Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Ghost hunts and investigations for SERIOUS ghost hunters ONLY

[This is a re-printed press release.]

When: Saturday, October 24 & 31, Tours begin at 8:30 p.m.
Where: Dallas Heritage Village, 1515 S. Harwood, MAP

Have you heard the rumors about ghosts being in some of the buildings at Dallas Heritage Village? Here's your chance to find out for yourself. The Village opens Millermore, Sullivan House, the 1860s Farmstead, the Depot, the Law Office and the Bank for exploration.

Paranormal enthusiasts are encouraged to bring spirit finding equipment.

Advanced reservations strongly encouraged. Read on for pricing information.

Tour only Millermore: $25 per person ($30 at the gate)
Chose one structure only (excluding Millermore): $12 per person ($15 at the gate)
Explore four buildings (excluding Millermore): $40 per person ($50 at the gate).

Click HERE for more information.

RSVP by October 21 (for October 24) or October 28 (for October 31)

Call 214-413-3675 or email mdavis@dallasheritagevillage.org.

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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Taste of Greenville hopes to strike Addison-style success

More than 20 Greenville Avenue restaurants offering appetizer portions from $2 and up along with continuous live music from local artists

[This is a re-printed press release.]

DALLAS, TEXAS (October 10, 2009) – The first Taste of Greenville Avenue will take place in the parking lot of The Granada Theater on Saturday, October 24 at 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., featuring more than 20 Greenville Avenue restaurants offering $2 and up appetizer portions of their most well-loved fare and continuous live music from top local and Texas artists. The Taste of Greenville Avenue 2009 is presented by Madison Partners LLC and produced by Greenville Avenue Restaurant Association.

Admission is free.

The Taste of Greenville Avenue 2009 is a neighborhood celebration of family-friendly activities featuring great food, live music and fun to support, celebrate and bring together the surrounding community, businesses and organizations. The event will benefit Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson Elementary Schools PTA programs.

The Greenville Avenue Restaurant Association was created in July 2009 when the owners of more than 15 restaurants on Greenville Avenue (between Ross Avenue and Mockingbird Lane) sat down to create a business association that would work together to give back to the residents in the surrounding Lower/Lowest Greenville Avenue community, as well as provide a way to promote all the great restaurants and dining experiences on the street. Today, their membership includes 25 restaurants and several associate members.

Madison Partners, LLC, presenting sponsor and the tenant representative of many of the popular restaurants on Lower Greenville, will have a booth and share its plans for putting the “GREEN” back in Greenville. There will be a new eco-friendly, sustainable development in this vibrant area of Dallas on the site of the former Arcadia Theater on Lower Greenville Avenue called Greenspace. It will contain approximately 32,000 square feet of retail and office space. Madison will seek LEED certification (US Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) for the development. The anchor tenant for the project, Natural Grocers, has already signed a lease for a third of the building. Some examples of the planned “green” components will include extensive use of recycled and/or local materials, rain runoff recycling systems, high efficiency plumbing fixtures and HVAC, and intelligent use of landscaping on the west elevation to reduce air-conditioning costs.

A special ribbon cutting ceremony will take place at 10:50 a.m. at the festival site at Granada Theater with Angela Hunt, Dallas District 14, and leaders of the Greenville Avenue Restaurant Association featuring a ribbon constructed from napkins of all participating restaurants.

Following the ceremony, both the glee club and choir from Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson Elementary School, respectively, will kick off the day’s entertainment lineup. Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert will also make an appearance to sample the great food from the established and award-winning restaurants.

The Taste of Greenville Avenue 2009 will take place in the parking lot of Granada Theater off of the southeast corner of Greenville and Martel Avenue and will feature $2 and up appetizer portions of great fare from:

Blue Fish
Daddy Jack’s New England Lobster and Chowder House
Desperados
Dodie’s Cajun Diner
Freebirds World Burrito
The Granada Theater
Greenville Avenue Pizza
Greenville Bar and Grill
Hurricane Bar and Grill
i Fratelli Pizza
J. Pepe’s Tex-Mex
John’s Café
Milo Butterfinger’s
Nandina’s Asian Tapas
National Sports Lounge
Ozona Grill and Bar
Parkit Market
Pietro’s Italian Restaurant
San Francisco Rose
Snuffer’s Restaurant & Bar
Stan’s Blue Note
Terilli’s Italian Restaurant
Wood Fire by Kirby’s

Other exhibitors will include Verizon Wireless, Live Hair Salon and Massage Envy.

There will be public service booths hosted by the Dallas Police Department, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, the City of Dallas Mobile 311 SUV, Dallas Fire/Rescue and East Lake Pet Orphanage.

The Taste of Greenville Avenue 2009 will also feature continuous live music from top local and regional artists including The King Bucks, Cas Haley, Dan Dyer, Max Stalling, Johnny Lloyd Rollins, Backside Pick, Paul Renna, and more.

Help the environment by commuting via DART

The Granada Theater is located one block - less than 600 feet! - from a DART bus stop at Martel and Matilda Avenues, just minutes from Mockingbird Station. You can park free at Mockingbird Station if - and only if - you take the #1 Bus to the event. You will pay $4 per person (reduced for children 5 - 14, free under 5 years of age) for a DART Day Pass, which makes it the cheapest parking in Dallas. Buy your tickets from the DART Ticket Vending Machine. If you take DART Light Rail from anywhere in Dallas to Mockingbird Station, buy a Day Pass when you board and you're good for riding DART all day. Exit the station on the escalator and look for the bus stand just a few feet away.

Lone Star Shuttle Service from Lowest Greenville

Lone Star Valet will operate a shuttle service from its parking lot on 5400 Lewis Street off Lowest Greenville (near John’s Café). For just $5 per vehicle, you can park your car and take the shuttle to the event and back again. The Lone Star Shuttle starts at 10am and the last ride back will be at 6pm. Proceeds will benefit the Greenville Avenue Restaurant Association's community service programs.

Taste of Greenville Avenue 2009 Event Schedule

10:50 AM Ribbon Cutting with Angela Hunt-Dallas District 14
11:00 AM Robert E. Lee Glee Club and Stonewall Jackson Glee Clubs
11:40 AM Backside Pick
12:20 PM Paul Renna
12:55 PM Dan Dyer
1:45 PM Johnny Lloyd Rollins
2:20 PM King Bucks
3:25 PM Max Stalling
4:00 PM Cas Haley Trio

About Greenville Avenue Business Association (www.greenvilleave.org)

In the fall of 1987, merchants north and south of Mockingbird Lane formed the Greenville Avenue Area Business Association (G.A.A.B.A.). This organization was formed to help unify area businesses and promote the Greenville Avenue area. GAABA is made up of many businesses along Greenville Avenue and surrounding communities. There are currently over 50 members (including 15 restaurants).

Call for Volunteers and Sponsors

If you are a Greenville Avenue area resident or business and would like to volunteer or sponsor please contact Granada Theater at 214-824-9933 or email management@granadatheater.com

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Monday, October 19, 2009

A Katrina story, brought home to Dallas


This year, I finally got the initiative (and time) to pursue a volunteer opportunity that I had longed for (with some reservations) for years - to work with "the homeless." I have long been aware of the plight of our transient/transitional residents, and how little the city has done to help.

Homelessness is a huge issue in Dallas - one that City Hall has performed meager efforts to address. But more on that later...For now, I want to focus on what I've been doing down at the Bridge, the state-of-the-art facility built to do something instead of nothing. Until recently, many of the overnight shelters had been closed down by the city. The Bridge, 1818 Corsicana (next to the Farmers' Market), offers residential and day services for hundreds if not thousands of Dallas transient residents.

"Club Speakeasy" is a weekly creative writing workshop, held every Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Bridge's library (which always accepts donations). To get started as a general volunteer, I attended an orientation to find out what The Bridge's needs were. Alonzo Peterson, then the volunteer/media/community supervisor extraordinaire, suggested a creative writing class. Due to my experience with teaching and volunteerism, I told Alonzo that I was interested, but wanted to wait until I had a partner for the class.

Shortly, Staci Puttus, a fellow (then) unemployed writer, came along to join me in (re)launching a creative writing class. (The old teacher had been on her own and quit due to burnout.) Staci and I began the endeavor, and Lisa, a recent grad, shortly joined us. When she moved to Seattle for nicer weather and hopeful opportunities, Staci and I hoped we could grow our team further.

Before long, Keith and Alice joined up. Keith already volunteers for the StewPot, which feeds the homeless and facilitates the publication of Street Zine, a monthly newspaper written for and by homeless folks. Perhaps you've seen them sold on the downtown street corners by vendors, homeless themselves, who benefit and cherish the bit of work they do for wages. Alice pens a blog, and originally attended the class to review it for North Dallas Homegirl. Thankfully for us, she has stayed on as a dedicated volunteer and facilitator.

Visit the Club Speakeasy blog, which features work by guests, clients, and facilitators alike.

Please read on for a Q&A of Mr. Jeffrey Parks' story. Jeffrey has been attending the creative writing workshop since nearly the beginning. He recently began receiving disability payments for injuries he sustained while surviving Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, which left him with severely impaired mobility in his hands. The payments will enable him to soon move into an apartment.

Q: Please describe your life when Hurricane Katrina hit. Please describe any details and experiences that occurred during Katrina, as you feel comfortable.
A: On August 25th 2005, my family and I were left on the top of the roof, waiting to be rescued by the National Guard. While waiting, the levee gave way and washed me and my family down into the ocean waters. I was saved by a TV antenna to be able to live to tell the story. Before the storm, I was a warehouse manager for 18 years.

Q: Why did you come to Dallas? Can you to tell me about the journey - where did you go, what did you do?
A: FEMA and RED Cross came to my rescue and sent Katrina storm victims to different cities. Mine just happened to be Dallas. I arrived by Greyhound bus lines.

Q: What happened when you got to Dallas? What did you think about being in Dallas?
A: They put us in the Dallas Convention Center where we stayed for over 3 months. Then we went to numerous hotels, and from there we were given $2,000 on a debit card and placed in one of their apartments before FEMA cut us off.

Q: Discuss the FEMA apartments and the community? Did you cope together or feel alienated?
A: They guaranteed to pay the rent for 2 years. The community was saddened by the whole ordeal. For the most part, we got along with few exceptions. When my time was up with FEMA no longer paying rent, I found myself homeless on the streets of Dallas through no fault of my own.

Q: What about going into shelters? What would you like to see from the Bridge - taking into consideration your experience?
A: I would like The Bridge to help me as well as others to become self-sufficient and help us with a new beginning like a job and a place to live.

Q: Offer a vision for your Self.
A: I want to be able to be secure in a place of my own and have a well paying job so that I can move forward with my life and put this terrible tragedy behind me.

For a more detailed account of Jeffrey's experience during the storm, please visit Club Speakeasy's blog, or click here to go directly to the post.

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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Holy Land Political Prisoner Mistreated by Prison Guard

In a blatant display of authority abuse, a prison guard at the Seagoville Detention Center near Dallas, Texas abused his power this weekend by requesting to terminate one of the Holy Land Five’s family visitations for one year. Ghassan Elashi, a Palestinian-American post-9/11 political prisoner who’s serving a 65-year-sentence for giving charity to needy Palestinians, is being punished for hugging his son earlier this month.

As visitation ended on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009, correctional officer T. Thomas told inmates to stand on one side of the room and their families to stand on the other side. As the group began dispersing, Mr. Elashi’s 9-year-old son Omar ran to his father to give him one final hug. Officer Thomas immediately spewed, “That goes for you too Elashi. What, you think you’re an exception?”

Mr. Elashi’s son Omar has Down syndrome, which is a chromosomal disorder characterized by delayed physical development and mental retardation. That said, officer Thomas should be the one penalized for his actions, which were not only highly offensive but outright immoral, says Mr. Elashi’s daughter Noor, a Creative Writing MFA student in New York City.

“Instead, he’s painted himself as the victim, claiming that my dad did not obey him,” Noor said. “We live in a time in this country where a man gets thrown in prison for feeding orphans and then further chastised for giving his son a hug.”

Officer Thomas also requested that Mr. Elashi be allowed to make only two phone calls a month and that he be placed in the SHU, or Special Housing Unit, for an unknown period. The SHU was designed to make inmates physically and physiologically crack by placing them in a cold, dark, tiny cell for 23 hours a day.

Observers familiar with prison conditions and rules have asserted that the treatment meted out to Mr. Elashi is extremely unusual, harsh and inhumane.

Background on the Case

The Holy Land Foundation was the largest Muslim charity in America until the Bush administration shut it down three months after Sept. 11, 2001. They Holy Land Five were tried in 2007 and almost vindicated with a trial that ended in a hang jury. But in November 2008, after being tried a second time, a Texas jury convicted the Holy Land Five of giving material support in the form of humanitarian aid to Palestinian charities that were allegedly controlled by Hamas—these are some of the same charities to which theUnited Nations and USAID sent money.

William Neal, who served on the first jury, said, “They never proved — they kept trying to show us stuff around the case, not the case. They presented to the jury, you know these committees, these organizations controlled by or on the behalf of Hamas, but they kept showing us blown-up buses and they kept showing us little kids in bomb belts reenacting Hamas leaders," he said. "It had nothing to do with the actual charges. It had nothing to do with the defendants.”

To learn more about Holy Land Foundation case, visit FreedomToGive.com

TAKE ACTION

1. Call the South Central Regional Office of the Federal Bureau of Prisons: 214-224-3389.

You can also write them: 4211 Cedar Springs Rd, Dallas, TX 75219 or email them: scro/execassistant@bop.gov.

Ask that Mr. Elashi regain his family visitations and daily phone calls and that he be released from the Special Housing Unit. Ask why Mr. Elashi is being punished for hugging his son.

2. Organize protests to free the Holy Land Five, who were falsely convicted in November of sending humanitarian aid to Palestinian charities allegedly controlled by Hamas. The Holy Land Five are the poster children for post 9/11 injustice.

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Monday, September 28, 2009

Much love for Tuckers' Blues

Two weekends ago, I started the funnest job I've had - ever. And yes, I know, funnest is not a word. I am a writing tutor, too, after all.

Tuckers' Blues is a family-owned establishment - and the family includes everyone, even us servers. My co-workers and I spend the hour before we open cutting up, dancing and singing, and comforting each others' worries while preparing to hear the best show in town - for free.

Dianne Tucker, the regal matriarch, has a friendly smile and easy-going attitude. Wanda Tucker, wife of Dianne's brother Larry, shows every care and concern for managers, staff, and guests alike. Every weekend night (including Sundays!), I have the privilege of watching patrons arrive expectantly and unloose completely.

Check out the preview I wrote for our premiere weekend, published on Pegasus News. The reporter they sent to review the show seemed more than pleased with the performance.

East Dallas News blogger Nancy Visser also gave the club some advanced promotion, which helped pack the house Friday and Saturday nights. She attended the show opening weekend and had this to say: "There's nothing heartbreaking about this show, however. It's a little bit of theater, a good bit of laughter and a lot of soul from a cast of about a dozen singers and musicians."

The masses have already given Tuckers' Blues five stars. I bet you'll agree. Come see me any Friday, Saturday, or Sunday night. The stats are below.

Tuckers' Blues
2617 Commerce Street, Dallas, TX 75226, MAP
(214) 744-2583
Doors open at 8 p.m.
Show starts at 8:30 p.m.
Cover is $15.
Bring change for the meter or $5 to park in lot.
Or just take the train downtown to catch the green line to Deep Ellum.

Vive Deep Ellum, bebe! Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

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Thursday, September 17, 2009

Democracy caravan arrives tomorrow at Dealey

Event Essentials

What: UN Caravan for Iranian Democracy Welcoming Rally
When: Friday, Sept. 18 from at 6 to 8 p.m.
Where: Dealey Plaza, corner of Main St. and Houston St. in downtown Dallas
Who: American Iranian National Affairs Committee (local) and Pars-TV, an American Iranian sattelite channel
Why: To protest Ahmadinejad's presence at the UN

A caravan of peace and justice activists are travelling from LA to NYC, sponsored by Pars TV. There, they will protest the presence of Ahmadinejad, Iran's latest president after a round of corrupt elections.

Local democracy solidarity activists will welcome the caravan at Dealey Plaza on Friday, September 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. A candlelight vigil and various speakers will mark the occasion.

Shawn Amoei is a 21-year-old student at the University of Texas at Arlington. His interest in community organizing began in high school when he was elected class president and started work with different advocacy groups. He currently writes a bi-weekly column analyzing the political issues of the day in Shahrvand magazine, the largest Persian language in North America.

"We are at an important cross-roads in the history of Iran and the United States, and as Iranian-Americans we can play a unique critical role in serving as a bridge for understanding between these two nations," Amoei said.

Local organizer Arash Manzori was born in Iran, but came to the United States at a very young age. He currently holds a private practice as a cardiologist and teaches medicine at UNT-Health Science Center in Fort Worth.

"We want the Iranian people to know that the American people are on their side in their quest for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, so they can keep the momentum of their struggles," said Manzori.

Local efforts are organized by the American Iranian National Affairs Council (AINAC). Centered on facebook, the group provides a way for concerned North Texans to unite for democracy in Iran.

"The Iranian-American community in North Texas is a new, large, highly skilled and highly dynamic community with great potential that has thus far lacked organization," said Amoei. "We aim to bring this key element and ensure that the voices of our community is heard."

Several AINAC members, including Manzori, will accompany the caravan to the UN headquarters in New York City.

Said Amoei of the group's goals: "We seek to show Americans of all backgrounds that Iranians are not the same as their government, that the fate of our two peoples are intertwined, and through joint efforts to promote greater freedom and democracy in Iran, a bright future of cooperation is awaiting our two nations."

About AINAC

AINAC is a non-partisan group without links to any particular ideology or political organization. Our goal is to advocate on behalf of the Iranian-American communities interests on a range of issues from foreign policy toward Iran to domestic issues concerning the Iranian-American community.

AINAC is open to all and many of our discussion take place in an open and transparent way on internet discussion forums like facebook.

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Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Blues, Clues, and Following the Trail

I've taken a break as I crack down on my survival situation, but I wanted to give a quick shout out to celebrate - I have a job! Tucker's Blues, set to open within the next week in Deep Ellum on Commerce St, has awarded the girl with a paying position. Thank the universe! Here's a story - scroll down to the section called Live Music for some words from my future boss, Dianne Tucker - after Trees talk.

I must admit here the pain and anguish I put my Self through to become willing to be a waitress. I had all these expectations in my head - about how I have a degree, how I have a certain skill set, how I want to find a job that I am passionate about and pays me a decent wage...


Well, I employed several strategies to that end and failed to find anything - let alone a call back (hardly). I had blinders on and couldn't see all the immediate opportunities available to me to start making some money. So, slowly but surely, I let that dream go - for the moment.

While I won't go into all the failed attempts or the ongoing employment explorations, I will say this. I'm glad I'm over my ego and pride and have a regular, paying gig.

I'm sure I will be a much more pleasant person after I can pay my rent. Plus, I hope to write and serve more freely from my heart - once my material needs are at least in check. Here's to hopin'...over and over again.

BTW, please check out the blog for the creative writing class I help facilitate weekly, with the help of my friends. Club Speakeasy meets every Tuesday from 2 to 4 p.m. - we always welcome newbies, guests, and tourists!

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Friday, September 11, 2009

Blast from the Past: Kelly promotes activist lifestyle

As printed in the Dallas Peace Times

Those of us who have grown up as white and/or upper-middle class Americans often experience both enormous privilege and the perks that come along with it while simultaneously internalizing patriotic beliefs that all people are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. When our bubbles burst, and we realize that the systems that helped us gain such status were unjustly applied, we can feel outrage, guilt or frustration.

Kathy Kelly, the founder of Creative Voices for Non-Violence and the Dallas Peace Center’s Summer Dinner lecturer on June 12, admits to having an experience like this while she was climbing the ivory tower of academia. She was pursuing her master’s degree when she finally ventured to a soup kitchen in Chicago to volunteer.

“I harbored idealism for a long time, but I didn’t connect activism with idealism in my younger years. From the time I walked down the stairs into that soup kitchen, I made a connection,” said Kelly. “It became easier to align my life along those values, or at least start along that direction.”

At the same time, she learned about the plight of many Central Americans who were fleeing the U.S.-led “dirty wars” in their countries of origin. She decided to pursue a lifestyle of peace and justice to do what she could, to the best of her ability.

She says that she tries to ask herself these questions on a daily basis: “Am I really trying to simplify my lifestyle? Do I advocate cooperation instead of domination? Am I trying to share resources?”

Kelly has taken further risks in her lifestyle than many of us in Dallas choose to. She doesn’t own a car, and in fact doesn’t drive at all, and she has not paid her taxes since 1980, refusing to fund the military-industrial-(congressional) complex.

Her motto: “Never make a virtue out of a necessity. What seems like a horrific departure from normalcy turns out to be nothing but an inconvenience.”

Working and living with six people in an apartment, Kelly and her Creative
Voices for Non-Violence have started a national, sustained civil disobedience
campaign this year that has landed over 360 activists in jail. Committed individuals, many who had never participated in a civil disobedience action of any kind, have occupied U.S. Representatives’ and Senators’ offices who continue to vote for war funding.

Charges usually amount to trespassing misdemeanors.

“We call it extra-legal lobbying,” she laughed.

Recently, 11 protestors were arrested in Grand Rapids, Iowa, including two
Iraq War vets. Each “took his or her turn calmly going [into Grassley’s
office] and airing grievances,” said U.S. Marshall Timothy Junker, according to
The Daily Iowan.

The group demanded to talk to Rep. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa)
by telephone or in person about his argument to cut off debate about a
troop withdrawal from Iraq. Rep. Grassley refused to call in from his D.C. office, and the group refused to leave, until the police came to arrest them three hours later.

Kelly said that the goal of the Occupation Project is to end funding for the war. She pointed out that much of the money being considered for Congressional approval now will provide for weapons that won’t arrive in Iraq until two or three years later.

“The U.S. should never leave Iraqis to fend for themselves, but instead of paying for more weapons to arrive in 2009 and 2010 and continued deployments, the wisest and most courageous thing to do would be to say that we are sorry for the tremendous
wreckage we have caused,” she said.“Instead, invite others to lead the humanitarian efforts and promise we’ll provide billions.”

Kelly has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for her work towards global peace. She was in Baghdad when the U.S. invaded for the ‘shock and awe’ campaign and she also stayed in Lebanon when Israel invaded that country last summer. She said that her first-hand experience has lent her a credibility she never really expected to have, as well as the dedication she needs to continue the work for peace.

“There’s a certain level of responsibility to amplify those voices that bear the brunt of U.S. domination,” she said.

When she left Baghdad, she said to herself, “I am leaving, but I can’t leave the people who have shown me so much hospitality – am I going to give up or quit or do something else? It’s never even a question. It’s unimaginable to me to walk away
from what’s happening.”

Her efforts at home, such as protesting the infamous School of the Americas, a paramilitary training school in Ft. Benning, Georgia, have landed her in
prison. Kelly said that these experiences have helped her understand what people experience when interacting with any prison system.

“U.S. troops trespassed into Iraq,” she said. “I should trespass onto a
base where the [killers of] Archbishop Romero and four nuns [in El Salvador]
were trained - by convicted SOA graduates. They train the groups for Iraqis there – it’s okay to use tactics like waterboarding, practically drowning people.”

In the meantime, she said it’s been interesting to watch the peace movement get used to the majority of the country agreeing with them for a change.

“The majority of the U.S. now agrees with us, and that’s not something
I’ve ever anticipated,” she said. “So that means that we do well to very carefully
sort through our strategies. We need to get off the street corner and into the
legislators’ offices.”

She also notices that young people who get involved often are ready to jump in feet first. She jokes that whoever walks in the door is the person who runs the group. Kelly hopes that the environmental movement will channel more young people to get involved with various forms of activism.

Newcomers should be given challenging and interesting actions in order to help form a community, she said. Oftentimes, younger folks or newly radicalized individuals can come in the doors with lots of anger, usually directed to a particular group of neocons.

Kelly says that redirecting that anger can help it become a productive instead of destructive force.

“Take that anger and channel it to something creative and productive and non-violent, so that we’re not being over-reactive people,” she said. “It’s much easier to do while creating a community, when it’s not an end to itself but a means to a greater end.”

Visit Voices for Creative Nonviolence at VCNV.org for
more information about the Occupation Project.

Copied from the June 2007 edition of the Dallas Peace Times.
http://dallaspeacecenter.org/DPT/Archive/2007

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Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Experiments in Compost

Some of you may recall that I started a compost heap at my home.

What I've learned:

- Compost needs a certain amount of "green" waste (food scraps, vegetable peels, plant clippings) and "brown" waste (dry leaves, paper towels, kleenex).
- Compost requires water.
- Compost requires manure (processed at Home Depot does the trick).
- It requires attention, care, and consistency.
- These things produce HEAT.
- Heat makes rotten waste into nurturing soil.

Without heat, the compost turns to decaying rot. Fly food.

So, when life hands you shit, what do you do? Sit in it or turn it into compost?

Only heat and pressure turn coal into diamond.

Here's to facing the music - and my Self - and my self - and myself - over and over again. Deep sigh. Deep breath. One foot in front of the other. I walk through the ring of fire. Here's to hopin' the burns will heal. (I believe, I believe, I believe...)

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Irony of Being an Immediate Media Activist

I believe that America has a media addiction. And it's killing us.

And yet, I find my Self participating - as a producer and a consumer - over and over again. I guess recognition and acceptance is the first (long) step, right?

Over the years, I had weaned my Self off of cable television (since most of the shows I liked were on the internet anyway). I believe the less media I consume, the easier it is for me to produce media - and for some reason, I think it's good for me to produce media, but bad to consume (too much?) media. I guess it's an express, don't repress sort of thing. Not to mention the fact that most American media has pretty much sucked for the last decade or so...But at least there are exceptions. Like Colbert Report.

In truth, I consume some type of media frequently - if it's not audio-visual, it's reading; if it's not consuming information, it's talking on the phone. We have many ways of using stories - other stories - to distract our Selves from life - our stories. The static and noise distracts us from our thought-chatter - and then sometimes we have to scream "SHUT UP!" in order to hear the silence again.

One way I try to do that (tap into silence/peace) is to create art media - I enjoy collage, and I recently picked up a sketch book as well. I started practicing piano again after my cousin graciously loaned me her keyboard for the time being. Dance, yoga, and massage also bring the mind back into the body's natural alignment: ease.

There is a creator of information, a consumer of information, and the media is the channel through which that information travels. The term "media" has also come to mean the press, although the media that the press produces is but one form of media. Hollywood, the internet, phones, even post-it notes are all forms of media. Almost all of our communication is mediated - and most folks consume media as a way to share time and space together.

In one of my favorite classes of all time, Media and Ethics - a philosophy course - we had to take a media diet. First, we monitored all of our media consumption. Our professor, the inspiring Alejandro de Acosta, didn't tell us what counted as media - it was up to us to decide what we considered media in our life. I was one of the few that recognized cell phone conversations as mediated.

Taking a media diet is HARD - one feels bored, squirelly, upset, lost...because suddenly one can't avoid oneself quite as easily. One has to face ones thoughts and feelings. One has to figure out new strategies to have fun and feel good. It ain't the easiest thing in the world to do. See if you can make it a week - I'd be impressed with three days.

The root singular word - medium - also relates to Media, which became part of the Persian Empire (near Iran) in 550 B.C. Medium, in addition to being a conduit of information, means the middle - the middle value in a set of data, the middle size, the place in between.

Man, I feel like I have been in between for a whole minute! I think media is a way we expel some of that latent energy that tends to build up in us over time - whether it's by consuming or creating media, it definitely represents the movement of energy - and in recent years, the question of which direction that energy is flowing has cropped up time and again. Is media one-way or two-way - are we having a dialogue or a monologue here?

I think we've been so well-trained at consuming media, we have forgotten how to converse - and that includes my Self as well, to be frank. When we have this in-between, this magic mirror reflecting us back how we want to see our Selves, we can lose sight of the immediate world - you know, like nature, and relationships, and real, participatory fun.

This bleeds into my politics, which is why most of my activism has centered around media reform. I have seen my Self as an agent of media reform, with the hopes of effecting a cultural phenomenon. I wanted to get overlooked, proactive, and alternative stories into the mainstream media. The original plan was to use media as a tool to encourage people to get involved face-to-face.

However, it takes a lot of energy to create media, show up face-to-face, cultivate relationships, and pay the bills. Plus, I'm reconsidering my tactics - I believe in action - but action with purpose. And after a while, I started feeling - like I was just adding to the noise, even if it was on a "higher frequency" from my point of view.

In the end, I must face my Self in the real mirror, not just this mystical mask I put on - to get you to like me, to get what I need from you, to feel better about my Self. The way we all do - there is our essential true Self, hidden inside, showing itself in glimpses, and then there's our game face. We're usually wearing our game face - all of us. It takes an incredible amount of vulnerability and honesty to get real. Unfortunately, most of us are never taught to be real. I've been learning for years now, and it still feels like my mask is glued on.

I don't like the media. I have been involved to change it - but I moved from newsroom to newsroom feeling frustrated with the crappy reality that is mainstream media (in my humble opinion). Then I moved into non-profits, so I could use my skills and tools to advocate their position. But as I move from place to place, hoping I'll be happy and lasting at this next post, I realize one thing.

I have been fooling my Self. And I won't ever be happy if I keep it up. So it's time for me to try to get real with me. If I don't like our media culture, if I feel a lump in the pit of my stomach when I see a Time Warner commercial, then why do I continue - to pay the cable bill, to look for media work, to stay holed up in my house, too scared to face my own shadow?

There are more pragmatic and practical reasons I am anti-technology/media - like the fact that kids work in toxic mines in Africa to give us our cell phones and computers.

We can only move towards what makes us feel joyful, and move away from what brings us suffering. Most of us think media help us feel better. All of us are just trying to be able to sleep at night - find that silence. Well, even though media distracts us from our inner dialogue, it doesn't get rid of it - just like food, sex, drugs, alcohol, exercise, work, and any other behavior brought to an extreme.

I'm not hating on media consumer/addicts. Like I said, I might be one too. But all I know is that it's hard to be successful when I really believe that people need to focus on something other than the media - and yet I market my Self as a media expert. I think I am more skilled and thoughtful at media than most folks - but I'm more interested in helping people in real, concrete ways, face-to-face - and getting my Self involved in my own life again.

In the end, I accept some level of contradiction - I'm going to keep trying to do what I'm good at, in addition to what I enjoy. I'm learning to set boundaries to protect my Self from the urgency of the media environment. I value time and space - even though I have a hard time managing it sometimes.

Walking the walk is so hard, y'all. This is about practicing what I preach. It makes it difficult to keep blogging, but it's what I want - plus my book, plus to teach, plus a paycheck, plus to be a professional volunteer. Oh, to try to make the world adapt to us - to adapt to the world. To be true to my Self. To be real with my Self. And the struggle continues...as I wait for the game to begin.

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