AHMIR, TICHINA ARNOLD, JESSICA KIRSON STAND UP TO BULLIES

Article from Examiner.com
April 13th, 2011 1:16 pm ET
By Marcello Rollando

Funny ladies TICHINA ARNOLD and JESSICA KIRSON have hooked up to give a serious punch in the face to bullying and once again the hauntingly beautiful voices of AHMIR harmonize in moving video that touches our souls and moves us through tears to action. Like their “IMAGINE” for Tucson healing, AHMIR TV's production of the PERFECT song by PINK, transports us simultaneously to that triangle of Past school days, Present demonstrations against foreign and domestic bullies and Future dominated by the greed of behemoth corporations intent upon bullying world populations into submission to their “New World Order.”

Wherever it appears and however it manifests: wife beaters, cyber stalkers, child molesters or office sexual harassment – all are a sign of weak characters hiding their inadequacy behind a power pretence, imposing intimidation, belittlement, and cruelty on others. That’s what bullying is, the willful suspension of The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, with all too tragic consequences, as with Laura Smalley who lost her son Ty Field after two years of school bullying.


Perhaps a Boston Massachusetts student Cindy Nguyen’s simple insight is best, “I am against bullying because I believe that people should treat others the way they want to be treated. Bullying needs to stop. After all, what good comes out of bullying anyways?” “… little child will lead them.”


Even the President of the United States was bullied and in many ways, still is. President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama have launched the StopBullying.Gov website with its worthy anti-bullying mission. However, like the President, all of us need help to stop bullying at all levels and in all its incarnations. Even the presidential StopBullying.Gov website needs help to elevate the defeat bullying cause, to victory. To begin with, it needs your support, your visits, your online comments and your demands that it be updated weekly, not only with much-needed current educational information, but with eye-catching web savvy pizzazz that both Excites all ages, especially Middle School through college, and Ignites all to observe, recognize and respond helpfully to any and all bullying in their life, family, neighborhood, world.


However, First Family intervention cannot dissolve bullying alone. This is a world-wide issue for all of humankind, touching all communities, neighbors, friends, families and households. The village bully is someone you know, or maybe even you, and both Bully victim and Bully need emotional, psychological and therapeutic help.






Where to start? As I’ve said, “Always listen to the Children,” but listen with your eyes, mind, and heart as well, to kids like Dalton Letorney and others featured in AHMIR’s PERFECT Video, "I was a victim of bullying last year and understand how hurtful and painful it can be to be made fun of everyday. I never did anything wrong and thought it was my fault, but now, I know better. I don't want kids to feel that they have to be perfect in order to be accepted. I want kids to be themselves and to respect each other's differences. This is why I feel that we all need to take a stand against and stop bullying!"


Listen to TICHINA ARNOLD and JESSICA KIRSON. Listen to PINK’s PERFECT Song as sung by AHMIR.http://youtu.be/gliHyklHr6c
Listen to your teenagers and those with whom they communicate online, from what used to be the safety of their bedrooms. Listen: Bullying is a self-perpetuating phenomenon as student Winnie Huang warns, “Bullying hurts everyone, and ruins people's self-esteem. Victims end up venting their angers on other people and it just becomes an endless cycle of hate.”


As all best new construction starts with strong foundation, while we’re aware globally, let’s act locally. Establish and maintain a physical presence in your local PTA & neighborhood community associations AND be an online contributor, demanding StopBullying.Gov never stops pursuing its Mission.


One easy way to help is to share the PERFECT AHMIR Video performance of PINK’s incredible song, with absolutely everyone you know, but follow-up with organizing and organizations for the safety of our children and all victims of bullies. AHMIR has chosen a new foundation called, Make Laughter Count to support. They are giving 20 % of the proceeds from the sale of Perfect on Itunes. Make Laughter Count is a non-profit organization that brings comedians and entertainers together to help stop bullying and raise funds for charities.


Stand with First Lady Michelle Obama, for this is not a partisan issue, “as parents it breaks our hearts to think that any child feels afraid every day in the classroom, or on the playground or online.” It’s also not just a schoolyard issue for in our high-tech society, bullying can now follow students 24/7 to their homes, even their bedrooms.


So always listen to the children, but don’t stop there. Educate yourself and others, so our country, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods and homes are safe for all, “Womb to Tomb."

AHMIR'S PERFECT VIDEO STANDING UP TO BULLIES

To quote Tichina Arnold, "oooh ooh ooooh"! We are grateful to the collective talent and voices involved in this video and its message - Pink for her song, Ahmir for their cover, Tichina Arnold and Jessica Kirson for their introduction, Hunter Lyon Films for their visualization, all of the youth in the video for their portrayal, youtube for their channel of distribution and Kathy Horn of RoadRunner Talent and Media for bringing attention to this Perfect work.

Ahmir's cover of the song for me is healing, inspiring and infectious - and knowing Tichina and Jessica - two funny women - making a "not funny" introduction speaks volumes. Perfect.

THANK YOU SHOUT OUT TO AHMIR! Ahmir has chosen to support our new foundation called, Make Laughter Count by giving 20 % of the proceeds from the sale of Perfect on Itunes to our new foundation. Make Laughter Count is a non-profit organization that brings comedians and entertainers together to help stop bullying and raise funds for charities. Make Laughter Count's for me because my first girlfriend Karen played a "bullying" prank and died at the hands of her own joke. And, I was bullied in my youth. Let Ahmir's cover get stuck in your head, and MAKE LAUGHTER COUNT!

Make Laughter Count is taking on a life of its own

By Robert Strand

Laughter is important to me, and I have a particular affection for puns. I did not inherit my father’s PhD in Organic Chemistry Brain, or his ability to fix just about anything, however one thing is clear – from a humor perspective, I am my father’s son. After graduating college, his advice to me entering the working world may be distilled to laugh, give back, and if the person sitting next to you on an 18 hour flight is making you nuts, change seats.
I moved to New York, determined to “make it there”. My mother and aunt grew up in New York, so I called my aunt for advice. She said, “go to Macy’s, they’ll hire anybody”. At first, I wasn’t sure how to take that. The next day I was hired to sell women’s shoes. Having had a sister with long narrow feet, I built a large and diverse customer base of women with the ‘odd’ size shoe. See a need and fill it.


As per my bio, I am “recognized creative brand strategist and concept activator with 19 years of intellectual property rights management, licensing, marketing, product & content development, and buying experience”. Really what I do is put the right people together to accomplish great stuff. I have learned that when you put your mind, creativity and passion and network into something, you can make anything happen. And, when you hit a groove, it’s almost as if the universe gets behind you with high octane fuel for support.
In my last year of corporate employment, I brokered 35 million in new business. My reward? I was outsourced. Truth is it had grown unfulfilling. The universe told me that chapter was out of gas.


I started out on my own on Christmas day 2008. I decided to focus on brands and partnerships that revolve around active lifestyles, health, well-being and education. Staring blankly at my LinkedIn profile, I noticed that companies had created alumni groups for current and former employees to stay connected. Some of the places I had worked, I noticed did not have a very ‘robust’ following. However, one was missing – The NBA – so I created an NBA group which today has over 1300 members. I spent 5 amazing years in the league’s NY headquarters. Despite not being blessed with eye-hand coordination – I hit a groove, had a lot of laughs, had an impact on the business and young staff, built amazing relationships and left to work for a team owner. People joke that the NBA stands for “Nothing But Attorneys” – for me it was “Nothing But Amazing”.


Amazing is now what has been missing from my life. Don’t get me wrong, I have a wonderful and loving partner, family, and with my business I am involved in rewarding work with wonderful people and brands. I give back by serving on the Board of Directors for my trade association (www.licensing.org) – where I Co-Chair our Charity Committee – We have raised over $2.5mm to launch a tissue bank to help find new treatments and a cure for pediatric brain tumors (www.cbtf.org). All of this is incredibly enriching. Yet, for me, amazing has been a void. Until now.


I recently met up with my old friend and comic, Rich Kiamco. As we were catching up, an idea was born. You may soon read the full story on www.makelaughtercount.com – and in short, we wanted to integrate comedy into education in a meaningful way – and have an impact in a realistic, tangible way. Through Rich’s work with comic Jessica Kirson, we met Shari Manko. It was almost like the universe said “OMG what has taken you three so long to connect!” We wanted to build awareness of bullying – through comedy in an aspirational way – to show people that those who throw dirt are sure to lose ground (one gratuitous pun…).


Rich, Shari and I have created Make Laugher Count. Our goal is to create a bully free world with funny people, funny stories through opportunities to laugh, learn – while also helping raise funds for charities - - because everyone deserves a positive, safe space in which to live their dreams.


Tune back in to hear more – and tune in Thursday March 17, 2011, at 9 PM ETt to hear all about Make Laughter Count’s interview with “Mojovator” Danielle Hawthorne (http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mojovator) speak with Rich, Shari and me in the first interview in a 2-part series that will focus on reactions to the recent Bullying Prevention Conference held at the White House last week as well as delve into the MLC mission.


Make Laughter Count is taking on a life of its own – a life that Rich, Shari and I are committed to raising. I have changed my thinking about only making “my” life count. A wise woman (and our publicist Kathy Horn) recently said, “The work you do on earth will fade away but the lives you touch will leave eternal fingerprints.”


So, with this all said, I say live, love, learn, and MAKE LAUGHTER COUNT!!!!