One person CAN make a difference

Can we build the world that JFK had in mind!?

2012-02-06T04:00:00.000-08:00

Can we build the world that JFK had in mind!?
One Person Can Make A Difference.....and
Every person should try....
Invite your friends to Join the ONE PERSON Movement http://www.facebook.com/OnePersonCanMakeADifference

The Banker -

2012-01-30T08:57:00.000-08:00

Campaign video by Richard Curtis and Bill Nighy, about the Robin Hood Tax, a tiny tax on bank transactions that could raise hundreds of billions for public services and to tackle poverty and climate change at home and around the world. Add your own voice to the campaign at http://www.robinhoodtax.org.uk

The Future of Free Energy is here now! The end of oil, coal and nuclear pollution!

2012-01-30T00:44:00.000-08:00

The Future of Free Energy is here now! The end of oil, coal and nuclear pollution!

Justin Hall-Tipping CEO of "Nanoholdings" Explains how nanotechnology is set to change the future of energy and replace fossil and nuclear fuels:

Moyers & Company Show 103: How power and influence helped big banks rewrite the rules of our economy. on Vimeo

2012-01-28T03:31:00.000-08:00

Moyers & Company Show 103: How power and influence helped big banks rewrite the rules of our economy. on Vimeo

Moyers & Company Show 103: How power and influence helped big banks rewrite the rules of our economy. from BillMoyers.com on Vimeo.

Big banks are rewriting the rules of our economy to the exclusive benefit of their own bottom line. But how did our political and financial class shift the benefits of the economy to the very top, while saddling us with greater debt and tearing new holes in the safety net? This weekend on Moyers & Company (check your local listings), Bill Moyers talks with former Citigroup Chairman John Reed and former Senator Byron Dorgan to explore a momentous instance: how the mid-90s merger of Citicorp and Travelers Group and a friendly Presidential pen -- brought down the Glass-Steagall Act, a crucial firewall between banks and investment firms which had protected consumers from financial calamity since the aftermath of the Great Depression. In effect, says Moyers, they put the watchdog to sleep.

Davos 2012: Business must be part of the solution | Forum:Blog | The World Economic Forum

2012-01-24T23:31:00.000-08:00

Davos 2012: Business must be part of the solution | Forum:Blog | The World Economic Forum

On the eve of the Annual Meeting 2012, the business community is faced with a unique opportunity – an opportunity to demonstrate the positive role it can play worldwide and to define its new covenant with society. This covenant is needed in part because business’s role has shifted dramatically in recent decades. Not only are its impacts felt more broadly by an increasing number of people around the globe, but society’s expectations of business have also grown. Indeed, in today’s resource-constrained world, the challenge of providing prosperity to 7 billion people can only be accomplished if business plays a positive role in the creation of new models of sustainable growth. Business must be part of the solution.

Today, the Global Agenda Council on the Role of Business releases a report that calls on the private sector to broaden perspectives from short-term shareholder returns to generating value for a wider set of stakeholders. The needs have never been greater for renewing business’s license to operate, as frustration and uncertainty linger regarding the effects of business on communities around the world.

Defining the covenant is only one part of the challenge. Determining the “how” is also essential. What are the mechanisms for changing behavior? What concrete steps can be taken to reward companies that adopt long-term strategies to generate value for a wide range of stakeholders?

The paper – “Defining the New Business Covenant” – outlines actions that can help bring about this change. For example, incentive structures can reward shareholders who hold stakes in companies for extended periods of time. Reporting systems can measure the full externalities of corporate activities in terms of environmental, social and governance factors, both short- and long-term. Boards can ensure companies address the systemic risk that their new products, services, or technologies could create. Partnerships among governments, businesses and civil society can leverage the creativity, the capacity and the capital of business to address critical societal needs in new economically sustainable ways.

These strategies outlined are by no means comprehensive. They represent the start to a larger discussion we are initiating in Davos and beyond. We invite you to follow the conversation – by participating in our World Economic Brainstorming: Business, Governance and Leadership – New Pressures and Realities on Wednesday 25 January. RSVP to watch the session live at: http://www.livestream.com/worldeconomicforum?rsvptoeventid=426265, and join the debate on Twitter at #WEFbrainstorm.

What concrete mechanisms do you suggest in order to incentivize business to uphold this covenant? Send me your thoughts via Twitter @RobertGreenhill or leave a comment below.

what to do if your FB account has been disabled

2012-01-23T03:50:00.000-08:00

(95) what to do if your Facebook account has been disabled

13 Reasons your Facebook account will be disabled

Here's what we're hearing from people all over the world: Facebook is shutting down accounts of users who are exhibiting any behavior it finds remotely suspicious. As paradoxical as it sounds, "suspicious" often means just using the site too much! Sometimes they warn people and give them the chance to change their behavior, and sometimes the account termination is sudden and permanent. Most of the time the disabled accounts will be turned back on, whether automatically after a cool-down period, or after prostrating yourself to the FB authorities. But sometimes they'll lock it up and throw away the key.

Facebook remains intentionally vague about what "bad behavior" looks like, and so it's no wonder that people get confused, angry or despondent when they get the ACCOUNT DISABLED message. To help people avoid having their accounts disabled, I've listed the most common reasons why people report having their accounts abruptly turned off. Keep in mind, that this list is almost surely incomplete, and until Facebook changes their policy to embrace more transparency and two-way communication we'll have to live with a bit of uncertainty when using Facebook.

Here are the things that (supposedly) will get you kicked off Facebook:

1. You didn't use your real name
Don't try to use a nickname (or initials)in lieu of the name on your birth certificate, because Facebook will find you and spit you out.

2. You joined too many groups
Remember that the maximum limit is 200 groups per user. More than that just looks desperate, don't you think?

3. You posted too many messages on a wall or in a group
Even Guy Kawasaki had his account disabled--in his case for "excessive evangelism."

4. You posted in too many groups, too many user's walls
You may be axed for being too verbose in too many places. That's what spammers do, silly. On Facebook it is better--or at least safer--to be seen than heard.

5. You friended too many people
Not so long ago this was a prime cause of disabled accounts, but Facebook has instituted a maximum of 5000 friends that should protect you from yourself.

6. Your school/organization affiliation is doubtful
The overlords are sometimes not very trusting, and they may accuse you of not graduating from Harvard (or Plum Senior High School). The impertinence! Better have your diploma ready.

7. You're poking too many people
We've heard this from multiple sources, and it's easy enough to avoid. Save the pokes for people you *really* like, as mum always said. But beware the odd FB app that pokes on your behalf.

8. For advertising your app on wall posts
The line between spam and self-promotion is a thin one, but let it be known that pimping your shiny new Facebook app is definitely considered SPAM.

9. Using duplicate text in multiple messages
Some people paste a generic welcome message into friend requests to save time. DON'T DO THIS! It makes you look like a spammer. (Ironically, pro spammers are probably randomizing their messages to avoid this trap)

10. You are a cow, dog, or library
Being a real person is not enough, you must be a homo sapien. Accounts have been deleted for cows, dogs and libraries.

11. You are under eighteen years old
According to one report a user's account was suspended when they suspected her of being under 18. She was required to enter a work email address to prove her maturity, at which point her account was reinstated. [note: other users have pointed out that being under 18 is fine if you're part of a High School group, though underage home schoolers have been told to bugger off]

12. You wrote offensive content
Reports of "sudden death" on accounts have been reported by users who were told they had posted offensive content, but were not provided details of the offense.

13. You scraped information off Facebook
They have a zero tolerance policy for page scraping (i.e. pulling content off their web pages via a script). Unfortunately, they don't have a reliable way of proving it's you who's doing the scraping (IP matching is probably as good as they can get), so you may find this a difficult charge to defend yourself against.

Finally, you may be disabled for no clear reason at all. One Australian member reported this staggering experience:

"I was blocked for a little while because I was 'misusing certain features of the site' Naturally I closely examined their conditions of use etc for some insight as to what I must have done wrong. I couldn't for the life of me find anything...

"Upon request for clarification I was told that they were not at liberty to divulge which features or of course any thresholds of use. Then they warned me not to do it again or I would be banned permanently without recourse to reinstatement."

Vandal banker: Financial Transaction Tax - English - YouTube

2012-01-23T02:39:00.000-08:00

Vandal banker: Financial Transaction Tax - English - YouTube

Say NO to ACTA - YouTube

2012-01-23T02:29:00.000-08:00

Say NO to ACTA - YouTube

Facebook can be very frustrating from time to time

2012-01-22T08:23:00.000-08:00

This is the message i get when i try to login to my Facebook account...Facebook uses Mobile Phone Numbers to check if you are a REAL PERSON if your handy gets lost or you can not confirm the number you have a problem...Even if you can confirm the Code you Receive from Facebook you can have a problem and are being asked to identify people tagged in Photos or figure out Captchas that are allmost impossible to solve....Can you think of a better way to show Facebook who you realy are than a COPY of YOUR ID or PASSPORT? They are driving me CRAZY its ok that they are trying to delete spammer or Fake Profiles..but whats wrong with compassionate people who are trying to MAKE A DIFFERENCE on FACEBOOK! I NEED YOUR HELP!Can you please start telling FACEBOOK that I AM REAL that the COPY of my PASSPORT is REAL.. That Hans A Lak is my REAL NAME! If this is the NEW FACEBOOK give me the GOOD OLD FACEBOOK!All that i do on Facebook is trying to make A Difference..

Domain: outdoor.info for Sale

2012-01-21T09:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.outdoor.info
http://www.facebook.com/outdoor.info

Since i will focus completely on One Person Can Make A Difference and One Earth One Mission i am looking for a ECO Minded Buyer for the Outdoor.info Project!
A Eco minded leading Outdoor Retailer? The Outdoor Industry Association? The EOG? Anyone who is realy serious about protecting the environment for future generations can contact me
at hans@outdoor.info for more information!

What is the Value of he Domain Outdoor.info?
A domain name appraisal is an estimate about the potential sales price of a particular Internet domain name . A domain name appraisal is allways speculative. It is an estimate and an opinion, and can considerably vary depending upon the considered elements of the name and its extension

According to Adressio the Domain only has a value of 76.052 EURO
According to Adresso between 15.000 and 17.000 EURO
The value of the domain is rated between $ 5.500 and $ 98.000

I will support a ECO Minded Buyer of the Outdoor.info with all my Social Media Power Facebook GRADER 99,9% and 120.000 active fans on Facebook.
Fans who care about making a Difference for a better world!

Contact me if you want to know more...looking forward to help you build a brighter future
in the Outdoor Industry..no matter where you are in the world...

Hans Lak
Social Media Networker and founder of
http://www.facebook.com/OnePersonCanMakeADifference
http://www.facebook.com/OneEarthOneMission
http://www.facebook.com/outdoor.info
Phone +41789404525 Email hans@outdoor.info
Wägitalstrasse 18 8854 Siebnen
Lets connect on LinkedIn and other networks
http://www.mynameise.com/hanslak

How social technology will change our world,

2012-01-20T05:14:00.000-08:00

Social Change is Good! Technology is GOOD!

David Kirkpatrick, the author of The Facebook Effect, talking about the impact of social tools and technology on the way consumers and citizens around the world are demanding change. He does a wonderful job of articulating how the internet has heightened awareness around the world of economic inequality, and how social media has given citizens and customers all around the world an unprecedented platform to have those grievances heard

Avaaz - Blackout -- Save the Internet Today

2012-01-18T11:36:00.000-08:00

Avaaz - Blackout -- Save the Internet Today

Today could be the day we save the free Internet.

The US Congress was poised to pass a law allowing the US to censor access to any website around the world. But after we delivered our 1.25 million strong petition to the White House, it came out against the bill and with public pressure at boiling point even some bill backers are switching sides. Now, the Wikipedia led blackout protest has rocketed the public campaign to the top of the news.

We are turning the tide. But the dark forces of censorship are trying to revive the bill right now. Let’s bury it for good today. Click to sign this emergency petition to save the Internet now and if you've signed already, to email, call, Facebook, and tweet Congressional and corporate targets. Then send this to everyone.

Avaaz - Blackout -- Save the Internet Today

One Person Can Make A Difference

2012-01-18T00:07:00.000-08:00

One Person Can Make A Difference

Just Do It-campaign for peace

MasterPeace will develop several attractive peace building projects, global and local, including a mesmerizing concert in Cairo on the International Day of Peace in 2014, where artists from the worlds focus areas will perform to encourage dialogue and promote togetherness. The concert will be an exclusive reward for people who actively supported peace building activities in the years before the International Day of Peace in 2014.

MasterPeace might become the best possible answer to fear and indifference. We already have committed our time, dedication, expertise, passion and professionalism, but we can’t be successful without your involvement. So join us in this ‘Just Do It’-campaign for peace!

Become a MasterPeacer

This 2.0 platform is specially designed for you. Most content will be created by you and other MasterPeacers. Subscribe the ‘MasterPeace Statement’, create your own personal profile and donate your creativity for peace: music, design, graphics, banners, films, events, peace building initiatives. Learn about the peace initiatives of others and support them with your expertise or share them with your social network. Every week, best practices from all over the world will be highlighted so they can be more known, get more funds and more volunteers. Get started as soon as possible!

Lets build a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature,
universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.

Join us!
http://www.masterpeace.org/project/One-Person-Can-Make-A-Difference.aspx

America's Biggest Scam

2012-01-17T01:35:00.000-08:00

America's Biggest Scam - YouTube

Companies out of Facebook said Douglas Rushkoff

2012-01-16T00:27:00.000-08:00

Douglas Rushkoff: Branding Doesn't Work! So Now What? on Vimeo

Firmen, raus aus Facebook! (sagt Douglas Rushkoff)
Companies out of Facebook said Douglas Rushkoff

Douglas Rushkoff: Branding Doesn't Work! So Now What? from Portland Oregon on Vimeo.

Great video about Social Media about the monetary system about Oil Spills about real conversations and about the Truth of social media
making money from contacts.....

http://uebermorgen.blog.nzz.ch/2012/01/13/firmen-raus-aus-facebook-sagt-douglas-rushkoff/

What is your talent?

2012-01-14T00:38:00.000-08:00

What is your talent?

I know that you have a special talent....i have been watching the blind auditions of the Voice of Holland on the web and think its incredible how many great talents are walking around and wasting their talents... Donate your talent to start making a Difference and Change the World.. The Voice of Holland and all other The Voice of formats have just one GOAL to make as much money as they can..its not about the People..its not mission driven...its about the MONEY but the Idea to search for talents and coach those talents is exactly what we need to do...to CHANGE the WORLD..think about the people you know and their talents..think about your own talents..how could YOU Change the World with your TALENT? We need the new John Lennon the new Leonardo Da Vinci the new JFK we need YOU! Donate your Talent: http://www.facebook.com/OnePersonCanMakeADifference?sk=app_10339498918%3Dapp_10339498918Its time to unite the people who Want to CHANGE this WORLD!To combine our efforts...NamastéHans Lak

The Year Corporations Lose Personhood?

2012-01-13T08:44:00.000-08:00

The Year Corporations Lose Personhood?

Let's work hard to make 2012 the year in which corporations are stripped of the legal personhood that makes it legal for them to buy elections and politicians.

There’s good news: Montana's Supreme Court recently upheld a ban on corporate election spending. Los Angeles and New York have just joined the list of cities urging the rest of the country to join Montana. And several bills have been introduced in Congress to amend the Constitution.

On January 20 and 21, there will be protests across the country marking the second anniversary of the horrible Citizens United U.S. Supreme Court decision that allows unlimited buying of candidates by corporations. More info here and here.

But TODAY, you can tell your representatives exactly where you stand on corporate personhood and corporate buying of elections.

Resources

David Cobb - 'Citizens United' Doesn't Fly in Big Sky State

Great Falls Tribune: Montana High Court Upholds Ban on Election Spending by Corporations

Corporations Are Not People: Citizens United: Constitutional Amendment Scorecard

France shows the way Tax Wallstreet!

2012-01-12T01:48:00.000-08:00

Obama, Sarkozy and Taxing Wall Streetby Jeff CohenWith U.S. media obsessing on the fight here at home among conservatives vying to become president, most of them missed some big news about France, which already has a conservative president. This week, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced that he would take the lead – even go it alone within Europe, if need be – in introducing and pushing a Financial Transaction Tax in his country.

That’s right – the conservative president of France wants to tax the financial traders and speculators.Referring to the tax as a “moral issue” and blaming deregulation and speculation for the global economic meltdown, Sarkozy has said that traders must “repay for the damage they have caused.”What does it tell us about U.S. politics that the conservative president of France – on this issue and others – is way to the left of President Obama? The U.S. president has not publicly promoted a Wall Street transaction tax (even though US financial institutions, not the French, were largely responsible for the global financial crisis).Sometimes called a “Robin Hood tax,” a Financial Transaction Tax is endorsed worldwide by everyone from conservative European leaders to the Pope and Archbishop of Canterbury to Bill Gates and Ralph Nader. The tax is a tiny per transaction fee and would barely be felt by middle-class investors or their pensions or 401(k)’s, but it could raise big bucks from high-volume investors and impose a brake on the kind of speculation that tanked the world’s economy. French President Sarkozy keeps explaining to the people of France and Europe that a small transaction tax raises billions for countries facing deficits.Wouldn’t it be something if President Obama went to the American people with such a deficit proposal, instead of putting Medicare on the chopping block?President Sarkozy invokes the “moral issue” of financial institutions repairing the damage they caused. What a shock it would be to see President Obama aiming the “moral issue” at Wall Street profiteers and demanding repair of damage, instead of rewarding them with top White House jobs.After failing to get resistant allies among European countries to join him, Sarkozy is going forward on his own – declaring yesterday: “If France waits for others to tax finance, then finance will never be taxed.”Can you imagine Obama standing up to a resistant Congress on a Wall Street transaction tax? He can’t even stand up to his own advisers on the issue, according to Ron Suskind’s insider book on the Obama White House, “Confidence Men.” Suskind reports that Obama briefly embraced the tax and declared at one meeting: “We are going to do this!” But after Obama’s top economic adviser (and Wall Streeter) Larry Summers criticized the tax, the idea was buried at the White House. That was back in 2009. But the idea is still alive on Capitol Hill. A couple months ago, Sen. Tom Harkin and Rep. Peter DeFazio introduced a Financial Transaction Tax bill in Congress that would easily raise $350 billion over 10 years. Rep. John Conyers introduced a similar bill last year – it would tax Wall Street to fund federal jobs programs.A Wall Street transaction tax is backed by National Nurses United and other unions. It’s popular with the U.S. public, and would be even more popular if Obama were to campaign for it in 2012. RootsAction.org has gained 50,000 signatures in support of the tax.You can add your name here to those pushing Obama to (re)embrace the Wall Street tax. And don’t get me wrong about President Sarkozy of France. He’s no great humanitarian. But he is facing an uphill reelection battle this year and the conservative president understands how popular a financial tax is with voters.Facing reelection this year, maybe it’s time President Obama came to that same understanding.

Bill Moyers: 'Capitalism is Out of Control Thanks, In No Small Part, to Citizen's United'

2012-01-11T23:28:00.000-08:00

Bill Moyers: 'Capitalism is Out of Control Thanks, In No Small Part, to Citizen's United'
Bill Moyers: "You cannot have a people's democracy as long as corporations are considered people..."

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

2012-01-11T09:36:00.000-08:00

WALKING FOR YOUR FITNESS! Enjoy the Great Outdoors!

Do you know the easiest way to stay healthy? Eat Healthy Drink more Water and start WALKING FOR YOUR FITNESS! Find your favorite Spots in Nature where you can reload your Energy... This is one of my favorite spots.. for a One Hour Walk. Thats all you need One Hour...WALKING is the ideal workout for most people. It's easy, accessible, inexpensive and can boost your vitality.Besides helping you lose or maintain your weight, a regular walking program can help lower your risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and osteoporosis. Walking is our favorite Fitness Sport.... start two times a week at least One Hour and you will soon feel much better.There is growing daily scientific research emphasising the mental and physical benefits of exercising outside. This form of training is offering many people the opportunity to reconnect with the great outdoors and improve their emotional wellbeing whilst getting fit. In our fast paced, modern world full of urgent demands, it can feel impossible to switch off and stop the internal chatter of our brain. If you work in an office all day and exercise in a gym, you’re unlikely to gain the benefits the great outdoors has to offer.Outdoor fitness is a natural and environmentally friendly alternative to addressing modern society’s mental and physical fitness as there is considerable research linking the two. Surrounding yourself by nature can even aid physical recovery from illnesses and outdoor exercise on arrival from a long haul flight has even been proven to reduce jet lag. Green exercise can cause a measurable increase in a person’s mood and self-esteem in all ages and reduces the prevalence of physical inactivity that leads to higher rates of illnesses such as heart disease, obesity and heart related illnesses in urban areas. According to Julia Thrift; ‘There is increasing evidence that access to high quality green spaces can produce measurable improvements to stress levels in a relatively short space of time’ Journal of Public Mental Health (2005).The air is cleaner. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that indoor air is more than twice as polluted as outdoor air.A free daily dose of D. Scientists recommend outdoor exercise as a way to get your vitamin D through sunlight. This is especially important if you are overweight — a recent study found that people who are overweight are almost twice as likely to be deficient in vitamin D.Exercise for your mind. "When you exercise outdoors, your mind becomes aware of the changing terrain. Whether you use the hills, the sand on a beach, or a winding path, your mind has to focus differently than it would on a flat gym floor," notes Tina Vindum. the author of Tina Vindum's Outdoor Fitness: Step Out of the Gym into the Best Shape of Your Life and the first outdoor fitness instructor accredited by the American Council on Exercise.

"It's Viral!" The Movement to Overturn Citizens United Swamps the Internet - YouTube

2012-01-10T22:44:00.001-08:00

Comedian Lee Camp ("Moment of Clarity") helps democracy advocates take their message about the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision "viral." Starring Katrina vanden Heuvel of The Nation, Jim Hightower, Laura Flanders, Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks, and Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield of Ben & Jerry's. Cute cats, babies, Mentos and More! Concept/Produced by Negin Farsad, Justin Krebs, Vaguely Qualified Productions, and Living Liberally. Exec produced by the We the People Campaign.

facebook.com/wethepeoplecampaign
gabyalter.com/
www.neginfarsad.com
www.leecamp.net
www.livingliberally.org
www.vaguelyqualified.com
www.nativeresonance.com
www.drinkingliberally.org

"It's Viral!" The Movement to Overturn Citizens United Swamps the Internet - YouTube

2012-01-10T22:44:00.000-08:00

Social Media Revolution 2011

2012-01-10T01:49:00.000-08:00

Social Media Revolution 2011 - YouTube

Think about how you can CHANGE the WORLD using the 2012 Social Media Revolution...that will be even BIGGER than in 2011.....

A Nightmare on Wall Street..

2012-01-06T04:51:00.000-08:00

Kudos to the Nurses! WE love you for making such a HUGE DIFFERENCE!

Hans Lak's Birthday Wish

2012-01-04T00:14:00.000-08:00

For my birthday on January 4th, I'm asking that my friends and family join me in raising $250 for a good cause!

Hans Lak's Birthday Wish | Causes Wish

I Started the Support for the Real Whaledefenders with Whaledefenders Stop the Killing after Greenpeace decided to stop
defending the whales..... PLEASE SUPPORT THE ONLY REAL WHALEDEFENDERS!

http://www.facebook.com/whaledefenders
http://twitter.com/whaledefenders
http://tinyurl.com/whaledefenders

Hans Lak's Birthday Wish | Causes Wish

Hello, and thanks for checking out my Birthday Wish!

For my birthday on January 4th, I'm asking my friends and family for a special gift: help me raise $250 for Whaledefenders stop the killing!.

I chose Whaledefenders stop the killing! because they are the only REAL WHALEDEFENDERS! Help us stop the killing!.

Please consider giving to my Birthday Wish, and together we can make the world a better place. If you can't give now, I'd really appreciate if you'd share this page with your friends.

Hans Lak's Birthday Wish | Causes Wish

Thanks so much,

Hans

I'm asking for $25, or as much as you can afford.
Your donation is 100% secure and tax-deductible

FREEDOM JUSTICE PEACE.

2012-01-01T23:55:00.000-08:00

FREEDOM JUSTICE PEACE. - YouTube

Why do people make war?

2012 a New Year How will YOU Change....

2012-01-01T07:31:00.000-08:00

A New Year's resolution is a commitment that a person makes to one or more lasting personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. This goal must be reached by the Next New Year. Keep in mind that this is a goal, not a wish and should be something that you as a person could strive for.Eat Healthy stay Healthy! Get MOVING start LIVING! LOHAS are more happy thats for sure..... I love sustainability! Resolutions are more sustainable when shared, both in terms of with whom you share the benefits of your resolution, and with whom you share the path of maintaining your resolution. Peer-support makes a difference in success rate with new year's resolutions. One Person Can Make A Difference will try to help you achieve your goals....just share them....2012 can be YOUR Year of CHANGE!Let's celebrate the spirit of renewal that is the essence of new beginnings -- and that the world so desperately needs.

Get Money Out!

2011-12-31T03:55:00.000-08:00

MSNBC's Dylan Ratigan is riled up about the problem of money in politics.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T03:48:00.000-08:00

If 2011 has been the year that Changed the world.....wait until you will see the CHANGE in 2012! We can and will make 2012 a fabulous year! We will help people who THINK...about their HEALTH, about their Life, about the Planet, about Making a Difference. ...Changing the world starts with YOU.... Start Eating Healthy start Living Healthy start thinking healthy and start doing the right things...that match with your thoughts... Follow your Heart and your Dreams and you will be happy!
It was Gandhi who once said: Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony. I wish you the happiest NEW YEAR you have ever had... Life is about being more..not about having more.....
More and more people see that current system is SICK we don't have a environmental crisis, a world hunger crisis, a debt crisis a political crisis... we have a system Crisis... we must CHANGE the SYSTEM..only PEOPLE POWER can do that. Read our Agenda 2022 and you will find out that it would be a better world for EVERYONE.. thank you for making a Difference for a BETTER WORLD!
Together we will build a brighter future!

The Decline of the American Empire | Common Dreams

2011-12-31T03:37:00.000-08:00

The Decline of the American Empire | Common Dreams

http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/empire/2011/12/2011122285418789367.html

The Decline of the American Empire

As the world is undergoing a profound transformation, what role will the US play in a post-American century?

The US has the world's biggest economy, the most influential culture, and the most potent military machine, with a budget that equals that of all other nations combined. It is the only power with a global project defended and supported by more aircraft carriers, Fortune 500 companies, and more successful media-tainment conglomerates than any other.
But the last decade has been problematic for the world's only superpower.
America's post-Cold War optimism has given way to pessimism, forecasting a declining power and more crucially, the end of "the American era".
The rise of new regional and global powers, coupled with Washington's recent war fiascos and financial crisis have worsened the outlook for the future of the US.
Countless books have been written prophesying the end with titles like: Suicide of a Superpower; The Empire Has No Clothes; Taming American Power; Nemesis: the Last Days of the American Republic; Colossus: The Rise and Fall of the American Empire; and Selling out A Superpower.
So, is all this talk of the US decline premature? And if not, what role will the US play in a post-US century?
Empire finds out.

The dog shelter see how you can help

2011-12-17T03:10:00.000-08:00

The dog shelter

Please like them on Facebook

The dog shelter

...There's a rumour circling around the dog shelter, that this is yet a city of good people. That there are people building dog houses in their yards. And places in their hearts. Just for them...

Azil, the last resort for many forgotten and abandoned four-legged citizens of our town, is situated in Nemetin, about 5 km away from Osijek. Hard-working volunteers and employees are trying to improve the everyday life of our protégés, whose number is never under 180. To avoid more hungry mouths, we carry out the spaying program throughout the year. Antisa, Seka, Gazda, Bucka, Divljo, Ankica, Valentina, as well as all the other residents of Azil, dream of the day when they will meet the person, that decided to come all the way to the shelter just for them, and next to whom they will forget all the ugly memories of homelessness. For 150 lucky dogs that dream came true in the last year, 2010. Every potential adopter gets a questionnaire to fill in, so we can recommend or help them find an ideal dog just for them. We also give them a brochure which emphasizes the importance of spaying, and all the rights and needs a dog should have in its future home.

Finally, when everything is clear to both sides, the adopter signs an adoption contract. To be sure that we really managed to join soul mates, we pay visits to their new families a certain time after the adoption. While the adopted dogs just occasionally remember us, we still maintain concerned with every day shelter problems. The life with about 200 dogs is everything but easy. There are 2000 square meters to clean, every dog’s bawl to wash, water to change and meals to cook for all those hungry mouths. And that’s still not all.

There`s always those who are in need of special care, there`s always a broken fence you have to fix, a dug out hole to cover...and how to pass through the shelter and not stop for a minute to exchange a word or two with a host, at least about the weather...and then two hundred times like that!

But that`s not all. We have big plans. At this moment, we are in a process of registration and the criteria in a Ministry`s Rulebook aren`t disputable – we are building new yards, adapting existing infrastructure, a cesspool isn`t enough, so the sewage has to be done and so much more...Often we are asking ourselves how are we managing to survive with 1100 Euros per month – the amount which we get from our local government. The answer lies in the good will of our citizens and the capability of determined activists to make something out of nothing. We are hoping for better days to come, and not only hoping – but also working on it. And there is nothing more beautiful than being part of that story, coming home tired from all the work you have done in a Shelter with a thought: I made a difference! Come and see for yourself...

History and numbers
Everything happened fairly spontaneously, one sunny day in autumn in two thousand and seven.
Curiosity and expectations which anticipated our first visit to the dog shelter were unfortunately (or fortunately) overcame by shock and disbelief; situation which we encountered was under all our expectations- dogs not fed regularly, dog houses which couldn't be called that any more, without veterinary care, dogs not spayed or neutered, thrown in yards and boxes without any logic, puppies and mothers with their young together with adult dogs, no volunteers...

We didn't know where to start, but our visits became more and more frequent. And our number grew. From the civil initiative we grew to NGO Pobjede (Victories, in translation) and in 2010. signed a contract with our local government and took the shelter management over from NGO Zivot (Life, in translation). A number of volunteers from our town and region with time, with a help from a media, became bigger and bigger. We managed to develop community`s consciousness for a necessity of a shelter which will treat animals with respect.

We built medical yard, invested considerable financial amount and even more considerable physical voluntary work in improvement of Shelter`s infrastructure – plumbing, electricity, adaptation of existing facilities, building of new objects...
We have neutered more than 400 dogs, during 2010 homed over 600.

Our everyday activities also connote providing veterinary help, castration and homing for an abandoned dogs and cats living on the streets.
We made a contract with a veterinary station Fury which provides their medical services with a 50% discount. City of Osijek finances our Shelter with 14 000 euros per year; volunteers, engaged in a various activities, collect money to ensure functioning of a Shelter by organizing concerets, second hand stores, educational booths, by printing calendar... Considerable amount of financial needs comes from an individual and business donations in money, dog food, construction material and intelectual services.

In a Shelter, during the year of 2010, on organized working actions, hundreds of volunteers had passed through Shelter`s yards, giving their contribution in 7000 voluntary hours.

Shelter is today well organized living organism thanks to three employees and twenty most active volunteers. 80% of them are women.
Today, Shelter is a home for 180 abandoned dogs. We are now trying to register our Shelter according to the Ministry`s Rulebook as a No-kill Shelter and become one of four no-kill shelters, among 21 registered shelters in Croatia.

Sea Shepherd :: Greenpeace Should Address Its Own Disgraceful Behavior

2011-12-14T08:40:00.000-08:00

Sea Shepherd :: Greenpeace Should Address Its Own Disgraceful Behavior

Greenpeace Should Address Its Own Disgraceful Behavior

Junichi Sato, Executive Director of Greenpeace Japan, has publicly condemned Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for accusing the Japanese whaling industry of using funds, earmarked for the Tsunami Earthquake Relief Fund, to provide security for its fleet.

A few days before, Greenpeace claimed credit for exposing the scandal that relief money was being utilized for the support of the whaling fleet. Sato made the following statement: "Not only is the whaling industry unable to survive without large increases in government handouts, now it's siphoning money away from the victims of the March 11 triple disaster — at a time when they need it most. This is a new low for the shameful whaling industry and the callous politicians who support it."

In response to Japan’s suspect claims that the money came from taxes and not from the relief fund (contradicting the Japanese Fishery Agency release that the funds indeed came from the relief fund), Sato, forgetting his earlier statement, decided to use the opportunity to discredit Sea Shepherd. According to Sato, Captain Paul Watson said on Sky TV that it was "really disgraceful" that the money had come from "people all over the world" who never dreamed how it would be used.

Sato called that claim irresponsible and stated that Watson is not doing conservationists any favors by misrepresenting the truth. Sato claims, "Its about the credibility of the whole anti-whaling movement."

We know some $30 million has been allocated from the Tsunami Earthquake Relief Fund, as stated by the Japanese Fishery Agency, with the justification that rebuilding the whaling industry is a legitimate use of such funds. Now the Japanese government is backtracking, claiming the funds came from taxes. Either way, the question must be asked: when people are homeless because of the disaster, why is $30 million being given to the whaling industry to defend their illegal whaling operation in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary? Either the Department of Foreign Affairs is lying or the Japanese Fishery Agency is lying.

Captain Paul Watson believes that it is irresponsible for Greenpeace Japan to use the contradictory messages from the Japanese government to smear Sea Shepherd.

“Sato should look to his own organization when it comes to questioning credibility over this issue. They raise some $40 million dollars a year on their anti-whaling campaigns and all they do is produce mail-outs asking for funds. They have not sent a ship to the Southern Ocean to hang banners for years. The Japanese whaling fleet will pass right by the Greenpeace ship Esperanza, now in Palau, and Greenpeace will not confront them. This is also a disgrace. The raising of money from the public to pretend to be saving whales and at the same time attacking the only organization that has saved whales in the Southern Ocean,” said Captain Watson. “I have asked Greenpeace to join us in a common cause to oppose the whaling fleet and they have refused. I have no idea what they do with the millions of dollars they raise to save whales but I do know the funds are not used for saving whales. As for credibility, Sea Shepherd saved 863 whales last year from the harpoons and Greenpeace saved none. That is the only credibility which we are concerned with.”

Join Greedpeace if you want to stop this fraud!

Robert Reich reveals the 7 biggest lies about the economy

2011-12-12T09:59:00.000-08:00

Robert Reich reveals the 7 biggest lies about the economy

John Lennon is my hero!

2011-12-07T23:33:00.000-08:00

You may say i'm a dreamer.....
I hope some day you will join us..

John Lennon is Remembered on the Day of His Death (9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980)
Today 31 years ago one of the most INSPIRING PEOPLE IN THE HISTORY got killed!

He is my hero and his song imagine is the anthem of the One Person Can Make A Difference
movement...

Listen to this rendition....maybe the best i have ever heared.....

Hände weg vom Acker, Mann! - YouTube

2011-12-07T07:46:00.000-08:00

Hände weg vom Acker, Mann! - YouTube
STOP THE SPECULATION WITH FOOD! It kills millions of people each year!

Worldwide, approximately 1 billion people are undernourished.
Around 30 million people per year – or approximately one person every single second – starve to death.
The big investmentcompanies banks insurance companies and all hedge funds are killing people millions of people...

E-Mail-Aktion unterzeichnen: http://www.haende-weg-vom-Acker-Mann.de/ Spekulation schafft Hunger.

Wer auf Lebensmittelpreise wettet, spielt mit dem Leben anderer und ist verantwortlich für den Hungertod von unzähligen Menschen!
Please sign & share the E-mailPetition against "Speculation with Food!"

The Most Important News Story of the Day/Millennium | Common Dreams

2011-12-05T14:18:00.000-08:00

The Most Important News Story of the Day/Millennium | Common Dreams

The Most Important News Story of the Day/Millennium

by Bill McKibben

The most important piece of news yesterday, this week, this month, and this year was a new set of statistics released yesterday by the Global Carbon Project. It showed that carbon emissions from our planet had increased 5.9 percent between 2009 and 2010. In fact, it was arguably among the most important pieces of data in the last, oh, three centuries, since according to the New York Times it represented “almost certainly the largest absolute jump in any year since the Industrial Revolution.”

What it means, in climate terms, is that we’ve all but lost the battle to reduce the damage from global warming. The planet has already warmed about a degree Celsius; it’s clearly going to go well past two degrees. It means, in political terms, that the fossil fuel industry has delayed effective action for the 12 years since the Kyoto treaty was signed. It means, in diplomatic terms, that the endless talks underway in Durban should be more important than ever--they should be the focus of a planetary population desperate to figure out how it’s going to survive the century.

350.org

But instead, almost no one is paying attention to the proceedings, at least on this continent. One of our political parties has decided that global warming is a hoax--it’s two leading candidates are busily apologizing for anything they said in the past that might possibly have been construed as backing, you know, science. President Obama hasn’t yet spoken on the Durban talks, and informed international observers like Joss Garman are beginning to despair that he ever will.

Who are the 99%? In this country, they’re those of us who aren’t making any of these deadly decisions. In this world, they’re the vast majority of people who didn’t contribute to those soaring emissions. In this biosphere they’re every other species now living on a disorienting earth.

You think OWS is radical? You think 350.org was radical for helping organize mass civil disobedience in DC in August against the Keystone Pipeline? We’re not radical. Radicals work for oil companies. The CEO of Exxon gets up every morning and goes to work changing the chemical composition of the atmosphere. No one has ever done anything as radical as that, not in all of human history. And he and his ilk spend heavily on campaigns to make sure no one stops them--the US Chamber of Commerce gave more money than the DNC and the RNC last cycle, and 94% of it went to climate deniers.

Corporate power has occupied the atmosphere. 2011 showed we could fight back. 2012 would be a good year to step up the pressure. Because this time next year the Global Carbon Project will release another number. And I’m betting it will be grim.

Originally posted on Daily Kos.

Bill McKibben is Schumann Distinguished Scholar at Middlebury College and co-founder of 350.org. His most recent book is Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet.

Bruce Lipton - On Occupy Wall Street

2011-12-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

Bruce Lipton - Occupy Wall Street - YouTube

Bruce H. Lipton Ph.D. discusses the Global Occupy movement in relationship to Spontaneous Evolution.

Nobody can tell how the Crisis will end...but we will see all the creativity in the world....

The financial world will design new PRODUCTS.....

Governments will design new Taxes to reduce their Debts.....

People will try to save their pensions.....but how ???

The Crisis is a System Crisis.... so we have to redesign the system!

Samso island in Denmark produces more energy than it consumes - YouTube

2011-11-30T02:57:00.000-08:00

Samso island in Denmark produces more energy than it consumes - YouTube

It is possible to build a brighter future a sustainable future!

Calling All Boomers: Don’t Start More Nonprofits - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

2011-11-24T23:47:00.000-08:00

Calling All Boomers: Don’t Start More Nonprofits - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Calling All Boomers: Don’t Start More Nonprofits

By Mark Rosenman

Many people probably rejoiced when they heard about a study released last week showing that 12 million baby boomers want to start their own nonprofit or socially oriented business over the next decade.

But it’s hard to imagine those findings cheered many people who understand the nonprofit world. More than a million nonprofit groups already exist, and plenty of for-profit ventures are dedicated in part to providing some social benefit. Adding millions more of such entities is not good for this nation...

What do you think?

Google Kills Off Seven More Products, Including Wave | LinkedIn

2011-11-24T23:42:00.000-08:00

Google kills off seven more products including Wave

Google develops many products, not all of which are hits with the public

Google has announced that it is dropping seven more products in an effort to simplify its range of services.

The out-of-season "spring clean" brings an end to services including Google Wave, Knol and Google Gears.

It is the third time that the US firm has announced a cull of several of its products at the same time after they had failed to take off.

Wave goodbye

The seven latest products earmarked for the chop are as follows:

Google Wave - an attempt to combine email and instant messaging for real-time collaboration
Google Bookmarks List - a service which allowed users to share bookmarks with friends
Google Friends Connect - allowed webmasters to add social features to their sites by embedding a snippet of code
Google Gears - much-hyped effort to maintain web browser functionality when working offline
Google Search Timeline - a graph of historical query results
Knol - a Wikipedia-style project, which aimed to improve web content
Renewable Energy Cheaper than Coal - a project which aimed to find ways to improve solar power

Do you know the next products that you can wave Goodbye? Google Offers? Google Music? Google + ?

Andrew Mason, The Point, Online Collective Activism

2011-11-23T04:29:00.000-08:00

Andrew Mason, The Point, Online Collective Activism

The Internet has a proven ability to shift the balance of power between individuals and organizations. But for online activism to reach its full potential, we need to do more than port offline tactics to the Web. We must step back, revisit the challenges of collective action, and consider what the Web offers that can help overcome them. Andrew Mason explores what the world could look like in five years with tools like The Point.

Watch Andrew Mason, The Point, Online Collective Activism in Tech & Spiele | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

The Point Learn more....

2011-11-23T04:03:00.000-08:00

Learn More | The Point

Easy and Effective Group Action.

Whether you're raising money, organizing people, or trying to influence change: if you can't do it alone, you can do it on The Point.

Starting Campaigns on The Point from Groupon, Inc on Vimeo.

Awesome!

Robert Reich - 7 Lies about the ECONOMY

2011-11-19T00:45:00.000-08:00

Robert Reich - 7 Lies - About the Economy

The President’s Jobs Bill doesn’t have a chance in Congress — and the Occupiers on Wall Street and elsewhere can’t become a national movement for a more equitable society – unless more Americans know the truth about the economy.

Here’s a short (2 minute 30 second) effort to rebut the seven biggest whoppers now being told by those who want to take America backwards. The major points:

1. Tax cuts for the rich trickle down to everyone else. Baloney. Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush both sliced taxes on the rich and what happened? Most Americans’ wages (measured by the real median wage) began flattening under Reagan and have dropped since George W. Bush. Trickle-down economics is a cruel joke.

2. Higher taxes on the rich would hurt the economy and slow job growth. False. From the end of World War II until 1981, the richest Americans faced a top marginal tax rate of 70 percent or above. Under Dwight Eisenhower it was 91 percent. Even after all deductions and credits, the top taxes on the very rich were far higher than they’ve been since. Yet the economy grew faster during those years than it has since. (Don’t believe small businesses would be hurt by a higher marginal tax; fewer than 2 percent of small business owners are in the highest tax bracket.)

3. Shrinking government generates more jobs. Wrong again. It means fewer government workers – everyone from teachers, fire fighters, police officers, and social workers at the state and local levels to safety inspectors and military personnel at the federal. And fewer government contractors, who would employ fewer private-sector workers. According to Moody’s economist Mark Zandi (a campaign advisor to John McCain), the $61 billion in spending cuts proposed by the House GOP will cost the economy 700,000 jobs this year and next.

4. Cutting the budget deficit now is more important than boosting the economy. Untrue. With so many Americans out of work, budget cuts now will shrink the economy. They’ll increase unemployment and reduce tax revenues. That will worsen the ratio of the debt to the total economy. The first priority must be getting jobs and growth back by boosting the economy. Only then, when jobs and growth are returning vigorously, should we turn to cutting the deficit.

5. Medicare and Medicaid are the major drivers of budget deficits. Wrong. Medicare and Medicaid spending is rising quickly, to be sure. But that’s because the nation’s health-care costs are rising so fast. One of the best ways of slowing these costs is to use Medicare and Medicaid’s bargaining power over drug companies and hospitals to reduce costs, and to move from a fee-for-service system to a fee-for-healthy outcomes system. And since Medicare has far lower administrative costs than private health insurers, we should make Medicare available to everyone.

6. Social Security is a Ponzi scheme. Don’t believe it. Social Security is solvent for the next 26 years. It could be solvent for the next century if we raised the ceiling on income subject to the Social Security payroll tax. That ceiling is now $106,800.

7. It’s unfair that lower-income Americans don’t pay income tax. Wrong. There’s nothing unfair about it. Lower-income Americans pay out a larger share of their paychecks in payroll taxes, sales taxes, user fees, and tolls than everyone else.

Demagogues through history have known that big lies, repeated often enough, start being believed — unless they’re rebutted. These seven economic whoppers are just plain wrong. Make sure you know the truth – and spread it on.

Mario Savio Memorial Lecture: Robert Reich on Class Warfare in America - YouTube

2011-11-18T23:23:00.000-08:00

Mario Savio Memorial Lecture: Robert Reich on Class Warfare in America

I want you to listen to Robert Reich until the very END when he says THANK YOU!

This is the best speech on what is going on and what has got to CHANGE! The time for CHANGE has COME! Its time for JUSTICE!

More about and from Robert Reich

http://robertreich.org/

Robert Reich: Super Committee is Super Trouble - YouTube

2011-11-18T23:20:00.000-08:00

Robert Reich: Super Committee is Super Trouble - YouTube

Robert Reich explains how the Super Committee could reduce the deficit by raising taxes on the 1% and create jobs, rather than making cuts that will hurt working families.

A Life Connected: VEGAN on Vimeo

2011-11-12T01:50:00.000-08:00

A Life Connected: VEGAN on Vimeo

A Life Connected: VEGAN from NonviolenceUnited.org on Vimeo.

Brought to you by NonviolenceUnited.org This is one in what we hope will be a series of our A Life Connected project. A 12-minute uplifting, positive video about the power of making Vegan choices. People everywhere are making choices more connected...

World Pneumonia Day 2011

2011-11-09T23:14:00.000-08:00

World Pneumonia Day 2011 -

Do you know the facts on childhood pneumonia? The fight against this deadly disease can be won. Take a look at our video and learn how you can make a difference and save a life.

Be THE CHANGE!

2011-11-05T03:43:00.000-07:00

Greenhouse gases rise by record amount

2011-11-05T03:31:00.000-07:00

Greenhouse gases rise by record amount

Levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago

guardian.co.uk,

Emissions from a coal-fired power station. The output of greenhouse gases has jumped by the highest amount on record. Photograph: John Giles/PA

The global output of heat-trapping carbon dioxide has jumped by a record amount, according to the US department of energy, a sign of how feeble the world's efforts are at slowing man-made global warming.
The figures for 2010 mean that levels of greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate experts just four years ago.
"The more we talk about the need to control emissions, the more they are growing," said John Reilly, the co-director of MIT's Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change.
The world pumped about 564m more tons (512m metric tons) of carbon into the air in 2010 than it did in 2009, an increase of 6%. That amount of extra pollution eclipses the individual emissions of all but three countries, China, the US and India, the world's top producers of greenhouse gases.
It is a "monster" increase that is unheard of, said Gregg Marland, a professor of geology at Appalachian State University, who has helped calculate department of energy figures in the past.
Extra pollution in China and the US account for more than half the increase in emissions last year, Marland said.
"It's a big jump," said Tom Boden, the director of the energy department's Carbon Dioxide Information Analysis Center at Oak Ridge National Lab. "From an emissions standpoint, the global financial crisis seems to be over."
Boden said that in 2010 people were travelling, and manufacturing was back up worldwide, spurring the use of fossil fuels, the chief contributor of man-made climate change.
India and China are huge users of coal. Burning coal is the biggest carbon source worldwide and emissions from that jumped nearly 8% in 2010.
"The good news is that these economies are growing rapidly so everyone ought to be for that, right?" Reilly said. "Broader economic improvements in poor countries has been bringing living improvements to people. Doing it with increasing reliance on coal is imperiling the world."
In 2007, when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its last large report on global warming, it used different scenarios for carbon dioxide pollution and said the rate of warming would be based on the rate of pollution. Boden said the latest figures put global emissions higher than the worst case projections from the climate panel. Those forecast global temperatures rising between 4 and 11 degrees Fahrenheit (2.4-6.4 Celsius) by the end of the century with the best estimate at 7.5 degrees (4 Celsius).
Even though global warming sceptics have criticised the climate change panel as being too alarmist, scientists have generally found their predictions too conservative, Reilly said. He said his university worked on emissions scenarios, their likelihood, and what would happen. The IPCC's worst case scenario was only about in the middle of what MIT calculated are likely scenarios.
Chris Field of Stanford University, head of one of the IPCC's working groups, said the panel's emissions scenarios are intended to be more accurate in the long term and are less so in earlier years. He said the question now among scientists is whether the future is the panel's worst case scenario "or something more extreme".
"Really dismaying," Granger Morgan, head of the engineering and public policy department at Carnegie Mellon University, said of the new figures. "We are building up a horrible legacy for our children and grandchildren."
But Reilly and University of Victoria climate scientist Andrew Weaver found something good in recent emissions figures. The developed countries that ratified the 1997 Kyoto Protocol greenhouse gas limiting treaty have reduced their emissions overall since then and have achieved their goals of cutting emissions to about 8% below 1990 levels. The US did not ratify the agreement.
In 1990, developed countries produced about 60% of the world's greenhouse gases, now it's probably less than 50%, Reilly said.
"We really need to get the developing world because if we don't, the problem is going to be running away from us," Weaver said. "And the problem is pretty close from running away from us."

What can be done?

2011-11-03T01:42:00.000-07:00

Richard Wilkinson: How economic inequality harms societies | Video on TED.com

2011-11-03T01:17:00.000-07:00

Richard Wilkinson: How economic inequality harms societies | Video on TED.com

The dog shelter

2011-10-31T06:00:00.000-07:00

Mayra Art Rumberger Marija is painting to help this wonderful Dog Shelter in Ozijek

The dog shelter

...There's a rumour circling around the dog shelter, that this is yet a city of good people. That there are people building dog houses in their yards. And places in their hearts. Just for them...

Azil, the last resort for many forgotten and abandoned four-legged citizens of our town, is situated in Nemetin, about 5 km away from Osijek. Hard-working volunteers and employees are trying to improve the everyday life of our protégés, whose number is never under 180. To avoid more hungry mouths, we carry out the spaying program throughout the year. Antisa, Seka, Gazda, Bucka, Divljo, Ankica, Valentina, as well as all the other residents of Azil, dream of the day when they will meet the person, that decided to come all the way to the shelter just for them, and next to whom they will forget all the ugly memories of homelessness. For 150 lucky dogs that dream came true in the last year, 2010. Every potential adopter gets a questionnaire to fill in, so we can recommend or help them find an ideal dog just for them. We also give them a brochure which emphasizes the importance of spaying, and all the rights and needs a dog should have in its future home.
Finally, when everything is clear to both sides, the adopter signs an adoption contract. To be sure that we really managed to join soul mates, we pay visits to their new families a certain time after the adoption. While the adopted dogs just occasionally remember us, we still maintain concerned with every day shelter problems. The life with about 200 dogs is everything but easy. There are 2000 square meters to clean, every dog’s bawl to wash, water to change and meals to cook for all those hungry mouths. And that’s still not all.
There`s always those who are in need of special care, there`s always a broken fence you have to fix, a dug out hole to cover...and how to pass through the shelter and not stop for a minute to exchange a word or two with a host, at least about the weather...and then two hundred times like that!
But that`s not all. We have big plans. At this moment, we are in a process of registration and the criteria in a Ministry`s Rulebook aren`t disputable – we are building new yards, adapting existing infrastructure, a cesspool isn`t enough, so the sewage has to be done and so much more...Often we are asking ourselves how are we managing to survive with 1100 Euros per month – the amount which we get from our local government. The answer lies in the good will of our citizens and the capability of determined activists to make something out of nothing. We are hoping for better days to come, and not only hoping – but also working on it. And there is nothing more beautiful than being part of that story, coming home tired from all the work you have done in a Shelter with a thought: I made a difference! Come and see for yourself...
History and numbers
Everything happened fairly spontaneously, one sunny day in autumn in two thousand and seven.
Curiosity and expectations which anticipated our first visit to the dog shelter were unfortunately (or fortunately) overcame by shock and disbelief; situation which we encountered was under all our expectations- dogs not fed regularly, dog houses which couldn't be called that any more, without veterinary care, dogs not spayed or neutered, thrown in yards and boxes without any logic, puppies and mothers with their young together with adult dogs, no volunteers...

We didn't know where to start, but our visits became more and more frequent. And our number grew. From the civil initiative we grew to NGO Pobjede (Victories, in translation) and in 2010. signed a contract with our local government and took the shelter management over from NGO Zivot (Life, in translation). A number of volunteers from our town and region with time, with a help from a media, became bigger and bigger. We managed to develop community`s consciousness for a necessity of a shelter which will treat animals with respect.
We built medical yard, invested considerable financial amount and even more considerable physical voluntary work in improvement of Shelter`s infrastructure – plumbing, electricity, adaptation of existing facilities, building of new objects...
We have neutered more than 400 dogs, during 2010 homed over 600.
Our everyday activities also connote providing veterinary help, castration and homing for an abandoned dogs and cats living on the streets.
We made a contract with a veterinary station Fury which provides their medical services with a 50% discount. City of Osijek finances our Shelter with 14 000 euros per year; volunteers, engaged in a various activities, collect money to ensure functioning of a Shelter by organizing concerets, second hand stores, educational booths, by printing calendar... Considerable amount of financial needs comes from an individual and business donations in money, dog food, construction material and intelectual services.

In a Shelter, during the year of 2010, on organized working actions, hundreds of volunteers had passed through Shelter`s yards, giving their contribution in 7000 voluntary hours.
Shelter is today well organized living organism thanks to three employees and twenty most active volunteers. 80% of them are women.
Today, Shelter is a home for 180 abandoned dogs. We are now trying to register our Shelter according to the Ministry`s Rulebook as a No-kill Shelter and become one of four no-kill shelters, among 21 registered shelters in Croatia.

Flourishing on Earth

2011-10-29T01:40:00.000-07:00

Flourishing on Earth: Lessons from Ecological Economics - YouTube

Dr. Costanza explores how a cultural transition that respects biophysical boundaries and balances built, human, social and natural capital assets can create a sustainable and desirable future. Dr. Costanza is Co-Founder, International Society of Ecological Economics and the Founding Editor-in-Chief of Solutions, a new journal devoted to solving the environmental, social and economic problems of our time.

TEDxUVM - Robert Costanza -

2011-10-28T23:32:00.000-07:00

We need a positive VISION of the FUTURE!

Robert Costanza is Professor and Director of the Gund Institute for Ecological Economics. Dr. Costanza's research has focused on the interface between ecological and economic systems, particularly at larger temporal and spatial scales. Starting in the fall, he will begin in his new position at Portland State University as Professor and Director at the Center for Sustainable Processes and Practices. He will leave his legacy at UVM, and today will present on ways to create a sustainable and desirable future.

Needed: The Solutions Generation

2011-10-28T23:03:00.000-07:00

Needed: The Solutions Generation

Published on Friday, October 28, 2011 by Solutions

Needed: The Solutions Generation

by Robert Costanza

The Arab Spring and now the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations are indications of growing unhappiness with the state of the world, especially among the younger generation. As Paul Krugman has pointed out,¹ Americans are finally getting angry at the right people—the financial and corporate elites who currently govern the United States and have caused the ongoing crisis. Anger and protests can be effective at bringing the current system into question. But they do little, by themselves, to lead the way to a better future. For that we need a compelling shared vision and a focus on solutions.

In 1776, a group of rebels had such a vision: a government of, by, and for the people. Notwithstanding their rather narrow definition of “the people,” this shared vision had profound implications and helped solve some fundamental problems of human well-being—by spreading participation in governance to the population and rewarding intelligence, hard work, and innovation.

A protestor with Occupy Wall Street in New York City in September 2011. (photo: Francisco Daum)

In 1945, the fundamental problems concerned rebuilding the nations devastated by the Great Depression and World War II. The vision that emerged from the baby boom generation involved a focus on built capital, economic production and consumption, full employment, and an expanded middle class. The “great acceleration” that began at that time, largely driven by the consumption of oil and other fossil fuels, had profound implications and helped solve some of the significant challenges of the time. But single-minded pursuit of this vision also created a new set of problems.

In 2011, our fundamental problems include the vast gap in incomes within and between nations, the ecological limits we are exceeding or approaching (climate change, biodiversity loss, etc.), the peaking of global oil production, the deterioration of natural and social capital, and the consequent threats to human well-being and sustainability that all of these imply. What we need now is a new vision and a generational commitment to finding real solutions. The “Solutions Generation” needs to think outside the box to create a vision of a better, more sustainable world for themselves and their children. They will have to design new technologies, new institutions, and new societal norms in order to get there,² including new political and economic systems that can create shared prosperity without increasing demands on a finite environment.

This cannot be a top-down corporate or government vision. It must be built and it must be shared. If anything, it will be “bottom-down” decision making—an approach that reflects the needs of the vast majority of the people, not just the economic elites.

Probably the most important element of this new vision will be a refocus on the goal of sustainable human well-being instead of maximizing conventional economic production and consumption (GDP). In 1945, GDP was the limiting factor to improving well-being. Now we know that continued global growth in production and consumption in the developed countries is not sustainable. It is also not desirable in that it provides only marginal improvements to societal well-being in the rich countries. As many have noted, including Tim Jackson³ and the Sarkozy Commission headed by Joseph Stiglitz,⁴ GDP is fatally flawed as a measure of progress, and we desperately need new measures of well-being. We know from both the latest psychological research and from ancient wisdom that well-being and happiness depend on the appropriate balance of assets and opportunities. These include those supplied by marketed goods and services but also those supplied by social and natural capital. It is clear, for example, from the work of Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett,⁵ that countries with big income gaps have higher rates of a range of social problems, from crime to imprisonment to shorter lifespans. The existence of greater income gaps makes building social capital harder, and that ultimately leads to lower societal well-being. Likewise, it is clear that natural capital provides a range of ecosystem services that are hugely important but largely unrecognized contributors to sustainable human well-being.^6,7 These services include everything from maintaining a stable climate to producing soil and water to providing spectacular and inspiring views.

We will have to create a new vision of societal goals and the technical and institutional solutions necessary to achieve them. This vision will involve a better understanding of what actually contributes to human well-being and sustainability. It is a huge challenge that will require a generation to accomplish—the Solutions Generation.

Many groups and communities around the world are already involved in building this vision and developing real solutions. There are far too many to list, but here are a few:

Transition town movement, www.transitionnetwork.org
Great Transition Initiative, www.gtinitiative.org
Solutions journal, www.thesolutionsjournal.org, and our sponsors and partners, www.thesolutionsjournal.com/SponsorsPartners
Wiser Earth, www.wiserearth.org
Center for a New American Dream, www.newdream.org
Portland, Oregon, Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, www.portlandonline.com/bps/index.cfm
Sustainable Cities International, sustainablecities.net

It might be worth pointing out, in closing, that nature operates with a subtle dynamic between competition and cooperation. In “empty world” times of resource abundance, competition is favored. The great acceleration powered by abundant fossil fuels favored individualism, competition, and greed-based capitalism. The coming “full world” will favor cooperation and networking. We can now, as a global society, communicate, network, and cooperate as never before in the history of the planet. It will be the great work of the Solutions Generation—Gen S—to use this new capacity to envision and build a better, more sustainable, just, and prosperous society within the planetary boundaries of earth.

References

Krugman, P. Confronting the malefactors. The New York Times (October 6, 2011).
Beddoe, R et al. Overcoming systemic roadblocks to sustainability: the evolutionary redesign of worldviews, institutions and technologies. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106, 2483-2489 (2009).
Jackson, T. Prosperity without Growth (Routledge, New York, 2011).
Stiglitz, JE, Sen, A & Fitoussi, J-P. Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesn’t Add Up (New Press, New York, 2010).
Wilkinson, R & Pickett, K. The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger (Bloomsbury Press, New York, 2009).
Costanza, R et al. The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature 387, 253–260 (1997).
Ecosystem services come of age. Special issue. Solutions 2(6) (November-December 2011). www.thesolutionsjournal.org.

Robert Costanza is University Professor of Sustainability and director of the Institute for Sustainable Solutions at Portland State University. Costanza is cofounder and former president of the International Society for Ecological Economics. He has authored or coauthored over 350 scientific papers and reports on his work have appeared in Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, the Economist, the New York Times, Science, Nature, National Geographic, and National Public Radio.

Banking - the Greatest Scam on Earth - YouTube

2011-10-28T03:21:00.000-07:00

Banking - the Greatest Scam on Earth - YouTube

The Greatest Scam on Earth - The Money Scam! The Money Scam is hidden right out in the open, yet buried in complication and confusion. A retired banker describes simply, the world's Money Scam and the reason every country is now going bankrupt.

- The Money Myth

2011-10-27T07:34:00.000-07:00

Jem Bendell - The Money Myth - YouTube

A Movement Too Big to Fail

2011-10-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

What kind of Nation?

What kind of nation is it that spends far more to kill enemy combatants and Afghan and Iraqi civilians than it does to help its own citizens who live below the poverty line? What kind of nation is it that permits corporations to hold sick children hostage while their parents frantically bankrupt themselves to save their sons and daughters? What kind of nation is it that tosses its mentally ill onto urban heating grates? What kind of nation is it that abandons its unemployed while it loots its treasury on behalf of speculators? What kind of nation is it that ignores due process to torture and assassinate its own citizens? What kind of nation is it that refuses to halt the destruction of the ecosystem by the fossil fuel industry, dooming our children and our children’s children?
Is the OWS Movement realy TOO BIG to FAIL?
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2011/10/17

Eat less meat to help double world's food supply: study - CTV News

2011-10-16T00:50:00.000-07:00

Eat less meat to help double world's food supply: study - CTV News

MONTREAL — A newly published blueprint for doubling the global food supply includes a key suggestion about how everyone can contribute to this increasingly pressing ambition: eat less meat.

An international team of researchers has developed solutions to respond to what it calls one the greatest challenges of the 21st century — boosting food production while slashing the environmental impact of agriculture.

The research, which will be featured on the cover page of the Oct. 20 edition of the journal Nature, comes as international concern grows over how the planet will feed the rapidly expanding human population.

With the world's population expected to climb from 6.9 billion to 9 billion by 2050, the issue of food was put at the top of this year's G-20 agenda. The study, published online Wednesday, says there are already a billion people who don't have enough to eat.

McGill University's Navin Ramankutty, one of the team leaders on the paper, said the research is the first of its kind to quantify both food production and ecological consequences in the same analysis.

He added that it's also the first study to examine these factors while considering the specific environmental characteristics of different regions of the planet.

Ramankutty said limiting meat consumption is one of several ways to increase food production.

He estimates that simply dedicating prime cropland to growing food for humans — rather than growing biofuels or feed for animals — could spike the global output by nearly 50 per cent.

The study says that three-quarters of the world's agricultural land is devoted to raising livestock, either for grazing or for growing feed.

Ramankutty added that beef is the most resource-intensive animal product of them all.

"That doesn't mean we all have to become vegetarians and vegans, but even if you ... eat meat one or two days less a week, you can hugely contribute to the amount of food that's needed," Ramankutty, himself a meat-eater, said from Montreal.

"It would have a huge impact, but this also happens to be one of those things where people are much more personally attached to it."

He said that scientists in his field rarely raised diet as an issue in the past because they didn't want to infringe on a person's right to choose.

But Ramankutty said fewer researchers are staying quiet on this subject, particularly when the consequences have global environmental impacts.

Changes to the human diet are only one component of the study's strategy to double the global food supply.

The research also calls for improved crop management to increase yields; an end to deforestation to make way for farmland; and a cutback on food waste, which amounts for as much as half of the planetary food production.

The catch? Ensuring these strategies are adopted on a global scale.

Ramankutty was coy when asked about the likelihood of these tactics being implemented in his lifetime — though he did laugh at the question.

"To be honest, I'm probably pessimistic about it, but I always think that optimism is the only choice we have," the geographer said.

"It's not going to happen in a big, single step. Obviously, it's going to happen slowly."

Ramankutty continued by noting that some aspects included in the study are already being discussed politically and at the international level, such as plans to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions caused by deforestation.

He hopes the study will influence both policy makers and even personal dietary choices.

"Hopefully, people who had been thinking about these issues before (will) read this paper and say: 'Hey, this can make big changes; it's not just a small drop in the bucket,' " Ramankutty said.

Occupy Wall Street - Chris Hedges shuts down CBC Kevin O'Leary - YouTube

2011-10-14T01:58:00.000-07:00

Occupy Wall Street - Chris Hedges shuts down CBC Kevin O'Leary

Six Demands to Make of Wall Street | Common Dreams

2011-10-13T01:27:00.000-07:00

Great Food for thought by Bernie Sanders!

Published on Wednesday, October 12, 2011 by CommonDreams.org

Six Demands to Make of Wall Street

by Bernie Sanders

The Occupy Wall Street protests are shining a national spotlight on the most powerful, dangerous, and secretive economic and political force in America. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT)

If this country is to break out of the horrendous recession and create the millions of jobs we desperately need, if we are going to create a modicum of financial stability for the future, there is no question but that the American people are going to have to take a very hard look at Wall Street and demand fundamental reforms. I hope these protests are the beginning of that process.

Let us never forget that as a result of the greed, recklessness, and illegal behavior on Wall Street, this country was plunged into the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. Millions of Americans lost their jobs, homes, and life savings as the middle class underwent an unprecedented collapse. Sadly, despite all the suffering caused by Wall Street, there is no reason to believe that the major financial institutions have changed their ways, or that future financial disasters and bailouts will not happen again.

More than three years ago, Congress rewarded Wall Street with the biggest taxpayer bailout in the history of the world. Simultaneously but unknown to the American people at the time, the Federal Reserve provided an even larger bailout. The details of what the Fed did were kept secret until a provision in the Dodd-Frank Act that I sponsored required the Government Accountability Office to audit the Fed’s lending programs during the financial crisis.

As a result of this audit, the American people have learned that the Federal Reserve provided more than $16 trillion in low-interest loans to every major financial institution in this country, huge foreign banks, multi-national corporations, and some of the wealthiest people in the world.

In other words, when Wall Street was on the verge of collapse, the federal government acted boldly, aggressively, and with a fierce sense of urgency to save our financial system from collapse with no strings attached.

Now that the middle class is collapsing and a record-breaking 46 million Americans are living in poverty, the Federal Reserve has failed to act with the same sense of urgency to make sure that small businesses receive the affordable loans needed to put millions of Americans back to work and prevent millions of Americans from losing their homes.

As a result, Wall Street is back to making record-breaking profits, handing out record-breaking compensation packages, and taking the same risks that caused the financial crisis in the first place. Meanwhile, 25 million Americans are unemployed or under-employed; middle class families are making $3,600 less than they did ten years ago; the foreclosure rate is still breaking new records; and the American people are still paying over $3.40 for a gallon of gas.

The financial crisis and the jobs crisis have demonstrated to the American people that we now have a government that is of the 1 percent, by the 1 percent and for the 1 percent, as Nobel Prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz eloquently articulated. The rest of the 99 percent are, more or less, on their own. We now have the most unequal distribution of wealth and income of any major, advanced country on earth. The top one percent earn more income than the bottom 50 percent and the richest 400 Americans own more wealth than the bottom 150 million Americans.

Now that Occupy Wall Street is shining a spot light against Wall Street greed and the enormous inequalities that exist in America, the question then becomes, how do we change the political, economic and financial system to work for all Americans, not just the top 1 percent?

Here are several proposals that I am working on:

1) If a financial institution is too big to fail, it is too big to exist. Today, the six largest financial institutions have assets equal to more than 60 percent of GDP. The four largest banks in this country issue two-thirds of all credit cards, half of all mortgages, and hold nearly 40 percent of all bank deposits. Incredibly, after we bailed out these big banks because they were "too big to fail," three out of the four largest are now even bigger than they were before the financial crisis began. It is time to take a page from Teddy Roosevelt and break up these behemoths so that their failure will no longer lead to economic catastrophe and to create competition in our financial system.

2) Put a cap on credit card interest rates to end usury. Today, more than a quarter of all credit card holders in this country are paying interest rates above 20 percent and as high as 59 percent. When credit card companies charge 25 or 30 percent interest rates they are not engaged in the business of “making credit available” to their customers. They are involved in extortion and loan-sharking. Citigroup, Bank of America, and JP Morgan Chase should not be permitted to charge consumers 25-30 percent interest on their credit cards, especially while these banks received over $4 trillion in loans from the Federal Reserve.

3) The Federal Reserve needs to provide small businesses in America with the same low-interest loans it gave to foreign banks. During the financial crisis, the Federal Reserve provided hundreds of billions of dollars to foreign banks and corporations including the Arab Banking Corporation, Toyota, Mitsubishi, the Korea Development Bank, and the state-owned Bank of Bavaria. At a time when small businesses can't get the lending they need, it is time for the Fed to create millions of American jobs by providing low-interest loans directly to small businesses.

4) Stop Wall Street oil speculators from artificially increasing gasoline and heating oil prices. Right now, the American people are being gouged at the gas pump by speculators on Wall Street who are buying and selling billions of barrels of oil in the energy futures market with no intention of using a drop for any purpose other than to make a quick buck. Delta Airlines, Exxon Mobil, the American Trucking Association, and other energy experts have estimated that excessive oil speculation is driving up oil prices by as much as 40 percent. We have got to end excessive oil speculation and bring needed relief to American consumers.

5) Demand that Wall Street invest in the job-creating productive economy, instead of gambling on worthless derivatives. The American people have got to make it crystal clear to Wall Street that the era of excessive speculation is over. The “heads, bankers win; tails, everyone else loses” financial system must end. Most important, we need to create a new Wall Street that exists not to reward CEOs and investors for the bets they make on exotic financial instruments nobody understands. Rather, we need a Wall Street that provides financial services to small businesses and manufacturers to create decent-paying jobs and grow the economy by productive means. Think of all of the productive short- and long-term investments that could be made in our country right now if Wall Street used the money it has received from the federal government wisely. Instead of casino-style speculation, Wall Street could invest in high-speed trains; fuel-efficient cars; wind turbines and other alternative energy sources; affordable housing; affordable prescription drugs that save people’s lives; and other things that America desperately needs. That is what we have got to demand from Wall Street.

6) Establish a Wall Street speculation fee on credit default swaps, derivatives, stock options and futures. Both the economic crisis and the deficit crisis are a direct result of the greed and recklessness on Wall Street. Establishing a speculation fee would reduce gambling on Wall Street, encourage the financial sector to invest in the productive economy, and significantly reduce the deficit without harming average Americans. There are a number of precedents for this. The U.S had a similar Wall Street speculation fee from 1914 to 1966. The Revenue Act of 1914 levied a 0.2 percent tax on all sales or transfers of stock. In 1932, Congress more than doubled that tax to help finance the government during the Great Depression. And today, England has a financial transaction tax of 0.25 percent, a penny on every $4 invested.

Making these reforms will not be easy. After all, Wall Street is clearly the most powerful lobbying force on Capitol Hill. From 1998 through 2008, the financial sector spent over $5 billion in lobbying and campaign contributions to deregulate Wall Street. More recently, they spent hundreds of millions more to make the Dodd-Frank bill as weak as possible, and after its passage, hundreds of millions more to roll back or diluter the stronger provisions in that legislation.

Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2006 after serving 16 years in the House of Representatives. He is the longest serving independent member of Congress in American history. Elected Mayor of Burlington, Vt., by 10 votes in 1981, he served four terms. Before his 1990 election as Vermont's at-large member in Congress, Sanders lectured at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and at Hamilton College in upstate New York. Read more at his website.

David Korten's Take on #OccupyWallStreet - YouTube

2011-10-12T05:44:00.000-07:00

David Korten's Take on #OccupyWallStreet - YouTube

We want our Country Back We want our Ecomony Back We want our Government Back!

Its great to see how the Numbers are growing!

Avaaz - The World vs Wall Street

2011-10-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

The World vs Wall Street

Dear friends,

Thousands of Americans have non-violently occupied Wall St -- an epicentre of global financial power and corruption. They are the latest ray of light in a new movement for social justice that is spreading like wildfire from Madrid to Jerusalem to 146 other cities and counting, but they need our help to succeed.

As working families pay the bill for a financial crisis caused by corrupt elites, the protesters are calling for real democracy, social justice and anti-corruption. But they are under severe pressure from authorities, and some media are dismissing them as fringe groups. If millions of us from across the world stand with them, we'll boost their resolve and show the media and leaders that the protests are part of a massive mainstream movement for change.

This year could be our century's 1968, but to succeed it must be a movement of all citizens, from every walk of life. Click to join the call for real democracy -- a giant live counter of every one of us who signs the petition will be erected in the centre of the occupation in New York, and live webcasted on the petition page:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_world_vs_wall_st/?tta

The worldwide wave of protest is the latest chapter in this year's story of global people power. In Egypt, people took over Tahrir Square and toppled their dictator. In India, one man's fast brought millions onto the streets and the government to its knees -- winning real action to end corruption. For months, Greek citizens relentlessly protested unfair cuts to public spending. In Spain, thousands of "indignados" defied a ban on pre-election demonstrations and mounted a protest camp in Sol square to speak out against political corruption and the government's handling of the economic crisis. And this summer across Israel, people have built "tent cities" to protest against the rising costs of housing and for social justice.

These national threads are connected by a global narrative of determination to end the collusion of corrupt elites and politicians -- who have in many countries helped cause a damaging financial crisis and now want working families to pay the bill. The mass movement that is responding can not only ensure that the burden of recession doesn't fall on the most vulnerable, it can also help right the balance of power between democracy and corruption. Click to stand with the movement:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_world_vs_wall_st/?tta

In every uprising, from Cairo to New York, the call for an accountable government that serves the people is clear, and our global community has backed that people power across the world wherever it has broken out. The time of politicians in the pocket of the corrupt few is ending, and in its place we are building real democracies, of, by, and for people.

Great thoughts on how to create the CHANGE that we need!

2011-10-05T23:40:00.000-07:00

The Laura Flanders Show - live streaming video powered by Livestream

We have to Change the Corporations! We must use the People Power to change the Corporations if we want to change the system!

Watch live streaming video from lauraflanders at livestream.com

Steve Jobs Dead . RIP Steve!

2011-10-05T23:01:00.000-07:00

Steve Jobs Dead: Apple Co-Founder Dies At 56

His legacy will extend far beyond the products he created or the businesses he built.
It will be the millions of people he inspired, the lives he changed, and the culture he defined.

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address - YouTube

2011-10-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

This was why Steve Jobs was such a special Person! He realy made a Difference! Listen to him: and be inspired!
R.I.P Steve Jobs!

THE ESM Will Germany accept this plan to Save the EURO?

2011-10-04T13:21:00.000-07:00

A Sustainable Financial System and a Sustainable future Thoughts by The Sustainable Finance Lab (26)

2011-10-04T02:27:00.000-07:00

If you want to know more about the SYSTEMCRISIS in the Financial World read this!
Great food for thought from the most experienced sustainability and Banking Experts!
Yesterday the Sustainable Finance Lab in Holland met for the first time to a big discussion night about the future of the financial world and system...and the future role as serving the society and adding value to the society and not just to the shareholders! Banks should be forced to deliver a added value to the society!

Prof Herman Wijffels a former board member of Rabobank, SER and the World Bank, now professor sustainability and social development at the University of Utrecht and one of the people behind the Sustainable Finance Lab Utrecht .

The most interesting statements from this evening..the image of Bankers has changed Bankers used to be honorable people until a few decades ago..now many people see bankers as parasites of the society! Sucking up the Taxpayers Blood to compensate for speculation experiments that went wrong! Think about the housing bubble the debt bubble!
We must focus on the development of a sustainable system!
Right now a combination of Greed, Hyperspeed Trading and IT is killing the system!
No one seems to trust the financial sector anymore! Safer Banking is not being rewarded!!

Banks are not like normal companies but they behave like normal companies and are trying to reach high returns on investments that are impossible in the real economy! Trying to earn 25% is simply way too much 7-12 % like in the real economy should be the range!

The Crisis has in no way been solved and still continues! We are approaching the REAL CRISIS! 2008 was just the start!

A study in the USA shows that between 1920 and 1980 the relation between the average pay in the banking sector and the rest of the Economy was 1 : 1 that relationship changed since 1980 to now 3,4 : 1 ! Food for thought! And a reason for the ANGER!

But its not just the Banks that found out that they could earn unlimitted amounts of money out of hot air, Corporations also started BANKING and the biggest Cash Cow for GE is not the production its the financing that is number One at GE!

We don't have a debt crisis or a banking crisis we have a SYSTEM CRISIS! A realy Big System crisis and the experts agreen that it will take up to 30 years to solve this crisis and build a sustainable financial system! 30 YEARS! But do we have that much time?

The Bonus Systems of Bankers did not Change since 2008 the levels have been reduced but the direction is still the same!
And as we have seen the last two years its still about short term speculation instead of long term risk management!

In 1995 scientists predicted the problems in the financial world that came up in 2007! But the people responsible in the Governments made a short remark: NOT CONVINCED! Can you imagane that? Scientists researched the system and wrote all the risks and the Changes that should be made to eliminate the risks...

Banking is too important to leave it up to the Bankers! We need much stronger rules!

What is the Task of the financial system?!
No POLITICIANS ever ASKED this Question! Why not? Is the financial world too much involved in Politics?

Shareholder Value is a BIG PROBLEM! Banks that are owned by the Customers never had the same problems!
We need a less RISKY Sector and should stop FEEDING the HEDGE FUNDS with Speculation MONEY!

We need more RULES to Reduce the RISKS!
What TYPES of BANKS do we want? Do we want investmentbanking the way we have it now? CASINO BANKING?

Back to Basics is what is needed to solve the crisis! Capital has to be earned! Recapitalising takes time! Banks need more Capital thats for sure! Change is speeding up and Money will be more expensive in future! Because of the higher capital needed!

If the Financial System Fails there is no kind of BACKUP! The Real Economy and the Financial system should RECONNECT!!!

The BEAST is out right now and nobody can tell what will happen! NOBODY not in the USA not in EUROPE not in CHINA!
What will happen is unknown and the Financial Sector does not have the Software for this kind of RISK MANAGEMENT....

The problem of the BIG BUBBLE in the financial system will have to be solved!
Just like the Bubbles before this bubble will burst sooner or later!

But the Question is? Is it just the System? Can the System Survive? How?
Its not just the System also the individuals in the System that need courses in Business Ethics!

A study in Switzerland by the University of St. Gallen has shown that Hedgefund managers are more reckless than the worst Criminal Minds!

So why does nobody trust the financial sector anymore? BECAUSE TRUST IS EARNED! And only a few Bankers realy earn this TRUST!
One Interesting suggestion was being made that maybe we need slow finance like we need slow food...

But the Experts agree that its important to be able to speculate with all the possible IT help and SPEED! In nanoseconds not in weeks!

What do you think will a Combination of GREED, Speed and information Technology kill the system?

The DEBT GAME CONTINUES! Greece will not be able to pay for the Debts it has now! But all that we see is more new DEBTS! And Bailouts for the Banks not for the people and the REAL ECONOMY!

We need Sustainable Banking to build a sustainable future!
Only 1% of all the investments is realy Impact investment!
10% of the worlds investment are "TBLI"but the tripple bottom line sometimes just means that they don't invest in PORN or Weapons or Child labour! Until we see more banks like the TRIODOS Bank in Holland one of the most sustainable banks in the world that put Sustainability FIRST the Systemcrisis will continue! We need a fundamental SHIFT!

Triodos Bank is one of the world's leading sustainable banks. Our mission is to make money work for positive social, environmental and cultural change. All the Banks in the World should follow that RULE Serving the Society to build a sustainable future!

How will taxing the financial world either Banks or Transactions help solve the Crisis? The Real economy is fine its the SYSTEM thats in CRISIS!

More information about the sustainable finance lab just in Dutch please use Google to Translate
http://www.sustainablefinancelab.nl/
This is the direct link to the discussion http://131.211.194.110/site1/SilverlightPlayer/Default.aspx?peid=da819f76456a4217af037e1980e518c7
You will see much more CHANGE in the next few months! Occupy Together will be a GAMECHANGER! “The key to change... is to let go of fear.” And thats exaclty what is happening in New York and the rest of the world PEOPLE let go of FEAR! Because they are SICK and Tired of the CRISIS that has been Caused by GREEDY Bankers and a Financial System that seems to be competely out of Control! The Real Economy and the PEOPLE don't have the time to wait for CHANGE for 30 YEARS! We need CHANGE and we need it now! To build a sustainable future! Lets build a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace. http://www.occupytogether.org/

Value Extracted Tax » a shift of the fiscal system

2011-10-02T10:14:00.000-07:00

Value Extracted Tax » a shift of the fiscal system

Ex'tax presentation by Femke Groothuis from peter gersen on Vimeo.

This is a great idea and movement from the Netherlands! Check it out!

Interview with Jeremy Rifkin

2011-10-01T01:44:00.000-07:00

One Earth One Mission: Lets start the Race to Save Earth! Before its too late!

Join One Earth One Mission

We Can Change the world

2011-10-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

I have just checked how many Pages like this Page! Wow!!! Awesome! A BIG THANK YOU to all the Page Admins! So many CHANGEMAKERS on Facebook!
Thousands of Pages are dedicated to improving something on this earth. In order to heal and preserve our planet for our children, we must all stand together. We must all WORK TOGETHER!
Lets build a sustainable global society founded on respect for nature, universal human rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace.
Across the world, most people want stronger protections for the environment, greater respect for human- and animal rights, and concerted efforts to end poverty, corruption and war.
We are over-consuming our resources, over-consuming energy. But more or less, this is known since the first Brundtland Report and since the reports in the 70s and in the 80s, and now we see we need more than 1.3 earths per year to fulfill our needs.

We will educate, empower and unite people creating earth-saving networks...
Lets Connect on LinkedIn to Combine our Efforts!
http://ch.linkedin.com/in/hanslak
One Earth One Mission: Together We Build A Brighter Future!
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE!
Thank you very much for making A Difference!
Namasté
Hans Lak
One Person Can Make A Difference

Avaaz - EU: People vs Banks

2011-09-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

Avaaz - EU: People vs Banks

Unbelievable, they're doing it again. Our governments are giving even more free taxpayer money to banks!

Absolutely, we need to bailout Greece to save Greece, save Europe, and save the Euro. But the current bailout makes us the taxpayers pay back banks for 90% of their foolish investments. Greece's people don't get a cent, and we give a ton of money to rich bankers. And even worse - 30% of our money will go to speculators who recently gambled on a bailout, and want to make a massive profit from gambling on a bailout!

How on earth did our governments write a bailout plan that floods banks and speculators with our money and leaves Greece with nothing? The answer -- they actually asked bankers to write the agreement. Our finance ministers are meeting in 3 days to decide on this plan -- let's send them and our parliaments a massive call to go back to the drawing board, and bailout Greece, not the banks. Sign and share !

Winnaar Hart-Hoofdprijs 2011 Triodosbank! on Twitpic

2011-09-24T23:41:00.000-07:00

Winnaar Hart-Hoofdprijs 2011 Triodosbank! on Twitpic

We asked you to vote for the Vegetarian Butcher and YOU DID! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Not In My Name Pledge - Amnesty International USA

2011-09-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Not In My Name Pledge - Amnesty International USA

The state of Georgia shamefully executed Troy Davis on September 21, 2011 despite serious doubts about his guilt.

But Not In My Name.

While a majority of the world – more than 65% of all countries – has abolished the death penalty in law or practice, the United States remains one of the top countries responsible for executing people.

Not In My Name.

Officials continue to allow this deeply-flawed, extremely arbitrary and severely-biased (both economically and racially) system to run rampant without checks, balances or concern for moral decency.

Not In My Name.

Guilty or innocent every person is a human being with human rights. Executions are always wrong.

I won't stand for it.

THE DEATH PENALTY MUST BE ABOLISHED. I take this pledge because human rights and human lives are on the line.

rip troy davis

2011-09-21T23:58:00.000-07:00

THE WHALE official movie trailer - narrated by Ryan Reynolds - YouTube

2011-09-21T00:41:00.000-07:00

Einstein knew it....

2011-09-17T02:13:00.000-07:00

Watch live streaming video from peacedaytv at livestream.com

Remember the many innocent victims and Be the CHANGE (26)

2011-09-11T01:54:00.000-07:00

Remember the many innocent victims and Be the CHANGE (26)

9/11 the Day that CHANGED the WORLD! Lets remember and never forget..that we can make a Difference, that we must be THE CHANGE we want to see in the world! Please post John Lennons Imagine to your wall http://bit.ly/sharethisimaginevideo

Imagine all the people.....living live in PEACE!
"You may say that I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only ONE I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as ONE"

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

Please post this video on your wall for 9/11 and share it with your friends!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5tOgRD4EqY

Invite your friends to join us!

All we are saying is GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!

http://youtu.be/RkZC7sqImaM

Lets GIVE PEACE A CHANCE!

A deep sense of interconnectedness, or oneness, is at the core of decisions and actions that are life affirming and good for the whole. In other words, it will bring forth an environmentally sustainable, fulfilling and socially just human presence.

Just Imagine......a shift from I llness to WE llness
3rd World Day of Interconnectedness on 11 November 2011

Join Our Page!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Interconnectedness/141356585875145?ref=sgm

A Life Connected

2011-08-29T23:21:00.001-07:00

A Life Connected: VEGAN from NonviolenceUnited.org on Vimeo.

A Life Connected

2011-08-29T23:21:00.000-07:00

A Life Connected: VEGAN from NonviolenceUnited.org on Vimeo.

Daughtry - What About Now

2011-08-29T05:19:00.000-07:00

New Path fo Peace...Lets Give PEACE a CHANCE!

2011-08-24T00:07:00.000-07:00

The world has an opportunity to embrace a new proposal that could turn the tide on decades of failed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks when the United Nations General Assembly convenes in September: UN recognition of the state of Palestine.

Over 120 nations from the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Latin America have already endorsed this initiative, but Israel's right-wing government and the US vehemently oppose it. Europe is still undecided, but a massive public push now could tip key countries to vote for this momentous opportunity to end the occupation.

US-led peace initiatives have failed for decades, while Israel has confined the Palestinian people, confiscated their lands and blocked Palestine from becoming a sovereign political entity. This bold new initiative could be a game changer, but Europe must take the lead. Let’s build a massive global call for key European leaders to endorse this statehood bid now, and make clear that citizens across the world support this legitimate, non-violent, diplomatic proposal. Sign the petition and send this to everyone!
Tell Your Friends

While the majority of Palestinian and Israeli people want a solution to the conflict based on two states, the Israeli extremist government continues to approve the building of settlements in contested areas -- fueling hate and bloodshed. Despite repeated efforts, decades of US-led peace talks have failed to rein-in the peace killers and get an agreement.

Right now, this independence proposal could be the best chance for years to break the stalemate, avoid another spiral into violence and level the playing field between the two parties to favour negotiations.

Last month, the Palestinians presented their bid at the Security Council. Over 120 countries support them, but the US rejects the proposal, and is sending a clear message to its European allies that supporting the legitimate Palestinian bid will strain bilateral relations. It is now up to us to tell key European leaders that public opinion is behind this diplomatic non-violent push and that citizen opinion should influence policy choices, instead of the preferences of the American government.

Update: August 23 2011
In 48 hours, the UN Security Council will meet again to discuss Palestine's bid to become the 194th country. Already 700,000 of us have joined the campaign. But we need more of us to shift key countries to vote in favour.

Watch the video, sign the petition and send this page to everyone -- let's get 1 million signers now!

Update: August 17 2011
In days, the UN Security Council will meet again to discuss whether Palestine should become a new state. But key countries are still unsure how to vote.

Our campaign for Palestinian independence is on fire, and our voices are reaching leaders. But we need to ramp up the pressure and many people don't feel they understand the situation well enough to take action. Avaaz has made a short new video that tells the real story of the conflict.

If enough people see the video and sign the petition, especially in key European countries whose support is critical, we can create a tidal wave of pressure and influence the UN vote. Watch the video, then share it with everyone -- let's make this campaign 1 million strong!

Social Media Revolution 2011

2011-08-20T03:03:00.000-07:00

Part of the world's most watched Social Media video series; "Social Media Revolution" by Erik Qualman. Based on #1 International Best Selling Book Socialnomics by Erik Qualman. This is a shorter version that includes new social media statistics for 2011.

All the Facts and Figures for the Social Media Revolution in 2011

Its time for a Social Media Status Quo Check for your Organisation or Company!

De Vegetarische Slager

2011-08-15T22:36:00.000-07:00

Nominated for Prize TriodosBank of 10.000€ to develop more splendid vegan meat substitutes!Please vote! http://t.co/5uPw0xe #PleaseRT and Share!

Retaking the USA Titanic

2011-08-11T10:52:00.001-07:00

QUOTE of the Week

Retaking the USA Titanic

"...[W]e no longer control our own democratic system. Puppet candidates have rigged themselves into office and manipulated our government to hand corporations the keys to the kingdom. We the People are now the rabble outside the gates, reduced to begging the rulers within to please be just a little less ruthless...
"Our elections have been bought or stolen for decades, but the People are only now waking up...But whether elections - or politicians - are literally stolen, or simply bought (including Barack Obama), the outcome is the same.
"The democratic system itself is rigged against us - and this rigging is not just another Progressive issue, like ending the Wars on Terror and Drugs, or securing universal healthcare, or getting the 100,000 toxic chemicals out of our bodies, or preventing Monsanto from taking over our food and seed supply...
"We must first outlaw the use of riggable computerized voting machines and institute a public paper ballot count with appropriate procedure and oversight. We must demand full media access for candidates. And we must threaten a full-blown Egypt-style revolution if Citizen's United is not immediately overturned."
"The Icebergs Cometh: Retaking the USA Titanic Before the 2012 Elections,"
- by Victoria Collier and Ronnie Cummins, August 8, 2011
Read more

Who will get more attention today?

2011-08-08T00:18:00.000-07:00

Who will get more attention today from the World Media? The Starving People in Africa or the poor traders and investors who will see a GREY to black monday?
For the people in Africa it could be their last monday.. the fat guy at the table will not stop consuming the Planet he will not eat any less tomorrow or next week or next year....
I started the light a Candle for the People in the Horn of Africa Event to raise awereness....http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=141433415941195
But it did not work....people are so distracted buy the Debt Crisis that they don't take a look at the REAL CRISIS!
Twelve million people are facing a hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa, and they are in desperate need of help. Lighting a candle is a traditional way of showing you care. Show that you are thinking about them, show your support or sympathy. And learn how you can help..... please read and share this!
Famine in East Africa: How you can help
Right now, more than 2000 people are dying every day in Somalia, in a famine that threatens to starve eleven million people to death. Drought has brought this region to its knees, but the food crisis is really fueled by a complete breakdown in governance and international diplomacy, and we can put an end to it.

The famine-hit area is governed by Al-Shabaab, an Islamist regime that is linked to terrorist groups. The isolation and conflict between Al-Shabaab, other local leaders, and the international community has kept out much of the aid and trade that could end the famine. But a few key countries, including the United Arab Emirates, still trade with Al-Shabaab -- they have an opportunity to broker a deal with the regime and break the stalemate that threatens the survival of millions.

We cannot let the politics of the war on terror claim any more innocent lives. It's time for the international community and Al-Shabaab to come to an agreement to immediately get food to the suffering Somali people. The UN Security Council is meeting in a few days -- let's demand that they take immediate action to support key Arab nations in an effort to open talks with Al-Shabaab on cooperating to end the famine and seize this chance for a long-term political solution:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/somalia_stop_the_famine_unsc/?vl
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/07/20/iyw.howtohelp.somalia.famine/index.html

The United Nations declared a famine in parts of southern Somalia, calling for a widespread international response to end the suffering.

Thousands of Somalis have been fleeing the country each week in search of food, water and shelter -- many of them walking for days in the sweltering sun toward refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Nearly half a million children are at risk of dying from malnutrition and disease.

Relief organizations are calling on the international community to join together to end the crisis, and they're working to gain entrance into areas with limited humanitarian access.

There are ways you can help.

UNICEF is asking for $31.8 million over the next three months for relief efforts. The money will help provide therapeutic treatment for women and children with severe malnutrition, access to clean drinking water and vaccinations to prevent deadly diseases like measles and polio.

"The earlier we act, the more children we can save. Americans are a generous people, and a little goes a long way -- just $10 can feed a child for 10 days," said Caryl Stern, president of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

To help UNICEF's efforts, text "FOOD" to 864233 to donate $10 from the United States or visit the website. Follow this link to make a donation from other countries around the world.

International Medical Corps has teams on the ground in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya to provide food, water, hygiene, sanitation and mental health services to people in refugee camps.

Visit the website to donate from various countries or text "AFRICA" to 80888 to donate $10 to the group's drought relief response from the United States. It will show up on your next mobile phone bill.

In central Somalia, the International Rescue Committee is giving cash and other assistance to families whose livestock, pastures and farmland have been decimated and helping to repair boreholes and wells for those left behind.

In overcrowded camps in Kenya, the group has helped establish reception centers for newcomers to receive food, health screenings and medical referrals. In Ethiopia, the organization is bringing in water and installing water-supply systems in three camps serving 82,000 refugees.

Visit the website to make a donation from various countries.

The United Nations World Food Programme has plans to airlift high energy biscuits and highly nutritious supplementary foods for children and pregnant or nursing mothers into southern Somalia.

Donations can be made from various countries online or via text. To donate $10 from the United States, text "AID" to 27722; to donate $5 from Canada, text "RELIEF" to 45678; to donate £3 from the United Kingdom text "AID" to 70303.

World Vision is working to regain safe humanitarian access in south central Somalia where millions of children are in urgent need of food and assistance.

The organization continues to implement programs in Somaliland and affected areas in Puntland. For families fleeing the drought, World Vision is providing nutrition supplements to malnourished children and improving healthcare and sanitation.

To donate to relief efforts from the United States, visit the website, call 1-888-56-CHILD or text "4AFRICA" to 20222 to donate $10.

Oxfam America is responding to the crisis by providing life-saving water, sanitation services, food and money. The organization aims to reach 3 million people, including 700,000 in Ethiopia, 1.3 million in Kenya, and 500,000 in Somalia.

Visit their website to donate from various countries.

Staff members from Catholic Relief Services are visiting a refugee camp in Dadaab in eastern Kenya and in surrounding communities that are hosting refugees. Workers are on the ground determining the level of food, water and sanitation needs.

In Ethiopia, the group is leading a Joint Emergency Operational Plan that is feeding more than 400,000 people.

Visit their website to make a donation from around the world or call 1-800-736-3467 in the U.S.

Mercy Corps has teams in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya distributing food and water and expanding critical relief efforts. The group is currently on the ground helping more than 150,000 people in the region survive.

Visit the website to make a donation from various countries.

ShelterBox, which provides tents and essential supplies to people who have been displaced after disasters, has a response team in Ethiopia and a second team on the way to Kenya.

The teams will be working with the Norwegian Refugee Council and Rotarians to establish how they can be of assistance during the crisis.

To help, visit the website to donate from various countries or text "SHELTER" to 20222 from the U.S. for a one-time $10 donation. Location and time specific donations cannot be accepted.

Save the Children has launched a major humanitarian response in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia feeding underweight children, providing life-saving medical treatment, and getting clean water to remote communities.

Visit the website to donate from various countries or text "SURVIVE" to 20222 to donate $10 from the United States to Save the Children's East Africa Drought and Food Crisis.

AmeriCares is preparing to send urgently needed medical aid to areas of East Africa. The organization will ship medicine and supplies to help medical teams serving refugees in Mogadishu.

Visit the website to make a donation from various countries or call 1-800-486-HELP from the United States.

Doctors Without Borders is operating nine medical-nutritional programs in south-central Somalia. These programs, along with three projects in refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, provide thousands of medical consultations each day. Teams are treating more than 10,000 severely malnourished children.

Donations can be made online in the U.S. and by following this link in other countries.

Samaritan's Purse is feeding 2,100 families in Wajir and Garissa counties, providing a supplemental nutrition program for 1,700 school children and supplying porridge and health care to 400 children under 5 years old in Garissa. The group is also drilling boreholes in the region to supply water in hard hit communities.

Visit the website to make a donation from the United States and other countries.

The UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency distributed 2,500 emergency assistance packages to 15,000 people in southwest Mogadishu. Each package contains a tarpaulin, three blankets, a sleeping mat, two jerry cans, a kitchen set and utensils. The UNHCR plans to distribute 7,500 additional packages in the coming weeks.

Visit the USA for UNHCR to make a donation from the United States or go to the UNHCR's main website to donate from other countries.

CARE is reaching a million people affected by the food crisis in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia and working to provide emergency relief to another million. The organization is providing food, water and sanitation facilities in Ethiopia. In Somalia, CARE is rehabilitating water pans and shallow wells and operating cash-for-work programs.

Visit the website to make a donation from various countries.

Relief International provides emergency services in conflict-affected areas in East African countries. The organization is on the ground providing food to hungry families and essential nutrition to malnourished children through feeding centers.

Go online to donate to the Horn of Africa: 2011 Famine Response fund or call 1-800-573-3332 from the United States.

ChildFund International is helping to provide food, water and basic health services to victims in Kenya and Ethiopia. The organization is focusing on newborns and children up to 5 years old due to their vulnerability and the lifelong implications of inadequate food intake.

To make a donation, visit the website, call 1-800-776-6767 or text "RESPOND" to 90999 and donate $10 to drought relief efforts from the United States.

Action Against Hunger is working to help victims in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and southern Somalia. The organization is providing treatment and medical care for acutely malnourished children, general nutritional support for children under 5 years of age, and emergency access to food, clean water and improved sanitation for vulnerable populations.

To help Action Against Hunger's efforts, text "NOHUNGER" to 20222 to donate $10 from the United States or visit their website.

Thank you for making a Difference!

Namasté
Hans Lak
One Person Can Make A Difference

Please light a candle for the people in the Horn of Africa (59)

2011-08-04T02:01:00.000-07:00

Please light a candle for the people in the Horn of Africa (59)

(CNN) -- Twelve million people are facing a hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa, and they are in desperate need of help. Many people will die despite of the help...but we have to do what we can...

Famine in East Africa: How you can help
http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/07/20/iyw.howtohelp.somalia.famine/index.html

The United Nations declared a famine in parts of southern Somalia, calling for a widespread international response to end the suffering.

Thousands of Somalis have been fleeing the country each week in search of food, water and shelter -- many of them walking for days in the sweltering sun toward refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.

Nearly half a million children are at risk of dying from malnutrition and disease.

Relief organizations are calling on the international community to join together to end the crisis, and they're working to gain entrance into areas with limited humanitarian access.

There are ways you can help.

UNICEF is asking for $31.8 million over the next three months for relief efforts. The money will help provide therapeutic treatment for women and children with severe malnutrition, access to clean drinking water and vaccinations to prevent deadly diseases like measles and polio.

"The earlier we act, the more children we can save. Americans are a generous people, and a little goes a long way -- just $10 can feed a child for 10 days," said Caryl Stern, president of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.

To help UNICEF's efforts, text "FOOD" to 864233 to donate $10 from the United States or visit the website. Follow this link to make a donation from other countries around the world.

International Medical Corps has teams on the ground in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya to provide food, water, hygiene, sanitation and mental health services to people in refugee camps.

Visit the website to donate from various countries or text "AFRICA" to 80888 to donate $10 to the group's drought relief response from the United States. It will show up on your next mobile phone bill.

In central Somalia, the International Rescue Committee is giving cash and other assistance to families whose livestock, pastures and farmland have been decimated and helping to repair boreholes and wells for those left behind.

In overcrowded camps in Kenya, the group has helped establish reception centers for newcomers to receive food, health screenings and medical referrals. In Ethiopia, the organization is bringing in water and installing water-supply systems in three camps serving 82,000 refugees.

Visit the website to make a donation from various countries.

The United Nations World Food Programme has plans to airlift high energy biscuits and highly nutritious supplementary foods for children and pregnant or nursing mothers into southern Somalia.

Donations can be made from various countries online or via text. To donate $10 from the United States, text "AID" to 27722; to donate $5 from Canada, text "RELIEF" to 45678; to donate £3 from the United Kingdom text "AID" to 70303.

World Vision is working to regain safe humanitarian access in south central Somalia where millions of children are in urgent need of food and assistance.

The organization continues to implement programs in Somaliland and affected areas in Puntland. For families fleeing the drought, World Vision is providing nutrition supplements to malnourished children and improving healthcare and sanitation.

To donate to relief efforts from the United States, visit the website, call 1-888-56-CHILD or text "4AFRICA" to 20222 to donate $10.

Oxfam America is responding to the crisis by providing life-saving water, sanitation services, food and money. The organization aims to reach 3 million people, including 700,000 in Ethiopia, 1.3 million in Kenya, and 500,000 in Somalia.

Visit their website to donate from various countries.

Staff members from Catholic Relief Services are visiting a refugee camp in Dadaab in eastern Kenya and in surrounding communities that are hosting refugees. Workers are on the ground determining the level of food, water and sanitation needs.

In Ethiopia, the group is leading a Joint Emergency Operational Plan that is feeding more than 400,000 people.

Visit their website to make a donation from around the world or call 1-800-736-3467 in the U.S.

Mercy Corps has teams in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya distributing food and water and expanding critical relief efforts. The group is currently on the ground helping more than 150,000 people in the region survive.

Visit the website to make a donation from various countries.

ShelterBox, which provides tents and essential supplies to people who have been displaced after disasters, has a response team in Ethiopia and a second team on the way to Kenya.

The teams will be working with the Norwegian Refugee Council and Rotarians to establish how they can be of assistance during the crisis.

To help, visit the website to donate from various countries or text "SHELTER" to 20222 from the U.S. for a one-time $10 donation. Location and time specific donations cannot be accepted.

Save the Children has launched a major humanitarian response in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia feeding underweight children, providing life-saving medical treatment, and getting clean water to remote communities.

Visit the website to donate from various countries or text "SURVIVE" to 20222 to donate $10 from the United States to Save the Children's East Africa Drought and Food Crisis.

AmeriCares is preparing to send urgently needed medical aid to areas of East Africa. The organization will ship medicine and supplies to help medical teams serving refugees in Mogadishu.

Visit the website to make a donation from various countries or call 1-800-486-HELP from the United States.

Doctors Without Borders is operating nine medical-nutritional programs in south-central Somalia. These programs, along with three projects in refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, provide thousands of medical consultations each day. Teams are treating more than 10,000 severely malnourished children.

Donations can be made online in the U.S. and by following this link in other countries.

Samaritan's Purse is feeding 2,100 families in Wajir and Garissa counties, providing a supplemental nutrition program for 1,700 school children and supplying porridge and health care to 400 children under 5 years old in Garissa. The group is also drilling boreholes in the region to supply water in hard hit communities.

Visit the website to make a donation from the United States and other countries.

The UNHCR - The UN Refugee Agency distributed 2,500 emergency assistance packages to 15,000 people in southwest Mogadishu. Each package contains a tarpaulin, three blankets, a sleeping mat, two jerry cans, a kitchen set and utensils. The UNHCR plans to distribute 7,500 additional packages in the coming weeks.

Visit the USA for UNHCR to make a donation from the United States or go to the UNHCR's main website to donate from other countries.

CARE is reaching a million people affected by the food crisis in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia and working to provide emergency relief to another million. The organization is providing food, water and sanitation facilities in Ethiopia. In Somalia, CARE is rehabilitating water pans and shallow wells and operating cash-for-work programs.

Visit the website to make a donation from various countries.

Relief International provides emergency services in conflict-affected areas in East African countries. The organization is on the ground providing food to hungry families and essential nutrition to malnourished children through feeding centers.

Go online to donate to the Horn of Africa: 2011 Famine Response fund or call 1-800-573-3332 from the United States.

ChildFund International is helping to provide food, water and basic health services to victims in Kenya and Ethiopia. The organization is focusing on newborns and children up to 5 years old due to their vulnerability and the lifelong implications of inadequate food intake.

To make a donation, visit the website, call 1-800-776-6767 or text "RESPOND" to 90999 and donate $10 to drought relief efforts from the United States.

Action Against Hunger is working to help victims in Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and southern Somalia. The organization is providing treatment and medical care for acutely malnourished children, general nutritional support for children under 5 years of age, and emergency access to food, clean water and improved sanitation for vulnerable populations.

To help Action Against Hunger's efforts, text "NOHUNGER" to 20222 to donate $10 from the United States or visit their website.

Thank you for making a Difference!

Namasté
Hans Lak
One Person Can Make A Difference

For more information visit One Person Can Make A Difference
http://www.facebook.com/OnePersonCanMakeADifference

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‪We need Radical Change‬‏ but how?

2011-08-03T04:25:00.000-07:00

‪Business as usual will KILL this planet..its time for Radical Change!

All that seems to count is MORE Growth....nothing else seems to matter...not the Clean Air the Fresh Water and the Safe Food for
every single person on this planet.....

Growth Food for thought.....

2011-07-31T00:30:00.000-07:00

How much Growth is possible? If we don't want to ruin our planet?

Hunger in East Africa or the madness in which we live

2011-07-30T23:57:00.000-07:00

The word for Sunday, 30 July 2011spoken by Dr Adelheid Ruck-Schröder

Twelve million people are starving in the Horn of Africa. A few of them could be saved at the last minute. But even the peanut butter solution ten tons of emergency aid for small children were in no time at the mercy of violent militias. It also leaves us with a bitter taste. The misery in Somalia is older than the emaciated children who stare at us in recent days with blank stares. We know many of us have donated.. That's a good thing. There is an obligation to help needy ado.
But there is also a duty to look long at long term solutions. Who really is the misery of mercy, more than a charitable gift. He looks closely and examining the causes for this gigantic famine. I for one am somewhat naive calm with a donation. And many of us feel that way. But what we see draws us so-called donor countries themselves into the tragedy in the Horn of Africa: With the hunger business is done. That is the bitter truth. GOOD BUSINESS!
For a long time, the price of corn is going up on the stock exchanges because of the speculation. A few individuals located in East Africa get rich on land sales. In the civil war militias and pirates do their power game with the aid shipments. And we ourselves ? We live beyond our means and thus contribute to climate change and drought.
The dying children in Somalia are just part of a much larger problem. It's about the distribution of wealth around the world. That's madness, in which we operate: Our entire economic activity is aimed not just to justice, but leaves the greed run wild. If it is then too bad, we turn with desaster relief, the worst misery.
Anyone who sees through might resign easily. But I do not want that. And many of us do not want that. One thing that helps me is : to find counter-examples. Even in the Bible you can find them. I remember the story of Abraham and Lot. They argued for years over wells and grazing land. Finally, they have negotiated an agreement and divided their land needs. This is a very sober biblical message: People need to be able to find their own, equitable solutions to their conflicts over the spot - without outside interference. The same is true today for East Africa.
What encourages me further is the new "fair trade" trend. Also based upon biblical impulses. On the world market, it offers farmers fair prices and we consumers simply have to pay FAIR PRICES. I know that Fair Trade is only a small percentage of the world market. But still. Fair Trade can help each of us to contribute something different to a more just economic order. Anyone can buy fair trade products and contribute to more justice in this world!

Maybe that's the conclusion we must draw here in the rich West in the face of famine in the Horn of Africa: It's not enough, in the event of a disaster to give from our abundance. We must become much more sensitive to the consequences of our economy.

Original Text http://www.daserste.de/wort/sendung.asp

There is something wrong with our SYSTEM..... GREED KILLS....

Worldwide, approximately 1 billion people are undernourished. Around 30 million people per year – or approximately one person every single second – starve to death.

Every day, up to 43,000 children die of starvation while at the same time the meat and dairy industries use approximately 50 per cent of the world’s corn and roughly 90 per cent of its soybeans to feed farmed animals! It is absurd, scandalous and an inexcusable waste of resources to feed plant foods to animals in order to produce unhealthy meat, eggs and dairy products for wealthy nations. Depending on the animal, it can take up to 16 kilograms of plant foods and 10 to 20 tonnes (10,000 to 20,000 litres!) of water to produce just one kilogram of meat. Although people in Third World countries often go hungry and even starve to death, many of these countries export crops to industrialised nations for use as “livestock” feed. You may be familiar with the famous adage “Rich people’s animals eat the poor man’s bread”. Unfortunately, it’s true. For example, the famine that broke out in Ethiopia in 1984 occurred because crops were exported to Europe to be fed to farmed animals, not because local farmers could not produce more food. Tens of thousands of people died during the famine as European countries continued to import corn from Ethiopia in order to feed chickens, pigs and cows. If that corn had been used to feed Ethiopia’s people, there would have been no famine. In Guatemala, approximately 75 per cent of children under 5 are undernourished. At the same time, the country produces more than 17,000 tonnes of meat for export to the US. Huge amounts of corn and soybeans are used to feed the animals who are slaughtered to produce this meat – crops that as a result cannot be used to feed undernourished children.

‪Into Connection‬‏ - YouTube

2011-07-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

‪Into Connection‬‏ - YouTube

‪Emergency SOS from Captain Watson‬‏ - YouTube

2011-07-23T02:56:00.000-07:00

‪Emergency SOS from Captain Watson‬‏ - YouTube

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/186087?m=3f1cca43 Whaledefenders Cause where you can donate to the only real whaledefenders

Sea Shepherd remains the only non-governmental organization that actually intervenes in Japan’s illegal actions as they seek to uphold IWC regulations.

For years now, Sea Shepherd have been the only organization to physically and effectively reduce Japan’s illegal kill quotas.

‪I'm mad as hell: sign the petition to end hunger right now!‬‏ - YouTube

2011-07-21T00:24:00.000-07:00

‪I'm mad as hell: sign the petition to end hunger right now!‬‏ - YouTube

Trading our future?

2011-07-20T22:52:00.000-07:00

The Dylan Ratigan Show: Trading our future?

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Use art to turn the world inside out

2011-07-20T03:24:00.000-07:00

Use art to turn the world inside out | Video on TED.com

One person CAN make a difference

Can we build the world that JFK had in mind!?

The Banker -

The Future of Free Energy is here now! The end of oil, coal and nuclear pollution!

Moyers & Company Show 103: How power and influence helped big banks rewrite the rules of our economy. on Vimeo

Davos 2012: Business must be part of the solution | Forum:Blog | The World Economic Forum

what to do if your FB account has been disabled

Vandal banker: Financial Transaction Tax - English - YouTube

Say NO to ACTA - YouTube

Facebook can be very frustrating from time to time

Domain: outdoor.info for Sale

http://www.outdoor.infohttp://www.facebook.com/outdoor.info

How social technology will change our world,

Avaaz - Blackout -- Save the Internet Today

One Person Can Make A Difference

America's Biggest Scam

Companies out of Facebook said Douglas Rushkoff

What is your talent?

The Year Corporations Lose Personhood?

The Year Corporations Lose Personhood?

France shows the way Tax Wallstreet!

Bill Moyers: 'Capitalism is Out of Control Thanks, In No Small Part, to Citizen's United'

"It's Viral!" The Movement to Overturn Citizens United Swamps the Internet - YouTube

"It's Viral!" The Movement to Overturn Citizens United Swamps the Internet - YouTube

Social Media Revolution 2011

A Nightmare on Wall Street..

Hans Lak's Birthday Wish

FREEDOM JUSTICE PEACE.

2012 a New Year How will YOU Change....

Get Money Out!

Happy New Year!

The Decline of the American Empire | Common Dreams

The Decline of the American Empire

As the world is undergoing a profound transformation, what role will the US play in a post-American century?

The dog shelter see how you can help

The dog shelter

Sea Shepherd :: Greenpeace Should Address Its Own Disgraceful Behavior

Greenpeace Should Address Its Own Disgraceful Behavior

Robert Reich reveals the 7 biggest lies about the economy

John Lennon is my hero!

You may say i'm a dreamer.....I hope some day you will join us..

Hände weg vom Acker, Mann! - YouTube

E-Mail-Aktion unterzeichnen: http://www.haende-weg-vom-Acker-Mann.de/ Spekulation schafft Hunger.

Wer auf Lebensmittelpreise wettet, spielt mit dem Leben anderer und ist verantwortlich für den Hungertod von unzähligen Menschen!Please sign & share the E-mailPetition against "Speculation with Food!"

The Most Important News Story of the Day/Millennium | Common Dreams

The Most Important News Story of the Day/Millennium

Bruce Lipton - On Occupy Wall Street

Samso island in Denmark produces more energy than it consumes - YouTube

Calling All Boomers: Don’t Start More Nonprofits - Opinion - The Chronicle of Philanthropy- Connecting the nonprofit world with news, jobs, and ideas

Calling All Boomers: Don’t Start More Nonprofits

Google Kills Off Seven More Products, Including Wave | LinkedIn

Andrew Mason, The Point, Online Collective Activism

The Point Learn more....

Easy and Effective Group Action.

Robert Reich - 7 Lies about the ECONOMY

Mario Savio Memorial Lecture: Robert Reich on Class Warfare in America - YouTube

I want you to listen to Robert Reich until the very END when he says THANK YOU!

This is the best speech on what is going on and what has got to CHANGE! The time for CHANGE has COME! Its time for JUSTICE!

Robert Reich: Super Committee is Super Trouble - YouTube

A Life Connected: VEGAN on Vimeo

World Pneumonia Day 2011

Be THE CHANGE!

Greenhouse gases rise by record amount

Greenhouse gases rise by record amount

What can be done?

Richard Wilkinson: How economic inequality harms societies | Video on TED.com

The dog shelter

The dog shelter

Flourishing on Earth

TEDxUVM - Robert Costanza -

Needed: The Solutions Generation

Needed: The Solutions Generation

References

Banking - the Greatest Scam on Earth - YouTube

- The Money Myth

A Movement Too Big to Fail

Eat less meat to help double world's food supply: study - CTV News

Occupy Wall Street - Chris Hedges shuts down CBC Kevin O'Leary - YouTube

Six Demands to Make of Wall Street | Common Dreams

Six Demands to Make of Wall Street

http://www.outdoor.info
http://www.facebook.com/outdoor.info

You may say i'm a dreamer.....
I hope some day you will join us..

Wer auf Lebensmittelpreise wettet, spielt mit dem Leben anderer und ist verantwortlich für den Hungertod von unzähligen Menschen!
Please sign & share the E-mailPetition against "Speculation with Food!"