It really has been amazing to see what has transpired since the devastating earthquake hit Haiti. Both the immediate carnage and tragedy and the equally immediate response by the world to not let Haiti suffer alone. Across all media and mediums there has been a unified voice of care, concern, love and empathy for those suffering in Haiti. The telethon, the web ads, the tv commercials, the texting campaign, the mention of websites and phone numbers on all programming; it truly has been amazing how focused and unified the efforts have been. Even local communities are finding their own ways to help and add their voice of unity.

There is benefit concert called Love 4 Haiti in Ventura, CA at the Lodge. Put on by Zoey’s Cafe and VC Reporter. Fybut will be donating some shirts to the event. Tomorrow the 24th from 5-9 for $10 and there will be raffles and auctions of donated stuff. You can get tix by visiting www.zoeyscafe.com. All ages are welcome.

Today is World AIDS Day and I read an article on MSNBC regarding the status of AIDS around the world. Here are some excerpts.

AIDS is still a global concern and a crisis in Africa.

World health officials say there’s some encouraging data on the HIV front — the number of people infected with the virus that causes AIDS seems to be mostly stable except for Africa.

The figure — about 33 million — has remained virtually unchanged for the last two years.

Officials say the global epidemic probably peaked in 1996. Last year, HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 72 percent of all 2.7 million new HIV cases worldwide.

There is a plan to fight the proliferation of HIV.

“It is very important we don’t continue to have 400,000 babies born with HIV in Africa every year,” Sidibe said.

“That is something that the world can deliver. That is why we are calling for virtual elimination of transmission from mother to child by 2015.”

Prevention programing is often off the mark and that if we do a better job of getting resources and programs to where they will make the most impact, quicker progress can be made and more lives saved

There is hope for the future.

Access to AIDS drugs is helping to cut the death rate. Earlier this year, the U.N. announced there are now 4 million people on lifesaving AIDS drugs

In sub-Saharan Africa, where the scourge of AIDS is most keenly felt, there were 400,000 fewer infections in 2008, or down 15 percent compared to 2001.

There is a way that you can help.

We donate $10 of every Red1 tee to Keep A Child Alive.

Also, there is a livestream of Alicia Keys in concert from New York to honor World AIDS Day beginning 8pm eastern today on youtube.

You can read the MSNBC article in its entirety by clicking here.
You can view an interactive map of AIDS worldwide by clicking here.
You can read another article about the effective treatment of HIV by clicking here.

Want to wish everyone a safe and sugary Halloween. I will be dressing up as a bat at the request of my god son. It is going to be epic with LED lights, mwah hahah. I was also a sheriff type for my god daughter’s Halloween Party. I created a wanted poster at www.glassgiant.com .

The devastation (worst flooding in 40 years) caused by the recent tropical storm in the Philippines has the country calling for aid that is critical to the relief efforts and I found a site that makes it easier to donate funds to the Philippine National Red Cross for those of us outside of the Philippines. You can go to www.philippineaid.com to make a donation and for more information. They are trying to raise $8000 by the end of October and are nearly at $5000. I am not sure if your donation will be tax deductible but I will contact them to find out.

If you are concerned about your donation being tax deductible, there is the Philippine Aid Society that is a 501(c)(3) organization that has set up their own relief fund. You can visit www.philippineaid.org to make a donation and for more info.

I just heard from my cousin Jenny in the Philippines and she was stranded in another city for 12 hours because of the storm but thankfully she is okay and their house is okay. However, she said there are more storms coming, so thoughts and prayers.

Today is the International Day of Peace and another opportunity to confirm your commitment to cultivating peace on this crazy earth that we live in. I was at Urban Outfitter last night and purchased this cool Peace One Day t-shirt that donates proceeds to the non profit Peace One Day. I didn’t realize that it was a woman’s tee till I put it on at home.

Although I look crazy sexy, it’s a bit too tight. I will either create some kind of peace project with it or will return it and donate the money directly to the organization. Please check out their organization and make your commitment for peace.

Alfredo shared this poignant documentary with me called Global Voices: T-Shirt Travels. It’s a story that follows a young African man who sells secondhand clothes at his local market. The clothes are distinctly non native and somewhat disturbingly American. Clothes that we have decidedly given up on and donate to charity are then sold by these charities to companies that export them to Africa. Bundles of clothes are sold at wholesale to individuals, such as Luka (whom the story revolves around) who inturns sells them at the market, in hope of bringing in enough money to repeat the process. If he is lucky he can put a miniscule amount away to be saved.

The filmmaker, Shantha Bloeman, uses this micro example to shed light on macro problems surrounding the economy of Africa and Zambia in this particular instance.  This country’s problems are unfortunately thematic with many other impoverished countries across the globe. If you watch this documenatary and would like to futher explore how a Coporatocracy looks to advance its cause at the expense of people in great need, please read Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. It was a book that had a tremendous impact on my outlook on life and how I see the world and the countries controlling the world.  It offers a perspective that is not openly talked about but one that I feel is imperative to be aware of and to understand.

This documentary makes one realize how we are all connected in this world and how we impact eachother without even thinking or knowing about it. It is important to be reminded of this and to live life with this in our conscience and consciousness so we make sure that the “how” is positive and beneficial for all and not for a select few.

A dear friend of both Alfredo and I recently launched a blog venture called Magpie Chic. She describes it as follows: “Magpie Chic– it’s not about opulence, but more about brilliance in all contexts of the word. Here to inspire you to polish your life one spark at a time and make it shine.” She shares her experiences and knowledge as a designer, lover of art and culture, and her innate rad-ness, to shine some light on inspired fashion, design, art, music…life. Share your passion. It’s never a bad idea.

There has been a lot on my mind and on the world’s collective minds and hearts; I am sure. These last couple weeks have been filled with tumultuous events both locally and globally. With all the turmoil, it becomes overwhelming at times to even think straight but having to work through the chaos and go through a process of finding peace and even purpose is an opportunity to create a greater good within yourself and for others.

The injustices and tragedies that have transpired and continue in Iran, since the election on June 12, has made an impact on me and strengthens my growth with global and humanitarian awareness. It was important for me, personally, to take some time to reflect on what the protests in Iran meant and especially, the death of Neda—a symbol of ultimate sacrifice and blatant injustice for these protests. I am writing a eulogy of sorts because I wanted to let it be known that her voice and the collective voices of all who stood in opposition to the oppressive actions of the Iranian government were not muted. I not only heard it but I felt it. It is a tribute and record of their courageous fight for truth and a greater good.

There was also an article in the LA Times about a week ago that I wanted to share about Neda and those that knew and loved her as a family member and friend. I encourage anyone who took notice of the events in Iran to read it.

Here in the US there is a monumental decision to be made about health care. I have not made any donations of the political nature since my donation to Obama’s Presidential campaign; however, I truly believe the debate on health care is one that has to be at the forefront of our minds and I made a recent donation of $50 to aid our President and colleagues in forming that discussion and pushing his plan on health care. I have been severely injured without having insurance and am consequently in a class action lawsuit for being charged in excess of 35% for my hospital fees that I had to struggle to pay with a personal credit card loan. I have seen loved ones have to jump through red tape and hoops instead of focus on getting better. It is time that the system is changed even if we don’t get it right the first time. Status quo is no longer an option.

I leave you with the words and thoughts of the immortal Michael Jackson, “Heal the world. Make it a better place.” I aim to take his words to heart and fybut was created in that spirit and I am terribly proud of what we have accomplished and how much we have grown through this venture with your help and participation. I am even more optimistic about the future and the importance of this journey.

There was a recent psa contest with Keep A Child Alive and the two winning submissions would earn a trip of a life to time to Africa to see first hand the struggles and the truimphs first hand. I really wanted to participate but couldn’t muster up a worthy submission in time. Hopefully, they do it again next year. Well here are the two winning and most excellent submissions.

We are into Summer 2009 now and I wish that we had more to share with you right this very moment but patience is a virtue, so I hear. I am still formulating the action plan that will take fybut from the present into the future. I will have that formulated this summer and will share it when it is complete. I still want to execute, at least one fybut philanthropic endeavor this summer. I have a couple organizations that I have targeted and I am putting together some ideas on how we can work with them to further their missions.

I recently designed a tee for a friend of mine that participated in the Walk United 2009 with United Way and The Anaheim Angels. It was a nice opportunity to do some designing for a good cause.  I hope to be in touch again soon with more developments. Thanks for checking in and much love.

This is the night that Keep a Child Alive will be featured on American Idol. Check your local listings for time and please consider texting “alive” to 90999 and donate $5. If you do, you will get a confirmation text where you will need to reply with a “yes” to process the donation. You will also receive a follow up text alert where you will have the opportunity to opt out of receiving subsequent text alerts regarding KCA by replying “stop”, which I did because I stay informed other ways. Thank you as always for any and all help offered during these difficult times for many around the world.

There is some exciting news regarding KCA that I wanted to share with you. Read on…

ATTENTION KCA Community!

Learn more about the KCA Texting Challenge at our online community:

I just sent a text myself and hope that you can make a $5 donation by sending a life giving text today. Fyi, once you text ‘Alive’ to 90999, you will receive a text back requiring confirmation of your donation by replying with a “yes.”

How come music class wasn’t like this when I was a kid?

This is why we need to support amazing teachers in public education.

Our first step forward in the new direction is to make all the designs available for fundraising*.  If you purchase a tee online, we will donate $10 of your purchase to a charitable organization of your choice. Simply email us at thefybut@fybut.com after you have placed your order to instruct us where you want the funds donated and we will take care of the rest. We are committed towards becoming a philanthropic endeavor and this is a significant step towards making that happen. In the coming days, weeks, and months, we will continue to immerse ourselves and verse ourselves in charity. We have  a ways to go to arrive at our desired destination, but we feel that we couldn’t have taken a better first step then this one and we hope you feel the same way. There will be much more as it all comes together and we look forward to sharing it all with you.

*some restrictions apply, as noted on the store pages of this site.

We created a profile on the KCA College website that I wanted to share with you. There are lots of significant changes in the works for fybut, so I encourage you to join us there, especially if you are interested in our KCA endeavors. More to come in the coming days, weeks, and months.

the future of fybut from the fybut on Vimeo.

2008 was a very good year thanks to you. we hope to see more, do more and be more in 2009.

fybut in review 2008 from the fybut on Vimeo.

The following was originally posted in April of last year and with the juxtaposition of MLK Day today and the historical inauguration of President Elect Obama tomorrow, I wanted to revisit it. It truly is part of the dream coming true and the fact that we have elected and will inaugurate our first African American President is truly amazing. I personally believe this brings the dawning of a new age, not only in American politics but also for American Culture and the history of our nation and the world. It reminds me of the importance of fighting for equality whether it is race, religion, gender, age, or sexual orientation because all good and decent people share common dreams and they should not be derailed or broken or dismissed for reasons of hate, ignorance or self-righteousness. There is no better or more poignant time, ever, to make a difference in our lives than today and that is always an unspoken truth.

“today is the 4oth anniversary of the death of martin luther king jr. (jan. 15, 1929 – april 4, 1968) and i am not sure if today is a more appropriate day or poignant day to share his dream or if everyday should be a day of remembrance, until his dream comes true; nonetheless, today is an important day. although i didn’t live during his time and we as a society and a people have made changes for the better, things are not yet better. there is still racism in all shapes and colors. there is still injustices toward our fellowman. there is still homelessness for sons and daughters. there is still indifference towards suffering. there are still children who have no reason to smile. there is still greed that compromises right from wrong. but there is still hope. there is still love. there are still opportunities to make dreams come true.

martin luther king made the ultimate sacrifice. not because he was actually shot and killed for a cause he believed in, but because he decided to dedicate his life to that cause knowing the risks involved. we are not all called to make this ultimate sacrifice yet there are opportunities everyday to help our fellowman. it can be as simple as acknowledging the existence of someone, a neighbor, a co-worker, a friend, an acquaintance, a family member by saying, “hello” and asking the simple question “how are you doing today?”

i believe that caring is sharing but we have to start by sharing our hearts and our love and only then can things become truly better.

let’s make things better.”

As the Whos would say, we are here.  I can’t believe that my last post was on Christmas and we are half way through January. I was on vacation as I normally am for the holidays and new year and have been fighting some ailments that also seem to be part of the tradition.  I wanted to say welcome to 2009 (mostly to myself) and that although I haven’t posted in a while, fybut is always stirring around in my head. I have an ambitious agenda for 2009 with brand new developments and plans and direction and improvements on what we accomplished, learned, loved and pondered during our inaugural six months of existing.

I will be putting together some vids to reminisce on last year and to share my thoughts on the future of this ever evolving dream. Please stay tuned and know that we are in fact here and that I have learned a lot in the last six months of operating fybut through our efforts and the efforts of those we have met. I feel a coming out party, a Quinceaneara, a Bar Mitzvah, a Debut, a Confirmation, an Inauguration, if you will, is entirely in order but much needs to be done to get us there. However, when we get there, we will be all grown up and ready to do what we were meant to do.

I also wanted to share that we raised another $80 during December for Keep A Child Alive, so a personal thank you to those that thought of us and KCA during the holiday season and I couldn’t think of a better way to start the NEW YEAR.

A little Christmas photo care of my dog Enzo. Merry Christmas and have a lovely day today doing whatever with whomever.

We wanted to wish everyone a very warm and fuzzy holiday season.   Tis the season to show some ‘Santa Love.’

Here is one idea of how to show some love this season. There are those that continue to serve our country overseas, as part of the armed forces and Xerox is doing something pretty special for them. You can go to www.letssaythanks.com and send a free card to a serviceman/woman that would brighten and strengthen their holiday spirit during a time when they cannot be home with loved ones.

Retired Army General Eric Shinseki has been picked by President-elect Obama to head the Department of Veteran Affairs.

Anh “Joseph” Cao (pictured above) has won the 2nd Congressional District in Louisiana, becoming the first Vietnamese-American elected to the US Congress. Read more here:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/07/louisiana.cao/index.html

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2008-12-07-noelection_N.htm

I just discovered that our site isn’t loading properly, when using Internet Explorer as your browser. The left side panel with the store links and other links doesn’t load, as well as, the photos on the right side panel. We will try to correct the problem asap, but in the meantime, you can view the website in its entirety using the Firefox browser.

The Girl Effect. Nuff said.

Today is World AIDS Day and as stated earlier, we have made our inaugaral donation to Keep A Chld Alive. We donated $250 with your support. We look forward to continuing to support their heroic efforts and appreciate your continued support of our company and dedication to philanthropy and combating AIDS. We hope to make another significant donation to KCA in the near future, so please continue to show some love and spread the word about our red1 tee and KCA. For more info about World AIDS Day, you can go to google and they have a link that will bring up a google search relevant to World AIDs Day.

I also thought that I would share an email that I got from KCA upon submitting our donation.

Dear Alexander,

Ngiyabonga* for your donation to Keep A Child Alive. We are pleased that you chose to join in the fight against AIDS. I assure you that 100% of your donation will be spent saving the life of another child or mother in Sub-Saharan Africa.

As you know, Keep A Child Alive is an urgent response to the AIDS pandemic ravaging Africa. Through our current treatment and orphan care sites throughout seven different countries; we are providing children and families with life-saving AIDS support and the surrounding care needed to lead a fulfilling life. This is all thanks to your contributions. Your donation makes our work possible. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of all the children and families who rely on us for their lives.

It only costs $1 a day to save a life however still so many who have a buck a day to spare turn their cheek the other way, allowing countless to die unnecessary deaths. Thank you for not being another one of those people.

Please spread the word and tell everyone you know about Keep A Child Alive. Together, and only together will be beat this pandemic. If you need more information, please contact us at 718-965-1111.

Together in the fight,

Leigh Blake
Founder & President
Keep A Child Alive

Keep A Child Alive is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
Donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.

*Ngiyabonga means thank you in Zulu, the language of many of the people who live in the areas we serve in Africa.

Payment Information:
================================
Transaction ID: 37996884
Date: December 1, 2008
Time: 5:21am (ET)
Payment Amount: $250.00
Campaign: Keep A Child Alive One Time Donation
Name: Alexander Ong

We have, to date, helped to raise nearly $500 to support the mission of KCA in the fight against AIDS in Africa that includes the $230 that was raised with the KCA College chapter at Hilltop High School and the over $200 that we have raised on behalf of fybut, through our own sales. Fybut will be making our inaugural donation on World AIDS Day on December 1 ^st. We are making a last push to make our very first donation as impactful as possible and we are asking you to do two things. The first is to check out our red1 tee by visiting the online stores and if you are able and inspired to make a purchase, we would be most grateful.  The second is to, simply, share this information with those you know. I thank you for taking a little time to consider what we are trying to accomplish and wish you safe shopping on  ‘black friday.’ it’s a jungle out there.

I have a lot of be thankful for this year including the chance to share me, through this venture called fybut. I am thankful for the support of all who believe in me and what we are trying to accomplish with this company. I am thankful for friends old and new who have participated in the ‘birth’ of these ideas. I am thankful for my life and the opportunity to share it with others, in hope that, together, we strengthen our purpose as individuals and as a people. Ultimately, I am thankful because giving thanks recognizes the supreme value of the deeds done in this world by you and for you and this speaks directly to how invaluable life really is.

(From left to right: Jade, Jessica, Brittnie and Ms. RADford)

I just wanted to say how inspired I am by the KCA College chapter at Hilltop High School in Chula Vista, California. The desire to make a difference and the willingness to take a stand is something that translates across all ages and geographies and should be admired by all.  Apathy is a primary cause for the failure to reach any goal and especially those involved with philanthropy.  It is far easier not to care and do nothing, so I am always encouraged by students, especially high school students, who are unwilling to harbor this attitude.

I, personally, thank you for your efforts and the many people that you have helped, but haven’t met, will say a ‘thank you’ that, also, is meant for you.  Please continue to do your good work because the world needs it and I implore you to err on the side of love and action no matter how many times you are hurt or how many times you think you have failed. There is no failure in caring and it hurts more not to try because it will hurt a great many more people than yourself, so keep on keepin’ on and we will be here should you need some help along the way.