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A Son of Man

There was a man some time ago that walked the face of the earth telling people some good news. He told them that all men were created equal and that we are all really one as part of the same entity. Many people believed and followed him while others were jealous and selfish because he was talking about everyone being equal and they thought that it meant they would have to give up their high status and wealth. He talked about sharing and giving and doing right by those around you. In fact he not only talked about it he actually did the things he talked about. He set an example that was good and kind and yet he was no push over either. He told people that they were one with everything in the universe even God himself. He told them in fact that the kingdom of God was not some imagination out beyond the blue but that it was a reality right here and now in the hearts of those that would accept what he was saying. Many people thought he was God even though he kept calling himself the son of man except of course the righteous holy people they were convinced he was Satan. So they devised a plan to have him destroyed and even killed. Even though they were very few compared to the masses that loved this man they were the decision makers the ones with all the power to persuade government to act on their demands so he was destroyed in fact they crucified him on a cross for all to see sending a message that if you listened to him you better not do what he said or this is what will happen to you! Well that didn’t quite work because people hid in secret and did what he told them anyway. This secret society eventually even penetrated through to the emperor of Rome giving him the thought to split Rome into several pieces. Well the emperors son didn’t like that very much so he thought and thought and devised a plan hey if you can’t beat them join them and rule from the inside thus a great ruling church was formed and once again Rome could be ruled by one man while the message of the son of man lay warped and destroyed by the deception that we are somehow all separate individuals and some individuals are so special that they can tell everyone else what to do.  That somehow they are worthy to be in control of everyone else’s money! That sharing and giving should all be for them and not the masses. This period of time we call the dark ages and the remnants of that time still exist today. Well we are soon to be celebrating this man’s birthday and although some resemblance of his message has still trickled through, I mean we do still give gifts and join together with family, yet his message has been warped and destroyed. Instead of giving gifts to our peers we should be giving to those in need. That is the kind of giving that brings the kingdom of God to your heart for the kingdom is Joy, Peace, Love and rightness ( Many religious scholars call it righteousness to imply a mystical holiness to the word that only they can have but the real meaning of the word there is simply doing things that are right.). Often times the giving we do today (promoted by media and big business) brings stress, pain and poverty!  Yes we stress out trying to find the right gift for the right person then they open it and well … the reaction is hardly ever what we expect and then we are stuck paying the credit card bills later. Now on the other hand if you were to take just a small portion of what you spend on presents and give it to children in need so they could have a small toy and most importantly a much needed healthy meal and see the overwhelming glow of appreciation and joy that comes across their face. Well words can hardly even describe the power that joy can give to your soul. You could probably pray the rest of your life and never receive a blessing like that one little gift.  Well ok sorry I didn’t really intend for this story to become a promotion for my passion but rather as something to help each and every one of us to awaken and be free. Hope you will pass this on to family and friends as your gift for Christmas and maybe someday we can all work together to make the world a better place for everyone. To find out more about giving to children in need please visit our website at www.pier-insite.com.

Thank You

Mark Pier

Pier Insite

New media star and entertainer Jt Ervin has partnered with Kidrobot to raise money for the Starlight Starbright Children's Foundation. For years, the foundation has raised money for children who are diagnosed with a serious illness to keep the joy of childhood on the brain, and not the thoughts of the disease. They use the money raised to take the family on outings and trips that the children can enjoy, build playrooms or host special events for them, and for educational or technology-based programming for the kids as well.

"Those children shouldn't be thinking about those kinds of things. They should enjoy life, and just have fun and not have to sit around with nothing else to do but worry about their health." says Jt Ervin, the fifteen-year-old boy who works as an entertainer through the internet. "I'm thrilled to be able help in any way." Jt has also become grouped in with the crowd of people who have been dubbed the 'New Media Stars' because of their success they built by using the internet. "There is a certain point where you feel like, you've acomplished your goals of becoming an entertainer, and you really find yourself thinking, 'now what?'. At least, I did. So I decided to start raising money for charities."

The newly-launched website "SocialVibe.com" was able to bring Jt to Kidrobot. "Somebody sent me an email, telling me about this website where you can partner with these origizations to raise money for charities, and when I went there, and saw it, I thought it was the most brilliant idea I've ever heard of."

The magic of SocialVibe is that anybody can use it. All they have to do is register and choose their partner and charity and post the badge on their profiles or websites. And instantly, people can donate money to the charity and once the money is donated, the user earns points to cash in later.

Kidrobot is a global retailer for original limited edition toys, clothing, mini-figures, artwork & books. Kidrobot currently has four stores, located in New York, San Fransico, Los Angeles, and Miami. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) acquired 13 Kidrobot toys in late 2007, which are now part of the museum’s collection. Three toys are currently on display as part of the museum’s “Just In: Recent Acquisitions from the Collection” installation, on view through November 30th, 2008.

Paul Budnitz introduced Kidrobot’s vibrant line of apparel in 2006. Based on Kidrobot’s unique aesthetic, and produced in limited edition, the company’s much sought-after apparel line can only be found at Kidrobot stores, online at kidrobot.com, and in select retailers worldwide.

Jt Ervin is currently selling his own apparel line titled "Carnival Clothing", as well as working on a new sub-line with other young designers, one of which who will launch their own online store in 2009. In addition, he will be starring in his own reality show to debut on his official website (www.jtervin.com) in the late fall of 2008, as well as recording his solo album, and pitching the three television scripts he has written to different networks.

Why did I start something to fight animal cruelty? Why should anybody care? What's the point?

These are the type of questions that I have been getting ever since I made the announcement that I would be starting a charity orginization. And recently, I found a video on YouTube that I think will answer those questions and more. And after watching this video myself, I made the decision that I can no longer eat meat. And I also encourage all of you to watch THE WHOLE VIDEO. It may be hard for most to watch, but by turning the video off, or walking away, you are NOT FACING THE PROBLEM AT HAND. Things like this happen all the time and will continue to happen unless somebody takes a stand. And that is what I am asking you all to help me do. Take a stand against animal cruelty so we can stop this injustice. Please, watch the video and please make a donation to the charity. 100% of the proceeds will go to stopping animal cruelty. These animals need you. Please, don't ignore them.

xox-Jt

 

TO WATCH THE VIDEO, LEARN MORE AND OR DONATE TO THE CHARITY PLEASE VISIT

JTERVIN.COM/CHARITY.HTM

What would you do?  Have you ever had that lurking feeling in your gut you were meant to do so much more. If not such much than to just benefit one person, or even yourself......but possiblly the world world?    As I sit here in front of my laptop preparting myself for yet another melodramatice day at work....I ask msyelf.  Why am I going? Is it for a paycheck?  Or is it for the sake that maybe.....just maybe that one day of goin to work will actually have an impact on soneone's life? 
  Then I realized my truth.  I want to make a difference.  If not for the next person, the next stranger, the nexd child..........just anyone.  As selfish as it sounds, I NEED to make a difference in order to feell sell-fulfilled about myself.

   But I digress.  I just got home from work to realize that for whatever reason, my inllectual and skills have yet to amount to more than everything but a benefit to anyone involved.   Now I have options given this situation. The money sucks and I start graduate school next semester, so I could quit and find a new gig. However, oddly enough, the challenges I have faced over the face few months have made me push even farther and given me more drive to succeed.But that doesnt mean I'd stay with this job (under-apprecriated, under-qualified, and under-paid).  I'm going to  milk it for what its worth.  Learn the trade, use it, and reap the benefits for the community to use it..

I've come to realize that established non-profits are rarely based on the actual community.  The newer ones and those are the only ones that are beneficial to everyone.  The larger ones got lost in the haze of capitalism a long time ago.  People are put into managerial positions who dont deserve them and sit in their offices and ultimately do nothing while indiviuduals like me are planning the next big move. 

So here's my plan.  I'm breaking out of my office, and I'm working for a dream.  I want to help people and my opportunity for that door willl only close as I grow older and closer into student loan debt. Its either now or never.  And for those of you who have not made a decision yet as far as what you want to do in life.  I urge you to choose soon. The decision is euphoria and is like a weight being lifted off your shoulders.  So in it with me? What do you want to do to help your community?  How to propose you do it?  It takes on person to build their way up to an Army.........lets build one of change.

LOS ANGELES, CA – Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon, Pierce Brosnan, Christina Ricci, and Stephen Colbert are just a few of the dozens of celebrities that have joined over 7,500 people from 45 countries to produce a 70mm film that will last only one second.

The innovative non-profit collaboration, aptly titled “The 1 Second Film,” creatively utilizes the internet to enable anyone in the world to become a film producer along with major stars, simply by donating $1 or more via the film’s website: www.the1secondfilm.com

“A lot can happen in one-second,” says Nirvan Mullick, an award-winning director turned social-entrepreneur, who started the film 7 years ago while a student at California Institute of the Arts. A single second of animation consists of 24 frames of film. In this case, each frame is a giant collaborative mural painted by hundreds of people.

Nirvan began fundraising after graduating, setting out to bring the world together for one second. With no budget and a simple Xeroxed flier he began pitching the film to anyone he met. His first celebrity pitch was to George Clooney, whom he ran into in a Burbank parking lot. “I was pretty nervous,” Nirvan admits, “Clooney passed, but later I got a dollar from a lady at the grocery store.”

After that initial encounter, Nirvan continued to improve his marketing materials and his 1 Second pitch. Hundreds more donated and soon even randomly encountered celebrities started chipping in. Christina Ricci, met on a sidewalk, donated $5.50, Spike Jonze became a $12 producer at a movie theater, and Tom Arnold gave $100 outside of the Hollywood Guitar Center.

Nirvan made a website listing the celebrity and non-celebrity producers in order of amount donated. Word spread virally, and thousands around the world began donating online. Dozens of Christina Ricci fans have since given $5.51 to be listed above the star, while comedians Tom Green ($220.00) and Andy Dick ($211.11) are engaged in an escalating battle for top billing.

After raising over $160,000 of a $1,000,000 goal, the production recently launched it’s own online social-network, giving its thousands of producers unique profiles. “Imagine if everyone on MySpace was making a movie together,” says Nirvan, “that’s the goal.  Micro-collaboration.”

“I love what these guys are doing, and the way they are doing it,” says Kiefer Sutherland, one of the film’s top Executive Producers, who recently donated $600.23 at a restaurant.

With thousands of producers, from gas-station attendants to the director of Independence Day, the film’s end credits will last an astounding 90-minutes. A star studded “making of” documentary will accompany the feature-length credits, detailing the (often absurd) adventures of bringing the world together for one-second. All profits raised by The 1 Second Film will be donated to charity.

A two second film is already in development (The 2 Second Film). For more information please visit www.the1secondfilm.com or email press@the1secondfilm.com.

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Dustin Kensure of the band Thrice is a man of the people.  Kensure is planning on donating 5% of the sales of his solo album, Please Come Home, to a non-profit organization, according to Punk News.

The organization, To Write Love On Her Arms, aims to find help for those suffering with depression, addiction, suicide and self injury.

The organization began in March of 2006 to raise money for a specific girl's treatment.



Thrice - "The Melting Point Of Wax"

I'm not a petition-kinda girl, and I don't take on that many causes, but as someone who's worked with troubled teens before, I know that saving Hopeline is VERY IMPORTANT. So please read the following blurb, taken from PunkNew.org, then visit the site to figure out (very simple) ways you can show your support.

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1-800-SUICIDE, the non-profit suicide hotline supported by the Take Action Tour is in danger of losing all federal funding. The organization has to date, accepted calls from more than two million individuals. At the heart of the issue is the confidentiality of callers; currently, the organization maintains a strict privacy policy while the government is seeking to obtain these records.

Substance Abuse & Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the federal government's Health & Human Services, has decided to create their own government-run system because that the management of 1-800-SUICIDE has refused to turn over the control of the National Hopeline Network to the government.

This is not the first attempt of the administration to influence the hotline, which earlier tried to force the charity to remove all references to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals from a recent conference as well as add session on "faith-based" suicide prevention.

The government has also not lived up to previous comittments to the charity to provide more than $266,000. Conversely, both Mike Park's Plea for Peace and Louis Posen's Take Action Tour have privately raised that amount.

For more information please visit Save1800suicide.org.