LOVE ANGELES

The Next Four Years (Video)

Falling Whistles

Falling Whistles began as a small story exposing our world's largest war. It has become a campaign for peace in Congo.

Less than a year ago, laying in Titu Prison, 5 boy-prisoners spoke of the whistleblowers.

Abducted in Congo and too small to carry a gun, boys were given merely a whistle and sent to the front lines of battle.

The sound of their whistles calling together was meant to frighten the enemy away. Failing that, their sole duty was to receive the bullets with their bodies.

With falling whistles, their only choice was to feign death, or face it.

The world is changed by those who speak up. Whistleblowers. Rarely understood in their time, history looks back and calls them courageous.

Make their weapon your voice and be a whistleblower for peace.

Proceeds from whistles sales help restore the lives of war-affected children.

Buy a whistle, support the movement: www.fallingwhistles.com/

Falling Whistles - Be a Whistleblower for Peace in Congo from Falling Whistles on Vimeo.

Barry Blanchard Puts the Active in 'Activist'

Source: Patagonia - “I think that we need a cultural/social shift in our approach to life. Poverty isn't the problem, affluence is. Most of us need to get our own houses in order to live less consumptive lives and choose ‘less/cleaner/more-efficient’ every time we make a decision.”

Barry is one of our first ambassadors and member of our R&D team. Described as the "Bonatti of the Rockies," and Canada's greatest alpinist, the Canmore-based writer and photographer spends his time romping around the globe in search of adventure on high alpine faces. Barry has been featured ice climbing in the IMAX Extreme film and Vertical Limit. His exploits include the first ascent of the epic North Pillar of North Twin, first ascents in winter on the north faces of Les Droites and two successful expeditions to Mt. Everest. In 2002 he opened a new route on the Emperor Face of Mt. Robson. It was Barry's seventh start over many years, and partners Eric Dumerac and Philippe Pellet insisted on the name Infinite Patience (VI, WI5, M5, 5.9). In addition to recent routes on the southwest face of East Kahiltna Peak, the southeast ridge of Mt. Asperity and the north face of Bravo Peak, Barry lists as one of his, and wife Catherine’s, greatest accomplishments the birth of their daughter Rosemary in November 2004.

“My fight, right now, is with my provincial government, the Progressive Conservative Party of Alberta. There are now about 700 grizzly bears left in Alberta, a number below the threshold 1,000 needed to keep a species viable. Despite recommendations from the governments own biologists, and a strongly worded letter signed by 16 leading North American bear experts, my Premier, the right honorable Ralph Klein, and his ministers refuse to list the grizzly as a threatened species and continue to allow an annual hunt for the heads and pelts! After seeing the amount the public and scientific community opposing this policy I can only conclude that there is a ruling (which should be a serving) attitude of arrogance at work here.

“I value the great bear personally because when I am in the bear's domain, which is almost all of the area that I approach climbs through in Western Canada in spring, summer and fall, I know that the bear is, or may be, out there, and that I have to announce my presence. I am lesser than the bear. Any humility that I, and by extension we, can gain is a good thing because I know that my species is far, far, too arrogant; and that is definitely a bad thing.

“Through the Patagonia Ambassador program I have been asking for donations to Wildcanada.net, instead of admission, at a number of public mountaineering slideshows that I present. I raise money, talk to people and actively campaign for the protection of grizzly bears in Alberta. I do not want to live in a Canadian Rockies absent the great bear.”

Some of Barry’s most recent projects include:
2002, Spring - attempt on the South Face of Nuptse in true alpine style.
2002, October - opened a new route on the Emperor Face of Mt Robson
after his seventh start. "My partners, Eric Dumerac and Philippe Pellet, insisted that we name the route Infinite Patience."
2004, May - variation the Callis/Kennedy route on the Southwest face of
the East Kahiltna Peak called Homage to Pat (as in Callis).
2005, April/May - ascents of the Southeast ridge of Mt. Asperity and North
Face of Bravo Peak, Waddington Range, BC.

Jessica Biel, Emile Hirsch Take on Mt. Kilimanjaro to Raise Awareness

Source: USA Today - Enduring cold, little sleep, and, now, a blizzard, actors Jessica Biel and Emile Hirsch join United Nations Foundation exec Elizabeth Gore and others on a most challenging quest to reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak.

The reason for this extreme adventure?

To raise awareness and funds for the global clean water crisis (over 1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water) says Biel in an interview with People magazine:

"Meeting the people and community in Tanzania … has been an invaluable and eye-opening experience for me," Biel says after landing there Tuesday. "My hope is that others will be inspired to find ways that they can help; starting simply in their homes and continuing to other parts of the world. We are all in this together."

To follow their expedition and support the cause with a donation of water, visit www.summitonthesummit.com.

Love Project

Source: Love Project - "On December 7th, 2009 [the same day we celebrated Papa's life] at 1:30pm GMT Starbucks invited musicians from all over the world to sing together at the same time to raise awareness for AIDS in Africa. In that one breathtaking moment, musicians from 156 countries played "All You Need is Love" together. Watch now, as musicians from all around the world come together and share a song.

Join in by lending your own voice to StarbucksLoveProject.com Watch streaming video from countries around the world and then join in by singing All You Need is Love yourself. For each video submitted, Starbucks will make a contribution to the Global Fund to help fight against AIDS in Africa. You can also help increase the Starbucks contribution to the Global Fund by submitting a drawing to the Love Gallery.

The global sing-along is part of our continuing efforts to help fight AIDS in Africa. In just one year in partnership with (RED)™, Starbucks has generated money equivalent to more than 7 million days of medicine to help those living with HIV in Africa."