ACTION HERO NETWORK's topics - tribe.net

Masaba's report from Mbale, Uganda

2009-12-01T14:22:11Z

After returning home from Uganda in 2008, I did a presentation at a Rotary club where I was asked by one man, "Do you think the Africa problem will ever be solved?"

Often I think of this question as it may encapsulate one perspective-- that there are so many problems in Africa, is it worth trying?

Contemplating the many challenges of creating not just a sustainable life for ourselves and others... but a really great life full of opportunity and freedom, it is good to remember that doing something is always better than doing nothing. If we can make a difference in the life of one child, then we have changed the world for that one person. And loving kids is a great way to make loving adults.

Casey, Miracle and I had a meeting last week at Bunabumali Good Samaritan school with Norman Nakhokhoe, James Nakhokhoe(Norman's dad), Julius(school headmaster), Esther(Norman's sister), and Sarah(a teacher). The school has 5 female and 4 male teachers working on voluntary basis working with children from nursery to P3(approx 8 years old)-- around 70 students.

The 2010 proposal is to expand to P6, and they have already cleared a space for new classrooms. The headmaster's report states many things are needed: 100 iron sheets for roofing, desks, black boards, text books, wall charts, teacher's quarters, and incentives for teachers. I took notes from the meeting and have Julius's full report in front of me now.

They have done well to expand from the building they were in when I was here in 2008, which is now the family home and school kitchen, since the former house crumbled to the ground. They have three new classrooms and a building for staff and a nurse.

Uganda's population is 33 million, about the same as Canada, living on land the size of the province of New Brunswick. Most schools in Uganda are funded by student fees, The Bunabumali Good Samaritan school is free.

Early last week, Gertrude, James's wife and the mother of all, become seriously mentally ill and has been singing at the top of her lungs every night. Due to this, the dozen children who normally sleep at the school have been staying with community members. Gertrude came into a classroom while Casey and I were working with kids writing pen pal letters and stood silently in the back holding her favorite spoon. The kids started flooding out and it became chaos, even though she was not violent in any way. She is usually very sweet and sharp, but something snaps when she is stressed, putting her over the edge, and she doesn't come back for sometime. It is unknown how long this episode will last.

Before I departed Saturday morning, the family had just knocked her out with an injection of Valium, so she could rest. Norman went to a clinic to get a dose and I had a couple vials in my kit to give. They can't afford more-- each $6000 Shillings(3USD). She is calm most of the day, it is at night when she can really wail. I would have given her the shot at night, so everyone could sleep.

Another big issue is that the children have not been using the hammocks to sleep in because they are too cold off the ground. Blankets are needed, but I was not made aware of this problem until I asked James if the fabric I had Norman purchase ever became hammocks. I saw that the fabric became pillow cushions and shirts that the girls made to sell(which are still in a bag). I am glad the sewing machines are getting used for making school uniforms and other things, but I need to know what is happening in reality, and I wasn't getting any information as to how things were panning out.

I asked for photos of the hammocks that were sewn, but never got any images after many requests. Norman says he created 8 hammocks himself, which he shipped to Kenya. From the several rolls of fabric that Norman brought to Bunabumali from money sent, I found one hammock that was created. The most disturbing part was that when we were in Kampala shopping for fabric, a store owner grabbed a hold of Norman and kept him in the back of a shop, saying he owed a balance of $470,000 shillings for the fabric he took. Norman claimed to have put the money in their bank account, but wasn't returning their calls. I agreed to pay the entire balance that day so the police wouldn't be called. The shop owner followed us around to three different banks until I was finally able to get the full amount from an automatic teller machine. Norman said he will go to the bank here in Mbale where he sent the money from to figure it out. I really hope it is as he says. I will not continue organizing to have hammocks sewn here for export after I leave.

I bought four rolls of fabric in Kampala for $800,000 Shillings($400USD), which will make 26 hammocks single hammocks to be given out freely, and 26 to be sold online to raise the money needed for school improvements. I have found an easy and secure method to tie ends of hammocks so that single width hammocks do not require any sewing at all. I have already sewn a double wide hammock since arriving and it is much better for sleeping in as one can lay flat on a diagonal. If legs are up it will impede blood flow making for uncomfortable rest. We are selling single hammocks for $60, which has ends sewn and a pocket that it all folds into, and double wide for $100. These will be brought back to Canada with me in January. See http://www.hanginghugs.com

I just found myself in money transfer hell.... as Paypal is not allowing me to move funds to my bank account while I am in Uganda. Surely it can get figured out, but at the moment it seems the best way to send money for hammocks, blankets, or anything else you'd like to give the kids is via an email money transfer. That way I get the full amount also, as paypal always takes a cut. Send to this address: cor.contact@gmail.com

Patty Donovan and my mother may also hold a fundraising event to sell the remaining clothes from Sam's Vintage collection that Danny the Traveling Piano Man drove up from Philadelphia. These are designer, plus size clothes-- some with tags still on. A lot of them are silk and famous brand names. If you want to get involved in that, it would be a big help as we want to get the funds while I am still here to put them to good use. Call or email Diana Richardson at: 506-635-4122 or email: george@nb.sympatico.ca
Another disappointment was finding the solar powered UV light water purifiers Ben got donated not accessible to the children, or even being used at all other than to recharge cell phones and LED lights. We were told that the filter bags needed to be cleaned. I cleaned the bags, but still no effort was made to use them to provide drinking water. I have a hand-held water filter and Casey left me with a small UV purifier which will do a liter at a time, so I am using those for drinking water.

The tap that brings clean water down from the mountains to their community doesn`t turn off, but constantly water falls to the ground on their plantation without any form of catchment. I suggested a hose to a large barrel that would at least enable people to quickly fill buckets, instead of waiting at the tap as water trickles. I noticed dishes piling up and was told water has stopped coming. Water still didn`t start by the time I left two days later. Rainwater catchment off the tin roof seems like a good option, so we need to buy tin to make gutters and build some kind of holding tank--- it could even be a heavy duty plastic tarp lining a pit in the ground to start with-- then maybe concrete or hard plastic. We have the river to wash bodies and clothing, but it is a bit of a walk down into the valley from the house to carry water back.

My first attempt at cooking pancakes for breakfast ended quickly. The kitchen was dark without any windows and very smokey. I pulled the nails from the tin sheet roof over the fire pit and propped it open with a stick-- letting light in and smoke out. Mother was happy. Problem solved. Why did it take me to do this?! We`ll make a rocket stove next, which uses less wood and burns hotter, and put a chimney on it. A hay box slow cooker may also be useful toward reducing the amount of firewood needed.

The pit latrine is a few feet uphill from the house-- much too close-- placed there before the addition of the kitchen, which it is above. I`ll pick up a five gallon bucket and toilet seat to make a humanure composting toilet. They can fertilize fruit trees with the composted humus that is created a year from now. I have not seen anyone with toilet paper, and I have not asked what they use. A roll snatched from the hotel has lasted me as it seems I don`t need to go to the latrine as regular as I would at home.

The cow shed also needs to be moved down into the plantation where the manure can be used to fertilize. Currently, the cow is above the school, because James is afraid of thieves. The poo pool can over-flow with heavy rains down to where new classrooms are being built. Now that they have two cows and a calf, more space is needed. Adam Mackim`s global issues class donated $400CDN or $560,000 Shillings of the $700,000 cost to buy the second cow, which is pregnant, so that will make four animals total in three months time. We`ll have to build a fenced area, but there is not money for barbed wire.

All the issues I have said above are basic necessities that need to be addressed in this school of life to create a healthy environment before we can move on to other things. If we are to teach these little people how to live... it is not going to take place in the classroom.

In a classroom, I asked a couple dozen students who of them was cold the night before and needed blankets. I was shocked to realize the headmaster could not communicate with students in their own language. Julius is not from the area and doesn`t speak Lugisu. Robert, the student who understands English best needed to translate. Julius is interested in agriculture projects, so I suggested he focus on that to help the school have food and get the kids involved in the whole process.

Ladies sitting at the table next to me here at the Mbale Hotel say it is against national policy to teach small children in a language other than mother tongue, however the school has no books or teaching materials at all in Lugisu. It would be a good project for each student to write their own story and create a book collectively, written in Lugisu. I bought a Scrabble board game from a street vendor in Kampala to play with kids, but I am not here to teach English, and be another colonizer.

Hitting as a form of discipline also not acceptable. James hit David with a stick, saying he could have got hurt running after a car. Does that make any sense? Casey freaked out and let him know hitting is not OK, then comforted David, who ran and hid as he felt shamed. I saw Julius chasing kids into class with a stick too. I have not seen any serious abuse, but violence in any form does not create a safe environment.

The most used items I contributed this visit are the soccer balls(with air pump that can also be used for bike tires) and djembe(hand drum). The kids are welcome to play the drum whenever they wish. They are very good keeping a beat and usually the scene becomes a dance party. Soccer is a very popular activity. I am not good at it, nor do I have much interest in watching, but I do enjoy the fact that many youth can get so much fun out of a sport that simply requires one ball-- nothing else.

I also donated a hair clipper kit and 12 volt power converter, so I have a funky solar powered hair cut to look forward to this week.

Wes Jagoe donated a fish tank air compressor for brewing compost tea, and we`ll use that for growing a plants from seed with the kids-- growing some with the tea and some without to test it.

I have spent the majority of the weekend here at Mbale Resort Hotel uploading photos to facebook, which in fact speak volumes as to what the experience is really like here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=356210&id=906200533&l=1406ae5d20
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=356803&id=906200533&l=75fc723fa5
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=356164&id=906200533&l=2754ef8c4c

I`ve enjoyed working with my hands make the steps up to the school, so we don`t slip on the mud when it rains--- which it does nearly every day. The swimming hole below the school is very beautiful, and James owns the land down to the river where there is a tall stand of eucalyptus trees and we will make swings and a tree house. James suggested a lodge could be constructed there to host future guests.
We need to organized the tools and create a workshop. We need to organize toys and create a playroom. I found a bunch of random small toys in a box tucked away and brought them out for the kids to play. It was so interesting to watch how they used them. Why where these not out for the kids to use? Play is so under-rated.

A couple dozen forks, spoons and sharp knives were brought from home that are now being put to good use. Some of those knives will get spread out into the community as well. More plates and cups are needed to serve the kids at lunch.

James and I walked to the village market day on Thursday and picked up three large thick blankets for $44,000 shillings($30CDN), that will be cut to make blankets of a half dozen for kids. I am nearly out of money, so that`s all I could buy. When I get Paypal money from the hammock sales transferred into my account it will be used to get more blankets first. Sleep is also under-valued. Hammocks for everyone... which now must include blankets!

A couple months before coming here, Casey met a Miracle Hassan online, who is a video editor at the national television station in Kampala. Miracle came with us to Bunabumali and has been very helpful as a camera man. We may work together to edit the video we've captured if there is time near the end of this journey here.

Miracle did archival research on a new documentary about Mobutu Sese Seko, the former dictator of Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He loaded the film to this laptop, and I watched the whole thing, even though many interviews where in French. What a nut case! He got to power by lying and killing and stayed in power for 31 years. Students protested his power, so he such down the entire university and put everyone in the school in the military.

Casey brought a baseball glove and ball, plus Boston Red Sox hat and t-shirt for a child named David-- a gift from her brother Jack who saw David in a photo. Casey asked Norman if she should give the glove and ball to David, or to the school, so more kids could play with it. I argued that if one person owns something it may get used more and better taken care of since it would not be up to school staff to deem when is a good time to use it, and who should get to use it. The glove and ball also had the intention of being a special gift from one person to another, which is meaningful. I often have this debate within myself about giving items to one child, or to the school as a whole. Norman then commented, "We are all equal, but some are more equal than others." I found that very interesting, since Animal Farm, which is where that idea is from, is the only book I brought on this trip.

Norman says Animal Farm is a popular book here in Uganda, often referred to by politicians. James was please to see I had it with me, and may read it again. It is a short read and I finished it in the middle of the night this past week while mother was singing. The animals decided to rule their own destiny on the farm and exiled the humans. Pigs, being the smartest, become the ruling class, and raised the dogs to be their protectors. Slowly but surely, the pigs become harsh dictators stealing all the resources and enslaving the others.
One afternoon this week, while James, Norman and Julius worked on report cards, we had a conversation about political leadership in Africa. They said Museveni, who has been president of Uganda since 1986, had legislation passed recently that would make him president of Uganda for the rest of his life. He came to power by force and will hold on to power by force. Norman said you'll never hear people in the military complain, as they are very well fed. The military is not as much to protect from outside forces as it is to keep their own people in line. Gaddafi in Libya is another life-time leader, however they suggested that life is good in Libia, rich with oil, but if you are not from Libia, there is no way you can get residence status. Gaddafi has been spreading the wealth by buying companies in Uganda and else where. On the bus ride here from Kampala, every third house is painted bright pink with the Zain logo, a mobile phone company named after Gaddafi's daughter.

Being an egalitarian, I have little use for politics and report cards. What do numbers and letters placed on me really say anyway? The report cards I was given in school never accounted for what I learned looking at spiderwebs in the forest. They only said what some people projected on me, much like when someone looks at my passport at a border. Do these numbers and letters say anything that is true? I am Canadian? What does that mean? Is it a privilege to travel freely? Doesn't everyone deserve that right?

I've heard a couple news reports about US military drone planes that pack lethal force in the middle east, controlled by pilots sitting at home in Arizona. The lines that divides us are so blurry now, maybe they never really existed at all. We are just a bunch of animals on the farm we call Earth.
One of those news reports came from CNN on the TV in Lawrence's bedroom last night. He has invited me to stay here in his apartment at a gated community a kilometer away from the Mbale Resort hotel, where he is the general manager. On one side of the gate is a swastika, and the other side is what looks like the Chinese Communist a red star. Lawrence has no idea why they are there. He left for work early this morning and I am sitting alone on his black leather couch, looking at sun casting shadows of the fancy iron bars on to the tile floor. I am thinking about heading to Wanale, the large mountain fortified by 200ft tall cliffs of solid rock where I want to bolt climbing routes today before returning to the village with Norman after he sorts out the banking.

Lawrence has taken me under his wing at the hotel, allowing me to use the net and even eat without charge. It is his way of supporting my work. The owner of the hotel asked for a proposal that would support the Orphanage in Bunabumali and create a demonstration garden on top of Mount Wanale that would educate locate people to produce high quality organic food for hotel. All that was his idea. I just happened to be in the patio restaurant where he was seated with his family.

Casey and Miracle had a room at the hotel, and I met Lawrence randomly by pitching hammocks to the resort construction foreman who was seated at the same table during breakfast. I left them with my card, and Lawrence cam back later to sit with me for the full scoop. I showed photos of the hammocks and kids in Bunabumali, and he said he was interested in selling hammocks at the hotel.
We toured the massive new addition to the resort, and met James, the owner, and his family. They were keen to know I see potential for adventure tourism in the area-- rock climbing and mountain biking. Mrs. Wokadala said I was a blessing. I invited Lawrence to go climbing with me on Wanale that afternoon. He arranged a car and driver, and brought along the fitness spa director and a local guide.

As we started driving up the mountain, Lawrence pointed out a 800ft waterfall, under which James owns a large amount of land and plans to develop a camp ground. It was astoundingly beautiful-- reminiscent of the cascading lush green walls of Kauai. I shot some video, and then we continued 30 minutes to the radio towers near the top, over-looking as far as the eye could see.

We walked through a friendly rural community where people proudly posed for photos in front of houses made of sticks and mud. Children washed clothes in the river that moments later became the waterfall hurling over the cliff. Davis, the fitness manager, showed me a bunch of sticks, saying it was a place where men get circumcised at 19 years of age in front of the community. If they flinch they are unable to marry into a powerful family.

Only foot paths connect houses and people are seen everywhere sitting on the grass relaxing. We found our way into a cave with a large overhanging opening where a couple circles of men played cards on large stones for chairs and tables. The path rejoined with the road where our driver waited.

As we coasted down, I saw a young girl rolling a large bike tire, and I asked that we pull over. The girl gave me the tire then ran away. It work great as a hula hoop. Within a minute a couple dozen women and children gathered to watch the crazy Muzungu(white person) dance to music provided by the car radio.

At the bottom of the mountain we walked to the base of the waterfall in the last rays of golden sunlight, lead by several boys. I was in heaven looking up at the cliffs and thinking about the climbing possibilities.

This past Saturday, I returned there with only two hours of sunlight left. I set off on a boda-boda(motorbike taxi) straight toward the cliff, even though neither of us knew exactly how we would get there. Coming down from the mountain last weekend we came from that direction, but the usual road to get up the mountain is quite different.

We got lucky and I got dropped a twenty minute hike below the cliff. It was straight up hill all the way from the Mbale Resort Hotel, so I paid the man an extra American dollar in addition to the 2000 shillings he asked for as it would have used a lot of gas to power us. A US dollar averages a bit less than 2000 shillings.

A few boys saw me starting off and took the lead to guide the way. Soon I was on familiar territory and on my own again. Passing another group of children tending small goats, I made my way to the top of boulders in a cabbage patch, where I could eat a mango in perfect view of the cliff. The kids joined me on the top the boulder, shy at first, but soon got cheesy for the camera. I promised treats below and delivered sour ice tea powder on tongues and chunks of cocco Vita Bar.

I left my backpack on the trail where it could be clearly seen from above, and one boy continued with me scrambling up a steep grassy slope to the base of the cliff. Something stung me hard-- I don't know if it was fire ants or thorns, but it burned my big toe for an hour.

The cliff looked was good for climbing, with finger pockets and interesting formations, and not too easy-- maybe rated a difficultly of 5.10. Hiking up the steep gully to the top to hand-drill bolts on rappel is going to be the tricky part.

The brilliant red sunset and the cool kid who joined me made the short adventure worth it. I made it out to the main road by dark and flagged down a boda-boda after several minutes of walking on the dark road. A lady was already on the back of the motorbike, and when the driver tried to continued up the hill with all three us... the bike could do little more than putter, so I got off and ran to the top where I rejoined them, and we all coasted the rest of the way winding down the mountain back to town.

I arrived back here to Lawrence's house in a gated community, but he wasn't here, so I let myself in as he instructed. He arrived a short time later as I was in the kitchen preparing a chapati flat bread with fresh peanut butter and passion fruit I picked-up in the market. The tasty little burrito was put in the fridge without a bite to save room for the buffet back at the resort. I sat with a friend of his from Kenya, who is here installing a boiler, and we had lots to talk about. We even sang a couple of his favorite John Denver songs together-- County Roads and Leaving on a Jet plane.

Casey is now in Kenya, which shares Mt. Elgon, where Bunabumali is located. She left Bunabumali early last week after someone went into her purse and took half of money. You'd have to care a little bit, but not a lot to take half of the money. She was feeling frustrated with a lot of things at the school, but we can't expect everything to be as we think it should be to our standards. This isn't Canada. When something is free of charge, you get what you pay for. We need to remember that we are here for the kids-- and they are all beautiful and sweet. No matter what we do, it is all a learning experience. Casey said she certainly learned a lot. All the students at Bunabumali got the books Casey's Kidsing students prepared, and she taught them to sing We Are the World. I'll video interviews with the kids and bring those back to show the Kidsing youth.

I will keep bringing others here who want to share and grow through cultural exchange. I enjoy living and working at the school with the family, but need time to explore this beautiful land around us to feel recharged and inspired. Liane joins us this week and Stefan will next week. It is definitely more fun and helpful with others of like mind to bounce ideas and network resources. Bunabumali School has rich land and a generous family to create abundant life for the children they serve. Where there is a will there is a way. It is about becoming the people we want to be.

Mother renamed me Masaba, after Mount Masaba which raises up with steep cliffs over the school. She said it means visitor, or traveler. We'll take the kids on a climbing trip there soon and camp over night. Everyone ought to have the freedom to travel--- to grow by expanding their comfort zone.

Posted November 30th, 2009

-Cory "Masaba" Richardson
cor.contact@gmail.com

http://www.actionheronetwork.net
http://www.hanginghugs.com

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Movement toward the lifestyle we want for ourselves and others.

2009-08-28T13:25:46Z

Hola Amigos!

Today, I got messages from Hjeron, Sabina and Aurora Matahari... all saying they are committed to Casa de Mis Amigos this winter.

We are now forming a circle of participants who will create this collective effort through dreaming together in a Google group: http://groups.google.ca/group/casa-amigos

A vision I've held since the age of ten is to create a school that feels like summer camp. After going to Rainbow Gatherings across the US, I understood that sitting in circle is a key organizing method for egalitarian communities, and that tool is vital for building the school.

Ten years ago, a Rainbow elder met at Trini's house on Stone Island said, "Whatever you create... you need to include the elders for their wisdom, the men and women to do the work, and the children to teach."

The vision is now twenty years in the making, and this winter it looks like a circus theater training camp at Casa de Mis Amigos, and we have an amazing cast of stars.

Where we go from here is up you, if you choose to take part. It is no longer my dream. I have gone on a vision quest and a journey seeking my tribe, and now it is time hand over the dream to the community.

There is plenty opportunity to live abundant and sustainable lives doing what we love to do-- teaching and creating art -- growing and building-- we just need to be organized. Casa de Mis Amigos can be a launch point for many careers and relationships.

People are looking for something other than the system most of us live in-- something deeper and more meaningful. We can live in service to each other, connected to nature and free from the clock/ calender.

Homeschool families are seeking knowledge outside their sphere of experience. Baby Boomers are seeking ways to share their wealth and knowledge. Talented people like us are seeking a way to spend winter in paradise instead of working 9 to5 in the freezing north. Put us all together and we will create a scene that will be powerfully life changing.

The focus of the vision is to create an egalitarian school centered on the circle. Each morning, sit in a circle after yoga and food. We talk about what we are going to do that day-- what we need, and what we plan to teach/ learn. At the end of the day, we sit in a circle to talk about what we learned, what we'd like to know, and what we'd like to do the next day, or for the next part of our life. And that's how we'll create collective consciousness and build common-unity.

This is not busy-ness. It is a movement toward the lifestyle we want for ourselves and others.

http://groups.google.ca/group/casa-amigos

-C
http://www.actionheronetwork.net/casa-amigos.html

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"It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with the problem longer." — Albert Einstein

2009-08-28T13:21:43Z

Last night, while sewing hammocks, and laundering hammocks used on the weekend at Sunseeker, I watched Michael Franti's film: I know I'm Not Alone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsbk7o5Y_MA

"Michael Franti, world-renowned musician and human rights worker, travels to Iraq, Palestine and Israel to explore the human cost of war with a group of friends, some video cameras and his guitar."

I'm searching for the message of our movie: Stitch Uganda Together.

The themes that come to mind are:

What do people need to know to live well?

What does it mean to be rich?

The two words that came to mind after watching Michael Franti's film were opportunity... and responsibility. And those are my answers to the questions, in that order.

"Creation is Salvation" sums up my philosophy at this time, but I know that is confusing with Christian mythology. The point is... what we need to do is be creative to manifest the life we want for ourselves and others. This mission is not just about helping kids in Uganda have cozy places to sleep. We are learning how to avoid ever getting in that situation, because millions of people in Africa are already living our worst nightmare-- economic ruin, sickness, disease, natural disasters, lack of vital resources-- you name it. And in the spiritual realm, the kids I get to play with in Uganda are my teachers. To experience their lightness of being is to know God on earth.

The economic system is not going to fix our problems, it is just a tool we are using to create a space where we don't need to use it anymore. Money is a spell that has been cast over the world, so that everyone thinks it is real. It is a control mechanism for the natural flow. We put prices on things like trees and animals-- but really... how can we calculate their value? We trade our lives for dimes. It is shame that we see people as rich and poor, cuz it is not true. Riches are in spirit-- in gratitude. Waiting for a Greyhound in downtown San Francisco, I played the game, Who Here is Having Fun? It took ten minutes to find a smile. In Bunabumali, I couldn't take ten steps.

And yet, here I am, trading now for later-- New Brunswick for Uganda. I'll spend the rest of the day sewing furry hammocks and double hammocks that also serve as rain tarps, which I'll spend all weekend vending rockin' out at FeelsGood Folly Fest. We had Camp Cuddle Puddle at the Sunseeker Ball all last weekend, but I didn't have time to vend and enjoy precious moments with friends. I sold only two hammocks, traded one and gave away three.

Camp Cuddle Puddle - Sunseeker part 1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9m1nnKZqzZk

Ryan Montbleau Band & Slowcoaster - Sunseeker Part 2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZpa1jiG1cI

Tonight, I'll meet Holly in Fredericton, who is getting the craft college on board with remaking clothes from Samantha, the modern art collector heiress in Phillidelphia, donated by Danny the Traveling Piano Man. The Stitch Uganda Circle has started weekly Wednesday night meetings organizing a Halloween fashion show fund raiser to be held Friday night, October 30th. Stephan called to confirm he is going to Uganda with us in November, so that makes four, plus Ben Koot from Denmark who will be there at that time anyway. Ben has been one of the most committed people I've seen working for Bunabumali... even getting Norman weekly salary through a sponsor.

The other Action Hero Network project, Casa de Mis Amigos on Stone Island in Central Mexico, is also getting organized. Last night, I sent out an invite to a Google group to form a circle of people who will create that scene... a circus theater training camp all winter 2010. My dream for 20 years has been to create a summer camp-like space for homeschool families or anyone who enjoys creating collective consciousness through sitting in circles and travel to expand the sphere of experience. Now that vision and all the opportunities it carries has been given up to the tribe, as it is ultimately not about me. I just create space for souls to fill and intermingle. It will take the form of whoever takes part. This is our facebook group:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=70073647128&ref=ts

Thanks for listening and taking part in these dreams. Amazing things happen when we all dream the similar dreams. I want to hear more about your dreams.

One of my favor lines from a movie was in James and the Giant Peach, after James few over the ocean on his peach, and landed in New York City. A crowd gathered and he told his story, and then his nasty aunt says "This is all something he dreamed up."

James answered, "Well, maybe it started that way, as a dream, but doesn't everything? Those buildings, these lights, this whole city! Somebody had to dream about it first, and maybe that's what I did. I dreamed about coming here, but then I didit!"

Never stop believing in your dreams!

-Cor

"Never regard study as a duty, but as the enviable opportunity to learn to know the liberating influence of beauty in the realm of the spirit for your own personal joy and to the profit of the community to which your later work belongs." — Albert Einstein

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Washburn School Garden

2009-07-22T17:03:22Z

Check out this AmeriCorps Farm to School program currently going on!

http://washburnschoolgarden.wordpress.com/
http://fox21online.com/onthejob/washburn-students-grow-their-own-lunch
http://www.burnerswithoutborders.org/washburn-farm-to-school-program

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Aldous Huxley on over-organization and social engineering

2009-03-13T02:30:49Z

Perhaps I've brought this up before around here, I don't recall...but, hey, why not a renewed post on this vital topic? Nothing like reading something concise and clear on a topic you might not normally even hear about!
Enjoy!

You've heard almost everywhere of _Brave New World_, the famous novel by Aldous Huxley, yet have you heard of the much more rare book, "Brave New World--REVISITED" (Harper & Row, 1958, 1965), which provokes thought on topics that are much deeper than mere critique of the Russians? Here are excerpts from this exceptional book, at last! (slightly edited for easier reading and such)
(...)
Chapter III. Over Organization

"The Power Elite...influences the thoughts, the feelings and the actions of virtually everybody. (p.19)

"We see, then, that modern technology has led to the concentration of economic and political power, and to the development of a society controlled (ruthlessly in the totalitarian states, politely and inconspicuously in the democracies) by Big Business and Big Government. But societies are composed of individuals and are good only insofar as they help individuals to realize their potentialities and to lead a happy and creative life. How have individuals been affected by the technological advances of recent years? Here is the answer to this question given by a philosopher-psychiatrist, Dr.Erich Fromm:

Our contemporary Western society, in spite of its material, intellectual and political progress, is increasingly less conducive to mental health, and tends to undermine the inner security, happiness, reason and the capacity for love in the individual; it tends to turn him into an automaton who pays for his human failure with increasing mental sickness, and with despair hidden under a frantic drive for work and so-called pleasure." (p.20)

Me, the editor, wonders what this frantic drive is about, and i come up with the idea that the people who buy into the Given imagination even to the detriment of their sanities, would frantically drive for whichever so-called "Norm" was Given to/coerced for them to be. What do you think?

Huxley, quoting Fromm:
"Our 'increasing mental sickness' may find expression in neurotic symptoms. These symptoms are conspicuous and extremely distressing. But 'let us beware', says Dr.Fromm, 'of defining mental hygiene as the prevention of symptoms. Symptoms as such are not our enemy, but our friend; where there are symptoms there is conflict, and conflict always indicates that the forces of life which strive for integration and happiness are still fighting.' The really hopeless victims of mental illness are to be found among those who appear to be most normal.

'Many of them are normal because they are so well adjusted to our mode of existence, because their human voice has been silenced so early in their lives, that they do not even struggle or suffer or develop symptoms as the neurotic does.' They are normal not in what may be called the absolute sense of the word; they are normal only in relation to a profoundly abnormal society. Their perfect adjustment to that abnormal society is a measure of their mental sickness.

These millions of abnormally normal people, living without fuss in a society to which, if they were fully human beings, they ought not to be adjusted, still cherish 'the illusion of individuality,' but in fact they have been to a great extent deindividualized. Their conformity is developing into something like uniformity. But 'uniformity and freedom are incompatible. Uniformity and mental health are incompatible too...Man is not made to be an automaton, and if he becomes one, the basis for mental health is destroyed.'"

"In the course of evolution nature has gone to endless trouble to see that every individual is unlike every other individual. We reproduce our kind by bringing the father's genes into contact with the mother's. These hereditary factors may be combined in an almost infinite number of ways. Physically and mentally, each one of us is unique.

Any culture which, in the interests of efficiency or in the name of some political or religious dogma, seeks to standardize the human individual, commits an outrage against man's biological nature.

"Science may be defined as the reduction of multiplicity to unity. It seeks to explain the endlessly diverse phenomena of nature by ignoring the uniqueness of particular events, concentrating on what they have in common and finally abstracting some kind of 'law,'...(gives examples) (p.21)

"Here the theoretical reduction of unmanageable multiplicity to comprehensible unity becomes the practical reduction of human diversity to subhuman uniformity, of freedom to servitude. In politics the equivalent of a fully developed scientific theory or philosophical system is a totalitarian dictatorship. In economics, th equivalent of a beautifully composed work of art is the smoothly running factory in which the workers are perfectly adjusted to the machines.

"The 'Will to Order' has produced many premature syntheses based upon insufficient evidence, many absurd systems of metaphysics and theology, much pedantic mistaking of notions for realities, of symbols and abstractions for the data of immediate experience...[and] it sometimes happens that a bad philosophical system may do harm...by being used as a justification for senseless and inhuman actions. It is in the social sphere, in the realm of politics and economics, that the Will to Order becomes really dangerous. (p.22)

"The Will to Order can make tyrants out of those who merely aspire to clear up a mess. The beauty of tidiness is used as a justification for despotism.

"Organization is indispensable; for liberty arises and has meaning only within a self-regulating community of freely co-operating individuals. But, though indispensable, organization can also be fatal. Too much organization transforms men and women into automata, suffocates the creative spirit and abolishes the very possibility of freedom.

"As usual, the only safe course is in the middle, between the extremes of laissez-faire at one end of the scale and of total control at the other. (p.23)

"During the past century (1850s to 1950s--ed) the successive advances in technology have been accompanied by corresponding advances in organization. Complicated machinery has had to be matched by complicated social arrangements, designed to work as smoothly and efficiently as the new instruments of production. In order to fit into these organizations, individuals have had to deindiviualize themselves, have had to deny their native diversity and conform to a standard pattern, have had to do their best to become automata.

(...)
"Subject to this kind of [alienated] life, individuals tend to feel lonely and insignificant. Their existence ceases to have any point or meaning.
(...)
"Brave New World presents a fanciful and somewhat ribald picture of a society, in which the attempt to recreate human beings in the likeness of termites has been pushed almost to the limits of the possible. That we are being propelled in the direction of Brave New World is obvious. But no less obvious is the fact that we can, if we so desire, refused to cooperate with the blind forces that are propelling us. For the moment, however, the wish to resist does not seem to be very strong or very widespread.

"As Mr. William Whyte has shown in his remarkable book, The Organization Man, a new Social Ethic is replacing our traditional ethical system--the system in which the individual is primary. The key words in this Social Ethic are "adjustment," "adaptation," "socially orientated behavior," "belongingness," "acquisition of social skills," "team work," "group living," "group loyalty," "group dynamics," "group thinking," "group creativity." Its basic assumption is that the social whole has greater worth and significance than its individual parts, that inborn biological differences should be sacrificed to cultural uniformity, that the rights of the collectivity take precedence over what the eighteenth century called the Rights of Man.

"According to [this] Social Ethic, Jesus [of Nazareth] was completely wrong in asserting that the Sabbath was made for man. On the contrary, man was made for the Sabbath, and must sacrifice his inherited idiosyncrasies and pretend to be the kind of standardized good mixer that organizers of group activity regard as ideal for their purposes.

"This ideal man is the man who displays 'dynamic conformity' (delicious phrase!) and an intense loyalty to the group, and unflagging desire to subordinate himself, to belong.
(p.25)
(...)
"[An organization] is not good in itself; it is good only to the extent that it promotes the good of the individuals who are the parts of the collective whole. To give organizations precedence persons is to subordinate ends to means. What happens when ends are subordinated to means was clearly demonstrated by Hitler and Stalin.

"Under their hideous rule personal ends were subordinated to organizational means by a mixture of violence and propaganda, systematic terror and the systematic manipulation of minds.

"In the more efficient dictatorships of tomorrow there will probably be much less violence than under Hitler and Stalin. The future dictator's subjects will be painlessly regimented by a corps of highly trained social engineers. 'The challenge of social engineering in our time,' writes an enthusiastic advocate of this new science, 'is like the challenge of technical engineering fifty years ago. If the first half of the twentieth century was the era of the technical engineers, the second half may well be the era of the social engineers'--and the twenty-first century, I suppose, will be the era of World Controllers, the scientific caste system and Brave New World.

"To the question quis custodiet custodes?--Who will mount guard over our guardians, who will engineer the engineers?--the answer is a bland denial that they need any supervision. There seems to be a touching belief among certain Ph.D's in sociology that Ph.D.'s in sociology will never be corrupted by power. Like Sir Galahad's, their strength is as the strength of ten because their heart is pure--and their heart is pure because they are scientists and have taken six thousand hours of social studies.

"Alas, higher education is not necessarily a guarantee of higher virtue, or higher political wisdom. And to these misgivings on ethical and psychological grounds must be added misgivings of a purely scientific character.

"Can we accept the theories on which the social engineers base their practice, and in terms of which they justify their manipulations of human beings?

"For example, Professor Elton Mayo ([of the Mayo Clinic?--ed]) tells us categorically that 'man's desire to be continuously associated in work with his fellows is a strong, if not the strongest human characteristic.' This, I would say, is manifestly untrue. Some people have the kind of desire described in Mayo; others do not. It is a matter of temperament and inherited constitution.

"Any social organization based upon the assumption that 'man' (whoever 'man' may be) desires to be continuously associated with his fellows would be, for many individual men and women, a bed of Procrustes. Only by being amputated or stretched upon the [torture] rack could they be adjusted to it.

"Again, how romantically misleading are the lyrical accounts of the Middle Ages with which many contemporary theorists of social relations adorn their works! 'Membership in a guild, manorial estate or village protected medieval man throughout his life and gave him peace and serenity.' Protected him from what, we may ask. Certainly not from remorseless bullying at the hands of his superiors.

(...)
"The impersonal forces of...over-organization, and the social engineers who are trying to direct these forces, are pushing us in the direction of a new medieval system. This revival will be made more acceptable than the original...but, for the majority of men and women, it will still be a kind of servitude.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

new orleans and buras pictures march 2007

2009-02-19T16:37:41Z

i was at emergency communities in buras, louisiana
and at common ground relief in new orleans
for a bit in march
and i finally have my pictures of it online
http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~mukluk/nola-mar07.html

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 2 replies

Action hero field trips: Mexico and Uganda

2009-01-16T05:02:40Z

Hey everyone... sorry to be out of touch through tribe.net ...I've been using facebook. Everyone home uses it, but I greatly respect the talented and fun bunch that you are on tribe.net ...so here I am again... rounding up crew.

I just spent the afternoon spamming applicable tribes with the below post... so please email me if you are keen to take part. We have a great group planning to be in Roblito this January... and in Uganda this April.... so I'm stoked.

-Cor

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Last April, I toured Uganda teaching people how to sew hammocks, and donated four sewing machines to continue the project... which is called Stitch Uganda Together: http://stitchugandatogether.blogspot.com

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=102380&id=906200533#/group.php?gid=2408133160

This April and May I plan to be back in Uganda, and so I'm gathering a crew to tour teaching circus skills, green building and gardening.

I'm good with a hoop and can walk a slackline. I love building with bamboo. We'll create the Temple of Lost and Found on the slopes of Mt. Elgon. Think of it as the creative-comfort vibe of a Burning Man camp, crossed with the nature and good food of a rainbow gathering, and lots of kids--very sweet kids, who need lots of love, because their folks died in landslides. This is in connection with a village of 2000 people called Bunabumali, in Uganda, on the border of Kenya.

With help from Pacific Domes and Jeff Taylor, I got a 60ft dome from the playa to Mississippi after Katrina to hooked up with a Rainbow kitchen, and we rocked it for nine months. We'll do this grassroots style in Uganda and Mexico too: http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=7741275027359055423

Performers Without Borders has great videos showing their work... and this is the sort of thing we could do:

http://www.performerswithoutborders.org.uk/video.html

and Lucent Dossier in LA(many you'd know) have also done this sort of playful work:

http://current.com/items/77320051/lucent_dossier_vaudeville_cirque.htm

Mid-January to mid-february 2009, Action Heroes will be in Roblito and Mazatlan, Mexico for family camp... and the Mazatlan Awareness Festival. You are welcome to join us!

http://www.solomax.com/roblito.html

http://tribes.tribe.net/roblito

http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?id=906200533&gv=12#/group.php?gid=19571155904

Lots of photos from Katrinaland and Roblito here too: http://actionhero.smugmug.com/

Please send me your phone number if you want to talk.

cor.contact@gmail.com

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 2 replies

INTERDEPENDENT PROJECT LAUNCHED

2008-12-23T08:15:27Z

Greetings Cor & all the Action Heroes!

Giving new meaning to the term "G" force the Interdependent Project has officially launched and we invite you to come and "Declare Your Interdependence" in the guaranteed "Fear Free Solution Sphere" Sustainable Matrix! The project got off the ground with just a 1k grant from Ashoka's Youth Venture and a whole lot of persistence and perseverance in the face of ridiculous odds! Please be sure to invite your friends & Tribes! http://www.interdependentproject.org

In Sustainable Solidarity

Dandarius

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Performers Without Borders

2008-11-13T07:02:44Z

These kids do amazing work. Check the videos http://www.performerswithoutborders.org.uk/video.html

If you know anyone in Mexico or heading that way this winter, I'm gathering people in Mazatlan and Roblito for a tribal family camp and festival... mid-jan to mid feb.

April and May we'll be in Uganda... doing something like: http://www.performerswithoutborders.org.uk/video.html

This the blog from the last trip to Uganda: http://stitchugandatogether.blogspot.com

Are you on facebook?

This is me: http://www.facebook.com/friends/?added&ref=tn#/profile.php?id=906200533&ref=name&pub=2309869772

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Chillin' on the rock... making friends and luxury hammocks.

2008-10-27T14:05:18Z

I'm visiting friends in St. John's Newfoundland, as far east as you can go in North America.

Charlotte's sewing studio is in the back of a screen printing shop and today I'm making the action hero network tree logo into a label to go on the hammock pockets.

The Action hero home page was just moved and will be back next week.

At home in Saint John, New Brunswick, we are forming a fashion collective and redesigning a truck load of clothes that was donated to Stitch Uganda Together. We'll have a fashion show in December and sell them for x-mas gifts.

This winter I'm gathering people in Roblito, Mexico again... for a two week tribal family camp, the last two weeks of January, then the first two weeks of Feb is the Mazatlan Awareness Festival. Facebook is being used as the main hub for organizing these, so add me there: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=906200533&ref=name

or email me if you want more info: cor.contact(at)gmail.com

-Cor

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Is your action Internal and/or External?

2008-09-26T18:40:08Z

Is your *action* Internal and/or external?

As in do you make changes within yourselves,
& do you effect changes without.

Do you see dualities, or the undelying unity of it?

How Heroic is it?

Any-1 keepin' this Tribe "alive" ??

;-)

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 3 replies

FORMING THE LARGEST SOCIAL MOVEMENT EVER! JOIN US

2008-09-26T16:41:06Z

We have a huge, idealistic, smart, practical "movement" going, over on Facebook: The Next Step Together. There are more than a thousand folks in the group now, About 100 joining daily. We have a proposal on the table to run our own "election", and we are trying to enroll the entire world! Join us. It's all about acting PRACTICALLY, QUICKLY, WITH HUGE NUMBERS... So job ONE is getting EVERYONE IN!

Learn about the Next Step Together at http://nextsteptogether.net
Join the Next Step Together Group on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24568801853

First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. -Mahatma Gandhi

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

If you can't feel your own miraculousness, you are missing the quintessential experience of life.

2008-04-09T19:48:42Z

Preparing offerings for my first tribal workshops at school tomorrow, I read a short book this afternoon that someone gave me years ago, in the form of a dozen photocopied pages stapled together. I had never read it before, but for some reason it has been on my mind and I felt the need to read it today. Sure enough, it was the perfect intro to action hero training-- providing insights on discovering one's totem, developing a persona, keeping a journal, seeing through illusion, and creating reality.

Below are my notes, which do not follow exactly how it is actually written, but are a short summery of what I gathered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To be a Vagabond
by Ed Buryn (And/or Pres, Inc. Berekeley, CA)

If you don't like the news, go out and make some of your own.
- Scoop Niskar

Your brain creates your own reality.
- Tim Leary

What you see is what you get. Create your reality. Transform visions into reality. Connect with your world. Live in the present. Believe. Trust yourself, trust the world. Actualize your potential. If you can't feel your own miraculousness, you are missing the quintessential experience of life.

Love/hate is a basic dualism-- that of invisible but powerful forces equally opposed: love saves the world every day, hate daily destroys it.

Expand your views. The most powerful force in your life is your perspective. The direction you look is the way you are going.

Create a personal myth. Persona is defined as a "role that a person assumes in order to display his conscious intent to himself and others." A persona is not a substitute for, nor an imposter of yourself; rather, it is an extension that allows you to go beyond what you presently know about yourself. It's good advice to consciously visualize and project an image of yourself. Do not confuse yourself with your persona. The role is only one of the endless extensions of yourself. Refine and redefine yourself. A well-chosen persona (which is a kind of personal myth) effectively generates energy because it automatically introduces us to other varieties of reality. Putting on the mask makes us want to dance; so off we go, and the rest is reality.

You are your own expert. I can't be your expert, only your advisor; and I advise you to go out and become your own expert. You can choose to figure it out for yourself, suffering and rejoicing in it as you will. Your life is all for you, uniquely styled in your own vision; and like it or not, nothing can take away your right and duty to live it as fully as you can. You have the power to do this. The only limitations are those you choose, and those imposed by your conditioning, which masks your real freedom. As Tim Leary said, "You can be anything you want this time around."

Discover your Totem. Normally we are wrapped in routines, unconscious of the cosmic news and views being broadcast on some other channels. We need a tuning device, and personal "totem" can be such a device. A totem is some natural entity or form, usually an animal or plant species, that is psychically related to you, and which usually represents or symbolizes yourself. A totem is thus a type of omen with personal significance, a personal symbol that directs your attention alone to its meaning. You do not choose your totem; it chooses you. If you don't know your totem, pay more attention to the phenomena of the natural world and try to discover which of them have an affinity or special connection to you. Often you already have a totem but aren't aware of it, even though you collect or employ images of it in your work or play, or attach significance to it in dreams or fantasies.

Pay attention to everyone you meet. When you meet someone on your psychic wavelength, the power in that connection has no bounds. People do not appear in your life entirely by chance; anyone can be a psychic messenger or energy-bearer with hot news from the frontlines of your consciousness and your cosmic condition.

Energy always manifests in either the physical or metaphysical form. Everything in the world has form--a shape if it’s a physical structure or a symbolical pattern if it’s a metaphysical structure. Routines and habits are examples of metaphysical forms extending through time. They are the Known, protecting us from the Unknown.

Habits are also called home. Habits tame the raw wilderness of existence into the civilized comforts of everyday life. Unfortunately, as we all know, habits gradually domesticate all the wildness and energy out of life. So much energy gets bound up in the routines and habituated patterns, keeping them alive, that your life goes dead instead. Thus, if you want to discover again the wild side of life, you have to leave your comfort zone; you have to break or dissolve your habits in order to release the energy locked up inside of them. Break a habit for freedom!

Books that come into your life at the right time are also omens and indicators of energy directions. Books themselves are vehicles for energy transfer-- artifacts from magic distilled from the miracle of mind, and can easily reshape or direct your ideas and hence change your life.

Dreams are another metaphysical information source. The energizing takes place in all planes of consciousness. Writing down your dreams in a journal reinforces and strengthens the channel, and records this delicate and transitory information for later study before it slips back into the magical realm.

Keep a journal that records your metaphysical reality: omens, intuitions, emotions, dreams, drawings, doodles, coincidences, marvel, mysteries, names, and numbers. It will sharpen your perception of holistic reality, and therefore, of magic. Anyplace can be magical. What matters most is not what happens, but how we respond to what happens.

The illusion was created out of fear and ignorance, by old imprints. From time immemorial, mankind has chosen a view of reality that it could control in order to escape feeling helpless in a seemingly unpredictable universe. Language and culture were creatively invented to capture and shape the raw energy of life into something we could relate to, a set of black/white boxes containing absolutely everything. Meanwhile, energy itself goes rolling formlessly along, endlessly unable to be contained in those tiny boxes. You get what you've been set up for (your imprints) and what you've set yourself up for (your choices).

More than anything else, fear holds us back from knowing ourselves, and thus the Gestapo of consciousness, the internal secret-police force that tries to keep us locked up in the concentration camp of our minds.

Living in the present moment is to be new always, reborn endlessly. It is to recapture the innocence and trust of childhood, of a time before the phantoms of the past and future weighed us down with anxiety, guilt and resentment. We were all born without fear, with no thought of life as a hostile experience. We intuitively knew we belonged here in this world, with no need to fear anything in it.

Your so-called reality is just a taste of pie in an endless bakery, an appetizer in one plane to interest you in some of the endless others, depending on how much reality you want and can deal with.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 5 replies

04/19-04/24 Introduction to Cob and Natural Building Prescott, AZ

2008-04-02T21:56:16Z

Hey folks, a Friend of mine is hosting a workshop in AZ building a cob/natural building greenhouse. Whether you want to build a cob oven, bench, studio, or other such space...or are inspired by the ecological/community awareness, while simultaneously creating a tangible product you should check this out. If anyone is interested either personally or professionally in such a workshop you should look into www.SGNB.com (thats for Seven Generations Natural Builders).

Instructor:
Sasha Rabin (sasha@sgnb.com)
Sasha Rabin has a degree in Ecological Design from Evergreen State College. She has studied natural and traditional methods of building in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Indonesia, and the southwest United States. Following an apprentice at the Cob Cottage Company she worked with them as an assistant instructor(2001) and went on to co-found Seven Genereation Natural Builders in 2003. She built a cob dwelling in the southwest US that she is curently living in. She contuinues to teach with SGNB, as well teaching as a guest instructor at the Real Good Institute for Solar Living(www.realgoods.com) / and Yestermorrow Design/Build School. (www.yestermorrow.org/)

(She is also flexible on the price if that is an issue but for a workshop that is a fair number!!!)

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

re: note sent concerning Ugandan peoples and foreign aid

2008-03-31T19:45:12Z

Re the note you sent me:
Answering Our Higher Calling

Stitch Uganda Together is an Action Hero Network mission to create a cultural exchange between students at Forest Hills School in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada and youth in Uganda, Africa. It involves donating sewing machines, providing free hammocks to homeless children, and sharing the process online through web cam and digital video as a demonstration of grassroots activism.
===========
i say, add to that mix, a trade with them too!

THEN you can see more clearly!

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Life in Africa - HQ in Gulu

2008-03-25T08:40:38Z

Norman and I are now based at the Life in Africa HQ in Gulu, and have had a busy schedule, touring around with Francis and George. We'll be here for a week. Gulu today is much different than what we saw in Invisible Children. The streets are filled with people night and day going about their lives. Still there are many issues to address and some people are still living in the displaced persons camps, like one we saw today. The war went on for 20 years, so many don't know where home is anymore. This afternoon we gave a lady a lift that didn't know what town she had to get off at to find her village. Her mother told George to make sure we drop her at Palenga and then she'd need to find her way walking through the bush.

Saturday a group of 45 children were here singing and playing games. They had a lunch together and then we explained the hammock making project. None of them had ever seen a hammock before. Nobody in Norman's village had either. Hammocks are just not common here, so this could be a very profitable opportunity for Life in Africa, and the Good Samaritan School to make them to sell in local and international markets.

I asked the kids how many were night commuters traveling from the villages to sleep together in shelters during the war in fear of being abducted. Nearly all of them put up their hands. Most of them also put up hands when I asked how many lost parents.

We have one sewing machine here ready, and the other awaits the peddle which fell out of the box on the bumpy bus ride from Mbale. The peddle is in the bus station office, so we'll have it back tomorrow and start sewing hammocks.

Yesterday, we attended a wedding in Masindi, a village near Karuma falls on the Nile. Along the drive we fed baboons' begging on the highway, and got some photos. I'd never experienced anything like it.

George was the chairman of the wedding committee. He grew up with the family and they paid for his school fees. The family is one of the largest land owners in that district, with 1000 acres, and all of them are very well educated... being doctors, lawyers and teachers. The father died early and eldest brother, a lawyer, was a member of parliament at age 23, and put the other eight siblings through school. They are keen to have more volunteers visit their village and offered their houses to live in and land to set up a camp on. One of the sisters is head teacher at a local school and will be happy to have guest teachers. The place felt very safe and I will work on facilitating this project.

We arrived at the village exhausted from an early morning and late night of dancing the night before. I regretted not bring a hammock to rest. Kids everywhere, keen to play with the Muzungu(strange white guy). It seemed like I was the only white person they have ever seen. I wished I had the dance hoop. I looked in hardware shops for materials, but plastic tubing is rare here. I grabbed a large bike tire off the roof of a bycycle repair shop, but it was too soft. The men there thought I was silly the way I was playing with it, but after walking away they called me back to get a more sturdy tire, with treads worn down smooth. It worked perfectly. We washed it at the village water pump, and by then there was a group of 30 kids ready for a show, plus a dozen prison inmates that happened to be sitting there.

The hoop play went on for hours before and after the wedding, and they were fighting over it by dark, and following me in a huge crowd, so I needed to hid-out to keep them from following. One little boy took a special liking to the hoop and loved being in front of the camera. He was a pushy kid, obviously needing attention. We became good friends and he stayed with me, holding my hand and asking me to swing him around. This sort of personal connection I find very satisfying, because I was able to give what he needed, and maybe the hoop could be a positive way he can continue to channel energy. The hoop being a bycycle tire ended up being a good thing, so that they could use what they had locally.

The choir singing at the wedding was enchanting and I plan to use the music for the soundtrack of my documentary. I shot a good overview of the whole wedding and will give a copy to the family, plus a disc of all the still images. The dance party afterward lasted all night and I was too tired dance, but the bed I was laying in was only a hundred feet from the massive speakers and crowd of 500+, so again I got little sleep. Norman slept in the vehicle far away, and got much better rest.

My head hurts, and throat hurts a bit, which I'm sure is due to lack of sleep and water. I can't drink the local water, everyone reminds me, so I always need to be prepared. It is hot, so I need to drink a lot. I need to sleep now.

Please take the time to read Aaron's proposal below and help continue the work we are doing here. I really want Aaron to come, knowing he has many gifts. I have given him $380 from the sale of 7 hammocks that Karenann Whalen sold in Montreal. Now we need others to take action soon as possible. The reason I write reports and share images is to inspire a grassroots movement, which will really make a difference on the ground in the long term. I'm not here on vacation. I'm trying hard to upload more images, but with our net connection so slow it is time consuming and frustrating-- so I'm better off doing the work I came to do then sharing the details when I return home. We will continue the work started by the connections made this trip. Already, Shady Willis and Jamie Luv are planning Action Hero adventures in Uganda this coming summer.

Aaron's length of stay is April 1st to April 24th. He will be working in Norman's village for most of his stay.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Cory,
Yo. All right.
So, I do have friends in Kampala, happy to host me if needs be.
However, it would be nice to connect with Norman immediately and head
straight to the orphanage to continue where you left off.
Here are is a rough blueprint for what I hope to do:
1) bring (fruit and vegetable) seeds for commencing on permaculture
gardening projects.
*is there room to build a small greenhouse? or perennial raised beds?
do they have tools?
2) to continue your work with hammocks and geodesic domes. *is there
more to do? endless?
3) organize groups of children to perform musical theatre shows based
on issues raised by the kids. theatre games. breakdance. beatbox. rap.
recycled instrument making. anything which might bring positive media,
relevant life reflection, and offer a model of peace and empowerment
through the arts. (this would be amazing to film...even to put
camera's into the children's hands (disposable cameras, cheap video
cams, etc). and what about the refugee camp "ball" where we have local
entertainment, local food, etc?
4) and lastly, to do interviews with existing NGO's, community
projects, orphanages, musicians, artists, farmers, and others who are
bringing real solutions of unity, sustainability, and creativity to
Uganda and the world.
O.K. So, this is all still pending appraisal- based on what's actually
feasible with materials, genuine interest, and monetary logistics- of
course.
With no agenda,
Aaron

p.s. i leave on tuesday to teach workshops with native youth in
northern canada...then fly to toronto on the 31st...hoping to buy
tickets from there...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi Cory,
I am writing to inform you that I don't think Uganda is in the cosmic
cards for me right now. I am too stressed about finances and there
doesn't seem to be any other method of making this happen. Plus, the
tickets are too expensive last minute (even with a generous loan from
you). I am a truly bummed and sad, given the amount energy and work I
put into lining things up- all the seeds, a rented video camera,
workshop plans, musical shows, etc...but, alas, I have exhausted all
resources- financial, mental, emotional.
I'll have to plan this trip for another time...boo hoooo.
Regretfully,
Aaron

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Last but not least, I must thank the most recent donors who purchased the sewing machines and fabric. Without their help, this effort would not have happened:

Mike Zolis, Gordon Johnson, Debbie Murphy, Glen Maclean, Ray Leaman, Barb Doyle, John and Dorothy Doyle, Nicholas Richard, Janet McClusky, Marcus Mccinsky, Virgina Stites, Robert and Cynthia Donovan, Jeffery Withers, Erin Slovitt, Nelson Hum, Charlene Richard, Monique Morin, Shawna Vassallo, Joey Rudy, Leon Turfitt.

Please show your support by donating now:
http://www.ihcenter.org/groups/actionheronetwork.html

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Sanity in a mad world

2008-03-10T00:42:04Z

http://www.boomboxradio.com/soundstrue/Modules/ShoppingCart/sample_Video.aspx

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 1 reply

Listen to it

2008-03-08T14:42:59Z

http://asx.ljcentral.net/mp3/eir/tls/2008/tls080301_en_hi.mp3

you must stop fashism in the US

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

I fly out tonight to Uganda

2008-03-07T20:19:11Z

After a few days in London, I fly out tonight to Uganda. Waiting for me at the airport will be Norman, the director of Good Samaritan Orphan and Needy school, and Lucy from Life in Africa.

http://LifeInAfrica.com
http://bunabumali.my-php.net

First, I'll buy sewing machines, fabric, and rope, then bus to Norman's village at the base of Mt. Elgon, which is spectacular: http://www.kws.org/mt-elgon.html

Once the kids have a grip on sewing hammocks, we'll get to work building the bamboo dome, which will serve as a shelter and play space for the school. I set up a huge dome in the gulf coast after hurricane Katrina( thanks to Jeff Talyor of www.eons.com ) and it became an amazing community center that made a big difference in many lives(watch the 30 minute doc I shot about this: http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=7741275027359055423&q=Making+Love+in+a+disaster+zone {sorry about the low quality version). The bamboo dome could be a revolutionary demonstration that can be easily duplicated all over the 3rd world. We still need funds to buy canvas to cover this dome.

I have 50 bottles of MMS to give out, thanks to Robert in Alberta( http://www.health4allinfo.ca/ ), who donated the entire supply. It cures Malaria with 30 drops in 3 hours, and helps rid the body of many other ills as well. These videos explain:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeZsY7iMiqc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80G-Jtb6OsA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp1eqTajcpQ

Later in the journey, I'll bus to Gulu in Northern Uganda with Lucy, where we'll sew more hammocks with kids, fool around with hula hoops, and host a fancy candle light dinner theater in a refugee camp.

The journey blog is published at: http://stitchugandatogether.blogspot.com/

Thom Woolley, another of myself here in London (an art teacher working with www.artiseducation.com ), hosted me the past couple nights and hooked me up with great inspiration watching videos made by his friends touring with Performers Without Borders: http://www.performerswithoutborders.org.uk/

Check these videos: http://pwb.blip.tv/#719036
This is what we aim to do in Uganda. I have a professional video camera kindly on loan from Andrew MacCormack, and Aaron, a friend from BC who is a film maker/ educator/ musician is keen to join me as soon as possible. His site is www.ablemonk.org
Aaron needs a miracle of $800 in donations to buy the tickets needed in the next two days. A little bit from a lot of people could make that happen easy. That's what this is all about. When a lot of people work together, we can do amazing things!
This link goes to the Action Hero Network paypal account: http://www.ihcenter.org/groups/actionheronetwork.html
Aaron has a lot to offer-- gifts I don't have. Together we'll make a great documentary through which you and many others will get to experience this journey. It is like buying your ticket to the movie theater in advance. This is your chance to take part if you have not already. Watch the videos linked above, then take action by making a donation if you can and forward this message on to others.
This is what grassroots activism is all about. Stitch Uganda Together started as a far out vision this time last year, and has been made possible through hammock sales and donations from people like you.

Keep sharing positive media about good things that are happening. We need everyone thinking positive, because we all make a difference where we are in the moment and in the big picture.

Wish us luck, because your thoughts are powerful!

Suggestions and partnerships welcome.

-Cor(azon) <3
http://www.actionheronetwork.net

Cory Richardson: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=906200533
Stitch Uganda Together on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2408133160
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.

- Buckminster Fuller
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Connect to evolutionary grassroots movements through http://groups.google.com/group/Action-Hero-Network

Action Heroes Unite!

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Stitch Uganda Together -- FINAL PROPOSAL

2008-02-21T01:00:01Z

Answering Our Higher Calling

Stitch Uganda Together is an Action Hero Network mission to create a cultural exchange between students at Forest Hills School in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada and youth in Uganda, Africa. It involves donating sewing machines, providing free hammocks to homeless children, and sharing the process online through web cam and digital video as a demonstration of grassroots activism.

We each have the responsibility to continue the growth and evolution of humanity. Be aware that what you do and what you create will have a lasting impression on generations to come. With this awareness, create beauty that will nurture and sustain these future generations and contribute to a more loving and beautiful world for them to live in. Allow yourself to visualize and recognize what you can offer as an unconditional gift for the future of humanity.
-Voice of the Galaxy, by Stacia Alana-Leah and Raymond Mardyks

Wealth of Experience

We have technology to instantly communicate all over the planet, and transportation to carry us anywhere, but what is important to know and worth doing? How can we enrich our lives and make a positive impact in the lives of others?

Being responsible global citizens, we take on challenges far removed from our comfortable lives, because the reward for our service is greater than that which can be measured by material wealth. Not only are we helping others, we also benefit greatly from expanded awareness, meaningful relationships and deep appreciation for the basic elements of life that often get taken for granted, such as clean drinking water. I learned this living with people in rural Mexico—wealth is not how much you have, it is how much you appreciate what you have.

Tribal Workshop

As Citizenship Education Facilitator at Forest Hills School, I offer youth in grades 5 to 8 opportunities to develop character, express creativity and cultivate organizational skills through a variety of artistic workshops which lead to community events where they will be challenged to shine. Using Tribes Learning Communities, we are creating culture through collective consciousness and self expression, which values relationships and environmental awareness.

Everyone has a special gift to share, but too often students move through the system without a lot of attention put into discovering their hidden talents and desires. This unique elective course I have designed is focused on filling this need, and requires children to take responsibility for their personal development and encourages them to actively participate in their communities.

Stitch Uganda Together

Fact: Northern Uganda has been ravaged by civil war for the last 20 years. The people have been robbed of their homes and their livelihoods. The children have been robbed of educations and often times their families through killing, rape of young girls and stealing young boys, forcing them to be child soldiers. Currently, 80% of the overall population of Uganda is youth, of the 80%, 39% are orphans, and 41% are infected with HIV/AIDS. Every family has been torn apart to some extent or another. It is time to help Stitch Uganda Together.

Teaching by example, I will spend the first three weeks of March in Uganda setting up community sewing rooms that will make hammocks for homeless children. These cocoon-style hammocks keep kids healthy off the wet ground and protected from mosquitoes that carry malaria. Many of the boys and girls I encounter will have AIDS. A comfortable place to sleep can significantly help their immune systems and enable them to enjoy a fuller life. The impact of this project will be limited only by the amount of resources we can gather to buy sewing machines, fabric and rope. The cost of a sewing machine is approximately $100, and other materials will be around $15 per hammock.

The goal of this project is not just to provide free hammocks to homeless children or to provide these young people and their communities with a new income generating opportunity. It is a popular movement to demonstrate how the collective power of many people focusing their energy united in purpose can do amazing things, which will inspire a new generation of activists who will accomplish much more.

Here at the school we will have a visual representation of this project in the form of a large tree rooted in our community of supporters from whom the resources are being gathered. Lines will be drawn through the trunk to become branches, which are the sewing machines, and then to the leaves which are the hammocks. Photos of people who receive hammocks and sewing machines will become the fruit on the tree. This tree will serve as an important symbol to show students how grassroots activism connects people to accomplish great tasks through common vision and organization.

Spreading Positive Messages

To amplify the effect of this mission, the journey will be documented on digital video and broadcast live through web cam. Students at Forest Hills and many other schools in New Brunswick have Smart Boards (online interfaces the size of blackboards) in their classrooms and will have the opportunity to experience culture exchanges with youth in Uganda. A youth activism conference in Moncton on March 14th has also requested that I connect with them online. The documentary will later be presented at the Evolve festival, and submitted to the Tidal Wave Film Festival to raise awareness about issues facing Ugandans and gather support for the many non-profit organizations doing important on-going work.

Musician, Educator and filmmaker, Aaron Ableman (www.ablemonk.org) is also planning to join me in Uganda. We will add the video we capture to a global collaboration entitled, Pangea: Stories of Unity and Connection.

A team of filmmakers, artists, social & ecological visionaries are weaving film footage from around the world as evidence to the common needs, ideas, and webs which unite people across time zones, nationalities, and cultural divides. From India to Jamaica, Cuba to Uganda, USA to Lesotho, it is the stories of struggle, inspiration, and ingenuity which never have enough media attention. Ranging from world famous musicians to grassroots organizers, from bee farming country folk to urban ghetto youth, we are privy to an in-depth collage of real life witnesses. A variety of themes sing the praise of clean air, water, land, of laughter, music, spirituality, and finally, the struggle to respect familial roots, community ethic, and ancient traditions above the raging storms of suffering and pollution. Through this creative testament, the film calls to honor the interdependent nature of life on planet earth, thereby ensuring further means of resilience and universal suffrage.

Many courageous humanitarians from New Brunswick are doing great work in Africa, including: John Tremble, the Parish Priest of Quispamsis who built a girl’s school in Uganda with a huge computer lab; Mark Leger toured several months in Ghana with Journalists Without Borders, and Julie Dingwell, director of AIDS Saint John, is currently working in Swaziland, just to name a few. We plan to have these people and many other inspiring action heroes from our community share their stories in person with the students at Forest Hills School. We need these tales of humanitarian adventures to off-set the dominant corporate media culture focused on fear, consumerism, competition and violence.

Preparation

Over the past year, students at Beaconsfield Middle School, Morna Heights Elementary and Rothesay High have sewn hammocks to prove that youth can learn to do it easily, and some of those hammocks are going to Uganda to complete the connection of the lesson.

Several classes at Beaconsfield, two classes of World Issues students at Saint John High, and all students in grades 5 to 8 at Forest Hills watched Invisible Children, a film exposing the effects of a 20 year-long war on the children of Northern Uganda, which you can view online: http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=3166797753930210643&q=%22Invisible+Children%22

At festivals and markets last summer and fall, hammocks were set up for the public to try out and learn about the project. Approximately 40 hammocks were sold to support this effort.

Rogers TV interviewed me twice on its live Daytime talk show, and CBC TV broadcasted two updates on the project, including a feature story Christmas Eve sharing the students at Morna Heights sewing hammocks.

The shots went in my arm many months ago, and I now have lots of contacts in Uganda to help keep me safe. I’m sure this journey will be life changing, as it was for others I’ve found through research.

Invitation

Everyone wants to be rich. Some of us are fortunate to have more opportunities and resources than others. Some of us are not surviving. We dwell in horrifying conditions and don’t know any way out.

It is our obligation, being educated and living abundantly, to do what we can to help others less fortunate. The interesting twist is that the more we give of ourselves, and truly understand the hardships others are going through, the richer we feel. Being of service to others gives our life value and meaning.

There are many projects worth your time and resources that will greatly benefit your community and environment, which is your life support system. I am asking you now to invest in this timely grassroots effort that will make a profound impact in the lives of hundreds of people who need your help in Africa, and hundreds of thousands more around the planet that will be inspired by the positive media and cultural exchanges that will be created.

The mission is simple. Large donations are not required. The objective is to get small investments from a wide base of support to pay for sewing machines, fabric, video equipment and transportation. Can you afford to give just $5? That is all we are asking.

This is how we do it!

In Canada, make your tax-deductible investment by writing a check to the New Brunswick Minister of Finance, c/o: Forest Hills School, Stitch Uganda

If you don’t care about tax deductions, write the check simply to Stitch Uganda Together and send it to Forest Hills School or mail to:

Cory Richardson
2 Fishermen’s Rd
Saint John, NB
E2M-3G9

In the US, your contribution is tax-deductible through The International Humanities Center, but people anywhere can use this Paypal link for fast and secure delivery: http://www.ihcenter.org/groups/actionheronetwork.html

Thanks for your interest and taking the time to read this proposal. I’ll be happy to receive feedback and any questions you have.

In service and celebration,
Cory Richardson
art therapist & common-unity organizer
ActionHeroNetwork.net
cor.contact@gmail.com
506.654.3073

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Biodiesel bus missions

2008-01-29T01:40:33Z

Wow, I read your post about tribal workshops. Very well-put, succinct reminder. I am inspired.
Greetings…
I have seen from your many activities and notes that we are allies and I hope to work with you more directly one day. If you ever get a program together that needs a green tortoise-style school bus as one of the ‘Vehicles for TranzFormNation’ in the fleet, let me know. I met you in New Orleans on my bus at Made With Love Café and Grill. I was hauling superheroes from Oregon…and one of my ‘personas’ is Velvety Black Earth Tongue, here to serve with mycelial networking and earth-connecting vibrant vibrational visioning.

Currently I am living onboard but I am leaving on a mission to the Big I for studies, but will likely return to Oregon in June and so I am creating a few informal tours with instructors of various teachings and their students….Tai Chi retreat with a friend, Paul Deering, and maybe a Yoga and Rock Climbing retreat with others. I am planning a few journeys this year with friends/facilitators of specific skills to share and or healing methods to teach that are best done out in nature ‘on retreat’ from one’s habitual/ordinary life trip.

I have worked out my costs of operation and figured out who to call for technical support for the bus. I have a few allies who drive the bus and cook! as well. The bus has been running on bio-diesel for 3 years and some hoses have been changed out. With another $1,400 investment, it could be outfitted to run on oil efficiently enough.

The bus has two six-foot couch/platforms in front, two tables and bus seat benches, a kitchen area and large 8x10 sleeping platform in the back with storage underneath. There is a 8x10 underbelly storage box and my tools take up a little more than half of the space, but there is room for food, gear, etc. There is a 4x16 railed platform up top accessible from a small steep ladder on the side of the bus. Boxes of food, gear etc. can be handed up there with care. Bikes, kayaks, etc. can be handed up from below off to the side of the bus by two people if trained.
It runs with 135 watt solar panel above that charges two 12V house batteries that run the lights, stereo, fans, 12v water pump and small low-amp personal refrigerator, and power the 1500 watt inverter for more lights, battery chargers, (110 electrical needs are kept to a minimum.) I use a larger cooler and block ice when carrying groups.
The bus can comfortably sleep 10 folks and needs to be less than 14 people traveling at once for legal purposes..and 14 can all lay down at once if they squeeze! A glorified carpool in an RV we are when below that number.
I can drive the bus and cook food for groups, where all folks on the bus share cooking prep and cleaning shifts. We can set up outdoors or cook in the small kitchen set up inside the bus. There is running cold water from a 55 gallon storage tank and another 55 gallon back-up is an option. I have a propane on-demand hot water tank ready to be installed. If hot water heater is installed, it will run to an outdoor shower head.
There is a two-burner propane stove inside and two 5 gallon propane tanks on board that can be hooked up for inside burners and/or outside grilling burners. I use a ‘haybox’ for cooking larger amounts of grains or beans efficiently with less fuel. (see Aprovecho’s model). In sunny climates, a solar cooker can be easily employed for all day sun cooked dishes. Or one can prepare all raw food. I have a 12v blender. I have also made Coconut Bliss at Burning Man with a 110v ice cream maker running off the inverter!!
I travel with a 10x10 pop up and will soon design wings for the sides of the bus to provide sun and rain shelter. I have a couple of fold-out tables and camp chairs.
No bathrooms on board, just personal choice with pee jars and composting toilet/sawdust in a bucket option in emergencies.
We collect compost until we find a suitable compost pile or bury it in the nearest appropriate place. We use water sparingly and offer our non-toxic greywater to the earth where appropriate.

We travel as consciously as we are able to, supporting one another’s well-being and learning to navigate the ship as a team. It builds trust and compassion to travel this way, as you know.

If you are interested in journeying with me in this way with a group who has a resonant mission, please inquire further. I have some open times for committed groups this summer. I am booked for Telluride Blue Grass Festival late June, High Sierra early July, but open from the time following Oregon County Fair until Burning Man, and open after that as well.

Tammy Davis
81868 Lost Valley Lane
Dexter, OR 97431

ancientspin@hotmail.com

541-510-9658

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Call to Action - Please support election transparency!

2008-01-15T16:24:14Z

Please support the initiative for a hand recount in NH!

http://grannywarrior.grannywarrior.chipin.com/recount

this is very important as there is a deadline of 3pm (central) today (Jan 15th) to raise over $10,000 to initiate the recount... but the good news is that if any candidate pulls ahead of any other candidate all money you donate to this cause will be returned!! There could really be no better way to show your support for an open and honest election than to contribute to this cause!

Please send this message as far and wide as you can within the next 5 hours! ---> as broke as I am these days I managed to scratch a hundred bucks up to donate to this... but even if you can only muster $10 wouldn't that be a small price to pay to know that our elections are being performed in a transparent and honest manner?

http://grannywarrior.grannywarrior.chipin.com/recount

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

A new group for Eco Sustainable Alternative Tech. Mud Junkies

2008-01-14T02:29:09Z

Well, I have pulled myself out of the Hawaiian rain forest once again. With months of computer time ahead of me as I write my second book, I decided to finally start a gr
oup focused on the Eco-Ark Project. Its multiple purposes include raising awareness of the Eco-ark being built in the Puna Rain Forest, encouraging others to start similar projects in their own area, sharing ideas and methodologies for accomplishing these goals, spreading ideas concerning sustainable, Eco-friendly technologies and off grid community living. Spreading knowledge of organic permaculture techniques, to encourage the building of community gardens and the growing of food in publicly accessible places (Green Ribbon Project). And helping each other to restoring this planet to its divinely intended Edenic state before it is too late.

This group will also act as a central meeting place for individuals wishing to join in the continued building of the ark on Hawaii Island next summer.

Check out http://tribes.tribe.net/ecoark? to reach Builders of the Arks! Poke around and see if it sounds like a group you would be interested in participating in. We would enjoy input from all positive, creative souls in resurrecting the balance between humanity and our planet. Aloha!

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 1 reply

Letters & copies still needed for Juan Ruiz

2008-01-11T14:25:22Z

We still need letters of support for Juan Ruiz.
If you already sent a fax or letter of support for Juan to John Wies, the prosecutor in El Centro, Calif, could you please send a copy to us?
We will send copies to Jodi Thorp in San Diego, too.
We need letters from people who know Juan that detail things like volunteer work Juan has done, his school studies, how he has overcome problems from his past and is a valuable productive person, etc.
Timing is important since Juan's next hearing is January 22 and his trial date is in early February.
Please send letters to us at:
The Juan Ruiz Defense Fund
3404 Cross Street
Madison, WI 53711
or
ekelana (at) gmail.com
thank you so much!

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Heartsong 100 with 100 campaign

2007-12-27T02:14:31Z

Yo Ya'll, i post this here as so many of you are uber movers and shakers, as well as big fans of the Heartsong Herbal Brewing Company! For those of you who don't know, Heartsong is a tea microbrewery in Ashland Oregon. Our mission is to get people off soda pop, thereby raising the health and vibration of the nation! Thanks for reading this letter!

e

Dear Friends~

2007 has been a big year for the Heartsong Herbal Brewing Company. We moved from the Jacksonville brewery to the Chai Hut in Ashland. We opened the Chai Hut Food Artisans Gallery and Café. We introduced our third Pepper Brew, the Mate Fire. We created “The Goddess” our traveling tea bar. And we built our factory. Meanwhile, we continued serving the regions of Portland, Eugene and Ashland by brewing on the stove in ten-gallon batches and bottling by hand.

We moved to the Chai Hut with one goal: to increase production. But as soon as we moved in, Ashland people began to ask for a teahouse. In response to this demand, the Chai Hut has become a friendly teahouse that promotes organic foods, employs local people, hosts live music, sponsors community meetings, participates in youth internship programs and gives tours.

Our greatest accomplishment this year was the launch of our manufacturing facility. Gone are the days of hand filling and capping every bottle! We now brew in 100-gallon batches and bottle with an automatic filler and capper. With consistent, big batch production, the Heartsong crew is now focused on sales. In December Heartsong products were picked up by Northwest Natural Foods, a Eugene based distributor whose niche is Oregon natural foods. With the help of Northwest Naturals, our products are now available in Bend, Mt. Shasta and at Whole Foods in Portland.

In the past year we’ve invested heavily into our infrastructure with an eye toward creating a long lasting, profitable local business. These investments have not been free, and we find ourselves in the difficult position of having to reconcile our short-term expenses while our sales numbers catch up with our new capacity. Rather than trying to get expensive loans from multinational banking conglomerates to fill this gap, we turn to you, our community to help us through.

We hope to find 100 people who are willing to offer short-term loans of at least $100. We will use this money carefully as working capital, to purchase ingredients and pay bills. We welcome loans with a one-year pay back and we gratefully welcome gifts also. Success in this fund raising campaign will empower Heartsong to expand sales through consistent production. First Heartsong Brews saturate Portland. Second, sales expand to Seattle. Third, we douse San Francisco.

The people of the Heartsong Herbal Brewing Company are both thrilled and grateful to make good tea to for the people of Oregon and beyond. We are excited to leap from the solid foundation we’ve built over this past year, and hope you’ll consider joining us on this journey. We’d love to hear from you! Visit our website www.heartsongchai.com, contact us: info@heartsongchai.com or call (541) 488-5614. Loans and gifts can be made on-line or at the Chai Hut. Please consider sharing this letter with friends!

Cheers to a prosperous 2008, ~The Heartsong Crew

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Juan Ruiz news - good and bad

2007-12-12T15:24:33Z

hi all,
this is from the blog:
http://freejuanruiz.blogspot.com/

xxx
wendy
---

Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Hearing results: Good, but not perfect!

Good news from the court hearing today in San Diego. The government has dropped all felony charges
against Juan. Instead, they are charging him with a class C misdemeanor of impeding a federal officer.
Juan pleaded "not guilty" to this charge. The next hearing date is January 22, 2008 for motions related to
this case. The trial, if it should be needed, is scheduled for Feb. 4, 2008. Most likely, the judge will allow
Juan to return to Wisconsin in the interim.

It is likely that the support shown to Juan by folks who signed the petition and wrote letters, etc,
was instrumental in helping the prosecution to see Juan as the good kid that he is. We really
appreciate everyone's support and thank them.

While this is certainly better than the initial charges, it may still be a problem for Juan's immigration
status and ability to obtain US citizenship. We will be consulting with immigration attorneys,
as has his attorney in San Diego, and proceeding cautiously.

Next steps:
1) help Juan get home to Wisconsin,
2) legal help with immigration,
3) prepare defense for this case
4) fundraising for transportation and legal costs. Donations are still needed!

---
there is a link on the blog to donate online,
http://freejuanruiz.blogspot.com/
or
the direct link is
https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=nCSLa0uX14qyL_kQlXZoaZdudFjRJhQMES_agWim2JkEoNkw0a7V3PT2PqC&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f3893a48c4ade7e5f97951af3b1813a459ff5819dec2f8f62

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Any highminded, proactive organizations in Bangkok, ChangMai..?

2007-12-09T19:44:13Z

Warmest hellos to y'all from Portland, Oregon, where it is gently !snowing! as I type,

I haven't been very active on tribe, but there is a motherload of brilliant cerebral and heartful activity goin' on out there amongst the throngs of action heroes in the world....and I thought I'd like to align a bit more. See if our collective experientials have lead anyone to wonderful volunteer organizations in Thailand that are really solid and superbly serving people?
I'd love to hear of any personal or peripheral experiences with organizations in this area, also I'd Love to know a bit about/ details to locate as I plan my exodus to SE Asia, departing this january. I will not be still in these areas all that long, a few weeks each perhaps, but want to weave as much service into this procession as possible.
My interests and skills are vast...a few-acupuncturist, basic carpentry skills, cook, gardener, levity-nurturer!, singer... if that helps stir ideas.
Also, my next two lengthier-stay destinations are Myanmar, and the northern cities of India (over many months).
Thanks for the thoughts.
Smooth winter to all,
-LeoLove C.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

where to send letters for JUAN RUIZ

2007-11-30T21:55:02Z

for letters of recommendation/good word for juan:

Jodi Thorp, Juan's attorney, says that it is too late to send anything to Mr. Weis and

she also wants to have copies of any letters so she can use them in Juan's

defense. So, all letters should be sent to her at:

Attorney Jodi Thorp,

Federal Defenders of San Diego

225 Broadway, Ste. 900

San Diego, CA 92101

Phone: 619-234-8467

Fax: 619-687-2666

If they get sent to the prosecutors (i.e. the opposition), then Jodi and

Juan may not get to see them.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Tribes process -- Opok Farm, Uganda --- Mazatlan Awareness Festival

2007-11-30T14:41:55Z

I've not been posting as much on Tribe.net since using facebook.com ...but I don't want to loose touch with all you amazing people, so here is an update.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++Tribes++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I got a job at a K to 8th grade school being a "citizenship facilitator" here at home in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Gotta love it when positions are created for you! All teachers at this public school are trained in the TRIBES process.

From the Tribes workbook: "The first custom of the Tribes process , no matter where it is used, is to invite people to reflect upon and share their own experiences. The outcome of the Tribes process is to develop a positive environment that promotes human growth and learning. Throughout the process people learn to use specific collaborative skills, and to reflect both on the interaction and the learning that is taking place. The Tribes process not only establishes a caring environment for cooperative learning, but provides structure for positive learning interaction and continuity for working groups whether in the classroom, the faculty, the administration or the parent community."

This is a HUGE step forward in creating a more egalitarian culture, and I'm stoked to be taking part. If you are a teacher, search for "Tribes by Jeanne Gibbs".

++++++++++++++++++++++Stitch Uganda Together++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'm busy sewing hammocks to fund Opok Farm in Uganda, a re-settlement village for 150 child-headed families. You can learn more and make a donation to support it here: http://www.givemeaning.com/proposal/OpokFarms .

Or buy a hammock($50)... made with the lightest and most durable materials... rip-stop nylon and climbing webbing. You can see them at www.actionheronetwork.net ... email me if you want one... cor.contact@gmail.com ....I can have it to you by Christmas if you order now!

If you use Facebook.... you can join Stitch Uganda Together and stay updated on my project and other positive efforts in Uganda: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2408133160

Updates are also posted through the Action Hero Google group(all action heroes are invited to post to this list): http://groups.google.com/group/Action-Hero-Network

+++++++++++++++++Mazatlan Awareness Festival++++++++++++++++++++

The Roblito Community for Cultural Exchange in Central Mexico had more than a dozen participants gathered through Tribe.net take part last winter. Together our crew donated 5 bikes, dozens of soccer shoes, a piano, a guitar, a dozen dance hoops and a sewing machine. We renovated a playground, did a couple garbage sweeps, lots of beading workshops with mothers and kids, plenty of adventures, life enhancing experiences(Ayahuasca), and general silliness.

In Mazatlan, I made a lot of friends in the tourism industry, and have begun to gather people around the idea of developing a Mazatlan Awareness Festival. Again, if you use Facebook, this is where we are gathering, because more people from Canada and Mexico use it: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=19571155904

Below is an invitation and outline to gather interest in this idea. I'll be keen to have you join the circle.

I'd be happy to connect with your through facebook if you also want to be friends there: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=906200533

What you are working on? Maybe I can help someone find you?

Enjoy your journey!

-Cor
506-635-4122

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hi everyone! Thanks for your interest in the Mazatlan Awareness Festival. This can go many directions. It depends on who gets involved.

The intention is to bring "awareness" to Mazatlan in two different ways:

In co-operation with tourism operators in Mazatlan and surrounding area, we will increase general awareness of all that the region has to offer through the internet and marketing at festivals and schools in Canada and USA, establishing Mazatlan as a center for eco-tourism.

For the sake of all life on this planet, we must create cultural awareness and build a sustainable infrastructure that support healthy habits and reduce energy consumption. This is a time of great change. We have a lot of work to do in the areas of community organization, understanding natural cycles and learning to live in harmony with nature.

Personally, this festival is an opportunity to unite in a beautiful place with people I love or want to know better, and I am developing tourism businesses to support cultural education centers. My life's purpose is to create and inspire gathering places all over the planet that increase awareness, create solutions, spread love, and help people of all income levels to discover true freedom. I'm open to working with anyone who shares these ideals. We are all on the same team.

Our goal is to create experiences that are culturally rich and creative, luxurious and affordable.

~ Possible outline ~
Day 1:
Morning yoga at Villa Margarita Spa with Roberta.
Afternoon Whale watching with Oscar of Onca Explorations.
Evening presentations and networking at Playa Mazatlan Hotel.

Day 2:
Bus to Palmillas.
Kayak to Roblito with Paul of Sendero Mexico, through Agua Grande estuary.
Camp or stay with a family in Roblito (http://www.solomax.com/roblito.html).

Day 3:
Fishing, surfing, horseback riding, and bird watching.
Finish day with campfire stories, songs, and history lesson about ancient shell mounds.

Day 3:
Garbage sweep the village and create art with found objects.
Cooking lessons become a feast that includes the entire town, which leads to a dance party.

Day 4:
Bike to hot springs and camp for the night.

Day 5:
Bike to Palmillas, try some rock climbing on the way. Stay the night at Elfego's.

Day 6:
Climb Cerro Del Muerto, bus back to Mazatlan for a relaxing ocean-side dinner at Playa Mazatlan Hotel, followed by presentations and reflections.

Day 7:
Form groups to work on community projects.

------------------------------ TAKE PART ------------------------------

We would all love to see your favorite images of Mazatlan in our group photo album. There are currently 115 images I shot last winter. More can be seen at: http://actionhero.smugmug.com

Please introduce yourself and share your thoughts on our wall. This festival could be a very important networking opportunity for whatever you want to do. Maybe you’ll find a new friend or passion that will take your life in a totally new direction.

I’m calling together action heroes from everywhere to sit in a circle in Mazatlan, and I hope you do the same. We might as well start passing the talking stick now to get to know each other. There are already a lot of amazing people in this circle.

If you want to invite a lot of people from your list of friends to join this group, you are welcome to be an admin, which makes the task much easier.

------------------------ LINKS ----------------------------

We Are Many is another “awareness” festival that we could learn from: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=4879884806

“The We Are Many Arts and Environmental Festival will take place in Saskatoon(Canada) in August 2008. The organizers, a group of individuals from Saskatoon and elsewhere, have incorporated themselves as a not-for-profit entity to take action for environmental sustainability.”

The Evolve Festival(www.evolvefestival.com) is another great gathering I am involved with here in Eastern Canada. The owner of Evolve, Jonas Colter, is a member of the Mazatlan Awareness Festival group. You can see images I shot at this event (pages 7 to 19): http://www.facebook.com/photo_search.php?page=7&oid=4048383258&aid=-1&auser=&view=all

http://www.solomax.com/roblito.html --- The village of Roblito is a fishing and farming community on Mexico's Central Pacific Coast -- where Aztecs lived before making Mexico City. The Roblito Community Center for Cultural Exchange is a project between the Action Hero Network and the people of Roblito to share ideas and opportunities that foster education and culture. Join the Roblito tribe: http://tribes.tribe.net/roblito

Fernando Haro (www.sinaloainformative.com) created this website for my tourism project between Palmillas, Sinaloa and Roblito Nayarit: http://www.vivesinaloa.com/kiosko_turistico/productos_turisticos/escuipal.htm

Join Action Hero Network to connect to evolutionary grassroots movements globally, go to: http://groups.google.com/group/Action-Hero-Network

Action Heroes unite!
http://www.actionheronetwork.net

-Corazon
cor.contact@gmail.com

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Juan Ruiz web site - info, updates

2007-11-27T22:42:37Z

web site about Juan, arrested at no borders protest....

http://freejuanruiz.blogspot.com/

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

If you have info about Juan - witnesses, etc

2007-11-26T22:55:42Z

INFO NEEDED Update on the arrest of Juan Esteban Ruiz
Update on the arrest of Juan Esteban Ruiz
November 25, 2007

Juan was released on $10,000 bail on Monday, Nov.19th, after being held for
one week in the Imperial County jail in southern California. He is
currently in temporary housing in San Diego, with a close friend from
Madison. His next court date is a hearing on Thursday, Nov. 29th, at which
time the decision of the grand jury about formal charges, will be announced.
At arraignment, he was accused of 2 counts of assaulting a federal officer
with intention to kill or inflict bodily harm. If he is formally charged
with such serious offenses, he faces a federal criminal case possibly
leading to trial, a process that usually takes months. It is likely that he
will be required to stay in southern California during most or all of this
time.

Attorney Jodi Thorp, in the federal public defenders office, is representing
him in the criminal case. She is a very experienced attorney in this area
and has been gathering witness statements and information to help Juan.
Please send any relevant information to her at:

Jodi Thorp
Federal Defenders of San Diego
225 Broadway, Ste. 900
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: 619-234-8467
Fax: 619-687-2666

Along with the criminal case, there are also potential immigration issues.
Juan's medical needs are currently under good control.

If Juan has to stay in San Diego for the winter, he will need support with
safe housing, transportation and medical help. He has no family or close
friends in San Diego.

We are actively soliciting donations to support Juan in his legal battles
and sustain him through the next few months. Donations can be sent by
check to:
GDC Legal Defense Fund
P.O. Box 2442
Madison, WI 53701

(write "Juan" in the memo line) Whatever funds the GDC raises that are not
exhausted in defense of Juan (likely there won't be any extra), will be part
of the revolving fund for the next person who gets targeted for their
political activities.

We are also working on securing an online donation option and a dedicated
website for support for Juan.

Any suggestions to help him avoid deportation will be greatly appreciated.
Please feel free to call or write me, and to pass this on to any who might
be interested.

Thanks to everyone,
Laurel
laurelmark (at) gmail.com

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

SIGN THE PETITION to drop Juan's charges! FIRMA LA PETICIÓN para que se retiren los cargos contra Juan!

2007-11-26T06:34:52Z

please forward widely / por favor, manda por todos lados
español al fondo

SIGN THE PETITION to drop Juan's charges!

Sign an online petition to have Juan Ruiz's ridiculous charges dropped! This petition will be sent to the US Attorney who is prosecuting Juan's case. Juan's indictment hearing is scheduled in just a few days, on Thursday, November 29. Sign in support now!

Sign the petition here
www.thepetitionsite.com/1/dropjuanscharges

Juan Ruiz was arrested November 11, 2007 by the Border Patrol in downtown Calexico, CA, at the closing rally of the No Borders Camp. After a week of cordial relationships between camp participants and Border Patrol agents, the Border Patrol attacked the peacefully assembled crowd with pepper spray bullets and batons. They made three arrests, including Juan Ruiz, who is charged with two counts of assault on a federal officer. These charges are ridiculous - if anyone was assaulted in this incident, it was Juan and fellow camp participants.

For more information about the No Borders Camp, including video of this incident, see www.noborderscamp.org

It is important to note that the violence activists faced on Sunday was only a small sliver of what migrants face on a daily basis from the Border Patrol. Due to this highly militarized border, many people attempting to cross die of dehydration and exposure as they cross the desert. Others are held for indefinite amounts of time in detention facilities with no way to contact loves ones, or are physically assaulted and killed by the same people who assaulted and arrested the three activists sunday. The number of migrants that have died crossing the border since the inception of Operation Gatekeeper in 1994 has exceeded 4,000 and that "official" estimate doesn't even including the many people who simply disappear, dying alone in the desert, their bodies never discovered. The Border Patrol are violent thugs who enact their violence on innocent civilians simply trying to make a better life for themselves and their families.

¡FIRMA LA PETICIÓN para que se retiren los cargos contra Juan!

¡Firma una petición para que se retiren los cargos ridículos contra Juan Ruiz! La petición será entregada al fiscal federal que esta procesando el juicio de Juan. El juicio de acusación de Juan es programado por muy pronto, por jueves el 29 de noviembre. ¡Firma para brindar tu apoyo ya!

Firma la petición aquí
www.thepetitionsite.com/1/dropjuanscharges

Juan Ruiz fue arrestado el 11 de noviembre de 2007 por la Patrulla Fronteriza el en centro de Calexico, CA, durante la mitin de clausura del Campamento Contra las Fronteras. Después de una semana de relaciones cordiales entre los participantes del campamento y los agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza, la Patrulla Fronteriza atacó el muchedumbre pacifico con balas de gas pimienta y macanas de acero. Había tres arrestos, incluyendo Juan Ruiz, quien tiene dos cargos de asalto a un agente federal. Los cargos son ridículos - si alguien fue asaltado durante el incidente, sería Juan y los otros participantes en el campamento.

Para ver más información sobre el Campamento Contra las Fronteras, incluyendo vídeo del incidente, ve a www.noborderscamp.org .

Es importante notar que la violencia que activistas sufrieron el domingo pasado es solo un pequeño pedazo de lo que emigrantes enfrentan a diario de parte de la migra. Debido a esta frontera sumamente militarizada, muchas personas tratando de cruzar mueren de deshidratación y exposición al caminar el desierto. Otros son detenidos por tiempo indefinido sin manera de contactar sus seres queridos, o son asaltados y hasta asesinados por las mismas personas quienes asaltaron y arrestaron a tres activistas el domingo. El numero de emigrantes quienes han muerto al cruzar desde el comienzo de "Operación Guardián" en 1994 ya excede 4,000 y esta cuenta "oficial" no incluye los muchos quienes simplemente desaparecen, muriendo solos en el desierto, sus cuerpos nunca recuperados. La patrulla fronteriza es una bola de matones violentos quienes promulgan su violencia en contra de personas inocentes y miembros de la sociedad civil quienes simplemente están intentando crear una vida mejor para si mismos y sus familias.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Sea Shepherd in the New Yorker

2007-11-22T14:34:12Z

NEPTUNE'S NAVY
Paul Watson’s wild crusade to save the oceans.
by Raffi Khatchadourian

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/11/05/071105fa_fact_khatchadourian?currentPage=1

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

HELP JUAN - SEND FAX ASAP

2007-11-19T23:00:17Z

dear all,
letters of recommendation/character witness/good word about juan
will help a lot
and need to be sent to the prosecutor right away.
if you know juan, please write a letter about his good works,
that he is kind, gentle, caring, generous,
that he grew up in Madison WI since age 4 and speaks English and
graduated from Shabazz high school in madison, wi-- anything like
that. (more info below)

thank you so much!
love
wendy

send a fax of your letter
(and you can send a paper copy later, too, but something right away is
important)
to

John Weis
U.S. Attorney's Office
Fax: (760) 335-3975
RE: U.S. vs Juan Esteban Ruiz

please do this today or tomorrow or as soon as possible!

here are some things about juan you could also mention:
juan has done over nine months worth
of relief work on the gulf coast.
he worked at the emergency communities relief kitchens in waveland, ms,
and in arabi, buras, la., and with common ground collective in new orleans, la.
he worked in the relief kitchens and did some house gutting and construction.
he made a radio documentary about waveland right after katrina for
WORT radio in madison.
he has also worked with food not bombs, student labor action coalition
(anti-sweatshop and local labor issues, social justice) and local peace groups.
he is also a musician and artist and was in the madison band, the rose.

here are
links to flyer for juan,news,and wort, emergency communities, common ground,
if you need more info

flyer for juan
in pdf format
http://slac.rso.wisc.edu/flyers/policestatevictim3-w.pdf
or a word doc
http://slac.rso.wisc.edu/flyers/policestatevictim3-w.doc

San Diego Indymedia
http://sandiego.indymedia.org/

No Borders Camp
http://noborderscamp.org/

Emergency Communities
http://www.emergencycommunities.org/

Common Ground Collective
www.commongroundrelief.org

WORT 89.9FM Community Radio Station: Madison, Wisconsin
wort-fm.org

and here is the legal defense fund to send donations to
GDC Legal Defense Fund (for Juan)
P.O. Box 2442
Madison, WI 53701

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Juan Ruiz arrested at the No Borders camp -California - Mexican border

2007-11-14T14:49:59Z

dear all,
my dearest friend, juan esteban ruiz, was arrested at a peaceful protest
at the no borders demonstration this weekend.
(more information below in the message from another friend,
and at http://sandiego.indymedia.org ).
juan has done a lot of volunteer work with emergency communities and common ground
in new orleans, buras, and arabi, louisiana, and waveland, mississippi,
and has worked with food not bombs, the student labor action coalition,
and other social justice and peace groups here in madison, wisconsin
(where he lives, with me).
he has also gone to several rainbow gatherings.
juan is the most kind, caring, beautiful person i know.
there are two legal funds, one here in madison and the no borders camp one,
and the information for both is below.
thank you all so much.
love
wendy

i don't come on to tribe.net that often,
but you can email me at ekelana (at) gmail.com

---forwarded message---
Dear Friends,

In case you haven't heard, my "foster" child, Juan Ruiz has been
arrested while taking part in a demonstration at the
California-Mexican border. The demonstration was organized by the
group, No Borders Camp, and had been going on peacefully for 6 days
before Nov. 11th, when the federal agents reacted. You can see a very
scary video taken by a bystander/participant on their website:

http://noborderscamp.org

Click on the picture of the snarling authorities.
The kid who is drumming is Juan.

Juan is currently in the Imperial County jail, awaiting arraignment in
federal court on charges of assaulting or impeding a federal officer -
unclear at this point. Because he is not a US citizen, he is also
under review by the Dept of Homeland Security and may face deportation
proceedings after the federal case is dealt with. He also has a
serious medical problem for which he needs daily meds and most of the
first 36 hours of his incarceration were spent by his supporters
trying to get the jail to give him his meds. That at least seems to
have been accomplished as of last night.

Juan is a permanent legal resident of the US. He came to Wisconsin
from Colombia with his mother and older sister at age 4 and grew up in
the Madison area, graduating from Shabbaz City High School in 2005.
His mother, sister and grandmother are legal permanent residents and
his grandfather is a citizen I believe. He has been involved in
activism about poverty and community support, and anti-war work. He
is a musician, drummer and poet and has a passion for rhythmic music.
Those of you who know him know that he is a very warm hearted generous
guy who is open to the world and engaged with people on a deep level.
Because of some teenage legal issues - none of which involved drugs or
violence, thank G-d - his immigration status may be in jeopardy
regardless of the outcome of this event.

We have been helping find legal counsel for Juan both for the criminal
charge and the immigration issue and are in close touch with NO
Borders Camp, which is set up in El Centro, California, the county
seat of Imperial County. He has supporters in the area right now and
hopefully until there is a resolution. Here in Madison, the Infoshop
has dedicated a fund to help with Juan's legal defense - the Madison
Area General Defense Committee (MAGDC) Legal Defense Fund. This fund
has been used to help dozens of local activists since it was founded
in the aftermath of the massive anti-sweatshop arrest on campus a
decade ago.

Folks can make out checks to:
GDC Legal Defense Fund
P.O. Box 2442
Madison, WI 53701

or drop off donations or checks for the "GDC Legal Defense Fund",
care of the Madison Infoshop, 1019 Williamson St. #B, Madison, WI
53703 or call John at 608-262-9036 with questions. You can ask that
your donation goes to help Juan. Whatever funds the GDC raises that
are not exhausted in defense of Juan will be part of the revolving
fund for the next person who gets targetted for their political
activities.

OR - donations can be sent to No Borders Camp at: http://noborderscamp.org
There is a paypal account to give donations.

Also, any suggestions you can offer to help him avoid deportation will
be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to call or write me.
Feel free to pass this on to any who might be interested.

Love,
Laurel

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Call to action and updates from Stitch Uganda Together

2007-11-06T20:23:09Z

Stitch Uganda Together is developing in many positive directions......

Most of all... please VOTE for the Opok Farm proposal at Givemeaning.com -- http://www.givemeaning.com/proposal/OpokFarms

Opok Farm... read their story: http://www.omidyar.net/user/u618296607/news/18/

Opok Farm group on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6529706581

______________________________________

Lisa Lynam in Victoria BC will soon be in Northern Uganda to volunteer with Watoto Villages and will report back to this group with her experience. See her successfully funded project at Givemeaning.com: http://www.givemeaning.com/project/Watoto
___________________________________________

Siena Anstis, a former volunteer in Uganda with Concordia University, has created a new organization and website: http://www.intheirshoescanada.org

_____________________________________

Funds raised thus far from hammock sales purchased 100 yards of rip-stop fabric and 2700ft of webbing. Now, %100 of hammock sales will go toward building a bamboo dome at Opok Farm and buying sewing machines to set up a workshop where hammocks will be made to help the farm be sustainable.

You can get one of these ultra-light travel hammock for $50 at http://www.actionheronetwork.net

Tanya Whitney, principal of Forest Hills Middle school here in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada is helping set up a sewing workshop for her students to get involved in this project sewing hammocks.

I wrote Tanya today saying, "The hammock design is very simple and your older kids shouldn't have a problem. It will be a good test to know what kids in Uganda may be able to do. I could even take the hammocks they make to Uganda with me and take photos of kids using them there to show the students who make them. I'm sure your students would like that better than selling them. For me the issue is luggage. We can work on it. I just need to manage creating a product that is safe. We can make them in time for Christmas gifts also. The materials are around $10 per hammock, which I have already paid for using the funds generated from the project thus far. If the kids are taking hammock home they will need to pay for them, but if they are going to Uganda, that's fine... I got it covered!"

________________________________

I've done presentations in a couple Saint John schools sharing the need for attention in Uganda to get students thinking about what can be done to build communities for the orphaned children. I plan to create sewing workshops in several schools where students can help raise funds for Opok Farm village by making hammocks. I hope to partner with The Marimichi Uganda Foundation and do a presentation at the youth prison in Marimichi, and get youth there doing the same. I worked for John Howard Society last year, so they are willing to help me get into the prison.

We need markets for the hammocks we are making. Anyone could use a travel hammock, so they are perfect gifts. Organizations or companies could buy quantities of these hammocks to sell to their members or give to their employees. The plan is to set up a hammock making business in Uganda. To do this I need investors and people to buy the hammocks before I go to Uganda. This could be a big step toward making the farm sustainable.

This is a 3000 acre farm, which will be made into a village for 150 child-headed families. It is a very exciting opportunity for these youth, and those who get to work with them. The farm also has huge potential for being an eco-tourism destination to foster a culture of caring and sustainable development.

Currently the Opok Farm team has a proposal that needs votes on Givemeaning.com and it would be very helpful to have your support: http://www.givemeaning.com/proposal/OpokFarms

Our facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2408133160

This link talks about my project to build a bamboo dome to serve as a community center, dorm and workshop at Opok Farm: http://www.ned.com/group/opokfarms/news/2/

______________________________

A survey will soon be sent to the Action Hero Network Google Group to create a data base of members, like a phone book, listing the activists in our circle and the organizations they are associated with and areas of interest, including business, so that we can better find each other, communicate our action plans, calls for support or voice concerns. This network is not just for when things go wrong... but to create the world we want.

This new listing will be forwarded to everyone in the Google Group. I know most of the people, and they are all doing great things, but they don't know each other. If you are not part of this circle already and would like to be, join and feel free to post: http://groups.google.com/group/Action-Hero-Network ...we all make it what it is!

The Action Hero Google Group has recently been open up so all members can message to the entire group. The purpose of this group is to promote what activists are doing everywhere, and to foster more connections, because we are all on this adventure in humanity together. It will be interesting to see what you are all working on.

Feel free to use any of the Action Hero groups to post information promoting your work... or inspiring stuff from other heroes.

Razoo.com: http://beta.razoo.com/groups/action_hero_network
Facebook.com: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2266028687

Again...please VOTE for the Opok Farm proposal at Givemeaning.com -- http://www.givemeaning.com/proposal/OpokFarms

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

an initiation ceremony for the crazed and channelling

2007-10-26T23:57:13Z

I would like to envision, with your input, possible "initiation ceremonies" for those who are labeled crazy amongst us, and usually encouraged or coerced to seek so-called "professional help". The more creative your vision, the better. The more outlandish, the more possibly inspiring, brainstorm-style!

i got this particular idea after reading the following:

"Instead of the degradation ceremonial of psychiatric examination, diagnosis and prognostication, we need, for those who are ready for it (in psychiatric terminology, often those who are about to go into a schizophrenic breakdown), an initiation ceremonial, through which the person will be guided with full social encouragement and sanction into inner space and time, by people who have been there and back again. Psychiatrically, this would appear as ex-patients helping future patients to go mad."

from:
http://www.laingsociety.org/colloquia/peaceconflict/divisions.levine.htm

There is some really good reading here. Here are some excerpts for the expected skeptics to think about:

"In the opinion of Dr. Thomas Szasz, psychiatry may be the new secular religion in an age of pseudo-science:

"The discerning reader may detect a faint note of familiarity here. Modern psychiatric ideology is an adaptation-to a scientific age-of the traditional ideology of Christian theology. Instead of being born into sin, man is born into sickness. Instead of life being a vale of tears, it is a vale of diseases. And, as in his journey from the cradle to the grave man was formerly guided by the priest, so now he is guided by the physician. In short, whereas in the Age of Faith the ideology was Christian, the technology clerical, and the expert priestly; in the Age of Madness the ideology is medical, the technology clinical, and the expert psychiatric.

"Thus psychiatry, like the nuclear family, becomes an instrumental motive force in the creation of the total social institution; through a process of mystification, both define normality and mould the individual into the one-dimensional shape of social utility. Laing calls this mystification a political act of "violence masquerading as love". "

and:

"'From the moment of birth, when the Stone Age baby confronts the twentiety-century mother, the baby is subjected to these forces of violence, called love, as its mother and father, and their parents and their parents before them, have been. These forces are mainly concerned with destroying most of its potentialities, and on the whole this enterprise is successful. By the time the new human being is fifteen or so, we are left with a being like ourselves, a half-crazed creature more or less adjusted to a mad world. This is normality in our present age.'

"Some people can adapt to this system. We call them normal. "Society highly values its normal man. It educates children to lose themselves and to become absurd, and thus to be normal," Laing tells us. "Normal men have killed perhaps 100,000,000 of their fellow normal men in the last fifty years." But some cannot adapt to this imposed normality. They break down. Instead, they devise a strategy to deal with their inability to hold their invalidated experience ant their sense of themselves together. As Laing puts it, "it seem to us that without exception the experience and behaviour that gets labeled schizophrenic is a special strategy that a person invents in order to live in an unlivable situation".

"Though, in [David] Cooper's phrase, the schizophrenic may look like someone whose "logic" is "ill", he is, in reality, someone, who has been made an invalid because his experience has been invalidated. For Laing and Cooper, schizophrenia is no 'something happening in a person but rather something between persons". Thus when one psychiatrist calls schizophrenia "a failure of human adaptation", Laing responds that it may as well be "a successful attempt not to adapt to pseudo-social realities". It all seems to be a matte of perspective: "Schizophrenia is a label affixed by some people to others in situations where an interpersonal disjunction of a particular kind is occurring. This is the nearest one can get at the moment to something like an 'objective' statement, so called."

"The validity of a definition is ultimately determined by the identity of the one who is defining. It is in this context that Laing argues: "There is no such 'condition' a 'schizophrenia,' but the label is a social fact and the social fact a political event." Seen from this radical perspective, all our definitions may have to be turned upside down ant inside out. "What we call 'normal' is", according to Laing "a product of repression, denial, splitting, projection, introjection and other forms. of destructive action on experience.... It is radically estranged from the structure of being." No wonder, then, that "the condition of alienation, of being asleep, of being unconscious, of being out of one's mind, is the condition of the normal man." On the other hand schizophrenia may be seen as an alienation from this alienation, where, "even through his profound wretchedness and disintegration", the patient may be "the hierophant of the sacred". Finally, "madness need not be all breakdown. It may also be break-through. It is potential liberation and renewal as well as enslavement and existential death."

"In _The Politics of Experience_, Laing describes how, in some instances, breakdown does become break-through; transforming the "schizophrenic experience" into a "transcendental experience". As depicted by Gregory Bateson, the schizophrenic embarks upon a voyage from the "outer" world of the "ego" to the "inner" world of the "self" -and back out again. He regards it as an archetypal journey that bears a close resemblance to descriptions of religious experience:

"It would appear that once precipitated into psychosis the patient has a course to run. He is, as it were, embarked upon a voyage of discovery which is only completed by his return to the normal world, to which he comes back with insights different from those of the inhabitants who never embarked on such a voyage."

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Looking for Loved Ones? / Calif. wildfire victims / aid sought

2007-10-25T20:42:13Z

Looking for Loved Ones - Safe and Well: Safe and Well is a nationally accessible website, developed as a free community service by the American Red Cross, that provides a way for individuals affected by a disaster (within the U.S.) to list themselves as "safe and well." Then, loved ones can check on the status of their family and friends. Register and connect at 1-800-RED CROSS or www.redcross.org.

Orange County Rescue Mission is accepting all non-perishable donations and gift certificates to restaurants Monday through Friday between the hours of 8am and 6pm Map to Orange County Rescue Mission. They are also asking groups to organize canned food drives, for more information please visit www.operationoc.org

Wildfire Volunteer Information
If you would like to help please do not attempt to go to the affected areas. Trained first responders are in place and assisting where needed. Intentions may be for the best but going to evacuated or hazardous areas only slows efforts and creates distractions.

Below please find additional resources which may be useful to people affected by the fires:

• County of Orange Public Information Hotline: 714/628-7085

• 2-1-1 Orange County (resources and connectivity): 2-1-1, or on a cell phone dial 1-888-600-4357

• Orange County Fire Authority (fire containment/evacuation information): 714/573-6000 or www.ocfa.org

• San Diego Update Hotline: 619/570-1070

• San Bernadino County Public Information Line: 909/355-8800

• Food Donation Drop Off Sites (as of 10-25-07):

Community Action Partnership Food Bank (12640 Knott Ave., Garden Grove, CA 92841)

Second Harvest (426 A Almond, Orange, CA 92866)

Rescue Mission/Village of Hope M-F 8am-6pm - non-perishable food or gift certificates for food (1 Hope Dr., Tustin, CA)

• Donation of Goods (as of 10-25-07):

Goodwill (check your phone book for your nearest location.) When your donation is designated for fire victims, Goodwill issues vouchers to Red Cross. These vouchers are then distributed through Red Cross disaster service centers to individuals affected by the fires.

Community Action Partnership Food Bank - accepting personal items, hygiene kits (toiletries, shaving kits, etc.), diapers, clothing, household goods (12640 Knott, Garden Grove, CA 92841)

Working Wardrobes (11614 Martens River Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708)

The American Red Cross of Orange County is staffing its emergency operations center around-the-clock and is working to assist our communities with Red Cross services as needed. Thank you for your support.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

New Aerial silks Video up

2007-10-08T04:43:56Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So_dvavF2lM

Here's footage of my recent performance on the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Letter to Abe a minute ago, feeling nostalgic.

2007-10-02T14:04:54Z

Keep wishing, dreaming, and making those visions clear as can be, and you shall find yourself in those places with those people you are dreaming of, my friend.

Last night I was sharing poems with a love, and found this one from long ago ( http://www.solomax.com/sep.24.3.html ):

Life is the Oyster

Souls and late-night conversations,
With those who would change the world.
With those who are changing the world.

Laying on floors,
Sitting on counters.
Under streetlights.
In parked cars,
Empty parking lots.

We are those who are free.

We are the ones who have escaped entrapment.
We are the movers, the shakers, the thinkers, the speakers.

Our power does not come from finite finances,
But from something far more vast.
Our power comes from the most potent infinity
Of possibility itself.

We are those who carry the hearts of humanity forward with our inspiration.
We are the voices of passion, of emotion, of struggle.
We are the toil, the pain, the pleasure, the joy, and the ecstasy.
We are the celebration of imperfection in all of its glorious beauty.
We are the oddballs, the outcast, the freaks and the entertainers.

We are the dreamers.

Much love along your journies,
- JAmie S. Uyematsu

++++++

Just now, after reading that journal page where I found this poem, I see that Jeff and Carrie were in Mexico with me this past year, and the dreams I shared years before about the school in Mexico, have now become reality.

in 20 minutes I teach a world issues class here at the high school I attended.... sharing a presentation about problems and solutions for Uganda, and ideas about activism and community. It was in this very room where I dreamed about kayaking around north america at age 17. I've come full circle.

Have a memorable day! I'm glad to know you have a good boy to share it with.

-C

Ps... I'm going to share this email on the action hero tribe. I'm feeling like this is an important moment. Thanks for helping create it.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

This is why we do what we do

2007-09-29T14:25:31Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g8cmWZOX8Q

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

update on the Action hero google group ... and a bit about my scene.

2007-09-28T06:48:24Z

This is Cor, and you are part of the Action Hero Network ... everyone is really...!

But... we also have a Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/Action-Hero-Network

The focus of this group is "information and inspiration
to empower and activate." Let us know what inspires you... or concerns you... and inform us on how we can get involved.

This group has been facilitated to only send out bi-weekly Cor Reports, which as may you know, are a compilation of the emails sent to me, and whatever I find elsewhere, along with information about the projects I'm working on. However, messages are often timely, and it is best that I pass them on sooner than later.

To enable this grassroots network to grow wildly, members now have the opportunity to connect directly to each of the 109 amazing people in this group... simply by sending an email to Action-Hero-Network@googlegroups.com

Jillian, an amazing raw food goddess in Oakland, has a great community group called Life As Art, and it has inspired me to make Action Hero a group for open communication as well. I think it will become the backbone of this network, since we are spread between tribe.net, razoo.com, ned.com, facebook.com ...and all the other networks.

There is so much new stuff going everywhere, I don't want to slow down the flow. The revolution is happening. I trust you all to use your powers for good. Please do not abuse this by forwarding silly things... unless it is really silly and we'll all have a good laugh. Staying on the light side is very important too, because as activists we are often dealing with issues that are not so funny.

If you would rather only get a weekly or daily digest, you may change your setting here:
http://groups.google.com/group/Action-Hero-Network

++++++

This is where I'm at...

Most of the past week I was in retreat on Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick. After turning 30, last week, I did a face-plant in the middle of the street when an early morning circus trick involving a friend hula hooping while riding my back went wrong. I looked like Two-Face from Batman. I'm fine now after lots of rest and fresh air.

I made a fish sculpture out of beach glass and wire, and hiked along a beautiful coastal trail on Grand Manan with Argon visiting from Portland, Oregon. He has been on Super Hero bike rides and joined Action Heroes last winter in Roblito, Mexico -- that's Argon in the green shirt: http://actionhero.smugmug.com/gallery/2571309#136653110

I stayed at Jame's cabins on Castalia Marsh. He's the guy that owns the Tribal Spaceship.. whenever we are ready. These are images from hangin' with James and Vanessa on Grand Manan this time last year: http://actionhero.smugmug.com/gallery/1970187#P-1-9

James is looking for someone to work-trade next spring, summer and fall... working in the garden and cooking meals... in exchange for room and board in the magical world he created on Grand Manan. It would be prefect for a writer or artist who wants to live in a quiet, beautiful place: http://www.sea-landadventures.com/

My most amazing 30th birthday gift was from Amy Gow, who sent this reminder, showing that really my birthday was a shared experience with my mother. I've certainly been a bigger pain in the ass than this kid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aht0HqI7GSw

I've spent all after noon and evening making hammocks and listening to the news on TV. Wear red on Friday in support of our brothers and sisters in Burma. Those are some action heroes!

Bedtime for me here in Eastern Canada.

With love,
Cor <3

PS.... how are you? Whatz going on in your world? Letz see some action in this tribe!

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Cor Report -- Action Hero Network Digest

2007-09-19T06:39:18Z

In the Service of Life

Serving is different from helping.
Helping incurs debt. But serving, like healing, is mutual.
Serving is also different from fixing. There is distance
between ourselves and whatever or whomever we are fixing.
Fixing is a form of judgment. All judgment creates
distance, a disconnection, an experience of difference.
If helping is an experience of strength, fixing is an
experience of mastery and expertise.
Service on the other hand, is an experience of mastery,
surrender, and awe. We cannot serve at a distance.
We can only serve that to which we are profoundly connected--
that which we are willing to touch.
We serve life not because it is broken, but because it is holy.

-Adapted from Rachel Naomi Remen
Heroes:
Eric Klein (Can-do.org)
We(can-do) are heading to Rwanda & Uganda September 17th, Sudan in November and still continuing our work in the gulf coast...PLEASE...we are asking for help on getting the word out on some of the projects in which we desperately need funding for. (you can read about our projects at www.can-do.org) Keeping with the can-do philosophy, all our projects will be documented and will eventually be linked through a satellite hook up so people who donate can log on and watch LIVE how there donations are making an impact. We will soon have press releases going out but in the mean time we could really use your help to help us spread the word. If you can make a donation great!!! (here's the link- https://secure.can-do.org/ If you cant, all we ask is that you please circulate the links below so we can continue doing what we do... CAN-DO is a registered 501c3 so all donations are tax deductible.
Your help is greatly appreciated!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D__yFDBIR_4
www.can-do.org

Meggio aka: "Algae Girl"
Aaron Wolf Baum aka: Dr. Friendly (Alge biofuels)
http://www.chlorophyllcollective.org
http://tribes.tribe.net/chlorophyllcollective
http://www.insidegreentech.com/1224/algae-biofuel-of-the-future
======================
Captain Sweep (Security and Prosperity Partnership of N America)
On August 15th, 2007 there was a forum held in Victoria, BC, to educate the public on the North American Security and Prosperity Partnership Agreement between Canada, The U.S. and Mexico signed in May of 2005 by the leaders of Mexico, the US and Canada. Captain Sweep hosts his First Web-TV Show called Wake Up Calls and Episode # 1 is to bring attention to what is covered in this forum put on by a coalition of the Victoria Peace Coalition, The Victoria Seniors and the Victoria Chapter of the Council of Canadians. There are 4 speakers: Connie Fogal (The Leader of the Canadian Action Party); Bo Filter(social scientist and author); Bob Hansen, (Nanaimo representative of the Council of Canadians); Denise Savoie(the Victoria MP). The Wake Up Call Web TV show is an alternative media medium to bring attention to those issues that concern us all and yet the mainstream media does not cover or only does so from a limited perspective. Signed in May of 2005 between Martin, Bush, and Fox, the North American Security and Prosperity Partnership Agreement had no public consultation. Over 300 resolutions have been passed that severely alter the course of Canada as a nation yet no one has heard about it. On August 20th, 2007, George Bush visits Steven Harper in Ottawa in a historic 3rd meeting in regards to this agreement. Canadians are just now realizing that they have been had. This show is to wake them up about how badly the treason has been.
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-2066838713748894566&hl=en-CA
Montebello SPP Protest

Rebels Against Global Enslavement -- www.rebelsagainstglobalenslavement.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=St1-WTc1kow

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q69oW-28jc4&NR=1

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=1043433113639667516&hl=en-CA
=============================================================
Munnu Morrish (Internet for Change, Uganda)
http:www.internet4change.com/Uganda
========================================
Neal White Arrow & Maritza (The Abundance League, SF, CA)
http://www.theabundanceleague.org/
======================================
Ben Parkinson (Bringing Wealth to Wasteland in rural Africa)
http://www.nfiafrica.org
===================================================
Damien Jones ( http://www.damienjonesart.net )

Photos of Burning man - http://picasaweb.google.com/damienart/BurningMan0702
========================================
Franklino (Burning Man pics)
http://franklino.phanfare.com/album/380735
=============================
Paul Addis (accused Burning Man arsonist)
http://valleywag.com/tech/exclusive/interview-with-the-accused-burning-man-arsonist-295378.php
http://valleywag.com/tech/burning-man/the-arsonist-of-black-rock-city-speaks-295325.php
==========================================
Kelly Lambrock, New Brunswick Minister of Education, (developing the “Community Schools” concept )
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2266028687&topic=2526
==============================================
Frerieke van Bree (Umeebee)
http://www.umeebee.com/
http://beta.razoo.com/groups/umeebee

A service that makes it easy and fun to donate to children in Africa. To really get to know them! At the moment we're not live yet, an enthusiastic team of freelance professionals volunteering, trying to fund the project, but definitely working it out! See our blog for some interesting first videos! Cheers! - Fre
Hi all,we'll probably attend at the Web-of-Change conference in Canada 19-23 sept. Afterwards we're planning to do an aware-raising trip in the USA Travelling together with Peter Deitz (www.foik.org), who is about to launch his new Social Actions. Our traveldates are (flexible dates)
19 - 23 Sept Conference at Hollyhock
24 – 26 Sept Victoria
27 – 28 Sept Seattle
29 Sept – 6 oct San Francisco
7 oct – 16 oct New York, Vermont, Montreal
+/- 17 oct Fly back to South Africa
Let me know if you want to meet us or have ideas of people we should definitely meet! mail frerieke (at) gmail.com

You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete. - Buckminster Fuller
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Online Videos:
http://www.Zeitgeistmovie.com
http://www.theshiftmovie.com
Flying over mountains: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyaGqOQNCvQ

Speed Free soloing Lovers Leap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D0P9aPu51A

If Americans Knew AIPAC ADL Zionist control of America: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9g6_kV7Rw38
Ron Paul in Iowa: Clip 5: Federal Reserve, Monetary Policy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn2Gzfk6Gww
Tequila: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoLdONp-enc
Kiva.org video found near the bottom of this page: http://www.ned.com/group/neduganda/news/4/
======================================================
Web sites:

http://www.unepie.org/pc/sustain/home.htm

http://www.engagemedia.org
http://www.artcaragency.com/showcase.php?cat=dada_symbolistic_mix#
http://www.happyplanetindex.org/
================================
Goggle Earth images:

Alberta and Jim’s Action hero Training Camp in St. Bernard Parish - http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=7718+W+Judge+Perez+Dr,+Arabi,+LA+70032&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.729049,70.664062&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=29.868301,-89.872807&spn=0.001033,0.001427&z=19

Made with Love Café -http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=7718+W+Judge+Perez+Dr,+Arabi,+LA+70032&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=39.729049,70.664062&ie=UTF8&t=k&om=1&ll=29.95648,-89.989869&spn=0.001032,0.001427&z=19

==============================================
Inspiration:
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Divide and rule, the politician cries; unite and lead, is watchword of the wise.
There is nothing insignificant in the world. It all depends on the point of view.

Dream no small dreams for they have no power to move the hearts of men.

A person hears only what they understand.

He who enjoys doing and enjoys what he has done is happy.

Deeply earnest and thoughtful people stand on shaky footing with the public.

For a man to achieve all that is demanded of him he must regard himself as greater than he is.

None are so hopelessly enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free.
More Quotes: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/johann_wolfgang_von_goeth.html
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Networks:
Matador Travel
http://matadortravel.com
++++++++++++++++++
Idealist Groups –
http://www.idealist.org/groups
- allow people to meet and network, online or in person, share ideas and resources, and get involved in local or global projects.
My name is Anne, I work at Idealist.org, and I am writing to invite
you to connect with other people on Idealist who share your
interests - from finding a job or an internship, to working on an
issue that concerns you.

There's already a growing network of more than 200 groups in 50
countries. Take a look at a few examples:

Chicago Idealists
http://www.idealist.org/en/org/164363-282

Dallas-Fort Worth Careers in Nonprofits
http://www.idealist.org/en/org/164859-184

New York Idealist Network
http://www.idealist.org/en/org/167306-129

Your Campus Is Broken (and How to Fix It)
http://www.idealist.org/en/org/166804-34

Open Source software - help for non-Geeks
http://www.idealist.org/en/org/167223-72

Protect San Francisco Bay
http://www.idealist.org/en/org/166998-194

Global Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation
http://www.idealist.org/en/org/166902-297

You can start an Idealist Group right now, and as soon as your group
is online, you can invite friends to join it, and you can also post
events and volunteer opportunities for your group. In addition, each
group has a forum that members can use for online discussions.

Please note that to join a group you need to be logged in on
Idealist, so you may want to log in first, and then explore the
groups at:

http://www.idealist.org/groups

Please share this message with friends and colleagues, and feel free
to write me with any questions about starting or joining an Idealist
Group.

Thanks and all the best!

Anne Lind
Action Without Borders
http://www.idealist.org
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
www.EcologyCenter.org

The Ecology Center provides information, tools, technical assistance, referrals, political strategies, and models for sustainable living. We address the public need for non-commercial information about ecologically-sensitive practices and the numerous toxic threats to society and the environment.

++++++++++++++++

Events:
Rex Foundation Black Tie-Dye Ball
Thursday, October 4th, at The Fillmore in San Francisco
Go to: http://www.rexfoundation.org/NRPS9_07.html

Dear Friends,
Take out your calendars and get on board the Rex Musical Caravan to enjoy great music and connections on the East and West coasts, all in support of the Rex Foundation. The following events bring to life another whole dimension of the Rex Community Caravan, demonstrating how the musical community of performers and fans are helping further what the Grateful Dead started 24 years ago:
Thursday, October 4th, Rex Foundation Black Tie-Dye Ball with Dark Star Orchestra at The Fillmore in San Francisco, celebrating the special Dark Star Orchestra Rex Caravan Tour, where all shows between September 26 and October 20 include $1 per ticket sold for the Rex Foundation. Join us for a pre-concert reception with the artists, great food and connection. Click here for details .
Thursday, October 4th, Assembly of Dust with JJ Grey & Mofro, The Roxy, Boston, MA, designating $1 per ticket sold for the Rex Foundation. Click here for details.
October 4th through November 3rd, The Ryan Montbleau Band’s Patience on Friday CD Release Tour includes many shows with ticket sale contributions to the Rex Foundation. Click here for details.
Saturday, November 17th, Donna the Buffalo, Ollabelle and special guest David Gans at the Highline Ballroom in New York City, where $5 per ticket sold will be contributed to the Rex Foundation. Join us for a special pre-concert reception with the performers and great concert seats. Click here for details.
In the Works: Saturday, December 1st, Rex Foundation Benefit, San Francisco
We look forward to celebrating with you to enjoy the music and spirit of the Rex Community Caravan.
Thank you for all of your support!
Sandy Sohcot
Executive Director
++++++++++++++

Earth Flow Permaculture Design
2007-2008 Schedule of Events
http://www.earthflow.com/calendar.php

October 2007-March 2008
• Los Angeles, CA - Permaculture Design Certificate Course Series
The first weekend of each month:
October 2007-March 2008
More info here
• Part One - Oct 6 & 7, Nov 3 & 4
• Part Two - Dec 1 & 2, Jan 5 & 6
• Part Three - Feb 2 & 3, Mar 1 & 2
October 2007
• October 6/7
Los Angeles, CA:
Weekend 1 of the PDC Series
"Fire, Water, Earth & Air... New Ecology and Sacred Geometry" with L. Santoyo.
• October 6/7, 27/28
Albuquerque, NM:
Permaculture Design Certificate Course
The Permaculture Institute's Weekend Permaculture Design Course at the Center for Action and Contemplation with Scott Pittman and L. Santoyo.
• October 16
Santa Barbara, CA:
"Permaculture Design:
A Revival of Common Sense"
L. Santoyo guest lectures at the Faulkner Library, for The Sustainability Project's new adult education series.
++++++++++++

Signs of the Times:

Marjorie Cohn is a professor at Thomas Jefferson
School of Law and president of the National
Lawyers Guild.
No one can know how right these predictions are
and what's in store, but an attack on Iran would
be folly and cruelty on an unimaginable scale

Excerpt:
Barnett Rubin reported on Global Affairs blog
that one of the leading neo-conservative
institutions has "instructions" from Dick
Cheney's office to "roll out a campaign for war
with Iran in the week after Labor Day; it will be
coordinated with the American Enterprise
Institute, the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly
Standard, Commentary, Fox, and the usual
suspects.

It will be heavy, sustained assault on the
airwaves, designed to knock public sentiment into
a position from which a war can be maintained.
Evidently they don't think they'll ever get
majority support for this - they want something
like 35-40 percent support, which in their book
is 'plenty.'

Bush Plans War on Iran

By Marjorie Cohn

September 2, 2007

The Sunday Times of London is reporting that the
Pentagon has plans for three days of massive air
strikes against 1,200 targets in Iran. Last
week, Alexis Debat, director of terrorism and
national security at the Nixon Center, told a
meeting of The National Interest, a conservative
foreign policy journal, that the military did not
intend to carry out "pinprick strikes" against
Iranian nuclear facilities. He said, "They're
about taking out the entire Iranian military."

Bush has already set the wheels in motion. With
Rovian timing, Alberto Gonzales' resignation was
sandwiched between two Bush screeds - one aimed
at ensuring Congress scares up $50 billion more
for the occupation of Iraq, the other designed to
scare us into supporting war on Iran. As Gonzales
rides off into the sunset, the significant
questions are who will take his place and how
that choice will facilitate Bush's occupation of
Iraq and attack on Iran.

One name that's been floated for Bush's third
attorney general is Joe Lieberman, the
"independent" senator from Connecticut.
Lieberman, who advocates the use of military
force against Iran, was the only person Bush
quoted in his August 28 speech to the American
Legion. Bush called Iran "the world's leading
state sponsor of terrorism" and pledged to
"confront Tehran's murderous activities."

Gonzales greased the Bush/Cheney wheels for
torturing in violation of the Geneva Conventions,
illegally spying on Americans, and purging
disloyal Bushies.

Similarly, Lieberman would ensure the Justice
Department mounts a vigorous defense of a war of
aggression against Iran. And Bush would get a
two-fer: Connecticut's Republican governor would
appoint a Republican to fill Lieberman's seat,
returning control of the Senate to the GOP. A
Republican-controlled Senate would direct the
agenda, thereby furthering the Bush/Cheney plan.

Lieberman is closely affiliated with American
Israeli Public Affairs Committee. "AIPAC
leverages its power by an alliance with the
Christian Right, which has adopted a bizarre
ideology of 'Christian Zionism,'" according to
University of Michigan professor Juan Cole. "It
holds that the sooner the Palestinians are
ethnically cleansed, the sooner Christ will come
back. Without millions of these Christian
Zionist allies," Cole added, "AIPAC would be much
less influential and effective."

During the 2004 election, a 100% "AIPAC voting
record" was Lieberman's litmus test for an
acceptable presidential candidate. As the House
of Representatives was on the verge of passing a
resolution that would've required Bush to consult
Congress before attacking Iran, the AIPAC lobby
stopped it in its tracks.

Bush's WMD-hyping against Iran is déja vu in the
run-up to Operation Iraqi Disaster, where he
played loose and fast with the truth about Iraq's
alleged WMDs. His statement that a nuclear Iran
could put the region "under the shadow of a
nuclear holocaust" conjures up his images of a
"mushroom cloud" in the hype-up to Iraq.

How inconvenient for Bush that the UN
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) just
found Iran's uranium enrichment program is
operating well below capacity and is nowhere near
producing significant amounts of nuclear fuel.
The IAEA report says Iran "has been providing the
agency with access to declared nuclear materials,
and has provided the required nuclear material
accountancy reports in connection with declared
nuclear material and facilities."

Iran and IAEA agreed on a plan with a
step-by-step timetable of cooperation to settle
unresolved issues. The agreement said there were
"no other remaining issues and ambiguities
regarding Iran's past nuclear program and
activities," and characterized the accord as "a
significant step forward."

"This is the first time Iran is ready to discuss
all the outstanding issues which triggered the
crisis in confidence," said IAEA director general
Mohamed ElBaradei. "I'm clear at this stage you
need to give Iran a chance to prove its stated
goodwill. Sanctions alone, I know for sure, are
not going to lead to a durable solution"

In 2003, when Dr. ElBaradei reported there was no
evidence that Iraq was reconstituting its nuclear
program, the White House was not pleased. And as
Saddam Hussein became more cooperative with the
weapons inspector, Bush became "infuriated,"
according to Bob Woodward.

Bush's vow, "We will confront this danger before
it is too late," is the Iran incarnation of his
illegal preemptive war doctrine, which he
inaugurated in Iraq. In a clear signal he is
seeking regime change in Iran, Bush called for
"an Iran whose government is accountable to its
people, instead of leaders who promote terror and
pursue the technology that could be used to
develop nuclear weapons."

Barnett Rubin reported on Global Affairs blog
that one of the leading neo-conservative
institutions has "instructions" from Dick
Cheney's office to "roll out a campaign for war
with Iran in the week after Labor Day; it will be
coordinated with the American Enterprise
Institute, the Wall Street Journal, the Weekly
Standard, Commentary, Fox, and the usual
suspects. It will be heavy sustained assault on
the airwaves, designed to knock public sentiment
into a position from which a war can be
maintained. Evidently they don't think they'll
ever get majority support for this - they want
something like 35-40 percent support, which in
their book is 'plenty.'"

Bush/Cheney created the White House Iraq Group
(WHIG) to lead a propaganda campaign to bolster
public support for war with Iraq. The White
House decided to wait until after Labor Day of
2002 to kick off WHIG's mission. Chief of staff
Andrew Card explained, "From a marketing point of
view, you don't introduce new products in
August." Five years later, they're marketing a
new and even more dangerous product - war with
Iran. British military historian Corelli Barnett
says "an attack on Iran would effectively launch
World War III."

Our military spending has reached $1 billion
every 2-1/2 days and we are borrowing $2-1/2
billion per day. Bush is mortgaging our
children's future security and wealth. We have
lost more than 3,700 soldiers in Iraq and tens of
thousands of Iraqis have died.

We have already seen how easily Congress caves in
to AIPAC. It's up to the people. As Noam
Chomsky said, "The most effective barrier to a
White House decision to launch a war [on Iran] is
the kind of organized popular opposition that
frightened the political-military leadership
enough in 1968 that they were reluctant to send
more troops to Vietnam."

------------------------------

Marjorie Cohn is a professor at Thomas Jefferson
School of Law and president of the National
Lawyers Guild. She is the author of "Cowboy
Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the
Law." Her articles are archived at
http://www.marjoriecohn.com/.
Make war extinct.

+++++++++++++++

Humanitarian Situation Still Deteriorating in Iraq

http://us.oneworld.net/article/view/152667/1/3319

+++++++++++++

White House preparing to stage new September 11 - Reagan official

20/07/2007 13:58 WASHINGTON, July 20 (RIA Novosti) -
A former Reagan official has issued a public warning that the Bush administration is preparing to orchestrate a staged terrorist attack in the United States, transform the country into a dictatorship and launch a war with Iran within a year.
Paul Craig Roberts, a former Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, blasted Thursday a new Executive Order, released July 17, allowing the White House to seize the assets of anyone who interferes with its Iraq policies and giving the government expanded police powers to exercise control in the country.
Roberts, who spoke on the Thom Hartmann radio program, said: "When Bush exercises this authority [under the new Executive Order], there's no check to it. So it really is a form of total, absolute, one-man rule."
"The American people don't really understand the danger that they face," Roberts said, adding that the so-called neoconservatives intended to use a renewal of the fight against terrorism to rally the American people around the fading Republican Party.
Old-line Republicans like Roberts have become increasingly disenchanted with the neoconservative politics of the Bush administration, which they see as a betrayal of fundamental conservative values.
According to a July 9-11 survey by Ipsos, an international public opinion research company, President Bush and the Republicans can claim a mere 31 percent approval rating for their handling of the Iraq war and 38 percent for their foreign policy in general, including terrorism.
"The administration figures themselves and prominent Republican propagandists ... are preparing us for another 9/11 event or series of events," he said. "You have to count on the fact that if al Qaeda is not going to do it, it is going to be orchestrated."
Roberts suggested that in the absence of a massive popular outcry, only the federal bureaucracy and perhaps the military could put constraints on Bush's current drive for a fully-fledged dictatorship.
"They may have had enough. They may not go along with it," he said.
The radio interview was a follow-up to Robert's latest column, in which he warned that "unless Congress immediately impeaches Bush and Cheney, a year from now the U.S. could be a dictatorial police state at war with Iran."
Roberts, who has been dubbed the "Father of Reaganomics" and has recently gained popularity for his strong opposition to the Bush administration and the Iraq War, regularly contributes articles to Creators Syndicate, an independent distributor of comic strips and syndicated columns for daily newspapers.

Article taken from: http://en.rian.ru/

Peace & Healing ~ Janet
~ We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For ~

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Darkside:
http://www.fightglobalwarming.org/
http://www.reason8.net/affiliates/

Dead Society.... 55 minutes...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3472027511360559953&q=John+Zerzan&total=27&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

Brightside:
We see the world, not the way it is, but the way we are. – Talmud
Tell me…. http://www.thepositivemind.com/Gifs/pixfaces.gif

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Life or death opportunity for a lot of children.

2007-09-18T07:17:38Z

Opok Farm in Northern Uganda is a project in development on 300 acres of land to support 150 child-headed households by setting up a sufficiency economy village.

Through Razoo.com and ned.com I have been in contact with Linda and Christina, who are leading this project, and I am excited by their openness and heart.

Your help is needed NOW to win $10,000 for Opok farm. All you need to do is join razoo.com ... then join Opok farm ( http://beta.razoo.com/groups/opok_farm_village ) and Action Hero Network ( http://beta.razoo.com/groups/action_hero_network ).

If either group wins the grant, the money will go to support Opok Farm and it will make a huge difference... taking only a couple minutes of your time. Opok farm will be a life or death opportunity for a lot of children.

In addition to creating sewing rooms, I'm also planning to create a huge bamboo dome at the farm that will serve as a gathering place and dorm. The info about that can be read at: http://www.ned.com/group/opokfarms/news/2/

Through ned.com, we are sharing ideas about what is happening now and can be done. I've been looking for a group like this, and I'm sure they'd welcome others with new ideas and fresh energy.

These are two quotes from a thread I read today on ned.com ( http://www.ned.com/group/econo-politics/news/0/?page=4#comment80 )

"another one of Mwenda's rants I've heard about locally is about all the very young people (arrogant, inexperienced, primarily out to glorify their own experience & find themselves) coming to "volunteer" their wisdom about how the world should work, all in the name of helping Africa. Quite simply put, kids will often behave childishly, and today's young (post-high school/college age) volunteers are getting themselves labeled a pretty childishly behaving group as a whole.

I agree with Mwenda that the new fad in youth driven international grassroots "aid" is indeed showing itself to have some inherent drawbacks. Maybe the problem is in the premise that it's Africa who needs help - I don't really think it is. I think most of the Western kids who come to Africa today are looking for something, and they think they are going to find it here by "helping" Africa become more like them. Arguably what they really need to be doing is looking at what Africa has to offer in terms of lessons about what their own lives are missing.

It occurs to me the way to find the right approach is to reframe the question completely - not what can we do to help Africa and how do we make that happen, but what can Africa offer to help us improve our societies, and how do we make that happen?"

+++++second quote:

"Money isn't wealth, it's just a kind of signal which can be used to help identify good ideas and channel more resources to them. On the internet we are increasingly finding alternative ways of identifying and signalling what things are worthwhile.

And the better the network does this, the less need there is for money to be involved at all.

Most of us here at <Ned> take this idea of wealth creation via a communication network very seriously. And I think it's the heart of Christina's vision of Webbed Empowerment.

She is so right in pointing out that Africa holds lessons for our own lives. "Helping Africa" implies a linear direction: handing out or handing down. Webbed Empowerment implies multi-directional communications. When we engage we are prepared to be changed by the engagement.

Christina is right that resource flows are not just about money. How we invent ways of creating wealth by Webbed Empowerment will say much about how much wealth we can create together as people.

Mwenda asks us to consider reframing the challenges of Africa: From Despair: Poverty Reduction; To Hope: Creating Wealth.

If we take seriously Christina's ideas of Webbed Empowerment, we see that wealth creation is not only about money. Money as Phil Jones says "money is a kind of signal" and that the "peerosphere"--a term Jones coined elsewhere--is a rival communication network capable of creating wealth."

++++End of quotes+++

These are important concepts that apply to activism everywhere, and anyone who is serious about making positive change in the world is invited to take part in these discussions.

http://www.ned.com

--
Connect to evolutionary grassroots movements through bi-weekly Cor Reports -- add yourself to the Google Group at http://www.actionheronetwork.net

Action Heroes Unite!

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

favorite online videos.... take 2

2007-09-17T05:24:53Z

Reposted from: http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=2266028687&topic=2665

Captain Sweep in BC just sent me a Youtube link to Severin Suzuki giving a message to the UN, which led to another interesting video, and I started on a Youtube journey.

As a child, I imagined TV in the future would be interactive, and now here we are. What have you found that is worth sharing?

These are the last inspiring videos I've seen...

An amazing message by Severin Suzuki, daughter of Dr David Suzuki. It was 15 years ago, at the age of 13, at the UN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KY9LaxVkDM

+++++++

Edward Burtynsky is a Canadian photographer who takes pictures of landscapes. But not trees, and lakes. He takes pictures of industrial sites and factories.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZiKBKnesnU

+++++++

Flying over mountains:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyaGqOQNCvQ

Speed Free soloing Lovers Leap:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D0P9aPu51A

++++++

Postmodern Times: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7NOOBaZBjw

++++++

Is it Serious?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asqd1H4IluQ

...and this has the same words as the last part of Is It Serious, by Alan Watts, but produced by Trey parker and matt Stone: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERbvKrH-GC4

Alan Watts: A Conversation with Myself - Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aufuwMiKmE

Who am I....
Spiritual video concerning identity with the words of philosopher Alan Watts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVXEiYyZKcY&NR=1

Existence is WEIRD: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgMhUzv1l1U

++++++

Loose Change:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7866929448192753501

Zeitgeist:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5547481422995115331&q=zeitgeist&total=1178&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Depth-questions for depth chargers::re: Wasase: indigenous pathways towards action and freedom

2007-09-16T22:10:38Z

A-hey, all my relations!

The following comments come from pages 32, 35-38 of _Wasase: indigenous pathways of action and freedom_ by Taiaiake Alfred a Kanienkeha (Mohawk) depth-charger, (published 2005 by broadview press). The book is an articulation of the idea of *decolonizing* ourselves (with an emphasis on indigenous folks in canada) from the mentality that colonizes indigenous peoples globally, both in exterior and interior ways. Tho Taiaiake doesn't go much into the idea of *settlers* (or long-colonized indigenous folks originally from other portions of Mom Earth) also taking up these ways of seeing and being, he does touch on the idea here and there, and keeps doors open to all whom are moved to participate.

To Note:
i want to share these in case anyone may be inclined to such a discussion, or want to be possibly inspired in their own inclined paths of resistance. You can hear Taiaiake speak on his website videos and read various indigenous, resurgent-oriented depth speakings here: www.wasase.org Notably i am *not* indigenous (to this side of mOm Earth), yet i feel a deep comradery with folks who speak their hearts, and practice decolonizing ways; a way i myself am practicing (to mostly isolated extents, so far) and finding meaning where meaning has seemed nonexistent.

Feel free to join in and point out what you may see as any blindspots in my thinking!

Taiaiake (herein called "You") said, page 32:
"European languages, [Leroy Little Bear] explains, centre on nouns and are concerned with naming things, ascribing traits, and making judgements."
--
i note how such facilitates the machinery of colonization, how such reflects the fundamentally "in formation" society, the chain-of-command/hierarchical structure that keeps the bottom line (which most of we settlers practice ignoring and denying until we cannot avoid it any longer).

You said, page 35:
If non-indigenous readers are capable of listening...
--
i say we usually stumble upon such due to the pervasiveness of thought control not only from the state/business nexus, but also vanguard control desires of those engaged in so-called "alternative" political endeavors.

You said:
Onkwehonwe have always fought for survival against imperialism and its drive to annihilate our existence.
--
i figure you're speaking of indigenous people, generally, so i want to add that *so do we settlers*! We have always fought, except our fighting has largely, in my view, been atomized and unarticulated, drawing on intuitive rebellion rather than radical consciousness. We no longer have the memories you have, yet everywhere kids "rebell" and are thus labeled "attention deficit disordered" or "oppositional defiant disordered" (re: via the DSM IV, *the* oft quite unscientific psychiatrick bible); and everywhere workers get drunk out of their minds; and so on.

You speak of "self-termination" movement, page 36
--
Is this a formal movement, or informal? i know of various indigenous friends who are caught up in this informally (so it seems to me). It sounds pervasive in a formal way in canada...is there evidence of this formality elsewhere? Can you give me any examples i can look into?

You mention "...the Settlers...", page 37:
Why not articulate/demystify further and better say what you mean, at least sometimes? Like: *the formalized formation* we are tooled and manipulated into participating, or otherwise going along with, while our settler politics systematically *DOES NOT* pay any attention to these things (and R.D. Laing's idea called "the meta game" continues unabated).

Am i making sense to you here at all? i'm wanting to identify and at the same time demystify the situation, and bring out the truth that we settlers are *more* than this categorization; by saying that, by allowing for grey areas in the language used, more of us may (?) feel free to speak our privated-away "opinions" and avoid the familiar habit to entrench ourselves in "settler" identities.

Do you see what i'm getting at here?

You say, page 37:
"...I am with the warriors who want to beat the beast...and teach it to behave."
--
Me, i wanna radically "kiss"/massage and art it (when i'm forced to experience it, that is), as an enchanted "prince" of radicalized, non-passive, depth peace, and turn it from its present form and back into its original heart (re: kidhood heart, before the FEAR enfortressed entrenched beliefs). (recall the euro story of "the frog prince")

You say, page 37:
"It is because [young people's] identities, their cultures, and their rights are under attack by a racist government."
--
Why not attempt to demystify this more deeply? Because i see (and i recall you also saying, later in the book) that racism is only one card played in *the severely alienated mentality of statecraft*. Why not say something like this? (i figure you're trying to reach out to those whom have been so mobilized around that word, yet still, don't you think it makes more sense to more deeply demystify?)

You said, page 38:
"Some people may find it shocking and absurd for me to suggest that an Onkwehonwe community is a kind of war zone. But anyone who has actually lived on a reserve will agree with this tragic analogy on some level."
--
i see varying levels of war truths (i.e. usually covert, such as deployed via the social "sciences") THROUGHOUT "civilized" societies across the spectrum!!

Shall i back this "shocking and absurd" notion up for you, or do you already see what i'm saying?

And i want to say that i think this is a way to speak to we settlers! And find our commonalities!

Well, i'll stop for now (okay with you if i go chapter by chapter, and keep things short?).

to radical's radical sanity!
cosmic-ly crazy mutt
www.angelfire.com/folk/magixnartz/flouggindex.html

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WW3 Has Already Started or: 18 Ways To Stop The Bomb

2007-09-15T17:07:22Z

a nice resource guide with an intro … follow the links :)

chycho

"WW3 Has Already Started or: 18 Ways To Stop The Bomb"
http://www.chycho.com/?q=stopthebomb

World War III has already started.

On April 17 2006, Seymour M. Hersh, “an American Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist and author based in Washington, DC”, reported in ‘The New Yorker’ that the United States is considering the use on “bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapon, such as the B61-11, against underground nuclear sites” in Iran. This story was also carried on CNN.

It was reported that on January 7 2007, an Israeli attack squadron comprising of three IAF F-16s, each carrying “conventional munitions—as well as a single 20-kiloton nuclear bomb" on a bombing raid to Iran were turned back by “U.S. planes under threat of missile interception.”

On August 27 2007, MIT Institute Professor Noam Chomsky, is a world renowned American linguist, philosopher, political activist, author, and lecturer, published an essay on ZNet entitled: Cold War II. In this article, Chomsky concludes that Washington’s intentions to install a “missile defense system” in Europe “ratchets the threat of war a few notches higher, in the Middle East and elsewhere, with incalculable consequences, and the potential for a terminal nuclear war. The immediate fear is that by accident or design, Washington's war planners or their Israeli surrogate might decide to escalate their Cold War II into a hot one – in this case a real hot war.” To put it more simply, Chomsky is predicting Nuclear War. Terminal Nuclear War. The End Game.

Two articles this month, one by Project Censored award winning writer Dave Lindorff entitled “Was That Nuclear-Armed B-52 Flight Destined for Iran?”, and the other by Dr. Michael Salla, an international politics scholar, entitled “Was a Covert Attempt to Bomb Iran with Nuclear Weapons foiled by a Military Leak?”, are both reporting that the recent B-52 Incident in the United States was an attempt to start Nuclear War with Iran. For those unfamiliar with the story, “A B-52 bomber mistakenly loaded with six nuclear warheads flew from Minot Air Force Base, N.D., to Barksdale Air Force Base, La., on Aug. 30, resulting in an Air Force-wide investigation.”

Both, Dave Lindorff and Dr. Michael Salla, are reporting that Vice President Cheney was behind the incident. The same person who believes that "the US should not be pursuing a diplomatic path with Iran", but rather should "establish the policy and pathway to bombing Iran."

We have been lucky, according to Dr. Michael Salla, “the world has been spared a devastating nuclear war by courageous American airmen who revealed the true contents of an otherwise routine B-52 landing at Barksdale, AFB headed for a covert nuclear mission to the Middle East.” However, this appears to be just the beginning.

The people in the United States administration are planning on attacking Iran, and they are doing everything in their power to do so. When Noam Chomsky, who is known for his ability to present an unbiased perspective by using the Scientific Method, is stating that we are close to a “Terminal Nuclear War”, as in terminal cancer, we must take heed.

Why would the most distinguished linguists of all time and a world-renowned historian delve into the field of soothsaying, predicting a dismal radioactive future for us all? This seems to be absurd, until we fully grasp the implications of what the news reports linked above are stating.

We, as a world community, have come close to destroying ourselves. We are in trouble when Albert Einstein, one of the scientists “instrumental in facilitating” the development of the Atomic Bomb states: "I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones", while the people in control of the largest nuclear arsenal in the world are stating that "all options on the table".

When every leading political figures in the United States is stating that “all options are on the table”, then it is likely that nuclear weapons will be used when the United States bombs Iran “back to the stone age” as it threatened to do to a nuclear Pakistan.

Consider this: Technology is developing in such a way that it is becoming easier and simpler to create. From growing food, to making babies, to developing weapons: we are able to make them faster and better. In time, one society will always catch-up with its predecessor, especially in their technological abilities. Hence those that have at the present must be wise enough to share what is needed with those that require, and cautious enough not to flaunt or misuse things that others desire.

For us to be able to prevent this nuclear Armageddon that the United States proposes we must be as diligent as those who propose it. If they are intend on using all options to contain Iran, then we must consider all options to contain them. The first step in resisting is to educate ourselves and those that follow us. War is no longer an option if humanity is to survive.

Below are some suggestions and resources to help in bringing about a positive change:

1. Spend time with who and what you love. Surrounding ourselves with love should help us to remember the beauty of life.

2. Learn to filter and recognize propaganda. It is corporations that profit from wars, not individuals. Always apply the filter: ‘Ownership determines content.’ “If we accept that it is desirable for individuals to practice moral agency as fully as possible, then we should seek to create a different kind of media system.”

3. Your body, your voice, your mind, and your spirit are required at peace rallies for us to reach critical mass. Additional information at the following news sources: CODEPINK: Women for Peace, Raging Grannies, ANSWER Coalition, Stop War, United for Peace, Move On, Anti War, Common Dreams, bellaciao, PEJ News, OpEd News, Information Liberation , Project Censored , Information Clearing House , Global Research , Prison Planet , The Raw Story , Gush Shalom, and Truthout

4. Stop watching corporate news on TV, they do not provide information, just propaganda. Frequent legitimate unbiased news sources such as: The Real News Network, Democracy Now!, International News Net, Sub Media TV, Free Speech TV, Link TV, and Alternative Radio: Audio Energy of Democracy.

5. Stop supporting corporate education and entertainment. Learn about your rights, how society functions, what we have done, and are doing to each other and the planet. Watch and learn from movies and documentaries such as: Earthlings, America: Freedom to Fascism, A World Without Cancer, Fallujah: The Hidden Massacre, Chemtrail: Aerosol Crimes, The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror, The Future of Food, Liquid Crystal Vision, Marcus Garvey: Look for me in the Whirlwind, The Doomsday Code, Iraq For Sale, Plan Colombia, The Revolution will Not be Televised, Freedom Downtime: The Story of Kevin Mitnick, Zeitgeist, and Loose Change.

6. Learn about the financial institutions that have been established to profit from the ultimate consuming machine known as war. Watch and share: ZEITGEIST, The Movie: Part 3 of 3 (47:05), and the animated Money As Debt (47:07).

7. Stop supporting mass media that has been the voice of government and corporate propaganda and the driving force behind the recruitment, promotion, and continuation of the war agenda. Begin to acquire your news from actual people blogging and reporting on the true nature of life. News blogs such as: What Really Happened, Ya Ya Canada, Dahr Jamail's MidEast Dispatches, Desert Peace, Daily Kos, plus countless others available on the Internet.

8. Write, call, and personally contact your representatives in government ( US and Canada), demanding that they begin to represent you and your family, not corporate money. Realize that most of our representatives have not even begun to grasp the “terminal” path that we are on.

9. Not only should you be consuming locally but also producing locally. Corporations over the years have destroyed the infrastructure of local economies, but it is time for us to rebuild. Additional information at Post Carbon Institute, People and Planet , BALLE, 100 Mile diet and numerous other sources available on the Internet.

10. Reduce your dependency on oil by using public transportation and or alternative means of transportation. See Critical Mass for additional information.

11. Downsize your car and/or convert to hybrid transportation. The sooner you do this the better. This will not only save you money on fuel, it will also allow you to sell your large gas-guzzler before the rise in fuel prices reduces the value of your car to nothing. And you better hurry, because the waiting lists for hybrid cars are long and used models are selling for more then the new cars.

12. If you are working for an organization which is actively supporting war then try to find a different occupation which does not require of you to promote the destruction of humanity.

13. Begin to invest in yourself instead of Stock markets who launder money while profiting from war. Additional information for Canada at Stop Pension Plan Investments in War!

14. Begin to work with nature and not against it by learning about natural resources available in your area. Additional information at: World Changing, Planet Friendly network, and NI Business Info.

15. Make healthy eating choices. Studies have found that most bankruptcies are due to medical bills, and since the passing of the Bankruptcy Bill you will no longer be cleared of your debts if you declare bankruptcy in the US, which means that you will become a slave to the banking institutions. This will take away your freedom and force you to abide by their agendas, the main agenda of which is war.

16. Support artists against the war and boycott those that support the war. There are many artists who have officially spoken out against the war and are proactive in their attempts to bring us peace. Some of these artists are: Immortal Technique, System Of A Down , Ben Harper, Dead Prez , Dixie Chicks , Serj Tankian , Anti-Flag, Charlie Sheen , Susan Sarandon, Rose O'Donald, Banksy, Carlos Latuff , Ben Heine, Simon Regis, and even Sean Penn.

17. Participate in civil disobedience. Peace organizers are now advocating “people in the antiwar movement to move from protesting to performing acts of civil disobedience that ‘get in the way of the war machine.’”

18. Understand that we are one people occupying one planet, and that we are and will be held accountable for the actions of our governments. Learn about our history by reading books such as: Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace, A People's History of the United States, Hegemony or Survival, Wilhelm Reich in Hell, Mass Psychology of Fascism [PDF] , Pirates of the Caribbean: Axis of Hope, The Shock Doctrine, Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, and War Is a Racket written by America's most decorated general US Marine Corp Major General Smedley Butler.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Dead Society.... 55 minutes... horror flick

2007-09-13T02:30:32Z

I have not seen this movie yet... since my computer currently doesn't allow sound for google video and youtube.

Maybe scary... kind of a horror flick. El Hombre ( http://people.tribe.net/aefa3191-d5de-4cca-af88-cb9ae951c5f1 ) suggested it.

Dead Society.... 55 minutes...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3472027511360559953&q=John+Zerzan&total=27&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

Let us know what you think.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 2 replies

Global Peace Tiles

2007-09-12T20:15:46Z

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peacetiles

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

craftcycle.net

2007-09-12T19:30:05Z

Found at: http://www.ned.com/group/devarts/news/0/

"Trash: I want to get back to an area that I studied as an undergraduate, which is the way many children make their living off of dumps around the world. I am thinking that "trash tiles" -- artwork composed of recuperated items made by children at dumps -- complemented by photographs and their stories will be a powerful way to raise awareness of this issue. Less clear to me is what benefit this can be to young people, and need to figure that out. I aim to start that in 2007. I'll be doing alot of this work with Darlene Charneco and others at
http://www.craftcycle.net "

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Kiva.org

2007-09-12T18:36:02Z

Check out the video about Kiva.org found near the bottom of this page: http://www.ned.com/group/neduganda/news/4/

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Beyond Veganism. Beyond the Consumption of Domestication.

2007-09-11T23:24:31Z

"They'll be feeding us, They'll be feeding on us..."

"We will learn We will love We will work, Change each other....we will spread, we will cover the Earth, like air and water, tomorrow's blank, we'll just fill it in, with our own answers, If we're stopped we'll just start again, that's our new offer."
--Desaparecidos, from Read Music, Speak Spanish

"Eating establishes humankind's most primordial bonds with the natural world. Because it utilizes the senses, eating, more than any other human experience, brings us to our fullest and most intimate relationship with the environment. In recent generations this intimate relationship has been shattered by a food production system that has profoundly separated us from nature and from those working the land. Under the rubric of "progress" we have bought into being mere consumers, passive cogs in the alienated industrial food system. But now, more and more of us have realized that "progress" is an incomplete concept; we have begun to ask, "Progress toward what?" Once the question is asked, the response is chilling. Industrial "progress" leads us to a future of increased environmental devastation, mass starvation, social disruption, and corporate control of the seeds of the Earth. Clearly, this is not progress."
-- From Fatal Harvest

Life has become domestication. Almost the entire world populace is wrapped up into the forced prescription of a psychotropic and physically addictive linear reality. Welcome to civilization. This, and ever more of This is progress enshrined, cemented over the wild as into our being. Our very cells possess intelligence and memory. This idea has been arrived at by practitioners of many different eastern spiritualities, western sciences, quantum physics and hunter-gatherer bands. A deliberate and ingenious plot to program life at the cellular level and beyondread nano-techis being played out by those in control of the machine-like existence we are conditioned to accept. It is a myth we are enculturated into and mangled by constantly. The computer-generated reality outlined in the movie The Matrix is much closer to the world that has been devised for us than people are willing to wake up to. By teaching, no, forcing us to consume domesticationthe torture, rape, imprisonment and assimilation of plants, animals, insects, soil, habitat and wildness in every formthe heads of state and those wielding power are physically redesigning our minds and bodies. The blueprint with which they work has built within it ten thousand years of knowledge of tyrannical manipulation procedures. Nazi scientists honed, and continue to hone, their knowledge of severe forms of social and individual control to the point of extinguishing the possibility of thinking about freedom. Whoever sits at the throne of civilization knows full well what they are doing. Leftism, reformism, veganism, and all other ideologies make up integral parts of their machine. They keep us dutifully hacking away at the edges of their castle, while we never realize that we are only polishing the walls of our cage.

Their tools of control are deceptive and require of us energy, attention and the knowledge of many years of conditioning to even accept their existence. Cars, roads, farm fields, grocery stores, rocket ships, airplanes, cities, and concrete landscaping for miles and miles and miles are all absurdities. None of these things were familiar or acceptable in any way to North American tribal people when the European machine arrived on the shores. They saw through the domestication for what it was. It's high time anarchists and anyone else concerned with liberation start questioning what exactly it is we are putting into our bodies and onto the Earth.

We know the ways they mutilate our minds: television, computers, science, western religions, disease, medical technology. Let us now consider how they rape our bodies, our spirit and the living, breathing endangered wildness from which we have not yet been fully estranged. Let us now build a love and gratitude towards all life: plant, animal, insect, fungus, bacteriumrock, river, mountain, desert, forest, prairie and consume only what is necessary for existence. In loving ritual, let us experience the wisdom of the ages that can bring us back to a deep profound connection with wildness. Living beings of this planet are resisting the onslaught of civilization. With the war already in progress, we must consume and become wildness so that wildness may spread and consume us and undo all the destruction our culture has done.

Veganism: Doctrine or Dogma?
Veganism is a dogmatic and ignorant ideology that keeps us from communing with all life by creating a false dichotomy between the mutilation of plants, insects, and wild areas and the similar mutilation of our animal brothers and sisters. Noble it is to not consume the flesh of beings who have been raised as slaves, but how noble to leave plants out of our conception of living beings? How noble is it to consume "organic" crops, still planted in linear rows, fertilized and nourished by the shit of enslaved creatures? This shit contains antibiotics, and any other poisons injected into the shit's producer by its proclaimed owner. Nourishment by these means still contains linear conditioning, from the ground up. Healthy diets may or may not contain meat; this is not the question being posed. What to include in one's diet is a personal, bioregional decision which must always be respectful toward all life and mineral that is to be consumed.

The simplistic radical vegan assertion that "meat is murder" is unarguable within a certain limited ideological framework, but it really only begins to scratch the epidermis or outer layer of how the vibrational essence of all we ingest, breathe, consume and surround ourselves with affects and alters our own vibrational patterns, and hence, our mental and emotional states. Certain dietary theorists argue that schizophrenia (which afflicts more people in the Western World than cancer, diabetes and heart disease combined) is related to a protein toxemia caused by ingesting excessive amounts of tryptophane-laden beef, the chemical and hormone marinated flesh of our dead bovine slaves. Canadian psychologist Abram Hoffer observed that when the human body produces more adrenaline than it can eliminate, it begins to break down into two true hallucinogens, adrenochrome and adrenalutin. These chemicals distort and narrow consciousness, induce paranoia, and reinforce obsessive-compulsive behavior. In short, they cause schizophrenia. Consistent with what militant vegetarians have been saying for years, when animals raised in oppressive, prison-like conditions are callously slaughtered by assembly line workers, the fear and horror of their existence is released biochemically into their bodies, which we consume, and which then become a part of our own lives.

This is only one example of how civilization colonizes our minds, spirits and cellular structure by conditioning our body chemistry itself. Just as civilization and its totally repressive social order train (program) us from birth to accept a fear-ridden, schizophrenic way of "life," the domestication of our wild natures sinks in past the level of verbal conditioning, to our body chemistry, regimenting our metabolism and nervous systems, trapping us in set patterns of behavior and thought, taming us. To fully control our minds and confine our awareness the system needs to first create mental confusion in its subjects, through both psychic and dietary means. Consuming poisons will poison us, irradiated foods irradiate us, and by consuming domestication and linearity, we become domesticated and linear.

All change is due to the rearrangement or motion of energy patterns relative to each other. The vibration patterns we choose to associate withespecially with regard to domesticated or wild foodcan play an integral role in the de-civilizing process. If we recognized the true power of anything we put into our bodies, then we would choose foods with the type of energy vibrations for the level of consciousness (mental freedom) and physical adventure we would like to experience. We would choose foods that detoxify and strengthen us, and as a result, help snap the ropes of civilized, well-ordered thoughts and habits and loosen the boundaries of accepted, manufactured "reality." At this point, diet becomes not an issue of morality or "political correctness," but a part of reclaiming our lives and minds through any available means and strategies.

Wild foods alter our biochemical and molecular makeupas does the poison embalmed dead food that the system successfully sells usand almost alchemically start to reconnect us to the feral path. Wild foods will aid us in the radical act of reuniting with sources of power the system has tried to hide from us and destroy, forces and "realities" that were and are known by all primal peoples, by all of our ancestors. Wild foods help us go wild and develop circular and complete relationships with Earth and her creatures, as contrasted with the separated, linear control patterns that seem to typify western patriarchal thinking.

The ideas we're discussing here actually have very little to do with veganism, and a lot more to do with discovering who our plant and animal allies are, that is to say, the sources of energy that will give us the strength we will need to destroy this civilization.

You Are What You Eat
Slow down for a moment and put this paper aside. Reflect on your body, your limbs. Think for awhile about the processes that occur in your organs and their cells as you tell your arm to move, as you tell your fingers to turn the pages of this zine. Now, consider what is taking place
in your body when taking in cells and air from the environment. There is something that tells these cells to create our physical form. There is some intelligence within our being that organizes cells into what are our organs, our limbs, our eyes, everything we are in the material world. What is this intelligence that makes us up out of a chaotic universe and holds our cells together? We have to live in our bodies, so we might as well start thinking about how they work.

There is a functioning intelligence that makes atoms into molecules, molecules into organelles and cells, cells into organs and flesh and all of this together equals our functioning human body. This intelligence is equivalent to what motivates matter to congeal into plants, trees, animals, insects, mountains, oceans, rivers and everything else we see (some may say, "it is the brain that organizes our cells into our bodies!" To you I pose the question, what intelligence, then, tells our cells to form our brains?) Some kind of energy holds everything together. Through the life and death processes, which all involve the eating of one form by another, all matter and energy in the universe constantly ebbs and flows in and out of every existing piece of matter. Every breath of air we inhale has been shared by every plant, animal and human that has ever existed. Air pollution tells the same tale, as we take in air, full of hydrocarbon chains, smoke and tar from factories and cars, we realize the interconnectedness of all air on the planet. In the same manner with which we share air with every living thing, we also share cells with every creature and "inanimate" objects because we all eat and get eaten by one another as we have since the beginning of life as we know it. The processes of eating, drinking and breathing can all be done consciously or unconsciously. Even though we must exert deliberate energy to eat or drink, we can choose to be much more alert and aware of these many-times-daily events. The immediate reasons we should start paying attention to our bodily functions are quite clear from this perspective: as we become more aware of the universes dancing within our bodies, we can become ever closer to the way the greater universe works and the powers waiting for us within it. Like a tiny Zen garden compared to a large one, the microcosm is the same as the macrocosm.

Think about what must occur when you consume the cells of other once-living beings, plant or animal. How does your body break down and process the cells you eat? What happens to the intelligence built into the cells, DNA if you will, when it is consumed by another being? We literally become what we eat, drink and breathe. If we are constantly eating domestication in any form, drinking sold and processed water and breathing smoke and toxin filled air, then it follows that we become domesticated, processed, sold and filled with smoke and toxins. Anti-authoritarians would be wise to consume liberation, the animals and plants that live wild and free up until the moment of their death, rather than the planned linear existence of farmed plants and animals. Our cells must be liberated if our beings are to be truly free.

Enhancing Wildness Through Food Acquisition
Extrapolating from the idea that all cells have a memory and an intelligence, even the foodstuffs we acquire that have their origins in slavery may still be of value. Their value may be enhanced by the ways in which we acquire, process, handle and consume them. If we are consciously grateful for the food we consume, empathetic and aware of what oppression it may have suffered, we can let that cellular intelligence know that we wish to make a different world for all life and hence, be nourished more consciously and directly through communication between our cells and others. This can be approached from another angle. When sexual interactions occur between two or more people, the more genuine and honest the communication between the individuals, the more fulfilling and amazing the connection. When two individuals cross the line into a physical relationship, there are energetic and cellular bonds and exchanges between those individuals. Cells and energy intermingle between our bodies and the food we eat. The more loving and wild the food, the more loving and wild the person. We must learn to show the same gratitude for the food we eat and the environments that sustain us as we wish to show our lovers, families and friends. Patriarchy is evident in our beings down to the way we consume our food. It is said that the same philosophy which oppresses women also oppresses the Earth. Anarchy must encompass a constant empathetic awareness of how everything and everyone around us is being oppressed.

Food, acquired through donation, handled by loving and giving individuals and handed out to those in need, contains much nourishing potential. Virtually all of the food in supermarkets is processed and domesticated. A growing amount of it is irradiated with nuclear contaminants while our water contains a waste product of aluminum production, commonly known as fluoride. Yet, what cellular intelligence remains in this food and water? How much interaction can we have with these tortured, imprisoned cells? When we write letters to prisoners, the arrival of kind words brings a smile to a prisoner's face and warmth to their day. Although imprisoned, they still feel emotions, still yearn to be free. Could it be possible to communicate to the food we eat that we are liberators, and that we mean to put the energy we gain from them to liberating use? In the way a prisoner smiles and jokes in letters, so may plant and animal cells that have been through industrial hell enjoy our love and kindness and may even show gratitude while becoming part of us. This may be a way to put an end to the cycle of domestication. We may convert domesticated cells into wildness through our eating rituals. A father quits drinking alcohol to raise a new child, breaking a multi-generational pattern of alcoholism in his family. We can break the ten-thousand year cycle of domestication and control by quitting civilization in every way possible. The way we approach life must change radically; inherent in this change will be the liberating potential to shatter every illusion of control and domination enforced upon us.

Is there anyone who would argue that microwave food is better than food prepared by the light of a campfire deep in the woods? Liberated food -- that is, food that has been expropriated from its sterile place on the shelves of urbania/suburbia -- may experience a rush of sorts that reinvigorates the cells in the food as it's being rescued from the grips of capitalism. Maybe plants and animals hate commerce and trade as much as some of us humans. There are surely enough reports of animals and plants and climates revolting meaningfully against civilization to convince us that our allies in this war are many. We have just been taught to not consider other life as intelligent as ourselves. It is time to defy the absurd disconnection that civilization illusions over us. Tear off your masks, tear off the headphones, take a walk in the woods, remember that Cherokee warriors would stand in the forest with their backs to large trees to regenerate energy for travel and battle. There is power in this world that is autonomous and liberating. This power lies in the communion of beings beyond our silly language and species barriers. Native peoples did not learn plant identification from books, nor from trial and error. They learned the knowledge of medicine through direct communication with each individual plant. This is not a mystical ability. Truly mystical is the way civilizationthrough economics, time, TV, computer, language, media, agriculturecontrols us down to the fiber of our beings. We must start seeing through the haze and smog to embrace the connections that already exist between us and our plant, animal, insect, fungal, and bacteriological brethren.

Bon Appetite!
In life, as in death, proceed with dignity. Be attentive, locate and spread beauty wherever it may be, taking risks and neither seeking out nor avoiding death. We have nothing but illusions to get rid of. A world of joy and kindness exists under the surface of every bit of concrete. Be inspired by what can be found beneath the iron masks welded to our faces. Civilized armor weighs down our lives. Our eyes have been filled so long by darkness that waking up is like walking out of a theater into a mid-morning summer sun. The first glimpse of freedom is blinding and frightening. From there, the butterflies never leave your stomach and dreams never leave your consciousness. It's a long wild ride from domestication to liberation. About as long of a ride as it is from where you're sitting to the nearest wildlands, or if you're feeling particularly joyous, wildness is always near. It burns brightest where there are riots, revolts, and actions against the state and power structures. There are less obvious reasons why the underground is called underground; Peg Millet of Earth First!; claimed she became a cactus in the desert to avoid capture by helicopters, FBI agents with dogs and other pigs who had surrounded her and her comrades. Our wild brothers and sisters are full of gratitude for our actions to defend them and to cultivate wildness within ourselves and without. Plants, animals, insects, and all other forms of life are fighting to survive and re-grow over the concrete wasteland our civilization has wrought. Now we stand alongside them. Now we learn to communicate in whatever ways possible with these newfound comrades. Their struggles are ours. Be healthy, eat well, live well and love well. The heat of our bodies is akin to the heat of lava, magma from the outer core of the earth, full of burning energy that originates with the beginning of the universe. Let us burn within, comrades. Now we spread the fires of revolt. Bon Appetite!

* These sections are part of a larger group of essays on "domestication".

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Franklin's Burning Man pics

2007-09-11T23:02:18Z

Franklin's Burning Man pics: http://franklino.phanfare.com/album/380735

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Momma told me to "go fly a kite"

2007-09-11T22:02:01Z

Everything you need to know to sew kites from ripstop nylon.

http://www.geocities.com/gengvall/sew/sew.html

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Beyond actively listening there needs to be a spark of curiosity.

2007-09-11T19:25:03Z

Through razoo.com i found Jean, http://beta.razoo.com/members/nurturegirl

This is from her blog ( http://www.nurturegirl.net/ ):

Listening seems really important. But to go beyond that and be actively listening there need to be a spark of curiosity.

To go beyond hearing what someone has to say and be engaged in discovering them and their ideas–that reveals several things about both parties. First, that you really care and honor them as a person, which frees people to share. Second, that you have connection to what they have to say–that you see value in knowing what they are offering. Third, that you see potential of learning from them and opportunity to co-create together. Forth, that you are interested in exploring with them.

Many dialogs really are monologues cross-spoken. If someone holds in their mind what they want to say, what they want to get across, what they want to argue, what they want to push as an agenda…then the conversation isn’t really a conversation. Be co-creative in your conversations and display a good dose of curiosity.

When I went through training as a coach, one of the first exercises we did was to give advice to our partner. The second exercise was to listen. I noticed two very important things. One, that the person I listened to seemed very capable of creating their own solutions. Second, the person I listened to was energized more by being listened to then by the advice. Since then, over and over, I have witnessed the power of being curious and listening actively and deeply as it activates the creative resourcefulness in people. More than that, they seem more likely to follow through on their own ideas and solutions than on any advice I would give.

It does take some stepping back…it requires the listener to give up the idea that they have the right answer. Be curious, the person you are talking to deserves the opportunity to create solutions for themselves. What is that? Listen for it. Be curious. And you might learn something wonderful and unexpected. I have.

But don’t just take my word for it, check out these benefits of active listening from an expert:

Sometimes a person just needs to be heard and acknowledged before the person is willing to consider an alternative or soften his /her position.
It is often easier for a person to listen to and consider the other’s position when that person knows the other is listening and considering his/her position.
It helps people to spot the flaws in their reasoning when they hear it played back without criticism.
It also helps identify areas of agreement so the areas of disagreement are put in perspective and are diminished rather than magnified.
Reflecting back what we hear each other say helps give each a chance to become aware of the different levels that are going on below the surface. This helps to bring things into the open where they can be more readily resolved.
If we accurately understand the other person’s view, we can be more effective in helping the person see the flaws in his/her position.
If we listen so we can accurately understand the other’s view, we can also be more effective in discovering the flaws in our own position.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 2 replies

Invitation to Action Hero on Razoo

2007-09-08T20:07:19Z

With so many online social networks now, some may not want to join another. I'd rather spend as little time online, and only use one, but I find that each serves its purpose.

For me, tribe.net is a global network. Facebook is more local-- people I already know in person.

Razoo.com is more focused on activism. It is truely an action hero network.

Through our Facebook group, we are able to reach people who wouldn't think of themselves as "activists".

A big benefit to Action Hero groups on Facebook and Razoo is that we can message all members in a single email, which isn't an option with tribe groups, although you can do a shout out listing to all your friends. If you have an important message to get out, send it to me, and I'll forward it on to everyone in the Facebook and Razoo groups.

Razoo currently has a promotion to kick-off the site... giving away $10,000 to the group with the most support. To be entered in the contest, we must recruit 100 people to join the Action hero group on Razoo by October 1st. There is also second place prize of $2,500 , and a $1,000 third place prize.

Help get others to join and you can help decide where the money goes.

Please join us: http://beta.razoo.com/groups/action_hero_network

+++++++++++++

Action Hero Network connects a global community of activists. Developing relationships and freely sharing information and inspiration, we are finding ways to co-operate and create a better world for ourselves and future generations. Websites such as Razoo.com, Facebook and tribe.net enable us to communicate, align visions, and get organize.

Social entrepreneurship projects often need a support network. Collectively we possess all the skills and energy to accomplish our dreams. Alone we can do a lot, but together we can do anything. Feel free to use Action Hero Network to share the mission you are working on, or promote whatever is important for the well being of life on Earth.

We all have tools, opportunities and skills others are seeking. Sharing these is not a burden, it is what we are hear to do--to make a positive impact on the planet and those around us. The more we all share, the more we'll all live abundantly. The good feelings we get from finding purpose and being around other loving, caring, encouraging, helpful, joyful people is very rewarding.

As spacecreator of this web portal, I'm always collecting email addresses and inviting people to take part. By promoting one thing, I'm promoting everything. Action Hero Network is not a single organization, but is a platform to support all grassroots movements. We are all on the same team. Unity and empowerment of all people is the great challenge of our time.

If you have a message you'd like sent to our Action Hero mailing list, the bi-weekly Cor Report, forward it to cor.contact(at)gmail.com

You have access to everyone in the network and that is powerful.

Shine on!

Love,

-Corazon <3

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CNN news about Uganda

2007-08-28T14:07:06Z

This is not current... but there is still healing work to be done in Uganda.

A 6 minute video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FOnOFVloiA

I plan to make a doc in October showing how things are now and what is being done.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 2 replies

Vote Now: Globe & Mail poll about police starting a riot

2007-08-25T18:23:09Z

Globe and Mail Poll
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Over the weekend video and photo evidence was obtained showing Canadian undercover police officers dressed up as protesters, holding rocks, and trying to start a riot. Globe and Mail is conducting a poll, asking its readers if they “think there should be a public inquiry into police undercover activity during the recent Montebello Summit?”

I usually do not link these kinds of polls, however I believe that this is one of the most important issues facing Canadian sovereignty and our freedom as human beings. If you are as appalled as I am to find out that our tax dollars are being spent to hire goons to start riots at peaceful demonstrations then please visit the Globe and Mail Website and cast your vote. The poll in located about a quarter of the way down the page on the right hand side.

While deciding if these officers and their supervisors should be investigated, keep in mind that in the passed people have died in riots.

additional information available at:
Probe required into police tactics
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/249628

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Urban Legend ? :> Roid-a-cops & police brutality

2007-08-25T08:05:55Z

Roid-a-cops and police brutality on a bad judgment call
By the Toxic Reverend
http://myspace.com/toxicreverend
Who's a criminal ?
http://people.tribe.net/toxicreverend

We as tax payers put out a lot of cash to train a policeman.
They join the force, wanting to do good,help people and try to
make a difference in a very screwed up world.

Some times, I have to wonder what changes ? How do some
of them become "bad apples" and give their entire profession a
bad name ?

For a few years, I have been doing research on the effects of
the "low dose cumulative effects of toxic chemicals" with violence
and abusive behavior.

Law enforcement is not except from such toxic chemical
exposures. But they do maintain a harder "front" than most
classes of society, with the "I am fine" presentation. Their
ego's are just that way, or they probably would not be in that
profession. Think about it. They risk their lives on a daily basis
to "uphold the law". They are heroes. And as such, they are
not to prone to saying, they have a problem, of any kind.

While I was researching this issue, I became acquainted
with Mesha. . Her son had been shot 48 times by 9 San Francisco
policeman. She started The IDRISS STELLEY FOUNDATION
with the money from the wrongful death suit of her sons murder.
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeo9ewi/idrissstelleyfoundation/

Mesha was very kind and patient the times that I have called.
But the other day, she got. She admitted that yes, the toxic
chemicals could also impact a policeman's decision to use
deadly force. But then she asked what I thought might happen
when a "Toxic Victim" that is called "mentally ill" and acting out,
meets up with a policeman on steroids ?

Mesha agreed that everything that I was on about can apply
to such a situation as an unjustified police shooting. But she
also thought that steroid abuse by law enforcement is inducing
some "bad judgment calls", more than anything else. And that
these factors are being protected by the " Blue Wall of Silence".

So being an open minded hippy, I did a couple of Google
searches on the subject. After talking to Mesha about steroids
abuse and that it might play a part in police brutality and shootings.

The results astounded me. Google search terms
"police steroid abuse" and "police steroid abuse testing".

I thought I would find masses of articles about the police busting
people for it. But nooooo, I find massive articles about police
forces around the country being busted for it.

Si I tried posting "Roid-a-cops and police brutality" at
myspace. It would not post. So I sent it to a number of
friends at myspace. They could not get it to post. Though
Ken said a couple of days later that he was able to post it.
Seems there is a tracking program at myspace for censorship.

Anyway, I became rather frustrated and called Mesha. What
I have decided to do is spread a "true rumor" that dies seem
to get "their attention".

I called the Sonoma County sheriff and a captain answered
the phone. He said that the sheriff was unavailable, so I told
him that I did a Google search that shows police departments
around the country were being busted by the feds for steroid
abuse.

I told him the search terms and I could sense the panic
in his voice. I told him that the searches reveal Boston police
being busted by a federal grand jury investigation. Dallas also
came up with the search and too many others to list.

And I only went over the first ten results of the first search term
and twenty of the second. When I got to the one about president
Bush talking about steroid abuse in a State of the Union address,
I stopped. After all, Bush was talking about steroid abuse in
sports. Maybe he should have been a bit more specific and
included law enforcement. You know .... the people that enforce
the laws against such things as drug abuse.

Not that I want to snitch out the feds and risk screwing up any
investigation that they might have. I am not aware of Sonoma
County being investigated for steroid abuse. Maybe it isn't. Maybe
it is ?

What I can point out is what other police departments that
have ignored the abuse of steroids like an ostrich with it's
head in the sand have found.

While they are so bent over with their heads in the sand,
the feds sneak up and give them an exam that nobody likes.
Regardless of sexual orientation.

As the prior mentioned search reveals, it was a Federal Grand
Jury investigation that busted the Boston police department for
steroid abuse.

Maybe if all of the San Francisco MUNI bus drivers that have
to pee in a bottle for random drug screening became aware of this.
They might be able to break the censorship and warn others of
the impeding steroid exams .... or a, the investigations that have
busted so many police departments around the country.

One of my psychologists had told me that "the good and the
bad news it that I am not paranoid or delusional".

Now please excuse me .... I need to get back to editing
"Toxic Revelations" and my Myspace profile / blog. It is
my intention to post this at my blog. If I can ......

Blessings,

The Toxic Reverend
http://myspace.com/toxicreverend
Who's a criminal ?
http://people.tribe.net/toxicreverend
Cc
The IDRISS STELLEY FOUNDATION
a nonprofit organization created through the settlement of Idriss Stelley's vs. City & County and SFPD case and its
allocation to his mother Mesha Monge-Irizarry. Her only
child, 23 African American honor student was killed by
SFPD at the SF Sony Metreon on June 13, 2001, 48 shots, 9 officers, as he stood alone in an empty theater.
The Idriss Stelley's case is at the root of the
40-HR mandatory
San Francisco Police Departments
Mental Health Training,
http://mysite.verizon.net/vzeo9ewi/idrissstelleyfoundation/

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Join our network on Razoo... and help win $10,000!

2007-08-24T12:10:27Z

Razoo.com is a great new network for activists... and they have a contest to get it started.

They will give $10,000 to a group with 100 people in it by September 15th.

I don't think there are any groups with 100 people yet, and we could do a lot of good with that cash.

It could be used in Uganda this October to create amazing play spaces and feed a lot of people. We could gather in Roblito, Mexico this winter and host an international Action Hero Training Camp. Think about it, and help make it happen!

It is a serious amount of money for a couple minutes of your time... so please, join the action hero group on razoo.com: http://beta.razoo.com/groups/action_hero_network

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Rainbows mobilizing a team to Wisconsin

2007-08-24T02:18:39Z

Date: 8/22/07 7:35 AM
>
> RE: [KatrinaVolunteersHancockCounty] ARRR
> Mobilization alert!!
>
>
> PLEASE FORWARD TO YOUR CONTACTS
>
>
> www.americanrainbowrapidresponse.org
>
>
>
>
> We are mobilizing a team to Wisconsin in the
> morning. We have the full
> support and backing of Organic Valley.
>
> I have coordinated with the State Emergency Manager
> , County Emergency
> manger,FEMA regional VAL, and the State VOAD chair
> who is the lead on
> Mass Care relief efforts.
>
> Green lights the whole way.
>
> It appears we will be setting up in a community
> center or High School.
> Serving the first responders, volunteers, and
> residents. And filling
> Salvation Army RV's to serve in the field.
>
> The main need as it looks at this point is going to
> be for volunteers
> and monetary donations.
>
> We will possibly need a sizable number of warm
> bodies if it turns out how it is looking now.
>
> This may change when we see what kind of resources
> are present on the
> ground.
>
>
> We are having a face to face meeting on Friday with
> public officials.
>
> Here is the team at the moment.
>
> Ryan, Caterpillar, Jenna, Yours truly.
>
> On the ground support
>
> Clovis
> George Siemon
> Mike from OV
>
> We are going in support of farmers who supported us
> and Volunteers
> from the New Waveland Cafe who have lost their homes
> and farms due to
> the heavy flooding.
>
>
> Help On The Way!
>
>
> Aaron

www.americanrainbowrapidresponse.org
>
> please go to the site and fill out the volunteer
> application..........
> WE NEED YOUR HELP

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

U.S. vs. Iran: Cold War, Too

2007-08-13T02:10:46Z

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/27/AR2007072701694.html

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

We Are The new Civilization

2007-08-12T01:47:47Z

This came in my email today--thought it would fit in here very well:

We are the New Civilization
We are here.
We are waking up now, out of the past, to dream a bigger dream.
We are friends and equals, we are diverse and unique, and we're united
for
something bigger than our differences.
We believe in freedom and cooperation, abundance and harmony.
We are a culture emerging, a renaissance of the essence of humanity.
We find our own guidance, and we discern our own truth.
We go in many directions, and yet we refuse to disperse.
We have many names, we speak many languages.
We are local, we are global.
We are in all regions of the world, we're everywhere in the air.
We are universe being aware of itself, we are the wave of evolution.
We are in every child's eyes, we face the unknown with wonder and
excitement.
We are messengers from the future, living in the present.
We come from silence, and we speak our truth.
We cannot be quieted, because our voice is within everyone.
We have no enemies, no boundaries can hold us.
We respect the cycles and expressions of nature, because we are nature.
We don't play to win, we play to live and learn.
We act out of inspiration, love and integrity.
We explore, we discover, we feel, and we laugh.
We are building a world that works for everyone.
We endeavor to live our lives to their fullest potential.
We are independent, self-sufficient and responsible.
We relate to each other in peace, with compassion and respect, we unite
in community.
We celebrate the wholeness within and around us all.
We dance to the rhythm of creation.
We weave the threads of the new times.
We are the new civilization.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 6 replies

Love, Light and Melody

2007-08-09T22:35:41Z

Videos about dump communities:
http://braddigan.com/llm/diadeluz
http://braddigan.com/llm/index.php

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 1 reply

Conscious Media Network

2007-08-09T22:27:28Z

Lots of action hero video interviews:
http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com/home.htm

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Action Hero now on Razoo!

2007-08-09T20:49:30Z

I found Razoo through their Speed Grant on Facebook
and have now created a group there for us:

http://beta.razoo.com/groups/action_hero_network

If we get 100 members in our group by Sept 15th... we are able to get in on a $10,000 prize... which could go toward Stitch Uganda Together.

Please join this group and share the opportunity with friends. Seems like another really great network to explore and use for important work.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 3 replies

SUPPORTING WOUNDED WARRIORS - action alert Dan Millman the Peaceful Warrior

2007-08-02T16:03:59Z

Please forward & post the attached message from
Dan Millman, "The Peaceful Warrior"
http://www.danmillman.com/ :>
_____________________________________________

SUPPORTING WOUNDED WARRIORS

MOST OF US share a love of peace, and are saddened by
war in Iraq or elsewhere. We look forward to an end to violence,
hunger, cruelty. But the reality of today's world is that thousands
of young men and women have returned home with physical,
emotional, and mental wounds.

If you feel a personal connection to support our wounded
soldiers, check the following link to a website fully dedicated
to this cause:
http://www.veteransandfamilies.org/WarriorTransition.html

A SIMPLE WAY TO HELP: Last week the Presidents
Commission on Returning Wounded Warriors issued
their recommendations, which include:

1. The immediate creation of comprehensive recovery plans
to provide the right care and support at the right time in the
right place;

2. Completely restructure the disability and compensation
system;

3. Aggressively prevent and treat Post Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI);

4. Significantly strengthen support for families;

5. Rapidly transfer patient information between DoD
and VA; and

6. Strongly support Walter Reed (WRAMC) by recruiting
and retaining first-rate professionals through 2011.

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Whether you are a
liberal or conservative, a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian
or any other political affiliation, CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
to send President George Bush an email in support of enacting
all of the recommendations of the Presidents Commission on
Returning Wounded Warriors.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/

Good journeys,

Dan Millman

The Peaceful Warrior
http://www.danmillman.com/

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 2 replies

Vote for Stitch Uganda Together

2007-07-30T04:05:46Z

If you use Facebook... you can do something great for orphans in Uganda by voting for Stitch Uganda Together at: http://apps.facebook.com/speedgranting/proposal.php?pid=47

This "speed grant" will win our project $500 in the next two days if we get enough votes.

Please.... A minute of your time will turn into 5 sewing machines... which will make a lot of hammocks for homeless kids.

It is a ripple effect, starting with you, now.

Thank you!

-Cor

PS.... our group is at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2408133160

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Fact finding mission: Uganda

2007-07-28T17:47:30Z

Deborah Jones, who early on was the backbone behind the food supply for the New Waveland Cafe, gave me a DVD this time last year called Invisible Children. I was shocked. Really scary stuff.

You can see footage from the makers of this film at http://www.invisiblechildren.com/displaceMe/

and on Youtube there's lots: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=invisible+children&search=Search

Other videos:

Uganda Rising http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtNtbAajDEY&NR=1

Invisible Children of Uganda http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99yfE32gTw8&mode=related&search=

Louis D'Amore, founder of Peace Through Tourism ( www.iipt.org ), hooked me up with Torkin Wakefield, who's daughter, Devin, created Beadforlife: www.beadforlife.org ...that sells paper beads made by ladies in Gulu, Uganda, where I am planning to visit. Devin's story: http://www.beadforlife.org/media/pdfs/seattlewoman_feb07.pdf

Sarah at the Invisible Children head office in Spring Valley, CA said their organization employees about 200 in Uganda making bracelets: http://www.invisiblechildren.com/theMission/Bracelet_Campaign

I asked Sarah if they needed more help over there. She said they only have places for four non-Ugandan volunteers. Maybe that is a good thing... so the money donated goes to the people who need it, instead of shipping volunteers across the ocean.

What can you find about Uganda that could be helpful?

I am thinking about going there to create play spaces and living spaces, using domes, teepees and hammocks. Maybe we could even create a hammock making industry.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 12 replies

Inspiring YOUTUBE videos

2007-07-22T04:02:40Z

YOUTUBE is addictive...

I'm sure some of you have discovered this.

Let's make this thread a collection of our favorite videos on YOUtube.

Who'll stop the rain?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAiFCds6ziA&NR

attitude cats (I didn't stop smiling): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icWYg-gABIw

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 62 replies

Stitch Uganda Together

2007-07-18T12:17:20Z

Buskers on the Boardwalk is this weekend... starting at 10am Friday morning, and going until Sunday night!

Stephanie at The Hardman Group(they manage Market Square), donated a booth($600 value) to sell the hammocks I'm creating which will turn into sewing machines and play spaces in Uganda this fall.

I'll be there teaching dance hoop tricks and creating a public art displays using glass bottles and metal dug up from a hundred year old trash pile.

We'll also have a clothing rack and stenciling station to raise funds and awareness for Stitch Uganda Together. Bring your unwanted clothes to our booth and we'll giving them out again styled with designs and positive messages that'll make'em fresh. Have you always wanted a t-shirt that says... "enter your idea here"??? ...well here is your chance!

We are seeking plain shirts, t-shirts, pants, skirts, fleece sweaters... no fancy patterns or designs that will be hard to spray paint over. Saint John Leisure services has hired me to do this stencil art at all the playground programs in the city, so whatever doesn't get used at Buskers will be taken to the community centers or given to Romero House.

We'll have an info table at our booth too... for all the good causes and community services in our city. So far we have brochures to hand out from:

The Saint John Volunteer Centre
http://www.freewebs.com/sjvolunteer

The Family Resource Centre

Human Development Council
http://www.saintjohninfo.ca or http://www.nbinfo.ca

Gotta mission, event or offering? Wanna space to share it?

+++++++++++++++

Interested in following the progress of Stitch Uganda Together? Join our Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2408133160

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

HAVING A PARTY? Donate your returnables ... and they will become sewing machines!

For pick-up, call 635-4122(Saint John only)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

GOT AIR MILES? Aeroplan is setting up a Charitable Pooling Account to help us get to Uganda. Donate your AIR MILES and Aeroplan miles ... without a transfer fee. If you don't do something with them within the year, they might get deleted anyway. Please contact me for donation details.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hammocks are $50 and can be seen/purchased at www.actionheronetwork.net

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Circle of Nations Gathering in Quebec

2007-07-14T15:28:08Z

http://www.circleofallnations.com/

First weekend of August

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 1 reply

travel tips and links

2007-07-10T04:17:52Z

Two sets of travelers have stayed with my family at our summer home the past couple weekends, and like myself, they have been traveling most of the past ten years.

Steve and Glen from England, traveling by Rv, found me through www.hospitalityclub.org

Chris John and his pal Job have walked across the USA a couple times and have been in email contact with me 4 years, but this is the first we've met. His site is www.chrisjohn.org

Knowing how to travel is a big part of enjoying freedom. The next mass mailing I send out will offer travel tips and links. Please send me your suggestions to share and add yourself to the mailing list... the email form is near the top of www.actionheronetwork.net

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

links to look at...

2007-07-10T03:05:57Z

www.afterdowningstreet.org
www.impeachforpeace.org
www.worldcantwait.org
www.wanttoknow.info

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

The Future We Will Create: Inside the World of TED

2007-07-10T02:30:15Z

Have you seen this documentary? If not, you must see it. Put it on your Netflix or find a way to get your hands on it pronto. Here's what it says on my Netflix envelope: Hailed "the hottest gathering in the world" by Wired Magazine, TED (Technology Entertainment Design) is an annual event where an eclectic group of brilliant minds exchange bold ideas for the future." There are more than 40 guests each year and each speaks for only 18 minutes so they have just a short time to get big ideas across ... and they do. Some of the ones featured in this are Al Gore, Peter Gabriel, environmentalist Majora Carter as well as comedians, authors, musicians and innovators from around the world. It is so inspiring!!!

Each speaker is also asked to create a "wish" that all the other attendees can help manifest. You will be blown away by what these folks are manifesting in the world!!! After the documentary ends, they update many of these projects. The world is getting better every day, in every way...

Here is a link to watch a preview of this great documentary: http://www.netflix.com/Movie/The_Future_We_Will_Create_Inside_the_World_of_TED/70067274?trkid=203957

Peace and love and technological epiphanies,
Caroleeena

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 2 replies

Nobody for president

2007-07-08T21:27:59Z

What you all think about not having a head of state?

I Never hear people talk about.

The only movement I know of is Wavy Gravy's:

http://www.nobodyforpresident.org

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 2 replies

Getting on the same page.

2007-06-29T06:22:40Z

Renee Shaw of The Empowerment Channel just pointed me to a video about the Hopi message on her profile: http://people.tribe.net/b54209a9-c5f1-4b59-810f-929f0092275e?_click_path=Application%5Btribe%5D.Person%5Bb54209a9-c5f1-4b59-810f-929f0092275e%5D

Just before checking that message, I was updating www.actionheronetwork.net ...adding "We are the ones we've been waiting for."

Please post photo and links to this tribe's photo album... sharing your favorite action heroes (currently in action) and I'll add them to the main site... which is getting a make-over.

Any web designers out there wanna help?

Bedtime... good night everyone!

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Links from PlantTrees.org

2007-06-28T22:13:39Z

If anyone wants to save the planet, just stop eating meat
http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/05/the-warming-globe-and-us

A Dry Horizon for the Amazon - irreversible
Climate changes are pushing rain forests to the point of no return.
http://scienceline.org/2007/06/27/ipcc_environment_amazon_philllips

WATER WARS: Will water slake a thirst for profits? Giant moral and
ethical question. CSM, 20070628
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0625/p14s01-wmgn.html

BLACKWATER : THE SHADOW WAR
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3589824849379942402

Revealing News: Executive Secrecy, CIA Disclosures, Cyberwarfare and
More
http://www.WantToKnow.info/
070627newsexecutivesecrecyciadisclosurescyberwarfare

Fighting the Powers That Be With Free Food
http://news.sfobserver.com/news/view_article.html?
article_id=60ec5ca0420ecb7475af5cba7c1889f0

http://www.mutantfest.org AMF-XI will be held somewhere in Cascadia
south of Canada from Monday, June 25th to Wednesday, July 4th.
Directions to AMF-XI will be posted a few days before the start of
the festival. (full moon on Saturday, June 30th, new moon on July 14th.)
Autonomous Mutant Festival - basically a "squat" campout, there is zero
infrastructure (read: NATURE!), and it's completely free of charge.
Groups/Camps set up sound systems, domes, offer workshops, etc.
somewhere around Mt Shasta.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 1 reply

Forest party near Montreal, Que.

2007-06-28T20:38:29Z

Boris will be there playing. Looks inviting....

http://www.mofarlotribe.com/

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

immersivemedia.com

2007-06-28T20:29:39Z

My friend Thomas works for this company that has 360 video cameras.

Cool stuff:

http://www.immersivemedia.com/

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

U.S. economy has weakest showing in four years

2007-06-28T19:15:09Z

As I was checking me gmail account I saw this news feedline... and followed it:

http://www.reportonbusiness.ca/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070628.wusgdp0628/CommentStory/robNews/

I don't know much about how money flows. It is all magic to me. This is the comment I left after the article... I'm curious to see if it gets any reaction.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

After watching Money Masters on Google Video.... I don't know what to think about the whole money system.

I'm told 3000 local community currencies sprang up during the Great Depression.... and certainly "Time dollars" and other such local currencies are having a come back. There was just a huge conference about it in San Francisco.

Money Master is a great history lesson that everyone should watch... but of course if they showed it in schools... the kidz would loose belief in the system and feel it is a better investment to plant seeds.

The Money Masters - How International Bankers Gained Control of America:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-515319560256183936&q=money+as+debt&hl=en

Robert Newman History of oil: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7374585792978336967&hl=en

America: Freedom to Fascism ... http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1656880303867390173&total=1779&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=1

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Conscious world - it's here

2007-06-28T17:20:47Z

Observing the news and changes in the world, I'd say that the conscious world has finally arrived. On the surface it may seem like the wicked and the enemies are winning, but they're losing and fighting to remain in the top spot.

Just encouraging you all to continue being strong, motivated and strategic.

Be good.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 1 reply

livingvalues.net

2007-06-28T01:14:48Z

LIVING VALUES EDUCATION PROGRAM (Tatamagouche, NS, August 27-29,
2007)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
This is a comprehensive values education program for teachers, parents,
grandparents, childcare professionals - anyone who engages with
children to facilitate exploration, reflection and development of core
values for living. Recognized and used by UNESCO, educators note an
increase in respect, caring, cooperation, motivation and
problem-solving on the part of students. See www.livingvalues.net . Receive
a textbook appropriate to the age-level you work with. Cost: $295

All costs include registration, meals and accommodations. Please call
or see the Tatamagouche Centre website for details of these and other
great summer offerings. 1-800-218-2220 or www.tatacentre.ca

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

THE WAR ON CONSCIOUSNESS

2007-06-28T00:40:06Z

Go to: http://www.matrixmasters.com/blog/hagerty01.html

++++++++Below is what you'll find.... only easy to read.+++++++

THE WAR ON CONSCIOUSNESS

NOTE: This is an excerpt from a long essay by Paul Levy. Please click the link to read the full text http://www.awakeninthedream.com/html/

We are truly in a war. It is not the war we imagine we are in, which is the way our true adversaries want it. It is not a foreign war against a foreign enemy. It is a war on consciousness, a war on our own minds. The global war on terror that is being fought around the world is an embodied reflection in the material world of a deeper, more fundamental war that is going on in the realm of consciousness itself. . . . We have the most criminal regime in all of our history wreaking unspeakable horror on the entire planet, while simultaneously waging war on the consciousness of its own citizens - US. . . . The private interests that control our government have an incredible mind-control/propaganda machine at their disposal in the form of the mainstream media, which if not quite fully owned and controlled, is certainly under their â€œinfluenceâ€ enough to serve their underlying self-serving agenda. George Orwell once said that omission is the greatest form of lie â€“ this perfectly describes the corporate owned media of today which is nothing other than the propaganda organ of the state. The corporate world and our government are becoming indistinguishable, which is one of the hallmarks of fascism, or more accurately â€“ corporatism. . . . The corporate-mainstream media "captivates" our attention, capturing a part of our self-reflective, discriminative awareness, thereby restricting the range of our conscious awareness, which is what hypnotism is all about. Once the attention of the masses becomes entranced, the corporate/government media can then "play with" our mind. This unholy trinity of corporate/government/media can create an obsessive fixation on certain superficial events that "seize" the collective psyche. For example, it feeds the masses sensationalized stories such as Anna Nicole Smith ad nauseam so as to divert our attention from the evil that is being done behind the scenes in our name. . . . If only one person believed the propaganda-created consensus version of reality, theyâ€™d be thought of as crazy. If a small group of people believed it, theyâ€™d be thought of as a cult. When a certain critical mass of people irrationally believe this fictionalized version of reality (in our case, that Bush has been "elected" by the people) to be objectively true, however, they are considered normal. . . . Mass psychology then becomes the order of the day, as our species, animated and inspired by fear â€“ which Bush and his regime are only too happy to cultivate - reverts to the primitive psychology of the herd. A collective amnesia ensues, continually fed by a self-generating web of endless denial, as the manufactured consent is recreated anew every moment. . . . The solution to winning the war on consciousness is for us to RECOGNIZE the nature of the war we are in, which can only happen through the agency of our consciousness. Realizing that the true war we are in is an assault on our own minds is the expansion of consciousness which is itself simultaneously the solution. From a deeper, more expansive perspective, the war on consciousness is itself the very catalyst and instrument for consciousness to awaken to itself. . . . It is our turn to come together so as to render powerless these sick criminals who have been terrorizing us. We can help each other to access our intrinsic heart-centered power and collectively turn the light of truth upon them so that they have no where to hide from their lies and corruption. For "truth", to quote the infamous Nazi minister of propaganda Joseph M. Goebbels, is "the greatest enemy of the state." Bush and the private interests who keep him in power and profit richly from his actions are absolutely terrified of one thing - the truth. As the late Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis said, "Sunshine is the best disinfectant." Like pouring water on the Wicked Witch of the West in "The Wizard of Oz", when the true light of awareness is shed on what Bush and the real powers behind him are doing, their illegitimate power over us is dis-spelled as the illusion it always was.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 35 replies

Living Water Vortex Jug

2007-06-27T14:16:10Z

Check it on Torben's profile: http://people.tribe.net/18aadebb-a294-4954-bef5-421e93486a38

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Newscast from Rainbowland

2007-06-27T13:48:36Z

Nice local Arkansas broadcast:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXcZp97jiB4

:-),
<<Henry>>

_________________ <<Henry the Fiddler>> __________________

Web: http://www.htfiddler.net/

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

amazonwatch.org

2007-06-27T13:34:38Z

Dear Cory,

The last six weeks have been particularly busy ones for Amazon Watch as we organized a series of high-profile delegations to and from the Amazon. In late April and May, we took indigenous leaders to the annual general meetings of Chevron, Occidental Petroleum (Oxy) and ConocoPhillips, in San Ramon, Los Angeles and Houston respectively. The delegates made an impact at each of the shareholder meetings, engaging with sympathetic investors and leaving company management in no doubt about their determination to preserve and protect their rainforest homelands. Then, in June, Amazon Watch organized a delegation featuring the actresses Daryl Hannah and Q’orianka Kilcher to the Ecuadorian Amazon, giving them a chance to also attend the Quito opening of the Crude Reflections photo exhibit and lend their support to the 30,000 plaintiffs in the landmark class-action lawsuit against Chevron.

For the Amazon,

Atossa Soltani
Executive Director

www.amazonwatch.org

+++++++

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/05/AR2007060500665.html?nav=rss_artsandliving/entertainmentnews

Ecuador’s oil policies in the spotlight: The environmental disaster created by Chevron (formerly Texaco) was in the headlines again in June when a celebrity delegation lead by actress Daryl Hannah and Amazon Watch Youth Ambassador and actress Q’orianka Kilcher visited the affected communities and attended the Quito opening of the Crude Reflections photo exhibit, which graphically depicts the human toll of Chevron’s contamination. The delegation met and congratulated Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa for his endorsement of an alternative plan to forgo oil drilling in the Yasuni National Park, home to isolated and vulnerable indigenous populations. The government has called for a debt swap worth $350 million a year and other mechanisms to keep the oil in the ground.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://amazonwatch.org/newsroom/view_news.php?id=1388

Achuar sue Oxy: On Thursday, May 10, 25 Achuar men, women and children filed a lawsuit against Oxy in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging egregious harm from Oxy’s 30 years of dumping in the Corrientes River basin, causing death, widespread poisoning and destruction of their way of life. The historic lawsuit, coordinated by AW’s legal sister organization, EarthRights International, comes after years of fruitless talks between the Achuar and the oil major. In a likely portent of battles to come, in and out of court, Oxy’s initial response was to question the integrity of the Achuar and their supporters and deny any responsibility for the massive toxic dumping that the company knowingly carried out for decades.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://amazonwatch.org/newsroom/view_news.php?id=1376%20

Oxy shareholders question management over dumping: One week earlier, Achuar leaders attended Oxy’s annual general meeting, accompanied by Amazon Watch and actors Benjamin Bratt, Daryl Hannah and Q’orianka Kilcher. The atmosphere inside the meeting was noticeably more favorable than in previous Oxy shareholder meetings with celebrity activists all directly asking Oxy CEO Ray Irani how he proposed to meet the Achuar’s reasonable demands for clean-up and compensation. The meeting came as a new report, compiled by Amazon Watch, EarthRights International and Racimos de Ungurahui, revealed how Achuar children have harmful concentrations of lead and cadmium in their blood as a result of Oxy’s cost-cutting and substandard technology.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

http://amazonwatch.org/newsroom/view_news.php?id=1387

ConocoPhillips wavers on Amazon concessions: ConocoPhillips CEO J.J. Mulva appeared to be steering the company away from operating the company’s controversial concessions in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon. At his company’s shareholder meeting in Houston, he told indigenous leaders from Ecuador and Peru, accompanied by Amazon Watch, that political and logistical factors, as well as community opposition, meant that Ecuador had now slipped to the bottom of ConocoPhillips’ priorities and that Peru was moving in a similar direction. The news was greeted cautiously by our Amazonian partners, who insist they will stay vigilant until ConocoPhillips definitively announces that it is surrendering the concessions.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
http://amazonwatch.org/newsroom/view_news.php?id=1368

Amazon disaster dominates Chevron AGM again: Chevron CEO David O’Reilly was once again put on the spot at the San Ramon-based oil major’s annual shareholder meeting, as two leaders from affected communities in the Ecuadorian Amazon, told the meeting how Chevron misrepresented the scientific evidence heard in the landmark class-action lawsuit against Chevron in Ecuador. Meanwhile, a shareholder resolution calling on Chevron to adopt a transparent and comprehensive human rights policy received 28 percent support, an unusually high level given Chevron management’s control over company stocks. RAN executive Director Mike Brune told the CEO that RAN is joining the campaign and stands ready to help the company be a better corporate citizen.

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

Terminator Seed Ban & FBI Terror Watch List 'Out of Control'

2007-06-27T13:29:02Z

Terminator Seed Ban Proposed In Canada 05 Jun 2007 Terminator seeds, which have already been outlawed by India and Brazil, face similar treatment in Canada. Agriculture critic Alex Atamanenko introduced a private member's bill Thursday to ban field-testing and commercialization of terminator seeds, which allow the seed maker to control future generations of the plant. These seeds make use of what is generally called "terminator technology," which is one form of Genetic Use Restriction Technology (GURT)... The second generation seed fails to germinate, forcing the farmer to buy new seeds for each season.

see: http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=1073

FBI Terror Watch List 'Out of Control' 13 Jun 2007 A terrorist watch list compiled by the FBI has apparently swelled to include more than half a million names. The bureau says the number of names on its terrorist watch list is classified. A portion of the FBI's unclassified 2008 budget request posted to the Department of Justice Web site, however, refers to "the entire watch list of 509,000 names," which is utilized by its Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force. "It grows seemingly without control or limitation," said ACLU senior legislative counsel Tim Sparapani of the terrorism watch list. Sparapani called the 509,000 figure "stunning."

See: http://www.technovelgy.com/ct/Science-Fiction-News.asp?NewsNum=1073

End of exerpts from the attached e-mail.

The editor of Citizens for Legitimate Government
Lori Price can be reached at: lori@legitgov.org

TR

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Iolmisha@cs.com < Iolmisha@cs.com>
Date: Jun 14, 2007 9:41 PM
Subject: Fwd: FBI Terror Watch List 'Out of Control' 14 Jun 2007
To: anniegarrison@mac.com, bob.bobnichols@gmail.com, toxicreverend@gmail.com, chalicenew@earthlink.net, asumchai@hotmail.com

In a message dated 6/14/2007 12:15:35 PM Pacific Daylight Time, clg_news@legitgov.org writes:

Munitions Dumping at Sea By Craig R. McClain, Ph.D. 11 Jun 2007 It is no secret that the U.S. military has used the ocean as trashcan for munitions in the past. Peter discussed at the Old DSN how federal lawmakers were pressing the US Army to reveal everything it knows about a massive international program to dump chemical weapons off homeland and foreign shores. "
The Army now admits that it secretly dumped 64 million pounds of nerve and mustard agents into the sea, along with 400,000 chemical-filled bombs, land mines and rockets and more than 500 tons of radioactive waste - either tossed overboard or packed into the holds of scuttled vessels." [More at the Daily Press's in-depth coverage.]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "CLG News" <clg_news@legitgov.org>
To: "CLG News" < clg_news@legitgov.org>
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 14:53:51 -0400
Subject: FBI Terror Watch List 'Out of Control' 14 Jun 2007

Breaking News and Commentary from Citizens for Legitimate Government
14 Jun 2007
http://www.legitgov.org/
All links to articles as summarized below are available here:
http://www.legitgov.org/index.html#breaking_news
FBI Terror Watch List 'Out of Control' 13 Jun 2007 A terrorist watch list compiled by the FBI has apparently swelled to include more than half a million names. The bureau says the number of names on its terrorist watch list is classified. A portion of the FBI's unclassified 2008 budget request posted to the Department of Justice Web site, however, refers to "the entire watch list of 509,000 names," which is utilized by its Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force. "It grows seemingly without control or limitation," said ACLU senior legislative counsel Tim Sparapani of the terrorism watch list. Sparapani called the 509,000 figure "stunning."

FBI Finds It Frequently Overstepped in Collecting Data 14 Jun 2007 An internal FBI audit has found that the bureau potentially violated the law or agency rules more than 1,000 times while collecting data about domestic phone calls, e-mails and financial transactions in recent years, far more than was documented in a Justice Department report in March that ignited bipartisan congressional criticism. The new audit covers just 10 percent of the bureau's national security investigations since 2002, and so the 'mistakes' in the FBI's domestic surveillance efforts probably number several thousand, bureau officials said in interviews.

Secret Surveillance Evidence Unsealed in AT&T Spying Case --Whistleblower Declaration and Other Key Documents Released to Public 12 Jun 2007 More documents detailing secret government surveillance of AT&T's Internet traffic have been released to the public as part of the Electronic Frontier Foundation's (EFF's) class-action lawsuit against the telecom giant. Some of the unsealed information was previously made public in redacted form. But after negotiations with AT&T, EFF has filed newly unredacted documents describing a secret, secure room in AT&T's facilities that gave the National Security Agency (NSA) direct access to customers' emails and other Internet communications.

Justice Dept. wants stricter sentencing 13 Jun 2007 The Bush regime is trying to roll back a Supreme Court decision by pushing legislation that would require prison time for nearly all criminals. Republicans are seizing the administration's crackdown, packaged in legislation to combat violent crime, as a campaign issue for 2008. [Good, this means the war criminals -- Bush, Cheney, et al. are going to serve prison time!]

IAEA head: Iran attack 'act of madness' 14 Jun 2007 The head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency [International Atomic Energy Agency chief, Mohamed ElBaradei] said Thursday an attack on Iran over its refusal to freeze programs that could make nuclear weapons would be "an act of madness," an indirect warning to the United States and Israel.

Afghan official says Iran is not arming Taliban --Defense minister dismisses claim by top U.S. State Department official 14 Jun 2007 Afghanistan's defense minister on Thursday dismissed claims by a top U.S. State Department official that there was "irrefutable evidence" that the Iranian government was providing arms to Taliban rebels. "Actually, throughout we have had good relations with Iran and we believe that the security and stability of Afghanistan are also in the interests of Iran," Abdul Rahim Wardak told The Associated Press.

NGOs unveils scathing report on impact of US-led war in Iraq 13 Jun 2007 A coalition of non-governmental groups on Wednesday took the UN Security Council to task for its "shocking silence" on alleged violations of international law by US-led forces in Iraq and urged an early end to their mandate. In a scathing report, the Global Policy Forum slammed the conduct of US-led occupation forces and their Iraqi government partners who "have held a large number of Iraqi citizens in 'security detention' without charge or trial, in direct violation of international law."

Iraq imposes indefinite curfew in Baghdad: report 13 Jun 2007 The Iraqi government has announced the imposing of an indefinite curfew in the capital from 3:00 p.m. local time Wednesday (1100 GMT), in the wake of the [US] bombing of a holy Shiite shrine in the northern city of Sammara earlier in the day, state-run TV reported. The Iraqi capital has already been placed under nightly curfew, which begins at 11:00 p.m. (1900 GMT) and 6:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) every day. [Gee, there was so much more freedom in the days of Saddam Hussein.]

Senior Iraqi journalist kidnapped in Baghdad 13 Jun 2007 Police say a senior Iraqi journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad, in the latest [US] attack against the media in Iraq. Gunmen in a convoy of cars seized Filaih Wadi Mijthab, managing editor of the state-run al-Sabah daily newspaper, while he was being driven with his son in Shiite-dominated Sadr City in east Baghdad. The son and driver were not taken.

U.S. Officer: Iraqi Police Disappearing 13 Jun 2007 About one in six Iraqi policemen trained by U.S.-led forces has been killed or wounded, has deserted or just disappeared, a senior U.S. military commander says. And continuing violence is prompting officials again to increase the size of the Iraqi army - this time by another 20,000, said Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, who until recently headed the training effort.

Cholera among children in Iraq causing concern 13 Jun 2007 Five cases of cholera have been reported among children in Iraq in the past three weeks, a worrying sign as temperatures rise and the war leaves sewage and sanitation systems a shambles.

Petraeus says security crackdown working 14 Jun 2007 When Gen. David Petraeus drives through the streets of Iraq's capital, he sees "astonishing signs of normalcy" in half, perhaps two-thirds of Baghdad. "I'm talking about professional soccer leagues with real grass field stadiums, several amusement parks — big ones, markets that are very vibrant," says Petraeus, commander of the roughly 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq. The scenes provide a sign that the new strategy in Iraq is working, although many problems remain, he told USA TODAY in an interview Wednesday. [Let's see... curfews, car bombings, chlorine bombings, suicide bombings, kidnappings, assassinations and disappearing police -- all elements of 'astonishing signs of normalcy.']

Army general apologizes for tattoo strip search --National Guard soldiers ordered to remove clothes while on duty in Kuwait 12 Jun 2007 A top U.S. Army investigator has apologized to New Mexico National Guard soldiers who were ordered to strip to their gym shorts and were searched for gang tattoos while they were on duty in Kuwait.

A Failure to Protect Our Troops (The New York Times) 14 Jun 2007 The Bush administration and military leaders in Washington are always claiming that they will do anything to support American troops fighting in Iraq. That makes it all the more infuriating to learn that, for more than two years, the Pentagon largely ignored urgent requests from field commanders for better armor-protected vehicles that could have saved untold lives and limbs.

U.S. hometowns strained as police go off to war 14 Jun 2007 Police Chief Keith Hill respects Americans who have left civilian jobs to fight wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But the fact that so many of them are police officers means he's been short-staffed for years.

Panel examines Marine base water contamination 13 Jun 2007 Thousands of Marine families who lived at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina over three decades drank and bathed in water contaminated with toxins as much as 40 times over today's safety standard.

A deliberate torture policy --Politicians can no longer hide from the shameful truth behind Iraqi civilian deaths in British custody By Phil 14 Jun 2007 The House of Lords yesterday put an end to this government's shameful efforts to shirk responsibility for multiple acts of torture and abuse - sometimes fatal - of Iraqi civilians detained during the occupation of their country. The Lords held by a four-to-one majority that the Human Rights Act and the European Convention on Human Rights did apply in south-east Iraq in detention cases, including that of Baha Mousa, who died in British military custody in September 2003 after sustaining 93 separate injuries. Following yesterday's damning verdict, there must now be a full, independent and public inquiry.

American convicted of running private Afghan jail freed from prison, leaves Afghanistan 13 Jun 2007 A former American soldier convicted in Afghanistan for running a private jail and torturing terror suspects has left Afghanistan after three years in a Kabul prison, the warden said. Jack Idema, a former Green Beret, was pardoned by President Hamid Karzai in late March as part of a general amnesty. Some of the Afghans Idema imprisoned claimed they were beaten and their heads held under water.

Russians Fear Targeted Bioweapons, Ban Human Tissue Export 01 Jun 2007 The Russian Federal Customs Service (FSB) has banned the export from the country of all human medical biological materials, as of May 28th. According to the Russian newspaper Kommersant, the ban was prompted by a report submitted to Vladimir Putin that alleges "genetically engineered biological weapons" are under development in the West. The report was prepared by the FSB after investigation of the medical facilities in Russia that participate in research trials in association with Western pharmaceutical companies and universities.

Western governors are critical of new federal Real ID program 12 Jun 2007 A federal program known as Real ID that would require states to upgrade their driver's licenses to higher security standards drew scathing criticism from western governors worried about the cost of what many said was an unfunded mandate.

F-16s Respond to 'Hostile Takeover' Talk 13 Jun 2007 F-16s intercepted a small plane after officials misinterpreted a phrase uttered by the pilot as his aircraft flew over military airspace: "hostile takeover." The pilot was talking about business, the plane's owner said. But a frantic air traffic controller couldn't confirm that because the pilot had turned off his radio, said Maj. Roger Yates of the Clay County Sheriff's Department. Within minutes, federal aviation authorities scrambled the fighter jets to intercept the plane Monday evening just outside of Oklahoma City and escort it to the Clay County airport near Mosby.

N.J. High School Evacuated After Suspicious Items Found 13 Jun 2007 A high school was evacuated after suspicious objects were found in the building Wednesday, one day before final exams, authorities said. The Passaic County sheriff's bomb squad removed the items, which may have been fireworks, from Wayne Valley High School and detonated them in a safe area, sheriff's spokesman Bill Maer said.

Va. Tech panel gets Cho's mental records 14 Jun 2007 Relatives of the student gunman who killed 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus turned over his mental health records to a gubernatorial panel investigating the shootings, the panel's chairman said Thursday. Federal privacy laws governing health and student information had prevented the panel from reviewing Seung-Hui Cho's records. Panel Chairman W. Gerald Massengill had said he would go to court if necessary to obtain them.

Former White House aide must report to prison --Libby prison sentence delay denied --Judge was threatened following sentencing 14 Jun 2007 The judge in the I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial Thursday denied Libby's request to postpone prison time until after the appeals process is complete. Judge Reggie B. Walton said Libby must report to prison within the next 30 to 45 days. Libby, if he wants to, may decide to take the issue to the appellate court level. He is expected to do so. Earlier today the federal judge who oversaw I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's CIA leak trial said he received threatening letters and phone calls after sentencing the former White House aide to prison.

'This subpoena is not a request, it is a demand.' 2 Committees Subpoena Ex-Officials on Dismissals 14 Jun 2007 The Senate and House Judiciary Committees issued subpoenas on Wednesday to Harriet E. Miers, the former White House counsel, and Sara M. Taylor, the former political director, ratcheting up the pressure on the White House to cooperate with the Congressional inquiry into last year's firings of federal prosecutors.

Ex-Justice Dept. lawyer can't recall his role in controversial policies [Maybe a little waterboarding will help?] 13 Jan 2007 Another former Justice Department lawyer went before Congress on Wednesday with few answers for his Democratic interrogators and a spotty memory. Hans von Spakovsky, who's seeking a full six-year term on the Federal Election Commission, deflected questions about whether he undermined voting rights laws, saying, "I was not the decision maker in the front office of the Civil Rights Division." Time and again during his confirmation hearing, he cited either the attorney-client privilege or a cloudy memory for his purported role in restricting minorities' voting rights. Von Spakovsky couldn't remember blocking an investigation into complaints that a Minnesota Republican official was discriminating against Native American voters before the 2004 'election.'

Waxman Says GSA Chief Threatened to Retaliate After Testimony 13 Jun 2007 House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman said there is "credible evidence" that the head of the General Services Administration threatened retaliation against employees who aided a probe into her political activities. Lurita Alexis Doan has been investigated for allegedly asking GSA officials during a January briefing how they could "help our candidates," referring to Republicans, win the next 'election.'

New Bush Adviser Has Vast Lobbying Ties 13 Jun 2007 A new high-ranking adviser to President [sic] Bush will enter the White House with lobbying ties to dozens of companies seeking the federal government's help on everything from proposed acquisitions to patent disputes. Ed Gillespie, named Wednesday as the next White House counselor, is a partner in Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC, a lobbying firm whose clients include: Sirius Satellite Radio, which needs antitrust approval to acquire a rival; Qualcomm, which wants Bush to veto a federal agency's ban on imported cell phones made with its chips; and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade group trying to limit drug industry regulation. Despite the potential for conflicts of interest, Gillespie will not be forced in his new role to recuse himself from all matters related to the companies he has lobbied for, said Ken Gross, a Washington-based attorney and former associate general counsel with the Federal Election Commission.

Justice Dept. Reshapes Its Civil Rights Mission 14 Jun 2007 In recent years, the Bush administration has recast the federal government's role in civil rights by aggressively pursuing religion-oriented cases while significantly diminishing its involvement in the traditional area of race.

Bush's Poll Rating At Lowest Level Ever 13 Jun 2007 The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds that Republicans are abandoning George W. Bush, which has dropped his job-approval rating below 30 percent -- his lowest mark ever in the survey. In the poll, Bush's approval rating is at just 29 percent. 68 percent think the country is on the wrong track.

World oil supplies are set to run out faster than expected, warn scientists --Scientists challenge major review of global reserves and warn that supplies will start to run out in four years' time 14 Jun 2007 Scientists have criticised a major review of the world's remaining oil reserves, warning that the end of oil is coming sooner than governments and oil companies are prepared to admit.

Terminator Seed Ban Proposed In Canada 05 Jun 2007 Terminator seeds, which have already been outlawed by India and Brazil, face similar treatment in Canada. Agriculture critic Alex Atamanenko introduced a private member's bill Thursday to ban field-testing and commercialization of terminator seeds, which allow the seed maker to control future generations of the plant. These seeds make use of what is generally called "terminator technology," which is one form of Genetic Use Restriction Technology (GURT)... The second generation seed fails to germinate, forcing the farmer to buy new seeds for each season.

Polar bear at zoo euthanized 13 Jun 2007 Masha, one of two polar bears that came to the North Carolina Zoo in 2002 after being confiscated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service from a circus traveling in Puerto Rico, was euthanized Wednesday after exploratory surgery revealed abnormalities that had kept him in constant pain, the zoo said in a news release. Years of malnutrition and poor living conditions while being kept by the circus are thought to have initiated and exacerbated the bear's deteriorating health, according to zoo veterinary staff. Exploratory surgery this morning revealed gastric ulcers, bladder and kidney infections, pneumonia and other physical problems. The surgery additionally revealed that he was suffering neurological problems that had rendered him unable to walk or stand. He had stopped eating more than a week ago. [Circuses torture animals. DO NOT PATRONIZE THEM.]

Judge Strikes Down Bush Administration Decision On Salmon 13 Jun 2007 A federal judge in Seattle has struck down a Bush administration decision to count hatchery-raised salmon alongside their wild counterparts in determining endangered species protection. Judge John Coughenour's ruling Wednesday raises the listing for upper Columbia River steelhead from threatened to endangered.

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[Previous lead stories:] Intel chief changing 1981 security order 12 Jun 2007 The national intelligence director has won White House approval to begin revising an executive order that lays out each spy agency's responsibilities and the government's protections against spying on Americans. The Reagan-era 1981 presidential order is woven into the culture at the 16 spy agencies and spells out their powers. It also provides fundamental guidance to protect against spying on Americans, prohibitions against human experimentation and the long-standing ban on assassination.

FBI wants to mine massive database in search for terrorists 12 Jun 2007 The FBI wants to compile a massive computer database and analyze it for clues to unmask terrorist sleeper cells. The FBI is seeking $12 million in the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1 for its Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force to set up a National Security Branch Analysis Center, with 59 employees, including 23 contractors and five FBI agents. Justice Department budget documents submitted to Congress predict the center will hold 6 billion records by 2012 and "the universe of subjects will expand exponentially."

Munitions Dumping at Sea By Craig R. McClain, Ph.D. 11 Jun 2007 It is no secret that the U.S. military has used the ocean as trashcan for munitions in the past. Peter discussed at the Old DSN how federal lawmakers were pressing the US Army to reveal everything it knows about a massive international program to dump chemical weapons off homeland and foreign shores. "The Army now admits that it secretly dumped 64 million pounds of nerve and mustard agents into the sea, along with 400,000 chemical-filled bombs, land mines and rockets and more than 500 tons of radioactive waste - either tossed overboard or packed into the holds of scuttled vessels." [More at the Daily Press's in-depth coverage.]

Please forward this newsletter to anyone you think might be interested. Those who'd like to be added to the Newsletter list can sign up: http://www.legitgov.org/#subscribe_clg.
Please write to: signup@legitgov.org for inquiries.
CLG Newsletter editor: Lori Price, Manager. Copyright © 2007, Citizens For Legitimate Government ® All rights reserved. CLG Founder and Chair is Michael Rectenwald, Ph.D.

--
---- End Of Forwarded Message -----
Regards,

Tom Krohmer
Environmental Technologist

aka
The Toxic Reverend
Who's a criminal ?
http://people.tribe.net/toxicreverend

Homicide Charges For Corporations
http://www.angelfire.com/nm/redcollarcrime

The Criminalization Of Homelessness;
A Problem Becoming A Solution
http://www.angelfire.com/hi/soberskidrow/parkh.html

The Gospel of Toxic Revelations
^(Rough Draft of "abstract" is posted)^
Biological / Chemical Weapon Information, History & Treatments.
Verifiable sources and peer reviewed medical journals.
http://www.angelfire.com/in/sickbuildingsyndrome/tr.html

Please note:

The Gulf War Vets have posted
"Beyond Treason"
http://www.gulfwarvets.com

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 0 replies

90 suspected 9-11 criminal coconspirators

2007-06-27T13:23:05Z

Fuzzy sent this:

Friends of Truth, the following is excerpted from a brand new resource for 9-11 research -- www.whodidit.org . Visit www.whodidit.org for a complete list -- including photos and a brief bio -- of the top 90 suspected 9-11 criminal coconspirators.

Time is of the essence. Please share this with your friends and family.

For Truth -- Dennis "galen" Mitrzyk

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

9-11... Who really did it?
What Really Happened on 9-11?

The events of 9-11 are seared into the collective psyche of this generation. We have all been affected by the catastrophes of that fateful day, but what really happened on 9-11?

Some people believe an outlandish conspiracy theory involving 19 Arab hijackers who allegedly: commandeered four commercial jets with nothing more than their cunning, wit, resolve, hatred of America, and some box cutters; then proceed to fly these aircraft around US airspace unfettered for a total lapsed time of over an hour; on three of the planes, pulled stunning flight maneuvers beyond the capability of even expert pilots; and, managed to cause damage to their targets — one of which just happens to have been the most heavily defended building in the world — so extreme as to be in clear violation of several well understood laws of Physics, Chemistry, and Thermodynamics. This amazing conspiracy theory is even more suspicious and bizarre in that it is the one proffered by the United States Government (USG) and the 9-11 Cover-Up Omission Commission. In the 9-11 Truth Movement we call it the Official Conspiracy Theory (OCT).

Thankfully, despite the best efforts of the corporate-controlled media and virtually the entire US Congress, there are literally millions of people in this country and millions more around the world who do not believe that these 19 Arabs, as clever as they purportedly were, could have somehow suspended the laws of Physics on 9-11.

Are There Competing Conspiracy Theories?

We just observed that the official story of 9-11 is in fact a “conspiracy theory"… and a wacky one at that, one that happens to be physically impossible!

There must be another explanation, one that doesn't require us to rewrite most of Newtonian Physics. There is, in fact, another explanation that is supported by the empirical evidence, the observed events of the day. It is more than a "conspiracy theory" at this point. It has been sufficiently verified, tested, and refined to be rightly called a "conspiracy reality".

True, there are competing conspiracy "theories", but they only compete with the OCT not the conspiracy reality, as they all have anomalies, inconsistencies, improbabilities, and out right impossibilities that will keep them forever in the realm of "theory" unsupported by fact. These conspiracy "theories" that eschew the OCT only to embrace other utter nonsense (like: planes didn't hit the WTC, holograms and "video trickery" were used instead; the three WTC skyscrapers demolished on 9-11 were destroyed by exotic, space-based, directed energy beam weapons; a commercial jet really did hit the Pentagon) are in reality all part of a concerted COINTELPRO-style USG disinformation campaign designed to splinter and marginalize those of us who have solved the Rubik’s Cube of 9-11. These "theories" don't compete with what is known to be true by the vast majority of the 9-11 Truth Movement, they are deliberate and elaborate disinformation campaigns designed to make those of us who do know the truth look foolish by association.

What Is The Real Conspiracy?

Here is a synopsis of what the best and brightest researchers around the world have gleaned over the past five-plus years from the best evidence available:

* yes, 9-11 was a "terrorist" attack, but it was not perpetrated by "angry Arabs", it was a State-sponsored "inside job", a "false flag" operation planned, executed, and covered up by elements of the USG and operatives from at least two other countries… it was the greatest act of psychological warfare ever perpetrated;

* the alleged 19 Arab "hijackers" were "patsies", several are still alive, several were under the care and feeding of USG operatives and were being "trained" at CIA-operated flight schools;

* FBI field agents who discovered the plot were told by their superiors not to investigate the "suspicious Arabs in flight schools";

* no interceptor jets were launched in a timely manner on 9-11 because of the five to seven overlapping war games — "games" simulating a simultaneous hijacking of several planes — that were taking place on 9-11;

* the planes that hit the Twin Towers were most likely remotely controlled to their intended targets;

* WTC 1 and 2 (the Twin Towers) and WTC 7 were all destroyed by preplanted charges — a combination of Thermate and high-powered explosives — in controlled demolitions;

* the Pentagon was hit by a military drone painted to look like American Airlines flight 77, possibly in combination with a cruise missile;

* the cell-phone calls allegedly made from the "hijacked" flights were not possible with the technology available on 9-11 from the altitude and speed at which the jets were traveling, these calls were faked to help sell the OCT;

* the fate of United flight 93 is still up for debate at this time, it seems to have been intended to hit Congress and was likely shot down by a "rogue" air force interceptor, but some reports claim it landed in Cleveland (one way or another, all passengers are dead).

Why Kill Your Own People?

This is the toughest part for the uninitiated to understand. The people who planned and executed the treasonous, heinous crimes of 9-11 are largely drawn from a handful of people known as NeoCons. Many of these are current or former members of PNAC (Project for the New American Century). Many are disciples of Leo Strauss, a German-born, fascistic, political philosopher who taught at the University of Chicago. Strauss thought that the average person was too stupid to decide what is in their best interest and that a ruling elite should govern all of humanity.

Taking a long-term perspective, 9-11 was conceived as a "stepping stone" to eventually enable the creation of a New World Order (NWO), the ultimate goal of the ruling elite — one global, fascistic, police state in perpetual war against an unseen enemy… terrorism.

There were also several short-term objectives of 9-11: to push the USA Patriot Act through a compliant and complicit Congress; to declare war on Afghanistan and Iraq; to create a "siege mentality" in the USA and around the world; to eliminate the Constitution and in doing so eliminate Constitutional Rights and civil liberties; to dramatically increase military and "security" spending; to further divide the country; to rapidly militarize local police; to set the stage for the next "9-11"; and, ultimately, to prepare for martial law.

How Could They Keep It Secret?

Most people assume that for insiders to have pulled off 9-11 would have taken so many people that someone would have talked by now.

First of all, it seems likely that there were as few as roughly 140 people who were intimately involved in the details of 9-11. On this site, you can see pictures and a short bio of the 90 people who are highly likely to be the top criminal coconspirators guilty of the planning, execution, and subsequent cover-up of the treason and mass murder that took place on 9-11.

As far as why no one has confessed, look at it this way: everyone involved in 9-11, even those only involved in the cover-up, are guilty of crimes for which they could possibly receive a death sentence if convicted. If that isn't enough incentive to remain silent, i don't know what is! How many times has a criminal ever confessed to a crime for which they were not even a suspect?! Criminals will only confess if they're convinced they've been caught and they're willing to make a deal for leniency if they reveal their cohorts.

Furthermore, when you read the names on the list of suspected perpetrators, you'll see right away what a tight-knit little group it is. If there were even a shadow of a doubt about someone's loyalty, they would not have been invited into this cabal.

About the List of Suspected 9-11 Criminal Coconspirators.

This list was compiled after many hours of research. Many, if not most, of the people named here were very likely criminally involved in the planning, execution, and cover-up of the crimes of 9-11 — crimes which include mass murder, accessory to mass murder, and treason. There is a slim possibility that a few people named here should not be on this list. If evidence surfaces that would exonerate someone named here, their name will be removed.

Clearly, there are people who were involved who are not on this list; for instance, the people on the small team of demolition experts who actually wired WTC 1, 2, and 7 for demolition. We won't have a final verdict on all of the perpetrators until a new and fully independent 9-11 investigation is launched that has the ability to subpoena documents and question suspects under oath.

If you would like to offer someone to be added to the list of suspected perpetrators, you can submit pertinent information to contact@whodidit.org.

Please note: In an effort to reclaim the meaning of certain highly-charged words, the word "defense" has been replaced by the word "war" in all USG department names, position titles, and policy boards. For instance, "Secretary of Defense" is retitled "Secretary of War" to more accurately reflect the true nature of the position.

Analysis of the Suspected 9-11 Criminal Coconspirators.

Of the 90 people named on the list of Suspected 9-11 Criminal Coconspirators there are:

19 current or former members of George W. Bush's White House (21.1%);
4 current or former members of Congress (4.4%);
6 current or former FBI agents or officials (6.6%);
6 current or former CIA agents or officials (6.6%);
5 current or former officials of New York (5.5%);
10 current or former high-ranking USG military commanders (11.1%);
12 current or former USG officials (not included above) (13.3%);
11 current or former members of PNAC (12.2%);
12 consultants, lobbyists, or members of a "think tank" (not including PNAC) (13.3%);
12 engineers (13.3%);
30 current or former corporate executives (33.3%);
3 senior "statesmen" (3.3%);
5 members of the Bush family (5.5%);
1 Canadian (1.1%);
1 Pakistani (1.1%);
2 Arabs (2.2%);
2 Brits (2.2%);
4 known or suspected Mossad agents (4.4%);
13 people who hold "dual citizenship" (14.4%); and
17 Israelis (including people with "dual citizenship" noted above) (18.9%).

Note: Since the same person can be counted in more than one category, the tally above will not add up to 90 and the percentages will not total to 100%.

What Can We Do?

Once you know the truth of what really happened on 9-11 and you realize that a handful of people at the highest levels of the USG and the corporate world committed mass murder and treason on 9-11, it's impossible to simply look the other way and carry on as if the OCT fairy tale were true.

The perpetrators of the "false flag" attack of 9-11 committed an abominable crime and have, so far, escaped prosecution. If they are not removed from power in the very near future it is virtually assured that they will do another 9-11-style attack. The biggest difference is the next one will be much worse, most likely involving a nuclear device, and the outcome will be much worse as well. Expect the following: casualties in the tens, if not hundreds, of thousands; an immediate declaration of martial law; the total suspension of the constitution and all civil rights; the abolition of Congress; and the hasty coronation of George W. Bush as Dictator of the Americas.

Don't let anybody tell you, "One person can't make a difference"! Tell your friends and family the uncomfortable truth about 9-11. Pass out copies of dvds like "9-11 Mysteries". Organize talks about 9-11 in your community. Demand your elected officials launch a new and independent investigation of 9-11. Vote for 9-11 Truth Candidates for public office. Individually and together we can, must, and will see that the perpetrators of 9-11 are removed from power and brought to justice.

Suspected 9-11 Criminal Coconspirators

George W. Bush — eldest son of Bush crime family; guilty of election fraud in 2000, 2004; guilty of war crimes, war profiteering, treason, crimes against humanity; likely signed-off on 9-11 plot

Dick Cheney — former PNAC member; guilty of war profiteering, treason; was in bunker on 9-11 directing several "war games"; lied to 9-11 Omission Commission about timing of 9-11 activities

Donald Rumsfeld — former Secretary of War and PNAC member; close friend of Cheney; was at Pentagon on 9-11; once slipped and said "when that missile hit the Pentagon"

Paul Wolfowitz — Deputy Secretary of War on 9-11; "dual citizen" of US and Israel; Zionist; investigated for spying for Israel; former PNAC member; chief architect of Iraq war; forced to resign in World Bank scandal

Richard Perle — former assistant Secretary of War, chairman War Policy Board, and PNAC member; "dual citizen" of US and Israel; Zionist; allegedly gave $100,000 to head of Pakistan's ISI, Mahmoud Ahmad; nicknamed "Prince of Darkness"

Douglas Feith — effectively in command, with Wolfowitz, of War Department on 9-11; Undersecretary of War for Policy; "dual citizen" of US and Israel; Zionist; investigated for spying for Israel; former PNAC member

Dov Zakheim — Pentagon comptroller when trillion dollars reported missing on 9-10-01; "dual citizen" of US and Israel; Zionist; Shul Rabbi; former CFR member; former CEO of fly-by-remote manufacturer; reputed 9-11 mastermind

George Tenet — director of the CIA on 9-11; was awarded the "Medal of Freedom" by Bush for his fine work on 9-11; reported to be "dual citizen" of US and Israel

Robert Mueller — FBI director on 9-11; under his "leadership" FBI field agents’ warnings of an imminent attack were stifled

Thomas Pickard — took over the job of FBI director from Louis Freeh in August 2001; held this position only for a few weeks before Richard Mueller became director; former Terror Task Force chief; John O’Neill complained about sabotage by Pickard

Dale Watson — former Deputy Chief of the CIA at the Counter-Terrorist Center; appointed Inspector Deputy Assistant Director of the National Security Division (NSD), FBI Headquarters, Washington, DC in July 1998; appointed FBI Headquarters Assistant on December 6, 1999 by the Attorney General; ignored at least four different FBI agents’ warnings including an "urgent cable" from the CIA on August 23rd about Almihdhar and Alhazmi

Dave Frasca — FBI Radical Fundamentalists Unit Chief; personally scuttled the work of Kenneth Williams in July 2001 and Coleen Rowley in August 2001, the Arizona and Minnesota FBI agents who were actively investigating "terrorist" patsies in CIA-operated flight schools

Marion "Spike" Bowman — FBI agent who thwarted FBI investigations into both Zacarias Moussaoui and the anthrax attacks on Congress

John Ashcroft — Attorney General on 9-11; protected "terrorist" patsy Abdussattar Shaikh from subpoena after 9-11; stopped flying commercial aircraft in 2001

Michael Chertoff — Assistant Attorney General on 9-11; freed over 100 Israeli spies in the US after 9-11; promoted to head Homeland Security; "dual citizen" of US and Israel; Zionist; likely Mossad agent

Colin Powell — Secretary of State on 9-11; met with General Mahmoud Ahmad two days after 9-11; former chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff; helped cover up Vietnam My Lai massacre

Condi Rice — National Security Adviser on 9-11; promoted to Secretary of State; lied to 9-11 Omission Commission while under oath

Tommy Thompson — Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary; hired Jerome Hauer, former Office of Emergency Center, on 9-10-01

Jerome Hauer — managing director of Kroll and senior adviser to US Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) for National Security and Emergency Management on 9-11; put John O'Neill at the WTC on 9-11; lied to Dan Rather on CBS News on 9-11 about the controlled demolition of WTC buildings; director of Giuliani's Office of Emergency Management from 1996 to 2000

Porter Goss — former House Intelligence Chair; was meeting with General Mahmoud Ahmad, head of Pakistan's ISI and 9-11 financier, on 9-11; promoted to Director of CIA, resigned after "hookergate"

Bob Graham — former Florida Senator; was meeting with General Mahmoud Ahmad, head of Pakistan's ISI and 9-11 financier, on 9-11; ran for President in 2004

Marc Grossman — Under Secretary for Political Affairs on 9-11; met with General Mahmoud Ahmad, head of Pakistan's ISI and 9-11 financier, on or shortly after 9-11; "dual citizen" of US and Israel

Richard Armitage — former member of PNAC, Deputy Secretary of State; met with General Mahmoud Ahmad, head of Pakistan's ISI and 9-11 financier, shortly after 9-11

Philip Zelikow — led the 9-11 Cover-Up Commission; personally wrote the 9-11 Omission Commission Report, a best-selling work of fiction; appointed Counselor of US Department of State; "dual citizen" of US and Israel

Ari Fleischer — White House spokesman for Bush on 9-11; "dual citizen" of US and Israel; connected to the extremist group called the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidics

Richard Meyers — in charge of USA air defenses on 9-11; lied to 9-11 Omission Commission about reasons for air defense failure on 9-11; promoted to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Ralph Eberhardt — NORAD Commander on 9-11; fanatical supporter of missile defense scheme, militarization of space; enthusiastic supporter of merging law enforcement and the military

Larry Arnold — NORAD Commander Major General on 9-11; has used 9-11 to push militarization of USA

Eric Findley — Canadian Air Force Major General; acting commander of NORAD on 9-11

Montague Winfield — Major General in charge of Pentagon war room on 9-10-01, the evening of September 10th he requested a rookie to stand in for him on 9-11

Richard Mies — former Admiral; ran Global Guardian "war game" on 9-11 out of US Strategic Command (Stratcom) at Offutt Air Force Base; now CEO of Hicks & Associates, a "strategic consultant" to the USG dealing in "military transformation"

Henry Shelton — Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff on 9-11; supported formation of Able Danger

Peter Schoomaker — US Army Chief of Staff; former SOCOM (Special Operations Command) chief; ran Able Danger

Geoffrey Lambert — Major General; SOCOM (Special Operations Command) Intel Chief; made Able Danger, the program that tracked patsy "terrorists", off limits to FBI

Tony Gentry — Army Intelligence and Security Command General Counsel; ordered 2.5 terrabytes of Able Danger data destroyed

Philip Odeen — as director of Program Analysis for the National Security Council, provided staff support to Henry Kissinger from 1971 to 1973; served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of War in Systems Analysis; named to chair the National War Panel in 1997; former president of Reynolds and Reynolds; former CEO and president of BDM International; executive vice president of Washington operations of TRW

Elliot Abrams — former member of PNAC, National Security Council; pleaded guilty in 1991 to lying to Congress about Iran-Contra affair; "dual citizen" of US and Israel; Zionist

Lewis "Scooter" Libby — former PNAC member; studied political science at Yale under Paul Wolfowitz; aid to Cheney; convicted for lying about outing of Valerie Plame; "dual citizen" of US and Israel; Zionist

Jack Abramoff — entertained USG "terrorist" patsy Mohammed Atta on his yacht just before 9-11; convicted criminal lobbyist; ardent Zionist

Jeb Bush — Florida governor on 9-11; declared martial law in Florida four days before 9-11; brother of George Bush; PNAC member; guilty of election fraud in 2000

Rudolph Giuliani — mayor of New York on 9-11; hailed as "hero" for his "gutsy" leadership on 9-11; allegedly involved with FEMA and former NYC Police Chief Kerik in Operation Code Angel

Bernard Kerik — NYC Police Chief on 9-11; "sidekick" of Giuliani; allegedly involved with FEMA in WTC demolition "war games" called Operation Code Angel

Eliot Spitzer — New York Attorney General on 9-11; barred his top aide, Deputy Attorney General Dietrich Snell, from testifying to Congress on Able Danger; threw out Karl Schwarz’s 9-11 synopsis

Richard Holbrooke — former US ambassador to UN; CFR member; co-chaired "Independent Task Force on America’s Response to Terrorism" in which the Official Conspiracy Theory (OCT) was promoted

John Deutch — former Undersecretary of War, director of CIA; co-authored paper, "Catastrophic Terrorism: A National Policy" with Zelikow, Ashton Carter; senior partner at Global Technology Partners, an affiliate of Rothschild North America; MIT professor; grandson of Yonah Fischer, Antwerp diamond merchant who ran Zionist Federation of Belgium

Ashton Carter — co-authored paper, "Catastrophic Terrorism: A National Policy" with Zelikow and Deutch; senior partner at Global Technology Partners, an affiliate of Rothschild North America

Abdussattar Shaikh — FBI informant to the San Diego office; helped bring "terrorist" patsies to USA; protected by Attorney General Ashcroft

Abdullah Noman — worked for the US Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; filed 10-15 visas for the patsy 9-11 "hijackers" in the Visa Express Program

Daniel Lewin — officer in elite, secret unit of Israeli military called "Sayeret Matkal"; orchestrated activities of Mossad agents in USA before 9-11; was allegedly stabbed or "shot" by highjacker Satam al-Suqami before AA flight 11 crashed into the WTC

Dominic Suter — Mossad agent; his front company, Urban Moving Systems, employed the five Mossad agents caught celebrating in New York on 9-11

Sivan Kurzberg — driver of van belonging to the celebrating Israelis; when stopped by police on 9-11, he said "We are Israelis. We are not your problem. Your problems are our problems. The Palestinians are your problem"

John Gross — one of the lead engineers for the flawed NIST report on why the WTC buildings collapsed; denies existence of molten steel at the WTC

Theresa McAllister — edited the flawed NIST report on why the WTC buildings collapsed

Ronald Hamburger — structural engineer and Senior Principal at Simpson Gumpertz and Heger consulting engineers in San Francisco; was a principal author of FEMA’s initial report on the collapse of the twin towers; later a key participant in the flawed NIST report on why the WTC buildings collapsed

William Baker — member of FEMA Probe Team; partner with Skidmore, Owings, Merrill; contributed to the flawed NIST report on why the WTC buildings collapsed

Harold Nelson — contributed to the flawed NIST report on why the WTC buildings collapsed

Ramon Gilsanz — contributed to the flawed NIST report on why the WTC buildings collapsed

Shankar Nair — contributed to the flawed NIST report on why the WTC buildings collapsed; quoted in Chicago Tribune, September 19, 2001 that "Already there is near-consensus as to the sequence of events that led to the collapse of the World Trade Center"

Gene Corley — led FEMA/ASCE WTC collapse "investigation"; was the principle investigator for ASCE and FEMA of the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Federal Office Building in Oklahoma City

Paul Mlakar — part of ASCE team that investigated both WTC and Murrah Federal building attacks

Mete Sozen — part of ASCE team that investigated both WTC and Murrah Federal building attacks

Charles Thornton — partner of Richard Tomasetti; told Karl Koch, whose company erected the WTC steel, "Karl, we all know what caused the collapse"; part of ASCE team that investigated both WTC and Murrah Federal building attacks

Richard Tomasetti — partner of Charles Thornton; reportedly behind the unprecedented and widely criticized decision to destroy most of the WTC steel evidence

unnamed — FAA manager at the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center who destroyed controllers’ tapes of 9-11

Benjamin Chertoff — 25-year-old cousin of Michael Chertoff; senior "researcher" for Popular Mechanics’ hit piece on 9-11 Truth Movement

Marvin Bush — brother of George Bush; on board of Securacom, US-Kuwaiti company paid $9.2 to manage WTC security October 1996 to 1998; on board of HCC Insurance, big WTC insurer

Wirt Walker — cousin of George Bush; principal at Securacom, US-Kuwaiti joint-venture that managed security for WTC, United Airlines, and Dulles Airport, all of which figured into 9-11

Larry Silverstein — he and partner Frank Lowy obtained 99-year lease on WTC shortly before 9-11; made several billion dollars on 9-11 insurance fraud; admitted to "pulling" WTC 7

David Rockefeller — vice director of the Council on Foreign Relations (1949-1985), vice president (1950-1970), and chairman (1970-1985); as chairman of the Downtown-Lower Manhattan Association (1958 to 1975) was primary builder of WTC complex; founder and honorary chairman of the Trilateral Commission; president or CEO of Chase Manhattan Bank, 1961 to 1981; 9-11 was the anniversary of 1973 CIA-sponsored coup plotted by David Rockefeller’s cabal and overseen by Nelson’s protégé Henry Kissinger that toppled Chile’s President Salvadore Allende

Nicholas Rockefeller — told film-maker Aaron Russo of coming catastrophic event eleven months before 9-11

Warren Buffett — was hosting golf charity event at the US Strategic Command headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha on 9-11 (Bush flew to Offutt afternoon of 9-11); world’s second richest person

Maurice Greenberg — CEO of American International Group (AIG) on 9-11 which became co-owner of the "private spy agency", Kroll Associates, in 1993 and was a major share-holder in Marsh & McClennan whose CEO on 9-11 was Maurice’s son Jeffrey; director of the New York Federal Reserve bank (1988-1995); deputy chairman of the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) in 1996; major investor in the Blackstone Group

Jules Kroll — founder of Kroll Corporation, a "security services" company which was in charge of "security" at WTC on 9-11; has close links to CIA and is active private military contractor in Iraq; Zionist

Paul Bremer — Marsh & McClennan executive on 9-11; Chairman of the Congressional National Commission on Terrorism, 1999 to 2000; US Ambassador-at-Large for Counterterrorism, 1986 to 1989; Presidential Envoy to Irag and Adminstrator of the Coaltion Provisional Authority, May 2003 to December 2004

Peter Peterson — CEO of the Blackstone Group, parent corporation of one of three lease-holders for WTC 7 on 9-11; also chairman of the CFR and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on 9-11; CEO of the Institute for International Economics in October 2000

A.B. "Buzzy" Krongard — now number three executive director at the CIA; until 1998, managed firm used to place "put options" on United Airlines which has left $2.5 million in "profits" unclaimed

Mark Loizeaux — as CEO of CDI was instrumental in "recycling" steel from WTC crime scene; CDI also buried the rubble from the crime scene of the Murrah Federal Building

Loring Knoblauch — CEO of Underwriters Labs; said that jet fuel fires were not "reasonably foreseeable"; resigned suddenly in August 2004 after UL performed tests of WTC floor models where floors did not collapse and were barely affected

Michael Cherkasky — CEO of Kroll on 9-11; former investigator in the Manhattan DA’s Office from 1978 to 1994; now CEO of insurance-firm Marsh & McClennan

Frank Carlucci — former Secretary of War; affiliated with PNAC; served as chairman of the Carlyle Group (1992-2003); on BoD of BDM International

William Kristol — PNAC co-founder; adherent of Leo Strauss; editor of The Weekly Standard; strong advocate of the Iraq war; "dual citizen" of US and Israel; Zionist

William Perry — former Secretary of War; associated with the Rothschild's banking empire through Global Technology, a Rothschild affiliate

James Woolsey — former CIA director; PNAC member; claims "incompetence" was reason for 9-11

Newt Gingrich — former Speaker of the House; PNAC member; reputed to be a member of the CFR; served on the Pentagon’s War Policy Board

Henry Kissinger — long criminal history; wanted for war crimes in several countries; sat on War Policy Board under Perle; chosen to lead 9-11 Cover-Up Omission Commission; "dual citizen" of US and Israel

George H.W. Bush — Bush crime family Don; Skull and Bones; CIA operative involved in JFK assassination; former head of CIA; son of friend shot Reagan when he was VP; war profiteer

Tony Blair — British Prime Minister on 9-11; ally and partner in crime of George Bush; London 7-7 bombings were also "false flag" operation

Pauline Neville-Jones — International Governor of BBC on 9-11; Chairman of UK Joint Intelligence Committee (1991-1994); Chairman of QinetiQ Group, a war technology company with government customers in UK and USA; Chairman of Information Assurance Advisory Council (IAAC)

Mahmoud Ahmad — head of Pakistan's ISI; had Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh wire $100,000 to lead 9-11 "terrorist" patsy Mohammad Atta

Benjamin Netanyahu — former Israeli Prime Minister; said 9-11 was "good" for US-Israeli relationship

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Matt Gonzalez @ Abundance League 6/28, 6pm

2007-06-27T13:14:16Z

Dear Leaguers,

This month we meet Thursday, June 28th at 6:00pm.

In addition to regular member announcements, Matt Gonzalez will be
visiting us to learn how people feel about current city government.
Let's think about the questions below as a place to start what should
be a fairly casual discussion:

- What are the 3 best things the city has done in the last 4 years?
- What are the 3 worst things?
- What do you want for our city?
- How can we make it more abundant?

Matt was Supervisor for SF District 5 (The Haight) and President of
the Board of Supervisors from 2000 through 2004. Many might remember
his run for Mayor in 2003 where he got 47% of the vote. He's thinking
about doing again, to win, this year. Wanna help him decide?

And as always, please come prepared to tell us about your passions,
discuss your needs, and share your gifts so that we can help each other build
the lives we want to live.

We hope to see you there. Abundantly yours,

Neal White Arrow & Maritza

MEETING INFO
What: The Abundance League Monthly Gathering
When: Thursday, June 28th, 6:00-10:00pm
Where: Doris and Harald's place
1168 Folsom Street - Unit # 304
Call 415.861.6445 if you have trouble finding the meeting
or getting in the building

TENTATIVE AGENDA

Note: this month we ask you to arrive by 6:30 if possible so that we have a
critical mass for Matt.

6:00 - 6:30 - mingle
6:30 - 7:15 - announcements
7:15 - 7:30 - break
7:30 - 8:30 - Matt Gonzalez Q & A
8:30 - 10:00 nosh, mingle, exchange support, clean up

BRING
Friends! All are welcome. And healthy food or drink for the potluck.

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Integral Life Practice

2007-06-27T13:10:11Z

From Zaadz:

Integral Life Practice will heal the fragmentation in your life, so that your practices work together. It offers greater balance, harmony, and inclusiveness through what you are already doing. Not only will you deepen your current practices, you will find new ones to complement your path -- and integrate them into a single experience. And that allows you to better be the change you want to see in the world.

http://www.integralinstitute.org/landingpages/zaadz/default.aspx

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Origins of Bob Marley's Cancer

2007-06-27T12:57:44Z

Sunshine Project
Biological Weapons Watch Dog Group
www.sunshine-project.org
Bcc: Please forward and post.

Book title;
The Covert War Against Rock (Feral House, 2000), a study of a
dozen or so rock star deaths as political assassinations.
Excerpt from the story (web page linked) with regard to

biological weapons testing and cancer:
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Get Up, Stand Up ... for the CIA: Dr. Lowell Taubman's Counterfeit Analysis of the Origins of Bob Marley's Cancer
By Alex Constantine
http://alexconstantine.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

In January 2001, I was a guest on James Whale's TalkSPORT, a
popular radio show that airs in London, to discuss my latest book,
The Covert War Against Rock (Feral House, 2000), a study of a
dozen or so rock star deaths as political assassinations. Whale
mentioned that he is a huge fan of the late Bob Marley. He was
generally receptive to the evidence I presented but adopted the
usual "devil's advocate" role when I responded to his question
regarding Marley's prolonged, agonizing death by cancer. I
explained that it was my belief, after examining events leading
to the diagnosis, that Marley had been injected with a
carcinogenic substance.

End of excerpt from:
http://alexconstantine.blogspot.com/2007_01_01_archive.html

Please note:

The Gulf War Vets have posted
"Beyond Treason", what you do not know about our
governments biological weapons programs could kill you.
http://www.gulfwarvets.com
--
Peer reviewed medical journal articles on chronic illnesses,
biological weapons and "treatment considerations", can be found at
www.immed.org

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Urban Alliance for Sustainability Playshop w/ Kachina Katrina!

2007-06-27T12:54:15Z

Urban Alliance for Sustainability Playshop

Placemaking, Restoring the Civic Ecosystem & Natural Building- Hands On

Saturday, June 30 2007
10:00am to 4:00pm

Brooks Park
Shields at Ramsell
San Francisco, CA
United States

GoogleMap: http://tinyurl.com/ypkwco
Park Info: http://www.sfnpc.org/brooksparkhistory
more details: http://www.uas.coop/node/578
RSVP at Playshop@uas.coop

Join the Urban Alliance for Sustainability for a day of practices we can apply to work in "restoring the civic ecosystem". The morning will begin with a class, Introduction to Cob Building. Materials, methods, design, and structure will be discussed and we will do hands-on building. We will study the first layer of existing cob bench in the park and plan to complete it. When the work is done we will break for a local, organic, vegetarian UAS lunch. The afternoon will follow with a discussion on how we can affect the built environment to create community spaces and cultivate a sense of place.

A UAS Playshop is like a workshop without the work, intendended to be fun, informative, and inspiring.

Cost: $15-20 donation requested, no one turned away for lack of funds

Our teachers for this event are:

Lindsay Wilson - Permaculture Designer

Lindsay started her earthen building journey with an indigenous permaculture training in 2002 with Grupo Maya. Since then, she has helped build two cob tool sheds, a cob cottage, and a cob bench, and she has helped replastering an adobe house (all in California!). Wanting to know if large earthen structures could indeed exist and last on this planet, Lindsay flew to India's international, intentional community - Auroville. There she took a seminar in Compressed Stabilized Earthen Brick (CSEB) and witnessed many amazing local structures. Other interests include herbal medicine, yoga, and group processing.

Kachina Katrina Zavalney- City Repair, Portland

As a grass-roots organizer, deeply rooted in any community she joins and works with, Katrina synchronizes with the indigenous heart beat and inspires people to achieve more. She has a gentle push that motivates people from deep inside. She loves to be involved in progressive communities that facilitate systemic change. Kachina Katrina has been referred to as a master networker, connecting broad spectrums of people together through important issues and innovative solutions. She has learned and practiced community building and organizing skills with the City Repair Project, Portland since 1999, becoming their national outreach coordinator.

About Urban Alliance for Sustainability (UAS):

UAS seeks to integrate and inspire the sustainability movement in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. By returning focus to solutions instead of problem statements, UAS hopes to activate the energy of those individuals and organizations that are feeling overwhelmed or helpless in this currently unsustainable world. For more information or to get involved, visit http://www.uas.coop.

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governmental interference with science - Cartoon Contest

2007-06-27T02:10:18Z

The lovely Leo sent this, and I voted for #10 as she said... but all the cartoons are saying the same thing... which is not so good for a contest like this... but these are signs of the times (even the "Science Idol" theme is overly mainstream to the point of stupid) ...and it seems a bunch of people have a message to share to make this point.

I wish they address these questions: What does government Fear? Why do they need to control?

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Howdy.

I beg your pardon for a moment of weirdness in
request.

A very hilarious, integrity rich, cool dad of two
superheroes, my ol' pal Jesse, is a very high
contender in a contest ending within roughly a month
from today. If you're willing to take a moment to
vote for his number ten cartoon (even if it aint yer
favorite...please read below) we can seal his deal and
get him the grand prize which will make him beserkly
happy and may even lift his political cartooning
career into something honorably fancy.
Want to?

You are nice to read thus far,
Love,
Leo

WHAT:
Help amateur cartoonist Jesse Springer win the Grand
Prize in the nationwide "Science Idol" cartoon contest
sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists.

HOW:
1. Go to
http://ucsaction.org/campaign/science_idol_2007_vote
2. Fill in the required fields (e-mail, first and last
name)
3. Check or uncheck newsletters and/or networks you
want to receive/join
4. Click the button next to "Cartoon 10"
5. Click the button at the bottom that says "Sign
Now".
You may vote only ONE time. Voting will close on
Monday, July 23, 2007 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

WHY:
The Grand Prize winner gets an all-expense paid trip
to Washington D.C. to have lunch with Pulitzer prize
winning editorial cartoonist Tom Toles. For an
aspiring political cartoonist like Jesse, this is a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

WHO:
You and as many of your friends as possible! The
competition is fully networked with MySpace, etc., so
Jesse needs all the help he can get. Please forward
this to as many of your sympathetic friends as
possible!

THE DETAILS:
This past month Jesse entered 5 cartoons in a contest
sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists called
the "Science Idol". Silly name, but a serious topic:
governmental interference with science, particularly
as it relates to public policy. Out of 400 entries, a
panel of scientists narrowed it down to 60
semi-finalists, whereupon a group of celebrity
judges-- including Doonesbury creator Garry Trudeau
and Washington Post editorial cartoonist Tom Toles--
narrowed that number down to 12 finalists. Among the
12 final cartoons, three of Jesse's cartoons were
chosen.

Here's where you come in. The Grand Prize winner will
be chosen by popular vote. In addition to having lunch
with Tom Toles, winning this nationwide contest would
raise Jesse's profile as a cartoonist considerably and
perhaps be a stepping stone towards syndication or
employment as an editorial cartoonist. As mentioned
before, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Jesse needs you (and as many of your friends, and so
on, and so on...) to vote for his cartoon and send him
to Washington D.C. Refer to the 5-step process above
to vote!

Since he has three cartoons among the finalists, it is
important that you vote for a particular one. The
Grand Prize will be awarded to the CARTOON with the
most votes, not cartoonIST. So please vote for Cartoon
#10-- the one with the caption "Political Science"--
it seems to be the most popular among informal focus
groups. Many apologies if it's not your favorite
cartoon, but if you want to help send him to
Washington, vote for that one. Only people with a
valid e-mail may vote. You may vote only one time, or
else your vote(s) will be disqualified. The last day
for voting is July 23rd.

As mentioned before, this is a tremendous opportunity
for Jesse. Some of the competition have the complete
MySpace network all dialed in, so he needs as many of
you (and your friends) to vote for him as possible!
It'll just take a moment, so do it now, and thank you,
thank you so much for supporting him in this!

One last note: If it strikes you as a little
inappropriate that the Grand Prize winner in a cartoon
contest emphasizing Scientific Integrity will be
selected through crass politicized cronyism, you're
not alone. But that is the way the contest has been
set up. In fact, in their e-mail notifying finalists
their cartoon(s) had been selected, the Union of
Concerned Scientists wrote: "Spread the word to all
your friends, family, and colleagues to vote for your
cartoon!" So there it is-- go for it without guilt!

"The greatest wisdom is in simplicity, Love, respect,
tolerance, sharing, gratitude, forgiveness. It's not
complex or elaborate. The real knowledge is free.
It's encoded in your DNA. All you need is within you.
Great teachers have said that from the beginning.
Find your heart, and you will find your way."

--Carlos Barrios, Mayan Timekeeper

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Hammocks for freedom!

2007-06-26T16:49:28Z

Yesterday, I got a sweet deal on nylon for making hammocks and bought $800 of fabric. Time to get busy on the sewing machine!

These hammocks are super strong and ultra lite!

They come with everything you need... the links and webbing straps... and it sets up in seconds.

This simple hammock will help you be more free. Sleep anywhere there are trees! Think of all the money you'll save. You don't need to pay rent... simplify your life down to a backpack and follow your bliss!

With a bug net and a tarp(a second hammock doubles as a tarp when you take out the strap), you don't need a tent. Enjoy luxurious comfort in many places where you couldn't pitch a tent... like wet forest, rocky hillsides, or city parks.

We tested them at a rock show on the weekend and they passed with flying colors. Check it: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=31545&l=366e2&id=906200533

This is how I'm raising the funds for the Uganda mission in the fall. The plan is to buy sewing machines for former child soldiers and get them making hammocks, or whatever they want to create, and this will change things for them in a big way. James from Invisible Children, who lives in Uganda, said hundreds of people in Gulu are trained with sewing skills but have no work.

These hammocks are a great gift... to yourself ...and others.

$50 each or two for $85. ...plus shipping (they are small and lite).

How many do you want?

cor.contact@gmail.com

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Festive Earthen Building Events (FEBE)

2007-06-26T15:35:42Z

During my short period of living in Atlanta, I ran into this cool cat named Ratsack who was the only other natural builder in the area that I could find. Since I last saw him, it seems that his vision for community building projects has matured into a tangible form of several manuals for others to use for themselves. Check it out!

______________________________________

http://www.yeamerica.org/febe

Festive Earthen Building Events (FEBE)

The FEBE (Festive Earthen Building Events) program involves bringing the community together around a series of festive events that culminate in the construction of a permanent artistic and functional structure, that is hand sculpted, using fun, safe, unfired earthen building techniques that are also very durable (cob, adobe, rammed earth, mud bricks). The program is a tool for individuals and teams who wish to make a positive difference in their schools or communities while promoting leadership and community empowerment.

The program is a mix of community organizing, art and science.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZING: Getting all elements of the community together, teamwork, volunteerism, making a positive difference, working together.
ART: Creating an artistic functional hand sculpted earthen structure, singing, dancing, writing, choreography, photography, audio and video recording, costumes, cooking.
SCIENCE: planning, project management, roles with responsibilities, promotion, production, advertising, event planning, event organizing, documentation, logistics, teamwork, education, unfired earthen construction technology, permaculture, shelter construction, architecture, design.

The FEBE manual has been developed for individuals and teams to lead their community through the process. It has been developed over the last 4 years with many hundreds of people in communities in USA, Mexico and Australia.

Please contact us if you are interested in bringing this to your school and or community.
ratsack@yeamerica.org

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Human music

2007-06-26T15:05:39Z

http://www.thehumanrevolution.org/media.html

Willie for Prez: http://www.thehumanrevolution.org/willie.mp3

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 1 reply

idealistas.org

2007-06-26T14:52:54Z

Hi friends,

I have a friend that works for idealistas.org, the Latin American branch of the idealist.org website. Feel free to check it out and encourage any and all Latin American nonprofit organizations to use it to their advantage for finding jobs, employees, resources, organizations, etc.

http://www.idealistas.org

dave marques in chicago

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fantastic videos

2007-06-25T15:58:30Z

from the politics tribe

http://uspolitics.tribe.net/thread/3b795c5f-bab1-4eff-b979-c76265d49e92

enjoy :-)

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 2 replies

Conference Call: Nonprofit Marketing

2007-06-25T15:52:35Z

This call happens on Friday! Please share with your organization's director, the person who does outreach, or your fundraising staff. Those whose organizations are not nonprofits will also benefit from this conversation. Hope you can join us!

When it comes to finding supporters, do you feel lost? Do you know how to get inside the heads of your donors and members and motivate them to take real action? To make a difference, we need to sell our causes, and sell them well. Katya Andresen, VP of Marketing at Network for Good and author of Robin Hood Marketing: Stealing Corporate Savvy to Sell Just Causes, will join a conference call with the Orion Grassroots Network to discuss three steps she recommends to set your organization apart and inspire people to contribute. Then she'll take your questions.

Time: Friday, June 15, 2:00pm EST
Call-in Line: (605) 772-3500
Access Code: 452001681

Email your questions in advance or during the call to:
grassroots@orionsociety.org

Visit Katya's nonprofit marketing blog to get the ideas going:
www.nonprofitmarketingblog.com

"In an era where the number of nonprofits is growing faster than the pool of charitable funding, the stakes couldn't be higher. Those with the strongest messages and the savviest marketing will have the best chance to survive and thrive."
- Matthew De Galan, Chief Development Officer, Mercy Corps

Please invite others on your staff to join this call by forwarding this message on, using the forward email function below.

Hope you can make it!
Erik & Peter

posted in *ACTION HERO NETWORK* - 1 reply

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