Names for Peace now has 327 members!
We are also on almost 100 Facebook profiles with the Peacebox.
The Peacebox is an app you can put on your Facebook profile that allows anyone you know to sign up for peace right on your profile page.
Get it here http://apps.facebook.com/peacebox/
or sign up for peace on the web at http://www.namesforpeace.com
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Growing Step by Step
Names for Peace now has 327 members!
We are also on almost 100 Facebook profiles with the Peacebox.
The Peacebox is an app you can put on your Facebook profile that allows anyone you know to sign up for peace right on your profile page.
Get it here http://apps.facebook.com/peacebox/
or sign up for peace on the web at http://www.namesforpeace.com
We are also on almost 100 Facebook profiles with the Peacebox.
The Peacebox is an app you can put on your Facebook profile that allows anyone you know to sign up for peace right on your profile page.
Get it here http://apps.facebook.com/peacebox/
or sign up for peace on the web at http://www.namesforpeace.com
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Now on Facebook
The Peacebox Names for Peace June 1st 2008
The Peacebox is being developed to give the Names for Peace community a way to connect, share ideas and participage in activities without creating social networking redundancies. |
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Social Networking for Peace
Recently we've been looking at the possibility of running a social networking site for Names for Peace. At the moment the blueprint is for a site that integrates with other social networking sites as an application. A simple database driven site like Facebook is ideal we feel, but the redundancy is a problem for us. So many of our sign-ups are members of multiple social networks as it is and even two is just too many networks.
As a result we have decided that for the NFP network the opportunity will be there to add friends and communicate but there will be no need to go into NFP outside of Facebook or Myspace etc.
We're excited about the future of the network and are very interested in your thoughts and ideas about how this can be used and which features we should include or exclude. After all Names for Peace belongs to you.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Here are some things others have done for the sake of Peace
Video by former Senator Mike Gravel (Alaska), Democratic candidate for President.
In 1971, He waged a successful one-man filibuster for five months that forced the Nixon administration to cut a deal, effectively ending the draft in the United States.
He is perhaps best known for his release of the Pentagon Papers, the secret official study that revealed the lies and manipulations of successive U.S. administrations that misled the country into the Vietnam War.
More info at www.gravel2008.us.
Here is a beautiful effort by a great young guy named Trevor Dougherty This video was nominated for "Most Inspirational" in the YouTube Video Awards 2007. It has also been viewed in 197 countries, from Afghanistan to Zambia. THANKS YOUTUBE!
We urge you to stand up for WORLD PEACE! ¡Paz de mundo! Paix dans le monde! Weltfrieden! Pace di mondo! De wereldvrede! Paz mundial! Мир во всем мире! Verdenfred!
This should give us an idea of how our peace efforts can be buried and forgotten. Peace is about humanity, life, kindness, equality and respect for each of us as we live. Peace is not a new or radical or dreamy or fashionable concept. Peace is essential to each of us on this planet. One year before the second world war broke out the following video was created.
Peace on Earth is a 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon short subject directed by Hugh Harman, about a post-apocalyptic world populated by animals.
In 1971, He waged a successful one-man filibuster for five months that forced the Nixon administration to cut a deal, effectively ending the draft in the United States.
He is perhaps best known for his release of the Pentagon Papers, the secret official study that revealed the lies and manipulations of successive U.S. administrations that misled the country into the Vietnam War.
More info at www.gravel2008.us.
Here is a beautiful effort by a great young guy named Trevor Dougherty This video was nominated for "Most Inspirational" in the YouTube Video Awards 2007. It has also been viewed in 197 countries, from Afghanistan to Zambia. THANKS YOUTUBE!
We urge you to stand up for WORLD PEACE! ¡Paz de mundo! Paix dans le monde! Weltfrieden! Pace di mondo! De wereldvrede! Paz mundial! Мир во всем мире! Verdenfred!
This should give us an idea of how our peace efforts can be buried and forgotten. Peace is about humanity, life, kindness, equality and respect for each of us as we live. Peace is not a new or radical or dreamy or fashionable concept. Peace is essential to each of us on this planet. One year before the second world war broke out the following video was created.
Peace on Earth is a 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon short subject directed by Hugh Harman, about a post-apocalyptic world populated by animals.
Peace Alive
You can't change people and you can't make them love but you can teach people, you can try to understand them, you can possibly forgive them if you are lucky and best of all you can love them if you choose.
Names for Peace was started in March 2007 with this in mind. That the world needs a way to connect all the peace seeking people throughout the planet into one voice. We are hoping to add something to that landscape and contribute to a growing voice around the planet that is getting louder little by little everyday.
Names for Peace was started in March 2007 with this in mind. That the world needs a way to connect all the peace seeking people throughout the planet into one voice. We are hoping to add something to that landscape and contribute to a growing voice around the planet that is getting louder little by little everyday.
Names for Peace is now live and taking names. You can simply sign up for peace on the site. There is no requirement to donate, give away personal information, there are no hidden levels of questions and there is no hidden agenda. You simply read the "Vision of peace" and if you agree you may sign up peace.
This is not a complicated concept. We simply believe that war is not a tool to be used for conflict resolution regardless of view points, opinions or status.
The site is attempting to be as compact as possible with all of it's content available on one page via fun AJAX coding tricks that allow you to reveal the sites content as you desire to view it. I hope you enjoy our work.
Names for Peace Team
http://www.namesforpeace.com
Monday, February 11, 2008
Moving Day today
The Names for Peace blog is moving to a new home today. Please follow the link below to our new home.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
December / January
I'm sorry there has not been anything posted here in quite some time. Recently I have lost someone I love due to illness and have not been able to give my attention to Names for Peace.
There will be much coming in the future and Names for Peace can only grow and grow. I wish everyone love and hope you keep Names for Peace in your heart while it continues.
The most beautiful thing about Names for Peace is that it really has very little to do with me. It is yours, it is everyones. It grows everyday little by little and as anything that is growing does, it will learn as it grows.
All the best to you and to those you love,
Michael Kerr
There will be much coming in the future and Names for Peace can only grow and grow. I wish everyone love and hope you keep Names for Peace in your heart while it continues.
The most beautiful thing about Names for Peace is that it really has very little to do with me. It is yours, it is everyones. It grows everyday little by little and as anything that is growing does, it will learn as it grows.
All the best to you and to those you love,
Michael Kerr
Saturday, December 8, 2007
December 8th 1980
On December 8Th 1980 I was in Winnipeg with my family, there was a football game on TV, I was sitting in a room with both my parents. The game was interrupted .. a Breaking News Story in the days before 24 hour news networks . ..this was a very rare event normally reserved for only the most serious bad news ..and we braced ourselves. Howard Cosell announced it.
John Lennon has been assassinated, shot down outside his home. They didn't use the term murder, the news was given the gravity of the death of a president. For many people John Lennon was very much a cultural leader and political leader although he had no office and had to fight to stay in the United States. I was very young but I will never forget the announcement, the gravity in the delivery of the news and the loss. That was my first Sept 11th. The world lost someone who was reasonable light in a dark and insane landscape.
We need his voice today as much as we needed it then. The fact that his voice was taken violently underscores our need for peace. You might not remember or realize this but the image you see above was part of a nation-wide advertisement campaign for peace that John Lennon and Yoko Ono not only organized but that they also paid for.
Please go to
http://www.imaginepeace.com and support Yoko and the memory of John Lennon.
Sincerely,
Michael Kerr
Annoying Peace Activist
http://www.namesforpeace.com
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Welcome back Yoko Ono
Very cool news!! Yoko is back !! Not that she was ever gone.
I LOVED hearing this! Please go right now and see http://www.imaginepeace.com
Remember how brave Yoko Ono is being to do this. She doesn't have to go to the trouble. Please show your support!
She also started a group on Facebook tonight called War is Over. Please check it out and JOIN!
Michael Kerr
I LOVED hearing this! Please go right now and see http://www.imaginepeace.com
Remember how brave Yoko Ono is being to do this. She doesn't have to go to the trouble. Please show your support!
She also started a group on Facebook tonight called War is Over. Please check it out and JOIN!
Michael Kerr
Monday, December 3, 2007
Two New Improvements
The first is a world peace related news page on Namesforpeace.com I've added the page and the news stories are posted. If you have any for inclusion or you see anything there that you think shouldn't be please let me know.
Also I will sadly be saying goodbye to blogger ...I'll be moving the namesforpeace blog or at least mirroring it on our own servers in the format of my other sites.
Peace be with you,
Michael Kerr
Also I will sadly be saying goodbye to blogger ...I'll be moving the namesforpeace blog or at least mirroring it on our own servers in the format of my other sites.
Peace be with you,
Michael Kerr
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Peace needs no Justification
Here is a quote that Jennifer Boivin posted on the Facebook Names for Peace Group.
I really enjoyed seeing this. I wish we could find out who said it.
"I'm ineffably tired of pro-war ideologues moaning about how the anti-war folk are just 'complaining' without 'offering solutions' to global dilemmas. Peace doesn't need a moral, ethical, economical, or political qualification; war does. Peace doesn't ravage, plunder, rape, or kill; war does. Peace does not need justification, war does."
~ Anonymous
I really enjoyed seeing this. I wish we could find out who said it.
"I'm ineffably tired of pro-war ideologues moaning about how the anti-war folk are just 'complaining' without 'offering solutions' to global dilemmas. Peace doesn't need a moral, ethical, economical, or political qualification; war does. Peace doesn't ravage, plunder, rape, or kill; war does. Peace does not need justification, war does."
~ Anonymous
Saturday, November 17, 2007
NO POSTS
hi,
Sorry for not posting here in quite some time. I'm working hard on a new look for Names for Peace as well as new text. I received a wonderful email recently from a woman in Australia regarding Names for Peace. She wanted to sign up but felt the site didn't explain well enough what it is exactly that Names for Peace does.
This must be a question others have as well as our sign ups per site hit has dropped to about 5%. I'll reprint here some of what I wrote back to her as this explains the best I can what we are doing and what we are planning to do with Names for Peace.
Right now all we are actually doing is collecting names and planning. The sign ups that we receive come from every corner of the globe and that's encouraging but we need to have closer to 50,000 names for the numbers to mean anything.
The numbers behind the group are the key to being able to do anything meaningful. We have no funding or backing of any type.
What we do right now is build the community by collecting names. That is our first goal. Once a person is signed up they receive a unique ID key via email. This can be used for them to represent themselves as a member rather than having us use their contact information or name as representation on their behalf. This is a very important point for us.
For any event the community will be called upon to represent itself with individuals making their own choice about whether to take action or not. This will allow us to work with a very large group without ever taking action on anyones behalf. We need things to be done with not only each members consent but with their own actual hands-on participation.
Privacy is the key to why this can work across the globe. The list itself will never be used other than to show the number of members. If proof of our numbers is required a request will be sent to members who themselves may decide if they wish to participate and can then represent themselves.
Many interested people are in countries where they might not have the freedom to openly take part in events or be publicly associated with Names for Peace so the list must remain closed. This is why we do not consider this to be a petition, protest or a political action. In addition we strongly believe that peace is non-political and in everyone's best interest. We are trying to show the numbers of people who want peace throughout the world as well as connecting them (we have a hunch that the numbers are vast if we can find them) and to use that as clout to back up work we will do in the name of saving lives.
We want this to become a real community not just an online collection of names. We are planning to sponsor events for members, concerts, socials, think-tank gatherings etc. in different parts of the world where there is enough interest. Possibly linking up simultaneous events via screens or other media. Fund Raising may become a part of what we do but at this point we are only thinking in terms of volunteers, solving problems and creating a real social community of people who believe in peaceful alternatives at any cost.
We will target hot spots around the globe where we see problems brewing that will likely lead to violence. If possible we will gather appropriate experts whose backgrounds relate to the need and have them explore alternate non-violent potential solutions to these issues. We will then present these potential solutions to the parties involved as well as to the media. As we progress we hope to become progressively more involved with various governments and other organizations. The idea being, to be as loud and as visible as possible in the hope of putting pressure on governments not to allow their problems to boil over into violence. We want them to know that the world is not only watching but understands the issues and knows that there are alternatives. We want the value of individual human life to be the paramount concern, for every life to have an equal value.
Thought based on a pre-text of equality among all human beings, which is ( or should be ) a fundamental principle in the decision making of all democratic Governments at least, does not leave room for violence against innocent people in any form. That's the basic belief behind Names for Peace. Non democratic nations also need to realize that there are peaceful alternatives that do not endanger their respective governments.
I hope that makes things a little more clear. It is absolutely a work in progress :)
MK
Sorry for not posting here in quite some time. I'm working hard on a new look for Names for Peace as well as new text. I received a wonderful email recently from a woman in Australia regarding Names for Peace. She wanted to sign up but felt the site didn't explain well enough what it is exactly that Names for Peace does.
This must be a question others have as well as our sign ups per site hit has dropped to about 5%. I'll reprint here some of what I wrote back to her as this explains the best I can what we are doing and what we are planning to do with Names for Peace.
Right now all we are actually doing is collecting names and planning. The sign ups that we receive come from every corner of the globe and that's encouraging but we need to have closer to 50,000 names for the numbers to mean anything.
The numbers behind the group are the key to being able to do anything meaningful. We have no funding or backing of any type.
What we do right now is build the community by collecting names. That is our first goal. Once a person is signed up they receive a unique ID key via email. This can be used for them to represent themselves as a member rather than having us use their contact information or name as representation on their behalf. This is a very important point for us.
For any event the community will be called upon to represent itself with individuals making their own choice about whether to take action or not. This will allow us to work with a very large group without ever taking action on anyones behalf. We need things to be done with not only each members consent but with their own actual hands-on participation.
Privacy is the key to why this can work across the globe. The list itself will never be used other than to show the number of members. If proof of our numbers is required a request will be sent to members who themselves may decide if they wish to participate and can then represent themselves.
Many interested people are in countries where they might not have the freedom to openly take part in events or be publicly associated with Names for Peace so the list must remain closed. This is why we do not consider this to be a petition, protest or a political action. In addition we strongly believe that peace is non-political and in everyone's best interest. We are trying to show the numbers of people who want peace throughout the world as well as connecting them (we have a hunch that the numbers are vast if we can find them) and to use that as clout to back up work we will do in the name of saving lives.
We want this to become a real community not just an online collection of names. We are planning to sponsor events for members, concerts, socials, think-tank gatherings etc. in different parts of the world where there is enough interest. Possibly linking up simultaneous events via screens or other media. Fund Raising may become a part of what we do but at this point we are only thinking in terms of volunteers, solving problems and creating a real social community of people who believe in peaceful alternatives at any cost.
We will target hot spots around the globe where we see problems brewing that will likely lead to violence. If possible we will gather appropriate experts whose backgrounds relate to the need and have them explore alternate non-violent potential solutions to these issues. We will then present these potential solutions to the parties involved as well as to the media. As we progress we hope to become progressively more involved with various governments and other organizations. The idea being, to be as loud and as visible as possible in the hope of putting pressure on governments not to allow their problems to boil over into violence. We want them to know that the world is not only watching but understands the issues and knows that there are alternatives. We want the value of individual human life to be the paramount concern, for every life to have an equal value.
Thought based on a pre-text of equality among all human beings, which is ( or should be ) a fundamental principle in the decision making of all democratic Governments at least, does not leave room for violence against innocent people in any form. That's the basic belief behind Names for Peace. Non democratic nations also need to realize that there are peaceful alternatives that do not endanger their respective governments.
I hope that makes things a little more clear. It is absolutely a work in progress :)
MK
Friday, November 2, 2007
Paul Tibbets Dies ..after all this time...
Paul Tibbets passed away today. He is probably the greatest example in human history of how each one of us as an individual rules the world and like it or not is responsible in our own private individual choices and actions for what that world is. Paul Tibbets could have turned left and kept going ..he didn't have to do anything at all that day, no human alive was in a position where they could have stopped him from doing whatever he might choose ..he could have done nothing ..he could have flown his plane down into the ocean ..he could have done any number of things other than what he was told to do.
We all know that someone else would have taken his place and come back another day ..but even that would have given 140,000 plus , family members , children , Mums and Dads ..students with dreams, , young people in love for the first time, and so so many others who happened to be in Hiroshima at 8:15AM that morning a few more days for loving and laughing and caring for each other, for breaking the rules, for learning , for talking, for tasting, for breathing in the air and feeling the suns warmth .. for looking into the eyes of someone they love, even a simple futile attempt at goodness could have given so so many people so many uncountable rich gifts but Paul Tibbets, unfortunately was not a brave man or generous man or a kind man, he was a coward and a small small human being.
We all know that life is unfair but that Paul Tibbets lived into his 90s requires a scope of cruelty that the word unfair just doesn't convey. Paul Tibbets wasn't the only war criminal , he wasn't the only soldier fighting , he wasn't alone in his cruelty and inhumanity and small mindedness, there were Japanese soldiers and other American soldiers of equal merrit but Paul Tibbets made his choice as a free human being who was born with the freedom to choose as we all have been. He could have just turned the plane left and flown home instead.
We can hope for Paul Tibbets that there is no God, ..or maybe we can't.
In the name of the memory of Paul Tibbets and in the name of the awareness that many others like him are alive and well today please sign up for peace http://www.namesforpeace.com
We all know that someone else would have taken his place and come back another day ..but even that would have given 140,000 plus , family members , children , Mums and Dads ..students with dreams, , young people in love for the first time, and so so many others who happened to be in Hiroshima at 8:15AM that morning a few more days for loving and laughing and caring for each other, for breaking the rules, for learning , for talking, for tasting, for breathing in the air and feeling the suns warmth .. for looking into the eyes of someone they love, even a simple futile attempt at goodness could have given so so many people so many uncountable rich gifts but Paul Tibbets, unfortunately was not a brave man or generous man or a kind man, he was a coward and a small small human being.
We all know that life is unfair but that Paul Tibbets lived into his 90s requires a scope of cruelty that the word unfair just doesn't convey. Paul Tibbets wasn't the only war criminal , he wasn't the only soldier fighting , he wasn't alone in his cruelty and inhumanity and small mindedness, there were Japanese soldiers and other American soldiers of equal merrit but Paul Tibbets made his choice as a free human being who was born with the freedom to choose as we all have been. He could have just turned the plane left and flown home instead.
We can hope for Paul Tibbets that there is no God, ..or maybe we can't.
In the name of the memory of Paul Tibbets and in the name of the awareness that many others like him are alive and well today please sign up for peace http://www.namesforpeace.com
Friday, October 26, 2007
New Design on the way
http://www.namesforpeace.com
Im working on the new design for names for peace as you read .. it is a bed theme inspired by a re-recording of give peace a chance from the bed in at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel where the original was recorded 35 years ago. They brought together Canadian Artists in the same room to update the song.
It is not just about that event though. It is also a thank you to Yoko Ono for getting back in the game ( I'm not sure that she has ever been gone ) and supporting Amnesty internationals Instant Karma "Instant Karma is Amnesty International's new campaign using the power of John Lennon's music and the voices of millions of concerned people around the world to stop the horrific human rights abuses taking place in Darfur, Sudan.". See that Campaign here Instant karma
Im a bit mad at myself. I saw Sean Lennon in Toronto a while ago in a tiny room with an audience of about 40 people and I regret so much that I didn't mention Names for Peace to him then. I hope he sees this. If you happen to know Sean Lennon ..or if you run into him please mention the site.. http://www.namesforpeace.com .. I would love to have his or his Mother's endorsement. :)
http://www.namesforpeace.com
all the best,
Michael Kerr
Im working on the new design for names for peace as you read .. it is a bed theme inspired by a re-recording of give peace a chance from the bed in at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel where the original was recorded 35 years ago. They brought together Canadian Artists in the same room to update the song.
It is not just about that event though. It is also a thank you to Yoko Ono for getting back in the game ( I'm not sure that she has ever been gone ) and supporting Amnesty internationals Instant Karma "Instant Karma is Amnesty International's new campaign using the power of John Lennon's music and the voices of millions of concerned people around the world to stop the horrific human rights abuses taking place in Darfur, Sudan.". See that Campaign here Instant karma
Im a bit mad at myself. I saw Sean Lennon in Toronto a while ago in a tiny room with an audience of about 40 people and I regret so much that I didn't mention Names for Peace to him then. I hope he sees this. If you happen to know Sean Lennon ..or if you run into him please mention the site.. http://www.namesforpeace.com .. I would love to have his or his Mother's endorsement. :)
http://www.namesforpeace.com
all the best,
Michael Kerr
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Has anyone watched the video
Let me know what you thought of the video.
email me if you like michaelckerr@gmail.com or standup@namesforpeace.com
All the best,
Michael
email me if you like michaelckerr@gmail.com or standup@namesforpeace.com
All the best,
Michael
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving ..the dubious Turkey feast ...
Don't forget to get out and enjoy the falling leaves and crisp cool air.
I hope you are all spending today with family or friends enjoying the trimmings and the long weekend.
Be safe , all the best
Michael
Don't forget to get out and enjoy the falling leaves and crisp cool air.
I hope you are all spending today with family or friends enjoying the trimmings and the long weekend.
Be safe , all the best
Michael
Friday, October 5, 2007
Connecting
I realized a long time ago that this wasn't going to work until we connected with more people and possibly with other like organizations.
There is so much potential that it is hard to know where to start. On the other hand there is so little time it's hard to know when it might really start.
We had our first outside connection today though at Concordia University. It's very encouraging to be able to tell you that Nancy Davenport has agreed to let us use a piece she did for the Guggenheim museum in New York on the Names for Peace website.
Nancy Davenport is a photographer/artist who lives and works in New York city, she has taught at Yale University and has instructed at the New York school of Visual Arts as well as MIT. She has an interest in the new face of activism and it's lack of visibility. We are very proud to be able to present her work on our site. That will be arriving as soon as I have time to convert the data format of her work and spice up the Names for Peace main page.
We hope that this is just the beginning of many collaborations and interesting presentations that we will be able to bring to you over time as we grow and become effective.
Michael
There is so much potential that it is hard to know where to start. On the other hand there is so little time it's hard to know when it might really start.
We had our first outside connection today though at Concordia University. It's very encouraging to be able to tell you that Nancy Davenport has agreed to let us use a piece she did for the Guggenheim museum in New York on the Names for Peace website.
Nancy Davenport is a photographer/artist who lives and works in New York city, she has taught at Yale University and has instructed at the New York school of Visual Arts as well as MIT. She has an interest in the new face of activism and it's lack of visibility. We are very proud to be able to present her work on our site. That will be arriving as soon as I have time to convert the data format of her work and spice up the Names for Peace main page.
We hope that this is just the beginning of many collaborations and interesting presentations that we will be able to bring to you over time as we grow and become effective.
Michael
Thursday, October 4, 2007
stalled
Names for Peace seems to have stalled in name collection. Perhaps it's the wording on the main page. Part of it is that we have been far too busy to do anything with it but this is changing. I find it hard to imagine that people don't desire peace.
For a while I was taking time to post the site where ever I could but have since been distracted by life in general. This is one of the problems that we all have. We don't have time to do ANYTHING outside of living our own busy lives.
We had a meeting recently and reshaped the guidelines and goals for Names for Peace. Those goals and guidelines will be posted here as soon as time permits. I'll send out an email to everyone once that it is out.
For now all the best and remember that peace begins at home ;-)
Michael
For a while I was taking time to post the site where ever I could but have since been distracted by life in general. This is one of the problems that we all have. We don't have time to do ANYTHING outside of living our own busy lives.
We had a meeting recently and reshaped the guidelines and goals for Names for Peace. Those goals and guidelines will be posted here as soon as time permits. I'll send out an email to everyone once that it is out.
For now all the best and remember that peace begins at home ;-)
Michael
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
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