Friday, September 30, 2011

too Legit to quit

My music for Friday and the end of this month.
Should we bring back the Hammer?
Daily Buddhist Wisdom






If you wish to understand yourself, you must succeed in doing so in the midst of all kinds of confusions and upsets. Don't make the mistake of sitting dead in the cold ashes of a withered tree.
- Emyo

Thursday, September 29, 2011

HERMAN CAIN
MY BROTHER CAIN.
All I can say is rinse my brain and take me to the dryer.
Every time he says 9-9-9 - I want to dial 9-1-1.
 
ICHIRO WATCH:

2011 was not a good year for Ichiro.
He had 184 hits. The first season in which he did not have 200.
On the positive side he did have 40 stolen bases.
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News Alert: Obama administration escalates crackdown on tough immigration laws
September 29, 2011 12:46:42 PM
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The Obama administration is escalating its crackdown on tough immigration laws, with lawyers reviewing four new state statutes to determine whether the federal government will take the extraordinary step of challenging the measures in court.

Justice Department attorneys have sued Arizona and, where a federal judge on Wednesday allowed key parts of that state’s immigration law to take effect but blocked other provisions. Federal lawyers are talking to Utah officials about a third possible lawsuit and are considering legal challenges in Georgia, Indiana and South Carolina, according to court documents and government officials. The level of federal intervention is highly unusual, legal experts said.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY:

FALL 2011

Arts @ 29 Garden Hosts:
ART IN THE WIDER WORLD: PERFORMANCE, PRACTICE, ACTION 
What: Choreographer and visiting scholar Liz Lerman facilitates a series of presentations by artists who have changed their field and changed the world.
When:  Sundays at 4pm
Where: Arts@ 29 Garden   
About Liz Lerman 


Liz Lerman is the Founder, Choreographer Emerita and Founding Artistic Director of the Dance Exchange, an “intergenerational company of artists that creates dance and engages people in making art.” An equally important aspect of the Dance Exchange is its commitment to both engaging and creating community through various projects that aim to “contribute to a healthy and more sustainable environment.” Lerman founded the Dance Exchange in 1976 and since then the company has been a pioneer in the field of contemporary dance.
During the course of her career, Lerman has received many honors including the MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellowship and the American Choreographer Award.   She has also taken on the role of performer, choreographer, writer, educator and speaker, and is currently an Artist in Residence at Harvard University. Through her residency, Liz Lerman is bringing several Guest Artists in Residence to Arts @ 29 Garden and Harvard's campus: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, MichaelSinger, Kate Freer, Dave Tennant and Ethelbert Miller.
To learn more about Liz Lerman and the Dance Exchange, please visit: danceexchange.org 


SCHEDULE:


September 18: Jawole Willa Jo Zollar
Choreographer
Founder of Urban Bush Women
About Jawole Willa Jo Zollar 
 
Jawole Willa Jo Zollar is the Founding Artistic Director of Urban Bush Woman, whose mission is “to create dance and create community”.  UBW has been using the lenses of the female identity and the African diaspora to inform performances that “explore the use of cultural expression as a catalyst for social change” since 1984. As a choreographer, Zollar has created 33 works for Urban Bush Women and has also created choreography for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, University of Florida and Philadanco among many other companies. Some of Zollar's honors include being named a Fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation and most recently being named a Robert O. Lawton Distinguised Professor of Dance, which is the highest honor bestowed by the FSU faculty on one of its own.
 To learn more about Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, please visit: www.urbanbushwomen.org

September 25:
Michael Singer
Artist, Environmentalist
About Michael Singer
 
“Throughout the 1970's and 1980's Michael Singer's work opened new possibilities for outdoor and indoor sculpture and contributed to the definition of site specific art and the development of public places. His most recent work has been instrumental in transforming public art, architecture, landscape and planning projects into successful models for urban and ecological renewal. In 1993, The New York Times chose Singer's design of a massive waste recycling and transfer station in Phoenix as one of the top eight design events of the year.”  Singer has also completed several successful 'landscape and outdoor environment, planning and infrastructure projects in the United States and Europe' including an interior sculpture garden for the Denver International Airport and the AES Londonderry, New Hampshire Cogeneration Facility buildings.
 To learn more about Michael Singer, please visit: http://www.michaelsinger.com/
  October 16:
Kate Freer and Dave Tennant
Media Designers
Founders of Room 404 Media

About Kate Freer and Dave Tennant 

“Room 404 is video and projections design partnership founded in 2007 by David Tennent and Kate Freer [that does] video design for large scale installations, events and theatrical productions. 404's work has been featured at a wide range of venues including, P.S. 122, La Mama, The Flea, Lincoln Center, 3LD Arts and Technology Center, Syracuse Stage, Arena Stage, and the Oregon Ballet Theater. Their work has been called “chilling” and “well executed” by the New York Times. In addition to their theatrical design work, 404 teaches extensive workshops on Projection Design and are the ongoing producers of Media Lounge (medialoungenyc.org), a Brooklyn based festival of Arts and Technology.”

To learn more about  Room 404 media, please visit:  room404media.com

October 23:
Ethelbert Miller
Poet, Activist
 About E. Ethelbert Miller
 
 E. Ethelbert Miller is a literary activist. He is the board chairperson of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) [and a] board member of The Writer's Center and editor of Poet Lore magazine. Since 1974, he has been the director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University. Mr. Miller is the former chair of the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. and a former core faculty member of the Bennington Writing Seminars at Bennington College.”

To learn more about Ethelbert Miller, please visit: www.eethelbertmiller.com  



image
Weaving Abstraction Opens October 15
Dear Editors,
The Textile Museum will open a major exhibition titled Weaving Abstraction: Kuba Textiles and the Woven Art of Central Africa on October 15 (on view through February 12, 2012). Approximately 150 objects, ranging from small, exquisite baskets to monumental skirts, are included--making the exhibition the most comprehensive exploration of the art form in the United States to date.
I invite you to join us for a press preview on Thursday, October 13 at 9 a.m. for an exclusive opportunity to tour the exhibition with Vanessa Drake Moraga, visiting guest curator. RSVP today!
The Kuba kingdom, located in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo, created textiles that are considered to be some of the most distinctive and spectacular works of African art. The abstract beauty of the raffia fiber skirts, baskets, prestige panels, and other objects captivated the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, influencing modernism, fashion, fabric design, and the decorative arts.
Download a PDF version of the full-length press release.
High-resolution images are available for download. Request a link to the online gallery. For more information, contact Katy Clune, kclune@textilemuseum.org
Sincerely,
Katy Clune
Katy Clune
Communications and Marketing Manager
kclune@textilemuseum.org
202.667.0441 ext. 77

Quick Links:
Visit our online pressroom
Request press images
Upcoming programs at the TM
Follow us on Twitter
Please join us at a
Press Preview & Tour
Thursday, October 13, 9:00 a.m.
RSVP to kclune@textilemuseum.org
Weaving Abstraction Images
For image captions, click here.
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The Textile Museum The Textile Museum
Africa Lecture Series The Textile Museum The Textile Museum
The Textile Museum The Textile Museum

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS AUTOBIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR PANEL
2010 Fall for the Book Festival, George Mason University.
 
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Installation Closes October 22, 2011
View Installation Images
SalonImage
Listen to Installation Audio
InstallationView
Watch Conversation Dinner Video
clocknobackground
Before Time Runs Out

Sayingthis
Participate in
When I Was Perfect
 
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Buy
a Perfect Girl T-shirt
 
Young Women's Drumming Project
Support
Kirsten Arant & YWDEP
 
walktothe
 
EVERYTHING IS NOT TAKING PLACE AT THE UN IN NEW YORK:

The Institute for Policy Studies invites you to the
35th Annual Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Awards Ceremony
October 12th, 2011
National Press Club Ballroom, 13th floor
529 14th St. NW, Washington, DC
5:30 PM: Reception and Light Fare
7:00 PM:
Human Rights Awards Ceremony

Domestic Award
Presented by Tammy Baldwin (D-WI)
Wisconsin Progressive Movement
International Award
Presented by Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ)
Bethlehem, The Migrant's Shelter (Mexico)



1112 16th St. NW, #600
Washington, DC 20010
(202) 234-9382
sena@ips-dc.org | lm.ips-dc.org
Today is Rev. Denise King-Miller's Birthday.
Happy Birthday Denise.

Tricycle Daily Dharma September 28, 2011

Buddhism and Race

The Buddha was not Caucasian, as everybody knows. But Buddhism in the West has taken on the cultural trappings of the West, including racism. We all wish or hope that we’re not bigoted, but it’s culturally a part of us, so we need to look at it in all of its gross and subtle manifestations. In the absolute sense there is no separateness, no color, no race, but in the relative sense there are differences that are very real and very deep and sometimes determinative of our fate.
– Gina Sharpe, "Does Race Matter in the Meditation Hall?"
Read the entire article in the Tricycle Wisdom Collection
How can an online journalist work when the Internet is full of unpaid blogs?
What is the Future of Online Writing?
@PayTheWriter
PayTheWriter.org

Quality journalism made the Huffington Post. That's why AOL paid $315 million to acquire it. Help us tell AOL/Huffington Post that freelance writers are worth more than a byline.

Follow me on Twitter

There are plenty of online publications looking for content - but very few of these sites, like the Huffington Post, that want to pay its freelance journalists for their work. 

On October 11, 2011, at 7:00pm EST join the Pay the Writer! campaign at the Roger Smith Hotel in New York City where a panel of online journalists will explore the economic future of online freelance writing. The panelists will include:

John Dinges, Columbia University School of Journalism Professor and NWU Member

Katti Gray, Prize-winning veteran freelance journalist at DailyYonder.com and TheRoot.com

Samuel Apple, Editor-in-Chief of TheFasterTimes.com

Erik Peipenberg, Senior Producer for the theater section of NYTimes.com and member of The Newspaper Guild

The event is free, but space is limited, 
RSVP for your place today.

Not going to be in New York that day? Not a problem!  We will be streaming the event online at www.PayTheWriter.org
Let us know here you will be joining us online.



The National Writers Union is on Facebook and Twitter! 
  Follow us @PayTheWriter  
  Pay the Writer! | 256 West 38th Street New York, New York 10018
SAVE THE DATE - DC Day of Remembrance for Troy Davis
Saturday, October 1st
What: A commemoration of Troy Davis and a call for continued action, to coincide with Troy’s funeral
Where: Meet at Tivoli Square (14th street and Park street NW, DC); march to St. Stephens Church (1525 Newton Street NW, DC); followed by a march to the White House, carrying a symbolic coffin.
When: Saturday October 1: Tivoli Square, 11 a.m.-12 p.m.; St. Stephens, 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m. followed by march to White House
Who: Activists and citizens opposed to the execution of Troy Davis, opposed to the death penalty and opposed to the racist criminal INjustice system who are grieving, angry and prepared to fight back. Speakers will include, among others, Olympian and activist John Carlos and Dr. Jared Ball.
Why: At 11:08 pm on Wednesday September 21st the State of Georgia, with a complicit Georgia Supreme Court, United States Supreme Court and President of the United States, murdered Troy Anthony Davis. But they could not kill what he stood for. As Troy said: The struggle for justice doesn’t end with me. This struggle is for all the Troy Davises who came before me and all the ones who will come after me. I’m in good spirits and I’m prayerful and at peace. But I will not stop fighting until I’ve taken my last breath. Georgia is prepared to snuff out the life of an innocent man. In honor of Troy, and in coincidence with his funeral in Savannah, Georgia, we will be having a Day of Remembrance here in Washington, D.C. October 1, however, will not merely be a day of remembrance but also a call for action. This is just the beginning; Troy’s legacy will live on forever. DEATH TO THE DEATH PENALTY
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/event.php?eid=252601918110191&notif_t=event_invite
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/dctroydavis
Email: dctroydavis@gmail.com  





Take Action!
Clicking here will automatically add your name to the thank you note to Elizabeth Warren:
Dear Friend,
Finally, a progressive who knows how to fight back hard against the ridiculous "class warfare" charges from the GOP. In one fell swoop, Elizabeth Warren delivered a powerful knock-out blow against this GOP nonsense.
Warren's point was simple: Nobody gets rich on their own. You can watch the video here, but here's the key part:
"I hear all this, you know, 'Well, this is class warfare, this is whatever,'" Warren said. "No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody.
"You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police-forces and fire-forces that the rest of us paid for. You didn't have to worry that marauding bands would come and seize everything at your factory — and hire someone to protect against this — because of the work the rest of us did.
"Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless — keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along."1
Progressives take note: THAT is how it is done. THAT is how you fight back hard. And THAT is how you defeat Fox News talking points.
We will deliver the "thank you" note, along with your comments, to Elizabeth Warren.
Matt Lockshin, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets

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Michael Moore on Support of Occupy Wall Street (Video)
Keith Olbermann, Countdown with Keith Olbermann: Moore says it's going to take a "many-pronged approach" for the protesters to be heard and gain traction.
Watch the Video
THE KIRTI MONASTERY

        (for Tibet)

The monks are setting themselves
on fire. I smell the smoke of their souls.
The rising flames of protest embrace
the world. Death is the forgiveness
of life. Every prayer a match.

    - E. Ethelbert Miller

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

SKYPE TIME

I've been using SKYPE to talk with students across the country who are reading my poems and memoirs.
It first started a few weeks ago when I met with students at CUNY who had been reading THE 5TH INNING.
Grace Ali was the professor.

This afternoon I'll SKYPE with students being taught by Professor Ifeoma Nwankwo at Vanderbilt.
We will discuss some of the poems in THE EAR IS AN ORGAN MADE FOR LOVE.

Before the year is over I'll have a SKYPE session with students at Hampton University.

 COME FLY WITH ME: I love this story.
Delta Airlines ..... History in the making....   Click here to play video.  
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Local Weather Alert: Washington Monument closed indefinitely for earthquake repairs
September 26, 2011 6:08:51 PM
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The National Park Service says the 5.8 magnitude earthquake in August did more damage to the monument than was previously disclosed. Officials released security camera footage from during the earthquake showing tourists rushing to escape as the structure shook violently.
Quote of the Day

Then the cruel final act, so typical of Grossman’s career, befell him. Rolling to his left, he never saw Anthony Spencer rushing him from behind — his blind side. The sack stripped the ball from Grossman, just like the two crucial fumbles he lost here last year in a 33-30 defeat. Dallas recovered with less than 30 seconds to play. The End.

   - Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post

Monday, September 26, 2011

IS THAT MY ETHELBERT ON PAGE 3?

http://howardmagazine.idigitaledition.com/issues/10/
 
 
 
WAMBUI OTIENO: SHE BELONGS TO KENYA!
Awino Okech
‘In this special issue of Pambazuka News we seek to bring to the fore
the layered nature of Wambui’s life and the opportunities it in turn
offers to understanding the social, political and economic factors
that are contested, influence and shape Kenya … Through these pieces
we gain some insight into how the brazen defiance of one woman
captured the imagination of a nation, writes Awino Okech. ‘Love or
hate her, you could not ignore her.’
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76625



A DECADE OF LIVING DANGEROUSLY: WAMBUI OTIENO’S MAU MAU
Elsie Cloete
‘With her death on 30 August 2011, Wambui Otieno-Mbugua joins the
pantheon of African women activists who devoted their lives to
struggles against colonial and post-independence political regimes and
against systems that favoured and still do favour men over women,’
writes Elsie Cloete.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76621 ******


WAMBUI OTIENO: A LOVE STORY
Wandia Njoya
Wambui Otieno, a 'solitary woman who fought against patriarchal
values', may have 'struggled against oppression, but her story is
simply a struggle for love and dignity,' writes Wandia Njoya.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76622



HOW (NOT) TO REMEMBER WAMBUI WAIYAKI OTIENO
Soundtracks of our youth
Grace A. Musila
If they must sing about Wambui Otieno, ‘may our children’s songs be a
robust tribute to the courageous spirit of a woman who said
“sikubali!” to the chauvinist currents of her time,’ writes Grace A.
Musila.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76623


BURYING SM: SIMPLY COMPLEX
Awino Okech
Awino Okech examines Kenyan public memory, 24 years after the SM
Otieno case and in the wake of Wambui Otieno’s death.
http://www.pambazuka.org/en/category/features/76624



Secrets, Lies and Truths About Marketing Oneself As An Artist with E. Ethelbert Miller

Wednesday, October 12, 2011 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Classroom | Washington, DC
Free.
register
Want to learn how to make yourself more marketable as an artist? Come learn from one of the best!
E. Ethelbert Miller is a literary activist and author. Miller is the board chairperson of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) and is also a board member of The Writer's Center and editor of Poet Lore magazine. Since 1974, he has been the director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University. He is also the former chair of the Humanities Council of Washington, D.C. and a former core faculty member of the Bennington Writing Seminars at Bennington College.
Space is limited. Register online with the form below, in person, or by calling 202-331-1400. Registrants requiring disability-related services are asked to contact the Foundation Center at least two weeks in advance.
Please arrive on time or your seat may be given away to others who are waiting to attend. If you need further information, please call 202-331-1400.

Where:

1627 K Street NW, Third Floor
Washington, DC 20006-1708
 September 26, 2011
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Dear Friend, 

Split This Rock is very excited to announce a spectacular line-up of featured poets for Split This Rock Poetry Festival: Poems of Provocation & Witness, March 22-25, 2012

The festival will once again feature some of the most visionary and powerful voices of our time: 

Homero Aridjis 

Sherwin Bitsui

Kathy Engel

Carlos Andrés Gómez

Douglas Kearney

Khaled Mattawa

Rachel McKibbens 

Marilyn Nelson

Naomi Shihab Nye

Jose Padua

Minnie Bruce Pratt

Kim Roberts

Sonia Sanchez

Venus Thrash

and 

Alice Walker

Environmental activists, youth organizers, Pulitzer Prize winners, slam champions, poets of all ethnicities, DC-area poets, an opera librettist, translators, editors and publishers, emerging poets and mentors to emerging poets: Split This Rock 2012 has it all. 

Join us in Washington, DC, for four days and more than 40 events - readings, workshops, panel discussions, youth programs, open mics, and activism - as we pay tribute to the life and work of June Jordan, 1936-2002. 

See below for the poets' beautiful faces and follow the link to read their bios. Save the date! March 22-25, 2012. Registration information soon.  

Onward in peace & poetry,
  
Split This Rock

Announcing the 2012 Featured Poets
 WalkerBitsuiPratt  
Split This Rock Poetry Festival:  
Poems of Provocation & Witness 
March 22-25, 2012  
    ShihabNyeSanchezKearney
 
Homero Aridjis
Sherwin Bitsui
Kathy Engel
Carlos Andrés Gómez
Douglas Kearney
Khaled Mattawa
Rachel McKibbens
Marilyn Nelson 
AridjisThrashPadua  
Naomi Shihab Nye
Jose Padua
Minnie Bruce Pratt
Kim Roberts
Sonia Sanchez
Venus Thrash
Alice Walker 

McKibbensGomezEngel 

For full bios of the 2012 featured poets, please visit our website. 

RobertsNelsonMattawa

Support Split This Rock

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Click here to donate. Or send a check payable to "Split This Rock" to: Split This Rock, c/o Institute for Policy Studies, 1112 16th Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036. Many thanks!

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Split This Rock
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