As some of you already know, singer-songwriter and TuneInTurnOnHelp.org founder Ed Hale visited Ghana in 2007 to lend a hand in building houses in a small impoverished village called Tepa. A series of short videos documenting that trip are currently available to view on YouTube here. Detailed, thought provoking, and informative, the videos are also entertaining and a bit hair-raising at times; most importantly they offer an inside glimpse into this very special country and its people.

The ONE organization has also made a short video about Ghana that you should check out while you’re there: http://www.one.org/us/ghana_rsvp/rsvp.html?rc=tafobamaghana

Thank you for all that you do in the world everyday!

TuneInTurnOnHelpOut.org

American Revolution Heroes

by Tyler Bejoian, 16 years old, New York, NY

At the conclusion of the 1960s, it seemed as if the world was about to erupt in a fury of revolution, war, and anger. The ongoing American occupation of Vietnam was intensifying, and millions of Vietnamese women and children were routinely slaughtered like wild dogs for no evident reason. Even though there had been much landmark legislation for blacks who had been drafted by 1969, many African Americans continued to endure the stifling burden of institutionalized American racism. The last two years of the 60’s also saw the shattered expectations and efforts of millions of activists who had attempted to work peacefully for societal and political change.

One of the most prominent non-violent protest organizations was the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) who had emerged in the early 60’s. At the annual SDS convention held in the summer of 1969, a young and fundamentally radical group was able to claim control of the crumbling SDS. Attractive and erudite young students, Bernadine Dohrn and Mike Clonsky, branded themselves as spokesmen for this organization. They called themselves the Weathermen. At the convention, delegates were handed a position paper entitled,  “You Don’t Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows.”  It outlined the position of the fledgling Weathermen organization that already seemed almost fanatically committed to these radical  ideals.

The early members of the Weathermen proclaimed themselves as the real leaders of the SDS and totally claimed control of the organization. The Weathermen derived their name from one of the first electrically driven Bob Dylan songs,  Subterranean Homesick Blues . The name is found in the memorable stanza, ”You don t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.” 1 This lyric is vital to understanding the ideology of the Weather Underground because it suggests that young people didn’t need their congressmen, newsman, or parents to inform them about what was happening in their world. They could determine the current state and future of their world independently, and without the aid of futile and corrupted institutions. The Weathermen also hoped they could appeal to the students who were inspired to protest by Dylan s music.

Much of the organization’s ideological beliefs were considered to be Communist to a certain degree. They were absolutely convinced that a massive worldwide revolution was about to occur and completely obliterate the  status quo.  The Weathermen were vehemently opposed to the wealth disparities that gripped America and excluded virtually all blacks from entering the  privileged white version of the American dream. They saw the infamous  ghetto rebellions 2 which occurred during 1968, as one of the ultimate indications that a wide scale liberation was about to take place.
Around the globe, it seemed like persecuted, disenfranchised, and mistreated citizens were taking action and attempting to fight off the tyranny of their governments. This universal shift could be seen in China s Cultural Revolution, the 1968 student revolts in France and Mexico City, and the Marxist led independent movements throughout the African continent. This sentiment was best vocalized by Bernadine Dohrn:  “White youth must choose sides now. They must either fight on the side of the oppressed, or be on the side of the oppressor.” 2 One of the main intentions of the organization was to awaken the docile American mainstream, and bring the violence and terrorism of Vietnam into the United States. They first attempted this by unleashing the  Days of Rage  protest in the autumn of 1970. In October, they blew up a public statue in Chicago commemorating the police casualties of the 19th century Haymarket Riot. The attack was the first major attempt by the Underground to combat the brutality of the police force which had continued to unashamedly pulverize dissenters (violating their First Amendment Rights.)

However, in March 1970, a horrific explosion at a Weathermen safe house in Greenwich Village resulted in the deaths of three members. After the incident, the Underground radically reformed their initial intentions (which included kidnapping, assassinations, and the acceptability of human casualties.) Famed WUO Bill Ayers remarked, “We were very careful  from the moment of the townhouse on to be sure we weren’t going to hurt anybody, and we never did hurt anybody. Whenever we put a bomb in a public space, we had figured out all kinds of ways to put checks and balances on the thing and also to get people away from it, and we were remarkably successful. 2

In the early 70’s, the Underground proceeded to boldly undertake massive retaliations against the U.S. government. The bombing attacks were mostly directed at large symbols of the  military industrial complex such as the United States Capitol, Pentagon, and the Department of State building. Other revolutionary activities included breaking into government buildings and purloining documents (giving COINTELPRO a dose of their own medicine) and successfully breaking the renowned philosopher Timothy Leary out of prison.

By 1976, the Weather Underground had virtually disintegrated and in 1977 the organization officially collapsed. The dissolution could be attributed to the then recently signed Vietnam Peace accord, and strife within the organization itself.  Many Underground members (including Dohrn, Ayers, and Jeff Jones) eventually turned themselves in to authorities and received minimal fines and/or sentences. However, certain members continued to remain underground.

The organization recently emerged into the limited lens of the mainstream media when it was verified that President Obama had once befriended the  so-called ‘dangerous terrorist,’  Bill Ayers. One of the most significant events to occur in the American media during the Presidential Election was when Ayers finally decided to appear on Good Morning America. When a reporter inquired as to whether Ayers felt repentant, or apologetic for his involvement, he responded, “Frankly, I don t think we did enough. Just as today, I don t think we’ve done enough to stop these wars. And I think we must all recognize the injustice of it and do more.” 3

The most revolutionary aspect of the Weather Underground was not the supposedly violent acts (in which no one was killed), committed in the name of peace and protest but something else entirely. It is the notion that sometimes, what is universally labeled as outrageous and destructive by our government and media can actually be far more beneficial than what is considered as legal or normal. Currently we are engaged in numerous wars, both covert and public, directed against millions of innocent civilians. To much of planet earth, the United States is considered a ruinous entity that has been responsible for the destruction of countless peoples and civilizations.

In 2003, in front of the blinded eyes of the global community, the U.S. proceeded in illegally invading a powerless country and slaughtering millions of its citizens. Sound familiar? This is why Ayer’s statement is so undeniably pertinent to our American lives. He and the rest of the Underground were able to ignite a fundamental and often neglected capability of the American people. The Underground reminded us that we have the capability to fight back against the shameless immorality and brutality orchestrated by our government. We can become catalysts for true and revolutionary change. We can refuse to shake the bloody hand of violence extended to us by our elected officials, and instead become the change our world needs.

Sources
1.  http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/subterranean-homesick-blues
2.  The Weather Underground Documentary, 2002.
3.   http://freedomswings.wordpress.com/category/obama-associations/
4.  http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/eisenhower001.asp

Dear members and friends!

I would love to add you all to my friendslist and i would if Facebook would allow me…unfortunately they dont!

Many problems in this world could be solved but they will not be solved until we realy start combining efforts!

The world has many pressing problems. Thanks to the efforts of governments, NGOs, and individual activists there is no shortage of ideas for resolving them. However, even if all governments were willing to spend more money on solving the problems, we cannot do it all at once. We have to prioritize; we all have our priorities and you are making decissions all the time for spending money or time to make the world a better place.

Did you ever hear about the Copenhagen Consensus..?

The Copenhagen Consensus exercise started as a simple but untested idea of prioritizing global opportunities.

The basic idea is the same as used in Copenhagen Consensus 2004: Imagine you had $75bn to donate to worthwhile causes. What would you do, and where should we start?

The conclusions from the roundtable are expected to be an eye-opener for policy-makers all over the world, and to act as a vehicle for improving decision-making on spending on global issues.

The Copenhagen Consensus Center is a think-tank in Denmark that publicizes the best ways for governments and philanthropists to spend aid and development money.

The ten challenges examined in Copenhagen Consensus 2008
http://www.copenhagenconsensus.com/Default.aspx?ID=1143

It does not matter how the experts rank the most effective investments…its all about YOU nobody else! And i dont care how you make a difference i know that you do!

There is no limit to what a person can do or how far one can go to help - if one doesn’t mind who gets the credit”

One person can make a difference ! Lets do it!

Namasté
Hans Lak
http://tinyurl.com/oneperson invite your friends to join us!

You recently signed our letter from Archbishop Desmond Tutu regarding the Dalai Lama. Did n’t you?

The Archbishop wishes to thank you. Please see his personal message below.

“Keep it up. You are the people who make freedom happen.”
“It warms my heart to see so many of my fellow Nobel Laureates, stars, leaders, and people from around the world put their signature on paper, so to speak, to stand behind our friend the Dalai Lama.

“We have just seen a shameful example of South African leaders becoming timid in the face of Chinese “might” and their own economic interests, and refusing this incredible, peaceful being entry to our county –for a peace conference!

“It’s an embarrassment that this could happen in a country that has known how dark life can be when your human rights are being smashed. And we, of all people, know what it means when someone in another part of the world stands up for your rights and freedom.

“So it’s a joyful thing, to turn around and see you — people from all countries, from all walks of life, who are willing to step forward, put their name down, and say “wait a minute, I object to this mistreatment!”

“It lets me know, once again, that good will ultimately prevail in this world.

“Keep it up. You are the people who make freedom happen.”

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

One person can make a difference!

H A P P Y E A S T E R TO Y O U A N D Y O U R F A M I L Y !
Hans Lak

Please invite your friends
http://tinyurl.com/oneperson
http://twitter.com/HansLak One person follow on Twitter
http://tinyurl.com/avaaz The People Power LOUDSPEAKER!

Today would be the 30th birthday of my daughter Rachel, who was run over by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza in 2003 as she tried to save a Palestinian family’s home from demolition. Last month, when my husband Craig and I traveled to Gaza with CODEPINK, it was so moving for us to reconnect with the families and the children that Rachel cared so deeply about. The 793,520 children of Gaza (56% of the population) have lived under occupation and siege all of their lives. They suffered unconscionably through the attacks and devastation inflicted upon them by the Israeli military during twenty-two days of horror in December and January. Hundreds did not survive. But those who did, still smile and laugh like all children. They are beautiful, resilient, curious and full of potential. They deserve the basics that all children in the world should have: ample food, clean water, healthcare, safe places to play and learn. They deserve the tools to deal with their nightmares, and sleep that is not punctuated by bombing. They deserve life, freedom, and hope. We can be a part of the hope and the solution by arming ourselves with the experience, knowledge, and insight to be stronger advocates for these children and their families–to open the borders, to end the siege, to end the occupation, and to see justice prevail. We hope you will join CODEPINK in the campaign to Speak Out for the Youth of Gaza. In peace, Cindy Corrie

Join a delegation:

• One, May 28-June 5, is open to everyone and will enter from Egypt
• A Jewish delegation, June 5-14, will enter from Israel. Click here to find out how to travel with us.

If you can’t join our delegation, you can still help the children of Gaza. Your donation of $10 will purchase a backpack full of school supplies for one child. $100 will contribute toward building an International Friendship Playground at one of the schools bombed during the invasion. To donate, click here and if you want to help Gazan children in your mother’s name, you can donate and we will send her a card with news of your gift.

Had this dream that I was helping an underground movement working for African American rights. Actually not sure if I was in the States or in another country. a lot of covert crawling through tunnels and jumping over barbwire fences to get to secret meetings… I was like “the white connection to the outside world” so to speak it seemed to be. All very hush hush and dangerous. The people in charge were all black from what i can remember and we were in a very impoverished environment. I was constantly sleeping amongst or jumping over homeless type people in rags or box-homes.

At a time when I am rethinking where to fuel my activist energies right now, a lot of prayer and meditation and observation about it… feeling the peace/anti-war movement is always going to be there but as a species we are essentially fucked in the face of these giant corporate-controlled entities that pose as governments on planet earth right now. ten million people marched to protest the United States’ invasion of the country of Iraq and it did absolutely nothing. It had no effect. There are still over one million Iraqi civilians dead at the hands of the so called “coalition forces.” Meaning what? corporate controlled/Matrix Styled robot-soldiers who do whatever “force” tells them to do. And we the people of the planet truly just have no say in it.

Inspiring that that many people came out on one single day to protest all over the planet? sure. but is it going to stop newly elected US president Obama from attempting to occupy Afghanistan? No. Won’t even be an issue. I don’t think anything is going to wake Americans up to the horrors of war and what it actually means for foreign insurgents to enter your country, boss you around, put up blockades, kill innocent people, and arrest thousands of your neighbors until it actually happens in their own country. Then we may be able to muster enough understanding to build a real coalition of a large enough group of people to actually have an effect on these “selected officials” and their war-mongering ways. Until then, anyone anywhere in the world is a target for arrest, occupation, imprisonment, or death at the drop of a hat if the United States and other large nations decides that’s what they want to do.

We not yet be living breathing batteries as suggested in the symbolic Matrix film series, but the people of earth for better or worse are clearly prisoners of powers much stronger than they are able to overcome. Only they’re not machines. (perhaps they are?) But by all accounts they appear to be living breathing human beings no different than ourselves. We live in a comfortable prison for some to be sure. Say if one lives in Kansas or New York. Not so comfortable for many others… Zimbabwe, Liberia, Sudan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, China, on and on the list grows…. or shrinks, depending on how one views it.

So the last few months I have really begun praying and meditating frequently and intensely on “what next?” in terms of where I might be able to better serve more people in real tangible ways. After Vietnam and Laos and Cambodia and Grenada and Panama and Nicaragua and Iraq (and so many more I simply fail to mention out of being too lazy to want to look up right now) it is clear that any efforts put forth by “the people” of earth to stop war-mongers is moot and in essence a waste of valuable time effort and energy.

It does though explain two things: why people as powerful and influential as Bono and Al Gore and Bill and Melinda Gates take on other causes, rather than what one suspects they believe in their hearts to also be a worthy cause – peace on earth. AND it also helps explain the motives and actions of people such as the Weather Underground, Che Guevara, Osama Bin Laden, the IRA, or the leaders of the Iranian Revolution. Crazy? Sure. But what they were/are fighting against was/is equally crazy.

So like the Buddha i sit quietly and meditatively torn between two worlds: out and out underground revolutionary to the death, even if it means three weeks or months from today i breathe my last breath in this current form. Or a more elegant peaceful and orderly style of helping… albeit one that requires more patience and a more mature ability to endure the ludicrous and unnecessary atrocities and lies, death and destruction that surround us at every corner of the globe at the hands of people who live in our own backyards and neighborhoods. Decision not made yet. So I sit.

Worthy causes: poverty, AIDS in Africa, women’s rights around the world, human trafficking and slavery, every 3.9 seconds someone dies of hunger or thirst somewhere in the world. If we wanted to we could end it in a year or two. But again, if WE WANTED to. Equal education. Gay rights. Fair trade. Blacks and Latinos still have it pretty tough. And no one even bothers to dare broach the stomach churning plight of the Native Americans and the other indigenous peoples of the planet. But that is one I would love to see brought up and finally faced and reconciled in our lifetimes…

We ask and it shall be given… so every night I am thrown into these random dreams/nightmares involving some sort of revolutionary events I have found myself entangled in. Some more terrifying than others. Some tame and reasonable and more “court and circus oriented.” Some downright “action adventure movie” style craziness. Each morning I wake up and scribble down as much as i can remember of what I was doing, how I felt, if the goal seemed a noble one… how I truly feel about it… if I believe that it is my calling to take it on and try to help…. a transition phase to be sure. But one that I will soon have an answer for I am sure.

Still one-hundred and ten percent behind helping bridge peace with the country of Iran, bring Tibet back to the Tibetan peoples, freedom of the Chechens, feeding the hungry, housing the poor, fighting poverty, and general do-gooding. But there is plenty more we can do… that’s for sure. In time we will know….

“We must be aware of the real problems of the world. Then, with mindfulness, we will know what to do and what not to do to be of help.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

Recently, there was a provocative article written in the New Yorker magazine that confronted the issue of solitary confinement in U.S. prisons. For those who are not aware, solitary confinement is a form of punishment employed by U.S. prisons, where individuals will spend up to 23 hours a day locked inside a cell, deprived of virtually all human contact (with the exception of the prison staff.) Those who are faced with solitary confinement find themselves enduring severe hallucinations and paralyzing loneliness that almost always leads to issues with “irrational anger”. 

The extremely informative article reminded me of something that I had long suspected, but hadn’t yet been validated by fact. Solitary confinement is a legitimate form of torture. And what is worse, this is a practice that Americans enforce upon other Americans. The prospect of ending this torturous practice rarely enters the public spectrum. I cannot recall a single press conference so far where President Obama had been asked about this practice. However, the good news is that most prison commissioners actually want to ban the practice but are constricted by politicians who threaten to withdraw basic funding, ridiculous stories appear in tabloids and correctional officers calling victims families and telling them that the commissioner has gone “soft on crime.”

While harrowing, this information can also be phenomenally empowering. It means that we as Americans have the ability to sway public opinion, and abolish this abhorrent practice. There are numerous journalists and activists who are working for a more humane prison system, and it is about time that their views are broadcasted to the nation. The use of solitary confinement symbolizes a much larger and devastating issue contaminating America. The United States currently has the highest documented incarceration rate in the world. Over 2 million people were convicted in 2007, and we have seen increasing numbers of convictions within past years. The cost of keeping millions behind bars comes to an astonishing 60 billion a year! This is certainly not a price we can afford to pay any longer.

Link to the New Yorker article: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/03/30/090330fa_fact_gawande?currentPage=1

Dear Ed,

Free Speech rights in Washington D.C. are under attack and we need you to take action.

The outcome of this struggle will have an impact on all progressive groups.

In the last weeks, the ANSWER Coalition has been hit with nearly $7,000 in fines for posters announcing the March 21 National March on the Pentagon that have been put up in Washington D.C. Just today, we received another $1,850 in fines for 12 posters.

The government is trying to effectively eliminate ANSWER’s and any group’s ability to engage in postering for Free Speech protected activities or dissemination of posters and flyers. The message is this: If you are an anti-war group or a progressive grassroots organization and you hand out or put up a poster, as you may have always done in the past, you can now expect heavy fines and long court battles that are designed to divert money and resources — or shut you down completely.

The posters for which we were fined are lawfully posted. The District is also issuing fines against ANSWER regardless of who put up the poster — they are just sanctioning us for being organizers and supporters of the political anti-war demonstration being publicized. Unlike many of the politicians, concert promoters and other corporate entities that put up posters in DC, the ANSWER Coalition even sends out teams of volunteers to remove posters following the conclusion of a demonstration or event.

Many individuals come in and take posters and leaflets from the office or download them from the website. As we have done for the past eight years we provide copies of the DC regulations to people that indicate how to poster in conformity with lawful regulations.

A big shift happened prior to the September 15, 2007 Bring the Troops Home Now mass demonstration that was led by veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. We were targeted in an unprecedented campaign and hit with $55,000 in fines.

When we held a press conference in Lafayette Park to protest the postering fines, the news conference was attacked by the police on horseback. Three people were falsely arrested and the media was scattered by the police. Nearly 100,000 people watched the attack on YouTube and support for the demonstration grew rather than diminished. That was an important lesson about how we can resist and win.

We announced then that we would file a lawsuit to defend our constitutional rights. That lawsuit was brought on behalf of ANSWER and the Muslim American Society Freedom (MASF) by attorneys from the Partnership for Civil Justice is continuing and is now before the federal D.C. Circuit court.

We also stated that under no circumstances would we pay these illegal fines.

Tens of thousands of people sent letters to the DC government supporting our Free Speech rights and condemning the obvious targeting of the anti-war movement. Today, those massive fines and the new and ever mounting fines are being held over our head and really over everyone who is engaged in traditional grassroots organizing.

Our leaflets and posters are our voice. Neither ANSWER nor any other grassroots movement has corporate backing and financing that would allow for mass media advertising. We have to firmly defend our rights in the face of an attack that comes from the DC government but not from it alone. In DC and elsewhere during the Bush-years, national and local law enforcement agencies fine-tuned the coordination of their efforts to suppress Free Speech and harass activists.

We are urging that you send a send a letter today to Washington DC Mayor (Adrian M. Fenty) and to the Director of DC Department of Public Works (William O. Howland, Jr.) demanding an end to the fines, harassment and repression of the anti-war movement. We have a right to publicize the March 21st March on the Pentagon. Fining the anti-war movement tens of thousands of dollars for putting up Free Speech-protected literature makes a mockery out of the First Amendment.

This Free Speech fight comes at the very moment that we are in the final stages of preparing for the demonstration and carrying out the many logistical and mobilizational tasks and obligations. We are organizing on many fronts simultaneously and we also need to raise tens of thousands of dollars in the final week.

Please make an urgently needed tax-deductible donation to help us pay the huge costs associated for a National March by clicking here.

Sincerely,

Brian Becker, ANSWER Coalition National Coordinator

I was reminded of this impact today though at Christ Church on Park Avenue and 60th street. I was invited to participate in this volunteer activity by a friend and mentor of mine who himself is a rockstar who I happened to have made friends with for no other reason probably than the fortunate opportunity I am afforded by living in this particular neighborhood. He quietly and anonymously volunteers here regularly. He told me that he does it to keep himself real and more grounded, as his industry has “an uncanny way of making you feel very unreal and ungrounded kid” as he put it. I notice that as busy as he is, he still finds the time to sneak in a few hours to volunteer around the city or around the world. I can imagine that it is a very different experiene for him than being on stage playing in front of thousands of people, or being locked in recording studios for months at a time.

As we shuffled into the basement one late Sunday afternoon I was introduced to the man who is in charge of the place. His name is Walter Gray Lamb. A well-known graphic designer by trade, he has been quietly running this food bank for homeless or hungry people in New York for over twenty years. I was very impressed and inspired by him and his dedication to helping people. It made me wonder if I had it within myself to do what he does. The moment the church doors opened people started nervously filing into the basement. A lot of these men and women seemed lost. They were physically present, but you could sense that they were spiritually and mentally elsewhere. You could tell that they were truly grateful to be receiving this food (one less costly strain on their budgets).

When we had finished serving these hungry people, a man approached me. He was in his mid-twenties, and many of his upper teeth seemed to be absent. But nevertheless, he greeted me with a warm grin, and we began talking. He asked me why I was here, and I told him that I just thought it was the right place to be. He expressed his longing to escape from New York. He told me that he was planning to join the National Guard because they provided some form of financial stability. He told me that he was currently writing a paper on the history of chemical weapons since the end of World War II. I was profoundly amazed by his breadth of knowledge concerning this rather esoteric subject. We discovered a mutual appreciation for the work of Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky. Eventually, it was time for us all to leave and I wished the man good luck.
Talking with this man reminded me of something that had rarely occurred to me before. Our conversation made me realize just how thin the line is between poverty and financial security in America. I mean, the gentleman I had met was a seemingly learned and capable individual who could probably do anything he wanted. However, he is currently dependent on the generosity of Christ Church for food.

It occurred to me that this economic crisis could serve as an awakening for the world and the United States. Perhaps it could remind us that we are all involved in this collective experience of human life, and while we are living on this earth it is our obligation to help others in need. Without that kind of charity and compassion we would have nothing.

So the next time you find yourself flipping through the pages of the Wall Street Journal, or watching some buffoon like Jim Kramer screaming in panic on the television, try heading down to your local food bank. There is a high probability that you will be overcome with an incredibly profound sensation that only comes from helping and connecting with others. You could also feel assured that as long as people are willing to help out, America and the rest of the world will be okay.

Tyler Bejoian
15 years old, New York City

About Blake

My name is Blake, and I am the Chief Shoe Giver here at TOMS. This is my story, our story, and the daily journey each of you are now participating in.So far we have given over 130,000 pairs of shoes to children in need around the world.

If you have ever seen the movie The Family Man with Nicholas Cage, you know the song that I am about to reference. It is by the Talking Heads and is one of those songs that you find yourself, for absolutely no reason at all, humming in the shower.

Due to the wondrous powers of the internet, I was able to hunt down the exact words to the chorus:

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack
And you may find yourself in another part of the world
And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful Wife
And you may ask yourself-well…how did I get here?

I mention all of this because I am currently looking at a picture of myself on page 130 of People Magazine. PEOPLE MAGAZINE! The magazine has Owen Wilson on the cover and is due out any day now.

I cannot tell you guys how grateful I am for this experience. This past year-and-a-half has been surreal. It felt like yesterday that I was working out of my apartment in Venice with three interns that I found on Craigslist. TOMS now has 16 full time employees, a large office building, a professional phone system, and if all goes well, a working fax machine in the coming days. I feel so blessed.

I have spent so much time on the road these past few months that I often feel like Nicholas Cage in that movie. Sometimes it feels too good to be true.

So, yes, before I start blubbering, I would just like to thank everyone at People for putting me in their magazine, and all of you for reading this blog. I know that I have said this before, but I am going to start updating this journal every week or so. (double pinkie swear).

Carpe Diem,
Blake