potentially finding the solutions to those same issues. If and when we understand the severity of the problem and what the problem may cause in the very near future – shouldn’t that knowledge engage people to seek the solutions to those problems? I understand life is very difficult enough and that we have our own personal problems….we think – “let’s rely on the experts to fix this”. Well, experts need the support of the masses to challenge those who don’t believe there is an issue and only care about profit margins.
Here are some interesting statistics:
Here are some key issues from the WMO’s (World Meteorological Organization) 2012 Climate Statement summary:
What can we do? Call your legislator’s and ask them to support sustainable energy. Demand high performance/affordable electric cars. Join a global movement and help them take the fight to parliament. It is our obligation to do whatever we can to save our planet but we must act now.
Here are some great links to connect you to a global community of environmental activism:
DO THE MATH – YouTube video
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/
A detailed version of The Statement on the Status of the Global Climate 2012 report summary and additional information about The World Meteorological Organization can be found at: http://www.wmo.int/pages/mediacentre/press_releases/pr_972_en.html
If we all work collectively – we can ensure that this planet will never take its last breath. We may not be able to stop climate change but we can make changes today that will be positive for our environment, animals and for humanity tomorrow.
I renamedthe WabashaBridge 2 the Freedom to Marry Bridge for this week. Marriage equality here we come #Time4Marriage twitter.com/mayorcoleman/s…
— Chris Coleman (@mayorcoleman) May 13, 2013
This video is for all those mothers around the world who are thinking about the sons, daughter’s, brother’s, sister’s, husband’s and wives that they have lost in combat or because of war. My heart goes out to you and to those you have lost. PS – For any of you that have lost a mother – may her memories always warm your heart.
MOTHER’S PRIDE
Oh she knows
She takes his hand
And prays the child will understand
At the door they watch the men go by
In the clothes that daddy wore
Mother’s pride
Baby boy
His fathers eyes
He’s a soldier waiting for war
Time will come
He’ll hold a gun
His father’s son
And as he grows
He hears the band
Takes the step from boy to man
And at the shore she waves her son goodbye
Like the man she did before
Mother’s pride
Just a boy
His country’s eyes
He’s a soldier waving at the shore
And in her heart the time has come
To lose a son
And all the husbands, all the sons, all the lovers gone
They make no difference
No difference in the end
Still hear the woman say your daddy died a hero
In the name of God and name
Mother’s pride
Crazy boy
His lifeless eyes
He’s a soldier now forevermore
He’ll hold a gun ’till kingdom come
Thank you Mr. George Michael for writing and producing such a beautiful and emotionally charged song. For more information about George Michael and to download his music please visit iTunes or George Michael’s website at: http://www.georgemichael.com
I don’t know how many times the LGBT community can say this: We are not trying to recruit your sons and daughters, we don’t have a ‘gay agenda’, we are not being elected to push our ‘gay policies’, we are not teaching in schools to promote the ‘gay agenda’, we don’t want to have equal protection under the law in order to fuck the lives of heterosexuals up, we don’t want to enrol our children into the boy scouts so that they can ‘change’ the other boys, we are not trying to convert your sons and daughters and we don’t want to marry so that we can ruin yours. What we want is to be treated like any other human being – THAT IS ALL!
When people such as Keith and Katherine Goode make stereotypical and ignorant comments about not wanting homosexuals in the Boy Scouts, what are they really afraid of? What can a gay scout possible suggest or do to instil such fear in people? In my 44 years – I have never heard of an institution/organization become less productive because they realized ‘gay people’ were part of that institution or organization.
The only advice I have for Keith and Katherine Goode is as follows: If you don’t like gays and don’t want to live in a world that is inclusive of all people, than you probably should create a commune and shut the rest of the world from your lives. Gay people exist. You may have come across many of us in your daily lives, at the supermarket, at your gym, at work, in the park, at school, in a restaurant and even at church and you probably never even knew. We exist and we no longer want to be pushed back into hiding – we want to live our lives just as you do, OUT and PROUD. Also – if you are worried that your boys may be exposed to gays in the scouts, than you may want to remove them and let them believe that your ignorance is what acceptance, love and compassion is all about.
For those of you that are not familiar with why I am writing this blog, please watch this video of what Keith and Katherine Goode believe will happen should homosexuals be open and honest about who they are in the Boy Scouts:
According to this family – Gays are not as committed in terms of defending the constitution as heterosexuals. We are not capable of being ‘morally straight’ – like so many heterosexuals are. Gays are not capable of being physically strong and couldn’t possibly hike for miles like heterosexuals can and we are not capable of being mentally awake to provide first-aid care to someone who may need it because we are gay. What??? Also – they are concerned with where ‘the gays’ will sleep on camping trips. Really?
I am sad that Keith and Katherine Goode feel this way and are perpetuating their ignorance onto their children, hopefully their children will understand that they don’t have to believe the ignorance and prejudices their parents believe. There is only hope.
Please take off the blinders and ACT NOW to save our environment, planet and humanity! We must stop saying that we can’t take on the big oil corporations like Exxon, BP and Shell – but WE CAN! Scientists have indicated that we must drastically cut our dependency on fossil fuels and we must do so in the next 5 years.
Please watch and share this video with everyone you know….we all have an obligation to the planet to ask our government and oil companies to invest in sustainable energy that will SAVE OUR PLANET…..
This video shows us exactly what we can do to create positive and effective change in the world. It is time to show the BIG OIL companies that we can hurt them were it counts – their bottom line.
For more information and to advocate for the planet on a grass-roots movement….please join http://350.org/
My full-time job satisfies me to a certain degree – with it, I can live, buy food, clothing and have shelter. It also allows me to work on what I am most passionate about and that is to advocate for the LGBT (lesbian/gay/bi/transgender) communities, the ethical treatment of animals and our environment. Through my blog, I am able to share my passion with you and to shed light on these social issues. I hope that people view my posts and are inspired to act and become part of the Coalition of Positive Energy whether that is by making better choices daily for our environment, making better choices in food consumption to ensure the ethical treatment of animals or by simply understanding that because someone is born gay/lesbian/bi/transgendered doesn’t make them any less of a human been than they are.
There have been many historical moments where humanity has shown its very dark and cruel side – slavery, genocide, environmental catastrophe’s, greed, violence in the name of religion etc….many think that these issues were too complicated to do anything about, they are wrong. Think about the civil rights movement - why did it take so long for society to understand that killing someone for the colour of their skin was completely wrong or that it was alright for black people to sit at the back of the bus? For me, standing up against hate, ignorance and intolerance is courageous – we should be all grateful for those that inspired change for equality and freedom such as Claudette Colvin, Rosa Parks, Representative John Lewis, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and countless others that fought for civil rights.
World War II saw the genocide of 6 millions jews – had the world not stood up to the tyranny of Adolph Hitler, what would the world look like today. When we decide not to act for the greater good in our world – things like genocide, slavery, greed, violence, tyranny, dictatorship and violence will continue.
We all have a moral obligation to ensure that we live in a world and in a society that comes from love, compassion and without judgement. Allow your heart to speak for your and for what is right and for what creates positive change in our world. We know that governments shouldn’t be taking people’s rights and freedom’s away, we know that dictatorship is wrong, we know that oil spills cause environmental catastrophe’s, we know organized religion (like governments) are in place to keep people from free thought – what ‘they’ don’t want us to know is that we can do something about it.
What is your passion and what positive change will you create in the world from your compassion?
Here is a classic vibe from the amazing and talented dance trio – Deee-Lite from 1992. The song is hauntingly beautiful and ahead of the game – after 20 years it still is relevant and ‘chillout’ before chill was cool. Deee-Lite released 3 studion albums in the 90′s – The fabulouslness of World Clique (1990), Infinity Within (1992) and Dewdrops in the Garden (1994). Dewdrops was completely ground-breaking and has completely stood the test of time (along with their other 2 releases). Each time I revisit the music of Deee-Lite and the fantastic vocal talents of Lady Kier, I keep asking myself: “what happened to the good old days of dance music, real dance music – not what the pop artists of today are calling it. Where artists had a message – whether it was social or politically and injected their message with a beat, a postive vibe and made it fun?” Deee-Lite was pivotal in infusing their political and social message into their extra funky and housey vibes.
Lady Kier continues to tour and belts out Deee-Lites past hits and continues to inspire us with her own original and current hits “Bullet Proof” being her latest and absolutely fantastic house vibe. I look forward to seeing Lady Kier in the future doing both gigs as performer and dj (hopefully she joins us in Toronto again for Gay Pride 2013 – she was fantastic last year!)
In the meantime – enjoy this classic vibe and escape to a time of innocence love and where ‘real’ dance music ruled!
LOVE IS EVERYTHING
I woke in the middle of the night
Just to see how you look when you’re sleeping
I don’t need a conversation
I just want to feel your vibration
I know your dreaming
And I hope it’s about me
Real…
Sometimes you talk too much
No words only melodies
And there’s nothing else to say
Nothing else to say
The words just get in the way
I’ve got to find our melody
Bring it back to me
Bring it back to me
Cause I know that you can feel it when it’s real
There’s a smile on your face
And it reminds me
How much I like my place
Right next to you
Real…
Follow your dreams
No matter how far they seem
Searching for the reason
The mystery
We can only dream
For more information about Lady Kier – please visit her website: www.ladykier.com
Love is everything…….
I am sure that many have heard the news that pro NBA player – Jason Collins has proclaimed that he is gay! Here are comments that people have made about this news:
“I’m proud to call Jason Collins a friend.” – Bill Clinton (via twitter)
“When I see you I’m gonna hug your knees so hard.” – Ellen Degeneres
“This is what role models are made of. Here’s to a time when it’s no big deal.” – Ricky Gervais (via twitter)
“Thank you for not being afraid to speak up and speak out. Thank you for your courage.” - Representative John Lewis (via twitter)
“Hey @JasonCollins34 I’m still gayer than you!” - Rupaul (via twitter)
“So proud of you, Jason Collins! This is a huge step forward for our country. We’ve got your back!” - Michelle Obama, FLOTUS (via twitter)
Not all of the news was positive though…..here are what non-supporters have said (again, hiding behind religion to justify their bigotry and ignorance):
“Personally, I don’t believe that you can live an openly homosexual lifestyle or an openly, like premarital sex between heterosexuals. If you’re openly living that type of lifestyle, then the Bible says you know them by their fruits. It says that, you know, that’s a sin. If you’re openly living in unrepentant sin, whatever it may be, not just homosexuality, whatever it maybe, I believe that’s walking in open rebellion to God and to Jesus Christ. So I would not characterize that person as a Christian because I don’t think the bible would characterize them as a Christian.” – ESPN sportscaster Chris Broussard
“I will guarantee you if the ownership of whatever team is thinking about bringing him back or thinking about trading for him – and they go to the players on that team and they say ‘how do you feel about an out, active homosexual being in the same locker room sharing the same shower facilities with you’ they’d say ‘no way. I don’t want that. I don’t want some guy, a teammate eyeballin’ me in the shower and my wife does not want that.” - Bryan Fischer (AFA – America Family Association)
Here is Jason Collins first interview after ‘coming out’ on Good Morning America:
I focused on the positive comments because it is that feedback that matters. Those who make negative comments are hiding behind their fear of what they don’t want to understand. Some of my (gay) friends have made comments such as; “big deal, there are many courageous individuals that are not in the public eye that ‘come out’ every day and don’t even receive half as much attention”. Yes, many individuals come out everyday – which is also great. However, it is not everyday where a pro-athlete decides to risk their future career by announcing to the world they are homosexual. Jason Collins coming out IS a big deal. As Martina Navratilova indicated in her Sports Illustrated column (see comments above). In addition to this giving our LGBT youth the courage and strength to come out and live their true authentic lives – it may also inspire other pro-athletes to stop denying their right to live their true authentic selves.
Looking back – I wonder how much earlier I would have come out had some of my role-models made such an important and public statement. Never-the-less, Jason Collins news is wonderful, inspiring and important for reasons that heterosexuals may not understand. One such reason is that gay youth, men and women may not feel a disconnect and alone when there is such a high-profile role model in the public eye and that there are others that are just like them.
Jason Collins did not come out to seek attention – he come out to truly live his authentic life and in doing so, has probably saved the lives of so many who are struggling with their own sexuality.
