http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/25/us/25voices.html?ref=us
Patty Whitney is either very dumb or very brave. A community organizer in Louissiana, she dared to broach the subject of alternative energy at a conference panel that included oil conglomerate ConocoPhillips.
“We are constantly told, ‘You have to adapt to coastal land loss, you have to adapt because of the oil leak, you have to adapt to the new situation,’ ” she said. “When is our government going to adapt to new energy sources that aren’t harmful to our environment and the people who depend upon the environment?”
I recently posted something on Facebook about how martyrdom is not meant to inspire people to hold fast to their faith but to highlight the injustices that got the martyrs killed in the first place. That is exactly what Patty has done. Many people who are financed by oil interests are trying their hardest to "stick to their faith" and say that this disaster won't happen again and that the damage can be repaired. What if its a sign that its time we as a nation moved to something a little more sustainable and a lot less harmful?
Sunday, July 25, 2010
A Walk to Remember...
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/story.asp?S=12836110
"It is the showing of respect to each other, each other's rights, as full American citizens who have the right to practice their religion and to initiate and build their institutions to suit their needs," said Arafat. "Regardless of what faith we come from, we have as much rights as anybody else. We all stand against extremism, regardless of what religion it comes from."
These were the words of Yasser Arafat, VP of the Islamic Center of Tennessee on July 19th, when he marched in an interfaith walk to support the freedom of religion guaranteed by the 1st Amendment. Yasser was joined by over 150 people from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faith traditions on his walk from the Belmont United Methodist Church to the Islamic Center of Tennessee one and a half miles away. He organized the walk to help raise awareness to recent reports of backlash against the building of Mosques in th US. The article also mentions that Yasser will be speaking to a Sunday school class at Belmont UMC to highlight the commonalities between Christianity and Islam.
If dialogue and action such as this occurred more often, what would the world look like?
"It is the showing of respect to each other, each other's rights, as full American citizens who have the right to practice their religion and to initiate and build their institutions to suit their needs," said Arafat. "Regardless of what faith we come from, we have as much rights as anybody else. We all stand against extremism, regardless of what religion it comes from."
These were the words of Yasser Arafat, VP of the Islamic Center of Tennessee on July 19th, when he marched in an interfaith walk to support the freedom of religion guaranteed by the 1st Amendment. Yasser was joined by over 150 people from Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faith traditions on his walk from the Belmont United Methodist Church to the Islamic Center of Tennessee one and a half miles away. He organized the walk to help raise awareness to recent reports of backlash against the building of Mosques in th US. The article also mentions that Yasser will be speaking to a Sunday school class at Belmont UMC to highlight the commonalities between Christianity and Islam.
If dialogue and action such as this occurred more often, what would the world look like?
A Congressional Bill for World Peace
https://secure.crs.org/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=611
There aren't too many bills on the floor of the US House that are truly bipartisan, but H. Res. 278 is one them. The bill, which was introduced as a result of the April 2010 Nuclear Security Summit, works toward a peacefull world in two very important ways. First, it commits the US to reduce it's nuclear stockpile, and to negotiate with other countries to do the same, so that the threat of nuclear annhilation will remain far from the minds of our grandchildren. Second, it commits funding (around $13 billion) towards programs that help increase global child survival rates. How does the second way help to create a peacefull world, you might ask? Because if we remove the reasons for violence in societies - poverty, hunger, unequal access to resources and wealth, and lack of education - then we come one step closer to a world that is less filled with carnage and death. Click on the link above to print and send a letter to your congressional rep. to co-sponsor this bill for world peace!
There aren't too many bills on the floor of the US House that are truly bipartisan, but H. Res. 278 is one them. The bill, which was introduced as a result of the April 2010 Nuclear Security Summit, works toward a peacefull world in two very important ways. First, it commits the US to reduce it's nuclear stockpile, and to negotiate with other countries to do the same, so that the threat of nuclear annhilation will remain far from the minds of our grandchildren. Second, it commits funding (around $13 billion) towards programs that help increase global child survival rates. How does the second way help to create a peacefull world, you might ask? Because if we remove the reasons for violence in societies - poverty, hunger, unequal access to resources and wealth, and lack of education - then we come one step closer to a world that is less filled with carnage and death. Click on the link above to print and send a letter to your congressional rep. to co-sponsor this bill for world peace!
A smarter way to build schools
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/07/23/madagascar.children.school/index.html
It looks as if things might be getting a little brighter in Madagascar, where together with UNICEF, they have found a cheaper and more efficient way to ensure enrollment rates in elementary (primary) schools. The method? Ensuring that the schools are physically there for the children to learn in of course. Using a special machine whose only fuel is human-muscle energy (no electricity or gasoline), they are able to press together bricks that dry on site and allow a new school to be built in just two months. This method is energy efficient in more than one way: traditionally, Madagascaran bricks would be heated in an oven fueled by the wood from surrounding forests. The new method will therefore make sure that the children learning in these schools will also have cleaner air to breath.
It looks as if things might be getting a little brighter in Madagascar, where together with UNICEF, they have found a cheaper and more efficient way to ensure enrollment rates in elementary (primary) schools. The method? Ensuring that the schools are physically there for the children to learn in of course. Using a special machine whose only fuel is human-muscle energy (no electricity or gasoline), they are able to press together bricks that dry on site and allow a new school to be built in just two months. This method is energy efficient in more than one way: traditionally, Madagascaran bricks would be heated in an oven fueled by the wood from surrounding forests. The new method will therefore make sure that the children learning in these schools will also have cleaner air to breath.
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