If you’re in need of some creative inspiration to pursue your goals or just move forward in life, there are some jewels of wisdom here I promise.

A quote Tina shares in her talk that resonates strongly with me (and hopefully it will with you too) is “If you can learn to be a fair judge of yourself, you won’t feel the need to rely on other people’s opinions.”

Watch the video here: www.typotalks.com

doGood, feelGood, liveGood,

-Team thinkGood.

Do you know who Joseph Kony is? He needs to be stopped. He has been committing crimes for 20 years. His crimes need to be brought to light. Redefine who and what we pay attention to. GET INVOLVED. The people of the world can see each other and so we can protect each other in this global community. We care. Technology has brought our planet together. We can respond to the problems of those we share this earth with. The world we live in has new rules.

Let’s turn the system upside down. The better world we want is coming. It’s just waiting for us to stop at nothing.

Don’t look ahead, there’s stormy weather
Another roadblock in our way
But if we go, we go together
Our hands are tied here if we stay

Oh, we set our dreams to carry us
In the middle where we were one
Now we push right past to find out
Oh how to win what they have lost

Oh ah, oh ah
We know now we want more
Oh ah, oh ah
A life worth fighting for
Oh ah, oh ah
We know now we want more
Oh ah, oh ah
A life worth fighting for

So let them say we can’t do better
Lay out the rules that we can’t break
They wanna sit and watch you wither
Their legacy’s too hard to take

Oh, we set our dreams to carry us
In the middle where we were one
Now we push right past to find out
Oh how to win what they have lost

Oh ah, oh ah
We know now we want more
Oh ah, oh ah
A life worth fighting for
Oh ah, oh ah
We know now we want more
Oh ah, oh ah
A life worth fighting for

In their heads and in their beds
In their eyes it shows
When the freedom breaks what then
You ask and they don’t know
Oh tell me then
I turn my back while the odds all stand beneath me
And they all said I was misled
But now the odds all stand beneath me

Frozen to the core
Oh ah, oh ah
A life worth fighting for
Oh ah, oh ah
Oh, we set our dreams to carry us
In the middle where we were one
Now we push right past to find out
Oh how to win what they have lost

Oh ah, oh ah
We know now we want more
Oh ah, oh ah
A life worth fighting for
Oh ah, oh ah
We know now we want more
Oh ah, oh ah
A life worth fighting for

Toronto’s Tower Renewal

2667 Kipling Ave. is a building located in Rexdale, a North Etobicoke community. It is also a part of the Tower Renewal project and the focus of an innovative NFB project, HIGHRISE. This Emmy-winning multi-media documentary experiment explores vertical living in global suburbs.  Kipling’s 2667 poet-in-residence Darren Clarke shared his thoughts on his community in a poem titled I Wonder. We are so proud to know Darren and are excited to share his work with you below.

I WONDER

This Valentine’s Day I want to show you a marriage proposal that took place downtown Toronto, involving more than 50 people and more than 6 months of planning.  Simply put, it was orchestrated by love.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Find a short interview below with the man behind the proposal whom we like to refer to as “Man 1″.

thinkGood: How long did this proposal take to plan?

Man 1: It took approximately 6 or 7 months to create, plan, and ensure proper execution. I had to figure out where and how it was going to happen. What music to use, each song had a specific connection to our life together. I had to write my lyrics to a number of songs, then edit and record my tracks. I had to work on and create the “Show” rehearsing with the dancers, and practicing my performance. I had to secretly coordinate 50 or so friends and family to be there and know all the cues for their involvement. I had to engrave the bench she was sitting on (where we had our first kiss), it was engraved with the date of our first kiss “The Kiss” and also engraved with the date of the proposal, entitled “The Question”. I had to secure the camera crew, and photographer. I was creating the ring from ideas in my mind, not buying a existing ring in the store. So many things listed above I feel like I am just listing endless elements, but it is an indication of the insanity of those 6-7 months. The above is just the creation of the show, and not even touching on the logistics and execution. Where were we going to get power in the middle of the street? What if the police show up? What if it’s raining…. which it was. ALLLLLL OF THIS, and not letting my woman (who I live with) know a single thing. Que deep breath!

Truly though there is no way I could have done these things alone. Each element had a fantastic and forever special friend involved in it supporting me all the way along. To these friends I owe them more then I could ever repay!

thinkGood: What would have been the worst possible thing to go wrong?

Man 1: The worst possible thing that could of gone wrong, essentially did. During the entire evening of the proposal, it was pouring rain, POURING RAIN!!! We were out at a dinner and my Best Man, aka “The Captain” was messaging me with the concern of what we should do if it continues to rain. Friends and family were instructed to be at the scene an hour before to do a “dry run” and now it would be taking place in the rain. The decision was that if it continues to rain and nobody would wait in it, and if it was still raining when the plan of a dog walk would be initiated, that we would move forward as planned. I knew if it was pouring rain and I had to ask my Lady to walk with me, she would say “Yes” no matter what. I would perform just for her, or with no power, or no dancers or with no audience, it was going down!!  This is not to mention I had to break into my mothers house to get my dog, because a friend of mine had used my keys that day. I was LOCKED OUT and I needed the dog to go on the ruse of our dog walk. No B+E charge that night though
I also forgot to read my speech I wrote months before and had to wing it. The speech that came out was better then I could have ever written, it flowed so naturally

As you can see in the video it stopped raining for about the 30 minute period between when we left the house for the dog walk and the end of the proposal. If you look at the ground it literally dries as the video plays and at the end you can hear me say “and now it starts to rain!”.

thinkGood: Was it a perfect proposal to you? Or should we ask her..lol

Man 1: I can honestly say that my proposal went to perfection!  I had created this idea in my mind but obviously never truly knew how it would work out in reality. I was experiencing it all for the first time as well.  I was able to break into my moms house successfully to retrieve my dog, the rain parted with eerily perfect timing , everyone made it out, I landed my back tuck!!! But most importantly she said “YES” and loved every minute of it. So yes, I would say it was perfect, but perfect for us. I think when you propose to your woman it should be about you two. You have to know your woman, know yourself and create the appropriate idea. For example some women like being proposed to at a baseball game, and some don’t…. well most don’t, but some might

We thank Man 1 for his time with us and thinkGood. wishes him and his sweetheart the absolute best in their journey ahead.

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone and don’t be afraid to love!

-doGood.feelGood.liveGood.thinkGood.

In a documentary already making waves in film festivals across the United States I Am asks and seeks to answer two questions: what is wrong with our world and what can we do about it? Interviews with luminaries such as Noam Chomksy, David Suzuki and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, along with an exploration of how other cultures around the world live and conceive of concepts such as happiness, wealth, success and peace make for a moving and passionate film with a simple request: Human society needs to move in the direction of a happiness that isn’t based on more stuff but on more love-for ourselves, our local and global communities, and the earth that we all call our home.

One scientist suggests, “It’s like we are born to be our brother’s keeper. It’s the way we were wired.”

Guest blogger: Fatima Visram