Tag Archives: Love

Will Chris Brown’s BET Performance Revive His Career? PR Experts Weigh In

‘The question is: Do people think it’s real?’ one expert asks of Brown’s tearful BET Awards Michael Jackson tribute. By Gil Kaufman Chris Brown performs at the 2010 BET Awards Photo: Jeff Kravitz/ FilmMagic Only Chris Brown knows what caused him to choke up on Sunday night at the BET Awards during his tribute to Michael Jackson . Was it paying tribute to his late musical and dancing idol? Was it the emotion of performing on a major TV event for the first time in over a year in front of his peers? Was it the song’s lyrics, which are about staring in the mirror and willing yourself to make a change? Brown, whose career has stalled in the wake of his plea a year ago to felony assault on ex-girlfriend Rihanna , grabbed a lion’s share of the headlines in the wake of the emotional performance, earning higher placement in most reports than the return to the show of T.I. after spending nearly a year in prison on weapons charges and another major-awards show resurrection: Kanye West’s first live set at an awards show since he interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at last year’s MTV Video Music Awards . “The question is: Do people think it’s real?’ ” said veteran publicist and crisis manager Howard Bragman about the latest scene of a celebrity welling up on national TV . “If [the audience] bought it as authentic, then it might give him some sympathy, or there will be people who will roll their eyes because they feel like it’s a P.R. stunt because we live in a cynical world.” Many of the respondents in an MTV News story about reader reaction to the Brown performance expressed a desire to forgive the singer and allow him to move on from the Rihanna assault. Even one of the star’s most virulent blog attackers, Perez Hilton , put the knives away for the first time in more than a year and said the performance “seemed genuine” because the low-key wasn’t “crying pretty,” but rather seemed to honestly break down and lose his composure. While initially skeptical, Hilton said upon further viewing the breakdown seemed real. “It was ugly and raw and I think a lot of different things were going there, from his love and tribute to Michael, to having exerted a lot of energy and emotion earlier, to thinking about the Rihanna incident, to probably relief and joy over getting the opportunity to perform again on television at a big awards show,” he said. As to whether a publicist would ever counsel a client to cry on cue in order to gain sympathy, Bragman not-so-sheepishly admitted that he did once tell a thespian, “You’re a really good actor, I wouldn’t mind seeing a few tears.” And Bragman said the person in question was a good actor and it did work, though Bragman would not divulge their identity. With tepid album sales for his latest LP, Graffiti , little interest at radio and the cancellation of a recent U.K. tour due to visa issues tied to his felony plea, Brown has been struggling to put his career back on track following the Rihanna case. Holly Baird, a publicist at Sitrick Brincko Group, LLC, the crisis-management group that worked closely with Brown, his mother and the singer’s label in the aftermath of the Rihanna incident (but which no longer represents him), said she was very proud of Brown’s performance on Sunday night and thought that it felt very authentic. “Sunday’s BET awards performance was an opportunity for Chris to pay tribute to one of the world’s greatest musicians of all time,” she wrote in an e-mail to MTV News. “Chris has always stated that Michael Jackson has been an inspiration for him since he was a child and has musically been compared to Jackson in the past. Nothing about his performance was manufactured. It was an awesome tribute by a man that has for the past year, publicly dealt with a tumultuous phase in his career that has forever changed his life. Chris’ breakdown was not just emotional, but sincere. I even started crying … Chris broke down crying out of emotional exhaustion and in no way was this an attempt to redeem himself, but rather it showed the world that Chris is human and he too has emotions.” Baird said the choice of “Man in the Mirror” was fitting, since the inspirational, life affirming song speaks to the importance of the global community taking responsibility for its actions and looking “in the mirror” at how we treat each other and our environment. “I believe the song alone spoke to Chris and we were witness to that on Sunday during his performance,” she said. What did you think of Chris Brown’s Michael Jackson tribute at the BET Awards? Did it make you feel differently about him? Sound off in the comments below! Related Videos The 2010 BET Awards Related Photos 2010 BET Awards Show Highlights 2010 BET Awards Red Carpet Related Artists Chris Brown

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Will Chris Brown’s BET Performance Revive His Career? PR Experts Weigh In

Vanessa Hudgens Has Also Grown Up

Miley Cyrus isn’t the only young actress making a point of telling the world that she’s all grown up. She’s just the only one who feels the need to do so by simulating a same-sex kiss with a back-up dancer. Vanessa Hudgens, conversely, is giving interviews to magazines in which she talks about taking on more mature film roles (such as the daughter of a drug addict in next year’s Beastly ) and admits that she actually dislikes life in the spotlight. Here are a few excerpts of such a discussion with the new issue of Glamour : On pressure to be a role model : When I am around kids and they come up to me, of course I am going to act a certain way, but at the end of the day, I’m doing this for myself. I’m going to be doing movies kids can’t watch. On attending public events : I can’t breathe, and I get claustrophobic. It’s a very odd business. I do it because I love acting, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it. On bonding with boyfriend Zac Efron : Right off the bat, we had a connection. I think everybody could see it. When we had our audition, they paired us together. And he was adorable. On her nude photos scandal : I think that it has made me stronger. But it still hurts. It sucks because [the photos were] supposed to be private, but at the same time a lot of actresses do it [in movies]. Eventually, I’m sure that I will. But I don’t know if I would be able to do it now. Has she grown up too fast? Maybe. And maybe that’s the reason why I am silly at 21. But I don’t regret it. And if I wasn’t how I was when I was younger, I wouldn’t be how I am today. You know? And I love the way I am today. On her love of denim : A, it goes with anything. And, B, if your jeans hug you the right way, you feel like a sexpot. [Laughs.] And they get better with age!

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Vanessa Hudgens Has Also Grown Up

Lil Wayne Personally Thanks Nearly 100 Fans On Blog

Incarcerated Young Money boss expresses gratitude to followers for their thoughts, gifts, prayers on WeezyThanxYou.com. By Jayson Rodriguez Lil Wayne Photo: Kevin Mazur/ WireImage Lil Wayne posted the third letter to his fans on his website, WeezyThanxYou.com on Monday (June 28). The post follows Weezy’s Mother’s Day letter written last month and and initial note in April written when he first launched the site from prison to communicate with fans. In the new message, Wayne writes that he hopes his fans are enjoying their summer and profusely thanked everyone for their support, from the pictures he’s received to all the letters sent to him at the Eric M. Taylor detention center at New York’s Rikers Island. The rapper only gave a short update about his life behind bars, saying he was doing well. “On my end, I’m alive, breathing and blessed,” Wayne wrote. “You already know how I’m passing time — reading and working out.” The Young Money boss also gave a shout-out to his artists and said the collective had made him proud the night before, as both Drake and Nicki Minaj scored hardware Sunday night at the 2010 BET Awards . Wayne then went on to personally thank nearly 100 supporters who’ve written him letters of encouragement, responding to individuals, including Karla Moy, who runs Drake’s official fan website and Vanessa Satten, the editor of XXL magazine. “First, I thank you for your thoughts and prayers,” he wrote to followers Ashley and Lil Mackenzie. “I would also like you to know that your letter touched my heart. I wasn’t able to keep the wristbands but thank you anyway. Gudda and I send our deepest love to you and Lil Mack.” “Cool middle name,” Wayne told Kyle Rockin McLaughlin. “And I’ll be in W. Palm one day. Hope you’re there.” The rapper is almost halfway through his prison term and appears to be ready to get back to his career, as he told Satten he hopes to grace the cover of the magazine again soon; earlier this month the Cash Money Records superstar recorded a verse from prison for a remix of Drake’s “Light Up.” “Thank you for the love and I can’t wait to be on the cover again,” Wayne wrote. What do you think about Lil Wayne’s latest post? Let us know in the comments below! Related Artists Lil Wayne

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Lil Wayne Personally Thanks Nearly 100 Fans On Blog

Report: Landon Donovan Knocked Up British Chick

U.S. soccer star Landon Donovan may be facing a crisis much bigger than his team’s elimination from the World Cup this past weekend – a forthcoming love child. A newspaper in the UK will allege that a British woman is pregnant by Donovan, who is separated from his wife, actress Bianca Kajlich, but not divorced from her. His relationship with Kajlich became the subject of great interest last week after they shared an emotional phone call following his winning goal against Algeria. Donovan, who played for the Liverpool football club Everton this winter, blew her a kiss during an interview, fueling speculation that the couple might reconcile. “It would surprise no one if Landon and Bianca were back together very soon,” said one of her friends. “They have remained in contact and are very close.” Landon Donovan is separated from wife Bianca Kajlich. The fact that he may have fathered a love child with someone else may not aid his bid to reconcile with her . The identity of Donovan’s baby mama is unclear at this time, as is how Bianca will feel about his attempts to win her back if this love child rumor proves to be legit. Regarding the pregnancy rumor, Donovan did not deny it might be true, telling Sports Illustrated’s Web site: “I was informed of the possibility during the World Cup.” “If I need to take responsibility, then I will provide the appropriate support,” he added. “This is a private matter, and I will refrain from further comment at this time.” Donovan has spent most of his career in the U.S., but played on loan in Liverpool earlier this year, becoming a fan favorite – apparently with one woman in particular. He was a hero for the USA at the World Cup, scoring three goals and guiding the team to the knockout phase, where they were eliminated on Saturday by Ghana.

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Report: Landon Donovan Knocked Up British Chick

Sir Paul Compares Global Warming Skeptics to Holocaust Deniers – Says of Obama, "I Really Love Him"

Seems the only thing gushing more than the BP oil spill these days is the disaster brewing in Paul McCartney’s mouth.  In an exclusive interview with The Sun , McCartney takes a major swipe at global warming realists, er, deniers, by stating (emphasis mine): “Sadly we need disasters like this to show people. Some people don’t believe in climate warming – like those who don’t believe there was a Holocaust.” Well that’s putting things in perspective.  I’m not sure global warming has been proven to have caused the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion.  Missed that report.  Regardless, it remains unclear how the theory of global warming is in any way similar to the reality of the Holocaust. McCartney goes on to defend President Obama from any and all criticism concerning the Gulf disaster, culminating with the revelation that he “really love(s) him.” Because nobody was really sure where your allegiances lied after the ‘library’ swipe at former President Bush, Paul. McCartney starts with a blanket dismissal of the Obama critics: “I don’t accept the criticism of Barack over the oil spill.” He continues, “If the President of the country you spilled oil in tells you off then you’ve just got to take it or say, ‘I’m really sorry, we’ll clean it up and pay for it all by next week.” Now I ask, why didn’t BP think of that in the first place?  All of these failed attempts and confusion in trying to ‘plug the damn hole’, and all Tony Hayward had to do to make things right was say, “I’m really sorry, we’ll clean it up and pay for it all by next week.” Of his recent visit to the White House, McCartney recalls, “It was such an honour. I’d heard of the prize – it’s the biggest for popular music in the US. When the President gave it to me, I was so touched. I’m a huge Obama supporter. I really love him.” He also gushes, “I think Obama’s doing great. He’s a smart guy.” I’m not sure what it is, but McCartney is clearly smitten with our ‘smart guy’ President.  Perhaps it was his spelling of the University of ‘Sycacuse’ .  Perhaps it was his over-estimation of a tornado death toll by roughly 9,988.  Maybe it was his firm grasp of geography .  Or his love of Sioux City . No word on whether it was true that Sir Paul went on to say, “He had me at 57 states .” Based on these comments it is clear that, as The Sun interview states, McCartney has been spending too much time sitting in “a darkened room lit only by scented candles … to gather his thoughts.” Clearly the gathering isn’t working.  To be fair though, even the Dutch skimmers would have a tough time reigning in those thoughts. – Send comments or tips to rustyweiss@verizon.net . Please join me on Facebook.   Photo Credit:  AFP/Getty

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Sir Paul Compares Global Warming Skeptics to Holocaust Deniers – Says of Obama, "I Really Love Him"

Drake Performs Raucous Rendition Of ‘Over’ On ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

Appearance was very different from MC’s restrained set on ‘Tonight Show’ the night before. By Jayson Rodriguez Drake on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Thursday Photo: ABC One day after performing on “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno,” a much different Drake appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” Thursday to perform a raucous rendition of his hit “Over.” The set was nearly as rowdy as his “Find Your Love” set on “The Tonight Show” was restrained . The upstart MC was energetic from the onset of the rumbling strings. “Alright, bottles on me/ Long as someone drinks it,” Drake rapped, backed by his band. “Never drop the ball/ What are y’all thinking/ Making sure that Young Money ship is never sinking/ ‘Bout to set if off in this thing, Jada Pinkett.” Sporting a dark varsity jacket, blue jeans, gray T-shirt and Nikes, Drake bounced all around the stage. He tossed his sunglasses off as he frantically ended his second verse and launched into the chorus. “I know way too many people here right now that I didn’t know last year, who the f— are y’all,” he sang on the hook. “I swear it feels like the last few nights we been everywhere and back, but I just can’t remember it all.” Drake dropped to his knees during his third verse and sprang back up towards the end of the number, showing no lingering effect after knee surgery last year . Currently, the rapper has the #1 album in the country after selling 447,000 copies of his debut, Thank Me Later. The “So Far Gone” star is also dominating the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart as seven songs from Thank Me Later appear, from singles “Find Your Love” and “Over” to album cuts like “Miss Me,” “Up All Night,” “Fireworks,” “Fancy,” and bonus track “9AM in Dallas,” a freestyle rap that leaked online days before the album release. What did you think about Drake’s performance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”? Let us know in the comments below! MTV followed Drake in the weeks leading up to the release of his new LP, Thank Me Later. The “Drake: Better Than Good Enough” documentary will re-air on MTV Thursday at 6 p.m., Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 12 p.m. and 9 p.m., and Sunday at 9 a.m. Related Videos ‘Drake: Better Than Good Enough’ MTV News Extended Play: Drake Related Artists Drake

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Drake Performs Raucous Rendition Of ‘Over’ On ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’

Watch Drake Rehearse In Exclusive ‘Better Than Good Enough’ Outtake

Drake and band work out kinks in ‘Find Your Love.’ By Jayson Rodriguez Drake Photo: MTV Most rappers perform on stage alongside a hype man, from Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek to Busta Rhymes and Spliff Star. But Drake — who is already unlike most MCs because he also sings during performances — worries about his background singers when he puts his shows more than who’ll rap next to him. Prior to a recent performance in Toronto, the hometown star decided during his rehearsal that his set would need more than just the band backing him. “If I had a female voice,” he says in an exclusive outtake from MTV’s “Drake: Better Than Good Enough” documentary . “Someone else to go back and forth [with]. His keyboard player and musical confidant “D10” asks if Drake felt overwhelmed performing “Find Your Love” (which he also performed on “The Tonight Show” last night) onstage by himself. “To do the whole thing with no accompaniment, no nothing, it’s impossible,” Drake responds. “No singer — if you look, Alicia Keys, [Beyonc

Drake Serves Up A Quiet Storm On ‘The Tonight Show’

Rising star delivers hushed version of ‘Find Your Love.’ By Jayson Rodriguez Drake performs on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” on Wednesday Photo: NBC Drake reached deep into his R&B consciousness Wednesday night as the rapper/crooner delivered a muted rendition of his hit “Find Your Love” during an acoustic set on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Decked out in all black (except for his footwear), the So Far Gone star held steady on stage and in hushed vocals opened the number over minimal instrumentation. “I’m more than just an option,” he began, over spare keyboard stabs and drum licks. “Hey, hey, hey/ Refused to be forgotten/ Hey, hey, hey/ I took a chance with my heart/ Hey, hey, hey/ I feel it taking over/ I better find your love.” It wasn’t until nearly halfway through the song when Drake picked up the tempo, though still measured and restrained. The “Find Your Love” performance marks the second time the Toronto lyricist has appeared on “The Tonight Show.” Last June, Drake joined Jamie Foxx on the Conan O’Brien edition of the late night franchise as the two performed the actor’s “Digital Girl” remix. At the time, Drake had only finished his verse to the song just hours before, recalling days later how nervous he was trying to remember his lyrics. “The biggest challenge of that whole day, aside from being on ‘Conan’ and being nervous initially about that, was [trying to] remember the 24-bar verse I just recorded the night before,” Drake told MTV News at the time. “It was an all-around challenging day, but when I’m under pressure, I always seem to rise to the occasion in some form.” MTV followed Drake in the weeks leading up to the release of his new LP, Thank Me Later. The “Drake: Better Than Good Enough” documentary will re-air on MTV Thursday at 6 p.m., Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 12 p.m. and 9 p.m., and Sunday at 9 a.m. Related Videos ‘Drake: Better Than Good Enough’ Related Photos Drake’s Style: From A To Drizzy Related Artists Drake

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Drake Serves Up A Quiet Storm On ‘The Tonight Show’

Drake’s Thank Me Later Nears Half A Mil In Billboard Debut

Katy Perry, Drake and Eminem dominate the iTunes charts. By Gil Kaufman Drake Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/ Getty Images Though he failed to join mentor Lil Wayne in the one milli club in his first week on the charts, there’s no shame in Drake ‘s game, as the Canadian rapper’s debut studio album, Thank Me Later will easily hit #1 on the Billboard 200 with sales of nearly 447,000. That total was good enough to earn Drizzy the third-best chart debut of 2010 (behind Lady Antebellum and Sade). He bested the week’s other newcomers, veteran rock act Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers , whose blues-inflected Mojo was far behind at #2 with 125,000, and fellow Canadian Sarah McLachlan , who returns to the charts with Laws of Illusion, hitting #3 with 94,000 in sales. The fourth slot is taken up by Now 34, which sold 88,000, meaning Drake sold more than the rest of the top five combined, according to figures provided by Nielsen SoundScan. There were no other debuts in the top 10, which undergoes a bit of shuffling: Jack Johnson ‘s To the Sea (#5, 68,000), the “Twilight Saga: Eclipse” soundtrack (#6, 55,000, down 63 percent), Justin Bieber ‘s My World 2.0 (#7, 47,000), Lady Antebellum ‘s Need You Now (#8, 40,000), Christina Aguilera ‘s Bionic (#9, 40,000, down 64 percent in week two) and Glee: The Music — Journey to Regionals (#10, 39,000), which plummeted by 75 percent from last week’s #1 showing. Further down the line, tattooed Jersey rockers the Gaslight Anthem notch their best-ever chart debut with American Slang, which lit it up at #16 on sales of 27,000. The first new disc in 20 years from reunited new-wave spud rockers Devo , Something for Everybody, debuts at #30 (14,000). The solo debut from Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy takes a hard tumble in week two, as Lazarus sinks 42 slots to #67 as sales dropped off by 57 percent to 7,000. The new album from Swedish pop singer Robyn , Body Talk Pt. 1, slides into the top 100 at #97 (5,000). In case you doubted whether he still had it, Eminem rockets to the #2 position on this week’s iTunes album charts after only one day on shelves. Slim Shady’s Recovery nearly bested Drake’s Thank Me Later , which managed to hold onto the #1 slot, according to charts provided by iTunes, which does not release sales figures. The one-two finish by the rappers pushes last week’s iTunes #1 album, Glee: The Music, Journey to Regionals , down to #4, as another newcomer, McLachlan’s Laws of Illusion , slipped in at #3. Johnson’s To the Sea slipped one to #5, while Petty’s Mojo debuted at #6, and the rankings were filled out by the “Twilight” soundtrack, B.o.B. ‘s B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray, Glee: The Music, Vol. 3: Showstoppers and Gaslight Anthem’s Slang , which debuted at #10. On the iTunes singles chart, things were mostly unchanged, as Katy Perry held on at #1 with “California Gurls,” followed by the same suspects as last week: B.o.B. with “Airplanes,” Usher with “OMG,” Travie McCoy with “Billionaire” and Eminem’s “Not Afraid.” Climbing up to #6 was Mike Posner ‘s “Not Afraid,” followed by Ke$ha with “Your Love Is My Drug,” 3OH!3’s “My First Kiss,” the Black Eyed Peas ‘ “Rock That Body” and Drake’s “Find Your Love” at #10. Look for things to get blown out next week, as Eminem’s Recovery vies for the top with Miley Cyrus ‘ Can’t Be Tamed . Also in stores are new albums from Ozzy Osbourne , the Roots , Sia , Macy Gray , Cyndi Lauper , the Chemical Brothers and Keith Sweat . Related Videos MTV News Extended Play: Drake Preview: Drake’s MTV Special ‘Better Than Good Enough’ Related Photos Drake Takes Manhattan! Drake’s Style: From A To Drizzy Related Artists Drake

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Drake’s Thank Me Later Nears Half A Mil In Billboard Debut

Morality Over Monsanto: Part 2: Are you ready to take action?

In covering the environmental abuses of Monsanto one who is cognizant of the special relationship we have with the Earth cannot help but be repulsed by them. There is not one redeeming quality about them. They are arrogant, heartless, greedy, manipulative power brokers that use people, governments, organizations, consumers, and anyone else who gets in their way of domination. It is a domination of the global seed and pesticide market that is now bringing our Earth to a biodiversity and pollution crisis and a climate change precipice. They have destroyed and defiled the environment with impunity, contaminated natural seeds with unstable toxic bacteria seeds, deforested our planet to make corn for gas tanks and GM soy that brings poverty and disease to places such as Paraguay, Argentina, Mexico, India, etc., (where farmers have been committing suicides in massive numbers due to economic ruin brought on by BT cotton.) They toxified our water with PCBS, Dioxin, and Round Up, strong armed organic farmers, deceived consumers through collusion with the FDA to keep our food with GMO ingredients unlabelled, intimidated scientists who sought answers and who disseminated the answers when they found about just what their GMOs are made of and their effects, and then claim to be part of the “sustainable agriculture” movement that is looking to feed the world. It is one of the greatest and most sinister hoaxes perpetrated upon the world. In the more than one hundred years they have been in business, Monsanto has not made one product that has benefitted the Earth. From saccharin, to aspartame, to Agent Orange, to PCBs, to genetically modified organisms, there has been one and only one motive: profit at any cost. And where we stand now that cost is the biodiversity of our planet and control of the very seeds and water that give us life. It is a control we cannot give up as it would then mean the loss not only of food sovereignty but our very freedom as human beings. But even in the midst of all of this there are some bright spots. A federal court in California upheld a ban on the planting of their GM alfalfa seeds due to its being deregulated by APHIS without a proper EIS, and the planting of BT brinjal in India was denied by their environmental minister. There have been other bright spots as well from Ireland, to Poland, to even Haiti, where a seed shipment sent by Monsanto was protested with a symbolic burning of their seeds taking place just this month. Farmers all over the globe have seen the empty promises, high costs, environmental effects and deceptions of Monsanto and GMOs and are now reacting. Even farmers in our own country are speaking out against their tactics and calling for a return to sustainable agriculture in response to a Department of Justice investigation of Monsanto and seed monopolies and their business practices. And yesterday, the USSC in a ruling being spun by Monsanto, while reversing the Federal court ban on GM alfalfa did uphold it could not be planted until deregulation and a full EIS was completed, and also acknowledged that farmers have the right to challenge “gene flow” (transgenic contamination) from GM crops to their organic crops if they can show harm. That is truly precedent setting. So the question is, will this set a precedent for review of their other “seeds” such as BT corn, GM soy, BT cotton, sugarbeets, canola, etc.? We can only hope. Hopeful signs that more are waking up to the deceptions and doing the necessary research to become aware of what they are eating and modifying their habits to be more healthy. The one organization that is helping tremendously in that is the Institute for Responsible Technology headed by Jeffrey Smith, a world renowned GMO activist. They have just put together a Non GMO website that gives you top information on how to avoid GMOs and eat more healthy thus perpetuating the 5% of American consumers it will take to get to a tipping point of awareness to begin turning the tide against Monsanto and all other companies using GMOs as a profit motive while compromising our food safety in the process. This is the one true way we can all be activists: through the wallet. http://www.responsibletechnology.org Of course, I have no illusions about the clout they carry as well regarding the DOJ investigation nor the court cases coming up involving Monsanto's link to PCB poisoning. A recent trial regarding PCB contamination of Anniston Alabama and the ensuing deaths and disease from it wound up in Monsanto's favor with those sickened left with little justice for their suffering. The major clout Monsanto carries with Washington DC even now under the Obama administration and the Vilsack USDA and their company's known methods of bribery leaves one wary of such attempts to hold them accountable for their many crimes against humanity and their agricultural and environmental terrorism. After all, it was the FDA under the auspices of the last four administrations that gave them free reign over our environment and health by determining that their organisms were the same (principle of substantial equivalence) as all other food in order for them to circumvent labeling, when as we now see that is far from the truth. It was the USSC that gave them the patent to life itself thus opening the door to Intellectual Property Rights that now challenge indigenous peoples and the natural breeding of seeds for climate change tolerance which they can now purchase in biopiracy scams. In simple terms, our planet has been sold to the highest bidder in determining what we will plant, and what we will eat without our consent. That is not only undemocratic, that is immoral and criminal. However, as with any crisis we are now in regarding our planet we have one hope: ourselves. Our consciences, our morals, our reasoning, our logic, our love for our families, our love for the Earth, our sense of justice, and yes, even our spirituality that tells us in line with the scientific facts as presented to us that we in large numbers have the ability to take back our food, our planet, and our futures. So even in the face of what Monsanto has been able to accomplish I remain hopeful of the global food movement having major victories in the coming year. But we must remain focused, cohesive, determined, and yes, even angry. We must remain so for the following: For the farmers of India and their families, especially the widows of those whose lives were cut short by BT cotton. For the American farmers whose farms and livelihoods are under threat from Monsanto's strong arm tactics in their desire to control all seed. For the deforested lands of South America stripped to create a monoculture that has left many poor farmers poorer and sicker in the wake of greed over sustainability, and exacerbated a climate crisis no cap and trade scheme can heal. For the soil of our Earth, its skin, that cries out for help to us as it is eroded, stripped, abused, and toxified for profit. For our water, polluted, toxic, acidic, filled with pesticides and run off as the cost of industrial agriculture. For our children, who deserve a cleaner, safer, more natural world to live in. Let this next year be the year to truly hold Monsanto as an example of all of those things to be the first step in our moral imperative to save this planet and in turn the human species and all others we have so cavalierly dismissed in our desire to be masters of the universe. More to come. added by: JanforGore