May 25, 2014

May 25th, 2014 - International Missing Children's Day




Today is International Missing Children's Day - a day that tries to stir the talk and draw attention to all the missing children.
It's scary to think about how many children go missing everyday around the world. A lot of times is at the hands of family members, war/conflicts zones are adding to the tragedy along with enforced disappearances.
It is within our power to get informed and be aware. 
We need to show them they are not forgotten.

40 days ago 276 students when kidnapped in Nigeria - they are still missing. The Nigerian government has been slow to react and the international community got active after an internet campaign under the "bring back our girls" slogan that backed the protests of the Nigerian parents.

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May 22, 2014

May 22nd, 2014 Children's Day "Once We Were There"

Once We Were There

Before the beginning, before the violence
Before the anguish of the broken silence
A thousand longings, never uttered
Pangs of sorrow, brutally smothered
But I have chosen to break and be free
Cut those ties, so I can see
Those bonds that imprisoned me in memories of pain
Those judgments, interpretations that cluttered my brain
Those festering wounds that lingered have gone
In their place a new life has dawned
That lonely child, still clutching his toy
Has made his peace, discovered his joy
Where time is not, immortality's clear
Where love abounds, there is no fear
The child has grown to weave his magic
Left behind
His life of sorrow, once so tragic
He is now, ready to share
Ready to love, ready to care
Unfold his heart, with nothing to spare
Join him now, if you dare.

By Michael Jackson




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April 22, 2014

Children's Day - April 22nd, 2014 - Earth Day

My 5 years old nephew is fascinated with wolfs - likes to be called a wolf and told me he would like to be one. At one point he told me there must be wolfs everywhere and that he is certain he will meet one soon. When I told him that because of people the wolfs aren't as many as they used to he told me that I should have said something to the people so that this wasn't happening.
I couldn't argue with that.

And the truth is we each can do something to help our ailing world. And some of the actions don't even require anything else but a couple of clicks. But we do need to keep informed and aware.



 “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's needs, but not every man's greed.”
Mahatma Gandhi

















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March 22, 2014

Children's Day, March 22, 2014 - World Water Day

"All over the world water is regarded as precious as life itself"
Nelson Mandela

Albert Einstein said  "Environment is everything that isn't me". Water is us.

75% of Earth's surface

60-70% of human body weight (75% of a newborn's body)

"We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one."
Jacques Cousteau

Every 21 seconds a child dies from a water related illness

~1 billion people lack access to safe water



Water.org - The Power of Water











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March 21, 2014

Children's Day, March 21st 2014 - International Day of Forests

"The Earth we share is not just a rock tossed through space, but a living, nurturing being. 
She cares for us, she deserves our care in return"
Michael Jackson
The tree is a symbols that appears in most cultures (if not all). Life, love, family, growth, wisdom, protection, beauty, redemption, abundance, strength, God's grace, knowledge, regeneration, immortality are all meanings we associate with the tree. It's even considered as a symbol of true self and its image converted into a psychological test. Forests are part of our childhood stories and always a source of magic and wonder. Forests have been home for people and animals alike.
Forests have been given us shelter, nurture, nourish, energy, they clean up about 30 % of the CO2 emissions.
Yet, we seam to be unable to see the destruction we are bringing to our forests. We are quick to look away, to justify our actions and non-actions with our "right" to survive and use whatever is in our way, we are slow in understanding that there are sustainable solutions and alternatives.
 We don't see that we cutting the branch right from under our feet.
We need forests to survive.
Forests cover about 1/3of Earth's land mass. We need that to keep being true.
1.6 billion people's livelihoods depend on forests.

50% of terrestrial biodiversity is found within our forests.

Forests are essential in supplying water for 50% of our biggest cities.

13 million hectares are destroyed every year.
Deforestation and forest degradation account for nearly 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions
source UNEP

“What we are doing to the forests of the world
is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.”
Mahatma Gandhi



"I respect the secrets and magic of nature. That's why it makes me so angry when I see these things that are happening, that every second, I hear, the size of a football field is torn down in the Amazon. I mean, that kind of stuff really bothers me. That's why I write these kinds of songs, you know. It gives some sense of awareness and awakening and hope to people. I love the Planet, I love the trees. I have this thing for trees - the colors and changing of leaves. I love it. I respect those kind of things. I really feel that nature is trying so hard to compensate for man's mismanagement of the planet. Because the planet is sick, like a fever. If we don't fix it now, it's at the point of no return. This is our last chance to fix this problem that we have, where it's like a runway train. And the times has come, This Is It. People are always saying,'They'll take care of it. The government will--Don't worry, they'll--' 'They' who? It starts with us. It's us. Or else it'll never be done... We have four years to get it right. After that it would be irreversible. Let's take care of the planet."
Michael Jackson


WWF




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March 8, 2014

March 8th, 2014 - International Women's Day

 Mother
                                                                       by Michael Jackson (from Dancing The Dream)


"Eons of time I've been gestating
To take a form been hesitating
From the unmanifest this cosmic conception
On this earth a fantastic reception
And then one fateful August morn
From your being I was born
With tender love you nurtured a seed
To your own distress you paid no heed
Unmindful of any risk and danger
You decided upon this lonely stranger
Rainbows, clouds, the deep blue sky
Glittering birds that fly on high
Out of fragments you've made my whole
From the elements you fashioned my soul
Mother dear, you gave me life
Because of you, no struggle or strife
You gave me joy and position
Cared for me without condition
And if I ever change the world
It's from the emotions you've unfurl'd
Your compassion is so sweet and dear
Your finest feelings I can hear
I can sense your faintest notion
The wondrous magic of your love potion
And now that I have come so far
Met with every king and czar
Encountered every color and creed
Of every passion, every greed
I go back to that starry night
With not a fear for muscle or might
You taught me how to stand and fight
For every single wrong and right
Every day without a hold
I will treasure what you've mold
I will remember every kiss
Your sweet words I'll never miss
No matter where I go from here
You're in my heart, my mother dear."







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December 31, 2013

Happy New Year ! 新年快乐 ! Un an nou fericit ! Feliz año nuevo ! Frohes neues Jahr !

2013 has been very busy and it's been so painful at times. We lost so much this year, we miss our dear ones gone but we are grateful for LOVE.
Looking forward to the new year hoping it will be a kinder, gentler, better, filled with love.

Ecstasy 

"I was born to never die 
To live in bliss, to never cry 
To speak the truth and never lie 
To share my love without a sigh 
To stretch my arms without a tie 
This is my dance, this is my high 
It's not a secret, can't you see 
Why can't we all live in ecstasy 

Ecstasy Ecstasy 
Why can't we all Live in Ecstasy.

Without a guilt, without regret 
I am here to forget 
Tainted memories of imagined sin 
In every friend, kith and kin 
We have come to celebrate here 
The getting rid of every fear 
Of every notion, every seed 
Of any separation, caste, or creed. 

This alienation, fragmentation, abomination 
Of separation, exploitation, isolation 
This cruelty, hysteria, absolute madness 
This anger, anxiety, overflowing sadness 
Disrupted ecology, wanton destruction 
Diseased biology, nature's obstruction 
Endangered species, environmental pollution 
Holes in the ozone, defying solution 
Is not knowing the spark that lights my interior 
Is the same fire, glowing in every man, child, and mother superior 
We have come to celebrate here 
The getting rid of every fear 
Of every notion, every seed 
Of any separation, caste, or creed. 

Feeling free, let us fly 
Into the boundless, beyond the sky 
For we were born to never die 
To live in bliss, to never cry 
To speak the truth and never lie 
To share our love without a sign 
To stretch our arms without a tie 
This is our dance, this is our high 
It's not a secret, can't you see 
Why can't we all live in ecstasy 

Ecstasy Ecstasy 
Why can't we all Live in Ecstasy."



Happy New Year !!! Un an nou fericit !!!  新年快乐 !!!  Feliz año nuevo !!!
あけまして　おめでとう　ございます !!!  Frohes neues Jahr !!! Yeni yılınız kutlu olsun !!!
Gott nytt år !!! Feliz ano novo !!! Szczęśliwego nowego roku !!! Godt nyttår !!! Felice anno nuovo !!!
Gleðilegt nýtt ár !!! Hauoli makahiki hou !!! Bonne année !!! Gelukkig nieuwjaar !!! Gelukkige nuwejaar !!!



Posted by mike1909 at 5:34 PM 0 comments

December 23, 2013

Love Is Ours



Once upon a time ...

... ages ago, preciseley at this time of the year an angel was sent to earth. He wanted mankind to remember the real important things in life.
He gave them three gifts:
Warmness, contemplativeness and L.O.V.E.
People were given three days to accept the gifts.
Three days on which business as usual fell silent, people came  closer and the world seemed to be covered with a peaceful blanket. The angel looked with satisfaction at his work.
From this time  people should get this gift every year.
These special days  were named Christmas.
(credits to an unkonwn author; transmitted from memory)

The Its-All-For-Love-Team wants to thank you for constantly supporting our blog and for never getting tired to bring your love into the world.

 Merry Christmas –  and a happy new year all our brothers and sisters around the word.
 May the spririt of Christmas rule all over the next year.





*
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December 11, 2013

December 10 - Human Rights Day

To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.
Nelson Mandela

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nelsonmand447259.html#503OOQVeoDtmKu16.99
"To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity."
Nelson Mandela
To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.
Nelson Mandela

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nelsonmand447259.html#503OOQVeoDtmKu16.99
To deny people their human rights is to challenge their very humanity.
Nelson Mandela

Read more at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nelsonmand447259.html#503OOQVeoDtmKu16.99

We stand taller today because of the efforts of so many who have fought to ensure that the human rights are a certainty and not just an ideal.
The 2013 Human Rights Day celebrates the past 20 years since the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. Unfortunately we also have to say goodbye to one of warriors who inspired people all over the world. It is his leadership, his actions and inspiring words that we will continue to honor and cherish.

Human rights are too often set aside, when they should be a fact of life. We own ourselves and each other that human right should not be just a talking point but a goal for which we each work every day. For human rights to become a certainty for all there are no small actions, just actions.







"Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, 
and where individuals and nations are free."
14th Dalai Lama

For more information and ways to help
















"The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists 
who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood."
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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December 6, 2013

The Long Walk To Freedom

“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom come responsibilities, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not ended.”
Nelson Mandela


I am sure the walk isn't over but the struggle and pain are.
Words are small today. Love is impressive.
... gone too soon. 
 


“The greatest glory in living
lies not in never falling,
but in rising every time we fall.”
Nelson Mandela







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December 1, 2013

2013, December 1st - Getting to ZERO


"Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths"
This is the 2013 World AIDS Day theme.
For this goal to be achieved we need to be informed and act. Though there has been progress in the past few years in preventing new infections and raising hope for the people leaving with HIV/AIDS we still have a long way to go.

“It is bad enough that people are dying of AIDS, but no one should die of ignorance. ” 
 Elizabeth Taylor



HIV continues to be a major global public health issue, having claimed more than 36 million lives so far.
There were approximately 35.3 [32.2–38.8] million people living with HIV in 2012.
Sub-Saharan Africa is the most affected region, with nearly 1 in every 20 adults living with HIV. Sixty nine per cent of all people living with HIV are living in this region.
HIV infection is usually diagnosed through blood tests detecting the presence or absence of HIV antibodies.
There is no cure for HIV infection. However, effective treatment with antiretroviral drugs can control the virus so that people with HIV can enjoy healthy and productive lives.
In 2012, more than 9.7 million people living with HIV were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low- and middle-income countries. 
http://worldaidsday.org/index.php


For more information and ways to help please visit:








You can also sign this petition to demand world leaders to step up their support for the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria.




“Love is the human family’s most precious legacy. Its richest bequest. Its golden inheritance.”
Michael Jackson


Send Me an Angel from keepachildalive on Vimeo.


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November 25, 2013

November 25, 2013 - International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women

http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/end-violence-against-women



In 2012 the UN's Secretary-General's UNITE to End Violence against Women campaign declared the 25th of each month as Orange Day. The initiative comes as a result of the need to further promote the cause and raise awareness to the ongoing struggles to eliminate violence against women.
To this day this is one of the most widespread violations of human rights.

FACTS

Up to 70 per cent of women experience violence in their lifetime.

Between 500,000 to 2 million people are trafficked annually into situations including prostitution, forced labour, slavery or servitude, according to estimates. Women and girls account for about 80 per cent of the detected victims.

It is estimated that more than 130 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM/C, mainly in Africa and some Middle Eastern countries.

The cost of intimate partner violence in the United States alone exceeds $5.8 billion per year: $4.1 billion is for direct medical and health care services, while productivity losses account for nearly $1.8 billion.



The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women identifies violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.” 


Starting today, the next 16 days (up until Human Rights Day on December 10) are dedicated to providing education, awareness and a platform for individuals and groups to come together and join efforts in ending violence against women.


For more information and ways to help


















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November 20, 2013

November 20, 2013 - Universal Children's Day











"The foundation of all human knowledge, the beginning of human consciousness, must be that each and every one of us is an object of love. Before you know if you have red hair or brown, before you know if you are black or white, before you know of what religion you are a part, you have to know that you are loved"
Michael Jackson




More on Universal Children's Day / Children's Rights:




Philippines Relief







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October 22, 2013

Children's Day, October 22, 2013 - Play !

"In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play."
Friedrich Nietzsche

For children play is the way they learn about the world, themselves and others. Play is their laboratory in which they can experiment with being anywhere, anyone, anytime.
At least that is how it should be ...
“Children need the freedom and time to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” 
Kay Redfield Jamison

To some children I know play is hard work as they have to learn how to play, it doesn't come naturally. And as they discover bit by bit the wonder of play, they find themselves and meet the others. I also know children for whom play is a distant dream. It's something that they crave but seldom get a chance to experience. I know children who have been fortunate to be able to play with almost no restraints, who's play is nurtured and protected. I know children who live in fear, forced out their homes, forced to work, being abused and have no place to play outside their minds.
"A child's play" is often use as a way of describing something that is easy, simple, trivial.
To me nothing could be further off reality. Child's play is complex in both it's construction and effects on the development, child's play is most important for the development of imagination and social, emotional, language and thinking skills.

“Play is the work of the child.”
Maria Montessori

Teachers, scientists, philosophers, psychologists, psychiatrists, authors from the earliest times have argued the importance of play for both children and adults.
When we grow up we chose to forget about play. We dismiss it and get caught in our serious business. We have no time to play and we rush our children along.

"We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."
George Bernard Shaw
 Around the world there are people dedicated to bringing love, joy, laughter, escapism to children and adults who find themselves in difficult situations and would not have otherwise access to such wonder, through play.

The Flying Seagull Project is an example of dedicated individuals who donate their time and talents to create opportunities for children and adults alike to play with all the resulting benefits.

Their actions are based on these beliefs:

We believe everyone has the right to laugh and enjoy their life, 
no matter their financial, physical, pychological or societal situation.
We believe every child should have the right to play freely without risk or threat.
We believe play, creativity and laughter is essential to a child’s development 
and therefore to the community as a whole.
We believe that energy and positivity are contagious 
and intend to spread them as far and wide as possible.
We believe that everyone, everywhere is entitled to communicate and to be heard in whatever way is possible, and we hope to give people voices wherever we go.
We believe that the purpose of learning something is so that you can offer to share it with someone else, somewhere else, sometime else.
We believe that a stranger is a member of the family you just haven’t met yet.
We believe the first point of contact with anyone should be a smile.
We believe in FUN as a philosophy.
We believe in you!


You can visit their website and find out about their work and ways to help.

If you know about other such projects you can leave a comment and we will add them to this post.



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October 16, 2013

Human Rights - Blog Action Day, 2013

On this day we decided to be part of Blog Action Day 
On short is an attempt to get people together in talking about an issue and this year the focus is on human rights, in the hope of widening the conversation and gather ideas and stir up action.

The Universal Declaration has 30 articles that list as many rights. Each of us has every one of them, no exceptions, equally, no expiration date.

Human rights are inalienable.

No one can ever lose their human rights, they are not transferable nor can they be repudiated.
They cannot be taken away or given away.

Human rights are indivisible.

There is not one more important than other.
To be able to live, be free, and be safe all the other rights must be upheld.
Therefor no violation of human rights is more or less important. It's not the severity of the violation or where it occurs that is bad but just the fact it does.

Human rights are interdependent.

If one right is not respected then all the others are affected.
And as many have said it before if one of us is denied their rights then all of us lose them.

Responsibility and respect are our rights - we should exercise them more.
When we each talk about human rights, our vision and position are heavily influenced by our life experience and the realities of where we live. Living in a country that is known as stable (from political, economical, social points of view) do not assure us ours rights being respected.
In many instances the talk about human rights is containing only the concern for freedom of speech and equality/civil rights while education, health, family, work are treated separately
and mostly outside the human rights framework.
Living with dignity, free from fear is what every person should be able to do.
It cannot be achieved unless the human rights are upheld for all, in any time and circumstances.


"Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or sovereign. ... 
You must weep that your own government, at present, seems blind to this truth."
Mother Teresa
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