The music and beautiful animal imagery makes me heart swell a little more each time I watch the trailer DisneyNature’s Earth (so even thought Andy posted an Earth trailer back in April, I’m going to post it again!)

Although I know the specific music (or something very similar) has been used in another film/trailer (maybe many?) and I can’t put my finger on it and it’s killing. Help?! I’m so close and I can’t figure it out…

Also, takepart to learn more about DisneyNature!

How many times have you watched the news and felt helpless as to what hardships are occurring our world? Well now CNN isn’t just presenting the news, its also presenting ways to
takepart with their ‘Impact Your World’ project. ‘Impact’ buttons on selected CNN.com stories link audiences to resource pages where they can help charitable organizations in categories including Refugees & Homelessness,Poverty,Health, Children, Animals, and Natural Disasters.

For example the heartbreaking story of Afghanistan’s children working the streets for basic survival (Watch the video by clicking here) links to the Aschiana Foundation where you can takepart improve the lives of the street children in Kabul and elsewhere in Afghanistan.

‘Impact Your World’ will also link viewers and readers to support individual causes (ie: a family trying to recover from fire damage).

I love that more and more newsy sources (ahem like this blog you’re reading right now connects concerned readers with Take Part links) are using the power of increased technology to increase awareness and make a difference. News is no longer passive.

Get more info on CNN’s ‘Impact Your World’ program at http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/

Yay! New emoticons on google. This is a nice way to brighten up a Friday morning. I only hope they become available in gchat as well!

So this get me thinking…What would social action emoticons look like?

A picket sign?

Read the rest of this entry »

You like animals, right?  I thought so.   Well, I’ve got good news and bad news on that front.   The good news is, animals still exist.   The bad news is, maybe not for very long.   A new report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (I.U.C.N.) tells us that 1 in 4 mammals are threatened with extinction, and 1 in 3 amphibians are either threatened with extinction or already extinct.

The causes of the extinction threat are things we’ve heard before - habitat loss, hunting, and climate change.   And though there have been modest improvements here and there in revitalizing species, Jan Schipper, the director of global mammal assessment (actual job title) for the I.U.C.N. has this to say

Although 5 percent of mammals are recovering, what we observe are rates of habitat loss and hunting in Southeast Asia, Central Africa and Central and South America that are so serious that the overall rate of decline has steadily increased during the past decade, Mr. Schipper said.

So five percent up, 25 percent down.   Not exactly great progress.

Read the rest of this entry »

The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is now here to give you the very best of Katie, Nicole, Giulia, Gina and Kerry! If you worry about missing your favorite bloggers’ posts as they push their way down the page each and every week - Never Fear! Check out our most popular posts of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites.

Katie:

Woody Guthrie: This Grammy Is Your Grammy / This Grammy Is My Grammy

Rambo Fights for Burma’s Freedom + 5 Steps You Can Take To Help Burma In 5 Minutes

* * *
Nicole:

“Yes We Can” Obama Music Video a Unique Celebrity Endorsement

Top 10 US Grant, Scholarship and Fellowship Awarding Foundations

* * *
Giulia:

Ba-Da-Bling Commercials Pulled in New York

“Safe Sex or No Sex” Shirts Get Teens Suspended

* * *
Gina:

10 Internet Videos Featuring Celebrities Advocating For A Cause

Close Up: An Introduction to Iranian Cinema and Cinematic Rainbows

* * *
Kerry:

Sheryl Crow’s Apocalyptic Peak-Oil Song

Solar Powered Soldiers Wear Uniforms with Built-In Batteries

Thanks to Care2, a social network website that connect activists from around the world, you can donate to great causes without paying a cent. All you have to do is click on a mouse and you can make a difference. With each click, one of the advertisers on the care2.com website will make a donation towards your cause. (And don’t worry. These advertisers are eco/ human rights/ social justice friendly.) So and support these great causes! It’s easy, effortless, free, and helps the world! What could better?

1) To Stop Global Warming! Carbon, and other greenhouse gases, released into the air by power plants and cars contribute to global warming. Click here and you will be paying for the removal of one pound of CO2 from the atmosphere

2. for the rain forests, which create oxygen and and keep our ecology healthy and in balance. Click here to help the Nature Conservancy save square feet of this dwindling natural habitat!

3. to protect our seals! More than 319,000 harp seals will be clubbed or shot to death this year in Canada. Click here to support the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) TV campaign against this cruel and inhumane hunt.

4. to protect our oceans from pollution, protect whales, dolphins, turtles and otters from slaughter, protect the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and protect yourself from ingesting dangerous levels of mercury? Click here help Oceana save our oceans, our animals and ourselves.
5. for primates. Click here to save chimpanzees, gorillas, and other primates and to support the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife, Research, and Education