From: Mary Churchill <marycchurchill@gmail.com>
Subject: Paula Gunn Allen joins the Ancestors
[paula was buried with ashes of her beloved son gene at the rose memorial
cemetery in fort bragg at 3 pm on monday june 2, 2008. she is shining on
the other side. g]
Friends and Colleagues,
Please join me in mourning the death of my beloved teacher and friend,
Paula Gunn Allen. We have put up a memorial website and guestbook.
Please let folks know and keep Paula and her family in your prayers.
Thank you,
Mary
------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 06:00:01 -1000
From: Outreach College and the Office of the Chancellor
<announce@HAWAII.EDU>
Subject: Summer at Manoa - The Sakamaki Extraordinary Lectures
Each summer, Outreach College offers exceptional speakers in the Sakamaki
Extraordinary Lectures that have become a much-anticipated hallmark of
Summer at Mânoa. Many of this year's presenters are UHM faculty. We hope
you will attend as many as you can, let your friends and family know about
the speakers, and enjoy these always-entertaining and thought-provoking
programs.
Here is a list of this summer^Òs lectures. They are all free and open to
the public, and presented in the Yukiyoshi Room, Krauss Hall 012, unless
otherwise noted. More information may be found at
www.outreach.hawaii.edu/community/sakamaki.asp
Wednesday, June 4 ^Ö Paul H.I. Coleman, UH Mânoa Institute for Astronomy
^ÓTraditional and Modern Astronomy in Hawai`i^Ô
Wednesday, June 11 ^Ö Thomas Schroeder, UHM Meteorology Department
^ÓHawai`i^Òs Climate and Climate Change^Ô
Wednesday, June 25 ^Ö Yusuke Marikawa, John A. Burns School of Medicine and Institute for Biogenesis Research
^ÓEmbryonic Stem Cells and their Potential Use in Medicine^Ô
Tuesday, July 1 ^Ö Yvonne Murphy, Librarian of the Northern Ireland Political Collection
^ÓDocumenting Personal and Community History: The Case of the Linen Hall Library^Ô
[Note: Presentation in the UHM Architecture Auditorium]
Wednesday, July 9 ^Ö Terry Hunt, UHM Department of Anthropology
^ÓEaster Island^Òs Ecological Catastrophe and Cultural Collapse: What Really Happened?^Ô
Wednesday, July 16 ^Ö John Wiltshire, NOAA Undersea Research Center for
Hawai`i and the Western Pacific; UHM Department of Ocean and Resources
Engineering ^ÓSubmersibles, Marine Technology and the Hawai`i Undersea
Research Lab^Ô
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 13:03:09 -0400
From: FeedBlitz <feedblitz@mail.feedblitz.com>
Subject: Disappeared News - 2 new articles
"DISAPPEARED NEWS" - 2 NEW ARTICLES
1. Ben Sullivan suggests we can be prepared for the looming energy
crisis
2. Superferry traffic increase makes front page
3. More Recent Articles
4. Search Disappeared News
Ben Sullivan suggests we can be prepared for the looming energy crisis
by Larry Geller I admire Kauai's newspaper The Garden Island even though
I've never actually seen a paper copy. Just visiting their website tells
me that they are not afraid to carry stories that directly relate to the
lives of their readers. They've printed letters discussing a brewing
controversy over whether the Kauai Police Department should militarize
itself by deploying riot gear and Tasers....
Superferry traffic increase makes front page
by Larry Geller Is Superferry traffic really increasing? According to
Brad Parsons' calculations, it all depends. I didn't bother searching on
the obituary page for a Superferry story todayâ^À^Ôthere was one by
Christie Wilson right there on the front page. Of course, it's a highly
positive story featuring the numbers released by the ferry company.
Ridership is reported to be up over the Memorial....
More Recent Articles
* China goes green--bans plastic bags
* Global Warming, flooding in Mapunapuna and Honolulu's ever-changing
transit plans
* No more rooftop sunbathing in New York City, the cops are watching
you
* Followup call received from HPD on Taser video request
* Development Oriented Transit
________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 09:04:36 -1000
From: Viviane Lerner <vivlerner@gmail.com>
Subject: Why In the World Would They Destroy Hawaii...On Purpose?
http://www.opednews.com/maxwrite/diarypage.php?did=7549May 29, 2008 at
13:30:03
Why In the World Would They Destroy Hawaii...On Purpose?
Cathy Garger
In the past year I have done a good deal of research and writing around
the topic of the growing military build-up, live firing, and fighter jet
bombing drops taking place on the Hawaiian Islands and for thousands of
miles around in the Pacific Ocean.
As much as I read, I can not for the life of me figure out why those in
power are intent on further degrading the health of our oceans, our
land, our air, our vegetation, our wildlife, our unique island
habitats... not to mention the health and well being of the good people
of Hawaii.
I mean, who in their right mind would try to destroy Hawaii^Åon purpose?
I have still not come to any firm conclusions and suspect that the
answers are just too painful to face. So I offer the latest environmental
impact statements for your review. Maybe you, possessing a stronger
constitution, can help figure this out for me?
In these documents, you can read about live fire (not fake, not inert,
not ^Ódummy,^Ô but live-fire... as in yes, so-called Depleted
Uranium) military maneuvers using regular ammo, bombs, missiles, and
advanced directed energy weapons (DEW) (as in destroying things via
lasers) around and on the Hawaiian Islands.
After examining these documents, however, one thing^Òs for certain. They
should name the military exercises Operation Hawaiian DUMP because that
is exactly what these maneuvers actually are ^Ö an apparent attempt to
discover just how polluted and contaminated they can render the fragile
Hawaiian Island and Pacific Ocean aquatic ecosystems by dumping both
toxic and radioactive wastes quite liberally all over them.
At the Radford, VA WPA ^ÓBuilding A New World^Ô Conference over the
weekend, during one of the seminars someone innocently asked a question
to the effect: Why is the US Military destroying the environment and
lives of so many people around the world?
You could quite literally hear a pin drop when someone very somberly,
quietly, eventually offered, "Because they can."
Those of us with compassion for humanity and all living things - both
presently on the planet and for generations to come - need, I believe,
to take some time and examine these documents for ourselves. We have got
to somehow figure out how it has come to pass that truly no place in this
entire world - not even our own Hawaiian Paradise ... is safe from wanton
degradation and destruction at the hands of our own government?
We need to research all this, I believe, and then decide where we are
going to draw our line in the contaminated sands from Hawaii to Idaho -
where toxics and radioactive materials present in the Camp Doha, Kuwait
sands have come back to haunt us, being laid to fester alongside Idaho
potato fields inside the United States, eventually contaminating our
ground and water supply for billions of years.
Only an informed, educated populace - one that realizes that America -
even Hawaii, of all places! - has become the US military's "dirty" kitty
litter box can ever be counted upon to stop this military environmental
madness.
Please read below about the Army's and Navy's plans to do their training
and ^Óplay war^Ô inside Paradise, while only further destroying the
natural resources and life forms within the Pacific Ocean and Hawaiian
Islands.
Then please help educate others in your own circle of influence about
what is going down in the land of Aloha ^Ö which has, sadly to its own
detriment, been programmed to welcome with open arms the abundant cash
flow that stationing thousands of military personnel on what was once
pristine, unspoiled tropical paradise - brings.
To read about the Army's further plans for Hawaii:
http://aec.army.mil/usaec/nepa/usarpacdspeis.pdf
To comment about the Army's plans for Hawaii and the Pacific: Military
Seeks Comment on Expansion Plan: http://tinyurl.com/3vme4q or
http://homepage.mac.com/juanwilson/islandbreath/2008Year/17-peace_war/0817-05StrykerinHawaii.html
To read about the Navy's further plans for the Pacific and Hawaiian
Islands (the Hawaii Range Complex):
http://www.govsupport.us/navynepahawaii/FEIS.aspx
To comment upon the Navy's plans for Hawaii (top right hand corner):
http://www.govsupport.us/navynepahawaii/hawaiirceis.aspx
-----------
Cathy Garger is a freelance writer, public speaker, activist, and a
certified personal coach who specializes in Uranium weapons. Living in the
shadow of the national District of Crime, Cathy is constantly nauseated by
the stench emanating from the nation's capital during the Washington, DC,
federal work week.
=====---------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 09:07:36 -1000
From: Lc <palolo@hawaii.rr.com>
Subject: i don't remember this case from 2002 (must have been sleeping...)
http://208.106.154.79/story.aspx?9e33c138-dd41-4641-8c12-3f27f7ce2cff
Outrigger Wins Big in Land Condemnation Case
The City Council Sets a Precedent in Seizing Property from One Private
Land Owner to Give to Another
By Mary Zimmerman, 2/21/2002 1:47:45 PM
Sisters Jackie Johnson and Bronwen Welch spent many of their early
magical childhood years with their parents at their small white Waikiki
home on Saratoga Road. Their father, Cyril Lemmon, was an inspired
architect and innovative entrepreneur who had a knack for buying
properties, building on them and selling them for a sizeable profit.
Cyril Lemmon opened a business, Architects Hawaii, in his garage, but
later agreed to lease his home property to Roy Kelly, who was a close
family friend, entrepreneur and an architect like Cyril Lemmon. Roy Kelly
and his wife Estelle were just entering the hospitality business and
wanted to built a beachfront hotel on Lemmon's property. They had
established a relationship of deep trust and friendship, their children
played together, they spent time socially together, so Cyril Lemmon
agreed. The hotel built by Outrigger on Saratoga Road is known as the
Ohana Reef Lanai, and the Kelly family also leased another Waikiki lot on
Lewers Street where a Carl's Junior Restaurant now stands.
Little did Cyril Lemmon and Roy Kelly know long after they died that
their land lease arrangement would morph into a situation that threatened
not only their family bond, but the property rights of the Cyril Lemmon's
daughters and of virtually every property owner in the state of Hawaii.
The Kelly children and grandchildren, who had expanded Roy Kelly's vision
for a hotel chain into a mega corporation with 3,100 hotel rooms in
Waikiki, decided they wanted to own the Lemmon properties and they were
going to get them.
After making offers to Johnson and Welch over a period of five years, and
Johnson and Welch consistently declining to sell the properties saying
they had sentimental value, the Kellys made a drastic move.
The Kellys, through their corporate spokespeople, went to the Honolulu
City Council and asked the nine councilmembers to condemn the land of
their family friends under the condition it would be resold to Outrigger
Enterprises. They based their request on the premise that the
condemnation was for the "greater public good" because the Outrigger
Waikiki hotels are deteriorating and need to be rebuilt at a cost of $300
million. They say a massive and dense construction project cannot be
financed unless the Outrigger owns the properties, because "investors get
nervous about investing in construction projects where there are other
parties involved that have partial control."
Apparently, representatives of the Outrigger offered councilmembers a
deal they did not refuse. On Wednesday, the Honolulu City Council voted
six to three to support the Outrigger condemnation plans and take the
land from the private landowners to give to the other private landowners.
City councilmembers John Henry Felix, Jon Yoshimura, Romy Cachola, Rene
Mancho, Ann Kobayashi and Gary Okino voted to condemn the property of the
small landowners. Councilmembers Duke Banium, John DeSoto and Steve Holms
were opposed.
"I am in favor of the Outrigger's plans, just not their method," Banium
says. "I have to vote my conscience."
The sisters were heartbroken. "We'd like to fight the condemnation, but
my sister and I are just small landowners and housewives who don't have a
great deal of money to fight the Outrigger and the City Council.
Ultimately we don't want to sell our property - we have a sentimental
attachment to it because we spent many childhood years there and we want
to keep it in the family," Welch says.
The Kellys and the Outrigger corporate giant representatives were
pleased, saying the $300 million plan will revitalize Waikiki, stimulate
jobs and bring more visitors to the state.
Mel Kaneshige, spokesman for the Outrigger, says the Outrigger has been
accommodating to the small landowners, offering to exchange properties
for condos in Hawaii or property in Texas. But Welch says that exchange
does not interest her or her sister: "We don't want to sell."
But Johnson and Welch are not the only people losing their property
because of the Outrigger victory Wednesday. Five Waikiki properties are
affected, with the Outrigger seizing through the Council, the land of
four different families.
One has agreed on a settlement, according to Kaneshige. The others are
still in negotiations - negotiations that were rocketed into a new realm
because of the Council's decision.
On Thursday, Banium said, "Before the hearing, we were holding an axe
over their heads. After yesterday, we are holding the axe over their
necks."
Banium asked Kaneshige during the 2-hour hearing: "You are a businessman.
Isn't there any part of you or your conscience that says this is just
wrong?"
Blaming a 1992 Council decision to implement a master plan for Waikiki
that targeted five major areas for renovation and reconstruction,
Kaneshige says the Outrigger hotels, built in the 1950s, were old and
deteriorated and need to be taken down. He brought up other cases of
condemnation in Hawaii and elsewhere to justify the act itself, even
calling Hawaii the "condemnation capital of the United States."
The condemnation has major implications for other property owners in
Waikiki who may not fit in the grand master plan. Despite this threat, a
group speaking for the landowners of Waikiki say they support the
measure. Under the umbrella of the Waikiki Improvement Association,
spokesman Rick Egged says the landowners voted to support the Outrigger's
plans and the city's condemnation resolution. When asked by Banium if the
vote was unanimous, Egged curtly said: "The board voted to support this
resolution." He would not elaborate.
But former Hawaii Supreme Court Justice Robert Klein, who now in private
practice representing the landowners of four of the five properties being
seized, says this case has major implications for Hawaii's landowners,
including that of the owners in Waikiki.
"Essentially the government is deciding the best use of private land and
taking private land from one landowner to give to another," Klein says.
From the standpoint of a private landowner, Klein emphasized there is
nothing more disturbing then receiving a notice in a week's time that
says the county is going to consider a resolution that gives legal
authority to condemn your property.
"If one is a small landowner who has planned his or her estate around the
continued ownership of real property, it is particularly devastating and
expensive to be required to re-evaluate the alternatives," Klein says.
He called it "shocking" to find out private property is not going to be
developed into a school, roadway or police station, but will become the
property of a tenant.
Now the city will move forward with a lawsuit against all of the
landowners, in order to start condemnation proceedings. Meanwhile, the
landowners are still trying to work out a settlement with the Outrigger.
"Government should serve the people, not be a threat to individual rights
and businesses by getting in the way," Banium says. "This resolution not
only intrudes into the marketplace, it stomps on it."
"The public knows what we did was wrong," he added. "There is no way to
get around it."
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~------------------
From: roy freedle
Sent: Thursday, May 29, 2008 2:28 AM
Subject: [evol-psych] NYTimes: Nirvana = Right Hemisphere > Superhighway
to Bliss
A SUPERHIGHWAY TO BLISS
By LESLIE KAUFMAN
Published: NYTimes May 25, 2008
JILL BOLTE TAYLOR was a neuroscientist working at Harvard^Òs brain
research center when she experienced nirvana.
Dr. Taylor says the right, creative lobe can be used to foster
contentment.
But she did it by having a stroke.
On Dec. 10, 1996, Dr. Taylor, then 37, woke up in her apartment near
Boston with a piercing pain behind her eye. A blood vessel in her brain
had popped. Within minutes, her left lobe ^× the source of ego, analysis,
judgment and context ^× began to fail her. Oddly, it felt great.
The incessant chatter that normally filled her mind disappeared. Her
everyday worries ^× about a brother with schizophrenia and her
high-powered job ^× untethered themselves from her and slid away.
Her perceptions changed, too. She could see that the atoms and molecules
making up her body blended with the space around her; the whole world and
the creatures in it were all part of the same magnificent field of
shimmering energy.
^ÓMy perception of physical boundaries was no longer limited to where my
skin met air,^Ô she has written in her memoir, ^ÓMy Stroke of Insight,^Ô
which was just published by Viking.
After experiencing intense pain, she said, her body disconnected from her
mind. ^ÓI felt like a genie liberated from its bottle,^Ô she wrote in her
book. ^ÓThe energy of my spirit seemed to flow like a great whale gliding
through a sea of silent euphoria.^Ô
While her spirit soared, her body struggled to live. She had a clot the
size of a golf ball in her head, and without the use of her left
hemisphere she lost basic analytical functions like her ability to speak,
to understand numbers or letters, and even, at first, to recognize her
mother. A friend took her to the hospital. Surgery and eight years of
recovery followed.
Her desire to teach others about nirvana, Dr. Taylor said, strongly
motivated her to squeeze her spirit back into her body and to get well.
This story is not typical of stroke victims. Left-brain injuries don^Òt
necessarily lead to blissful enlightenment; people sometimes sink into a
helplessly moody state: their emotions run riot. Dr. Taylor was also
helped because her left hemisphere was not destroyed, and that probably
explains how she was able to recover fully.
Today, she says, she is a new person, one who ^Ócan step into the
consciousness of my right hemisphere^Ô on command and be ^Óone with all
that is.^Ô
To her it is not faith, but science. She brings a deep personal
understanding to something she long studied: that the two lobes of the
brain have very different personalities. Generally, the left brain gives
us context, ego, time, logic. The right brain gives us creativity and
empathy. For most English-speakers, the left brain, which processes
language, is dominant. Dr. Taylor^Òs insight is that it doesn^Òt have to
be so.
Her message, that people can choose to live a more peaceful, spiritual
life by sidestepping their left brain, has resonated widely.
In February, Dr. Taylor spoke at the Technology, Entertainment, Design
conference (known as TED), the annual forum for presenting innovative
scientific ideas. The result was electric. After her 18-minute address was
posted as a video on TED^Òs Web site, she become a mini-celebrity. More
than two million viewers have watched her talk, and about 20,000 more a
day continue to do so. An interview with her was also posted on Oprah
Winfrey^Òs Web site, and she was chosen as one of Time magazine^Òs 100
most influential people in the world for 2008.
She also receives more than 100 e-mail messages a day from fans. Some are
brain scientists, who are fascinated that one of their own has had a
stroke and can now come back and translate the experience in terms they
can use. Some are stroke victims or their caregivers who want to share
their stories and thank her for her openness.
But many reaching out are spiritual seekers, particularly Buddhists and
meditation practitioners, who say her experience confirms their belief
that there is an attainable state of joy.
^ÓPeople are so taken with it,^Ô said Sharon Salzberg, a founder of the
Insight Mediation Society in Barre, Mass. ^ÓI keep getting that video in
e-mail. I must have 100 copies.^Ô
She is excited by Dr. Taylor^Òs speech because it uses the language of
science to describe an occurrence that is normally ethereal. Dr. Taylor
shows the less mystically inclined, she said, that this experience of deep
contentment ^Óis part of the capacity of the human mind.^Ô
Since the stroke, Dr. Taylor has moved to Bloomington, Ind., an hour from
where she was raised in Terre Haute and where her mother, Gladys Gillman
Taylor, who nursed her back to health, still lives.
Originally, Dr. Taylor became a brain scientist ^× she has a Ph.D. in life
sciences with a specialty in neuroanatomy ^× because she has a mentally
ill brother who suffers from delusions that he is in direct contact with
Jesus. And for her old research lab at Harvard, she continues to speak on
behalf of the mentally ill.
But otherwise, she has dialed back her once loaded work schedule. Her
house is on a leafy cul-de-sac minutes from Indiana University, which she
attended as an undergraduate and where she now teaches at the medical
school.
Her foyer is painted a vibrant purple. She greets a stranger at the door
with a warm hug. When she talks, her pale blue eyes make extended contact.
Never married, she lives with her dog and two cats. She unselfconsciously
calls her mother, 82, her best friend.
She seems bemused but not at all put off by the hundreds who have reached
out to her on a spiritual level. Religious ecstatics who claim to see
angels have asked her to appear on their radio and television programs.
She has declined these offers. Although her father is an Episcopal
minister and she was raised in his church, she cannot be counted among the
traditionally faithful. ^ÓReligion is a story that the left brain tells
the right brain,^Ô she said.
Still, Dr. Taylor says, ^Ónirvana exists right now.^Ô
^ÓThere is no doubt that it is a beautiful state and that we can get
there,^Ô she said.
That belief has certainly sparked debate. On Web sites like
evolvingbeings.com and in Eckhart Tolle discussion groups, people debate
whether she is truly enlightened or just physically damaged and confused.
Even her own scientific brethren have wondered.
^ÓWhen I saw her on the TED video, at first I thought, Oh my god, is she
losing it,^Ô said Dr. Francine M. Benes, director of the Harvard Brain
Tissue Resource Center, where Dr. Taylor once worked.
Dr. Benes makes clear that she still thinks Dr. Taylor is an extraordinary
and competent woman. ^ÓIt is just that the mystical side was not apparent
when she was at Harvard,^Ô Dr. Benes said.
Dr. Taylor makes no excuses or apologies, or even explanations. She says
instead that she continues to battle her left brain for the better. She
gently offers tips on how it might be done.
^ÓAs the child of divorced parents and a mentally ill brother, I was
angry,^Ô she said. Now when she feels anger rising, she trumps it with a
thought of a person or activity that brings her pleasure. No meditation
necessary, she says, just the belief that the left brain can be tamed.
Her newfound connection to other living beings means that she is no longer
interested in performing experiments on live rat brains, which she did as
a researcher.
She is committed to making time for passions ^× physical and visual ^×
that she believes exercise her right brain, including water-skiing, guitar
playing and stained-glass making. A picture of one of her intricate
stained-glass pieces ^× of a brain ^× graces the cover of her book.
Karen Armstrong, a religious historian who has written several popular
books including one on the Buddha, says there are odd parallels between
his story and Dr. Taylor^Òs.
^ÓLike this lady, he was reluctant to return to this world,^Ô she said.
^ÓHe wanted to luxuriate in the sense of enlightenment.^Ô
But, she said, ^Óthe dynamic of the religious required that he go out into
the world and share his sense of compassion.^Ô
And in the end, compassion is why Dr. Taylor says she wrote her memoir.
She thinks there is much to be mined from her experience on how
brain-trauma patients might best recover and, in fact, she hopes to open a
center in Indiana to treat such patients based on those principles.
And then there is the question of world peace. No, Dr. Taylor doesn^Òt
know how to attain that, but she does think the right hemisphere could
help. Or as she told the TED conference:
^ÓI believe that the more time we spend choosing to run the deep inner
peace circuitry of our right hemispheres, the more peace we will project
into the world, and the more peaceful our planet will be.^Ô
It almost seems like science.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 16:03:04 -0400 (EDT)
From: Democratic Party of Hawaii <headquarters@hidem.com>
Subject: Hawaii's momentum for a Democratic President,
and what could slow us down
Aloha fellow Democrats:
Our Goal: $5,000 in 10 days Three months ago, on February 19th, our Party
made political history. Never before in Hawaii had so many people joined
an organization in one night. We grew our membership from 24,000 to 54,000
because people are ready for a Democratic President ^Ö we want change.
But there’s a threat to our energy ^Ö a lack of money. The Hawaii
Democratic Party is in such a financial crunch that we’re unable to
purchase neighbor island flights for our Field Director to do the
grassroots volunteer organizing that we need to help Hawaii deliver for a
Democratic President.
Here’s some shocking news: The annual budget of the Hawaii Democratic
Party is roughly two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and Party members
currently raise less than five percent of it. Our Party has been living
hand to mouth for too long, moving from headquarters to headquarters,
without enough money to visit all islands, improve our website, or even
communicate with our members.
Let’s change that today.
We are the grassroots Party ^Ö the Party that favors a minimum wage, equal
protection for everyone, environmental preservation, and an economy that
is fair to working families. We are stronger in our mission when we have
thousands of small contributions from people like you.
Our goal is to raise five thousand dollars in the next ten days, so that
our Field Director can visit Maui, Kauai, and the Big Island and make sure
that we are building a volunteer network in every neighborhood.
Please contribute ten, fifty, two hundred dollars, or whatever you can, so
we can build on our success and win in November.
If you would like to mail a personal check, please send it directly to
our party headquarters at:
Democratic Party of Hawai`i
1050 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite D-26
Honolulu, HI 96814
I am honored for the opportunity to serve as your Party Chair.
Mahalo,
Brian Schatz
Chair
Democratic Party of Hawaii
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 10:29:44 -1000
From: Lc <palolo@hawaii.rr.com>
Subject: Fw: Pinky Show News - May 22, 2008
if you haven't checked them out yet, please do! i use their short videos
in my classroom. jon, the artist, was a guest in my class on tuesday and
did a great presentation using "iraq war: legal or illegal" as his focus
for discussion. thanks to people's fund for hooking us up!
---
From: Pinky Show Newsletter <newsletter@pinkyshow.org>
Date: Friday, May 23, 2008, 12:16 AM
What kind of new things have going on at The Pinky Show website since the
last newsletter? Glad you asked! Here's a summary:
* New conversation piece: Oceans as Trash Cans an interview with Capt.
Charles Moore of Algalita Marine Research Foundation on the impact of
pollution on the ocean environment.
http://www.pinkyshow.org/archives/conversations.html
* A brand new area of our website called "Pinky Presents" where we have
videos not created by us but containing information and perspectives are
important to think about. For example: "We are Who We Were: From
Resistance to Affirmation", "The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard",
"Muhammad Yunus: Creating a World Without Poverty", and more.
http://www.pinkyshow.org/archives/ps_presents.html
* As far as the environment is concerned, there is no such thing as a
disposable plastic bag, so please stop using them. Therefore... tote bags
- we have them! Our tote bags are super cute, 100% cotton, very strong,
and made in USA. Support The Pinky Show and the oceans and landfills will
thank you too.
http://www.pinkyshow.org/support/index.php?act=viewCat&catId=8
* Don't forget to check out Pinky's Diary, our blog. Pinky, Kim, Daisy,
and me - we all write in there.
http://www.pinkyshow.org/diary/
I have another newsletter announcement with even bigger news that I'll be
sending tomorrow or the day after. Please keep your eyes peeled.
Thank you,
Bunny
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 10:24:29 -1000
From: Tim Bostock Productions <tbp@artsatmarks.com>
Subject: Bill Tapia at the Monarch Room
Dear Friends
Uncle Bill Tapia is back in town, and tomorrow he plays the Monarch Room
at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel with Grammy award-winning Jeff Peterson on
guitar, sultry songstress Mihana and Ernie Provencher on bass, from 7.30pm
I've spent the last three days with Uncle Bill doing TV and radio
interviews. He's wearing me out, mostly with smiling! Not only is he
dapper and cheerful at 5am, he plays ukulele like a dream and remembers
every detail of his fascinating life. Take a look at this segment from
yesterday on the beach with Manolo...
http://www.khon2.com/news/morning/19336309.html
To say Bill is inspiring is a ridiculous understatement. He's a joy to be
near and he puts a big smile on your face - in fact it's impossible to
stop smiling when you're with him. His jazz playing is so precise you
forget about everything else and just feel the beat and hear the sweet
notes dropping into place.
He'll be playing the whole evening through tomorrow night, a living
treasure playing in a legendary room. The Royal Hawaiian is closing on
Sunday for extensive renovations. Come ands remind yourself why the Pink
Palace is the most romantic spot in Waikiki - the mai tai bar is
beckoning...
Don't forget our special guests Owana Salazar (first half) and Makana
(second half). This will be one hot night to kick off the Summer!
Be inspired by history and entertained by the best. Tickets from Honolulu
Box Office; call 550-8457 between 11am and 6pm, or use internet 24/7:
direct link is https://honoluluboxoffice.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=138430
With Aloha
Tim
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 16:22:45 -0700
From: mike reitz <mreitz@pacbell.net>
Subject: [livingnation] Taking Back the Land
...even buying back what was stolen is under legal challenge...and I love
this insightful quote:
"...said David Vickers, president of Upstate Citizens for Equality in
Verona, New York, an organization which disputes the notion of Native
American sovereignty..."It's possible to maintain cultural identity
without establishing a separate land base."
m
-----
Taking Back the Land
Native Americans bid to reclaim what was once theirs.
Hilary Shenfeld
Newsweek Web Exclusive
Updated: 10:24 AM ET May 29, 2008
Flames leap up 20 feet around her. White smoke curls into the air and the
heat hits her face as Victoria Ranua torches Canada thistle, foxtail and
reed canary grass. Ranua is a botanist on an unusual mission. She's trying
to burn up any invasive weeds that European settlers brought with them 150
years ago, when they stampeded onto land once belonging exclusively to
American Indians.
Ranua, who works for the Mdewakanton Sioux Community near Minneapolis, is
clearing the ground in a patch of suburban Shakopee to make way for big
blue stem, prairie blazing star, purple coneflower and other native
plants, which, she hopes, will lure back meadowlarks, raptors, voles and
other creatures that once inhabited the territory. "If you're going to
preserve the culture, you have to have a landscape," says Stan Ellison,
the tribe's land manager. "The Dakota culture--especially the Mdewakanton,
their food, their fiber, their spiritual relationships--were based on the
land they lived on." The Sioux are also planting sage and sweetgrass as
well as chokecherry and wild plum trees, which tribe members have used for
generations for medicine and food.
To get back to the garden that existed before Europeans ravaged their
lands, Native Americans are cultivating with an unnatural resource--casino
riches. Across the country, Native American tribes are snapping up
property with the cash that's flowing in from slot machines, blackjack
tables and roulette wheels. Last year, tribal gaming revenue hit $27
billion. Since Native Americans won the right to build casinos on their
reservations in 1988, the lucrative business has caught fire. Of the 562
federally recognized tribes, about 220 have gaming operations. And they're
using their new-found fortune to invest in land for housing, businesses,
farming, hunting and fishing grounds, grazing lands for cattle and
buffalo-or simply returning it to the wild. With earnings from its
Wildhorse Resort and Casino, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla
Indian Reservations in northeast Oregon spent $20 million to acquire
roughly 30,000 acres, about a third of which they are returning to its
natural conditions, said Bill Tovey, the tribe's director of economic
development. Part of the grounds harbor plants and roots the nation uses
for ceremonial purposes. "If you don't have land, you don't have culture,"
he said. "You don't own your destiny."
That may be true, but many people who've arrived over the last century and
a half see this Native American land grab as a drain on their tax base and
powers of economic development. That's because tribal leaders are
increasingly removing the land from tax rolls by placing it into federal
trust. It's a perfectly legal maneuver dating to the 1934 Indian
Reorganization Act, passed to re-establish Native American parcels lost
through legislation in 1887. That obscure law was invoked sparingly--until
Native Americans had the wherewithal to go on a real-estate spending
spree. Now government officials and critics are trying to fend off the
Native American's land rush. "I don't think in the modern world it makes
any sense to tie any individual rights to a tribal entity that is
unaccountable," said David Vickers, president of Upstate Citizens for
Equality in Verona, New York, an organization which disputes the notion of
Native American sovereignty. "It's possible to maintain cultural identity
without establishing a separate land base."
Vickers is part of a battle heating up in central New York state. Last
week, the U.S. Department of the Interior sided with the Oneida Indian
Nation of New York by allowing 13,004 acres owned by the nation to be put
into a tax-free trust. The designation also makes the land an independent
territory, subject to most federal laws but not all state, city or county
regulations or taxes. The tribe-which operates the Turning Stone Resort
and Casino, a golf course on the PGA Tour, gas stations, convenience
stores, government buildings, a 1,200-head Angus beef farm, and cultural
facilities--said it planned no changes for the property. That decision was
the latest round in a long-running tussle. After the tribe bought land in
the 1990s, the city of Sherrill, N.Y. tried to collect property taxes, and
the two sides went to court. In March 2005, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled
against the tribe but suggested that the land would be tax-exempt if it
were in trust. In April 2005, the nation applied for trust status for
almost all of its land holdings. In ruling last week, the Interior
Department said putting the land into trust would address the Oneida
Nation's "need for cultural and social preservation and expression,
political self-determination, self-sufficiency, and economic growth by
providing a tribal land base and homeland."
To Kandice Watson, a member of the Oneida Wolf Clan, the ruling is a long
overdue move to preserve her tribe's heritage. "The land is important so
we can survive as a community," she said. "Seven generations from now we
will still have an Oneida Nation here in central New York....We want to be
able maintain our traditions and culture, including our language." In the
frontier days, a dispute like this might well have been settled at the
point of a gun. These days, it's heading for court. Vickers' group and the
two counties in which the land is located--Madison and Oneida--are likely
to file suit to seek to overturn the Interior Department's decision. Local
municipalities contend the nation owes at least $22.5 million in back
taxes on the land and also should be responsible for the approximately
$340 million assessed on the 19-story casino and resort buildings. "The
loss of the tax base, that's significant," said Oneida County Executive
Anthony J. Picente Jr. But the Oneida nation counters that federal courts
have ruled that Indian gaming sites and land cannot be taxed. The Oneidas
aren't the only ones trying to make up for past inequities. For more than
100 years, tribes lost huge swaths of land via treaties, legislation and,
most famously, by force. In 1881, Native American tribes owned about 138
million acres; today that figure is down to roughly 55 million acres,
according to the Indian Land Tenure Foundation. "Some of our sacred areas
we don't own anymore," said Nedra Darling, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of
Indian Affairs, which has been generally supportive of tribes reclaiming
their land and placing it into public trust. "It's like somebody owning
your temple or your church. It's just not right."
Skirmishes are breaking out even over tiny parcels. Some residents in
Santa Barbara County, California, are angered that the Santa Ynez Band of
Chumash Indians, with one of the smallest reservations in the country, now
at about 150 acres, aims to put 6.9 acres of tribally-owned land into
trust and then build a cultural museum, park and retail space. Opponents,
who are suing the federal government to change the land-to-trust approval
process, say they are only trying to protect their rural quality of life
in objecting to any expansions in the tribe's business operations or trust
lands. "Whether it's 6.9 or 69 or 699 (acres), the local community doesn't
have a say," said Steve Pappas, a founder of Preservation of Los Olivos.
For the Shakopee Sioux Indians in Minnesota, resistance has come from
officials who contend that the tribal land buys impede economic
development. In addition to restoring the land, the tribe wants to place
760 acres in trust and use much of it for housing. "We're running out of
land for our community members," said Glynn Crooks, the tribe's vice
chairman. "We're buying land to fit the needs of our tribe." The tribe,
which owns the profitable Mystic Lake Casino, also wants to put up a
cultural center, fire station and powwow grounds.
The city of Shakopee opposes the trust application and has filed a federal
appeal. Mayor John Schmitt says the city will lose tax revenue-and argues
further that the land buy gums up long-held plans to develop nearby
properties into a park, a housing development and a commuter park-and-ride
facility. "It puts the Native Americans in control of one-third of the
community's developable land," Schmitt says. "They were able to disrupt
the orderly development of the community."
But with all those casino dollars rolling in, Native Americas finally see
an opportunity to take back what they contend was always rightfully
theirs. "We see more economic ability now in Indian Country than ever
before," said Cris Stainbrook, president of the Indian Land Tenure
Foundation. "We'll be able to continue reacquiring land. That's our
mission." But just as before, there will be a fight over that land.
URL: http://www.newsweek.com/id/139090
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 23:45:02 +0000
From: Poetry Hawaii <poetryhawaii@hotmail.com>
Subject: June Aloha Shorts Rescheduled
Apologies for any inconvenience!
*****
The taping session for HPR's Aloha Shorts
on Sunday June 1
has been cancelled due to total breakdown of the air conditioning.
This session will be rescheduled later in the year.
***
The next scheduled Aloha Shorts will be taped Sunday July 6 at 7PM:
Mathias Maas reads THE HOSTILE ELDERS by Peter Van Dyke.
Stephanie Kong reads RIDING THE KOI by Bill Teter.
Janice Terukina reads DA TREE UPRISING by Lee Tonouchi
and THE LEGACY by Gail Harada
and CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN AHIKI AND MAUNAWILI by Amalia Bueno
and SUNDAY BEST by Amalia Bueno
_________________________________________________________________
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 19:06:47 -0500
From: nimchira <chooky.clarke@gmail.com>
Subject: [mana_wahine] Voices Health/Environment News
News from the Health and Environmental Communities.
Published since Nov, 2005
May 29, 2008
In This Issue:
Todays Recalls:
International Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. Issues a Voluntary Recall of all
Viril-Ity-Power (VIP) Tabs, a Product Marketed as a Dietary Supplement
(May 29) International Pharmaceuticals, Ltd., announced that it is
conducting a voluntary recall of all the company's supplement product sold
under the brand name of Viril-Ity-Power (VIP) Tabs, 560mg/serving.
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/internationalpharma05_08.html
Supreme Cuts Announces Voluntary Recall of Small Sample of Off The Cob
Fresh Kernel Corn (May 27) As a precautionary measure, Supreme Cuts LLC
has announced that it is voluntarily recalling 87 cases of Off the Cob
Fresh Kernel Corn in 12 oz bags. The product may be contaminated with
Listeria monocytogenes, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes
fatal infections in young children, frail and elderly people, and others
with weakened immune systems.
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/supremecuts05_08.html
Makit & Bakit Children's Jewelry
http://list-manage.com/track/click?u=48290de6249ef2cecba9fe5de&id=c869c07c17&e=0fa96e422d
Sky Champion Wireless Toy Helicopters
http://list-manage.com/track/click?u=48290de6249ef2cecba9fe5de&id=73b22be2c2&e=0fa96e422d
Jo-Ann Fabric & Craft Stores Outdoor Benches
http://list-manage.com/track/click?u=48290de6249ef2cecba9fe5de&id=da88d0e958&e=0fa96e422d
Candlsense Electric Candle Warmers
http://list-manage.com/track/click?u=48290de6249ef2cecba9fe5de&id=74dfe16622&e=0fa96e422d
Miele Gas Dryers
http://list-manage.com/track/click?u=48290de6249ef2cecba9fe5de&id=9d9d09f113&e=0fa96e422d
=======================
Cancer survivors 'left in limbo' Many cancer survivors do not get the help
needed to cope with the disease's after-effects, experts warn.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/health/7423517.stm
Sunscreen Causes Cancer! Given the fact that just about everything you put
on your skin gets absorbed into your bloodstream, it is interesting that
there is a complete lack of regulation of cancer-causing ingredients in
skin care products. There are over 150 toxic cancer-causing ingredients
currently used in cosmetic products alone.
http://www.naturalnews.com/023317.html
Many Toys Sold in U.S. Still Contain High Levels of Lead
http://www.naturalnews.com/023316.html
New vegetarian food with several benefits
http://chalmersnyheter.chalmers.se/chalmers03/english/Article.jsp?article=11624
FDA Wants New Labeling Rules To Protect Pregnant, Nursing Women. With six
million pregnancies per year, problems can add up fast.
http://list-manage.com/track/click?u=48290de6249ef2cecba9fe5de&id=e65251d92c&e=0fa96e422d
NVIC Launches "Stand Up Be Counted Campaign" To Protect Voluntary
Vaccination Decisions in America For more information about the campaign
go to www.Stand UpBeCounted.org where a free ad can be downloaded for
placement in community newspapers. NVIC's website at www.NVIC.org is the
oldest and largest consumer-operated vaccine information website on the
internet and includes an on-line Vaccine Reaction Registry.
Autism theory gains support. For a decade, the government, public- health
experts and medical groups have said there is no credible scientific
evidence that vaccines cause autism. Then came Hannah Poling.
http://newsletters.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/12845/3057/16317/0/?u=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5waGlsbHkuY29tL2lucXVpcmVyL2hvbWVfdG9wX3N0b3JpZXMvMjAwODA1MjlfQXV0aXNtX3RoZW9yeV9nYWluc19zdXBwb3J0Lmh0bWw%3d&x=42311319
Fumes chase family out of FEMA trailers.
http://newsletters.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/12845/3057/16318/0/?u=aHR0cDovL3d3dy5ucHIub3JnL3RlbXBsYXRlcy9zdG9yeS9zdG9yeS5waHA%2fc3RvcnlJZD05MDkwOTUzOQ%3d%3d&x=62e39ac7
Tamiflu Vaccine Linked With Convulsions, Delirium and Bizarre Deaths
http://www.naturalnews.com/023324.html
Police Taser Man Suffering Diabetic Seizure, Charge Him with DUI
http://www.naturalnews.com/023323.html
===================
FDA informed consumers not to use or purchase Mommy's Bliss Nipple Cream,
marketed by MOM Enterprises, Inc., because the product contains
potentially harmful ingredients that may cause respiratory distress or
vomiting and diarrhea in infants. The product is promoted to nursing
mothers to help soothe and heal dry or cracked nipples. Potentially
harmful ingredients in the product are chlorphenesin and phenoxyethanol.
Chlorphenesin relaxes skeletal muscle and can depress the central nervous
system and cause slow or shallow breathing in infants. Phenoxyenthanol, a
preservative that is primarily used in cosmetics and medications, can also
depress the central nervous system and may cause vomiting and diarrhea,
which can lead to dehydration in infants. Mothers and caregivers should
seek immediate medical attention if their child shows signs and symptoms
of a decrease in appetite, difficulty in awakening, limpness of
extremities or a decrease in an infant's strength of grip and a change in
skin color. http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2008/safety08.htm
========
The news that is reported is not necessarily the viewpoint of Voices
Health/Environmental News. Nothing within this message should be construed
as endorsing, promoting or abetting any illegal or unethical activity. The
articles in this newsletter are not necessarily the opinion of the editor.
Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary gain to
those who have expressed an interest in receiving the material for
research and educational purposes. This is in accordance with Title 17 U.
S. C. section 107. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of International Copyright
Law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
All copyrights belong to original publisher.Under Bill s.1618 TITLE III
passed by the 105th U.S. Congress. This letter cannot be considered spam
as long as we include: Contact information & a Remove Link Reprinted under
the Fair Use Law: Doctrine of international copyright law.
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
To send news reports, subscribe or unsubscribe send email to:
nimchira@cox.net Specify Voices, the Peoples News, or Voices
Health/Environmental News.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 20:27:22 -0700
From: Kathy Roberts <weerkhr@pacbell.net>
Subject: Guerrila Gardening Takes Root in LA Area
"He's like the 007 of gardening."
http://tinyurl.com/5bshat
Guerrilla gardener movement takes root in L.A. area
Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times
Scott planted the garden on the median early in the morning to avoid
detection. He continues to weed and clean. Residents encourage his work.
Stealth growers seed or plant on land that doesn't belong to them. The
result? Plants that beautify or yield crops in otherwise neglected or
vacant spaces.
By Joe Robinson, Special to The Times
May 29, 2008
BRIMMING with lime-hued succulents and a lush collection of agaves, one
shooting spiky leaves 10 feet into the air, it's a head-turning garden
smack in the middle of Long Beach's asphalt jungle. But the gardener who
designed it doesn't want you to know his last name, since his handiwork
isn't exactly legit. It's on a traffic island he commandeered.
"The city wasn't doing anything with it, and I had a bunch of extra
plants," says Scott, as we tour the garden, cars whooshing by on both
sides of Loynes Drive.
* Guerrilla gardeners take root Photos: Guerrilla gardeners take root
* How to make seed bombs Photos: How to make seed bombs
Scott is a guerrilla gardener, a member of a burgeoning movement of green
enthusiasts who plant without approval on land that's not theirs. In
London, Berlin, Miami, San Francisco and Southern California, these
free-range tillers are sowing a new kind of flower power. In nighttime
planting parties or solo "seed bombing" runs, they aim to turn neglected
public space and vacant lots into floral or food outposts.
Part beautification, part eco-activism, part social outlet, the activity
has been fueled by Internet gardening blogs and sites such as
GuerrillaGardening.org, where before-and-after photos of the latest "troop
digs" inspire 45,000 visitors a month to make derelict soil bloom.
"We can make much more out of the land than how it's being used, whether
it's about creating food or beautifying it," says the movement's
ringleader and GuerrillaGardening.org founder, Richard Reynolds, by phone
from his London home. His tribe includes freelance landscapers like Scott,
urban farmers, floral fans and artists.
"I want to encourage more people to think about land in this way and just
get out there and do it," says Reynolds, whose new handbook for insurgent
planters, "On Guerrilla Gardening," is out this week.
The activists see themselves as 21st century Johnny Appleseeds, harvesting
a natural bounty of daffodils or organic green beans from forgotten dirt.
It's a step into more self-reliant living in the city," says Erik Knutzen,
coauthor with his wife, Kelly Coyne, of "The Urban Homestead" to be
released in June. The Echo Park couple have chronicled "pirate farming" on
their blog, Homegrown Evolution. Guerrilla gardening, Knutzen says, is a
reaction to the wasteful use of land, such as vacant lots and sidewalk
parkways. He's turned the parkway in front of his home into a vegetable
garden.
One of a slew of DIY gardening currents, such as permaculture (design of
highly sustainable ecosystems), urban homesteading, composting and free
fruit movement, guerrilla gardening is a response to dwindling green
space, limited land and suspicions about food sources, say experts. It's
also part of a time-honored American tradition of gardening public spaces.
"It reminds me of the Vacant Lot Cultivation societies," says Rose
Hayden-Smith, a Food and Society Policy Fellow with UC Cooperative
Extension. In the wake of the economic meltdown of the 1890s, many
American cities, from Detroit to Philadelphia and Boston, formed Vacant
Lot Cultivation associations to encourage residents to grow food on public
land. The Liberty and Victory garden campaigns of World Wars I and II,
respectively, also exhorted Americans to raise food on untended public
land.
"If the federal government was paying attention, they'd be encouraging
this right now," with the price of food and fuel," adds Hayden-Smith.
"Guerrilla gardens can serve the same purpose as the Victory gardens,"
says Taylor Arneson, editor of the Los Angeles Permaculture Guild
newsletter and a proponent of sustainable food production. He and a friend
raised a farmers market worth of crops -- corn, beans, squash, tomatoes,
lettuce, watermelon, cucumber and more -- in a guerrilla dig at a large
planter bed in front of an office building on Bundy Drive in West Los
Angeles. Farming in broad daylight, they got support from office workers
and kids excited to see real cornstalks.
Arneson's approach is to plant first and make arrangements with
sympathetic locals to hook up to water taps later. Keeping a guerrilla
garden irrigated is one of the trickiest parts of the game. Arneson, a
graduate student in village-scale permaculture design, says he rules out
99% of the vacant lots he scouts because they don't have a reliable water
source. He looks for some elevation or berm that will let the plants catch
water.
After more than a year of growing crops at the Bundy site, he and his
friend planned to live on the produce grown there last winter. They
planted garlic, potatoes, radishes, carrots, lettuce, onions and more, but
in January the owner of the property, after first leaving a cease and
desist letter, rototilled the whole plot.
Property owners who don't take kindly to others gardening on their land
have laws on their side. But most freelance growing is done in the nooks
and crannies of public land, where the law is murkier. Spokespersons at
the Los Angeles city departments of Public Works, and Recreation and Parks
were unaware of laws proscribing citizen gardening in public spaces. A
patch of wildflowers on a city-owned lot wouldn't be removed until it
dried up and became a fire hazard, according to the city's Street
Services' Lot Cleaning Division.
Back at that median oasis in Long Beach, Scott is making introductions.
"This is Aloe nobilis. Put them in the ground and in five years you could
turn out 10,000 plants," he says. Scott may not have title to the land,
but he tends it as if he did, weeding and pulling out trash -- he's found
such debris as car parts and condoms in there. He's bummed when he spots a
bare patch. "It's kind of depressing when I see how much work needs to be
done," says the Norwalk resident, who works for the government. "This
whole section, there's something in the dirt. This is old landfill and
they probably just used that dirt."
He built the garden up over a period of years, planting early in the
morning to avoid detection. Police have questioned Scott at his traffic
island during early morning plantings, part of the uncertainty that comes
with guerrilla gardening. Several of his unsanctioned gardens along the
San Gabriel River have been wrecked by agave thieves, who, he thinks,
steal the leaves to make tequila. "You just take a deep breath and go back
to it," he says.
But homeowners in Long Beach have encouraged his work on the median. Today
the garden is a veritable nursery. He's taken out hundreds of plants
incubated here, some of which he moves to unapproved gardens he's planted
and tends in Norwalk and Whittier. Why does he bother with all the work,
expense and dodging authorities? "I'd like to show cities that they can
use plants like these, not have to water as much and cut down on
landscaping costs. Within two to three years, a site like this can
generate thousands of plants."
Scott sees his Long Beach garden as a showcase for drought-tolerant,
low-maintenance city landscaping. But he's in a bind. How does he broach
the subject, given his unsanctioned status? "I wish I could get together
with the city," he says. "But I'm apprehensive and pretty much keep under
the radar."
Meanwhile, over at landscaping headquarters for the city of Long Beach,
superintendent of grounds maintenance Ramon Arevalo waxes on about one of
more than a dozen gardens done by "road planters," as he calls guerrilla
gardeners. "It's like an underwater scene, a cactus garden that looks like
a corral reef. It's beautiful. It's been there on Loynes Drive for 10
years, and we don't know who did it. You should see this place!"
It's Scott's garden. I tell him I have seen it and know the mystery man
who planted it. Arevalo is ecstatic. "I can't wait to know him! He's been
the talk of this place for 10 years. He's like the 007 of gardening," says
Arevalo, laughing heartily. He says a homeowners association has
complained that their medians are ugly. Why can't theirs look like that
cactus island?
Arevalo is impressed by Scott's use of drought-tolerant plants and assures
there will be no repercussions if he comes forward. There is no law
against planting on city landscaping, except for ficus trees, whose roots
wreck roads and sidewalks. The city discourages unapproved gardening but
tries to work with road planters it discovers. "If you want to do this, my
advice is to contact myself or the council person," says Arevalo. "We want
to partner with people who care about where they live."
At a time of shrinking city budgets and skeletal landscaping staffs, it's
a hint at where guerrilla gardening could go -- to approved brigades of
citizen gardeners helping cities turn wasted space into food and flowers.
After years of looking over his shoulder, Scott can come in out of the
cold dawn plantings. He has Arevalo's phone number and attention.
"I'll do whatever he wants," says Arevalo, chuckling. "I want to buy him a
coffee."
home@latimes.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 22:43:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Dhira DiBiase <dhiradi@yahoo.com>
Subject: Earthquake Survival Tips read this!!
Earthquake survival
Please read this and pass the info along to your family
members; it could save their lives someday!
EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'
My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of
the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most
experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives
in an earthquake.
I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue
teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I
am a member of many rescue teams from many countries.
I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two
years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985,
except for simultaneous disasters.
The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico
City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every
child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have
survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene,
unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I
didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under
something.
Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings
falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects,
leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the
'triangle of life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will
compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater
the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not
be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television,
count the 'triangles' you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most
common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.
TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
1) Most everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' WHEN BUILDINGS
COLLAPSE are crushed to death People who get under objects, like desks or
cars, are crushed.
2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal
position.
You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival
instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next
to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but
leave a void next to it.
3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in
during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the
earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are
created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight.
Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many
injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs,
simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can
achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a
sign on The back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down
on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting
out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position
next to a sofa, or large chair.
6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is
killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward
or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam
falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you
will be killed!
7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of
frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The
stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other
until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on
stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads - horribly
mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the
stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even
if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later
when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for
safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If
Possible
- It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather
than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter
of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be
blocked.
9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above
falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what
happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The
victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their
vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting
out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would
have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or
lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them,
except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.
10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper
offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not
compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
Spread the word and save someone's life... The Entire world is
experiencing natural calamities so be prepared!
'We are but angels with one wing, it takes two to fly'
In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be
correct The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul , University of
Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical,
scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins
inside. Ten mannequins did 'duck and cover,' and ten mannequins I used in
my 'triangle of life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake
collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film
and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival
techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions , relevant to
building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for
those doing duck and cover.
There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people
using my method of the 'triangle of life.' This film has been seen by
millions of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe , and
it was seen in the USA , Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real
TV.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 04:03:11 -0400
From: FeedBlitz <feedblitz@mail.feedblitz.com>
Subject: Disappeared News - 50 years of peace research--giving peace a
chance--Town Square 5 pm today
"DISAPPEARED NEWS" - 1 NEW ARTICLE
1. 50 years of peace research--giving peace a chance--Town Square 5 pm
today
2. More Recent Articles
3. Search Disappeared News
50 years of peace research--giving peace a chance--Town Square 5 pm
today
by Larry Geller When war breaks out or when we bomb some far-off place on
the planet, it's instant news. But when war is avoided, or "peace breaks
out" if you understand what I mean, it probably never hits the news here.
That's not human nature, it's social conditioning. We have been raised to
mark history by its wars. It doesn't have to be that way. Prof. Johan
Galtung is credited with inventing....
More Recent Articles
* Ben Sullivan suggests we can be prepared for the looming energy
crisis
* Superferry traffic increase makes front page
* China goes green--bans plastic bags
* Global Warming, flooding in Mapunapuna and Honolulu's ever-changing
transit plans
* No more rooftop sunbathing in New York City, the cops are watching
you
________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Thu, 29 May 2008 22:44:41 -1000
From: Viviane Lerner <vivlerner@gmail.com>
Subject: Water shortages and drought are the next scourge, warns US group
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/may/29/
Water shortages and drought are the next scourge, warns US group
· General Electric aims to cut its own use by 20%
· Plan for heavy investment in recycling technologies
David Gow in Brussels
The Guardian, Thursday May 29 2008
The next scourge to afflict the global economy after soaring oil and
food prices will be a surge in the cost of water brought on by
growing scarcity, one of the world's biggest companies warned yesterday.
General Electric, the US industrial group, said it would cut its own
use of water by 20% by 2012 and export water-saving and recycling
technology to countries - often emerging economies - hit by
shortages. Jeff Immelt, chief executive, said in Beijing: "We believe
that, just as greenhouse gas emissions have been a big societal
challenge, the same thing is true for water."
Lorraine Bolsinger, vice-president of GE's Ecomagination green
technology division, added: "There is going to be a price on water
that is going to reflect its scarcity in a way it doesn't today.
We're going to see that change over time - certainly in emerging
markets."
The move by GE comes as scientists are warning that 50% of the
world's nations will be hit by water shortages by 2025 and 75% by
2050. Barcelona is already importing water from France.
Drought, already one source of surging food prices and water
shortages could prompt fresh outbreaks of war and terrorism as global
warming, if unchecked, spreads desertification around the world and
causes increasing crop failures, they say. A billion of the world's
poorest people drink unsafe water, according to Unicef. Senior UN
officials warned MEPs this year that nuclear power plants in Europe
and the US could face shutdown because of a lack of cooling water,
while the switch to biofuels was proving a big drain on dwindling
supplies.
A cabinet office report predicted that by 2050 half of arable land in
the world might no longer be suitable for production because of water
shortages and climate change. By then the global population is
expected to have grown from today's 6.3 billion to 9 billion.
GE said its water reduction target would save 7.4m cubic metres of
fresh water - enough to fill more than 3,000 Olympic-sized swimming
pools.
John Rice, GE vice-chairman and head of its infrastructure division,
said in Brussels it was impossible to calculate cost-savings as the
price of water was bound to rise over the next few years.
The group plans to employ water re-cycling technologies at more than
1,000 plants around the world - mainly in the US, Europe and Asia.
Rice said some of the sites would cut water usage by more than
others. "We expect that we will be able to improve and continue
improving technologies which we will then be offering to other
companies in other countries."
Immelt added: "We will use our broad portfolio to reduce water
consumption, ensure long-term supplies and increase operational
returns at GE facilities around the world."
DuPont, the US chemicals group, has set itself a target of a 30%
reduction in water consumption by 2015, while Coca-Cola has said it
has achieved a cut of almost 20% since 2003.
The GE initiative is under the umbrella of Ecomagination, which
includes energy-saving lighting and renewable energy. It boosted its
sales to 8% of global turnover last year.
The group, which reduced its own greenhouse gas emissions by 8% last
year, separately announced a deal with oilfield services company
Schlumberger to develop clean coal technology.
=====--------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 00:46:08 +1200
From: karaka <chooky.clarke@gmail.com>
Subject: [mana_wahine] Legal help for disabled
http://accforum..org/forums/index.php?showtopic=6490&hl=
Legal help for disabled
Manukau Courier | Thursday, 29 May 2008
Disabled people in Auckland will get a fairer deal from the law with the
launch of a new community service funded by the Legal Services Agency.
Auckland Disability Law is the result of development work by the agency
and community law centres across wider Auckland.
In 2005, the agency commissioned a research team to identify the legal
needs of disabled people in the region which were not being met.
The team, led by AUT University's national centre for health and social
ethics director Kate Diesfeld, consulted disabled people, their advocates
and disability organisations, and lawyers and community law centres.
Its findings are the foundation for Auckland Disability Law which will
help disabled people access legal services and support lawyers to
understand the needs of disabled clients.
Auckland Disability Law solicitor Dr Huhana Hickey hopes to close the gap
in awareness by providing knowledge to other lawyers. "Legal service
providers face a range of challenges because of the complexity of issues
involved, making legal education a key role of the project."
Development manager Nicola Owen says the service will be mobile because
the research showed that was essential.
"A desirable legal service for disabled people is one that understands
their particular needs, has staff skilled in working with disabled
clients and is able to visits clients in their homes or at outreach
clinics," she says.
Participants' recommendations include removing architectural barriers in
community law centres, providing sign language interpreters, developing
legal information in simple English and providing disability awareness
training for lawyers.
Clinics are planned for Te Roopu Waiora in Papatoetoe, Waitakere
Community Law Service in Henderson and AUT's North Shore campus.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/auckland/4562890a6497.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 11:54:33 -0400
From: Tara Mack <tara@edliberation.org>
Subject: [edliberation] FW: Hunger Strike for Youth Jobs
Network Members,
Below is an update about a hunger strike by members of the Baltimore
Algebra Project, the youth who have been campaigning to increase school
funding in Baltimore. I thought you might be interested in learning more
about it.
Tara
-----Original Message-----
From: gillen.jay@gmail.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2008 9:48 PM
Dear Friends,
Attached is a flier asking you to support student hunger strikers
fighting for 700 - 1,000 youth jobs in the knowledge-based economy. The
goal is both to create youth employment and to develop the city's human
capital. (I'm also attaching a power point with many more details on the
proposal.) Most important times: this Friday, May 30, 4:30 at the Inner
Harbor Amphitheater; and Monday, June 2, 6 p.m. at the War Memorial on
Gay St. for the Mayor's Night In. Please forward the flier widely.
The City Council has already unanimously requested a $3 million line item
for Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprises. Students and their adult supporters
are asking the Mayor to accept this request.
Students involved both as strikers and supporters come from many
Peer-to-Peer Youth Enterprises, working together as a coalition. These
include the Algebra Project, the Baltimore Urban Debate League, the Hip
Hop Congress, Kids on the Hill, Entrepreneurial Training University,
YOURS, and many more.
Some adult supporters have had questions about the hunger strike tactic,
and I give my view on some of these questions below. (Please feel free to
call or write for further discussion 443-248-9032--and sorry for the
length of the message!).
1. "A hunger strike is too extreme a tactic."
Please remember that the students organizing the hunger strike believe
that the lack of positive, future-directed youth employment is a life and
death issue. Hearing them describe their pain and anger at the lack of
opportunity for themselves and their peers is still shocking to me, after
20 years teaching. Most of those involved have personal experience with
the difference between having a job in an organization they love, and
having a job at McDonald's or Target, or selling drugs, or not having a
job at all. They believe peer-to-peer enterprises save lives. At a
meeting last week, one young man asked: "Who is ready to die for this
struggle?" No one laughed; no one thought the question strange. The young
people pondered and then raised their hands or didn't raise their hands.
The circumstances in the students' communities are extreme; their tactics
mirror their circumstances as they experience them.
2. "The students should try more dialogue with officials first."
Over the past year students have presented formally to at least the
following: Baltimore City Schools CEO Alonso, Baltimore Youth Commission,
the Education Committee and the Budget Committee of the City Council, the
City Council President, and the Board of Estimates. They have presented
informally to many more organizations. All except the Board of Estimates
(controlled by the Mayor) have endorsed the Peer-to-Peer proposal. The
students and their adult supporters have been trying to meet with Deputy
Mayor Marriott since January and with the Mayor since March, but City
Hall has yet to schedule a meeting. We have asked powerful intermediaries
to try to arrange a meeting with the Mayor, to no avail. Students camped
in tents for three nights last week in front of City Hall to try to get a
meeting, but the Mayor only stopped briefly the third day to speak with
them outside City Hall as she was leaving the building.
Students and adult supporters strongly urge anyone with ideas for less
extreme tactics to implement them or suggest them immediately. All help
will be welcomed--especially dialogue with the Mayor.
3. "The students should settle for some compromise this year, and get a
better deal next year."
So far, the Mayor has offered no compromise at all. Another year means
700-1,000 students without knowledge-based employment. Students need
employment now (I have young people asking me for a job literally every
day.)
4. "Doesn't Youth Works create the kind of jobs you advocate?"
Yes and no. Youth Works is an excellent step. However, Youth Works only
operates for 6 weeks in the summer. The city's young people face
desperate economic circumstances for 52 weeks a year. Also, many Youth
Works jobs are menial with no skill-building at all--a problem the Mayor
recognizes. Peer-to-Peer Enterprises employ young people in very creative
and engaging ways, transferring knowledge from peer to peer.
5. "The hunger strikers' health may be at risk."
The strikers will consume water and fruit juice. No striker under 18 will
participate without parental approval, and the student organizers are
requiring a doctor's certificate for each hunger striker specifying that
there are no underlying medical problems. A schedule of nurses and
physicians is being established so that strikers have constant medical
monitoring, especially for hydration.
6. "Adult advisers are misleading the young people."
We try not to mislead. We encourage debate and dissent and try to get
young people to hear many different views. Come to one of the young
people's planning meetings and see for yourself how much in control they
are of their own decisions, or call one of the contacts on the flier.
Adults are undoubtedly influential, so we encourage all of you to get
involved with this great group of students! You will find that they have
minds of their own, a huge thirst for knowledge, and a kind of solidarity
that comes only from struggle.
Jay
[ Part 2, Application/VND.MS-POWERPOINT 3.2MB. ]
[ Unable to print this part. ]
[ Part 3, Application/MSWORD 38KB. ]
[ Unable to print this part. ]
____________________________________________________________________________
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 07:48:42 -1000
From: tuamoree dibiase <dhirad@hotmail.com>
Subject: An Evening w/ Mike Dooley - "The Secret" Luminary - Friday. June 6,
Honolulu Japanese Cultural Cent
Many of us have seen "The Secret" and are already aware of it's basic
principles.
While we each resonate with different speakers, it's always great to be
inspired by those that see and live beyond what we currently experience in
our own lives.
You may want to check out Mike Dooley on Friday, 6/6 at the Honolulu
Japanese Cultural Center, 7:30pm.
Details are below.
With warmest Aloha,
Lusana Joy
(808) 386-LOVE (386-5683)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Global Media Productions <info@globalmediaproductions.com>
Date: May 29, 2008 3:18 PM
One of my very special inspirations and encouragements in life come from a
small little email daily mailing from "The Universe", TUT, Totally Unique
Thoughts (SEE BELOW)....Mike Dooley has an amazing knack at speaking to
our collective souls in a quite personal and touching, and often, very
funny way. (www.tut.com....log in and see for yourself).
"In many regards, this is the most "advanced" material I've ever shared,
and it's already received rave reviews from audiences in Australia, New
Zealand, Canada, The Netherlands, South Africa, the US and the UK". Please
use this link to see a partial list of comments that have already come in:
Testimonials!
"I guarantee you will hear things during our time together that you have
not heard from others, anywhere, ever. And that you'll gain new insights
and possess new tools to begin manifesting the changes you most wish to
see in your life". Mike Dooley
Here's an example of a daily "Notes From the Universe" below.
Maybe it's just me,____, but I kind of thought that to be alive in a world
where every single moment of every single day birds fly, dolphins twirl,
flowers bloom, snow falls, waves wave, rainbows rise, and antelopes... do
whatever antelopes do, would forever silence doubters, inspire dreamers,
and fill one's soul with absolute rapture.
Or am I being "punked"?
The Universe
Where every single day dreams come true,friends are made, challenges are
vanquished, and crème brûlées flame.
Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! ® © www.tut.com ®
TICKETS & INFO AT www.globalmediaproductions. com or calll 808-875-8820
________________________________________________________________________________
From: Oahu Deeksha <ohm.oahu@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, May 30, 2008 at 1:22 PM
Subject: Week 2: The Energy Body
Please join us for Friday Night Oneness Deeksha Blessing on Fridays from
7-9 pm. We meet at Aloha Rainbow Bridge, 1040 S. King St #101 across from
McKinley High School and near Thomas Square. If you can not come, please
consider joining us in spirit as we focus on the koshas or bodies through
the teaching from Oneness University. Week 2 is Pranamaya Kosha (Energy
body)
Contemplation: Become aware of the interdependence of the body and the
mind; see how physical processes affect the psychological processes and
vice-versa.
Sadhana: Prana-Kriya (inhale/double exhale ex 5/10) with complete
awareness of breathing. 7 cycles of breathing for each mudra and shavasan
in the end. Just focus on breathing.
NOTE: Place finger/thumb ^Ö top of thumb for 1-3 chakras. Middle of thumb
for 4,5, base of thumb for 6, 7
Meditation: Manipura Chakra (third chakra) meditation for 21 minutes Chant
the sound Rang
This Friday we will be reviewing week one -the physical body as well as
introducing the concepts for week 2 - the energy body and chanting for the
first three chakras. Both intentional and hands-on Oneness Deeksha
Blessing will be given.
--
Many Blessings;
the Oahu Oneness Blessing facilitators
www.oahudeeksha.com
Rev. Sue 808-221-6782
Heddy King 808-223-7177
Burdae Irwin 808-286-3808
------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 13:40:30 -1000
From: Dhira DiBiase <dhira.hkm06@gmail.com>
Subject: DISNEY PARODY OFFENSIVE TO INDIGENOUS PEOPLES - PLEASE CIRCULATE
WIDELY
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/beverlyhillschihuahua/
I write to you now to call your attention to the recently advertised
release of a new Disney film targeting our people, our indigenous culture
and our children called "Beverly Hills Chihuahua". As you may remember,
Academia is the only school in Los Angeles that teaches a Native American
language. Our students learn to think in Nahuatl, study Native Mexican
mathematics, and practice Indigenous visual and performing arts through
our program. The instruction of our mother language motivates students
from Indigenous families in East Los Angeles to strive for intellectual
rigor, and develop cultural wisdom, while instilling honor. Our children
are Indigenous children, who along with others throughout the city have
just been made the butt of Disney's newest joke on Indigenous Mexicans. In
case you may not realize it, up to 14% of students in some parts of
Central Los Angeles speak Nahuatl at home, while up to 26% of students
attending adult school in the Mid-City area report they speak Nahuatl at
home. Such studies in the Roosevelt and Garfield high School complexes
would also indicate high levels of Nahuatl maintenance. In other areas of
the city one will find concentrations of Zapoteca and Mayan language
speaking children. As you know, I have dealt extensively with
representatives of the Disney Corporation in the recent past regarding
their role in the hate speech against our school community through their
subsidiaries Citadel/KABC-AM. In these talks, Disney's representatives,
always very polite, good natured and well dressed, reassured our community
that Disney would never support hate speech against our community and that
Disney in fact was trying to sever ties as soon as possible with KABC
precisely because of their anti-Mexican, anti-Aztec ranting. Fast forward
two years later, our lawsuit against KABC is well underway, and we are
very confident we will hold the radio station responsible for the words
and actions in a court of law, but Disney has moved on to bigger and
better markets - bash Mexicans through ridicule.
From the trailer I viewed on its web site, "Beverly Hills Chihuahua"
offends me as a traditional Aztec Dancer and cultural leader in my
community on several counts. It's an old formula. Dress up an innocuous
little animal of Mexican origin in colorful costume, give it a Mexican
accent, add some good ole' Mexican festive music in the background and
voila, you've got a new "amigo"! It sounds like Disney might even have
gotten some advice from a party planner web page which recommends, "A
theme party is like a caricature. You take an aspect of a culture and
overemphasize it. When you are doing a Mexican theme, think vibrant and
vivacious. The colors should be bright, loud and excessive. The music
should be upbeat and fun." However, the film is anything but funny from my
perspective. The trailer's narrative refers specifically to my culture,
the Aztec culture as the butt of its joke. As a symbol of our culture, a
dog viewed in popular American culture as an ill-tempered, annoying lap
dog was chosen, typifying the stereotypical Mexican male - sexist and
angry. To make things worse, the Chihuahuas are outfitted in traditional
looking headdresses of macaw feathers, a sacred bird which bridges
ancestral cultures among Indigenous Peoples throughout the Americas.
Caricatured scenes of temple ruins are used as the setting, further
ridiculing sacred ceremonial and cultural sites such as Machu Picchu and
stylized Mayan pyramids. The historical inaccuracies are also remarkable,
adding to the ignorance that already exists about us in mainstream
America. Not only is Machu Picchu in South America depicted as the
homeland of the Aztecs, but the Chihuahua is depicted as having been a
companion of Aztec warriors! Chihuahuas are arguably descendants of the
wild dogs of northern Mexico, not to be confused with the xoloitzcuintin,
or hairless dogs respected by our ancestors as fierce companions. To top
it off, Disney has co-opted the entire cast of Chicano celebrities
including George Lopez, Salma Hayek and even el Piolin! While these
celebrities may disagree with why someone could be offended by their
harmless humor, let it be clear that turning our Indigenous culture and
identity into yet another mascot for white America is not only
distasteful, but dehumanizing of Mexicans, and all other Native Americans.
As I write this I am sure that our children will be subjected yet again to
another slew of stereotypes and hate on school campuses throughout the
United States, where racial riots are stirred on by the racist images of
the mainstream media, pitting children against children. Just yesterday, I
counseled one of my own students on how to negotiate teasing he was
receiving from his peers for being too brown and Indian looking. The
degree to which this affected him alarmed me greatly, but it is a sad
reality in this country and mostly everywhere else we survive as
Indigenous Peoples - a reality that often leads to suicide among our
youth. Disney's film further legitimizes the dehumanizing of the
Indigenous and this cannot be hidden by festive music.
Your last campaign against an independent film producer regarding the
inclusion of Chicanos in the story of America's imperialism in Vietnam
appears to have been successful. Congratulations. I ask you now, on behalf
of Indigenous children everywhere to subject Disney to the same scrutiny,
and include an Indigenous voice in your work to demand dignity and respect
of our cultures and Peoples any time big media targets us. At the end of
the day, Disney's business is not about creating the happiest place on
earth from my vantage point- it is about exploiting the icons of culture,
all cultures, for economic gain. I believe Disney's business is
fundamentally to exploit, mock and market the essence of our humanity for
private profit. On behalf of Indigenous Peoples everywhere, but especially
from here in East Los Angeles, I want to send a message to Disney and its
subsidiaries - WE DO NOT WANT TO BE A PART OF YOUR INHUMANITY. To add
insult to injury, the film is set to release in the month of September, a
key month in the histories of Indigenous Peoples from Latin America. I
call on you, your organization and your network to help stop the release
of the film until the onerous references to Indigenous cultures are
removed, or face a most certain outcry against the film upon release. KABC
once stated emphatically, "Aztecs butchered and ate Spanish invaders!" Now
Disney is butchering the dignity of our culture legacy.
Marcos Aguilar,
Executive Director,
Semillas Sociedad Civil
Academia Semillas del Pueblo Charter Elementary School
Anahuacalmecac International University Preparatory High
School of North America
4736 Huntington Drive South
Los Angeles, CA 90032
principal@dignidad.org
www.dignidad.org
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 18:53:06 -0500
From: nimchira <chooky.clarke@gmail.com>
Subject: [mana_wahine] Voices Health/Environment News
News from the Health and Environmental Communities.
Published since Nov, 2005
May 30, 2008
In This Issue:
Some of the hundreds of sudden, unexplained baby deaths each year may be
linked to bacterial infection, research suggests.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/1/hi/health/7426082.stm
FDA Wants Recall of Xiadafil VIP Tabs. Product contains dangerous
undeclared ingredient, agency warns.
http://list-manage.com/track/click?u=48290de6249ef2cecba9fe5de&id=b033900e33&e=0fa96e422d
Albuterol Inhalers: Time to Transition. Manufacturers have been directed
to phase out albuterol inhalers that use chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs)--propellants that deplete the ozone layer. Here are facts about
switching to alternative inhalers that use hydrofluoroalkane (HFA)
propellants. http://www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/albuterol053008.html
Is water becoming 'the new oil'? Developed nations have taken cheap,
abundant fresh water largely for granted. Now global population growth,
pollution, and climate change are shaping a new view of water as "blue
gold" -- and private companies smell a profit.
http://newsletters.environmentalhealthnews.org/t/12892/3057/16353/0/?u=aHR0cDovL2ZlYXR1cmVzLmNzbW9uaXRvci5jb20vZW52aXJvbm1lbnQvMjAwOC8wNS8yOS9pcy13YXRlci1iZWNvbWluZy0lRTIlODAlOTh0aGUtbmV3LW9pbCVFMiU4MCU5OS8%3d&x=018196ee
The ADHD Scam and the Mass Drugging of Schoolchildren (Transcript)
http://www.naturalnews.com/023334.html
Asthma Drug Worse Than Placebo, Symptoms Worsen on Withdrawal
http://www.naturalnews.com/023333.html
MRI Dyes Poisoning Patients, Turning Skin into "Marble"
http://www.naturalnews.com/023332.html
Tamiflu Vaccine Linked With Convulsions, Delirium and Bizarre Deaths
http://www.naturalnews.com/023324.html
==============================
International Pharmaceuticals, Ltd. and FDA notified consumers and
healthcare professionals that the company is recalling all supplement
products sold under the brand name of Viril-ity Power (VIP) Tablets. The
product is being recalled because one lot was found to contain a
potentially harmful undeclared ingredient, hydroxyhomosildenafil, an
analog of sildenafil. Sildenafil is the active ingredient in Viagra, an
FDA-approved drug used for erectile dysfunction. The undeclared ingredient
may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs ( such as
Nitroglycerin) and may lower blood pressure to life-threatening levels.
Consumers with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or heart
disease often take such nitrates. Consumers who have Viril-ity Power (VIP)
Tablets should stop using it immediately and contact their healthcare
professional if they experience any problems that may be related to taking
this product. http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2008/safety08.htm
===============
The news that is reported is not necessarily the viewpoint of Voices
Health/Environmental News. Nothing within this message should be construed
as endorsing, promoting or abetting any illegal or unethical activity. The
articles in this newsletter are not necessarily the opinion of the editor.
Material appearing here is distributed without profit or monetary gain to
those who have expressed an interest in receiving the material for
research and educational purposes. This is in accordance with Title 17 U.
S. C. section 107. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of International Copyright
Law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
All copyrights belong to original publisher.Under Bill s.1618 TITLE III
passed by the 105th U.S. Congress. This letter cannot be considered spam
as long as we include: Contact information & a Remove Link Reprinted under
the Fair Use Law: Doctrine of international copyright law.
http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
To send news reports, subscribe or unsubscribe send email to:
nimchira@cox.net Specify Voices, the Peoples News, or Voices
Health/Environmental News.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:18:32 -0700
From: Tia Ballantine
Subject: [CWUHM-L] Joy Harjo
REMEMBER
Remember the sky that you were born under,
know each of the star's stories.
Remember the moon, know who she is. I met her
in a bar once in Iowa City.
Remember the sun's birth at dawn, that is the
strongest point of time.
Remember sundown
and the giving away to night.
Remember your birth, how your mother struggled
to give you form and breath. You are evidence of
her life, and her mother's, and hers.
Remember your father. He is your life, also.
Remember the earth whose skin you are:
red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth,
brown earth, we are earth.
Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their
tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them,
listen to them. They are alive poems.
Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the
origin of this universe. I heard her singing Kiowa war
dance songs at the corner of Fourth and Central once.
Remember that you are all people and that all people
are you. Remember that you are this universe and that this
universe is you.
Remember that all is in motion, is growing, is you.
Remember that language comes from this.
Remember the dance that language is, that life is.
Remember.
-- Joy Harjo
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2008 10:38:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: patricia blair <cris6369@yahoo.com>
Subject: He was my taxi driver
Palestinian Odyssey ^Ö
Sixty Years Adrift
By Genevieve Cora Fraser
May 31, 2008
He was my taxi driver
In East Jerusalem
So proud of his wife and children
His home
"Everyone knows me
Write to me
From America
Just my name and East Jerusalem
$ Will do"
I dare not name him
I have heard he was arrested
Jailed
Fined an exorbitant sum
Taxed beyond his income
Fares
Were a pittance
Compared to the demands
Israel imposed
Now wants to dispose
Of his livelihood
Home
Life as a man
Of East Jerusalem
The Palestinian Curse
Non-existence
Is permitted by Israel
He was my friend
In East Jerusalem
Invited me to his home
Broke bread
Drank in Islamic
Custom
Warmth
Generosity
He was the man
Who showed me the way
Into Nablus
Alert to every danger
A guide
Through the treachery
Machine guns
Pointed at youngsters
An ancient woman and her daughters
Weeping to see grandfather
Husband and father
In the ambulance
Dying of cancer
Days to live
He was transported
To the checkpoint
Not permitted to enter
Nablus
Home of the Good Samaritan
Not permitted
To be seen
To be touched
To be kissed
A final kiss
His family stood helpless
Before the machine guns
My contact
Called on her cell phone
Across the barrier
The divide
Between Jerusalem and Nablus
Near a refugee camp
Where the poorest of the poor
Come hot and sweaty
To carry bags across
Beg for shekels
Reach out to visitors
A lifeline to their desolation
I would be permitted
To cross guided
Protected
As a non-Arab
Privileged
American
He was my taxi driver
A Palestinian
He pointed out the charred remains
Olive trees set ablaze
By Israeli un-god-like settlers
Like Moses^Ò burning bush
A vision of desolation
After a mighty battle
Al Nakba lived and relived
Cast off and out
Adrift in a violent sea
A world taught
To hate them
But who are the Terrorists
They are the authentic People
Of the Book
Their home
The Terra Sancta
Ancient
Uprooted
Longing to return
But who will lead them
Home?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 02 Jun 2008 05:46:38 -0700
From: Tia Ballantine
Subject: [CWUHM-L] Paula Gunn Allen
HOOP DANCER
It's hard to enter
circling clockwise and counter
clockwise moving no
regard for time, metrics
irrelevant to this dance
where pain is the prime number
and soft stepping feet
praise water from the skies:
I have seen the face of triumph
the winding line stare down all moves
to desecration: guts not cut from arms,
fingers joined to minds,
together Sky and Water
one dancing one
circle of a thousand turning lines
beyond the march of gears -
out of time, out of
time, out
of time.
-- Paula Gunn Allen (1938 - May 29, 2008)
-- from: Life is a Fatal Disease
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 03:47:17 -0400
From: FeedBlitz <feedblitz@mail.feedblitz.com>
Subject: Disappeared News - 5 new articles
"DISAPPEARED NEWS" - 5 NEW ARTICLES
1. Catch up with the palm oil/biofuel issue in Hawaii
2. Israel as an Arab-Jewish state
3. Where's the cheap gas if the war was about oil?
4. Risks in taking rental cars on Superferry were not disclosed
5. Development Oriented Transit--why a Massachusetts company has more
say over Honolulu transit than you do
6. More Recent Articles
7. Search Disappeared News
Catch up with the palm oil/biofuel issue in Hawaii
Click through and check out this article: Kickin Back with the Oil Palm
Guy Snippet: On a fun note, an ally of ours is coming out to the farm on
Saturday - Dr. William Steiner, Dean of UH Hilo's College of Agriculture,
Forestry and Natural Resources. Bill is involved in a very interesting
experiment bringing in oil palm seeds from Costa Rica to do research for
potential alternative fuel....
Israel as an Arab-Jewish state
by Larry Geller We get an awful lot of crap in the guise of analysis of
mid-east politics, if we get any analysis at all, in Honolulu's daily
papers. Both of them seem to favor typically right-wing commentaries,
which, since right-wing policy is a shambles in the region, are not
terribly enlightening. By "analysis" I don't mean claims that the USA or
Israel is winning or losing. That's a common....
Where's the cheap gas if the war was about oil?
by Larry Geller After listening to Prof. Johan Galtung on Town Square
last night (I'll link to the audio when it is available Update: get it
here) I found myself asking what American imperialism has done for me
lately. I couldn't think of anything. Gasoline is going through the roof
and the world is in a food crisis. Everyone hates us. They hate me.
Hawaii's economy might topple. How will we....
Risks in taking rental cars on Superferry were not disclosed
by Larry Geller Anyone taking a rental car to another island runs the
risk of costly penalties if they can't take it back, as might happen if a
return voyage is canceled or the ferry suffers unexpected damage. I have
not seen anything yet about these penalties being waived. A British
website, CarRentals.co.uk, includes a longer warning than I've seen in
the local articles that ran yesterday, but....
Development Oriented Transit--why a Massachusetts company has more say
over Honolulu transit than you do
by Larry Geller Michael Steiner, executive director of Citizens for Fair
Valuation, makes a good case in his op-ed today why Councilman Romy
Cachola's call for a transit stop in Mapunapuna serves developer
interests at the expense of those of us who live here. And in this case,
the beneficiary would be HRPT, a Massachusetts company. With all due
respect to City Councilman Romy Cachola, his call....
More Recent Articles
* 50 years of peace research--giving peace a chance--Town Square 5 pm
today
* Ben Sullivan suggests we can be prepared for the looming energy
crisis
* Superferry traffic increase makes front page
* China goes green--bans plastic bags
* Global Warming, flooding in Mapunapuna and Honolulu's ever-changing
transit plans
________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:36:48 +1200
From: karaka <chooky.clarke@gmail.com>
Subject: [mana_wahine] FW: Surrounding With Protective Light
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Artemis Goldberg" <panthertracker@myself.com>
Surrounding With Protective Light Circling the Wagons
There are times when we may know of someone who is in great need and wants
help, but we may feel at a loss about how best to help them. It is at such
times that we can ask for help in surrounding them with support and
protection, just like the pioneers once circled their wagons in the middle
of unknown territory. Whether this means turning to an already established
community such as a service organization or gathering support from diverse
sources, a group of people can be brought together to help an individual
or an entire community. It doesn't always take money to help someone
either--cooking, cleaning, driving, fund raising, or offering emotional
support are all valuable and have the added benefit of the closeness of
the human touch. In any case, the universe sends angels in the form of
willing friends or strangers to gather their individual lights to surround
those in need with the warmth of compassion.
Some people may have difficulty accepting or even recognizing aid when it
appears in unexpected guises from unlikely sources. All we can do is to
follow our inner guidance, give when we are moved to do so and shine our
light to the best of our ability. As we join our energy with those in the
circle, we become part of something that is larger and more powerful than
the individuals within it.
When we act as part of a community of service like this, we are reminded
that we are not only assisting an individual or select group in the
moment, but we are serving the greater good. We are creating a better
world, and can rest assured that help will be there for us as well. As we
offer our own light to the collective glow to help someone through a time
of darkness, all of our lights become brighter. We can live every day from
this place of light, knowing the freedom from fear and worry that allows
us to receive and share the protective and supportive light of life.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: karaka <chooky.clarke@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, June 1, 2008
Allowing Our Light To Shine
------ Forwarded Message
From: "Artemis Goldberg" <panthertracker@myself.com>
Removing Obstructions Allowing Our Light To Shine
There are times when we may not feel at our best and brightest. At those
times we can take a look at what we might do to let our inner light shine
to the fullest. Because we are physical, mental and spiritual beings, we
need to determine where our spiritual light is being filtered or blocked.
We can work from the outside inward, knowing that we are the only ones
with the power to dim our lights, and as we clear away the layers we can
get out of our own way to feel the warmth of our own light shining again.
As vehicles for our mind and spirit, our bodies require proper
maintenance. Caring for ourselves is like polishing--helping to clear away
the accumulation of physical debris that keeps us from operating at our
fullest capacity. A simple shift in our thoughts can positively affect our
mental state, moving from complaints to gratitude and applying the
powerful light of love to any shadowy thoughts. A change of scenery can
allow us to see the world in new ways too.
Once we are free of our restrictions, we can become still and connect to
the power at the center of our being. It is always there for us, but when
we forget to connect, or siphon our power in too many directions, we
cannot make the most of our energy. Starting from the inside out may
direct us to take the right steps for our journeys back to the light, but
sometimes it can be difficult to find the stillness if our bodies and
minds are in the way. As we practice steps to keep our energy flowing
freely and without obstruction, we shine our light brightly, illuminating
our own paths and making the world around us glow as well.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 09:20:34 -0400
From: Shelley Reid <esreid@cox.net>
Subject: Web 2.0 vs. Gilligan
Here's an interesting blog article by Clay Shirkey that provides a
thoughtful response to the "Web 2.0" critique that people posting and
reading online are mostly just wasting time, and thus that there's no
significant value added to our cultures by new internet technologies.
http://www.shirky.com/herecomeseverybody/2008/04/looking-for-the-mouse.html
Gin, Television, and Social Surplus
By
Clay Shirky
on April 26, 2008 10:48 AM
(This is a lightly edited transcription of a speech I gave at the Web 2.0
conference, April 23, 2008.)
I was recently reminded of some reading I did in college, way back in
the last century, by a British historian arguing that the critical
technology, for the early phase of the industrial revolution, was gin.
The transformation from rural to urban life was so sudden, and so
wrenching, that the only thing society could do to manage was to drink
itself into a stupor for a generation. The stories from that era are
amazing-- there were gin pushcarts working their way through the
streets of London.
And it wasn't until society woke up from that collective bender that
we actually started to get the institutional structures that we
associate with the industrial revolution today. Things like public
libraries and museums, increasingly broad education for children,
elected leaders--a lot of things we like--didn't happen until having
all of those people together stopped seeming like a crisis and started
seeming like an asset.
It wasn't until people started thinking of this as a vast civic
surplus, one they could design for rather than just dissipate, that we
started to get what we think of now as an industrial society.
If I had to pick the critical technology for the 20th century, the bit
of social lubricant without which the wheels would've come off the
whole enterprise, I'd say it was the sitcom. Starting with the Second
World War a whole series of things happened--rising GDP per capita,
rising educational attainment, rising life expectancy and, critically,
a rising number of people who were working five-day work weeks. For
the first time, society forced onto an enormous number of its citizens
the requirement to manage something they had never had to manage
before--free time.
And what did we do with that free time? Well, mostly we spent it watching
TV.
We did that for decades. We watched I Love Lucy. We watched Gilligan's
Island. We watch Malcolm in the Middle. We watch Desperate Housewives.
Desperate Housewives essentially functioned as a kind of cognitive heat
sink, dissipating thinking that might otherwise have built up and caused
society to overheat.
And it's only now, as we're waking up from that collective bender, that
we're starting to see the cognitive surplus as an asset rather than as a
crisis. We're seeing things being designed to take advantage of that
surplus, to deploy it in ways more engaging than just having a TV in
everybody's basement.
This hit me in a conversation I had about two months ago. As Jen said in
the introduction, I've finished a book called Here Comes Everybody, which
has recently come out, and this recognition came out of a conversation I
had about the book. I was being interviewed by a TV producer to see
whether I should be on their show, and she asked me, "What are you seeing
out there that's interesting?"
I started telling her about the Wikipedia article on Pluto. You may
remember that Pluto got kicked out of the planet club a couple of years
ago, so all of a sudden there was all of this activity on Wikipedia. The
talk pages light up, people are editing the article like mad, and the
whole community is in an ruckus--"How should we characterize this change
in Pluto's status?" And a little bit at a time they move the
article--fighting offstage all the while--from, "Pluto is the ninth
planet," to "Pluto is an odd-shaped rock with an odd-shaped orbit at the
edge of the solar system."
So I tell her all this stuff, and I think, "Okay, we're going to have a
conversation about authority or social construction or whatever." That
wasn't her question. She heard this story and she shook her head and said,
"Where do people find the time?" That was her question. And I just kind of
snapped. And I said, "No one who works in TV gets to ask that question.
You know where the time comes from. It comes from the cognitive surplus
you've been masking for 50 years."
So how big is that surplus? So if you take Wikipedia as a kind of unit,
all of Wikipedia, the whole project--every page, every edit, every talk
page, every line of code, in every language that Wikipedia exists in--that
represents something like the cumulation of 100 million hours of human
thought. I worked this out with Martin Wattenberg at IBM; it's a
back-of-the-envelope calculation, but it's the right order of magnitude,
about 100 million hours of thought.
And television watching? Two hundred billion hours, in the U.S. alone,
every year. Put another way, now that we have a unit, that's 2,000
Wikipedia projects a year spent watching television. Or put still another
way, in the U.S., we spend 100 million hours every weekend, just watching
the ads. This is a pretty big surplus. People asking, "Where do they find
the time?" when they're looking at things like Wikipedia don't understand
how tiny that entire project is, as a carve- out of this asset that's
finally being dragged into what Tim calls an architecture of
participation.
Now, the interesting thing about a surplus like that is that society
doesn't know what to do with it at first--hence the gin, hence the
sitcoms. Because if people knew what to do with a surplus with reference
to the existing social institutions, then it wouldn't be a surplus, would
it? It's precisely when no one has any idea how to deploy something that
people have to start experimenting with it, in order for the surplus to
get integrated, and the course of that integration can transform society.
The early phase for taking advantage of this cognitive surplus, the phase
I think we're still in, is all special cases. The physics of participation
is much more like the physics of weather than it is like the physics of
gravity. We know all the forces that combine to make these kinds of things
work: there's an interesting community over here, there's an interesting
sharing model over there, those people are collaborating on open source
software. But despite knowing the inputs, we can't predict the outputs yet
because there's so much complexity.
The way you explore complex ecosystems is you just try lots and lots and
lots of things, and you hope that everybody who fails fails informatively
so that you can at least find a skull on a pikestaff near where you're
going. That's the phase we're in now.
Just to pick one example, one I'm in love with, but it's tiny. A couple of
weeks one of my students at ITP forwarded me a a project started by a
professor in Brazil, in Fortaleza, named Vasco Furtado. It's a Wiki Map
for crime in Brazil. If there's an assault, if there's a burglary, if
there's a mugging, a robbery, a rape, a murder, you can go and put a
push-pin on a Google Map, and you can characterize the assault, and you
start to see a map of where these crimes are occurring.
Now, this already exists as tacit information. Anybody who knows a town
has some sense of, "Don't go there. That street corner is dangerous. Don't
go in this neighborhood. Be careful there after dark." But it's something
society knows without society really knowing it, which is to say there's
no public source where you can take advantage of it. And the cops, if they
have that information, they're certainly not sharing. In fact, one of the
things Furtado says in starting the Wiki crime map was, "This information
may or may not exist some place in society, but it's actually easier for
me to try to rebuild it from scratch than to try and get it from the
authorities who might have it now."
Maybe this will succeed or maybe it will fail. The normal case of social
software is still failure; most of these experiments don't pan out. But
the ones that do are quite incredible, and I hope that this one succeeds,
obviously. But even if it doesn't, it's illustrated the point already,
which is that someone working alone, with really cheap tools, has a
reasonable hope of carving out enough of the cognitive surplus, enough of
the desire to participate, enough of the collective goodwill of the
citizens, to create a resource you couldn't have imagined existing even
five years ago.
So that's the answer to the question, "Where do they find the time?" Or,
rather, that's the numerical answer. But beneath that question was another
thought, this one not a question but an observation. In this same
conversation with the TV producer I was talking about World of Warcraft
guilds, and as I was talking, I could sort of see what she was thinking:
"Losers. Grown men sitting in their basement pretending to be elves."
At least they're doing something.
Did you ever see that episode of Gilligan's Island where they almost get
off the island and then Gilligan messes up and then they don't? I saw that
one. I saw that one a lot when I was growing up. And every half-hour that
I watched that was a half an hour I wasn't posting at my blog or editing
Wikipedia or contributing to a mailing list. Now I had an ironclad excuse
for not doing those things, which is none of those things existed then. I
was forced into the channel of media the way it was because it was the
only option. Now it's not, and that's the big surprise. However lousy it
is to sit in your basement and pretend to be an elf, I can tell you from
personal experience it's worse to sit in your basement and try to figure
if Ginger or Mary Ann is cuter.
And I'm willing to raise that to a general principle. It's better to do
something than to do nothing. Even lolcats, even cute pictures of kittens
made even cuter with the addition of cute captions, hold out an invitation
to participation. When you see a lolcat, one of the things it says to the
viewer is, "If you have some sans-serif fonts on your computer, you can
play this game, too." And that's message--I can do that, too--is a big
change.
This is something that people in the media world don't understand. Media
in the 20th century was run as a single race--consumption. How much can we
produce? How much can you consume? Can we produce more and you'll consume
more? And the answer to that question has generally been yes. But media is
actually a triathlon, it 's three different events. People like to
consume, but they also like to produce, and they like to share.
And what's astonished people who were committed to the structure of the
previous society, prior to trying to take this surplus and do something
interesting, is that they're discovering that when you offer people the
opportunity to produce and to share, they'll take you up on that offer. It
doesn't mean that we'll never sit around mindlessly watching Scrubs on the
couch. It just means we'll do it less.
And this is the other thing about the size of the cognitive surplus we're
talking about. It's so large that even a small change could have huge
ramifications. Let's say that everything stays 99 percent the same, that
people watch 99 percent as much television as they used to, but 1 percent
of that is carved out for producing and for sharing. The
Internet-connected population watches roughly a trillion hours of TV a
year. That's about five times the size of the annual U.S. consumption.
One per cent of that is 100 Wikipedia projects per year worth of
participation.
I think that's going to be a big deal. Don't you?
Well, the TV producer did not think this was going to be a big deal; she
was not digging this line of thought. And her final question to me was
essentially, "Isn't this all just a fad?" You know, sort of the
flagpole-sitting of the early early 21st century? It's fun to go out and
produce and share a little bit, but then people are going to eventually
realize, "This isn't as good as doing what I was doing before," and settle
down. And I made a spirited argument that no, this wasn't the case, that
this was in fact a big one-time shift, more analogous to the industrial
revolution than to flagpole-sitting.
I was arguing that this isn't the sort of thing society grows out of.
It's the sort of thing that society grows into. But I'm not sure she
believed me, in part because she didn't want to believe me, but also in
part because I didn't have the right story yet. And now I do.
I was having dinner with a group of friends about a month ago, and one of
them was talking about sitting with his four-year-old daughter watching a
DVD. And in the middle of the movie, apropos nothing, she jumps up off the
couch and runs around behind the screen. That seems like a cute moment.
Maybe she's going back there to see if Dora is really back there or
whatever. But that wasn't what she was doing. She started rooting around
in the cables. And her dad said, "What you doing?" And she stuck her head
out from behind the screen and said, "Looking for the mouse."
Here's something four-year-olds know: A screen that ships without a mouse
ships broken. Here's something four-year-olds know: Media that's targeted
at you but doesn't include you may not be worth sitting still for. Those
are things that make me believe that this is a one-way change. Because
four year olds, the people who are soaking most deeply in the current
environment, who won't have to go through the trauma that I have to go
through of trying to unlearn a childhood spent watching Gilligan's Island,
they just assume that media includes consuming, producing and sharing.
It's also become my motto, when people ask me what we're doing--and when I
say "we" I mean the larger society trying to figure out how to deploy this
cognitive surplus, but I also mean we, especially, the people in this
room, the people who are working hammer and tongs at figuring out the next
good idea. From now on, that's what I'm going to tell them: We're looking
for the mouse. We're going to look at every place that a reader or a
listener or a viewer or a user has been locked out, has been served up
passive or a fixed or a canned experience, and ask ourselves, "If we carve
out a little bit of the cognitive surplus and deploy it here, could we
make a good thing happen?" And I'm betting the answer is yes.
Thank you very much.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 30 May 2008 16:34:30 -1000
From: UH Announce <announce@HAWAII.EDU>
Subject: Leeward, Kaua'i and Honolulu chancellors chosen in News@UH
Chancellors appointed for Leeward, Kaua'i and Honolulu campuses^×in the
June 2 edition of News@UH now online at
http://www.hawaii.edu/newsatuh/2008/0602/index.php
More UH News
^Õ Board meeting recap
^Õ Maui awarded new technology for data mining models
^Õ Windward^Òs summer program receives an $85,000 grant
^Õ New study shows female albatross banding together to raise chicks
^Õ The Clarence T. C. Ching Foundation donates $5 million for Manoa
athletics facility
^Õ Manoa^Òs Nicholas Kaiser elected British Royal Society Fellow
^Õ Manoa^Òs Bliss Kaneshiro wins first prize for research on Body Mass
Index and sexual behavior
^Õ The Achievement Rewards for College Scientists honors Adelheid Kuehnle
^Õ Hilo recognizes Lorna Arita-Tsutsumi, Lynette Egusa, Neal Nagao and
Cheryl Ramos
^Õ Sea Grant books receive Ka Palapala Po'okela honors
^Õ Manoa^Òs Violet Harada and alumni Carolyn Kirio and Sandra Yamamoto
publish Collaboration for Project-Based Learning in Grades 9^Ö12
^Õ Celebrate June anniversaries
^Õ UH events include Manoa^Òs Buddhism workshop and Park, Hwu and Coleman
lectures
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 18:19:58 -0700 (PDT)
From: Marakita Mehmet <maraki_tanga@yahoo.co.nz>
Subject: [mana_wahine] Louise Nicholas' book now out
With regards to the suspended Clint Rickards: why does his brother have
such a high position in the ACC that he can be seen as a character witness
in Rickards' defence?
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story....jectid=10470819
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/1/story.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10470819
Women may take Shipton complaints straight to PM
5:00AM Friday October 19, 2007
By Juliet Rowan
Louise Nicholas (left) and Donna Johnson say they will support the five
complainants in whatever action they take. Photo / Alan Gibson
Five women who allege sexual misconduct by former policeman Brad Shipton
want Government action to address their claims because they feel "wholly
unsatisfied" with the commission of inquiry into the police, a lawyer
says.
Vinay Deobhakta of Tauranga said yesterday the five had approached him
since the trial of another former officer, John Dewar, saying they had
gained no closure from the inquiry into police misconduct.
"They've asked me for legal advice, and what they would like to do is to
address their dissatisfaction."
Mr Deobhakta said the women were not yet sure of the action they wanted
to take, but it was possible they would approach Prime Minister Helen
Clark directly, as she had voiced sympathy for all women whose claims had
formed the basis of the inquiry.
"We will not hesitate to take advantage of that avenue," he said.
Mr Deobhakta acts as a support person for Louise Nicholas, whose
allegations of sexual crimes and a cover-up by police sparked the
inquiry, and Donna Johnson, who claims Shipton took advantage of her
vulnerability as a victim of incest to force her into sex.
Both women were present when Mr Deobhakta spoke to the Herald and said
they would support the five in whatever action they took.
Mrs Nicholas said that by coming forward the women had helped commission
of inquiry head Dame Margaret Bazley formulate a list of 60
recommendations for the police that were positive, but they had gained
nothing personally and were suffering.
"I feel for them because they've gone through so much," she said.
"It's up to the powers-that-be to front up and say, 'How can we help?"'
Ms Johnson said legal costs made it difficult for many women, including
her, to pursue claims individually.
"The accused gets legal aid, but the complainant doesn't."
Compounding the problems was the fact that some women were unable to work
because of stress resulting from the abuse inflicted on them.
Mr Deobhakta said the five women who approached him had all made historic
allegations against Shipton, who was convicted of the rape of a Mt
Maunganui woman in 1989 but cleared of raping Mrs Nicholas several years
earlier.
"He was the common nucleus."
Mr Deobhakta is now focusing on businesses outside the law and has
advised the women to seek legal representation to resolve their claims.
As a result of covering up Mrs Nicholas' allegations of rape, Dewar was
sentenced in July to 4 1/2 years in prison.
Police did not lay charges against Shipton in relation to Ms Johnson's
claims but she was interviewed by the commission of inquiry.
QUOTE
Friday October 19, 09:18 AM
Women unhappy with police sex inquiry
Five women alleging sexual misconduct by former policeman Brad Shipton
may ask the Government to look at their claims.
The lawyer for the woman said they felt "wholly unsatisfied" with the
commission of inquiry into the police.
Vinay Deobhakta of Tauranga said yesterday the five had approached him
since the trial of another former officer, John Dewar, saying they had
gained no closure from the inquiry into police misconduct.
"They've asked me for legal advice, and what they would like to do is to
address their dissatisfaction," he told The New Zealand Herald.
He said they were unsure of the action they wanted, but they may approach
Prime Minister Helen Clark, as she had voiced sympathy for all women
whose claims had formed the basis of the inquiry.
"We will not hesitate to take advantage of that avenue," he said.
Mr Deobhakta was a support person for Louise Nicholas, whose allegations
of sexual crimes and a cover-up by police sparked the inquiry, and Donna
Johnson, who claims Shipton took advantage of her vulnerability as a
victim of incest to force her into sex, the newspaper reported today.
Both woman said they would support the five in whatever action they took.
Mr Deobhakta said the five women had all made historic allegations
against Shipton, who was convicted of the rape of a Mt Maunganui woman in
1989 but cleared of raping Mrs Nicholas several years earlier.
In April this year Dame Margaret Bazley produced a damning report into
historic police behaviour.
The commission was ordered after allegations surfaced of police officers
undermining or mishandling investigations into some of the women's
complaints of sexual assault against other officers.
Dame Margaret found evidence of "disgraceful" sexual behaviour by some
officers over the past 25 years.
Her 449-page report into police conduct since 1979 found a blind eye was
often turned by colleagues and superiors to inappropriate sexual activity
by officers, but there was no evidence of a concerted attempt across the
police organisation to cover up unacceptable behaviour.
She found police lacked the "policies, procedures and practices necessary
for effectively dealing with police misconduct and for removing the
officers involved".
Following the release of the report the Government said they would
implement all of her 48 recommendations that related to police, including
that police adopt a code of conduct.
While non-sworn staff have a code of conduct, sworn officers have never
had one.
The new code would prohibit officers from entering into any sexual
contact with others over whom they hold a position of authority or where
there is a power differential.
Dame Margaret had said police needed to be vigilant in guarding against
police officers using their positions of authority to obtain sexual
favours.
"Some types of sexual behaviour, although they may not constitute sexual
assault, are nevertheless inappropriate for police officers," she said.
Dame Margaret's commission reviewed 313 complaints of sexual assault
against 222 police officers between 1979 and 2005.
Of these 141 were regarded as containing sufficient evidence on which to
lay criminal charges or undertake some sort of disciplinary action.
http://nz.news.yahoo.com/071018/3/23ld.html?f=mv
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Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:59:23 +0000
From: hanalei Fergerstrom <warhawaii@hotmail.com>
Temple of Lono gathering at Ahuena Heiau June 13
and 14 5:00- 10:00 both evenings
Aloha Kakou,
This is an open invitation to a gathering at Ahuena Heiau ( King
Kamehameha Hotel Area). This event is hosted by the Temle of Lono. We
will gather to honor Kamehameha I whom dedicated Ahuena Heiau to the God
Lono. What history speaks little of is that Kamehameha I refused to
convert to Christianity and choose to not turn his back on his ancestory.
Come in peace.. there will be chanting sessions and we will learn a few
of the sacred instruments used for the calling of the ancestors. Feel
free to contact me at 938-9994
Aloha Hanalei - Temple of Lono
________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:12:42 +1200
From: karaka <chooky.clarke@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [mana_wahine] Louise Nicholas' book now out
Willie Jackson did a bit of male bonding with Rickards on his talkback
shows. Naida Pou/Glavish, whom ACC therapists referred Maori rape victims
to for counselling, also gave her tautoko.
Parole Board he ruined victim's life
Posted at 4:07pm on 01 Jun 2008
A former police officer serving a jail sentence for the pack rape of a
young woman in Mount Maunganui has admitted that he ruined her life.
Brad Shipton was convicted of the rape almost three years ago, along with
fellow ex-officer Bob Schollum and businessman Peter McNamara.
Shipton was sentenced to 8 1/2 years' jail. His first parole hearing was
earlier in May and the board released its report on Saturday.
The board had access to a psychologist's report in which Shipton denied
the rape, and said he did not accept the jury's decision.
However, during the hearing, the board says Shipton got emotional and
said he was sorry for what the victim went through and that he had ruined
her life.
Shipton said that looking back on his whole life, which he had reflected
on since being in prison, it had been full of disgraceful, disgusting
behaviour.
The hearing has been adjourned until September while a new psychological
assessment is carried out.
Scepticism at admission
A woman whose historical allegations of rape led to an inquiry into
police conduct, says Shipton should serve his full sentence if he is
genuinely sorry for his crime.
Louise Nicholas, whom Shipton was acquitted of raping in a high profile
trial, says his comments are a shock and there are some doubts that they
are genuine.
Nikki Pender, the lawyer for the Mt Maunganui victim, says she also feels
some scepticism for Shipton's apparent admission of responsibility.
Ms Pender says Shipton's comments have come like a bolt out of the blue
and it will take some time for her client to digest the admission of
responsibility.
Copyright (C) 2008 Radio New Zealand
http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/latest/200806011607/10bd6d34
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Date: Sun, 01 Jun 2008 03:05:15 -0400
From: FeedBlitz <feedblitz@mail.feedblitz.com>
Subject: Disappeared News - 3 new articles
"DISAPPEARED NEWS" - 3 NEW ARTICLES
1. Watching you watching me
2. Duhh... why didn't I think of that?
3. Johan Galtung on Town Square
4. More Recent Articles
5. Search Disappeared News
Watching you watching me
by Larry Geller It's bad enough that there are CCTV cameras most
everywhere, on streets, in post offices and stores. Check out this
high-tech spy toy. The other day the x-band radar dome appeared in our
viewplane again. It comes and goes according to whether it needs fixing.
In this case, the Star-Bulletin article says it will have maintenance on
its crane. Normally it sits in the water near....
Duhh... why didn't I think of that?
by Larry Geller In comments to my earlier article on the risks of taking
a rental car on the Superferry, Andy Parx noted that there's no need to
pay to take a rental car on the ferry at all. Just turn the car in, board
the ferry, and pick up another one on the other side. Save the ferry
vehicle charge entirely, and eliminate the risk of an outrageous drop off
charge should the return trip be....
Johan Galtung on Town Square
by Larry Geller The audio from Thursday's program is available for
download from the HPR website for a limited time. Get it here. Prof.
Galtung had much to say as Beth-Ann Kozlovich questioned him about world
events. It's not easy listening, but very worthwhile (IMHO). The world is
complex and Prof. Galtung does not talk in sound bites. He goes directly
to the core of an issue. Listeners need to....
More Recent Articles
* Catch up with the palm oil/biofuel issue in Hawaii
* Israel as an Arab-Jewish state
* Where's the cheap gas if the war was about oil?
* Risks in taking rental cars on Superferry were not disclosed
* Development Oriented Transit--why a Massachusetts company has more
say over Honolulu transit than you do
________________________________________________________________________________
Date: Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:17:27 +1200
From: karaka <chooky.clarke@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [mana_wahine] Louise Nicholas' book now out
Shipton still denies he is a rapist
Sun, 01 Jun 2008 07:17p.m.http://www.tv3.co.nz/VideoBrowseAll/NationalVideo/tabid/309/articleID/57909/Default.aspx#video
Convicted rapist Brad Shipton
The mother of convicted rapist Brad Shipton says she is distressed and
upset about how a parole board report has been interpreted.
The report stated that the former police officer's answers during the
hearing "seemed to confirm all the ingredients of a rape".
But, his mother points out that while he may be contrite for past bad
behaviour, there's no way he has confessed.
Lorraine Shipton has stood by her son Brad throughout numerous court
appearances.
She sat in on Shipton's recent parole board hearing, and says she
maintains that while he son was contrite for his behaviour he never
conceded that he had committed rape. In fact he repeatedly denied it.
She is angry at the way the report has been interpreted.
"Brad admitted that his behaviour is not what it should have been. An
admission of bad behaviour is not a confession of rape," says Lorraine
Shipton.
The parole board could not comment directly.
But its report said his answers seemed to confirm all the ingredients of
rape and that Shipton himself said he did not ask the complainant if it
was okay to have sex with her.
"I think that's very sad on their behalf if he's made a confession well
then they should run with that. It's shame that he can't go to his own
family and say look hey I am the rapist that they say I am," says the
women who accused Shipton, another former police officer, Bob Schollum,
and businessman Peter McNamara of rape in Mount Maunganui nearly 20 years
ago.
We can't identify her, but she told 3News in her mind Shipton's apparent
concessions, his first demonstration of remorse, amount to a confession.
"In my heart if hearts, I would like to think that he was genuine and
that he was going to reform, but I really do believe that he is trying to
manipulate the parole board into letting him out early, she says.
Shipton also told the parole board that looking back, his whole life had
been full of disgraceful, disgusting behaviour.
Louise Nicholas, who accused Shipton, Schollum and former Police
Assistant Commissioner Clint Rickards of rape, believes this section of
the report is alluding to her case, and that of other complainants.
"You take that on board as a victim of Shipton's and you think
yes.....I'm quite sure, quite confident that he's talking about what
happened all those years ago to others," Nicholas says.
On behalf of Shipton, his lawyer, says while he felt his behaviour was
immoral, he never confessed to rape. His lawyer also says it is possible
he will ask for a review of the parole board's decision.
http://www.tv3.co.nz/News/Shiptonstilldeniesheisarapist/tabid/209/articleID/57909/Default.aspx?ArticleID=57909
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Subject: The Beginning of the End for Big Drugmakers? (fwd)
Date: Sat, 31 May 2008 10:45:32 -0700
From: David Pursglove
[from Dr. Mercola's newsletter]
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/31/the-beginning-of-the-end-for-big-drugmakers.aspx
>Beginning of the End for Big Drugmakers?
>Good news -- analysts predict what will happen to the drug industry for
the first time in history.
This is remarkable good news and very surprising. I urge on you the short
read you'll link to. Then, feast yr senses of humor on the hilarious,
three minute Maher clip.
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