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POPSExposing global injustice From the film maker: “I chose the title, ‘Call + Response,’ because when an issue comes your way, you’re going to respond. Even if it’s inaction, it’s still a response. I think one of our greatest downfalls, as a people, is that we make excuses, particularly that we’re ‘too busy.' Well, I wanted to respond immediately; this issue just hit me." “A New York Times article first brought human slavery to my attention in 2003, just before I went on tour in Russia. When I was over there, I met several girls who were acting as translators. They told me how were getting the same kinds of offers that I’d read about. It was like 'Wow, now I’m seeing it, how do I find a way to connect immediately?'" “I realized that two things were needed: re-learning the meaning of slavery was one. We’ve relegated it to history, as though it no longer exists but when people are sold against their will it’s the same thing and alive now more than ever. The second thing is...
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POPSiPeace iPeace is not an organization. It's an organism. It's alive, and it's made out of people; It is made from you, her him, them, us and me. It is not for profit and it is not for prestige. It is for peace. Period.
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POPSMicro-Giving: A New Era in Fundraising "...we're entering a new era in fundraising and perhaps other social/political causes. What's new? Virtual tribes -- networks of caring people with more commitment than cash. And that's what excites us about micro-giving: It takes so little. You might not have much to spare, but you've got a penny jar -- and we all know that if you reach in and remove a handful of change, you'll feel no pain. What's great about the new, frictionless online giving we're testing here is that, if you've got a good cause, you no longer need to spend a fortune on real-world marketing. Online, with word of mouth and simple technology, pennies can become serious money..."
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POPSWe Are What We Eat People in developed countries have so many food options that a trip to the grocery market can be a herculean exercise in quick decision-making. A huge quantity of the options in the market come from all over the world, sometimes having thousands of food miles attached to them. A food mile is a numerical indicator of how far food had to travel before it ends up in your local supermarket. Knowing that products with high food miles cause tremendous environmental impact, some people in the world have consciously tried to create a diet regiment called the "250 mile diet." Granted, 250 miles is a very hardcore objective to set, and even if you just limited yourself to food produced in the country you are in, you would still be making a major contribution to the fight against climate change. Nonetheless many people have succeeded in eating foods produced within a 250 mile radius. A list of some farmer's markets on Eco-mmunity Map,
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POPSFLOW: Documentary humanizes international water politics Please join me along with the directors urge to viewers to sign the UN petition http://article31.org/ that would make access to clean drinking water a basic human right. The director wants you to think of water as a commodity that's as precious as oil--blue gold, as they say. "Blue Gold" is also the title of a book by Maude Barlow, an activist who is featured in the film, fighting against the corporate takeover of water systems. Whoever controls water, has power. Though our tap water is pretty regulated, we insist on buying bottled water (in one particularly troubling tale, Nestle is selling Michigan water back to citizens of the state in bottles for a fee). Barlow says California has 20 years of water left, Arizona has 10 (but with the way they're building golf courses, she says, they could reduce it to five). Until then, don't forget to turn off the faucet when brushing your teeth.
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POPSLegislation to Overhaul Rockefeller Drug Laws Moves Ahead Swiftly “Returning discretion to judges is really the heart of where we want to go,” said Jeffrion L. Aubry, an assemblyman who represents Queens and has led efforts to overturn the statutes, known as the Rockefeller drug laws because Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller made them a centerpiece of his agenda...“When we take away those mandatory minimums and restore judicial discretion, that’s when you can say Rockefeller is no longer there,...” Mr. Aubry said...But now Democratic leaders see an opportunity to take aim at the judicial underpinnings of the laws by untying the hands of judges, who are often bound to mandatory minimum sentences even for less serious drug crimes.
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POPSiPeace, uPeace, wePeace Together Whether you join the iPeace team directly or just take a moment now and then to consider the possibilities, please do take a moment of time and think about all those who do not have the freedom to express themselves as we do here, without paying a high price. Consider all of those who have nothing compared to our least something. And if you should be moved to please blog, post videos, write letters, share with your friends and family the joy and freedom of peace in your life. Because in that moment you will have done a great deal more than some to help make peace a reality. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
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POPSThe Digital Journalist Just a few of the many images from our recent global past. The planet, people and ideals continue to be ravaged.
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POPSRandom Acts of Kindness Lots of folks have already commented on Zen Habits web site about their willingness to help create a website/service dedicated to this enterprise. I myself do not have the qualifications to contribute to this creation but would certainly participate on such a site. If you or anyone you know could then please check it out and network with those who have said they too would help. Wat an incredible idea whos time is now.
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POPSYES WE CAN! YES WE MUST! The new motto "YES WE CAN" now is followed by "YES WE MUST" I have seen this future present. I knew it was coming. But even that knowing paled to the reality that is. Hopes are high as are expectations. And usually with that comes a sense of trepidation, "What if...?" But to any who may, once the elation has subsided to just an overwhelming sense of joy, experience hesitation at the task at hand, I say to you one foot in front of the other, one breath at a time, good things came to those who waited. Keep that hope alive. Know that our future is in our capable hands as we demonstrated this past Tuesday. Stand together, hold each other up and continue being the wonderful you that you are. Yes, the challenges are many and difficult, but just look at what we have done. When the call came we rose to the occasion. We always have, we always will because... ..."YES WE CAN, YES WE MUST" ~peace,love,flan
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POPSWhen Jesus met Buddha Knowing other faiths firsthand grants believers an enviable sophistication, founded on humility. We could do a lot worse than to learn from what we sometimes call the Dark Ages.
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POPSHierarchy of needs Some may argue with the full hierarchy as shown in graph. That's ok. One thing that can not be denied is without clean, fresh air one is not long on life. And even if we had all the clean air in the world without enough water...just wait and see.
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POPSGreen Roofs Offer More Than Color for the Skyline When sunshine hits a blacktop roof, it heats the building beneath it as well as the area nearby. When it hits plants on a roof, in contrast, the plants not only absorb the sunshine, but cool the air when the water in their leaves evaporates. Temperatures on buildings with green roofs are up to 30 percent lower during the daytime in the summer than they are on those with conventional roofs, which means that tenants on the floors below do not have to run their air-conditioning as much. Con Ed has teamed up with Columbia University’s Center for Climate Systems Research to evaluate the benefits, using rooftop sensors to measure the temperature, wind and water runoff. Con Edison said it hoped to use the findings to encourage customers to install green roofs themselves. David Westman, the resource conservation coordinator at Con Edison, said, “It’s not only the right thing to do, but it can make economic sense.”
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POPSA Way To Be In The World This being Sunday, the sun shinning, I find myself grateful for all that is. Thought perhaps you might also benefit from these quotes. Hope they bring you a calm and joy, relieve any suffering you may have and serve as a guide to the possibilities when we take the time to just be in our own moment.
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POPSWhat Near Death Research Reveals About the Purpose of Life A new study tests a different theory: that consciousness is not confined to the brain, and the mind can continue to exist even when the brain ceases to function. Recent medical studies in cardiac arrest patients have indicated…that the mind and consciousness may be what remains of us after death.
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POPSSlow Cities Spreading Fast No matter our individual takes on the major issues facing us today whether they be local, national, international, the truth is we sure could use a dose of stepping back, re imagining our place and how we can modify the way we approche these issues.
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POPSUtopia for a modern age. Our goals include returning healthy biodiversity to the heart of our cities, agriculture to community gardens and the streets, and convenience and pleasure to walking, bicycling and transit. We work to build thriving city and neighborhood centers while reversing sprawl development; to build whole cities based on human needs and “access by proximity” rather than cities built in the current pattern of automobile driven excess, wasteful consumption and the destruction of the biosphere. We visualize a future in which waterways in neighborhood environments and prosperous downtown centers are opened for curious children and native plants and animals.
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POPS Images Of Oil Spills From Around The World. Comment by Jennae @ Green Your Decor on 9 September 2008: These images literally made me shudder. Even if I had never wanted to contact my local representative, seeing these would been enough to make me call and implore them to support and push for alternative energy. I hope that all your other readers react the same way.
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POPS"Yankee Hegemony Is Finished," Says Chavez Chavez has called the U.S. Navy's newly re-established Fourth Fleet a threat. On Wednesday, he said he's sure "nuclear submarines pass under our noses" off Venezuela's coast. He said Venezuela is aiming to strengthen its "defensive capability with our strategic allies, and Russia is one of them." Later, Chavez called the U.S. the "empire" as he addressed troops at the christening of a newly built coast guard patrol ship. "Every day, relations between Venezuela and Russia will continue to deepen." He dismissed comparisons to the Cold War, but mentioned Cuba while saying he had been reviewing flight theory in a simulator in hopes of flying one of the Russian planes. Addressing his close friend Fidel Castro, Chavez said: "I'm going to fly a Tu-160. Fidel, I'm going to fly low past you there."
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POPSA Global Killer Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are giving back to the country where their 3-year-old daughter Zahara was born. The couple have donated $2 million to help fight HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis in Ethiopia, said the Global Health Committee, which announced the donation by the Jolie-Pitt Foundation.
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POPSThe Camel’s Back: How to Never Explode With Anger Mary Jaksch says: "I’ve talked to many couples who have been on the verge of divorce. The trigger for the rift is often quite insignificant. Or it seems insignificant. That’s because little things can make a big difference." ..." I’m passionate about embracing each moment and living with awareness, joy, and kindness. Ongoing personal growth is the most important thing in life. Because we are born with a huge reservoir of potential. It’s only through personal growth that we can access and develop our full potential."
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POPSLearning From Slums "We should not dismiss them because they look ugly, they look messy," says Cruz, a professor at UC San Diego. "They have sophisticated, participatory practices, a light way of occupying the land. Because people are trying to survive, creativity flourishes."
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