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

from Dancing the Dream, Poems and Reflections

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

WWF

WWF - Endengered Species Conservation

Greenpeace International

SOS Bees

Earth Hour

Earth Day Network

Earth Day - Green Cities Campaign

Sea Shepherd Global

Save Japan Dolphins

CARE

Oxfam International

November 20, 2013 - Universal Children's Day

#ENDviolence

"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:

UNICEF

UNICEF Report

UN

Human Rights Watch

Philippines Relief

Oxfam - Typhoon Haiyan

CARE.org

Red Cross

Convoy Of Hope

Habitat for Humanity

Doctors Without Borders

UNICEF

World Food Program

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.

Children's Day, September 21st, 2013 - International Day of Peace

“Peace cannot be kept by force; it can only be achieved by understanding.”

Albert Einstein

 The UN passed the resolution for a world peace day in 1981 and in the next year the day was first observed as International Day of Peace.

The theme chosen for this year's International Day of Peace is "Education for Peace", in recognition of the importance of educating people about consequences of war on our children, our environment and on every aspect of life with the intent to reduce the probability of wars prolonging and expanding and thus holding captive our spirits and killing our loved ones.

 “The essential act of war is destruction, not necessarily of human lives, but of the products of human labour. War is a way of shattering to pieces, or pouring into the stratosphere, or sinking in the depths of the sea, materials which might otherwise be used to make the masses too comfortable, and hence, in the long run, too intelligent.”

George Orwell ("1984")

Educating ourselves, our children and people around us will improve our understanding of the world and each other. Getting to know ourselves, the others and the world in which we live will bring us closer to finding a solution to our disagreements and making wars just part of our history. And most of all we need to rediscover our connections.

“Human knowledge consists not only of libraries of parchment and ink - 

it is also comprised of the volumes of knowledge that are written on the human heart, 

chiseled on the human soul, and engraved on the human psyche. ”
Michael Jackson

The end of war is within our power. Now I know I cannot stop the conflict in Syria, or the violence in Sudan, but I can donate, I can sign a petition, I can raise awareness to a cause, I can post a tweet or a Facebook update that will state my believes or help spread the word, I can participate in public debates and in the political process in my country, I can learn, I can open my heart and my mind, I can pray, I will.

“Declare it. Just the same way we declare war. That is how we will have peace... we just need to declare it.”
John Lennon 

February Children´s Day - Poem: Where Do The Children Grow...

Today I just wanted to post a little reminder to watch and fully enjoy how (y)our children grow. Childhood passes extremely fast and we can´t bring back past days or precious hours into present. The more we watch  and  treasure how children grow, the more we will enjoy trips down memory lane....

 

When you see a smiling face
Their happiness all over the place
Singing, laughing, cries of glee,
Come they say, Play with me
The slide, the swing, the monkey bars.
Look at them close to see who they are.
Lots of races, Ready, Set, Go.
This is how the children grow.

If you watch them everyday
You'll see they learn as they play
They'll do what they see, and say what they hear.
You're their teacher though out the years.
Their ideas and thoughts in their eyes shine.
Imagination is a glimpse of their mind
When you’re not looking, don't you know
This is when the children grow.

Watch them as they learn to walk
Listen to them when they talk
Keep them safe, away from harm
Wrap them gently within your arms
Teach them to share and how to take turns.
Set good examples from which they will learn.
At home, at school, wherever they go
This is where the children grow.

 credits to: Christy R. Dawson

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Children´s Day-September22nd,2012 POEM: When I was A Child

         When I was a child, I thought they could do no wrong,
         When I was a child, everyone seemed to get along.
         When I was a child we were always together,
         When I was a child, I thought it would last forever.
         When I was a child, playing with my cousins was always fun,
         When I was a child, my face always brightened by the   
                                      beautiful sun.
         When I was a child, I was young and free,
         When I was a child, no pain or worries I could see.
         When I was a child, I learned from my mistakes,
         
         Now I am an adult, now my heart breaks.

                                (~ Nicola Burkett)

Data released in September 2012 show significant progress in reducing child mortality: globally, the number of under-five child deaths fell from nearly 12 million in 1990 to an estimated 6.9 million in 2011.

This shows that we an make a change but there´s still a lot to do to make this world a better place for the children. 

Please do not stop to support organisations  below that work hard to bring down the mortility of children. Here  are just a few, working on an international base:

• doctors without borders
• the world´s largest humanitarian agency beating hunger
• ONE fights against extreme poverty
• UNICEF

Children´s Day, April 22nd: Divorced Children

Today I want to turn your attention to all the children around who are suffering because of their parent´s divorce. 

The theme of the lyrics "Love for a child"  are about what a child is going through  in the middle of a divorce. It reflects the experiences of innumerable  children with a broken home, which also means a broken heart.

Children are forced to deal with things far beyond their maturity level and because of that many of them develop post traumatic stress disorders or get involved with  alcolhol or drugs. Being parents, aunts, uncles, adult relatives we all have to take care for the emotional health of children. Let the children know that they are not alone with their feelings of lonleliness, anger and fear and that you care. Show them your universal unconditional love and that not everything in life is at risk. Children need to know that your love  never changes - no matter if their parents living apart. 

There's a picture on my kitchen wall

Looks like Jesus and his friends involved

There's a party getting started in the yard

There's a couple getting steamy in the car parked in the drive

Was I too young to see this with my eyes?

By the pool last night, apparently

The chemicals weren't mixed properly

You hit your head and then forgot your name

And then you woke up at the bottom by the drain

And now your altitude and memory's a shame

[Chorus]

What about taking this empty cup and filling it up

With a little bit more of innocence

I haven't had enough, it's probably because when you're young

It's OK to be easily ignored

I like to believe it was all about love for a child

And when the house was left in shambles

Who was there to handle all the broken bits of glass

Was it mom who put my dad out on his *** or the other way around

Well I'm far too old to care about that now

[Chorus]

It's kinda nice to work the floor since the divorce

I've been enjoying both my Christmases and my birthday cakes

And taking drugs and making love at far too young an age

and they never check to see my grades

What a fool I'd be to start complaining now

[Chorus]

It was all about love...

Singer: Jason Mraz

Writer(s): SKARBEK/TEREFE/MRAZ 

Internetsource for the lyrics

Children´s Day, January 22nd : How Many Children?

Picture courtesy




How Many Children?



how many children
are hungry this morning? 
how many children
without a home? 


how many children
with only one parent? 
how many children
.....with none? 


how many children
faced with no future? 
how many children
thrown to the side? 


how many children....




and how many know? 


 credits: Eric Cockrell

Remember

• Children of Sichuan (Earthquake 2008)
• Children from Haiti (Earthquake 2011)
• Children from Japan (Earthquake,tsunami and nuclear disaster 2011)

•  .....and what about the child in your neighborhood?

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Children´s Day - November 2011 - Paulo Coelho Institute

According to UNICEF statistics, about 42% of Brazilian children live in poverty. Also, approximately 1/8 of all Brazilian children live on the streets. The causes of child poverty in Brazil are complex. 

Being an international webteam  we are  living on four continents (still missing someone from Africa) - but no one can give first-hand-informations about Brazilian children poverty. Because we have learned that availaible information may be subject to misinterpretation we usually count on UNICEF data to access the situation of children all around the world.

Unicef´s statics clearly show that Brazil´s more than 10 million children benefit from reduced infant mortality rate and increased access to school.

To accelerate this progress WE have to increase our support. Brazil is still responding to two floods in 2011. One of them (in January 2011) is seen as one of the worst natural disasters in Brazilian history.

Today the It´s-All-For-Love-webteam wants to turn your attention to a project (which is not meant to be a charity) from Paulo Coelho, world-famous native brazilian writer, lyricist, novelist and simply impressing humanitarian. Paulo kindly allowed us to reblog his article about the Paulo Coelho Institut and we thank him for showing this courtesy. Even more we want to thank him for being such a giving and loving person, who always watches things with his heart and who inspires millions with his work. 

In his book "Aleph" Paulo shares with us an astonishing, very beautiful explanation of universal love.


“...all the lovers in the world are like different rivers flowing into the same lake, where they meet and are transformed into a single love that becomes rain and blesses the earth.”

“I receive your love and I give you mine. Not the love of a man to a woman, not the love of a father for a child, not the love of Gos for his creatures, but a Love with no name and explanations, like a river that follows a particular course but simply flows onwards. A love that asks for nothing and gives nothing in return. I will never be yours and you will never be mine, nevertheless, I can honestly say: I love you, I love you. I love you.” 

~Paulo Coelho

We love you, Paulo.

Paulo Coelho Institute

I would like to bring your attention to the 430 children needing our support.

The PAULO COELHO Institute is a non-profit-making institution financed largely by my royalties.

My aim was for it not to be a charity, but an institute to give opportunities to the underprivileged and ostracized members of Brazilian society.

Thus, the Institute concentrates its funds on:

a) Children

b) The elderly

At present, the PAULO COELHO Institute provides financial support to Creche Escola Meninos da Luz, Lar Paulo de Tarso (in the Pavão-Pavãozinho favela, Rio de Janeiro), who look after these 430 children.

In 1996 we started with 80 children, and now with our continued effort we are supporting 400 children.

The real warriors behind the project are: Isabella de Moraes and Yolanda de Moraes Rego.

If you would like to make a donation to Lar Paulo de Tarso:

Email Belina Antunes : instituto@paulocoelho.com.br.

Telephone : (5521) 2522-9524, 2247-0810 or 2247-8145.

If you would like to visit the site, please go to : http://www.meninosdeluz.org.br

If you have Google Earth installed in your computer, key in: Rua Saint Roman 149, Rio de Janeiro 22071, RJ, Brasil and you will see the favela Pavão-Pavãozinho (the houses scattered by the hill).

Thanking you in advance for any support you may give us.

Thanks on behalf of these warriors, Isabella and Yolanda.

Thank you on behalf of the 430 children.

Thank you on behalf of my country, for the difference you can make.

Love,

Paulo

 

• Meet Paulo Coelho on Twitter
• Paulo Coelho´s Website
• 10 to 20-second-stories

Last - but not least let´s give this blogpost "caring about the children from Brazil" the "MJ-touch":

You´ll all remember the video "They don´t really care about us", which was shot in Brazil, a favela in Rio de Janeiro called Dona Marta and in Salvador Da Bahia . State authorities tried to ban all production over fears the video would damage their image, the area and prospects of staging the 2004 Olympics. Still, the residents of the area were happy to see the singer, hoping their problems would be made visible to a wider audience. 

The making of TDCAU in Rio de Janeiro 1996

Alas, the Brazilian Long Version from "They don´t really care about us"  on the internet is only availaible to certain countries.  

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Children´s Day: Give Love To The Children

source: MJJpictures.com

Give Love to the children, children need love everyday.
Give love to the children - guide them on their way.
Love's like a burning flame - consumes all that stands in the way.

Love is the only power on earth to take all the hatred away.
GIVE LOVE TO THE CHILDREN set the children free.
To make their own decisions then they will clearly see.
Love is the sun, the moon and the stars, love is a golden ring.

Love is the one thing, the whole world desires - be it beggar or king.
GIVE LOVE TO THE CHILDREN - youth has not long to stay.
Love is a long term investment, the best you will find any day.

Love like the rising sun, takes all the darkness away.
Our children will tell their children and their childrens children will say.
Give love to the children - they are our crock of gold
and if perchance, they ever stray, they will come back to the fold.

Give love to the children, the children of today.
Give love to the children 

and 

source: davidarchie via @MyMJJtribute

ℒﻉ√٥ 

will come to stay.

~  Poem written by: Elizabeth Quinn ( Lisborn, Northern Ireland)

 

*

Children´s Day: What Children wish

This is just the time of the year people all over the world  are wondering what they are going to give the children for Christmas to put  smiles on their faces.
What we give depends a lot on where on this beautiful planet we are living, if and what kind of income we have and many more social factors.


Last week I learned about an internet survey where children were asked how they would spend money if they were rich and had about 1 million $.

The results are interesting:

Here is the top 10 what children would do 

with 1 Million Dollars:

•  place 10     save the money
•  place 9      spend money on a meet and greet       .............. ..           with Celebs
•  place 8      toys
•  place 7      sweets (and not to forget to make an appointment:::                                               ..at the doctors!, notation made by me ) 
•  place 6      clothes
•  place 5      fulfill wishes of all family-members
•  place 4      computer games
•  place 3      pets  
•  2nd place   donations to Charities

•  1st place    a luxury villa for the family

I do not know whether  the children could  run  the questions in a single or multiple instances. This internet survey is only based on  material  things and  therefore somewhat superficial.The more I am pleased about the children thinking clearly  very social  and  to raise the intent "donations to Charity" on the second place. It shows that our children are that kind of dreamers this world needs to survive ; it shows that our children are loving and giving human beings, willing to get in action to make this world a better place.
This is a lesson that our children have less material interests than we mostly assume them to have. Anyone who lives with children, especially those of us who work on a professional base, can experience that children´s real wishes  and dreams deep inside aren´t material at all. They wish health (especially when a family member is not at good health) and they dream of living in a happy family and to be loved.

These wishes and dreams reveal the childlike wisdom that we all do not need much more if we have a warm home, no lack of food, education and when  there is the love and appreciation we need.

                                           Children always felt Michael Jackson´s love

~They who dream by day are cognizant of many things 

which escape those who dream only by night.~

(unknown author)







*

Children´s Day: Songlyrics from B. Wegener

Every child needs L.O.V.E
M. Jackson with his son Prince M.

Instead of growing up surrounded by loving and caring parents,many children have to suffer lack of education, lack of respect, lack of caring, lack of love.
Violence against Children needs a global effort to paint a detailed picture of the nature, extent and causes of violence against children, and to propose clear recommendations for action to prevent and respond to it. 

The background of the  lyrics below is the daily experienced domestic violance - which still is a dark horse...

Let us not get blind for this kind of child abuse but takie it as a call for action  and  a call for giving our L.O.V.E whenever we see any kind of violance against a child.

Children

Tiny hands, with tiny fingers 

Never beat them, otherwise they break

Tiny feet, with tiny toes

Never step on them, otherwise they can’t walk

Tiny ears, keen and you permit

Never shout at them, otherwise they become deaf

Beautiful mouths, speak out everything

Never stop them talking, for they´ll fall silent at all.

Clear eyes which yet see everything

Never bandage, otherwise they´ll not understand anything

Tiny souls, open and totally free
Never do any pain to them, for they´ll break apart

Tiny spine, hardly can be seen
Never  bow it, ... for it will break.

Straight clear persons would be an ambitious aim

People without spine, we’ve already got a lot.

(Songlyrics from B. Wegener, 
translated from German into English)


 

*

The Lost Children - Child-Soldiers

This cannot continue...

 credit for the picture:www.theinspirationroom.com/

"Children need be the victims of war only if there is no will to prevent it. Experiences in dozens of conflicts confirm that extraordinary actions have been taken and can be taken to protect and provide for children." State of the World's Children, UNICEF, 1996.

With total misregard for  “The Convention on fhe Rights of the Child”, Article 29 (1), approximately 250.000 children under the age of 18 are thought to be fighting in conflicts around the world, and hundreds of thousands more are members of armed forces who could be sent into combat at any time. (Source for dates: www.amnestyusa.org)

Any war and any armed conflict always accompanies massive crimes against humanity, against civilians and especially against children. The less defense a person has the more this person has to suffer demages. In wars, hate rules and children have to suffer agonies – physically and  psychologically.

We can hardly imagine the impact of armed conflicts on children who are fighting as child soldiers. There is no source giving datas how many child soldiers lost their lifes , but we all know for sure that any child soldier looses his childhood and his soul was sold for war.

We all are supporting the problem as long as we do nothing to stop it. 

So let´s do something...

let´s

•  get facts
•  stay informed
•  spread the word
•  sign petitions
•  shop for the cause
•  donate
•  join the movement                                                                                                                            ....and never forget to care about the "lost children". Thank you for reading.

Choose what you want to know. You´ll find a lot of informations here:

• http://www.lost-children.de/en/home.htm

• http://www.un.org/rights/concerns.htm

• http://www.child-soldier.org/

• http://www.amnestyusa.org/children/child-soldiers/page.do?id=1051047

Herta Mueller and Ai Weiwei - make a change.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and his fight for the "Lost Children" was introduced on this blog earlier here: Remembering the Lost Children in the fatal earthquake of Sichuan 2008

On Thursday he and Nobel prize winner Herta Mueller (Romanian-German) were discussing politics and their background growing up / living in a totalitarian system and telling the audience about their personal experience and what they their motivation is for resistance.

The event was part of "Lit.Cologne" a large annual literature event with readings and events all over the city of Cologne, Germany.

The discussion reflects so much of Michael's message and I can see a reflection in the constitution of our blog team here -> Romania, China, Germany.

It shows how much impact artists have in their constant fight for their message of changing the world for the better or of "making that change" as Michael would say.

No matter what the background or the kind of Art may be it helps to raise people's awareness and hope. And strongly but surely a change is gonna come. The political dimension of Art that has a meaning is very strong. I am glad there are people like Herta and Ai out there and noticed all over the world.

We learned so much from Michael, let's learn from them as well!

Here's a more detailed article about the event:

Chinese artist and Nobel laureate share views on totalitarianism (click to open)

I especially loved this part:

"Asked if there could be any hope at all, he assured his listeners he lived in daily hope that new technologies, especially the Internet, would change the situation and bring democracy to China.

Herta Mueller saw Romania’s brutal regime fall. Ai Weiwei hopes he too will see China's one-party system fall."


We have to speak out for it in the name of Michael, the children, the world.

WE ARE THE WORLD!!!!!!


------

Addition March 14:

The L.O.V.E. blog team would like to thank Ai Weiwei for retweeting the link to this post on his Twitter account.

Happy Birthday Blanket!!!

♥ ♥ ♥ HAPPY BIRTHDAY dear Blanket!!!!!! ♥ ♥ ♥

We hope you can feel the love now and for the years to come. You are a very special young man...

L.O.V.E. always! The "It's all for L.O.V.E." blog team

Children's Day: January 22

We are all haunted by the images of the injured, suffering children and those who died in the earthquake in Haiti last week. As an earlier post reminded us, children in China suffered the same fate in 2008 when a deadly earthquake hit one of its provinces. These major events, where thousands of children's lives abruptly end, remind us of how precious they are. Their loss is too much to bear.

Here are just a few words to remind us to be hopeful, mindful, grateful and inspired by the children who are still with us, in the physical. The children who have passed on are still with us in spirit.

Enjoy the child in all of us. Love them with all of your might. As Michael Jackson reminds us, let them teach us and inspire us everyday.

Children's day: Remembering the Lost Children in the fatal earthquake of Sichuan 2008

As today is children's day and the fatal power of earthquake has come to our painful remembrance in Haiti again, I would like to put the spotlight on the children that have lost their lives in the province of Sichuan that was hit by earthquake in 2008 and on a very brave Chinese artist that acts as their ambassador ever since.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei almost lost his life remembering the thousands of children that had to die in the earthquake in the province Sichuan 2008 because their schools had been built neglecting the building code due to corrupt officials that cared more for their personal livelihood than for the lives of the children that went to study in these buildings every day.

After the government refused to issue a detailed report on the events and the names of children and adolescents who have died in the earthquake in Sichuan, Ai Weiwei has published with the help of volunteers such names on his blog.

Therefore Ai Weiwei got beaten down by government authorities for several hours in a hotel room in Sichuan. So hard that he had to under go emergency operation weeks later in Munich, Germany which was very last minute according to the doctors.

He has dedicated a huge installation called "Remembering" that was shown in Munich to the kids that lost their lives for no reason...



The arrangement of the 9000 children's backpacks, hanging on the museum's facade, resulting in Chinese characters the words "For seven years she lived happily in this world." The quotation is from the mother of a victims.

The colors in this table refer to the logo of the toy retailer "Toys R Us". Ai Weiwei has written them with backpacks, because after the earthquake in the area of school satchels, of many the buried children had been found. With his art, he puts the lost and buried in those days, the world public. In a colorful, cheerful colors change, he exposes the buried hope.

In an article I read that the journalist had asked Ai Weiwei in 2007 if he had any children and he said: "No, I have a kid inside myself." and when she asked him that same question again in 2009, he said: "Yes, now I have kids. The children of Sichuan."

This message and the whole concept of it reminded me so much of MJ's message: It's about saving the kids that have no voice, true commitment, freedom of speech and positive and hopeful energy at the same time...

Therefore I today dedicate "The Lost Children" to all children that have been harmed in earthquakes around the world. -> Make That Change!!!