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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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 Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2026 7:45 am Post subject: |
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On Tuesday night I added some social media accounts:
I also started a YouTube called FOF Advocacy Inc. and will probably upload a video shortly.
Just when you thought it was all done there is more to do setting up a new corporation. It never ends.....
Goodnight..... |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Feb 26, 2026 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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I smashed my phone and cracked the screen.....
But I got lucky and it was only the screen protector that was damaged. The aluminum and screen was perfect. So I foolishly tried to put a replacement I had home and it ended up full of bubbles. So as usual I have to go to the mall and get another brown person to get it done proper. I still have to use a screen protector before that as - trust me - going without for a day means that's when the phone really gets cracked!
Apart from that I'm still in social platform mode and activating YouTube channels for all our principle advocacy. Positive Mandate for Humanity has been here for years and has a television series to watch. The Worldwide vote, FOF Advocacy and A Global Social Contract are one day old with crap videos just to create the channel. "Please like and subscribe to support the channel " - Hahahaha.....
And why is my nose soooo big in the video - and what happened to my hair?
Goodnight.....
https://youtu.be/y7nfnOj54V0?si=Vco04I8ELAIbfhDu
https://youtu.be/cOgojSbMLsA?si=uri6Lkfj084X-LIk
http://www.youtube.com/@WorldwideVote-m2q
https://youtu.be/7k5cEzDL0FM?si=U4juHLkRQAOH6uVu |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Fri Feb 27, 2026 6:06 am Post subject: |
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I've been messing about with 10 YouTube channels - yes I have 10 - and here is how it stands. One channel for each corporation except IAIJ which has one for both. Then three more each for the Worldwide Vote, Positive Mandate and that Global social contract. The Maurice Ali channel became the More Inc. channel if anyone cared.
IAIJ, FOF Records, FOF and FOF Entertainment have had video, movies and even a Positive Mandate for Humanity even has a TV series for years. Those are self-explanatory - but what about the new and unused channels?
Worldwide Vote should have an explanatory video about why we need a Worldwide Vote and where. Probably a user video for the apps and so on.
Positive Mandate for Humanity has the TV series but again - maybe an explanatory video, nice and short unlike the side event at the UN.
The Global Social Contract channel will have videos explaining how that would work.
The FOFSTOCK channel unlike the record label channel - will have videos on AI and the plight of musicians and the remedies.
The FOF Advocacy channel will concentrate on non-musical free expression videos. Mostly video and print, writing poetry and those areas. However, all for forms of art and social issues can also happen here!
All those videos would be linked to the websites where they are relevant. So that is the "why" of all this prattle about YouTube.....
In other news:
I'm really keen to donate all those books I have to that reuse book place and get more room in the audio booth where they are stored!
Goodnight..... |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2026 3:03 pm Post subject: |
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Well, here is the revamped lineup of all our YouTube channels:
So every corporation has a channel (IAIJ only needs one for both) and every major advocacy concept has one also. Starting March 1 all not for profits have the cheapest banking fees of 1.95 per month - grandfathered - and with the 12 dollar Annual Return these corporations can operate on 2.95 per month or 36 bucks a year! Now that's cutting fixed costs to the bone guys! Yes, several CEOs I've come across all these years have taken an interest in my activities and most important is the timeline of doing things to make sure you do not run out of time for growth maturation before - your - time is up. This last structural reorganization had me "brute force" the changes and drag my gang and the membership along - but it is done! I'll carry a float so if I dropped dead on the spot the corporations would carry for at least five years before the funds ran out and that will give the Board of Directors and Membership enough time to restructure.
The last three weeks was a grind but necessary move, and now that it's set up I'm actually happy about it. Personally it pained me to just give away businesses you started and ran for decades. But the reality is that they were mine - I was the corporation and when I die, so does that corporation. Check around and you will find that the vast, vast, majority of companies may have equity on the books but are valueless when the main proprietor dies. This way those corporations won't die. The legacy has a chance to live on. The last few weeks may seem boring to you, but those were big for me. The last few weeks actually seem like months tome - all that hassle - however, it is done!
I have long since said that after I'm gone I just want a photo of "our founder" to remind people of our founding principles and way of conducting ourselves. I want it like how George Baliley from "It's a Wonderful Life" kept looking at his father's photo and doing the right thing. If we still have a physical office - just a crooked photo of me on the wall of me to remind everyone......
Goodnight.....
https://youtu.be/sY6oviZg7LI?si=zKiY7nNt_qPX0jDW |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2026 2:00 pm Post subject: |
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I'm taking Sunday off to work around the house. Basically throwing away old clothing and getting ready to donate all those books I now have in tubs.
It's March 1 and I made it intact, but the weather is crap. The organizations are all sorted out. These organizations encapsulate all the arts that have been negatively impacted by high tech.
Journalism - Newspaper - Advocacy - IAIJ
Music production and promotion / distortion
- FOF records.
Live action concert / music festivals - advocacy - FOFSTOCK.
Fortress of Freedom - Book publishing. Print, Some music publishing. Lyrics and poetry. Some video production. Basically a catch all for all other aspects of free expression.
Film distribution and Promotion - FOF Entertainment.
FOF Advocacy - Free Expression issues of all kinds with advocacy and support.
Basically all forms of creative expression are under attack now - especially from artificial intelligence. AI was said to free humans from boring work to do what they wanted to do. But what are they going to do as AI does it all including those thing that we use to self-actualize! All this is not perfect in the future, set in stone, so all the various aspects of these organizations exist to keep human freedom of expression and creativity in all its forms alive, with global decision making and governance for all included because they are humanity.
Goodnight..... |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Sun Mar 01, 2026 2:04 pm Post subject: |
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I'm taking Sunday off to work around the house. Basically throwing away old clothing and getting ready to donate all those books I now have in tubs.
It's March 1 and I made it intact, but the weather is crap. The organizations are all sorted out. These organizations encapsulate all the arts and creativity that have been negatively impacted by high tech.
Journalism - Newspaper - Advocacy - IAIJ
Music production and promotion / distribution
- FOF records.
Live action concert / music festivals - advocacy - FOFSTOCK.
Fortress of Freedom - Book publishing. Print, Some music publishing. Lyrics and poetry. Some video production. Basically a catch all for all other aspects of free expression.
Film distribution and Promotion - FOF Entertainment.
FOF Advocacy - Free expression issues of all kinds with advocacy and support.
Basically all forms of creative expression are under attack now - especially from artificial intelligence. AI was said to free humans from boring work to do what they wanted to do. But what are they going to do as AI does it all including those things that we use to self-actualize! All this is not perfect in the future, set in stone, so all the various aspects of these organizations exist to keep human freedom of expression and creativity in all its forms alive, with global decision making and governance for all included because they are humanity.
Goodnight..... |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2026 7:41 am Post subject: |
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I started throwing out my old clothing. Mostly old beat up clothing but there was actually some new stuff still with the tags on that I bought on sale like thirty years ago. They are plaid and striped shirts that would now be a tight fit and look ridiculous on me now days. I took it to one of those donation boxes and it is gone!
No, these books won't be donated, but if they have a store it would be cool to see it in there - Humm.....
Next up was the books. I just found the location of the reused book place and left the books on the dock. Im pretty sure I have a second wave of books to go there next week if not before This stuff around the house had to happen. First the major home improvements like the plumbing that is done Now the other stuff I have to vacuum the living room nobody lives in Dust off some of the chairs and stuff like that. Actually all that could have been done in one weekend but I like to do things one room at a time. But anyway - you get the idea.
A bit of a downer after all this exciting stuff. Our office management has tacked on a ten dollar fee to the outrageous monthly fee so I be going there shortly. The office in NYC is a steal of a deal compared to what I get in Toronto
Goodnight..... |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2026 4:13 pm Post subject: |
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All about the record label today.....
Yesterday I had to pay some taxes on behalf of FOF Records Inc. which made a profit last fiscal period. What small independent record labels are running profits these days - apparently record labels given away for a dollar to a not-for-profit apparently. But - I digress.....
I am still sending out royalties - who gets royalties for music these days? Oh yes: FOF Records Inc.! But I digress.....
I'm cutting so many cheques that I had to buy another 200 cheques for the record label. That I did this morning. I did it with D+H as they are way cheaper than the others.
Fender American Pro 2 70th Anniversary Comet Burst
Gibson Les Paul Standard 50s Goldtop with P90s
Ibanez AZ Premium 7 String
I was talking to Shane today and told him we need another updated photo for the record's label website. I did the same for FOFSTOCK and now he has to do the same for FOF Records. He could take it holding his expensive Taylor or Ibanez - curious to see what he comes up with.....
Goodnight..... |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2026 1:20 am Post subject: |
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The trademark renewal rears its ugly head.
After almost 15 years, it is time to renew our trademark. Yes, we actually have a real registered trademark! We should be able to just pay the man and good to go for the next 10 years - but we shall see. It took five years to get the mark with the "R" in the circle registered - a soul crushing experience. And now the whole thing starts up again. I got another letter from some trademark lawyer asking about fees for NICE classification. They force you to use the lawyers as the classifications and nomenclature change every year. My corporations are real and so I have to deal with all this on the cheap - it never ends!
Here is the link to the trademark: https://ised-isde.canada.ca/cipo/trademark-search/1310121
Nothing has changed so it should just be cutting a cheque? I hope so - I sincerely hope so.....
Goodnight..... |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Thu Mar 05, 2026 8:59 am Post subject: |
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Why is what I'm doing now so important and fascinating to me even if it isn't to you. It's because people - creators - are bitching about the future but are only doing it individually which gets the issue nowhere.
Buy starting the not for profit music advocacy association with the record label in tow (FOFSTOCK), it has a membership and legitimacy about it which is rare in music.
Right now much of the music industry is under attack by artificial intelligence from every direction. However, I only seem to see the pushback from private individuals. So now you know why I started FOFSTOCK! We did get lucky as it is also a music festival entity and with a philosophy embracing all forms of music, and since I was keen on that it has now been around for a few years meeting minimum requirements for applications such as the United Nations for consultative status. Starting it now as in the case of FOF Advocacy would have left us in a situation where by the time you meet minimum requirements - the issue has passed you by for change.
Don't expect big aggregators like - for example SOCAN - as they already have embraced AI royalties which means an excellerated death for music as a career that pays for itself.
The only thing I can do now is grow the three advocacy platforms (IAIJ / FOFSTOCK / FOF Advocacy) as quickly as possible giving people in those areas at least some form of a unified voice and influence and in the end some form of self-determination for themselves. You may say I'm really full of my self-importance, but being around he world stage for many years has shown that the world is much smaller than you imagine and change can happen if a person actually tries to do it! Certainly with citizen journalism I was part of the international policy at the UN that finally got them recognized as legitimate media workers in 2015. Prior to that they would simply be shot dead for videotaping an event and would be called a "protestor" to justify it. This all came back recently when Don Lemon was arrested a few weeks ago. At least now he has some precedent today as independent media he was justified to be there doing his journalism even though he was no longer with CNN for example. The same can happen for music. All this is pretty alien stuff for usual musicians - so I'm doing it even though I am the worst musician on earth - but - I am very much a musician buy the usual metrics.
So that "in a nut shell" is what has been happening his last month. It may seem boring with all these structural changes to corporations - but this is how you build a force to compete against big business. High tech is now the biggest of big business and international advocacy groups like what we have here is the only pushback and sway the average person on the street will have to change anything.
Everyone says I'm good at this. Actually they say I'm really good at this - so I have found my calling.....
Goodnight.....
https://youtu.be/gh20tavQqxk? |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2026 7:58 am Post subject: |
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Well, this happened:
| Sam wrote: | FOF Advocacy Inc. Gets an Organizational Profile at the United Nations!
By Samantha Blackwell, FOF Advocay Inc.
FOF Advocacy Inc. has been granted an organizational profile at ECOSOC in the United Nations. Getting an organizational profile is a necessary requirement to applying for Consultative Status at the UN.
Says Maurice Ali, CEO of FOF Advocacy Inc.:
“FOF Advocacy Inc. is one of the few freedom of expression advocacy groups around. With a not-for-profit purchasing two for-profit media companies, this gives many dimensions for advocacy within one umbrella.
Getting an organizational profile is traditionally the first step to getting Consultative Status at the United Nations. The world needs a true grass roots NGO to fight for human/creative rights in a world that constantly devalues them. FOF Advocacy Inc. exists to advocate for the general public and creators that is sorely lacking at the international world stage!”
Maurice Ali - FOF Advocacy Inc.
More news as it becomes available.
https://fofadvocacy.org
FOF ADVOCACY INC.: A NEW WORLD OF GLOBAL INTERACTION! |
I'm moving at "warp speed" with the advocacy as creative people and artists seem to be folding like paper in the wind with the advent of AI in their respective fields. It's amazing that they just give up without a fight - just like that! The usual statement is that there is no point anymore. One AI guitar clip was convincing enough that you have to look carefully to see she was at one point playing the guitar's headstock! No matter they say - it will get better and be better than the real thing eventually. But it will never be the real thing - remember that.....
Anyway, FOF Advocacy Inc. getting an organizational profile after being in existence for just one month is extraordinary. This is as it has to be as things are going downhill fast for the humans. It has not even been one year since I was at the AI event at the UN! Bob Ray hosted it as President of ECOSOC and now he is gone from that position and also Ambassador to the UN for Canada. Almost everyone one I knew at the start of my UN journey has been replaced or retired - but I'm still around pitching my philosophy and concepts at a evermore effective manner. Yes, starting your own advocacy organizations is a hassle - but you also gain in significant ways over just being the current replacement for a position. That position will change frequently - but less frequently as founder of an organization. No money and less notoriety - but that harsh reality when you get bumped off the position is not the same.....
Anyway, Thursday was this non-stop hassle but in the end most gratifying. I got the extra 200 cheques for FOF Records and all is good there. I made changes to our office account in Markham and it's now back to the previous monthly amount. You just keep whittling down the fixed costs as this is a constant on-going thing. I'm still around as President and CEO, started 22 years ago and I'm still here!
Goodnight..... |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Sat Mar 07, 2026 9:42 am Post subject: |
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This announcement is no surprise:
| Sam wrote: | FOF Advocacy Inc. Becomes a Member of IAIJ and FOFSTOCK Along with Reciprocal Memberships!
By Samantha Blackwell
This is a formal notice that FOF Advocacy Inc. is now a member of the International Association of Independent Journalists Inc. and also FOFSTOCK along with reciprocal memberships. These memberships represent an affiliation of advocacy that makes it easier to present our ideas and concepts at venues that matter as we apply not only as individual NGOs but also as an affiliated network of NGOs which has a better chance for participation.
Also note that the International Association of Independent Journalists Inc. and FOFSTOCK have also had reciprocal memberships for some time although this may not have been formally announced.
More news as it becomes available.
FOF ADVOCACY INC.: A NEW WORLD OF GLOBAL INTERACTION! |
Memberships are shared and members of one have automatic membership in the other but can opt out if they wish. Advocacy is so similar a network approach gives us the maximum impact to get the word out. When you apply to speak at international venues they will tell you upfront that networked groups take precedence for speaking positions. So now we have that issue covered.
I will also officially endorse the core advocacy concepts of the vote, mandate and social contract and AI concerns just to ensure those in the future that we just did not just pull theses advocacy issues out of a hat at the last minute. All that should happen this weekend.
On Monday I'll apply for an EIN number for FOF Advocacy Inc.! Why another IRS number in the States? Because you have to be an international NGO to speak at international venues and also to get Consultative Status at the United Nations. Submitting tax returns in different countries proves you are truly international - FULL STOP! It also makes it easier to set things up in New York later if we have to in the future. More hassle and another IRS return - but on balance worth it.....
Goodnight..... |
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Maurice Ali
Joined: 14 Nov 2003
Posts: 8432
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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| Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2026 12:07 pm Post subject: |
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I'm taking Sunday off and doing things around the house. Maybe go to the mall or send away some more books.
Our advocacy in general has improved another level in the last month. Very few can do what I can do now. Even outside of the UN, if we can yap away to huge companies like Apple Inc. like we did last year (and have our ideas and concerns brought up in their meetings) we can easily keep doing that while influencing things in our direction. Whatever, it gives you a reason to get up n the morning.....
Things start up again in Monday with the US stuff.....
Goodnight..... |
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