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Billy Talent, Kardinal Offishall, Sarah Harmer, Lights and Kay are among the Canadian musicians who reflected on their own childhood for a series of online video clips, as part of War Child Canada’s powerful advertising campaign, entitled JAM.
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
The Canadian singer-pianist wrote “Blue” about war, poverty and other atrocities. “They say we’re in a state of emergency/So how come no one is panicking,” the lyric begins. “Where were you when they wrote the news?/And how are you? Are you feeling blue?” The haunting, almost mournful song appears on her second album, Colour Moving And Still, produced by Jay Joyce. “Around the time I wrote ‘Blue,’ I was realizing a great deal about the bigger world around us, realizing how much ‘news’ is not reported,” Kreviazuk tells Samaritanmag. “I realized that I had western problems for the most part and that there were so many people whose voices were silenced and whose unimaginable stores would never be told or known. I conceived of an invalidated life. Tragedy is everywhere and I couldn’t believe what we are caught up in.” — K.B.
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
Children should not be carrying weapons and recruited as soldiers, this we know. Sadly, it is happening in various war-torn countries.
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
Many people get behind causes and charities and musicians are often asked to become spokespeople, "ambassadors" or simply perform at a fundraising event when they reach even a modicum of success. When Montreal's Simple Plan had sold close to 4 million albums worldwide, the pop-rock band felt it could not only launch its own foundation but keep it going year after year.
"It was actually a friend's idea and it was right before a big Canadian tour," singer Pierre Bouvier tells Samaritanmag. "Most of the shows were if not sold out, then close to it. There was a friend of ours that said, ‘You have to start a foundation because once you're in there and you have all these venues that are already taking percentages, if everybody cuts a little bit off their percentage, and puts it into this, we can raise a lot of money and make an impact and from there.'"
Drummer Chuck Comeau remembers it being his parents', André Comeau and Françoise Talbot, idea.
"The Foundation was started in 2005," he tells Samaritanmag in a recent email. "We were receiving thousands of letters from fans sharing with us some very sad and tragic stories and telling us how much our music was helping them deal with their difficult situations. We wanted to do something more than just write songs for them so my parents suggested that we should start our very own foundation to give back and help young people in need. The band was into the idea right away and the Simple Plan Foundation was born."
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
A Canadian-made Carparelli guitar painted by famed British artist Damien Hirst sold for $146,730 (U.S.) at Christie's showroom in London, England, on February 17. All proceeds went to War Child U.K., an international organization which supports children affected by conflict.
Christie's estimated that the auction would fetch between £30,000 - £50,000) ($48,480 - $80,800 U.S.), but the price realized was far exceeded at £91,250, including the buyer's premium. The buyer's name was not disclosed.
"The proceeds donated are a proud reminder that great things can happen when the right people are involved," said an announcement about the sale on Carparelli Guitars web site (www.carparelliguitars.com/main) "Thousands of needy, starving and underprivliged (sic) children will directly benefit from this great achievement."
* Samaritanmag.com is an online magazine covering the good deeds of individuals, charities and businesses.
