Posted this one awhile back on FB. Wanted to repost it before I give an update of my recent trip to Asia, as well as my soon to be Missionary trip to Haiti.

Hello to all my friends,

I am writing a very special note to inform you all of the work that I have been doing for the past two and a half years. Some know my efforts and writings, while others do not. I feel now is the time to open up my thoughts and resources to all who care to hear or get involved, though there are many who do not want my voice to be heard. I hope to inform each and every one of you and to let you know that in some way, you can help with these international crimes. This may be a bit long, but I pray that you will read this if not to better inform you of these issues.

Firstly, I want to mention that the work I have been doing with these groups is for the protection and preservation of the subjects, and I do not practice any of the beliefs of these groups, therefore my writings are not coming from a biased place.

In 2007 and even prior through my initial work visits to China, I was drawn to an international group called Falun Gong. This group practices a spiritual form of mediation and tai chi derived from Daoists  and Buddhism, and was brought forth by a leader in China. Non religious in belief, the international group holds over 100 million practitioners all over the world from all different religions.

I do not want to sell you the teachings, because as I stated, they are not practiced by myself. What I do want to share is the inexplicable torture that members of this group have and will continue to endure if we sit idly by. The members of Falun Gong are being numbered off by the Chinese Communist Party (government in power, and one of the last Communist governments in the world today). The government is having hundreds of thousands of known members kidnapped since 1999, and killed, or are harvesting their organs (while they are live) for resale on the black market. Patients from Canada and the US who are on mile long lists for organ transplants are heading down to China hospitals for inexpensive and “same day delivery” organs. This is being done simply because the CCP views the members of the Falun Dafa as a threat to the Party. Any number is one number too high in the eyes of the CCP.

The Canadian government, UNICEF, amnesty international and the UN have all stepped in to investigate this modern genocide, to little avail. The CCP is protected by communist law and allows the Party to turn down or schedule time lines for when, where and how international governments can launch an investigation. Currently, the CCP government is experiencing mass declines in Party members. This momentum must be kept up to overthrow the current political system.

When the news hit that Beijing would be housing the 2008 Olympics entitled “One World, One Dream”, millions were disgusted at how a nation who could be performing mass genocide and human crimes could host THE “world event’ whose sole purpose is to bring nations together in peace. A candle walk by supporters rippled all over the world in demonstration to stop these crimes. I myself never watched even a minute of the Olympics.

The Olympics then led me to investigate through PETA (People for the Ethical treatment of Animals) more crimes on animals. I had been receiving early reports that, to make way for the millions of tourists that would swarm the city, government officials were making jobs for thousands of citizens. Sounds great! But when those jobs are to sweep through the cities and provinces collecting animals (predominantly cats and dogs) to dispose of so that “the city would look clean and beautiful for the games”, it doesn’t seem to a graceful hand the CCP has extended.

So now the city is clean, what happens to the cats and dogs? Well, a 2 year investigation administered by PETA uncovered horrendous imagery of animals with furs being skinned alive. kicked,  beaten, thrown off trucks in crates, cut up, burned by fire or hot oil, shot, knifed, the list goes on. This fur is then put on clothes, Jackets and sold to the US and Canada for apparel and accessories.

The trail of fur led me back to Canada only to really zone in on the seal hunt and trade. Every year, millions of seals are being clubbed to death (or not death) and skinned alive for what the Canadian government claims as “the way to sustain the seal, and fish population”. Numbers show and prove that there is no threatening increasingly growing numbers in population, and that the hunt really uncovers fur, again used for Canadian and International goods. A way to support the government, as our tax dollars are supporting the hunt. How can we deny China the right to host the Olympics in regards to human war crimes, when we here in Canada promote the slaughtering of thousands of seals annually, especially, when the rest of the world is looking at this because we have won the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics vote.

Being a Canadian film ambassador has given me a platform to be published and speak on great causes. After uncovering 7 illegal sweatshops in NYC in 2006, Speaking about the Nigerian oil industry killing off locals under the Nigerian Militia in, fighting the Falun Gong/Dafa fight here and in the homefront since 2007, I will be headed back to China to work with the furtrade and keep eyes on the progression of the Falun Gong movement in 2010. In 2011, I will be in Sudan to report on the militia and civil fight regarding China’s military, weaponry and monetary contributions FOR the war effort. I will continue to publish articles where I can and this will be the year I make my voice heard, and go where I can make a difference.

I urge all of you who have made it this far to review the links I have set in place below. They are for you to learn more, and help where you can. There are 7 or 8 and if you can take the time to review them that would justify my job and help me know that I, that we, are doing the right thing. The easiest way that you can help would be with a signature to push the bills proposed to the Canadian, US and Chinese governments to better civil rights in our countries. As three of the most influential and important countries in our world today, we are miles behind the rest when it comes to equal rights and justice.

If you have any questions or want to know more about my work or how you can get involved, do not hesitate to send me a message. The time is ALWAYS now when it comes to making a change, and I myself am excited to finally be able to speak about these issues to those that matter to me (and on an international level this year), as this truly, is what matters to me. If you would like to I hope you pass this along as Facebook has become an amazing platform for getting the message across. And please please let us all be more aware of what we buy, what we eat and who we support. Make informed decisions about what is right and stick to it. Eco is chic, and no one should be left behind.

information on the persecution of the Falun Gong:   http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/component/option,com_ettopic/topicid,53/

canadian website for Falun Gong includes info on taking action: http://www.falundafa.ca/

PETA a look inside fur farms:   http://www.peta.org/feat/chineseFurFarms/index.asp

stop the seal hunt! PETA petition here:    http://www.olympicshame2010.com/

FB page for stop the seal hunt:   http://www.facebook.com/#/group.php?gid=2244303966&ref=search&sid=509372623.3619316412..1

SHELL oil crimes in Nigeria and Canada:    http://www.globalissues.org/article/86/nigeria-and-oil

NYC sweatshop history and current day situations:   http://www.heartsandminds.org/articles/sweat.htm

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

SONG OF THE DAY HAAAYYY!!!

First, it was Rocket by Goldfrapp. Its been on loop for quite a few days now. I just loves it! But then stupid Tumblr tells me its too large cuz I got a remix. check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYSVnK2bcu0

anyway. this song is Happy by Leona Lewis. Its kind of an amazing message.

ENJOY!

So I haven’t written in a few days, or even posted a song for that matter.I have really been taking in the Haiti quake. I feel very conflicted internally with this disaster.

Immediately I started a drive of money, food and clothing donations that went well, but i didn’t feel right still.

I decided I would volunteer my time in Haiti to rebuild the infrastructure and teach the children. Having both building and teaching experience, I knew this was the best way to help. To educate. Code in Haiti in terms of building and teaching is very informal in comparisson to our North American standard. This is because lack of money to build and educate properly. As one of the poorest countries in the world, Haiti will no longer be ignored, and a new standard will be built.

With an estimated 100 million dollars coming from the Canadians and well over 200 million from the Americans alone, the IMF 100 million, the UK 5 million etc. (http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/haiti.pdf) With almost 400 million dollars given and 95 hundred million dollars in pledges (as of yesterday), after this ordeal and these donations, Haiti has the chance to stand on her own two feet.

Remember Indonesia? Before the tsunami, no one knew what Aceh was. They were torn apart by poverty, violence and child slavery. Now, with the assistance of the world, this place has grown into something that no one would have imagined.

Someone said to me recently, if its on the front page news, the next day its forgotten. With the advancements of modern technology, it makes it easier to forget about something and move on because the media keeps it “fresh”. Today is Haiti, tomorrow its a dog who walks upright on his hind legs.

I have had a bunch of people congratulate me for holding the drive and joining Habitat for Humanity and the IDRF. I told them don’t congratulate me, just do something yourself. Tell others to do something. Anything. give money, time or go sponsor a child somewhere. Many friends responded with “you’re right, how do I do it? Where do I sign up?”

it takes an earthquake to help Haiti who has long been in turmoil, but what about the genocide in Sudan? what about poverty all over Africa? what about the murders in China? what about animals everyday? We live in a nation where people can find help if they want it. Others in this world do NOT have that option. how much would that cost us to provide them with this option?

The half the world is in poverty is because we cannot unite together as a people, and in the end, this will be our ultimate demise. My request is to not forget. To not forget what we have, and that we can give in someway back to others. Not because we are Canadian, but because we are people.

If anyone would like to give back to Haiti and the rest of the world please visit:

http://www.international.gc.ca/humanitarian-humanitaire/canadians_help-aide_canadien.aspx

(tons of info with organizations who need your help)

www.redcross.com

www.habitatforhumanity.com

SONG OF THE DAY HAAAYYY!!!

He doesnt see me, by Sarah Brightman. I love this song for all kinds of reasons. You find your own.

Enjoy!

staff:

Doctors Without Borders is doing an extraordinary amount in Haiti.  Please support their efforts and donate anything you can.

So I went to see Avatar finally! Not for lack of trying though! I tried for the last two weeks, went to four theatres and all times were sold out. Everyone said it was amazing and it did not fall short of expectations.

For me though, I knew progressively throughout the film was this meant to me. What it meant to all of us. James Cameron did a beautiful job, not of bringing a story to the screen, but amidst all the colours, animation and glitter, bringing the truth.

I felt a deep connection with the movie and the characters because it made me see what I have felt my whole life. A connection. A connection to something bigger. A connection to something that connects us ALL. A connection to the knowledge that the earth and the people are the truth. What does this all mean?

“I see you” is a line I have repeated to myself since a very famous Vietnamese actress named Kieu Chinh first uttered it in Oliver Stone’s Joy Luck Club. I have had the pleasure of meeting this amazing actress who by the way is 72 years old but looks not a DAY over 55 ( I know a man neeeever reveals a womans age, but it proves my point!), and when I first hear her speak those words in 1992, I felt something that changed my life.

The movie about four Chinese American, best friends who immigrated and raised their daughters as Americans, is an inspirational tale but above all, A book of truth. the line, “I see you” was spoken by a soulless mother to her stubborn daughter over tears of hate, desperation and love. At that moment, everything was right, and everything was true. When I met Kieu Chinh last year, spoke to her, touched her hand, looked into her eyes and heard her voice, I felt in an instant that this woman, had lived and knew the truth.

Avatar brought it back to the way that things are. Our bodies they move and think in a million different ways that we cannot see. Babies, who when staring into their eyes you could almost swear you saw the universe because that’s what they see. Animals who have a 6th sense and the world that speaks to us every moment, but only if we listen.

Last year I spoke with an amazing guy who told me things that only I thought I knew. Only things that I thought I could do or see or feel. He told me that the world exists beyond our eyes and is in the hands of the spirit. He told me that we all have a greater purpose and that is to find our selves and be one with the spirit. he told me that once upon a time, we saw. And that one day, we will see again. But we need help. Since then, I have met two others who share the gift that he has, the gift of the truth.

People like world leaders, children and even James Cameron will help us find our path but it is up to us to choose it. It is up to us to want to see and feel again. To know the truth. When I watched Avatar, I understood that the message was to pursue the betterment of mankind and the world, that everything coexists as one. When will we learn that we cannot keep moving forward to grow. We MUST go backward to be able to think forward.

What we eat, how we dance, what we do for money and even how we love. When are all of these things going to be priority in our lives enough for us to understand the difference between what is good and bad, right and wrong and more importantly, what will help us grow and not die. I wonder if today you will make an effort to listen?

SONG OF THE DAY HAAAYYY!!!

SYPMATIQUE/ PINK MARTINI

k. today is a french. day. today is also a day of not wanting to work :( Tis rare i feel like it so this song shall be on my tongue all day. oh to be in love…:)

ENJOY!

this was last nights fashion pics.

SONG OF THE DAY HAAAYYY!

This ones called VIP by shaun baker. K so what if it’s a little too Dance mix 95!? I heard it in Cuba and loooved it! black grey and gay! lol. its a feel good song that will make u wanna dance!

Enjoy!

Today was a day of all things fashion and fashion inspired things.

I woke up this morning and submitted a fashion article to a magazine that will be printing it (they loved it) for March, and found out I may be writing for them monthly.

Then I threw on my Saturday’s best (well for my store anyway ha!) and headed into work. Armed in a balck cashmere v neck pullover and wool slacks with Italian crushed leather accents in the belt and boots, I greeted my staff Wilson (who by the way looked quite amazing today as well in his navy blue corduroys (yes cords!) and his custom altered deep blue and plum plaid button down.

From there I had 2 old friends from my Ralph Lauren (can you get anymore fashion able?) and Caban days Michelle and Suzanne drop in to say hi. Gloating and congratulations were in exchange as they each showed me their rocks which by pure coincidence happened to be the size of my pupils each. So excited for them but I must admit I was jealous!

Then Sari who is a great client and an amazing friend came in with Michael and we took off shopping for her birthday party tonight! We made it to Jackflash on Queen west west (if you have never been please go) but didn’t quite find the piece. We made our way back down queen and found some great stuff at Zara. She got a fur and I got some denim and a T. nice.

Off to Thien Le’s studio I went. For anyone who does not know who Thien Le (www.thienle.com) is, I feel it is my personal duty to let you know. He is a designer. He is an amazing designer. When i speak of fashion being intelligent, I speak about really only three Canadians and they are (write this down cuz i will for sure quiz you later). 1. Carlie Wong 2.Thien Le and 3.Greta Constantine and Evan Biddell. K I lied 4. Anyway, we chatted, ate, saw some new items, laughed, ate cake and parted.

So theeeeen, I went to a vintage store (well partly vintage) that I am becoming quite fond of as there is a very friendly and knowledgeable vintage picker who works there named Justice, and I was on the prowl for a fur bomber coat! I tried a couple on but unfortunately, they didn’t work so well. Im going less J-Lo more P Diddy yah heard!? But Justice from CTS is gonna get me something real good! So the next time you see a fox in your neighborhood, take a second glance cuz it just might be me suckas! Remember, always know the origins of the fur you are buying whether it is on a bag, sleeve or hood. Please do not support fur from China http://www.peta.org/feat/chineseFurFarms/index.asp.

Next stop, close up the furniture store. I sat down and quickly got inspired for things that will go into the new mens line I am working on for Wall/winter 10.  Now I am headed out to get fashioned up to go out on the town to celebrate Sari’s Birthday! Pics will follow! Hope you too had a day full of fun and fashion and may you remember that no matter the time or place, you can and should be fashion able!

~S