| Monday, August 4, 2008 |  |
| Importance of Alkaline Water | 0 comments |
 4 Aug 2008 @ 08:51http://www.therealwaterclub.info/raypowers A friend here in Ojai, who has been in the natural cures business for 20 years and teaches raw food cooking classes, sent me an email tonight about a new product called Real Water. I signed up free on the website to take advantage of a pre-launch offer. They are drops that turn your water into 8.0 alkalinity. Dr. James Chappell is behind it who is also here in Ojai and a pioneer and best selling author in nutrition and health. More info. here - The Real Water Club Here’s the situation. Most water and water-based products we drink and use have two very common problems. First, the water has been damaged. Before it gets to you, it has traveled through pipes, filtration devices, and various systems. During these travels, it has been stripped of electrons (-). The result is water that is positive (+) ionized. Second, the water is very acidic. Through a proprietary process called the Electron Energized or E2 technology, licensed by us has figured out how to maintain and stabilize the negative (-) Oxidation Reduction Potential (ORP) and we guarantee it! Save Money and use E2 Stabilized Real Water Concentrate to change your water's foundation or get E2 Stabilized Ready To Drink Real Water from a local health store such as Whole Foods Market or delivered to your door ready to drink from local water company that has licensed the technology. Raymond Website update: Simple Brilliance |
| Tuesday, July 8, 2008 | |
| The HUB Experience | 0 comments |
| 8 Jul 2008 @ 00:14 I'm very excited and proud to be involved with HUB - Humanity Unites Brilliance. This video is a milestone for us in sharing our vision of a creating a world of sustainability, peace and respect for one another. The HUB Experience Video [link] |
| Saturday, June 28, 2008 | |
| HUB - Actioning Your Brilliance Recap | 5 comments |
 28 Jun 2008 @ 21:17Dear friends, I was fortunate to attend and help produce the recent Humanity Unites Brilliance Actioning conference in Long Beach and I know many wanted to attend but could not make it. Words are really quite inadequate to describe our experience. All I can do is hope that you get to participate and experience it yourself... soon One of the participants wrote up this beautiful synopsis of our 5 days together. We have been called out by master teacher and Social Artist Jean Houston to be the "Evokoters" - the mid-wives of the soul. More than just another "how to" session, we learned evolutionary practices for creating a world that works for everyone. Through archetypal embodiment, we were invited to be a part of the story and recognize the characters as ourselves. We scored our own music, dancing the dream awake, meeting our Inteleky (higher self) and allowing our brilliance to be received from it's reflection. Moving away of linear left brain into creative right brain expression, we used the language of Glasarania (Gibberish) to awaken our creativity and become the Sacred Actor and Holy Fool, discovering a whole new way of communicating and creating. We have shaken off the "gunk" of ego with Dr. Sue Morter. We cried tears of joy when we felt the density dissolve, and the lightness of Unconditional Love flowing more freely inwards and outwards through the layers of our being. We have felt even the fear of death drop away when we really knew the indestructibility of the beings of love and light that we really are. We giggled when we saw that our challenges, like an obstacle course we have designed for ourselves, now allow us to become who we were born to be. We laughed when we knew that "it's hard, until it isn't" And we have seen through the evolutionary eyes of Barbara Marx Hubbard, that we ARE the imaginal cells in the caterpillar that envisions the butterfly it will become. We have experienced, in spite of the old and difficult "evolutionary drivers", the hope and excitement of being among the early forms of a new species of human emerging that is moving, like the Universe itself, towards greater synergy and greater intelligence. And we were pleased to know that it's not that we are bad or wrong, but just mistaken. We have been using a faulty operating manual and we now have the opportunity to use a new one, in greater alignment with Truth. And we have cried tears of grief with the "Angels in the Dust" film, confronting the worlds most unconscious, darkest shadow reflected in the AIDS crisis in Africa. And with Lynne Twist, Jack Canfield and the Pachamama Alliance we have squarely faced the environmental crisis facing our fragile planet. And we have felt the sadness of our own participation in the unconsciousness of our consumer culture. We have been humbled to see our own myopic focus on ourselves, while ignoring our roles as stewards of the earth. We have recommitted to living more responsibly as those planetary stewards. We have come through the darkness to see the light of what is possible for our planet and have seen the emerging vision of a world in balance and harmony. We have been called to being "hospice to the old", while being "midwife to the new", both requiring our loving attention. Later, we raised $280,000 for Pachamama with a generous $100,000 matching pledge from Jack Canfield. Wow! We have celebrated the national launch of HUB in the US AND Canada with moving words from Charlie Gay and good news from Brandon Barnum. And we have danced until we were drenched in sweat, (especially Brandon). And spun and leaped and shook off the last remaining hard edges. We learned from Feng Shui master Marie Diamond how important our working and living environment is in supporting our vision. And while action is important, more important is stating clearly what we want and asking for it, and then opening to receive. Lastly, we learned from master learner Paul Scheele how our mind works and does not work to process and store information. We learned how the reptilian and mammalian minds work better when relaxed and content than when stressed out and fearful. And how the simple act of breathing can help. We found through a profound exercise in perception and refection, how easy it is to completely miss the beauty all around us and how equally easy it is to take it in when we stop and pay attention. Throughout the event, we have known and felt our Oneness, not as a concept or metaphor but as the actual truth of our experience. We have looked into each others eyes and seen our own sweet divine selves smiling back at us. We have felt the inseparable connection of being individual cells in the body of God. We have held the hand of the being next to us and known that we were touching Spirit. And we have polished each others mirrors so that our brilliance is more clearly reflected in the world. We have come to see that HUB is so much more than humanitarian aid or personal development. It is absolutely at the center (hub) of the multi-faceted 12 sided wheel that is allowing the new social and spiritual vehicle to roll down the road to the emerging New World. And as we develop, strengthen and lubricate that wheel, we will go faster and farther down that road. HUB will be a pivotal convergence of new thought and environmental and humanitarian efforts for the evolutionary leap into the next phase of the human journey. We can all be pleased and proud to be among the founding members and to be evangelists for the message of true hope and love and sustained abundance for all people that HUB represents. Remember, there are two more amazing events coming up soon: Awakening Your Brilliance August 15-17th in Long Beach, CA Awakening Your Brilliance August 8-19th in MInneaplois, MN Let me know if you or your friend wants to attend one of these events. Member price is $400, retail $500. If you can't afford it let me know. I have 3 tickets to give away. They go fast though. So, the earlier you register the better. Love and blessings, Raymoond Powers Founding ArchAngel of Humanity Unites Brilliance 805.640.1525 http://www.raymondpowers.hubhub.org More > |
| Wednesday, May 7, 2008 | |
| Awakening Your Brilliance Seminar A Huge Success - Thank You! | 0 comments |
| 7 May 2008 @ 18:16 I'm so excited to share the success of HUB's Awakening Your Brilliance event with you all. We had close to 500 people attend and the feedback has been wonderful. People walked away with a clearer personal and global vision and tools to transform their lives and bring their dreams into fruition. Speakers such as Rev. Michael Beckwith, Mark Victor Hansen, Janet Bray-Attwood, Charlie Gay, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Kimmie Weeks, Freddie Ravel and others inspired a profound call to action and empowerment. that we are the Humanity Unites Brilliance (HUB) is already making a huge impact in the lives of those who are in need. In a few short months we have over 1200 members and have funded $102,000 of humanitarian aid domestically and internationally. That's 40% of all of our profits we give away! As a member you have an opportunity to generate income for yourself, and in so doing, be catalysts for positive social change. For those of you who attended partially or all of the event Thank You! Together we are making a huge difference. If you would like to know more about how you can participate please contact me or visit our website. Humanity Unites Brilliance |
| Saturday, March 29, 2008 | |
| Some Simple Brilliance | 2 comments |
| 29 Mar 2008 @ 18:00 These are some words from Charlie Gay, visionary founder of Humanity Unites Brilliance His wise words are as follows. It is simple, so very simple. The world was created, went into its childhood, our minds led the world to confusion, it lingered in compromise, our frustrations raised, hurt and angered led us to conflict and then crisis. Everything about the world, everything in it, everyone in it, every business in it. You, me, our relationships with our selves, with each other follow this path. The path led the world to two thousand years of slowly becoming deaf. Nations became deaf. Our leaders became deaf. Then today came. This hour. This second... The very moment when our cries in ultimate crisis of “God get me out of this” may not have allowed us as people to continue. The crisis was too great. The hurt too deep and the judgment too lost. Inevitably we would have continued in the choice of being lesser than, slipping away and loosing the beauty and spirit of the world for ever. But this was not too be. Confession…as authentic as the world’s origin, and then self-compassion swept the world and us as a people. As 2000 moved towards 2008 the ranks of those that could hear, swelled exponentially, with the knowledge that humanity, not the awareness of it but the very the action of humanity, could save us. Humanity’s dimension of grace given to us 2000 years ago with “don’t judge lest thee be judged” and “help those that don’t have what I have” became the heartbeat of a universal code that is felt by millions today. The reopening of the heart through compassion now leads the world back through clarity, a consciousness that endorses not the survival of the fittest, but a new paradigm, a new law of cooperation. This leads you and I to be connected... Now we are joined, united with each others brilliance, free of judgment of color, creed, religion and politics. We are to become the true authentic crusaders of love. Humanity Unites Brilliance More > |
| Saturday, February 2, 2008 | |
| HUB (Humanity Unites Brilliance) | 22 comments |
 2 Feb 2008 @ 08:19Recently I have become a founding Angel of HUB. Together we are creating a breakthrough economic engine that will drive a comprehensive global sustainability plan in the places it is most needed. This organization is in pre-launch and there is a huge opportunity to become involved. Contact me, 805.715.0050, and I can share more about this amazing vision. HUB's mission is to move all people of the world from survival to self-sustainability. HUB-In AID is a product our Angels can gift. This movement is committed to returning dignity back to nations. "We don't just give a man a bag of grain, we teach him how to grow the grain himself in the future." HUB co-creates sustainment programs with field agents in chosen communities around the world. Currently we are focusing on three key areas in need: Kenya, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. We call the recipients in each community "Hub-Powerees" because they receive more than just survival-aid (like food and water). Through HUB's empowerment programs, they are also supported with village build-outs, schools for 200 children each, and micro-loans for the caregivers of the children. FOOD + WATER + EDUCATION + MICROCREDIT = SUSTAINABILITY What is a one HUBie's immediate Impact? That depends on your level of involvement in HUB. If you are an individual giver, your giving helps feed 3 people, educate 3 people, provide clean water for 10 and provide environmental sustainability training to 16. This means you personally impact 32 lives as a HUBbie. If you are an exponential giver, you give and inspire others to do the same. If you inspire three others, who in turn each inspire 3 others, we now have a group of 13 (1+3+9) which means 416 people are impacted as a result of your exponential giving. A "HUB-Poweree" Example Who are you impacting as you give to empower Meet "Elizabeth" a mother of 9 and a care-giver to a family of 10. Her son "John" was selected to enter a HUB scholarship school. Elizabeth is then given a trade – banana silk weaving. As Elizabeth's husband Joseph, a subsistence farmer, produces bananas, they are purchased from expert trainers in a co-operative of subsistence farmers. Around the same time, one of our HUBbies decides he has a passion to sell clothing made from natural fibers in the US Market. His Circle of Brilliance group encourages him to tap into John's production. This HUBbie buys product from Elizabeth at a discount and launches the successful clothing line "Threads for Life". This example shows the multiple benefits of HUB's connections. A child was educated and trained, the family started a profitable, self-sustaining business, and one of our HUBbies realized his dream to impact the world in a positive way. HUB-In Aid – A "Full Package" Product FOOD + WATER + EDUCATION + MICROCREDIT When giving aid, HUB works to combine at least four critical components (also known as a "full package") that delivers powerful results and moves entire families from survival to sustainability HUB works with the finest products and partners to develop, manufacture and distribute the needed elements for HUB-In AID HUB "full package" product partners include: Food: Feed The Children the worlds finest distributor and provider of food, which in 2007 totaled $1 Billion of aid, goods and services. Larry Jones has worked closely with the HUB founders for the last few years in Africa. Nourish the Children, manufacturers of over 100 million Vitameal since 2002 and supporters of the founders African programs since 2006. Water: Raincatcher.org. Founder by Jack Rose raincatchers position is that there is enough water on the planet. It rains. We just need to catch it and purify it. The raincatcher is one of the most effective, economic and easy to maintain water initiative with raincatchers being installed on all HUB school roofs. Kenya Water Wells Trust. One of the most established well diggers in Africa with over a 95% success record in drilling Education: HUB has various education partners in different multi native language countries yet we are embracing Healing Bridges, formed by an African, Zebiba who after suffering genocide, traveled to the United States, empowered herself and then modeled her plan in her home country of Eritrea with education for the children and micro loans for the care givers Micro Loan: Guided by counsel from The Micro Credit Summit, micro credit field agents also vary from country to country. HUB is developing a program in association with Healing Bridges, The Green Children and the 2006 Nobel recipient, Grameen Bank. More > |
| Friday, December 28, 2007 | |
| Update On Lakota Sovereignty | 5 comments |
| 28 Dec 2007 @ 03:34 As of Dec. 24, 2007 Lakota Freedom: Treaty Withdrawal For Elders and Children Sovereignty Action Sparks World Discussion, Disagreement, Inspiration Lakota - What began as sparsely attended press conference announcing Lakota sovereignty has grown into an international roar of freedom inspiring people on every continent and sparking excitement and discussion in homes, tribal councils, schools, and on internet blogs and message boards. Across Indian Country in particular, the impact of the sovereign action is creating both inspiration and concern as the reality of freedom sinks in. But mixed with the excitement and joy are concerns the Lakota people's needs will not be fully met, especially needs and concerns of the youth. Lakota Freedom delegate and Oglala Lakota Cante Tenza - Strongheart Warrior Society leader Canupa Gluha Mani (Duane Martin Sr.) issued the following statement after discussion with the Strongheart Grandmothers: "The whole Lakota declaration of withdrawal from the treaty is vested on the power of the Lakota people and our children. When we undertook the process of announcing the withdrawal, the capacity was far greater than most people anticipated about an individual. But throughout our history, the people have never excluded anyone within their own lifeway and when it becomes a listener's view that its about one individual, one individual does not represent the nation itself, the nation represents the individual, and that is Lakota. More > |
| Sunday, July 15, 2007 | |
| 2 comments |
| 15 Jul 2007 @ 15:51 I have recently redesigned and launched my new website, Simple Brilliance. After a hiatus for the last couple of years to pursue my own personal development, I am inspired to share with you the tools and techniques that have been of such benefit to me. Whether we are engaged or not in our work and play, a coach and mentor can give us the edge we need to live with more joy, enthusiasm and creative power. In a short, succinct manner Simple Brilliance shares with you, from my heart, the current services I am offering as a life coach, business advisor and transformational counselor. You're welcome to call or email me for more information and a free consultation. Please pass this on to friends, family and associates if appropriate. Also on the website is a free chapter for download from my forthcoming book, Simple Brilliance:A Conscious Approach To Re-membering and Re-Discovering Your True Nature. More > |
| Monday, September 18, 2006 | |
| Greenpeace Activists in Brazil Block Cargill Soy Facility | 2 comments |
 18 Sep 2006 @ 23:03Greenpeace Activists in Brazil Block Cargill Soy Facility After two years of investigation, we’ve uncovered a string of illegal soy production that is destroying the Amazon rainforest, and can be traced to a large American corporation: Cargill. A team of climbers from our ship, the Arctic Sunrise, shut down Cargill’s illegal soy facility in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Our activists unfurled a banner on the conveyor belts at Cargill’s facility, but angry Cargill employees nearby blasted the sign down with high-powered hoses. Police arrived on the scene and arrested 16 of our activists. The Arctic Sunrise itself blockaded the Cargill port, preventing exports of soy from leaving the facility. In the nearby city of Santarém, a group of Cargill’s supporters surrounded the police station holding our activists, but were dispersed by military police. Police secured the Arctic Sunrise as well, but an angry mob boarded our ship despite the police presence, and painted graffiti along the sides. Fireworks were also aimed at our ship and activists, even hitting an activist in the chest, but fortunately leaving him unharmed. Meanwhile, police used pepper spray to force the crew to open the radio room, and took them into custody. The rest of our activists were put in lockdown within the ship. Cargill tug boats pushed our ship out of the dock, dragging it and our anchor out into the Tapajos river. The illegal soy Cargill is producing has been linked to a massive fast food chain, including KFC’s European restaurants. These fast food chains are literally eating up the Amazon, and we’ve detailed exactly how in a recent report. Our volunteers want to prevent soy from the world’s most precious rainforest being exported to Europe to feed chickens, pigs and cows -- and you can help support them by writing to KFC. Cargill, based in the United States, is the largest soy producer and exporter in the Amazon, operating 13 silos in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Soy is now a leading cause of rainforest destruction in the Brazilian Amazon. In total, an estimated 12,000 square miles of what was once rainforest has already been destroyed, mostly illegally, to grow soybeans. Cargill makes no secret of helping establish soy farms in the Amazon, some of which are complicit in other illegal activities such as land grabbing and slavery. Corporations like Cargill must stop seeing the Amazon as a place to expand their soy businesses, and recognise it as the world’s greatest rainforest in need of urgent protection, not exploitation. We’re calling on Cargill, and their fast-food industry customers, to ensure that the soy and animal feed they buy does not contribute to the destruction of the Amazon. More > |
| Friday, August 18, 2006 | |
| Ronald McHummer Sign-o-Matic | 2 comments |
 18 Aug 2006 @ 20:32If you're as disappointed as we are about McDonald's giving away thousands of toy Hummers in its Happy Meals, the Environmental Working Group and HybridCars.com have created a site where you can exercise your creativity and tell the fast food giant what you think of their latest promotion for kids: the Ronald McHummer Sign-o-Matic. Users are encouraged to make their own McDonald's sign with an appropriate message, and to send a pre-written letter to the company noting the environmental and public health effects of gas guzzlers like the Hummer. Make a sign, make sure to share it with us, and also let the Golden Arches marketing folks know you don't like super-sized vehicles any more than super-sized meals. More > |
| Thursday, June 22, 2006 | |
| AT&T to customers: We own your data | 2 comments |
| 22 Jun 2006 @ 20:01 AT&T to customers: We own your data It revised its privacy policy; changes take effect tomorrow Reuters Today’s Top Stories or Other Privacy Stories June 22, 2006 (Reuters) -- AT&T Inc. said yesterday that it was revising its privacy policy, explaining to customers that it owns their phone records and can hand them over to law enforcement officials if necessary. The changes take effect tomorrow and come at a time when AT&T and other phone companies face lawsuits claiming that they aided a U.S. government domestic spying program by giving the National Security Agency call records of millions of customers without their permission. AT&T said the updated policy was aimed at helping customers understand its practices better and does not change how it treats customer information. The new policy, unlike the old one, spells out the fact that AT&T owns its customers' data. It says that customer information constitutes "business records that are owned by AT&T. As such, AT&T may disclose such records to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others or respond to legal process." The earlier policy had simply said that, aside from normal business operations such as billing and service provisioning, the company could share customer information to "respond to subpoenas, court orders or other legal process, to the extent required and/or permitted by law" as well as to "to establish or exercise" its legal rights. Under the new policy, which is being mailed out to AT&T's more than 7 million Internet customers, the company also said that it would track viewing information for customers of a television service it's developing, in order to help it make recommendations to customers based on their viewing habits. It also said that before customers use its services, they must agree to the policy, an element that was not in its previous guidelines. Spokesman Michael Coe said the company, which was formed in November by the merger of AT&T Corp. and SBC Communications Inc., had been working on the new policy for the past six months. "We are not changing how we treat customer information," said Coe. "We updated our policy to make the language clearer and easier for our customers to understand." More > |
| Sunday, May 21, 2006 | |
| Horizon Organic Milk Brand Faces Consumer Boycott Over Factory Farms | 3 comments |
| 21 May 2006 @ 14:05 My personal suggestion is that if you use dairy products buy Stonyfield Farms, Organic Valley or Strauss. Ask your local market to carry these products. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Investors Question Dean Foods at Stockholders Meeting re: Horizon Organic Dairy Practices Investors Question Dean Foods at Stockholders Meeting Horizon Organic Milk Brand Faces Consumer Boycott Over Factory Farms PRWEB, May 18, 2006 [link] Socially concerned investors, who filed a shareholder proposal with Dean Foods, today questioned the company's management at its Annual Meeting of Stockholders in Dallas as its marquee organic brand faces a growing consumer backlash over its reliance on factory-farm milk production. Investors believe the large-scale dairy operations are damaging the Horizon Organics brand and threaten shareholder value. Dallas, TX (PRWEB) May 18, 2006 -- Socially concerned investors, who filed a shareholder proposal with Dean Foods, today questioned the company's management at its Annual Meeting of Stockholders in Dallas as its marquee organic brand faces a growing consumer backlash over its reliance on factory-farm milk production. Investors believe the large-scale dairy operations are damaging the Horizon Organics brand and threaten shareholder value. Because of their concern, shareholders filed a proposal in December 2005 asking Dean Foods' management to report to investors on how it is responding to widespread public criticism that industrial-scale organic dairies, supplying milk for its Horizon brand, violate consumer trust and seriously jeopardize share value. Company management responded to the proposal by having its attorneys file a formal protest with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission asking for permission to omit the proposal from Dean's 2006 proxy statement on a series of legal technicalities. Proponents withdrew the proposal in March in response to the challenge but brought their concerns to today's annual shareholders meeting. The shareholder proposal is a by-product of the five-year debate raging in the organic industry over the introduction of large-scale factory-style dairy farms, milking as many as 10,000 cows each. A growing number of public interest, environmental, and farming groups are suggesting that these farms violate current USDA regulations by labeling their products as organic. The shareholders, led by Boston Common Asset Management, are asking for greater transparency from Dean Foods in terms of its organic milk suppliers and its plans for meeting the high consumer expectations for ethics and integrity in the rapidly growing organic milk market. "Even though Dean Foods and its Horizon brand procure at least half of their organic milk from family farms, we think management needs to rethink its sourcing of milk from these controversial mega-dairies, or this ongoing practice will drag down the Horizon brand and harm shareholder value," said Steven Heim, Director of Social Research of Boston Common Asset Management. Last year, The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based farm policy group, filed formal complaints with the USDA against three industrial dairies, including one owned by Dean Foods and another dairy from which it purchases organic milk for its Horizon label. The complaints allege that these mega-farms are violating the law by confining their cattle to feedlots and sheds rather than grazing the animals on pasture. The Institute is preparing to seek court intervention in order to force a full investigation of the alleged improprieties. In March the Cornucopia Institute published a report (available at www.cornucopia.org) profiling the ethical and farm management practices of the nation's organic dairy product suppliers. The Horizon brand ranked poorly relative to most of the 67 other branded organic dairy products. "We find this a credible report, and we are disturbed by its implications for Dean Foods," Heim said. Dean Foods is the nation's largest milk marketer and has also become the biggest U.S. marketer of organic dairy products with its acquisitions of the Horizon Organic, Alta Dena, and Organic Cow of Vermont brands. The company's core business has been somewhat stagnant in recent years, and it has recently been touting its investments in the organic milk labels and the country's leading soy milk brand, Silk, as vehicles to make its stock more attractive on Wall Street. But negative press surrounding Dean's organic milk procurement practices has already led to some retailers dropping the Horizon brand. And members of the Organic Consumers Association recently voted in favor of a boycott. "It is very important for Dean to address the core concerns articulated in our shareholder resolution," said Margaret Weber, Coordinator of Corporate Responsibility with the Adrian Dominican Sisters. "Transparency regarding organic practices has business implications for the company." Weber explained that the shareholder proposal asked the company to appoint an independent committee of the board to review its policies and procedures for sourcing raw milk for its organic dairy products, and whether its current practices conform to the spirit as well as the letter of the official rules defining organic dairy products. The investor groups also want to know how the company intends to respond to increasing consumer and media scrutiny, and whether a proposed $10 million investment in an additional large-scale dairy farm in Idaho will mitigate or exacerbate the criticism. Horizon has also been criticized for disposing of calves born at its organic farms and replacing them with yearling heifers that were not raised organically a practice that was disclosed and verified by Horizon senior management during direct discussions with The Cornucopia Institute concerning their procurement of the brand's organic milk. To replenish the farm's milking herd, commercially raised replacement cattle are then brought onto the Horizon farm. These animals may have been raised on feed treated with pesticides and mixed with additives including blood products recovered from slaughtering operations. "We are concerned that Dean Foods' lack of transparency to its shareholders betrays a similar attitude toward its core consumers, particularly consumers of its Horizon brand products," said Daniel Stranahan of the Needmor Fund, another investor-sponsor of the resolution. "Industrial dairies with 2,000 to 10,000 cows are antithetical to the concept of organic farming, which supports family-scale production with sound environmental policies." And Leslie Lowe, director of the environment program at the Interfaith Center for Corporate Responsibility in New York, said, "Dean Foods has an excellent opportunity to return value to its shareholders through its investments in the organic industry. But they must respect the ethical beliefs of their organic customers, a very loyal and sophisticated market segment. Otherwise these investments could end up damaging their brand and costing investors dearly." EDITOR'S NOTE: A Representative of the shareholders' groups will be in Dallas for the Dean Foods Annual Meeting of Stockholders being held Friday May 19th at the Dallas Museum of Art, located at 1717 North Harwood. Steven Heim is available for interviews before and after the meeting and can be reached at 617-720-5557 or 617-785-9527 (c). Mark Kastel, of The Cornucopia Institute, is also attending Friday's shareholders' meeting. Mr. Kastel can be contacted at 608-385-3803. The Cornucopia Institute acts as a technical adviser to investment groups regarding organic dairy production issues, USDA organic standards, and their policy/marketing implications. More criticism of Dean Food's organic brand management is also being raised concerning the use of commercially raised replacement cattle being brought onto their Idaho 4,000-head dairy. These commercial replacement cattle may have been raised on feed treated with pesticides, weaned on milk replacer containing blood products recovered from slaughtering operations, and been injected with hormones and antibiotics. All of these practices are unacceptable to organic consumers. At issue is how this affects the company's representation of its Horizon milk products as produced without antibiotics, hormones or toxic pesticides. Contact: Steven Heim, Director of Social Research, Boston Common Asset Management, LLC, 84 State Street, Suite 1000, Boston, MA 02109 Tel. 617-720-5557 Fax 617-720-5665, email sheim @ bostoncommonasset.com More > |
| Protest Starbucks: National Week of Action June 19th-25th | 1 comment |
| 21 May 2006 @ 13:35 Protest Starbucks: National Week of Action June 19th-25th Join OCA and Food and Water Watch June 19-25, to take the Starbucks challenge and protest or leaflet Starbucks cafes in your neighborhood. Let's educate Starbucks' patrons about Fair Trade and rBGH. Help us reach our goal of 300 actions! Despite over five years of grassroots pressure, Starbucks continues to serve milk from cows that are injected with genetically engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone, also known as rBGH or rBST. Virtually every industrial country, except for the United States, has banned the sale of rBGH milk. Milk produced from cows injected with rBGH poses serious dangers to human health and the general welfare to dairy cows. The time has come to kick rBGH off the market, once and for all. If Starbucks, a major buyer of milk, were to reject rBGH dairy products, we could effectively eliminate it from the market. Similarly, while Starbucks has slowly bought more certified Fair Trade coffee, it represents only a very small percentage of their total coffee (about 3.7%). Starbucks rarely offers certified Fair Trade coffee as their coffee of the day, nor has it followed its own policy of brewing Fair Trade coffee, on demand. 1. Take the Starbucks Challenge! Hold Starbucks to their word. Simply visit your local Starbucks and ask: "Could I get a cup of fair trade coffee?" and let us know how it went. 2. Protest or Leaflet outside Starbucks stores. Download materials from the sidebar on the Organic Consumers website. 3. Be sure to let Starbucks know your thoughts, either online or with their postage paid comment cards available at their stores. More > |
| Friday, April 21, 2006 | |
| Bush Plan To Hide Data on 1.5M Lbs. of Toxic Chemicals in California | 0 comments |
| 21 Apr 2006 @ 22:54 OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE APRIL 17, 2006 11:03 AM CONTACT: Environmental Working Group Bill Walker, EWG, (510) 444-0973, ext. 301 Tracy Fairchild, office of Sen. Jackie Speier, (916) 651-4008 Bush Plan To Hide Data on 1.5M Lbs. of Toxic Chemicals in California State Legislation Would Protect Californians' Right to Know About Pollution in Their Communities SACRAMENTO - April 17 - A Bush Administration proposal to roll back Americans' right to know about chemical hazards in their neighborhoods would let California industries handle almost 1.5 million pounds of toxic chemicals a year without telling the public, according to an investigation of federal data by Environmental Working Group (EWG). Currently, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) program requires industrial facilities to report annually the release, disposal, incineration, treatment or recycling of 500 pounds or more of 650 chemicals covered by the law. But last fall the EPA proposed sharply raising the reporting threshhold so that only releases of 5,000 pounds or more would be reported, and reports would only be required every other year. "The right to know what hazardous chemicals are coming out of the smokestack across the street from your child's school is essential," said EWG Vice President Bill Walker. "The Administration's proposal makes it easier for industries to pollute our communities with hazardous chemicals—in secret." EWG's report, "Stolen Inventory," lists all facilities in California that would be allowed to stop or cut back on reporting chemical releases, broken down by county, city and chemical. It is available at www.ewg.org. EPA will announce later this year whether it plans to adopt the proposed rollback. But two California legislators, Sen. Jackie Speier of San Francisco/San Mateo and Assemblymember Ira Ruskin of Redwood City, have introduced bills to establish a state-level TRI, to ensure that complete reporting of toxic chemical releases would continue. Speier's bill (SB 1478) will be heard at 1:30 p.m. today by the Senate Environmental Quality Committee, and Ruskin's (AB 2490) will be heard at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday by the Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee. |
| Saturday, March 25, 2006 | |
| How Foundations Are Undermining America's Social Change | 1 comment |
| 25 Mar 2006 @ 01:03 How Foundations Are Undermining America's Social Change & Public Interest Movements Posted 3/24/06 Subject: The Revolution Will Not Be Funded From Adbusters Magazine (Canada) [link] The Secret to Being as Radical as We Want to Be is to Finance the Revolution Ourselves By Michael Shuman and Merrian Fuller If Mohandas Gandhi were a typical North American activist these days, he would probably be wearing a three-piece suit and working in a plush office with his law degree prominently displayed. He would have little time to lead protests, since every other week would be spent meeting with donors - and those power lunches would hardly go well with fasting. He would be careful to avoid salt marches or cotton boycotts, so as not to offend key donors. To sharpen his annual pitch to foundations, he would be constantly dreaming up new one-year projects on narrowly focused topics, perhaps a one-time conference on English human-rights abuses, or a documentary on anti-colonial activities in New Delhi. To ensure that various allies didn't steal away core funders, he would keep his distance and be inclined to trash talk behind their backs. In short, there's little doubt that the British would still be running India. The problem with activism today is that it is largely funded by grants and gifts from rich foundations and individuals. The long-standing assumption that you can take the money with few strings attached, and then run, needs to be fundamentally reexamined. Building a philanthropic base of support can cripple an organization's mission and wreck it altogether when the well runs dry. Most nonprofits have engaged in a kind of fundraising arms race in which our best leaders focus more time, energy and resources, not on changing the world, but on improving their panhandling prowess to capture just a little more of a philanthropic pie that actually expands very little from year to year. Armies of "development" staff spend as much as a third of an organization's resources, not to advance the poor, but to cultivate wealthy donors. Significant numbers of our colleagues create campaigns, direct-mail pitches, telemarketing scripts, newsletters and other products exclusively to "care and feed" prospects and to frame positions that will not offend the rich. Nonprofit structures dictated by this mode of funding also burden organizers with the heavy regulatory hand of the state. To qualify for tax-deductible contributions, for example, US nonprofits must agree to limit lobbying and not to campaign for political causes of candidates. We believe it's time for North American progressives to break free from the philanthropic plantation. Those of us serious about social change increasingly must get down to business, figuratively and literally. Every social change group may not be able to generate all its funding through revenue-generation, but every nonprofit certainly can generate a greater percentage than it is doing now. In other words, we should become our own funders. Once we start generating our own resources, we can invest them politically - as corporations do now - largely without limitation, without wasting our time on fundraising appeals, without worrying about that next grant, without apologies. More > |
| Friday, March 24, 2006 | |
| Oglala Sioux president on South Dakota abortion law | 2 comments |
| 24 Mar 2006 @ 07:22 Oglala Sioux president on South Dakota abortion law Indianz.Com. In Print. URL: [link] Giago: Oglala Sioux president on state abortion law “When Governor Mike Rounds signed HB 1215 into law it effectively banned all abortions in the state with the exception that it did allow saving the mother’s life. There were, however, no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. His actions, and the comments of State Senators like Bill Napoli of Rapid City, SD, set of a maelstrom of protests within the state. Napoli suggested that if it was a case of “simple rape,�? there should be no thoughts of ending a pregnancy. Letters by the hundreds appeared in local newspapers, mostly written by women, challenging Napoli’s description of rape as “simple.�? He has yet to explain satisfactorily what he meant by “simple rape.�? The President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, was incensed. A former nurse and healthcare giver she was very angry that a state body made up mostly of white males, would make such a stupid law against women. “To me, it is now a question of sovereignty,�? she said to me last week. “I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction.�? Strong words from a very strong lady. I hope Ms. Fire Thunder challenges Gov. Rounds and the state legislators on this law that is an affront to all independent women.” More > |
| Tuesday, March 21, 2006 | |
| Aura Imports Supports Tibetan Refugee Students | 3 comments |
 21 Mar 2006 @ 18:23My long time musical inspiration and friend William Aura has been offering his heart and hard work to assist Tibetan refugee children and students. I wanted to share his compassionate efforts with you. ---------------------------------------------- Aura Communications – March 21, 2006 Dear Friends of Aura Imports, Hop aboard. It’s that time again and I take strength in you joining me. Today I depart for Thailand, Nepal and India for six weeks. The “Aura Communications” journals and photographs will be published every 5 days or so as I travel (depending on available electricity of course.) This will be my 6th visit to the region. Your prayers and support are particularly appreciated at this time as the suffering continues at an alarming rate in the Himalayan world. I am pleased to say that collectively we are indeed making a difference… one heart at a time. For those who have followed this path for the past five years, your devotion will not be forgotten. For those new to these writings, on behalf of these Tibetan refugee and war-torn Nepali students, we welcome you to our unfolding story: Journals from January 2005: [link] Journals from September 2005: [link] A number of wonderful opportunities have developed since the beginning of this process. Rick Ray is producing an extraordinary film documentary about His Holiness entitled “Ten Questions for the Dalai Lama”. Footage from my first sojourn to Lhasa, Tibet and a provocative interview with a former Tibetan political prisoner will be incorporated into the final cut. The license fee is being donated to our student fund. Thank-you Rick. This is a profound honor and could not have been done without your support. [link] Mark Johnson has garnered high accolades for his groundbreaking film “Playing for Change” with at least 20 airplays so far featured on the Sundance channel. The immediate success of this documentary has led this remarkable spirit to develop a new creation showcasing deeply inspired musicians from around the globe. I am so pleased to announce I have been invited to guide him and his crew throughout India and Nepal to document these profound artists. This is powerful work. [link] Heather Askinosie and Timmi Jandro of Energy Muse are designing some of the most spiritually significant jewelry on the planet right now. It is my great pleasure to produce with them an entire new line of gemstone delights rooted in ancient mysticism. My dear Newari artisan family in Nepal will handcraft these evocative pieces in silver and gold. This collaboration promises to be significant and will benefit many. [link] Salvatore and Nancilee Iozzia of Chain Reaction Web have generously chosen to sponsor and host our website. When I received the surprising call from Salvatore I must admit I was floored at such a random act of kindness. I never thought such a thing could happen from total strangers. This strong reactive support has raised the game and I am better for it. Anyone who requires professional level website hosting with a mindfulness that exceeds your expectations please contact them and mention my name. [link] My brilliant niece and nephew, Genevieve and Ben Keller, created our spectacular website. Positive response continues to pour in. Their dedication to this work continues to inspire uncle William. I highly recommend this team and will never forget their devotion. [link] Trinity Thomas has graciously stepped forward to assist in getting these writings and photographs arranged for publication. She is a brilliant writer, gemstone enthusiast, eminent psychic and a dear heart. I thank you for this selfless act of love. Interest in the photographs for use in upcoming books, calendars and cards are coming in. It’s such a pleasure to witness with my own eyes the growing desire to learn more about this spiritually significant region and how their message may enrich us in these challenging times. So many students’ lives have been affected in such a profound way. Numerous folks write about how this one-to-one relationship with a deserving student has changed their lives forever. Here is a recent letter from our beloved Tashi. We are so proud of his accomplishments: “Today I write to share my feelings and support for the man and his contributions and help for the Tibetan people and Tibet which is unlimited to share on the short way to all. As well, I am Aura’s second friend among all his friends in exile. I was born in Amdo region of Tibet. In 1997 I escaped from Tibet to India. The Tibetan Exile Government provided me school for learning and education for four years. After four years, my opportunities were over. I didn’t have anywhere to go, no good friends and no nice relative also in exile. While I was thirsting to study more, I wish I could do something for Tibet in the future. I do not expect to return to Tibet and do not have any good family in Tibet. I also felt I could build good way for my life by my own hand then that will be nice for all. Due to Gods blessing I saw Aura first at Dharamsala in front of Tibetan New Reception Centre. He looked at me and smiled, and took snaps of me before we met. Besides his looks, his interest in Tibetan issues were such strong feelings in his face and smiles. I could feel it. But all the Tibetans he was meeting at TNRC were not able to communicate in English. So then I decided to help translate and I loved to give some information and made friends with him. After that day, we met again and I already bought some books with latest information on Tibet and her people. He was excited he got those books from me. He told me these look so good and what he was looking for. He also wanted to interview me on video about Tibet and to share my life and experience. I found some peace inside when he accepted my request to find some help for my education. His generous ambition and desire to help more Tibetan younger kids education and encouragement makes me so proud. There are so many feelings I can’t share through words or through actions also. All I have today is because of his blessing and his wide compassion. My entire life changed new, now I have Ama la (Ama in Tibetan which means mother and La means term of love and respect word). So he made this great karma for us, my Ama la and me. I respect his purity and objectives onward to Tibet and Tibetan issues. Such generosity in a person is so few in today’s world. We always appreciate his contribution to Tibet Exile. For my Ama la and I are always giving unlimited thanks to his blessing to us. Also we pray his dreams come true every single day.” Sincerely, Tashi Gyamtso To read more about students who are desperately in need of educational and emotional support: [link] Of course none of this would be possible without this incredible bodhisattva posse. A hearty Tashi Delek and Nameste to our sponsors and contributors for your continued support: Maria Ehrenreich, John Wooler, Craig and Deb Dobbins, Linda Myers, Dorene and Michael Polcyn, Ted Higashi, Jeanette Nelson, Sherry Carballo, Douglas Spotted Eagle, Craig Chaquico and family, Jo Ann and Allen Kepler, Ozzie Ahlers, Gerlando Compilati, Kevin and Lynn Ryerson, Peter Sterling, Nancy Campbell, Sharon Grant & Jillian, Dr. Michael Thompson, Robin Rutherford, Barbara Beale, Darya Tamjidi, Mitch Manker, John and Kent, The Barry Aquilino family, Linda and Luther King, Carol Kiva, Dan Selene, Roger Lifeset, Sepehr Haddad, Tim Timmermans (if I missed you please forgive me!) and numerous angels of mercy who have opened their homes for fund-raising events. I thank you from the depth of my being for joining this dance. As always, 100% of any donation goes directly to a student’s education fund. Write me back with your pledge and I will place see that it is distributed on this current sojourn. The challenge is great and I humbly ask for your prayers and contributions. I close with a warm heart and deep appreciation to all who continue to make a real difference lighting one candle at a time. Stay tuned. Yours in the spirit of peace, William Aura cybertibet@yahoo.com More > |
| Monday, March 20, 2006 | |
| LED-Flex replaces neon light | 0 comments |
 20 Mar 2006 @ 21:30 How many times have you seen a broken or flickering neon light? Durability is not one neon's strengths. But now a new product, LED-Flex, has been introduced as a substitute for neon. The producer, www.MuleLighting.com , has managed to make the flexible LEDs have the appearance and brightness of neon. The biggest advantage of this product is the efficiency level — it reduces energy costs by about 70%. It also has all the advantages of LEDs — durability, a cool operating temperatures and longevity. |
| Saturday, March 18, 2006 | |
| SENATE APPROVES ARCTIC DRILLING SCHEME IN BUDGET MEASURE | 1 comment |
| 18 Mar 2006 @ 02:14 SENATE APPROVES ARCTIC DRILLING SCHEME IN BUDGET MEASURE Statement by Karen Wayland, NRDC Legislative Director WASHINGTON (March 16, 2006) – Passing a budget resolution crafted exclusively to allow oil and gas drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the U.S. Senate today circumvented normal legislative channels and undermined the federal budget process to pave the way for special interests obsessed with drilling in the Arctic Refuge, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). A budget resolution is the only bill that cannot be filibustered in the Senate. This vote to open protected public land to oil drilling comes less than two weeks after the largest oil spill to strike Alaska's North Slope was discovered. The spill went undetected for five days. (See ”Large Oil Spill in Alaska Went Undetected for Days” The New York Times, 3/15/06.) Following is a statement by Karen Wayland, NRDC's legislative director: “Orchestrating a federal budget plan to allow Arctic drilling really takes the cake when it comes to special interest politics. This move only serves to pay back big energy companies that have been hauling in record profits.” “This sham budget resolution has nothing to do with our nation's budgetary priorities, and even less to do with energy security. Consumers won't even feel any real effect from oil and gas drilling in the Arctic Refuge for at least 20 years. Even then, the government's own experts say it will reduce gas prices by only about a penny a gallon. “We hope the House will show more integrity about our nation's fiscal and energy needs with its budget plan. More > |
| Friday, March 17, 2006 | |
| Free Speech by Radical Environmentalist, Rod Coronado, Declared Illegal | 1 comment |
| 17 Mar 2006 @ 08:56 The New Green Scare: Free Speech by Radical Environmentalist, Rod Coronado, Declared Illegal [link] March 10, 2006 War on the First Amendment The Great Green Scare and the Fed's "Case" Against Rod Coronado By BEN ROSENFELD The federal government has been champing at the bit to put Rod Coronado back in prison since the moment he got out in 1999, refusing to repent for his role in a 1992 arson at a Michigan State University fur research lab. Federal officials have publicly branded Coronado a leader of the Animal Liberation Front, even though the ALF is apparently non-hierarchical. He is, however, an unabashed advocate of property destruction in defense of animals, and his indictment in San Diego in February, for giving a speech in which he explained how the incendiary devices used in the Michigan arson were made, is a flimsy pretext to punish him for his radical views. The government's vendetta against Coronado is a campaign in a broader witch hunt against radical environmentalists and self-identified "green anarchists" -- those who merge ecology, animal rights, and anarchism in a vision of freedom and sustainability for all living beings. After Coronado's arrest, the U.S. Attorney for San Diego, Carol Lam, stated in the government's official press release, pre-judging the case for the public: "Teaching people how to build explosives in order to commit violent crimes is unacceptable in civilized society. There is no excuse for it." And so, through sophistry and syllogism, the government has transformed speech into violence. On December 13, 2005, Coronado was convicted in Arizona for peacefully attempting to disrupt a mountain lion hunt, which the U.S. Forest Service organized after a hiker reported seeing a lion in a popular canyon -- even though Arizona's Fish and Game Department searched and didn't find any tracks. The public came out strongly against the hunt, prompting authorities in the end to trap and relocate two lions without killing them. After Coronado's conviction, Assistant U.S. Attorney Wallace Kleindienst told reporters that Coronado is "a danger to the community. I know he wasn't tried here for being a violent anarchist. This trial wasn't about Rod Coronado being a terrorist, but he is one." The AUSA thus revealed the government's two ulterior motives for going after Coronado: One, it has a vendetta against him personally, and two, it has quietly embarked on yet another war against an abstract concept -- anarchism. The new case against Coronado is as stark a case about free speech as this country has ever seen. Measured against any historic test of free speech, Coronado's behavior -- i.e., his speech -- was alarmingly protected and uncriminal. [1] On July 30, 2003, persons unknown torched an apartment complex under construction in San Diego, causing millions of dollars in damage. The day afterward, Coronado flew to San Diego to lecture at a previously scheduled event. In response to a question from an audience member, Coronado -- who has been a public figure on the environmental lecture circuit since his release from prison in 1999 -- demonstrated how someone had constructed a non-explosive, incendiary device out of a plastic jug filled with gasoline to commit the Michigan arson for which he did his time. The government does not suspect, and has not accused, Coronado of any involvement in the fire set the day before his speech. READ More > |
Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Older entries >>