sonny and cher-little man (1966)
things i find interesting, or pretty or important. or none of these things at all.
• Ask me anything
on my mind
on my mind
March 14, 2012, mongabay
Palm oil is now found in up to half of packaged processed foods in some markets. By virtue of its high yield, palm oil is a cheaper substitute than other vegetable oils, but it has lately been targeted by environmentalists because its production has at times taken a heavy toll on wildlife-rich rainforests and carbon-dense peat swamps in Indonesia and Malaysia. The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which sets standards for production, is the palm oil industry’s response to these concerns.
More on Surging demand for vegetable oil drives rainforest destruction
National Geographic December, 2010 / photo by: Jerome G. Rozen, Jr.
brood cells with petal shingles : Osmia avosetta bees arrange flower petals to create beautiful and unique nests that swaddle their larvae in nutrients and warmth for the winter.
(via receptive)
If you are sick of hearing about “humanitarian intervention” when you know that means that people from those targeted countries are victims of night raids, torture, rendition, drone attacks, murder, and indefinite detention, then come to Chicago. You are needed to say, “NO to NATO and US War Crimes.”
Hans Rosling at TED
good thing i never wanted to run for office in the first place…
Arkansas State Constitution, Article 19 Section 1 (“Miscellaneous Provisions”)
No person who denies the being of a God shall hold any office in the civil departments of this State, nor be competent to testify as a witness in any court.
Maryland’s Declaration of Rights:
Article 37
“That no religious test ought ever to be required as a qualification for any office of profit or trust in this State, other than a declaration of belief in the existence of God;”
Massachusetts’ State Constitution, Article 3
“Any and every denomination of Christians, demeaning themselves peaceably, and as good subjects of the commonwealth, shall be equally under the protection of the law: and no subordination of any one sect or denomination to another shall ever be established by law.”
Mississippi State Constitution. Article 14 (“General Provisions”), Section 265
“No person who denies the existence of a Supreme Being shall hold any office in this state.”
North Carolina’s State Constitution, Article 6 Section 8
“Disqualifications of office. The following persons shall be disqualified for office: First, any person who shall deny the being of Almighty God.”
Pennsylvania’s State Constitution, Article 1 Section 4
“No person who acknowledges the being of a God and a future state of rewards and punishments shall, on account of his religious sentiments, be disqualified to hold any office or place of trust or profit under this Commonwealth.”
South Carolina’s State Constitution, Article VI
Section 2:
“No person who denies the existence of the Supreme Being shall hold any office under this Constitution.”
Tennessee’s State Constitution, Article 9 Section 2
“No person who denies the being of God, or a future state of rewards and punishments, shall hold any office in the civil department of this state.”
Texas’ State Constitution, Article 1 Section 4
“No religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office, or public trust, in this State; nor shall any one be excluded from holding office on account of his religious sentiments, provided he acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being.”
[2009 bus campaign in England; too bad for all those atheists in Maryland, Massachusetts, North Carolina, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Arkansas,Tennessee, and Texas]
the search for authenticity
Occupy Chicago*
I decided to go downtown to Jackson and LaSalle to see how the Occupy Chicago Movement was getting on and find out some basic questions about the origins, goals and day to day activities of the activists. When I got there I was shocked. There was nothing left. I was about to walk away because I did not see a single person or sign or flyer but then I saw a man wearing a huge poster around his shoulders that said “seek the truth”. I walked over to him and asked if he knew where the occupy movement was and he responded by looking down and shaking his head. At that point another man who was standing nearby started to talk to us. I turned out these two men were both strong supporters of the Occupy Movement, yet both denied being associated with Occupy Chicago.
Mark Donahue and Jeff Johnson have both been politically active in Chicago for decades. They described the beginning of the movement in Chicago as exciting and promising. 1000s of people gathered at Jackson and LaSalle in the fall of 2011. As word of the movement spread more people showed up. Donations were made. Donahue said they received truckloads of blankets, coats, and food from supporters. Many people from other nearby states would drive car loads of supplies. A local Chicagoan even donated several laptops to the cause. They had a donation box at Jackson and LaSalle, which also was the location to post the weekly activities and announcements.
But around December a vote was taken to move the Occupy camp to a large warehouse at 500 Cermak, leaving the central location empty. Currently there are no activists at Jackson and LaSalle (except for the few exceptions like Mark and Jeff). The Occupy Movement now operates out of the Cermak Building, but even there things are shrinking. The building never had working toilets or elevators and currently Occupy Chicago has reduced its presence to a single floor. Mark explained that the reason they wanted to move to Cermak was to have a space large enough to fit all the activists and make posters and puppets but also claims it is “unsuitable for children and too far away”. Personally, I feel the move has greatly affected the essence of the Occupy movement. If people cannot see and interact with activists they will have little to no access to discussion or information and the movement will die out. Jeff said he often stands at the old corner with his sign and sometimes people come up and say they have traveled from outside Chicago only to find nothing here. The Occupy Chicago website is occasionally updated but seems to be out of date regarding most forum topics. The website has an electronic donation button which they state is currently the only way to give monetary donations.
Both mark and Jeff described a split within the Chicago movement. Mark claimed there is a small clique of mostly ISO (International Socialist Organization) members who ultimately took control and changed how the movement operated. The voting process became unorganized and favored those in charge. Occupy Chicago’s presence and purpose has changed since the winter with this shift in leadership. Currently Occupy chooses to team up with other organizations and show up to events rather than maintain a constant presence in the streets. “They believe they are stronger when they have combined forces with other organizations but do not have the strength to stand alone”, according to Jeff. During the winter months the movement set up a small homeless shelter at Grace Place that the minister of a church there offered up use for the cause. Apparently food was stored there and activists as well as homeless people were able to rest for a few hours during the cold nights. This is no longer active.
Mark claimed the movement became too encumbered with the needs of the few who were leading it. This sounds similar to the very cause they are fighting against, does it not? One must ask why this obvious lack of cohesion and subsequent disintegration happened. It comes down to the reasons why people became involved in the first place. Many people, like Mark and Jeff, truly want change for the working class. They recognize the government and the corporations it supports are taking advantage of the American populous. They want real democracy and change for everyone. Some people joined the movement because they were directly affected by the current economic crisis. Many young people who just graduated from college and have to pay back their student loans couldn’t find a job. These people may be joining the movement seeking urgent change for their individual existence but their intentions can be, and often times are, radically different from those who want fundamental change. Some people join just to be part of something “revolutionary” and “exciting”. And there are still others who join for a variety of additional reasons.
Originally the Occupy Movement started in New York and was Called Occupy Wall Street. It was a response to the lasting effects of the recession and embolden by the then recent Arab Spring that swept through North African and the Middle East. Its main concerns centered on the growing income inequality, corporate greed and the global influence of powerful financial institutions. “Everyone” was part of the 99%. Occupy Wall Street claimed the top 1% of America (banks, CEOs, and politicians) had far too much power in which they manipulated, controlled and benefited from all people working for wages. Personally I connected to the Movement just as 1000s of other did. [According to the OMB National Priorities Project, 27% for Federal Income Tax Dollars for 2011 went to the Military. When compared to only 3.9% for Housing and Community, only 2.5% for Education and 1.9% for Energy and the Environment. How is this democracy? Do people even know where their money is going? Do they care? Do they support it? This is hegemony in action.] The movement spread throughout the nation, setting up locations in all major cities and smaller cities as well. The movement even gained prominence internationally, with occupations in Indonesia and Botswana, among several other countries. Occupy still seems to have a strong presence on the ground and in the media. The Occupy Together website lists a directory of every occupied city that totals several hundred.
The Occupy Movement in general has found partnership with other activists and organizations including International Women’s Day, the campaign to free Bradley Manning, Immigrant rights groups with the upcoming May Day Protests, and the anti-NATO and G8 movement among others. It will be interesting to experience Chicago during the month of May to see if Occupy Chicago can come together, let their voices be heard and truly affect the change they so desperately seek.
*written for a class assignment
