Actor/Comedian Jim Carrey (playing Scrooge in the new film version of A Christmas Carol) can polarize opinions with his extreme physicality and antics, but you cannot find fault with his commitment to charitable causes. Carrey has a new personal website (www.jimcarrey.com) that raises the bar for interactive bells and whistles (and takes a long time to load). The most interesting part of this ethereal site (home page pictured above) is the link to Carrey’s Better U Foundation, a wonderful charity with a true invitation for getting involved in the lives of others, recognizing that we are at our best when we are reaching out. The particular issues being undertaken at this time include autism (Carrey and his wife, actress/comedienne Jenny McCarthy, have a son working through autism and are empowering activists in the cause), safe water (advocating the simple affordable and lifesaving use of LifeStraw, a personal water purifier that anyone anywhere can use and can transform global health), food security (an eco-friendly program to increase rice crops and feed millions more people each harvest), mobility for the disabled (creating affordable, simple wheelchairs), and human rights (calling for international action on global humanity issues).
As we round the bend toward the holidays, look for ways in your own life to embrace the season of generosity, and take a page from this Ebenezer Scrooge’s book.
I’ve got a thing about polar bears…not the animated googly ones on Coca-Cola holiday commercials, but the real deal. I know they may have a different thing for me if we were ever to meet (like seeing a big, neon, EAT AT JOE’S sign and arrow over my head), but I find them stunning and mysterious…and their plight is devastating.
Hurtigruten, an expedition cruising and sailing company, voyages with their clients to some of the most remote destinations in the world like Antarctica (top of my own, personal bucket list), Greenland, and through the Arctic Circle. They’ve just announced a new “Climate Pilgrimage” expedition that takes you to the front lines of climate change research in the Arctic.
The cruise company prioritizes education and exploration and passengers are immersed in culture, geography, history, botany, and wildlife on all of their trips, and this 11-day excursion has a volunteer component as well. You’ll venture to Northern Norway and the Arctic island of Spitsbergen on the state-of-the-art, polar-ready MS Fram, and you’ll visit research stations, track wildlife, participate in field studies, and meet with top researchers. The May 29, 2010 departure is priced from $4,823 to $9,516 per person, double.
The trip description: The first two days are spent in Norway’s Tromso, visiting the Polar Environmental Centre, where climate scientists discuss the task at hand and the status of the research being done. A stop in Europe’s northernmost cities, Honningsvag, includes a visit to the North Cape Plateau, and a stop at Gjesvaerstappan – a unique bird cliff where the Norwegian Polar Institute has done research on a host of seabirds including puffins, gannets, auks and guillemots.
The remainder of the trip is spent exploring the remote Arctic island of Spitsbergen where polar bears, Svalbard reindeer, Arctic foxes, whales, walruses, and ringed and harp seals and dozens of other animals and migratory birds still roam the stunning landscapes of their natural habitat — a natural classroom to learn about and see the effects of climate changes. On Bjornoya (Bear Island), participants observe the changes to bird habits at one of the largest concentrations of seabirds in the Northern Hemisphere. Research in Hornsund, Spitsbergen’s most southern fjord, includes polar bears and the feeding grounds of auks, while in Bellsund, guests learn about the phenomenon call surging glaciers. Ny Alesund has been the jump off point for several historic attempts to reach the North pole – Amundsen, Ellsworth and Nobile are some examples of explorers. Guests will explore a large glacier front and possibly enjoy an Arctic beer at one of the world’s northernmost pubs.
The warming of the Arctic now allows vessels to cross the 80th parallel – something not possible less than 20 years ago. Walruses, whales and polar bears rule this region and the MS Fram will treat guests to a close look at the marginal ice-zone and its large yearly variations. The final two days are spent exploring Isfjorden, Spitsbergen’s largest fjord system, observing giant bird cliffs, and visits to the University Centre of Svalbard and Svalbard Museum in Spitsbergen’s capital town of Longyearben.
November, being many things, is also National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. As the weather turns cold, finding a little extra warmth in life is a good thing. As anyone who has ever had a loved one with Alzheimer’s knows, during a long portion of the insidious progress of the syndrome, daily reminders can bring back portions of or entire memories. To help, in many assisted living facilities, personal effects and mementos are placed conspicuously around patients’ rooms. A glance over at a portrait from a wedding or school photos of grandchildren…a vase or piece of artwork with sentimental value–each of these can trigger memories.
In addition to the patients themselves, it is important for caregivers and volunteers to also have memory cues that can be brought up in conversation. A new volunteer asking, “What’s that a picture of?” can actually befuddle a bit more…but if you already have some background to go along with the memory cue, you can generate a new and illuminating conversation.
Advance Comfort has designed new wall posters and bedside easels with photos, names, and important details about lved ones or important events that visitors and caregivers can share with patients on a daily basis. Waterproof and durable, these are Cliff’s Notes for the important elements of life. Information is right there at the bedside instead of at a nurse’s station or office. It makes volunteering with seniors so much more personal and personable, and can bring a little more light into a day.
Cruise down the freeway in Los Angeles or look along some New York roadsides, and you’ll see signs saying that this particular stretch of road is cleaned and maintained by Bette Midler. I’ll have to say I was pretty doubtful that Bette, well meaning as I’d always heard she was, would actually ever be out there with her Hefty bag and gloves grabbing up cigarette butts and Dr. Pepper cans. Now I know better–her commitment to the greening of the places she calls home is almost unparalleled. Bette’sNew York Restoration Project(about which I’ve blogged before) is a hugely important player in the greening of the Big Apple. So many people find the inspiration to get involved due to her star power and name…and now she’s gathering, ohhh, about a hundred or so of her most famous friends, to up the ante.
Ms. Midler has pulled together an ONLINE CHARITABLE AUCTION at CHARITYFOLKS.COM to raise funds for NYRP. Once in a lifetime opportunities to meet and hang out with celebs are being auctioned to the highest charitable bidders. Some of the opportunities of which you can avail yourself (and feel good about being philanthropic and making New York better for everyone) include:
· Sit front row at Bette Midler’s Las Vegas show and meet her backstage
· Lunch with Richard Branson during your week-long getaway at Necker Island
· Lunch with Jann Wenner – Founder & Publisher of Rolling Stone Magazine
· Private tennis lesson with John McEnroe
· Walk on Role with Steve Carell and Paul Rudd in “Dinner for Schmucks”
· Meet Daniel Craig with house seats to A Steady Rain on Broadway
· Meet John Stamos backstage at Bye Bye Birdie
· Spend a Day in the Studio with Legendary Musician Jackson Browne
· Meet Robin Williams with VIP tickets to his NYC stand-up show
· Meet Cher with VIP tickets & backstage passes to her Las Vegas show
· Meet John Mayer at one of his concerts along with VIP tickets
· Intern at Rolling Stone Magazine – the ultimate source for music & pop-culture
· Walk-on Role & Lunch on Set of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The auction is live until Friday the 13th (November 13, 2009) at www.charityfolks.com, highlights from the fabulous 100 lot auction include:
One of the most regal creatures I’ve had the great good fortune to be near is a whale shark. Yesterday was a day of snorkeling in the Maldives on a whale shark excursion. The whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean–up to 60 feet long–and they are gentle vegetarians, straining massive amounts of water through their gill system for plankton.
The Maldives is one of the rare areas on the planet with a year round population of whale sharks–most migrate great distances and are constantly on the move. Because of this, the area is also one of the premier research regions for the “threatened” (but not yet officially endangered) species. The only real predators they have are, of course, us. People kill them and lop off the dorsal fins for Chinese shark fin soup. They are so mysterious, and so rarely studied at length, very little is known about their mating habits, reproduction, and behavior except when they are in close proximity to humans (and therefore most vulnerable).
The Maldives Whale Shark Research Programme (MWSRP) is a charitable organization here in the Maldives, based out of the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island. The Conrad resort sponsors the research as well as the researchers, providing housing and board at the resort, a research vessel, and logistical support (plus access to the resort amenities) for two shifts of scientists each year: 3 months in the spring and 2 months in the winter. Visitors to the region can volunteer with the research team (especially helpful are certified scuba divers) as they advance the science and conservation efforts. Others can volunteer for programs that inspire greater understanding and protection efforts among the local Maldivian community. The South Ari Atoll, where the research is carried out, is also now the Maldives’ largest Marine Protected Area (also realized with the Conrad resort’s support).
If you’re not hopping on over to the Maldives any time soon (it’s a giant hop, I assure you), you can donate here. The juvenile female we swam with yesterday was only about 18 feet long–and I dreamt about her all last night, and can almost guarantee I’ll do so again tonight. Trust me–it will not be OK if the whale sharks degrade further and get placed onto the endangered species list. We simply cannot allow that to happen.
It has been next-to-impossible for me to access the Internet while here in the Maldives, so apologies for the lack of posts. One of the amazing things about being “unplugged” is how much time seems to stretch and proceed at a much more luxurious pace (in spite of a lot of very un-luxurious rain). We haven’t turned on a TV once–a huge thing for us. So often while traveling, the TV is just a reach out for familiarity–and you end up watching re-runs of some show you didn’t care enough about to tune in for the first time.
One show that fans tend to watch over and over and over again, is The X-Files. Former cast members and creators of the David Duchovny/Gillian Anderson supernatural/sci-fi/freaky deaky show (sometimes as campy and absurd as anything on the air) are reunitinf for a November 14 event to raise money for their chosen charities.
Actress Gillian Anderson (Dana Scully), actor Mitch Pileggi (Walter Skinner), executive producer/writer Frank Spotnitz, and executive producer/director Rob Bowman (currently executive producer and director on ABC’s hit “Castle”) reunite to talk all things “X-Files” and answer questions from fans (like the rumors about an X-Files 3 movie and the 2012 mythology that could make a whole new series). This is a rare opportunity for fans and filmmakers to get together to explore and discuss the process of making this iconic television series, ask questions about the panelists’ new projects, and raise money for some very worthy causes.
I’m sitting in the gorgeous, spacious lounge of the Doha, Qatar airport. It was an interesting feeling as we flew over areas of the Middle East that have become so familiar on the evening news. The animated airplane that tracked our progress winged along silently past Kabul, Baghdad, and more…amazing to think how peaceful it was on board as Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock cavorted on the movie screen…and what was likely going on below.
War Child Internationalis a network of independent organizations working to help children directly affected by war (and important distinctions….for I contend that ALL children are affected by war). Currently there are three main hubs of their activities, based in Holland, the UK, and Canada. There are currently at least 30 wars and armed conflicts raging in the world…over 80% of the casualties of war are civilians…disproportionately women and children.
From the site:
Children are amongst the first casualties of any armed conflict, always the most vulnerable and innocent of victims. In the last decade alone 1.5 million children have died in wars. Four million have been disabled and a further 10 million traumatized.
The severe psychological wounds that war inflicts on children can scar them for life, crippling the very generations that must one day rebuild their devastated countries. For the future peace of the world we must do everything in our power to help these war children.
There are rehab and counselling services, emergency services and ongoing assistance for kids who are brutalized, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and all of the above. The programs go out to the confict zones from Afghanistan to the Sudan, Iraq to the DR Congo.
There are ways to be involved from home, by donating and by spreading the word, possible even holding an event to get the conversation going. By exploring the dark, difficult stuff, we can begin to trudge through it and look for the other side.
I love it when there are ways to make the world a better place while patronizing the travel industry. Expedia (cue voices to sing “dot commmm“), in addition to making shopping for travel bargains easy from your computer, has also, in partnership with the United Nations Foundation, created the World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism.
Their mission is clear, and strong (from the website): “We believe that everyone has a part to play in the conservation of our global heritage. That’s why we work with travelers, members of the travel industry, government groups, non-governmental organizations, and the United Nations to protect and preserve World Heritage sites and promote local communities.
The World Heritage Alliance for Sustainable Tourism is a global community committed to the conservation of World Heritage sites and the well being of local people.
We are people protecting places. Thousands of individuals support our cause by pledging to travel responsibly and by donating to fund community projects in and around World Heritage sites.”
From Stonehenge to Machu Picchu, the Statue of Liberty to Niagara Falls, Yosemite to the Okavango Delta, there are 890 World Heritage Sites in 148 countries around the world. These are the places we and our children and their children and beyond do and will create some of our greatest memories. These are the spots for once-in-a-lifetime moments, and assuring they are protected is everyone’s responsibility.
Consider becoming a World Heritage Alliance member, donating, and pledging to be sure that in your own travels, you respect and honor the places you visit. As the Alliance says: We’re not asking you to save the world. Just its greatest places.
Are you musical? Want to hang out and do the same work as artists like Seal, Carrie Underwood, John Mayer, Rob Thomas, Sheryl Crow, Taylor Swift, Jason Mraz, Kelly Rowland, Maroon 5, Daughtry, the Bacon Brothers, Brad Paisley, Avril Lavigne, and more? Musicians on Call is a charitable organization that brings the healing power of music to the bedsides of patients in healthcare facilities. The one-on-one contact between musician and patient is intimate and does wonders for mood and energy. While some of the leaders of the music industry lend their time and talent, you don’t have to sell out stadium arenas to be a part of this. Volunteer musicians are needed in New York, Philadelphia, Nashville, and Miami. Non-musicians can also help as guides who accompany musicians at performances and act as a liaison between the musician and hospital staff. MOC is also expanding the programs to Veteran’s hospitals nationwide, so you can jump in by signing up here.
Actor/Comedian Jim Carrey (playing Scrooge in the new film version of A Christmas Carol) can polarize opinions with his extreme physicality and antics, but you cannot find fault with his commitment to charitable causes. Carrey has a new personal website (www.jimcarrey.com) that raises the bar for interactive bells and whistles (and takes a long time to load). The most interesting part of this ethereal site (home page pictured above) is the link to Carrey’s Better U Foundation, a wonderful charity with a true invitation for getting involved in the lives of others, recognizing that we are at our best when we are reaching out. The particular issues being undertaken at this time include autism (Carrey and his wife, actress/comedienne Jenny McCarthy, have a son working through autism and are empowering activists in the cause), safe water (advocating the simple affordable and lifesaving use of LifeStraw, a personal water purifier that anyone anywhere can use and can transform global health), food security (an eco-friendly program to increase rice crops and feed millions more people each harvest), mobility for the disabled (creating affordable, simple wheelchairs), and human rights (calling for international action on global humanity issues).
One of the most regal creatures I’ve had the great good fortune to be near is a whale shark. Yesterday was a day of snorkeling in the Maldives on a whale shark excursion. The whale shark is the largest fish in the ocean–up to 60 feet long–and they are gentle vegetarians, straining massive amounts of water through their gill system for plankton.
I love it when there are ways to make the world a better place while patronizing the travel industry. 
Sheryl Crow, Taylor Swift, Jason Mraz, Kelly Rowland, Maroon 5, Daughtry, the Bacon Brothers, Brad Paisley, Avril Lavigne, and more? 