~ Ellen Goodman
I dont plan on being normal...ever
Get Unfluenced!!!
Diego Stocco - Music From A Tree from Diego Stocco on Vimeo.
Now this is going green musically...
Dude is talented and creative...Get Unfluenced!!!
Forever's Not So Long from garrettmurray on Vimeo.
What would you do?
Who would you spend it with?
Get Unfluenced!!
Jan 14 2010 3:14 PM EST
According to Albe Angel, CEO of Miami-based Give on the Go, the mobile communications company working with Yele Haiti to coordinate donations, the organization has raised over $1 million for relief efforts since the earthquake. Yele's goal is to up that figure to $1 million a day as part of the SMS fundraising drive.
"Since the disaster occurred around 5 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday and [by] midnight [Wednesday] we cleared $1 million," said Angel, whose company provides the technology that allows mobile users to make an automatic $5 donation. Give on the Go has announced that 100 percent of the donations raised will go directly to Yele Haiti. More than 200,000 people have donated to the cause, and Angel said he thinks it's possible that the $1 million per day goal could be reached, given the volume of donations that have been coming in. "These types of donations really were spawned by the [2004] tsunami relief effort, and the $1 million that Yele has raised already is a watershed event."
Wyclef is not the only celebrity who has stepped up to aid the cause. The Jolie-Pitt Foundation, founded by Angelina Jolie and partner Brad Pitt, has pledged $1 million to the emergency medical operations of Doctors Without Borders.
"It is incredibly horrible to see a catastrophe of this size hit a people who have been suffering from extreme poverty, violence and unrest for so many decades," Jolie said in a statement on Wednesday.
Relief efforts have spawned Facebook and Twitter users to take action, and a number of other celebrities have joined in the fight to send urgently needed supplies to the impoverished Caribbean nation, including Alyssa Milano, Olivia Wilde, LL Cool J, Jessica Alba, Demi Moore and Joel and Benji Madden.
On Thursday, President Obama pledged $100 million in aid from the U.S. The United Nations also announced that $10 million would go to relief efforts in Haiti, while the World Bank pledged $100 million
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village. An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long," answered the Mexican.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch. With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
"And after that?" asked the Mexican.
"With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my friend, that's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start buying and selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" asked the Mexican.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
And the moral of this story is: ......... Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.
Get Unfluenced
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Along a central walkway on Purdue University’s campus, two students are on a crusade to make people happy.
To a passing guy dressed in Purdue sweats they say, “Love your school spirit.”
To the woman carrying the trendy black bag: “Very nice purse.” “It’s very large.”
And for the student who ran past them in knee-high leather boots: “I like your hustle.” “I like your boots, too.”
Tired of people being so down in the dumps amid the worst economy in decades, sophomores Cameron Brown and Brett Westcott—better known as the “Compliment Guys”—have taken it upon themselves to cheer up the campus.
From 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. every Wednesday, they stand outside the chemistry building in the shadow of the university’s Bell Tower with their “Free Compliments” sign. They’re there in the rain. In the snow. And this week when the windchill made it feel like 10 degrees.
They come across as fashion commentators, stand-up comedians and guys you’d invite to your keg party.
“People ask us if we are part of a frat or if it’s a psychology experiment,” Brown said. “We are here for no other reason than we like to give compliments.”
At a time when students are struggling to afford tuition, graduating seniors can’t get jobs, and organic chemistry exams are as unpleasant as ever, it seems almost unbelievable that Brown and Westcott could be genuinely upbeat. They’ve been asked, skeptically, over and over, why they’re doing it.
“I honestly can’t tell you what drove me to give people free compliments,” said Westcott, 19, a civil engineering student from southwest suburban Plainfield. “Just overall, making people’s day is really satisfying. … Not enough people do nice things anymore.”
The duo fire off the compliments so quickly that an attempt to count a minute’s worth was unsuccessful. There were at least 40. They liked headphones. Bikes. Gloves, earmuffs and scarves. A floral backpack. And even a lanyard.
Get Unfluenced!!!