People are dying of hunger. Suffering is all around us. Selfish greed stands in the way of justice.
Sometimes we've got to uncork the pent up longing for shalom and reconnect our souls to the rhythm of life that makes little kids and grandparents dance with unfettered joy.
Feel it in the air. Breath it in and let go...
No one has ever been hurt by the unquenchable fever for more...
Maybe all the world really needs is more cowbell.
Have fun. Save the world. Don't take yourself too seriously.
Feel the passion...
So easy to mock, but there's something admirable about his commitment...
March 17 - Flavia Colgan, Citizen Hunter
Guest post on Flavia Colgan's Citizen Hunter blog at the Philadelphia Daily New web page.
My friend Ryan Kellermeyer has his hands in several amazing projects. I asked him to share one of them with you and I will post about some others in the near future. Take it away, Ryan...
Since January 1, I have eaten only one bowl of rice a day and lost over 50 pounds. Flavia Colgan wanted to know why.
An African proverb states that "If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito." This idea has changed my life.
I am one of the richest people in the history of the world, enjoying greater wealth than 95% of people alive today. I'm rich. But here's the trick: I only make $35,000 a year. My North Philly community is rich, but the median household income is only $19,000 (top 11%). Go to www.globalrichlist.com . Type in your income and see where you stand among the world's elite.
Now that you're rich, what are you going to do? Are you still too small to make a difference?
Over 25,000 people die every day from hunger, most of them children. That's almost everyone at a sold-out Phillies game. Daily. The UN World Food Programme says the pricetag to end hunger is $30 billion a year and totally within our reach. Americans spend $35 billion a year in weight loss products. And don't even get me started on that $170 billion we gave to AIG! Meanwhile, we give $0.35 per person per YEAR to foreign aid, most of it going to strategic allies such as Egypt, Israel, Russia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq. What is wrong with our priorities as a nation and as individuals? In this time of "Hope and Change" there are billions who need hope and we barely give them the change in our pocket.
It is an amazing time to be alive and even as I type this article I am living proof of the power you and I share. It's not just our wealth but also our access to others of equal wealth that is so empowering.
Since New Year's Eve I have eaten only 1 bowl of rice a day in solidarity with the hungry of the world. I've lost over 50 pounds so far and raised over $5,000 for hunger causes. My goal is to raise $1 million and spread the word that we can and should end hunger right now. Join me at www.SimpleSizeMe.com .
Consume less. Share more. Write to your elected officials. Talk to your family. Hunger sucks. We're rich. Giving is fun. It's time to get your mosquito on.
Ryan Kellermeyer
p.s. - I also work for an amazing community center serving children in the Hunting Park neighborhood of North Philly. www.ayudacc.org. We're having a silent auction on March 28. Take this opportunity to donate a service or item at http://tinyurl.com/Auction09 or bid at http://tinyurl.com/AuctionBids . Contact me at ryan@simplesizeme.com Thank you!
March 16 - Chilling with Rudy on Vimeo
So far, we have raised $5,416 for hunger-related causes.
Today's featured charity is The Hunger Project. DONATE NOW!!
March 16 - Chilling with Rudy from Ayuda Community Center on Vimeo.
p.s. - YouTube was booting this video because I threw this new U2 song in there. U2 is Rudy's favorite band. The song is called "I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" and the lyrics are a rallying cry to activists to take some time to have fun while trying to save the world. Rudy and I have a lot of fun together and this is his favorite band, so eat it YouTube.
This really is a great song...
"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"
She’s a rainbow and she loves the peaceful life
Knows I’ll go crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight
There’s a part of me in the chaos that’s quiet
And there’s a part of you that wants me to riot
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
Every sweet tooth needs just a little hit
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the truth and not see it
Oh, a change of heart comes slow
It’s not a hill, it’s a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me or are you doubting
We’re gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I’ll go crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won’t listen to your boys and girls
‘Cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven’t heard
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear
The right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but a change of heart comes slow
It’s not a hill, it’s a mountain
As you start out the climb
Listen for me, I’ll be shouting
We’re gonna make it all the way to the light
But you now I’ll go crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight
Baby, baby, baby
I know I’m not alone
Baby, baby, baby
I know I’m not alone
Oh oh oh
It’s not a hill, it’s a mountain
As we start out the climb
Listen for me, I’ll be shouting
Shouting to the darkness
Squeeze out sparks of light
You know we’re gonna go crazy
You know we’ll go crazy
You know we’ll go crazy if we don’t go crazy tonight
Oh, slowly now
Oh, be slow
Today's featured charity is The Hunger Project. DONATE NOW!!
March 16 - Chilling with Rudy from Ayuda Community Center on Vimeo.
p.s. - YouTube was booting this video because I threw this new U2 song in there. U2 is Rudy's favorite band. The song is called "I'll Go Crazy if I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" and the lyrics are a rallying cry to activists to take some time to have fun while trying to save the world. Rudy and I have a lot of fun together and this is his favorite band, so eat it YouTube.
This really is a great song...
"I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight"
She’s a rainbow and she loves the peaceful life
Knows I’ll go crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight
There’s a part of me in the chaos that’s quiet
And there’s a part of you that wants me to riot
Everybody needs to cry or needs to spit
Every sweet tooth needs just a little hit
Every beauty needs to go out with an idiot
How can you stand next to the truth and not see it
Oh, a change of heart comes slow
It’s not a hill, it’s a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me or are you doubting
We’re gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I’ll go crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight
Every generation gets a chance to change the world
Pity the nation that won’t listen to your boys and girls
‘Cos the sweetest melody is the one we haven’t heard
Is it true that perfect love drives out all fear
The right to appear ridiculous is something I hold dear
Oh, but a change of heart comes slow
It’s not a hill, it’s a mountain
As you start out the climb
Listen for me, I’ll be shouting
We’re gonna make it all the way to the light
But you now I’ll go crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight
Baby, baby, baby
I know I’m not alone
Baby, baby, baby
I know I’m not alone
Oh oh oh
It’s not a hill, it’s a mountain
As we start out the climb
Listen for me, I’ll be shouting
Shouting to the darkness
Squeeze out sparks of light
You know we’re gonna go crazy
You know we’ll go crazy
You know we’ll go crazy if we don’t go crazy tonight
Oh, slowly now
Oh, be slow
March 12 - Truth in plane sight
So far, we have raised $5,005 for hunger-related causes.
Today's featured charity is The Hunger Project. DONATE NOW!!
Today's featured charity is The Hunger Project. DONATE NOW!!
March 12 - Two Weeks Hungry
So far, we have raised $4,411 for hunger-related causes.
Today's featured charity is The Hunger Project. DONATE NOW!!
Hello Readers,
Well I have been unable to post updates as regularly as I would have hoped going in to this, my work has been keeping me super busy, but I wanted to provide you with a nutshell of my experience so far. I have now been on rice and water for two solid weeks, barring one 24 hour period.
This past Friday I had a small wedding to attend, there was no rice served but I intentionally did not eat any of my rice portion that day and only ate a similar portion of food as I have been eating in rice, and the next evening was surprised with a birthday party in my honor. While there I ate some none non-rice foods for my dinner and had a couple not-water beverages.
While these breaks have satisfied a desire to taste something other than rice it has not abated my general hunger. While eating only rice sort of gets old, it taste's pretty good and by the time I eat everyday I am hungry for it. What I am learning is that though I'm not always hungry, although I do think about my hunger pretty frequently throughout the day, it's that there is no real satisfaction to the meal in the sense that "That was a really fulfilling meal". That's something I've always taken for granted and to look at me I've had more than my fair share of "satisfactory" meals. While this perhaps give me a slight glimpse into other's hunger it still seems pretty unfathomable to me to have live one's life and perhaps never be blessed with the luxury to eat until full from both the variety and quantity of food finishing a meal by sitting back happily from the table and loosening the pants.
I have now lost at least 10 pounds through SimpleSizing my diet and sent 10 days worth of foods savings to feed others. Will you join me by giving up tomorrow's coffee and donating $2.00 to feed a hungry person?
Today's featured charity is The Hunger Project. DONATE NOW!!
Hello Readers,Well I have been unable to post updates as regularly as I would have hoped going in to this, my work has been keeping me super busy, but I wanted to provide you with a nutshell of my experience so far. I have now been on rice and water for two solid weeks, barring one 24 hour period.
This past Friday I had a small wedding to attend, there was no rice served but I intentionally did not eat any of my rice portion that day and only ate a similar portion of food as I have been eating in rice, and the next evening was surprised with a birthday party in my honor. While there I ate some none non-rice foods for my dinner and had a couple not-water beverages.
While these breaks have satisfied a desire to taste something other than rice it has not abated my general hunger. While eating only rice sort of gets old, it taste's pretty good and by the time I eat everyday I am hungry for it. What I am learning is that though I'm not always hungry, although I do think about my hunger pretty frequently throughout the day, it's that there is no real satisfaction to the meal in the sense that "That was a really fulfilling meal". That's something I've always taken for granted and to look at me I've had more than my fair share of "satisfactory" meals. While this perhaps give me a slight glimpse into other's hunger it still seems pretty unfathomable to me to have live one's life and perhaps never be blessed with the luxury to eat until full from both the variety and quantity of food finishing a meal by sitting back happily from the table and loosening the pants.
I have now lost at least 10 pounds through SimpleSizing my diet and sent 10 days worth of foods savings to feed others. Will you join me by giving up tomorrow's coffee and donating $2.00 to feed a hungry person?
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