Topic: News

The All As One orphanage, in Sierra Leone, West Africa, announces their involvement in a global creative project, linking orphans from around the world, while they create music and art together. A video of the project will be featured at the opening of the Elevate Film Festival, on October 5, at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, California.

The All As One orphanage, in Sierra Leone, West Africa is excited to be participating in HearMe, a project providing orphans with the means to create music and film, and to connect with other orphans from around the world.

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All As One's future humanitarians.

The 2nd Annual Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights will be held Sept. 14-20, 2008. Last year the project featured nighttime vigils in 36 American cities led by straight Americans showing support for LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) friends and neighbors. This year's events will be held amidst a changing cultural and political landscape which includes greater support for LGBT Americans.

There's never been a more exciting time for straight Americans to take a stand for their lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) friends and neighbors. That's according to Soulforce and Atticus Circle, the sponsors of Seven Straight Nights for Equal Rights 2008, a project that will spotlight straight Americans' support for equality over the week of September 14-20, 2008.

Internationally-renowned spiritual leader to tour North America, spreading the message of "inner peace for world peace" and celebrating International Peace Day.

One of the world's foremost proponents of peace and social responsibility, His Holiness Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda, known around the world as Swamiji, will kick-off his 2008 World Peace Tour in New York City on August 11, 2008. The central messages of Swamiji's humanitarian mission are "inner peace for world peace" and "peace starts with you."

Recent survey results show that there are still significant gaps in consumer awareness regarding important environmental issues, and these gaps are likely at the root of the U.S.'s thorniest environmental challenges. At the same time, there are key opportunities for leading companies to connect with their customer base by partnering for a better environment.

EcoUnit, the rewards program connecting consumers with environmentally-responsible products and services, announced the results of its "Consumer Awareness" survey which was sent to its members in July 2008. The EcoUnit membership base, a cross-section of North American consumers across geographies, genders, and ages, serves as a ready-made online community for businesses looking to better understand the pace and extent of consumers' intentions to become more environmentally responsible, particularly in how they choose which products to buy and where to buy them. EcoUnit's "green categorization" provides insights into how various issues are perceived by hard core environmentalists ("dark greens") versus the vast majority of consumers who have just recently awakened to our planet's challenges ("light greens").

A human rights group is raising concerns about the harms and costs of male circumcision, stating that circumcision programs will be a dangerous distraction in the HIV battle.

The human rights group, International Coalition for Genital Integrity, is continuing to raise concerns about the harms and costs of male circumcision at their booth in the AIDS 2008 conference in Mexico City this week, stating that circumcision programs will be a dangerous distraction in the HIV battle.

The Asis project foundation in support to the national "Neutral Carbon" plan has launched a voluntary environmental program called "Zero Carbon Volunteer," so that people around the world can participate in Costa Rica's reforestation effort.

Reforestation to fix carbon is the environmental policy priority of the Nobel Prize winning president of Costa Rica, Dr. Oscar Arias Sanchez. It is intended that the country is Carbon Neutral, that is, to remove carbon from the atmosphere as much as it's added with the emissions of gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect. Along with controlling the of such emissions of harmful gases from different sources, the plan also calls for the sowing of seven million trees throughout the territory which is 52,000 square kilometers, which although small in size, is high in biodiversity, being at this point one of the richest worldwide.

Swami Ramdev recently put on his first ever yoga camp in the Washington D.C. area. The event was a success and completely sold out. More events are scheduled to follow around the United States and Europe.

Swami Ramdevji, the Indian yoga guru and one of the most important figures in the "Yoga for Health" movement conducted his first ever yoga camp in the Washington D.C. area July 23-27, 2008. Presented by Tathaastu: So Be It, the spiritual and holistic lifestyle magazine, in its effort to promote global well-being partnered with Divya Yog Mandir and Swami Ramdev.

The sponsors and organizers of the Telluride Festival of the Arts announced a surprise addition to this year's festival schedule - a special one-night performance by Taj Mahal and the Trio Band on Friday, August 15, 2008 at 6:00 p.m. on Sunset Plaza in Mountain Village, CO. The performance will be free and open to the public.

Composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and two-time Grammy® winner Taj Mahal is one of the most prominent and influential figures in late 20th century blues and roots music. With a professional career that spans more than four decades, Taj Mahal's artistic scope extends beyond American Blues to include musical influences from around the world, including west Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, Europe and the Hawaiian islands.

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Taj Mahal in a photograph by Jay Blakesberg

Curious students will be gathering in Culver City the weekend of August 1st - 3rd for a three-day workshop that promises to teach everyone in the class how to hypnotize themselves and others in just one weekend.

If you've ever wondered if hypnosis is real, now you just might get the chance to find out.

The Sedona Meditation Training Company announces The Radiance Retreat at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain September 12-14, 2008.

Created as a response to the overwhelming demand from her students for more intensive meditation events, Sedona Meditation Training Company Director, Sarah McLean, has announced The Radiance Retreat, to be held at the Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain. The event will be held September 12-14, 2008.

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Sarah McLean, Director, Sedona Meditation Training Company.