tinker

I feel like I should pipe up, here -- My sister got her credit card stolen on PayPal, and I've had lots of problems with it as well.

Hehe I don't know about that but whatever service I could be I hope will be useful...anyway I am Starlightm42 on LJ. So, hi. :)

Welll it's still really vaguely defined...And in last year's journal, I might add! Hmm let me pull it out lol. The main idea is a website for music fans who are socially aware and are, if you will, "moved by the music" into action. I want to provide information and resources to people about how they can become involved and implement their ideas. I want to create a community around it -- living, breathing proof that music can and does change the world. OK..List of site features: -message boards -blog w/ regular column about various issues -resources/info about organizations -profiles of bands and the causes they support -opinion polls -news stories/features on different projects Ok on my list of objectives: -Facilitate action -Facilitate discussion -Provide info/resources -Prompt thought and inquiry into issues Again, it's still very vaguely defined and I'm not even sure if I'll even need to start an NPO for it. It might just end up being a website and nothing more. Which is fine. We'll see how it goes. If I get it together, anyway. The project does have a name, but I'm afraid to talk about it because I haven't yet secured the domain and whatnot. But it's a cute name hehe. ;) EDIT: Okay well the greedy bastards who own the domain I want won't sell it to me, so it will be located at http://www.projectlemonaid.org. There's nothing really there right now except for a bunch of quotes and a working logo.

I am trying to create a website for that purpose right now. It's been an idea in the back of my head for a while, but I've been so busy with work and school, and the domain name I want is already owned. I am currently in the process of making a bid, but I still have no idea how much the guy wants...He just told me to "make an offer"...which likely means that he doesn't know, either, lol.

Also, I like the name "Brothers and Sisters." Without the "United" part. It emphasizes that mere geography should no longer determine the haves and the have-nots; in a global community, we're all "brothers and sisters" and have to take care of each other.

Okay, I have a lot of work to do so I could not read through the thread but...wow. I can't believe the response on this. I've always loved CP fans, and now I feel that much more proud to count myself in their number. Kudos, guys. Seriously. I want to offer any admin-type help that I can. I have actually been sorta hoping something like this would happen, or waiting for an opportunity to instigate it myself. You see, some similar sorts of things have happened in the U2 community, and ever since my involvement in those, I've had an idea in the back of my head for a while, which was to start a website to help support groups and organizations of music fans who want to give back like this. Mostly because of Coldplay. I'm a huge fan of both bands, and many others. Anyway, I know there has historically been a little bit of animosity between some Coldplay fans and U2 fans, but if you'll permit me I'd like to share the stories for those of you who don't know. I think you'll all agree that this is about more than the bands and their music. First thing that happened was in 2002 when a bunch of U2 fans decided to travel to Dublin together. They came from ALLL over the world. It was pretty crazy. Well, I couldn't afford to go at the time, and I wanted to participate somehow, and I also really wanted to capitalize on the big-heartedness of U2 fans in some way. I decided to make t-shirts to commemorate the event, and sell it and give the profits to the Chernobyl Children's Project. To design it, I contacted someone I knew from the X-Files fan community who used to make cute little cartoons of Mulder and Scully hehe and I knew that she was a U2 fan. She lived in South Korea and couldn't really leave so U2 and X-Files were like her only outlet into the outside world. I asked her if she would make a little cartoon of U2 and she did a really awesome job. Too bad the website is down now, but I will try and find it on my old computer... Anyway, we ended up raising over $500 for Chernobyl and sent it off with a letter from us and why we did it. I'm fairly sure we got a letter back, too...I'll have to check. After that, I got ballsier and got involved with a group of fans who wanted to start an organization to raise money to build wells in Africa for people who didn't have clean water to drink. They got the idea from when Bono was on MTV Diaries with Chris Tucker and the then Secretary of Treasury of the US, Paul O'Neill I think was his name. There was this scene where they visited a villiage where a new well had been built and since then 3 times the amount of children were going to school and there were less people having to be taken to the hospital. One well costs $500-$1000 and it makes such a huge difference in their lives. So we started what eventually became the African Well Fund (www.africanwellfund.org) on which I served on the board of directors for about two years. It was one of the most fullfilling experiences of my life. I think since it's inception they've raised $145,000 to fund more than 40 clean water projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. It's craaazy. Anyway, I wanted to share those stories because they both started exactly like this, and especially in the latter case I saw some amaaazing things happen. And learned a lot about how to do this stuff. So in that light I offer my services wherever I might be useful, and also, I hope, inspiration. Don't be afraid to dream big, you guys. Thanks for letting me share. :)