TBLI is about PEOPLE PLANET PROFIT

EDUCATING THE FINANCIAL COMMUNITY AFTER THE CRUNCH

11th Annual TBLI CONFERENCE™ EUROPE in Amsterdam

Amsterdam, The Netherlands (November 3, 2009) - The 11th annual TBLI CONFERENCE™ EUROPE is held in Amsterdam from November 12-13, 2009. This year’s conference highlights worldwide health insurance and related human rights issues, the Credit Crunch and its effects on investment ethics values and investment, and the Copenhagen Climate Council and its consequences for investment portfolios.

TBLI’s first keynote speaker is Wendell Potter, former Executive Manager at the 5th largest US health insurance, who resigned as he personally witnessed the inhuman results of health insurance coverage practices. Second keynote speaker is Lewis Gordon Pugh, environmentalist, swimmer and initiator of The Polar Defense Project.

The special focus of this international event is on “Retooling the Economy”: educating the financial community and showing sustainable investment opportunities as profitable alternatives for conventional dysfunctional investment models which caused the Credit Crunch and climate change. The aim of TBLI CONFERENCE EUROPE 2009 is to show the financial community that worldwide recession and the bankruptcy of old investment models and values provide new opportunities for environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing.

5 investment firms will be winners of the 2009 ESG Awards by TBLI GROUP and IPE (International Pensions Europe) during a special award ceremony and dinner on 12 November. Special delegations of financial experts from the Emirates Foundation, Viet Nam Holding AM and Eastern European Countries to Amsterdam will be hosted.

More than 100 finance experts take part in 20 specialized workshops and 2 expert roundtables, actively demonstrating new and successful investment opportunities to investors from pension funds, banks, hedge funds and investment funds. Maritta Koch-Weser, Chair of The Global Exchange for Social Investment (GEXSI) moderates the panel on Social Entrepreneurs, explaining the benefits of Peer-to-Peer lending as an answer to the lack of credit in the current financial market. This year’s conference is especially sponsored by the City of Amsterdam and the event isl officially opened by Job Cohen, Mayor of Amsterdam. Next TBLI Conferences for 2010 and 2011 will be held in London and Tokyo.

Triple Bottom Line Investment (TBLI) is the most rapidly growing form of new investing, which benefits three parties: investor, nature and society alike. TBLI GROUP™ specializes in Triple Bottom Line Investing (TBLI) – investing that benefits investor, nature and society. Based in Amsterdam, TBLI GROUP™ seeks to raise awareness of sustainable investment in the financial sector, by assisting investors and providing a global network for parties who share in this goal. TBLI CONFERENCE™ is the largest global networking and educational event on TBLI in Europe and Asia. For more information, visit http://tbliconference.com

For more information, press interviews or media inquiries, please contact

Esther van der Weij at esther@tbli.org or +316 158 910 78

Please Sign! Stop Animal Sacrifice in Nepal Petition

Can you picture 7,000 young buffaloes being rounded up and killed by a thousand drunk men carrying large knives? A festival where 200,000 animals are killed to please a goddess?

This is exactly what  will happen from November 24, 2009, onwards in Nepal. The Gadimai Festival in Bariyarpur, Bara District, is held each 5 years. The mass sacrifice turns the entire area into a marshy land of blood. The Animal Welfare Network Nepal together with Anti-sacrifice Alliance want to end this bloody, cruel practice.

Please sign this petition:
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/stop-gadimai.html



For more information go to Worship Without Cruelty at http://animalnepal.org/campaigns_wwc.htm
Petition:
To the Ministers of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Peace Secretariat and Law and Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.

Dear Sirs,

We, the signatories, call on the Nepal authorities to end extreme animal cruelty at Gadimai Festival. Each five years in the month of Kartik devotees sacrifice around 200,000 animals (including 6,000 young male buffaloes). Innocent creatures are killed en masse in a very unorganised manner by drunk devotees who enter the temple area with khukuri knives to cut off the heads of frightened buffaloes.

No one can adequately explain why these practices are carried out year after year – except to say they are ‘traditional’. This however is not a valuable argument to commence these practices; Nepal, realising the adverse effects, has abolished a number of ‘traditions’ in the past, including human sacrifice and widow burning.

We feel the time has come to abolish the above practices for the following reasons:

1. Nepal is concerned about the welfare of its precious flora and fauna, and has signed a number of international Wildlife Treaties followed by the introduction of the Meat Act, which introduces humane killing of livestock and poultry. The cruelty displayed in these so-called traditions completely contradicts the spirit and gestures of these treaties and acts.

2. As tourists are abhorred by such practices, the festivals will have an adverse effect on tourism, an industry which provides the country with much-needed financial returns. Those foreigners who experience or come to know the extent of sacrifice in this country leave Nepal confused and with a heavy heart, rather than uplifted by its paradoxical beauty and friendliness.

3. Cruelty against animals harms society as a whole; it signals and normalises insensitivity in children who can become numb to the suffering of living beings, it is also known to influence certain people to commit violence on other humans. Now that the armed conflict has ended Nepal needs peaceful practices that educate the next generation for a harmonious society.

4. Sacrifices often strengthen the vested interest of those who benefit from superstition-based beliefs and rituals. As Nepal is moving ahead to become a more fully democratic, egalitarian society, it is crucial to challenge age-old beliefs which are not beneficial and drain the resources of the poor and needy.

We urge you to end the violent practices and help Nepal move towards a truly peaceful country, and in keeping with its international image. This can be done by introducing and enforcing a much-needed Animal Welfare Act to curb animal cruelty and by promoting genuine animal welfare activities across the country.

We trust that you will support these measures (which are becoming more popular by the day, around the globe and thus promote non-violent cultural practices in Nepal.

Sincerely,

Your Name & Address

Namasté
Hans Lak
One person can make a difference

AVAAZ does not care about FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION read thi... - Care2 News Network

AVAAZ does not care about FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION read thi... - Care2 News Network

Will you help me fight FGM?

Female genital mutilation is not an “exotic issue”: Today, FGM is one of the most systematic and widespread mistreatment and violation of childrens’ rights worldwide. Every year, more than three million victims are submitted to this violence on the African continent alone. Those victims from Yemen, the united Arab Emirates, Iraq and Iran, Indonesia and Malaysia have even to be added.
The extent of FGM might be hard to believe: Up to 90 % of a country´s or a region´s female children (e.g., in Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, Gambia, Sierra Leone, etc.) are victimized by genital mutilations. The vast majority of the victims is physically and mentally damaged and traumatised for life. We have to assume that today, more than 200 million victims exist worldwide.

As long as this violence is not stopped, as long as the deliberate damaging of whole female generations goes on, broad and lasting development in these countries or regions remains impossible. This means, that the end of female genital mutilation and the consequent protection of future generations is a very important key for lasting development.

Every organisation that works with a sponsored child system has a special responsibility and duty of care for the sponsored children: All above mentioned organisations market sponsorships for female children in countries and regions where genital mutilations are widespread.
Have you ever asked the organisations whether and how the sponsored girls are protected from female genital mutilation? Not yet? We did!

We are not talking about some individually viewed cases, but up 400,000 sponsored girls in 18 countries to whom protection is denied!




Please find here an interview with Lucy Mashua, who originally comes from the South of Kenya and who decided to take the campaign under her patronage:
Lucy Mashua
Lucy Mashua comes from South Kenya, from a Maasai family. Today, the 30-years old woman lives in Dallas where, after a long Odysse, she found a new home. At age of nine, she became a victim of female genital mutilation, at age of twelve, she was sold to a 53-year old man, did escape from him - and dedicated herself already at age of 21 to the protection of girls from genital mutilation. Countless girls she helped to flee from this violence. Several times, she has been arrested, raped and tortured by the Clan-chefs - but imperturbably she continued to fight for the most fundamental rights of women and children - especially the fight for an end of FGM. About these practices she says: "Every year, thousands of girls and women die from female genital mutilation - if this is not genocide, what is it then?" ... "I want to be a voice for the voiceless" Lucy claims and raises her voice - strong, consequent and imperturbable. Lucy Mashua supports our campaign to protect sponsored girl-children in projects of German and International development agencies.

She talked with us about her decision.

What you can do

Until now, PLAN International, World Vision, Kindernothilfe (Germany) and ChildFund Germany have not felt prompted to protect the sponsored girls from FGM. One reason for their ignorant attitude is the fact that donors mostly do not consequently demand the protection of their sponsored children.
As long as you, as a donor, accept the organisations' policy of FGM-tolerance and silently continue to wire money to their accounts, you encourage them to retain this policy.

But if you think that it's time for a change you can play an important part in this – and it does not cost you any money, but only a few minutes of your time and a few clicks:

Simply sign one, several or all of the following letters and send them to the board of PLAN International, World Vision, Kindernothilfe (Germany) and Children's fund CCF / ChildFund Germany.
By signing these letters:

- you call for the stipulation of the safety and protection from FGM of the sponsored girls in the preconditions for support for the communities,

- you call for a careful selection of the project partners, means that only those communities are supported who respect the most fundamental children's and human rights and and so proof their will to develop,

- you call for an investment of donations in the most economic and effective way.

Letter to PLAN International - click here
Letter to World Vision - click here
Letter to Kindernothilfe (Germany) - click here
Letter to CCF Kinderhilfwerk/ChildFund Germany - click here

Join the Cause in Facebook!

Think different! Make a difference!

Who will defend the whales this year?

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1055707347&v=app_2347471856&viewas=1055707347

Ask Greenpeace why they collect money to defend the whales!
And than surrender them to the whalers!...

I keep on getting messages from Greenpeace that i should support them to SAVE THE WHALES....

If you need the proof that you cannot trust GREENPEACE check this: We are going to the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary to do what we can to ensure that happens and will use a range of peaceful means to defend the whales, including putting ourselves between the whale and the harpoon.......
Now what Greenpeace does is use a lot of means ..but not to defend the whales!

Whaledefenders stop the killing has now18.000 members many of them keep on donating to the
wrong whaledefenders! They have no idea about GREENPEACE and SEA SHEPHERD...
People must want to learn the truth or they will not find it....
Greenpeace tells people their truth...
Sea Shepherd tells people their truth..

Who do the people believe more?
Who is spending more money on PROPAGANDA?

http://www.seashepherd.org/who-we-are/paul-watson-and-greenpeace.html

Why cannot all the people who want to save whales work together?
There is only ONE WHALING MAFIA and only ONE WAY to defend the whales!

Paul Watson has made many public requests for Greenpeace to reveal the location of the whaling fleet or otherwise cooperate with Sea Shepherd in the Southern Ocean when the ships of both organisations have been there simultaneously.

Oneness? Harmony? Do you think that GREENPEACE cares enough about the whales to start defending them again?

Captain Paul Watson: We provide Greenpeace with coordinates for the whalers, and we expected them to return the favor.

We passionately want to stop whaling, and will do so peacefully. That's why we won't help Sea Shepherd. Greenpeace is committed to non-violence and we'll never, ever, change that, not for anything. If we helped Sea Shepherd to find the whaling fleet we'd be responsible for anything they did having got that information, and history shows that they've used violence in the past, in the most dangerous seas on Earth. For us, non-violence is a non-negotiable, precious principle. Greenpeace will continue to act to defend the whales, but will never attack or endanger the whalers.... Read More


Captain Paul Watson: Sea Shepherd has never committed an act of violence. We have never injured anyone. We have never been convicted of a felony (Greenpeacers have). We have never been sued (Greenpeace has). Greenpeace has also been reported by Japan... for ramming a Japanese whaler and then denounces us for doing the same thing. In actual fact neither Greenpeace nor Sea Shepherd have deliberately rammed a Japanese whaler. In both cases, it was Japan that imitated the ramming. The latest Greenpeace tactic has been to steal property from the Japanese mail. The Greenpeace policy of bearing witness is just another way of saying that they are cowards. You don't watch whales die and just take their pictures. You intervene and you stop the killing - that is real non-violence - to stop the killing without hurting anyone.

This letter from Greenpeace to Paul Watson is good food for thought...
If you are still supporting the false whaledefenders...LIES LIES LIES

http://www.greenpeace.org/international/letter-to-paul-watson

Who do YOU believe more?

Fact is that SEA SHEPHERD is the only organisation that will be out there in the whale
sanctuary defending whales!

Invite your friends to join the whaledefenders stop the killing!

Join GREEDPEACE and tell all your friends the truth about GREENPEACE
http://tinyurl.com/greedpeace

If you want to save the whales SUPPORT SEA SHEPHERD forget Greenpeace and all the other wonderful organisations that are wasting money on campaigns..instead of saving whales!

http://tinyurl.com/whaledefenders
http://tinyurl.com/whaledefendersfan

I feel like i am the only person in the world who thinks that a BOYCOTT is a fair and a good way to stop the killing!
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/boycott-japan.html
What do you think will it help?if Toyota Panasonic Sony and all the other wonderful Japanese brands speak up in Japan and tell the government to stop wasting TAX money to support the WHALING MAFIA

Namasté
Hans Lak
http://www.wildlifefoundation.info
Whaledefenders stop the killing

Save the whales BOYCOTT JAPAN!
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/boycott-japan.html