Amnesty International kept its office, which is close to the Taksim area of Istanbul, open as a safe haven for protesters escaping police violence throughout the night. Twenty doctors are currently in the office and treating injured protestors. Other civil society organizations have taken similar actions.

“Excessive use of force by police officers can be routine in Turkey but the excessively heavy-handed response to the entirely peaceful protests in Taksim has been truly disgraceful. It has hugely inflamed the situation on the streets of Istanbul where scores of people have been injured,” said John Dalhuisen, Director of Amnesty International for Europe.

Amnesty International observers at the protests witnessed the use of water cannon against peaceful protestors as well as those throwing stones at police.

The testimonies of protestors,lawyers and medical professionals at the scene and video evidence confirm this as a widespread tactic employed by the police at demonstrations continuing across central Istanbul.

According to reports, more than a thousand protesters have been injured and at least two have died.

The inappropriate use of tear gas by police has been the most devastating on the safety of demonstrators, causing an unknown number of injuries, including serious head injurieswhen the canisters hit protestors. Hundreds of empty tear gas canisters remain on the ground in areas where demonstrations are taking place.

On a number of occasions police were seen deliberately targeting individual protestors with tear gas canisters. A number of protestors are thought to have lost their sight as a result of the use of tear gas at close range.

Tear gas has also been used in confined areas where it is especially dangerous to health. In some cases tear gas was fired directly into homes and businesses that had opened their doors to fleeing protestors. Reports also state that tear gas was fired close to the entrance of Taksim Emergency Hospital, close to the sceneof many protests.

Amnesty International has received reports that some protestors detained last night were held for up to 12 hours in hot and overcrowded police vehicles without access to food, water or toilet facilities. The organization has received 49 complaints from individuals alleging ill-treatment by police against while in detention.

Amnesty International has also received information that injured demonstrators in detention and on the streets have been prevented from accessing appropriate medical care.

Lawyers told Amnesty International that injured protestors were apprehended by police and taken to policestations when they needed hospital treatment. Once in detention they could not access appropriate medical care.

“It is clear that theuse of force by police is being driven not by the need to respond to violence – of which there has been very little on the part of protesters – but by a desire to prevent and discourage protest of any kind,” said Dalhuisen.

Attempts by the Istanbul Medical Chamber to establish temporary medical facilities to treat injured protestors on the street have been hampered by the constant use of tear gas by the police in areas where demonstrations are taking place. Amnesty International was also told that police security measures have prevented many injured protestors from accessing the nearby Taksim Emergency Hospital.

Reacting to the demands for medical treatment nearby private hospitals have opened their doors to injured protestors and calls have gone out to doctors to report for work.

Despite the growing crisis Turkish authorities are showing no sign that they will change course or take the required steps to ensure the security of the demonstrators and of members of the public in general.

Amnesty International has launched an urgent call to its activists across the world to take action on Turkey. Amnesty International is calling on Turkey’s Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan to step in immediately and stop police violence. Ill-treatment on arrest and in detention must end, access to medical care must be ensured. An independent and effective investigation into the violence must be carried out together with an urgent display of attrition from the government to diffuse the crisis.

“The Turkish authoritiesmust allow peaceful protest to proceed, urgently revise police tactics and investigate – and hold accountable – those responsible for the abuses we are seeing,” said Dalhuisen.

Original article appeared on Amnesty International Online

In the heart of the debate, one of the most compelling arguments for working together to explore space, comes from that word: “Together.” What if we stopped focusing all of our energies on fighting one another and instead began pursuing larger frontiers. Did you know that they are now beginning to explore mining asteroids to provide us with precious minerals and energy resources? What if reaching out beyond earth actually helped our earth community to come together?

Below is a video of Stephen Hawking sharing his thoughts on why we should go to space. Please let us know yours! Should we fund space programs or abandon them and put the money towards society’s current needs?

Ríos Montt was convicted and sentenced to 80 years for his role as the intellectual author of the killings of 1,771 individuals and the forced displacement of tens of thousands more from the Ixil triangle region of southern Quiché department in 1982 and 1983 in the midst of Guatemala’s internal armed conflict.

General José Mauricio Rodríguez Sánchez, Ríos Montt’s head of intelligence during his time in power, was found not guilty of the same charges.

“With this conviction, Guatemala leads by example in a region where entrenched impunity for past crimes sadly remains the norm,” said Sebastian Elgueta, Guatemala Researcher at Amnesty International.

“Guatemala must now follow up on this historic moment by ensuring that all those who took part in the murder, torture, rape and disappearance of tens of thousands of people are brought to justice.”

A UN-backed truth commission found that some 200,000 people were killed or disappeared during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war (1960-1996). More than 80 per cent were of indigenous Mayan descent.

Despite recent efforts to strengthen justice and accountability for past abuses, the Guatemalan armed forces remain uncooperative when it comes to investigations of violations committed during the armed conflict.

The army continues to refuse to provide information to investigations into killings, enforced disappearances, the use of rape as a weapon of war, and other crimes committed during the conflict.

The failure to provide any documentation places a huge burden on families and victims who pursue justice, or are simply seeking to find the whereabouts of their disappeared loved ones.

“Today’s conviction should serve as a reminder to the current government of its duty to victims of the war. The President should use this opportunity to ensure genuine cooperation of the army with investigations into past crimes.”

Original article appeared on Amnesty International Online

Mid-century, troublesome invasions happened in the city because of its ideal geographical location and the country lost its status and power. Nowadays Mazar city is overpopulated and most of migrating people came back to the country, and especially to Mazar city.

The majority of the population in Mazar city is busy with agricultural tasks and the rest work in business or medicine. Nationals of the city are facing considerable challanges in their lives. For instance, they don’t have clean drinkage water, modern schools for their children or universities for their young adults, or reliable public transportation. Idleness is a problem of the young genration and there are many challenges are that poor people of Mazar city have.

Inspite of their challenges, the people of Mazar city are culturally and religiously devout. Their wedding parties, and festivals such as Naw roz, Eid and Kite flying are amazing and offer joyful fun and entertainment.

Mazar city is one of the most popular cities in the territory with a civilized, cultural and religious people. But due to three decades of war, many difficulties like poverty, security challenges, idleness and hunger stress most the nation.

ABOUT MOHAMMAD SHOAIB SABOORY

Mohammad is an Ambassador for the Universal Flag Peace Movement. He was born in Afghanistan, where he was going to school until the United Nations took action against the Talib regime, annihilated their government and brought a democratic government. Afterwards, he enrolled in Kabul University and enjoyed the student life with male and female classmates and teachers until the Taliban emerged and got the authority over the government. All of the female students, teachers and employees were suddenly urged to stay at home. So, the situation had changed to become very strict, poverty affected and all new development was stopped. These challenges pushed Mohammad to get involved as a volunteer with some developing organizations like UN and USAID until he got his Bachelors in Agriculture Sciences and began trying for a scholarship to get his Masters. Since 2009, he has been working with the Ministry of Energy and Water. Their main service is the rehabilitation of irrigation schemes, which were destroyed during three decades of war. Through everything he’s witness and experienced, Mohammad is now dedicated to combatting terrorism and bringing stability and peace. Visit our Ambassadors page here to learn more about Mohammad Shoaib Saboory.

Every one of us looks forward to see something new, aspire to change, it’s in our blood. You might or might not have realized that every single place you go to changes something in you, even if you stayed there for only a few hours. Symptoms you might have had: Sparkling eyes; racing heart beat; and a will to learn everything about this new culture. Even if it’s not abroad, somewhere not far away from you might have a world’s of difference in terms of social background. In the midst of it all, we’re all the same, faces may change, opinions may vary, and we’re all living for the same things.

There’s something that gets me so excited about traveling more than anything else. It’s the smell of each different country I go to, and by smell I mean the entire mood that it gives you. The whole experience is just so overwhelming. The first day I went to Argentina I had wide eyes of interest, so indulged into the experience that if you’d seen me then you’d think I could gulp up the whole country from my stare. I couldn’t stop talking to people, chatting with the cab driver to almost every person who comes close, throwing my “holas” here and there. As strange as it seemed to me; they were so similar to people back home that I almost felt like I was home so far from home, thousands of kilometers away.

You don’t know the importance and magnificence of TRAVEL except when you do it so NOT tourist-like! For when you are merely a tourist you only see what you are required to see, but not really experience the country. There are millions of tourists, but there are a few people who really know what it is to travel, to experience, to get so away from yourself that ironically that’s exactly when you find yourself. Every place I went to I learnt something entirely different about me. Recently, my trip to Argentina taught me that there really isn’t any time to waste in life. I’d just been a beginner with my Spanish, but I pushed myself to be involved and speak to people, sometimes I felt so excluded from some conversations and made me realize how blessed humans are to have the skill to communicate. I realized the importance of communication like no other time. Why do we sometimes shy away from conversations? Why do we exclude ourselves from communication sometimes? That’s such a simple lesson, but it gives you this strange confidence in yourself later on, trust yourself, Feel free to communicate, be there, and prove your existence.

I honestly believe that one of the important lessons I’ve learnt from traveling is that in the end, we’re all on our own in this amazing quest, strangers we might be, but it’s much more of a fulfilling quest when we communicate and become one, realize that the differences that make our DNA individuals that we are, yet indulge in other’s cultures and backgrounds. Live out the experience to its core.

By now I can hear that song “Boom de Yada” ringing in my ears
I love the mountains,
I love the clear blue skies,
I love big bridges,
I love when great whites fly,
I love the WHOLE WORLD,
And all its sights and sounds…

ABOUT SALMA EL-BANNA

Salma, whose name in Arabic means “peaceful,” is an Ambassador for the Universal Flag Peace Movement. You can learn more about her here.

I went for a walk in the Phoenix Park, Dublin’s biggest area of parkland where deer roam freely. The day was fresh with blue skies and white clouds but a sharp, cold breeze. A good day for a walk.

‘Exactly, it’s the most powerful healing time of the year. At the time of growth and renewal you should make your wishes and create the life you want,’ he said.

About Aidan Storey

Aidan Storey is a gifted Angel Therapy Practitioner, Angel Card and Soul Reader, Reiki Master Teacher, Seichem Master Teacher, psychic and spiritual healer, and bestselling author. Aidan specializes in helping people deal with issues that prevent them from enjoying enlightenment and discovering their path to fulfillment. He has become established as one of the leading psychics, Angel Therapists, and Angel Readers in Ireland, and has growing repute in the United Kingdom, Europe, the USA and Japan.

To learn more about Aidan, please visit www.AngelicIreland.com!

Like many of you, I spent the holidays with family. It’s just fascinating how the families we grew up with, and often return to around the holidays, so expertly find the buttons we were sure we’d expertly hidden that trigger us into wild, limbs-akimbo freak-out mode.

Actually, I’m pretty sure my dad has my freak-out buttons wired onto a convenient little pocket remote he keeps in his back pocket. If I’m in range, he just needs to accidentally sit on it at breakfast and I feel my blood begin to heat up.

One morning in the days before Christmas, my sister Cska burst into the guest bedroom I was sleeping in. She was on a tirade about my dad on a tirade in the kitchen. Whatever his freak out, the message didn’t clearly come through my sister, her words all jumbled and frenzied as they burst forth from her tizzied mind. It was about 10am, and although I was already awake, I had earlier decided to ease into the day and rest in bed a bit longer … until my sister crashed in on my peace.

Ahhhh, home for the holidays.

Since his children began converging on his spacious Nashville home just a few days earlier, my dad had been leaking out little complaints here and there about our sleeping, eating and hygiene habits. For most of the years I’ve known him, my dad has struggled to speak his truth in an authentic, straight-forward, loving way. Usually, critiques and complaints pop out of his mouth in the form of cynical, degrading jokes designed to tear down the world around him. It’s like he has “criticism tourette’s symdrome.” He means well and has a good heart. It just seems he knows no other way of connecting to the world around him.

So when my sister came bursting into my room, I kinda knew it was coming. I”d been experiencing a cresting wave of heat in my own belly those past few days, the familiar precursor to a confrontation with Dad. Rather than give into that heat and let it fuel my ire, however, I had simply been observing it for what it is: my own insecurity and self-doubt being tested by a man with my buttons on remote control.

Within a few seconds, I saw what was happening. My dad was going into upset in the kitchen, probably about dishes or people still sleeping (it was only 10am, and on holiday vacation, mind you). My sister had been in the kitchen when it started and obviously agreed to take on his upset. I then heard her rush into her room adjacent to mine and excitedly try to urge her boyfriend into panic. She then burst into my room, mumbling something about dad’s upset before leaving as quickly as she came.

So there I was. I caught what was happening. There was an Upset Train in motion. My dad was the conductor, my sister agreed to get on board and tried to drag her boyfriend on. Now she was urging me to buy a ticket.

Three specific reactions began to stir within me.

First, the “Upset Rebel” within began a hunger strike. “Screw that! I’ll just stay in bed longer then!” that voice demanded. “I might even stay here all day! That will show them!!” I fantasized how my sit-in – or rather my bed-in – would show my would-be oppressors that I could not be controlled.

Then my “Upset Warrior” joined the rebellion and began to sharpen his spear. I quickly saw myself jumping out of bed, running into the kitchen and triumphantly vanquishing my opponents with righteous force. I would stand boldly up to my oppressors, strong and self-determined, and psychologically slay these silly enemies before me … and I would be ruler of the world in that moment.

However, there was also a curious third voice speaking. It was far more still than the others. It suggested I just breathe. I heard the question, “what was I originally intending to do had my sister not burst in my room?” It was answered with, “it doesn’t even matter; she did burst into your room. This is the new reality now. Just breathe.”

Somehow, that third experience was in opposition to nothing. It lovingly held the warrior and the rebel; it also held my sister and my father. It even patiently held my desire to reconnect with the peaceful place I was experiencing before Cska burst into my room on The Upset Train.

Quietly, I went back to what I was doing, watching funny videos on my phone. I fed neither the desire to defy nor fight. I simply lay my head back down, let the Upset Train pass me by, and went on about my day.

A short while later, I arose and made my way out to the kitchen, calm and peaceful as could be. My sister was in front of her laptop at the dining room table. My dad was preparing some coffee. Everyone seemed fine. The Upset Train had apparently come and gone, without me ever hopping aboard.

I felt peaceful.

Yes, later that day the Upset Train came roaring back. My dad, a masterful conductor, again called for all passengers. At my side, as always, were my easily excitable warrior still sharpening his spear and that cunning rebel always going over his plans.

There was of course also that third voice, imploring me to simply breathe and stay off the train.

As my father cleverly tempted me onto the train and I dangerously toyed with sabotage and battle, I chose instead to use my spear like a machete and hack my way into the thick dangerous jungle that protects my father’s authentic truth like some long lost ancient ruin. I could faintly hear his heart’s deep wishes buried in his complaints, and I chose to open myself up to those faint whispers rather than do battle with the complaints themselves.

I’ve ridden the Upset Train enough. I’ve done enough battle. Sure, it makes me feel powerful for a time, but it alienates my father even more than he no doubt already feels, and it robs me of a relationship with him.

I can’t keep other people from jumping on board, but I can sure keep myself from taking that tumultuous ride!!

ABOUT BRYAN REEVES

Bryan Reeves manages transformational music artists and blogs about his experience at www.ManagingTheMagic.com. Bryan was once a Captain in the US Air Force before becoming the worldwide PR Spokesperson for an Oprah-endorsed human energy research company. He currently manages pop-spiritual-fusion music band HERE II HERE (www.hereiihere.com) and electro-pop artist Ash Ruiz whose hot, lyrical music raises the volume of Your True Nature (www.ashruiz.com).

On the 40th anniversary of the famous ‘Blue Marble’ photograph taken of Earth from space, Planetary Collective presents a short film documenting astronauts’ life-changing stories of seeing the Earth from the outside – a perspective-altering experience often described as the Overview Effect.

The Overview Effect, first described by author Frank White in 1987, is an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and mankind’s place upon it. Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment.

‘Overview’ is a short film that explores this phenomenon through interviews with five astronauts who have experienced the Overview Effect. The film also features insights from commentators and thinkers on the wider implications and importance of this understanding for society, and our relationship to the environment.

OVERVIEW from Planetary Collective on Vimeo.

CAST
• EDGAR MITCHELL – Apollo 14 astronaut and founder of the Institute of Noetic Sciences
• RON GARAN – ISS astronaut and founder of humanitarian organization Fragile Oasis
• NICOLE STOTT – Shuttle and ISS astronaut and member of Fragile Oasis
• JEFF HOFFMAN – Shuttle astronaut and senior lecturer at MIT
• SHANE KIMBROUGH – Shuttle/ISS astronaut and Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army
• FRANK WHITE – space theorist and author of the book ‘The Overview Effect’
• DAVID LOY- philosopher and author
• DAVID BEAVER – philosopher and co-founder of The Overview Institute
———-
Planetary Collective: planetarycollective.com/
Overview Microsite: overviewthemovie.com/
Human Suits (original score): humansuits.com/
For more information:
The Overview Institute: overviewinstitute.org/
Fragile Oasis: fragileoasis.org/

Twenty-five percent of dogs who enter local shelters are purebred

According to “Taking a Stand,” conscientious and responsible dog breeders breed “happy, healthy dogs in clean, humane conditions,” whereas puppy mills are notorious for breeding dogs in incredibly inhumane conditions. While I have no doubt at all that there are breeders who really do care about the dogs they breed and while I am 100% against puppy mills, I would have thought that the HSUS would take a stronger stance against bringing more dog beings into the world given that there are millions of dogs in shelters in the United States and about 60% of them are euthanized every year for a variety of reasons, including some dogs sadly will not be able to adjust to a high quality life in a home. Interestingly enough, about 25% of dogs who enter local shelters are purebred, so being a purebred dog doesn’t guarantee a cushy life. Furthermore, I’ve been told that 25% might be a low estimate because of the possibility that breed rescue groups adopt dogs before they are officially recorded. Be that as it may, 25% is not an insignificant number and being a purebred dog is no guarantee of a good life.

Let’s make breeding a win-win for dogs and people

It’s essential to have reasoned discussions and debates about dog breeding and not insulting exchanges, while fully recognizing that it’s highly unlikely that dog breeding will totally disappear or that breeders will be told to close shop. We need to focus on redirecting the business of dog breeding and initiate radical reform, as my colleague and fellow Psychology Today essayist Mark Derr puts it. We shouldn’t be breeding for qualities that appeal to humans but do nothing for the dogs and we surely shouldn’t be breeding dogs with anatomical, physiological, or genetic maladies that guarantee highly compromised lives, pain, suffering, and early deaths.

One might argue that the very limited and very carefully monitored breeding of “service dogs” who need to have specific skills to help the relatively few humans who need them and who will also be allowed to have high quality, good doggy lives, should be given serious consideration. Of course, dogs from shelters can also be trained to help humans who need them.

I surely cannot cover here all of the different views on this possibility or others that might favor very limited breeding, however, the vast majority of dog breeding as we know it today could easily be curtailed and reformed with no loss of dogs who suit the wide variety of people who want to share their homes with these wonderful beings. It would be a win-win for the dogs and the people involved.

BARC members fear for their jobs

In the article to which I refer, I also read that “Most of BARC’s members have asked that their names not be released, fearing publicity could cost them their positions as show judges or damage their relationships with breed groups. But McGriff says someone has to come forward, and it might as well be her; she isn’t currently showing animals or judging.” Ms. McGriff is Kathryn McGriff who breeds Clumber spaniels in the Washington, D. C. metro area. Good for her.

Don’t look to the AKC for support

While I was reading the article about conscientious and responsible dog breeding I thought that the American Kennel Club (AKC) would be a good place to look for support especially for putting an end to irresponsible breeders and puppy mills, but I was misled on this assumption. It turns out that the AKC is known to “lobby intensively against even modest improvements to the welfare of puppy mill dogs.” The AKC also “panders to the interests of large commercial breeders—who supply the bulk of its registry revenue—even though smaller-scale, high-quality breeders make up most of the organization’s membership.” You can read the HSUS’s report against the AKC here. Be aware that it will likely depress you as it did me.

While I fully understand that many people make their living by breeding dogs and that these businesses will continue to exist, I’d expect that humane societies across the board would and should very strongly urge people who really care about other animals to adopt dogs who either will be killed or live out their lives in captivity and not support the breeding of yet more dogs, at least a quarter of whom will eventually wind up in shelters anyway. I also fully realize that this essay might upset people who want purebreds from known lineages with papers, however, let me emphasize again that reasoned discussion and debate are essential given the millions of dogs who die because of the choices people make about the companion dogs with whom they wish to share their homes.

Adopting a dog from a shelter is the compassionate choice to make and I’m sure the dogs who are chosen will be forever thankful for people who make this decision. Given the millions of dogs who live and die in shelters and who desperately want and need safe homes in which to live and to thrive, breeding should be strongly curtailed and very carefully monitored. As I wrote above, this would be a win-win for the dogs and the people involved. What could be better?

Original article published in Psychology Today

ABOUT MARC BEKOFF

Marc Bekoff is a former Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. He has won many awards for his scientific research including the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Marc has written more than 200 articles, numerous books, and has edited three encyclopedias. His books include the Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare, The Ten Trusts (with Jane Goodall), the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, the Encyclopedia of Human-Animal Relationships, Minding Animals, The Emotional Lives of Animals, Animals Matter, and The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons for Increasing Our Compassion Footprint. In 2005 Marc was presented with The Bank One Faculty Community Service Award for the work he has done with children, senior citizens, and prisoners. In 2009 he became a scholar-in-residence at the University of Denver’s Institute for Human-Animal Connection and a faculty member of the Humane Society University. In 2009 he also was presented with the St. Francis of Assisi Award by the New Zealand SPCA.

The Universal Flag’s message is simple: We Are All Connected. The symbol itself pictures a rainbow enclosed in a golden circle. The color spectrum represents the chakra system common to us all and the golden circle represents our golden rule: Do unto others as you would have done unto you. The developer of the flag, Brian McClure was spiritually and intuitively guided to create a symbol that would embrace everyone and everything to remind us of life’s interconnection and interdependence.

But why do we even need a symbol like this? According to McClure, “We have almost completely removed ourselves from the natural world and are destroying it rapidly. We allow people in other countries to suffer from preventable diseases and hardships that we would never tolerate for our own families. We are out of touch with our basic humanity, with each other, and with our connection to the living, breathing mystery that we all belong to.”

The website for the Universal Flag Peace Movement proposes that it is the belief in separation – an idea that we exist apart and unrelated to the world around us – that enables human violence and greed to continue. Proponents of the movement believe the flag symbol can help shift this perception to one that acknowledges relatedness instead. The idea is that the recognition of commonality in all life forms engenders compassion and respect towards others, making global health, prosperity and peace possible.

McClure has seen this shift beginning to happen firsthand where people are taking the time to care about those around them. When he arrived in Uganda a few years ago he was ‘shell-shocked’ by what he discovered. The average life expectancy was 50 years of age, there seemed to be no orphanages to care for the thousands of parentless street children, and the majority of all the country’s children would likely never attend school. Most people he met had no idea that there was a killer disease (AIDS) ravaging their population. They were also not aware of basic sanitation that could prevent dysentery and other diseases. They lacked proper nutrition, medical and dental care, food, clean drinking water, and proper shelter. As he says, “It is a tragedy of our times that anyone is living this way.”

But he also saw the enormous difference that one man, Kayiwa Fred, was making. Kayiwa Fred was a University student in Uganda who saw the street children as part of his own family. He started Beyond Youth Sports, a green youth movement to give the street children and those who do not have the ability to ever attend school, life lessons through soccer and through planting trees. This one man was changing hundreds of lives. Kayiwa Fred immediately understood the importance of the Universal Flag and has embraced and shared it through his organization. Recently, McClure and the Universal Flag Foundation (a 501C3 nonprofit) were able to outfit Beyond Youth Sports with 100 soccer uniforms bearing the Universal Flag symbol.

One of the most recent projects McClure and the Universal Flag Peace Movement have undertaken is the opening of Pathway Connections, a child-centered day care center in Illinois, USA. The driving intention behind the curriculum is to help the children build awareness of fundamental connections between themselves and the world around them. Throughout the year, students explore the ways in which they are connected with the world: with other people (family, friends, community, different cultures), the seasons and cycles of nature, animals, plants, natural resources, and the planet.

Now that technology is making it easier than ever to learn and connect with people all over the globe – and harder than ever to forget them, many of us are gaining new exposure to the challenges that people around the world face. We stand together as a species on the brink of serious changes to our climate, resources, and political structures. Perhaps these are some of the reasons why the Universal Flag Peace Movement has been garnering more and more support. Their Facebook page, with over 55,000 Likes, is becoming a place where people of many different belief systems and cultural backgrounds come together to speak what’s in their hearts. Guest bloggers are adding their voices on the Universal Flag’s community blog. And volunteers across the globe have signed on to help spread word of the flag in whatever way they can.

The Universal Flag Peace Movement is still a grassroots endeavor that depends on everyday people in order to reach out and make the kind of impact that such a movement could make. The flag needs to be shared – a lot. It’s the kind of symbol that needs to be seen, asked about, discussed. As one proponent of the flag says, “It is the people’s symbol. When we begin to understand how much power there is in seeing our connection, we’ll be able to change the world.”