Reasons to love Android :)

We are the World - Africa and Haiti

This unbelievable song has once again been recorded to help relief pain in the world. From helping people in Africa in 1985 to it's newest recording, helping people in Haiti in 2010, it seems as fresh and relevant as always.

For Lyrics of the new version and both videos, the 1985 "We are the World for Africa" and the 2010 "We are the World for Haiti" can be found at:
http://beholders.org/good-news/suggestionoftheweek/198-wearetheword.html

Below are the lyrics to the original version:

There comes a time

When we head a certain call

When the world must come together as one

There are people dying

And it's time to lend a hand to life

The greatest gift of all

We can't go on

Pretneding day by day

That someone, somewhere will soon make a change

We are all a part of

God's great big family

And the truth, you know love is all we need

[Chorus]

We are the world

We are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let's start giving

There's a choice we're making

We're saving our own lives

It's true we'll make a better day

Just you and me

Send them your heart

So they'll know that someone cares

And their lives will be stronger and free

As God has shown us by turning stone to bread

So we all must lend a helping hand

[Chorus]

We are the world

We are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let's start giving

There's a choice we're making

We're saving our own lives

It's true we'll make a better day

Just you and me

When you're down and out

There seems no hope at all

But if you just believe

There's no way we can fall

Well, well, well, well, let us realize

That a change will only come

When we stand together as one

[Chorus]

We are the world

We are the children

We are the ones who make a brighter day

So let's start giving

There's a choice we're making

We're saving our own lives

It's true we'll make a better day

Just you and me

Better than YouTube

YouTube was created in 2005, but much like Google, it feels like it’s been around forever. We post our videos on YouTube, look for some silly entertainment during boring afternoons and send videos along to friends much like old ladies used to spread gossip around town not very long ago. But should you be limited to YouTube?

Let’s be honest, there is a whole world of streaming video online that most people have never seen because they have settled for YouTube.

Most sites have the same features, or features even better than YouTube has and some have a more specialized selection or much higher quality videos.

So here is a small sample of video sites you should check out that many people feel are better than YouTube.
Check out my article at:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/top-12-sites-watch-videos-youtube/

10 Free Joomla Extensions You Can’t Live Without

Joomla is one of the most popular Content Management Systems (CMS) in the world, used in over 30 million sites, with over 200,000 community users and endless amounts of extensions. There are extensions for almost every purpose: social networking, advanced comment services, checkout services, easy-to-setup photo albums, the list is endless.
So how do you sort through all of them to find those that can really improve your visitors’ experience?
Click below for some of the free Joomla extensions you shouldn’t be without:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/10-free-joomla-extensions-live/

Our Wish for you... That you keep on moving...

Happy Holidays :)

Another 9/11

I have found myself dreading the acknowledgement that it is again 9/11 for many reasons. Partly because it's a reminder of such a terrible tragedy, though I feel it is necessary to be reminded of those who died that day with a sense of respect and wishes for those left behind, who, because of the media attention, won't be able to pretend today is just another day like any other.
The second reason is because it reminds me of how the Bush administration has used all that suffering for its own benefit and has, as a result, caused twice as many deaths of Americans and an incredible number of civilian deaths. The justification for this atrocity is so beyond my comprehension I decided to just let the numbers speak for themselves.

Number of deaths 9/11 2001 = 2,993
Number of deaths of American soldiers in Iraq as of today = 4,261
Number of Iraqi deaths (mostly civilians) as of today = 101,539

Then how is one to face yet another 9/11? I decided to just allow myself to be reminded of how we felt then, when compassion from others for the violence we had suffered and a deep sense that killing people unjustifiably was an unreasonable and vicious act was the focus. When we couldn't imagine causing those deaths ourselves. Who knew what was to come...

David Letterman's words that day. A rare and raw moment of humanity in american television:

Tay Zonday, underdog conquers obstacles

Tay is one of those unique musicians that would never have been considered "cool enough" for most music companies. Well, the power of the internet has showed its face because he is becoming an overnight sensation. His unique style, unique voice, and, gee, unique everything else has given him a cult following.

Michael Jackson in Brazilian slum

Michael Jackson singing "They don't really care about us" with a school of samba in one of Brazil's largest slums.

Why do people care that Michael Jackson has died?

It is during a time like this, when a huge celebrity dies, when people are gathering on the streets and crying over the loss that makes us all wonder why. Why do people care that much? Why is it that all the media outlets that constantly used him as a way of making money by pointing every single flaw, now treat him like a dear lost friend? The answer is simple:

There is one thing this culture enjoys more than making idols, and that is to destroy them, and it's particularly successful at that. Truth is, we will never know for sure what Michael Jackson did, what he didn't do. Is it possible that he's done a lot of harm? Of course it is, but we simply don't know. It is also very possible he paid people off for knowing he would have never had a chance in court. His weird behavior had been reported by the media for years and had become a joke of sorts. He exposed himself and his flaws in the most human of ways, and yet, people stopped looking at him as a human being, a child prodigy who was made even more flawed by living such a surreal life. People forget that behind the shiny gloves and the dance moves, was someone's child, someone's parent, someone's friend and that some basic human courtesy is due.

What cannot be denied is that he was the creator of the songs that permeated millions of lives. To me, he represents kids dancing on the streets while we tried to copy Thriller, dance parties and dressing up with a single shiny glove and having people think that was cool. Wondering what moves he'd come up with and understanding we could have never guessed.

He was absolutely unique. Not thinking and behaving like everyone else is what made him so brilliant, even if that is what made him lose his boundaries later in life.

"We are the World" was my first exposure to the fact that children were hungry in places other than Brazil and that solving it at home was not enough. "Beat it" showed homeless kids in the streets of Brazil that they could dance like "Makel"( how they called him) and make enough to have a few meals and have people actually clap and sing along instead of pretending they didn't exist. People all over the world have stories, moments in their lives and reasons to associate them with one of his songs and the wonder that it just seemed soooo perfect at the time.

That joy and that talent is what people are mourning. It is sad to know we will never see that talent in action again. RIP, Michael. It's about time...

Amazing follow up on Filipino singer, Charise Pempengco.

First saw this filipino girl sing when she was 12 years old doing a crazy Korean talent show and she blew me away. Few people can sing with their whole soul no matter how old they are. Amazingly she is even better today, at 16!!!

Below, Charise today with lyrics to her new song: Note to God.

It is our turn. Help president Barack Obama. Service is the way to change things.

Yes, we can...make history. Obama wins.

November 4th, 2008 will be known to history as the day Americans woke up from a dark, greedy, ignorant, aggressive, selfish, destructive, war loving and uneducated view of the world to a time of moderation, unity, intelligence, diversity and yes, major change.

As I walked down the street, shortly after the announcement that the African American Barack Hussein Obama (yes, even with a name like that) had been elected president of the United States, restaurants and bars exploded with cheer, people screamed Obama and honked their horns on the streets. Millions country wide felt a need to gather in public places and filled Times Square, national parks and surrounded the White House.
One stranger looked at me after I screamed Obama and said, "I am walking to Times Square. Who's with me?" And about 200,000 were there that night, with him. People of all races, all faiths, all social economic status were there to prove that what had separated us for so long had begun to finally crumble, not just in theory, but in a presidential election. Complete strangers gave me high fives when they recognized that my smile mirrored their own relief. And oh, so many of us cried tears of joy at the knowledge that a new era had begun, and that it had been brought about by people who had finally united to say ENOUGH...

Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom for a revolution to happen and we'd been on the bottom for a while now. So now that the air feels lighter, and the world seems to once again be celebrating something American, what has really changed?

The basics are obvious. Obama has built his campaign on reform of the economy, so it benefits people, not large corporations. On health care reform, so people won’t die from lack of treatment in a country as rich as this one. On immigration reform, so those who are working the hardest jobs in this country will have a chance to do so legally and contribute with taxes. On international reform, so the rest of the world stops fearing that the USA will continue to bully smaller countries to take their resources and attack without provocation, which should bring more stability and less aggressive behavior against America, as well as reducing the number of unnecessary deaths of young American people who have been sent abroad under false pretenses. And also on the constitutional values that we are all created equal and should have the same rights, no matter what your race, religion or sexual preference.

It is also all about small, but major steps. It started early in the day, with the excitement brewing just beneath the surface, when I heard a teenage African American girl talking to a friend and saying "I think I could be a good politician. I care about injustices and my teacher says I am a really good debater."
That seems like a simple small comment, but embedded in it is the transition from the victimized, angry position which some African Americans have found themselves, to the knowledge that.. "Yes, you can.", and if you think the color of your skin is the reason not to try, look at your president. For once, the example African American youth will see are not drug dealers on tv shows and video games and rappers with women shaking their bodies to them and giant diamond jewelry with references to violence and crime, but a Harvard educated, gracious and centered minded man, who has at his side an equally educated, intelligent and independent woman. A man who cares about his family and who happens to have become the president of the United States, against all odds. Her comment also shows another change, the thought that politicians can be there to HELP people. Something we haven't seen in about 8 years.

Talking to another teenage friend, one who had traveled, called and knocked on doors during this campaign, I was moved by one of her comments. She said “In all of my life, this is the first time I have something good I can tell my children I've been part of. So far it has only been tragedies... Bush president, 9/11, wars, Tsunami, Katrina... This is the happiest thing I've ever been a part of." She is one of many teenagers I know who traveled from NYC to Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, not because their parents went, but because they wanted their voices heard, even if they couldn't vote. And their voices were loud, determined and demanding a better future. Young people made this election a success because they haven't learned to be cynical and hopeless yet. Now there is hope that they never will.

So here we are. In the same country that "elected" Bush for the second time only four years ago, with an African American president with a weird name. With young people participating in politics and people celebrating a new elected president with complete strangers.

As a poster seen on tv from the coverage in Chicago said:
“Hold on people. Help is on the way. Obama is president...”



The numbers are below:
By winning 52 percent of the popular vote, Barack Obama joined the ranks of FDR and LBJ in being the only Democratic presidents to get more than 51 percent of the popular vote in the past 100 years.
52.3% of the popular vote to McCain's 46.2%
349 of the electoral votes, to McCain's 159
18% of the voters were aged 18-29. 66% of them voted for Obama
1 in 10 voters were voting for the first time.
13% of the voters were African American. 96% of them voted for Obama.
77% of the Jewish vote
%55 percent of young white voters supported Obama. No Democratic president in history has won more than 45% of young white.
67% of the Hispanic vote

The girl who silenced the world

It's very rare for me to be moved by a Youtube video. This one made me cry...

The Universe: A terrestrial perspective

Elections, mortgage payments, war and earthquakes, even celebrity gossip and the new fad diet.. they all keep us focused on the our lives and a very limited and small section of this great whole we belong to. But then, once in a while, human ingenuity comes up with a tool that reminds us of just how small we are in relation to the big picture and how even smaller our little bickerings seem from a different perspective.

This time, the tool came from big, old Microsoft, and it came to make a statement. I am a long time Google fan, and was excited to try Google Sky when they launched it, but the usages of the tool are limited and clunky. In a beautiful competitive move, Microsoft came up with World Wide Telescope ( yes, terrible title. They still need a lot of help with marketing), which happens to be one of the most user friendly and interactive tools around, sure to please kids curious about the universe and scientists alike. The software, which can be downloaded for free from:
http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/
not only allows for the exploration of the universe from different satellite collections and perspectives, but also has a library of guided tours where professors, cosmologists and even curious amateurs can post their "tours" so you can learn about the universe from different minds all over the world.

Microsoft research, this humble geek with a penchant for quantum physics and cosmology thanks you... Let's see if Google can up the ante.

Our brothers and sisters in Myanmar (Burma) and China

It has been a difficult month for millions across the world. Besides all of the issues already happening, there have been 2 major natural disasters.
First, Cyclone Nargis hits Myanmar and death tolls can reach as many as 100 000 and as many as 2 million people could be homeless. Not much later China suffers it's largest earthquake in 30 years and as many as 10000 people were killed in a province of just over 160000. it is believed that at least 900 of them were students buried when their schools collapsed.Our thoughts, prayers and wishes for some peace are with the victims and their families.
..
Help Children in Myanmar (Burma)

Another stupid video worth sharing. Two Chinese Boys at their best.

For those who don't know, "2 Chinese Boys" have a series of internet stupid videos that have become a sensation in China. They even do live performances now. Below is one of their videos.

Why are the Tibetans protesting? And what you can do to help.

Over 1.2 million Tibetans have been killed by the Chinese government.

6000 monasteries were destroyed. And the tortures, killings and human rights violations continue. After 50 years, and watching their monks being beaten and arrested for a peaceful protest people revolted.

Learn more at: http://www.wearetibet.org/

Sign our petition at: http://www.petitiononline.com/003/petition.html

Because there are times when we all need to laugh...

I received the text below from a mass mailing, and usually I just delete them, but I was actually tempted to pass this one along, and decided I should post it here instead:

Spread the Stupidity

Only in America ......do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America ......do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Only in America ......do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America ......do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America ......do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America ......do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

Only in America ... ...do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

EVER WONDER .... Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin ?

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes?

Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

Now that you've smiled at least once, it's your turn to spread the stupidity and send this to someone you want to bring a smile to (maybe even a chuckle)...in other words, send it to everyone. We all need to smile every once in a while.

Steven Spielberg pulls out of Olympics in protest at China’s policy on Darfur

Recent news show that at least some of the entertainment heavyweights still put values ahead of profit. The Chinese communist regime is responsible for the murder of 1.2 million Tibetans, the destruction of 6000 monasteries of for on-going torture and imprisonment of Tibetans who are trying to retain their freedoms. They are now prohibited from having a religion, from saying the name of or carrying images of the Dalai Lama. Most of their cultural and societal traditions have been banned and those who try to escape into India, where they can ask for exile, get shot by Chinese guards.
China has also been trying to destroy any signs of the Tibetan culture in an attempt to eradicate their identities so that any claims to freedom can disappear forever. it is currently almost impossible to find Tibetan speakers in Lhasa (the capital of Tibet) and polution and overpopulation are dripping from China into Tibet.

It is no surprise that there would be reluctance from the Chinese regime to interfere in other human rights issues. But it is important to maintain international pressure for a needed change in their policies. .

Below is an excerpt of an article on Spielberg's decision written by Philip Stephens.:


SMALL tremors sometimes foreshadow bigger shocks. Few people will have known before last week that Steven Spielberg — he of Jaws, Jurassic Park, ET and other Hollywood epics — was to lend his creative talents to the Beijing Olympics.
Of itself, his withdrawal on grounds of conscience scarcely registers on the Richter scale. Spielberg’s protest, though, is not without significance. It maps out uncomfortable terrain for China that reaches well beyond the choreography of this summer’s Olympic ceremonies.
Spielberg concluded that Beijing had not deployed sufficient influence to help bring a halt to the killing in the Sudanese province of Darfur. China is Sudan’s most important economic partner. It has invested heavily in its energy industry and buys most of its oil. In Spielberg’s view — one shared, incidentally, at the United Nations (UN) — it could apply much more pressure on Khartoum.
The Sudanese regime has obstructed all efforts by the international community to bring an end to the terror wrought in Darfur by the so-called Janjaweed militias. Only last week fighting spilled over into neighbouring Chad. Sudan has blocked the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force. China is the only big power with real leverage.
Spielberg is far from alone in his disquiet. The actress Mia Farrow has led a celebrity campaign labelling this summer’s event the “genocide Olympics”.
A clutch of Nobel peace laureates have added their voices to the protest, writing to Hu Jintao, the Chinese president.
These gestures are keenly felt. The Olympics have been planned meticulously to showcase China’s rise. Beijing expects the games to confer the prestige and respect it considers its due as a fast-emerging global power. Boycotts and protests over Darfur — alongside separate calls for China to loosen its grip on Tibet — provoke a mixture of anger and angst.

WHAT IS GOD?

So I've been writing in too many different places to update my own blog. Dreadful, I know, but figured if I at least link to some of the articles it will be one step in the right direction.

I've had so many things to write about. The vicious attacks on the Burmese monks, Bhutto's assassination, the american elections.It all just seemed too overwhelming to write a small post about, so I ended up writing long dissertations in other places. The New York International Fringe Festival (FringeNYC) came and went and I didnt manage to write one word about it...

I figured that I should at least link to my newest articles since so many people have been writing to me to ask what I think of the new anti-religion movements.So my reply is below:

What is the true core of every religion? What is God?
by Taty

Anticipating the angry emails I ask you to please use the forum at that site for any replies. I will not be responding to personal emails.

Peace