Friday, December 18, 2009


listen to this interview.... The BS behind the Image. http://www.democracynow.org/2009/12/17/a_naked_form_of_blackmail_naomi
“A Naked Form of Blackmail”: Naomi Klein on Secretary of State Clinton’s Proposal to Set Up $100 Billion Climate Aid Fund for Developing Countries
Secretary Clinton said the US would consider contributing to an international $100 billion annual climate aid fund for poorer nations beginning in 2020 if the Copenhagen talks resulted in a comprehensive deal. It is unclear how much money the US would give to the fund. Aid groups say the $100 billion would be insufficient. We speak with journalist Naomi Klein.

Lieberman Socks

Truth from the muppets.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Michael Rosen

Michael Rosen
Following the lead of his racially color-blind son, Michael Rosen and his wife found themselves adopting a group of underprivileged African American boys within the context of their very privileged Caucasian world. What began as a kids' baseball game in the park, became a commitment that would bridge the racial and cultural divide, introducing the youngsters to Nintendo, their first dinner at a nice restaurant, a book store, and ultimately providing the guidance and support to get them into college. Not surprising, the Rosens gained as much as they gave, including an education in the real impact of racial and socioeconomic discrimination. Dr. Rosen explains, "I don't understand what needs to be done to change this massive level of oppression. But I do know that unless there are types of mentoring where people reach across those divides, then that very tragic aspect of our society is never going to change." This tender story of how one family grew to hold the dreams of young men, who might never have escaped that oppression, will bring you a new perspective on what's possible, when we live as though everyone really does deserve an equal chance to succeed.
"For Michael Rosen to have lived this story would've been sufficient. For him to be able to write about it with such beauty and grit, such delicacy and bluntness, seems like a gift of destiny. 'What Else But Home' renders our country's defining forces of race and class--and immigration--down to the society's molecular unit, the family, and shows us what we have become and might become, in all our heroic messiness. This is a valentine to America's diversity--and indeed to every enterprise of courage, chaos, and love that results in magic."

--Diane McWhorter, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Carry Me Home"

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Welcome Solstice time....Welcome to the return of Light....

Return of the Sun
Rebirth of the Sun
Thirty years ago, the Consort and I were invited to be artists-in-residence at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. We aspired to create music appropriate to this extraordinary acoustic space–two football fields long and tall enough to accommodate the Statue of Liberty.
I dreamed of presenting a musical celebration that could resonate with all people regardless of background or age. It occurred to me that the most universal milestone we could celebrate would be the winter solstice.
Over the years, this event has become a shared rite of passage through the longest night of the year. The Cathedral’s all-embracing vastness overwhelms our differences, and yet welcomes and affirms our diversity. Of all the places I’ve played in America, only two could host a concert on this scale: the Cathedral and the Grand Canyon.
Traditionally, Solstice has been a time of reflection, gratitude, forgiveness and renewal. My aspiration is that the audience will come away with their spirits awakened, and with a deepened sense of relatedness to the family of life, to the Earth, and perhaps even to the cosmos. As we approach our 30th annual production, I still have this sense of anticipation. Please join us, along with our special guests Russia’s Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble and New York’s Forces of Nature Dance Theatre Ensemble, as we celebrate the rebirth of the sunThirty years ago, the Consort and I were invited to be artists-in-residence at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. We aspired to create music appropriate to this extraordinary acoustic space–two football fields long and tall enough to accommodate the Statue of Liberty.
Thirty years ago, the Consort and I were invited to be artists-in-residence at New York’s Cathedral of St. John the Divine. We aspired to create music appropriate to this extraordinary acoustic space—two football fields long and tall enough to accommodate the Statue of Liberty.
I dreamed of presenting a musical celebration that could resonate with all people regardless of background or age. It occurred to me that the most universal milestone we could celebrate would be the winter solstice.
Over the years, this event has become a shared rite of passage through the longest night of the year. The Cathedral’s all-embracing vastness overwhelms our differences, and yet welcomes and affirms our diversity. Of all the places I’ve played in America, only two could host a concert on this scale: the Cathedral and the Grand Canyon.
Traditionally, Solstice has been a time of reflection, gratitude, forgiveness and renewal. My aspiration is that the audience will come away with their spirits awakened, and with a deepened sense of relatedness to the family of life, to the Earth, and perhaps even to the cosmos. Please join us, along with our special guests Russia’s Dmitri Pokrovsky Ensemble and New York’s Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, as we celebrate the rebirth of the sun.
For living music, Paul Winter

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Wednesday, December 2, 2009





http://pjep.org/

the only ones who can stop the insanity of these WARS are the people....STAND UP . DEFEND ALL PEOPLES RIGHT TO EXIST.
STOP SUPPORTING WAR AND WAR MONGERS.
THERE IS A PROTEST IN YOUR AREA....FIND IT. BE IT.
http://pjep.org/
Emergency Response Protests to Afghanistan Escalation in Chicago, Carbondale, Rockford and Urbana
Posted on 2009-12-01 22:29:00 by
Five Emergency Response Protests to Obama's announcement of an escalation of the Afghanistan War are planned in Illinois (so far):Dec. 2 -- Chicago 5:00 pm
Emergency Response to US Surge in Afghanistan Wednesday rally and march starts Federal Plaza, Dearborn and Adams Streets in Chicago. Co-sponsored by over 40 local organizations.Dec. 2 – Carbondale 4:00pm Peace Vigil to Protest Escalation, Wednesday afternoon Town Square Pavilion, 100 Main St , Carbondale, IL 62901 Sponsored by the Peace Coalition of Southern Illinois.Dec. 2 – Urbana 5:00 pm Stand Against Troop Increase * Demonstrate against war in Afghanistan/Pakistan: at the Alma Mater on Green & Wright, U of I Campus. Sponsored by AWARE, Campus Anti-War Network, ISO and IVAW. Dec. 2 -- Rockford 5:30 pm Rockford Afghanistan Escalation Protest Wednesday night vigil for peace. Sponsored by Rockford Peace and Justice Coalition.Dec. 5 -- Chicago 12:00 noon Emergency Response to US Surge in AfghanistanSaturday rally and march starts Federal Plaza, Dearborn and Adams Streets in Chicago. Co-sponsored by over 40 local organizations.For a listing of Afghanistan Anti-Escalation Protests nationwide (80 at last count) see the article on http://pjep.org/uploads/docs/actionsafghanistan.pdf from information gathered on the Peace Justice and Environment Project network websites.Please use Contact form on navigation bar at the top of this page if you know of other protests being planned.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

http://storyofstuff.com/capandtrade/

November 30th, 2009, posted by Annie Leonard
If you’re like me, an increasing amount of your worries these days focus on the rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere and the resulting potential for devastating climate chaos.
Years ago, when I first heard about climate change, I figured someone else would work all that out while I kept plodding away with my work on consumption, pollution and waste. Well, guess what? They didn’t work it out; in fact, the climate situation is far worse today than even recent scientific predictions. And guess what else? It turns out that climate and consumption are actually the same issue.
You see, most of the greenhouse gases countries emit come from our materials economy: the way we make, use, transport, and throw away all the stuff in our lives. As Boston College professor (and one of my favorite authors)
Juliet Schor said “Global consumerism devours resources like there’s no tomorrow. And unless we address how much we consume, we won’t succeed in averting disastrous climate change.”
A majority of scientists now say we need to significantly reduce carbon levels in the atmosphere if we want the planet to resemble something close to what it is like today, supporting the kind of life that it does today. To do this, we simply have to use less Stuff – especially oil and coal. We have to rethink, redesign and rebuild a lot of things. We have to figure out different modes of transportation, growing food, building buildings, and having fun that don’t require endless new Stuff. It’s very possible to make these changes, but they won’t happen on their own. We need to get started.
Unfortunately, most of the world’s leaders and big businesses are instead promoting policy approaches that don’t bring us anywhere near the level of change that climate scientists say is needed—let’s call these “false solutions.” And there’s another problem with these policy approaches: the details are so technical and policy wonkish that it’s often hard to figure out what they are even talking about.
I wondered if it would be possible to explain the leading false solution, Cap and Trade, in a clear compelling way so that more of us are inspired to join the conversation. Working with
Climate Justice Now!, the Durban Group for Climate Justice and Free Range Studios, we produced our new short film, The Story of Cap and Trade, to do just that.
We hope you like it. And more importantly, we hope it inspires you to get involved in the most important conversation of our lives.