pelf-ism is contagious

YaY! I’m reviewing a movie before it’s aired in Malaysia! *winks* And I bet you I will catch it when it comes to Malaysia, because it’s about giving, giving and giving. Apparently, more than 300 pre-screenings of this movie in USA have already resulted in over $5 million in donations to charity. Schools are incorporating the message into their curricula. And it has even sparked a unique teen philanthropy initiative called “Show Of Hands” (http://www.raiseahand.org).

“The Ultimate Gift” is a movie starring Academy Award nominee Abigail Breslin, James Garner, Ali Hillis, Drew Fuller and Brian Dennehy. It will be released on March 9 throughout USA and Canada (when is it coming to Malaysia?!).

Based on the book of the same name that has been out for several years and has been an underground hit around the world and sold 4 million copies, “The Ultimate Gift” movie, like the book, is based on the message: “The only way you can truly get more out of life for yourself is to give part of yourself away.”

A heartfelt, values-oriented movie, “The Ultimate Gift” speaks of how a trust fund baby Jason Stevens anticipates a big inheritance when his wealthy grandfather dies. Instead, his grandfather devised a crash course on life with twelve tasks (or “gifts”) designed to challenge Jason in improbable ways, sending him on a journey of self-discovery and forcing him to determine what is most important in life: money or happiness.

YOU can be a part of it by taking part in the “ultimate weekend of giving” - on March 9th, 10th and 11th, USD 1 of every ticket purchased for “The Ultimate Gift” will be donated to the cause of your choice, thanks to a special partnership with the Fox Film Fund. Or you can support a uniquely engaging web-based initiative that empowers teens with the resources they need to discover the values and rewards of helping others by visiting Show of Hands.

This is the official site of the movie “The Ultimate Gift” and the grass-roots movement it is starting to help charities and give to others.

Now, Mei Mei, can I book a ticket to watch this movie in advance? Pretty pleasee..? *makes puppy face*

The Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) is looking for creative individuals to assist them in conducting a targeted outreach program that focuses on the local trade and consumption of tigers and other protected wildlife by the local Chinese community. Materials and outreach modules will be prepared and volunteers will need to deliver these materials in Mandarin, or other locally-spoken dialects.

Click the above ad for a larger, readable version (opens in a new window).

If you can read chinese and speak a couple of chinese dialects AND are genuinely interested to save the tigers, contact MYCAT at malaysian_cat2003@yahoo.com or call 03 - 9075 2872 (ext. 112).

Did you know that the black market for rare species is thriving, and that in some countries, threatened animals are bought and sold as “prized” pets?? They are poached from their natural habitats, caged, shipped, and illegally traded.

Driven by consumer giants like the United States and China, today’s annual wildlife trade is a multibillion-dollar enterprise – much of it illegal. Poaching of threatened terrestrial and marine species is particularly acute in Southeast Asia, where human population has grown by more than 300 percent in the last 50 years and individual purchasing power is increasing at an unprecedented rate.

Unregulated hunting and trading in biodiversity-rich countries, such as Cambodia and Myanmar, now joins habitat loss and climate change as primary causes of species decline. At greatest risk are species that are slow to reproduce, such as elephants, sharks and TURTLES, animals with restricted ranges like many primates and TURTLES, and those that are of particularly high trade value, including rhinoceroses, Asian big cats and TURTLES.

Beyond extinctions and biodiversity loss, recent epidemics caused by wildlife-to-human contact – such as avian influenza (bird flu), Ebola Of hemorrhagic fever, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) – underscore the public health implications of unregulated trade.

Conservation International is partnering with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and local communities throughout East and Southeast Asia to address the factors allowing illegal trade of threatened species to continue. Together, they are training forest guards, educating law enforcement officials, raising public awareness, and finding viable ways for communities to meet their economic needs without resorting to illegal trading.

But is there something we can do, I heard you ask?

Of course there is! We can help safeguard threatened species and stop the illegal wildlife trade by supporting Conservation International. They work with local communities and governments to stamp out the thriving black market for souvenirs, exotic pets, and medicinal ingredients that is making poachers rich and driving threatened species like tigers, gibbons, sharks and TURTLES toward extinction.

But how do we do that?

Speaking from experience, the best, most direct and effective way to help any conservation-based organization is to offer monetary donations and researchers will then use the money where the need is greatest. You can donate to Conservation International here. Alternately, you can also equip yourself with more knowledge on certain conservation-related news and help spread the awareness to your family and friends, or through your blog or website. And you can do so by subscribing to Conservation International’s email newsletter, or by sending a FREE e-card.

Remember, when the demand stops, the killing stops too.