Be a part of Earth Hour 2011!

Earth Hour 2011: It's time to go beyond the hour

At 8:30 PM on Saturday 26th March 2011, lights will switch off around the globe for Earth Hour and people will commit to actions that go beyond the hour.

With Earth Hour almost upon us, our thoughts are with the people of Japan during this incredibly challenging and sad time for their country.

日本の皆さん、勇気を持って頑張って下さい

Be a part of this global movement!

More info:

http://www.earthhour.org/

http://www.worldwildlife.org/

Make sure your engagement goes beyond the hour. Go and get inspired and inspire others:
http://www.beyondthehour.org/

Prepare yourself for Earth Hour 2011 with the "Lights Off" Twitter-application. http://eh2011.com #earthhour


Michael Jackson - Planet Earth



Planet Earth, my home, my place
A capricious anomaly in the sea of space
Planet Earth are you just
Floating by, a cloud of dust
A minor globe, about to bust
A piece of metal bound to rust
A speck of matter in a mindless void
A lonely spaceship, a large asteroid

Cold as a rock without a hue
Held together with a bit of glue
Something tells me this isn't true
You are my sweetheart soft and blue
Do you care, have you a part
In the deepest emotions of my own heart
Tender with breezes caressing and whole
Alive with music, haunting my soul.

In my veins I've felt the mystery
Of corridors of time, books of history
Life songs of ages throbbing in my blood
Have danced the rhythm of the tide and flood
Your misty clouds, your electric storm
Were turbulent tempests in my own form
I've licked the salt, the bitter, the sweet
Of every encounter, of passion, of heat
Your riotous color, your fragrance, your taste
Have thrilled my senses beyond all haste
In your beauty, I've known the how
Of timeless bliss, this moment of now

Planet Earth are you just
Floating by, a cloud of dust
A minor globe, about to bust
A piece of metal bound to rust
A speck of matter in a mindless void
A lonely spaceship, a large asteroid
Cold as a rock without a hue
Held together with a bit of glue
Something tells me this isn't true
You are my sweetheart gentle and blue
Do you care, have you a part
In the deepest emotions of my own heart
Tender with breezes caressing and whole
Alive with music, haunting my soul.

Planet Earth, gentle and blue
With all my heart, I love you.

----

Addition March 27, 2011:

Thank you everyone who participated in this global movement!!!

This video sums it all up. Enjoy watching:

Earth Hour 2011 Official video

Kids Take Action to Save Sharks

Every second, 3 sharks die at human hands. Many are "finned" so that their fins can be used for shark fin soup. Sharks are becoming extinct and it is affecting all ocean life.

Executive Producer/Director Gary Rose and fledgling group KISS (Kids Involved in Saving Sharks) have teamed up to create a PSA campaign aimed at halting the slaughter of sharks and preserving the ocean's ecosystem.







MJ Fam, please help those kids and spread their message to help the endangered species of sharks that are essential to our eco system!

Why?

Sharks have been around for nearly 400 million years: that makes them older than dinosaurs! There are about 375 different types of shark in the world.

The sea monster myth

Sharks rarely attack people. In fact, the chance of being attacked by a shark is less than the chance of being struck by lightning. The real dangers for people in the ocean are drowning, exposure and being struck by a boat. So no, sharks are not the sea monsters we hear about in stories.

Threat to survival

While sharks are not a threat to people, people are a very real threat to sharks. Each year, over 100 million sharks are killed, most of them for their fins. In fact, there are now 20 types of sharks that are in danger of disappearing because of overfishing.

One of the reasons the shark population is decreasing rapidly is that it takes a long time for sharks to become adults. When a young shark is caught they do not have the chance to grow up and produce baby sharks (pups).

When it comes to reproducing, sharks are more similar to mammals such as whales, dolphins and humans than to other fish. While most fish reach maturity in only a few years and produce thousands or millions of eggs per year, sharks take many years to reach maturity, with some species not reproducing until they are over 15 years old. So when sharks are overfished it may take them many years to recover and in some cases they may never recover.

Why care?

Sharks are crucial parts to the ocean ecosystem. They are at the top of the ocean food chain. They control populations in a beneficial way by eliminating diseased and genetically defective animals. Sharks are an important part of the Earth’s biodiversity.

YOU can help endangered sharks!

1. Educate yourself and others about their importance to our world.

2. Send letters to politicians and other influential people. Let others know how you feel about endangered sharks and how crucial they are to the environment.

3. Sign a petition or start a petition against shark finning and send it to representatives of China.

4. Avoid purchasing products made from sharks.

5. Organise a fundraising activity at your school or in your community and donate to a shark conservation program or organisation.

Together we can make a difference! Tell us how you’ve helped the sharks and inspire other to do the same.

(credits: Save the sharks! on www.ecokids.ca/blog/)

For more information on sharks, please check out and support these websites:

http://www.facebook.com/#!/theglobalsharkinitiative

http://www.stopsharkfinning.net/

http://www.facebook.com/#!/StopSharkFinning

http://www.sharksavers.org

http://www.sharkwater.com

http://www.sharks.org

http://www.sharkalliance.org

MAKE THAT CHANGE!!!

Getting ready for Christmas...

 

Credits for the picture: Raven

~ Until one feels the spirit of Christmas, there is no Christmas. 

All else is outward display--so much tinsel and decorations. 

For it isn't the holly, it isn't the snow. 

It isn't the tree not the firelight's glow. 

It's the warmth that comes to the hearts of men when the Christmas spirit returns again. (unknown author)~ 

Michael Jackson might have left this planet,  but he will never be forgotten.  The world will not forget him being an unique artist, but most of us will also always remember him as humanitarian and giving person, a beautiful living soul, who has fought throughout his life for suffering children  All over his lifetime, he donated incredible loads of money to a number of foundations  intending to heal the world.
Michael will have felt the spirit of Christmas all over the year...and not just in december.

By his will he is going to live on as a giving humanitarian;  charities will get support for many, many years beyond his death.

On the occasion of Christmas, I would like  (one more time) to ask for your attention  for a project in Haiti, organized for the children in the poorest area of Port au Prince, Cité Soleil.  After checking out the fotos you will agree that the life in  Cité Soleil is far away from being as nice as it´s name seems to promise, especially not for the children, ....especially not after the devasting earthquake in january 2010.


A  group of volunteers around one of Haiti´s most famous DJs, Carel Pedre, distribute every Sunday a warm meal to about 300 children. 
Take some time to learn more about the project by following into our archive of posts where you find additional links which will give you a picture of "The Sunday Project in Haiti".
Don´t miss to watch Karlitos video.

"To honor the children of the world,

I vow to help the sick & dying, the alone, homeless

 and hungry in every corner of the world."- Michael Jackson

There are many campaigns, organizations, and charities directly related to Michael that you can donate to. If you follow the links, Raven, the appreciated  author of this beautiful blog has published, you will get to Charities which you might like to support.

A special shoutout goes to this project

A Million Trees  For Michael :

This group’s reputation and purpose needs no introduction! Most of you will have already crossed @yogadancer7´s paths or the account @trees4MJ on Twitter. A small donation of $15 ensures the planting of 15 trees in Michael’s name.

Magnitude 7,2 quake rocks Aceh

About 170,000 people were killed in Aceh from the 2004 earthquake and the tsunami it launched. 

 Child left homeless in Aceh province after 2004 earthquake 

Photo credits:Choo Youn-Kong/AFP/Getty Images 

Last week another powerful earthquake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale jolted Indonesia`s Aceh province and its vicinity on Wednesday in the early morning.

People are still traumatized because of the devasting effects of the  2004 earthquake and a tsunami, that gave the world a picture of the apocalypse.

The impact of the actual earthquake are not foreseeable yet. 

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people in Indonesio.