Go see The 11th Hour

Thom at the Cinema
Overcome August summertime lethargy. Do yourself and the world a favor and see The Eleventh Hour, Leonardo DiCaprio's new environmental film and then follow through on some of the action you promised yourself you would do after seeing Al Gore's film An Inconvenient Truth.

Gail Harper and I were fortunate to catch it at the Landmark Sunshine Cinema in the East Village and were treated to a special question and answer session by my favorite Air America Radio show host [and Renaissance man], Thom Hartmann, author of Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight. Thom is a real inspiration and the brief Q&A just wasn't enough. I caught him again the next night at The Tank, home of Laughing Liberally. There, despite crappy rainy weather and the 9 pm hour, Thom was greeted by an enthusiastic standing-room-only audience. We saw a clip of the film and some additional DiCaprio enviromental footage available on his website then Thom gave us a mini-seminar. [Did YOU know that the population of the world would be best contained if women had full and equal rights?]

Bottom line is that we have to change -- and change NOW. We are the generation who have to change the world because the crisis is upon us. It is actually more like the 11th hour and 59 minutes. The solutions are there, or at least most of them, but we have to change our own lives and get others to do likewise. Government involvement is vital -- so let's start bugging our representatives, senators, mayor, goveror -- everyone! And let's note well the ideas on the 11 Ways to Make A Difference postcard which advertises the film [which I am manually typing as I can't find a link!!]:

1. Unplug appliances and chargers when you are not using them. Turn off lights, TV and power down computers when leaving a room or not using them.
   


2. Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth, shaving and lathering in the shower.
   


3. Avoid using plastic bags and plastic water bottles. Take your own reusable bag to the market or the mall.
   


4. Lower the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees and keep your home thermostat at 68 degrees in the winter and 78 degrees in the summer
   


5. Use cold water for laundry and clean the lint filter in your dryer after every load so that it uses less energy.
   


6. Turn off the drying feature on your dishwasher.
   


7. Learn about alternatives to household cleaning and laundry products that do not use hazardous chemicals.
   


8. Use compact fluorescent lightbulbs to save money and energy.
   


9. Walk, bike or take public transportation to work/school once a week.
   


10. Buy a hybrid or alternative-fuel vehicle on your next purchase.
    


11. Plant a tree or garden.

Let's follow through on our good intentions. We don't have to be perfect, but we have to be bettter, and we have to lobby Congress. Call them at 202-224-3121 to demand meaningful environmental reform now. And please, for the sake of humankind, check out http://11thhouraction.com/ for more action ideas.

Thanks, Thom! Thanks, Leonardo! And I will add a special thanks to my Aunt Betty Murphy who has never owned an electric dryer but has preferred a clothesline instead. (Think of the energy she has saved! ) Blessings one and all, and....

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne


Thom at the Tank

Don't Count Out the Real Liberal: John Edwards

Wonder why the mainstream corporate media isn't talking about John Edwards much, except to denigrate him for cutting his hair? They know he, with his populist message, is really the most viable Democratic candidate to win against Republican corporatist candidates. Thanks to Thom Hartmann, for pointing his listeners to the title-linked article, in Rolling Stone Magazine:

The Real Liberal: John Edwards is Third in the Polls, But Don't Count Him Out

by Tim Dickinson

If he weren't rich, handsome and so well married, you might feel a little sorry for John Edwards. Never before in the 231-year history of our republic have the inalienable traits that Edwards possesses -- his fair skin and a Y chromosome -- been anything but a prerequisite for presidential politics. Today, his race and gender stand a chance of derailing his campaign altogether. "There's a lot of democrats who would like to make history," says Markos Moulitsas, founder of the influential online forum Daily Kos. "The party is anxious to nominate a black or a woman," agrees Dick Morris, the former adviser to Bill Clinton. "You have to sign off on either of those two options before you even get to voting for Edwards." Indeed, Edwards has been all but eclipsed by the celebrity candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama: He ranks a distant third in national polls, and his $12 million cash on hand is barely a third of Hillary's and Obama's hauls.

But counting Edwards out would be a big mistake. Flying below the radar, the former vice-presidential candidate is pulling off a feat that Democratic consultants have long considered impossible: staking out the most progressive platform among the viable candidates while preserving an aura of electability. In head-to-head polling against the likes of Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney, Clinton and Obama have managed to post only modest leads. Edwards, by contrast, not only bests every Republican candidate in the race, he trounces them -- by an average of twelve points.

"Edwards' message is more left than it was in '04, and it's attracting the right kind of people for the primaries," says Bill Carrick, a veteran party strategist. "But the general electorate still sees him as mainstream. He's doing a good job of threading that needle." MORE

If you like John Edwards, like I like John Edwards, support his efforts, populist efforts, by donating to his campaign. (And I do put my money where my mouth is. Matt Gerlach [sp? -- nice guy who used to work for IBM and know how important keeping jobs in the USA is] called from the campaign this past weekend and I donated another few dollars -- which add up! I donated on the web -- then I went to Dennis Kucinich's site and donated a few dollars because I like his message, too.) Thanks!!

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

I Care2

Missing the Blogger profile links the other week, I discovered the My.Care2 community and the ability to find folks with common interests by posting topics, movies, books, etc. and then clicking on them. I've spent time developing my page -- click the title link to view -- sort of a MySpace for the caring community. Care2.com does a lot of petition work and encourages activism. This is all right up my alley of course, and it looks like fun (should I post on my page the YouTube video my daughter Kat did of my Las Vegas karaoke debut?) but I went to blog an invitation to my friends to join me on Care2 and low and behold, as I clicked on my Kate Anne profile here on Blogger, I see the Blogger profile links are back. Go figure!!

That said, it looks like a good community -- and it made for a good Saturday night out ... on the web :-) So if you do have a Care2 profile, find me. (I am currently friendless!) And if you have a Blogger profile, add some detail to your profile and let's all have fun enjoying each other and new folks.

It has been quite a week at work so I need some fun. I even claimed some of my overtime. I did take some time out this week, however, to join some of my WQIDC friends for dinner and Sicko. OMG -- the profit motive in healing must be curtailed. Make a living, not a killing! When CEO McGuire of United Health Care made 1.6 billion in compensation last year that defined real obscenity -- and greed. So much to do for peace and justice -- but I must create peace in my own life too. And care for myself -- so I can care for others later on down the line.

United for Peace and Justice is planning a big demonstration for peace in Iraq on October 27th. But there is work to be done now -- both for it and for peace and justice in general. That should also mean IMPEACHMENT. (I did notice that Care2 has an impeachment group -- maybe more than one.) I will have to add that to my concerns, come to think of it. Hey, I'm an ENFP -- choices!!! But now I better choose to go to bed so that I can get enough sleep to have a reasonably productive Sunday.

My thanks to Care2 for a pleasant evening -- and to AOL for supplying background music with their AOL radio feature. Now, "To sleep, perchance to dream."

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

"Don't worry?" Oh yeah....

Thanks to fellow Sam Seder Show blogger Toni D for her posting of this great cartoon.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Update -- Wedding Pix

Lots to do for peace and justice but sometimes one has to get away for family events, like when my son marries somebody terrific -- a second marriage for them both so they chose an intimate friendly setting. And for the blessing of the wedding vows of my nephew and his beautiful bride. Thus, I was in Ohio and Pennsylvania for a few days but am now back and recording some of my memories on line. My mostly family/Pfamily and ambiance shots of Audient's and Gina's wedding can now be seen at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kateannenyc/

OR THE DIRECT SET at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kateannenyc/sets/72157601097751780/

You can do a slide show of the set AND if you sign in to Flickr.com you can leave any comments on the set or on any specific picture.

I did some working with tags and will adjust other photos eventually but to do it right, it takes time. (For instance, you can view the pix I took at my nephew Christopher and Ellie Pfister's wedding blessing by clicking on this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kateannenyc/tags/blessingday/ but as no one on Flickr.com used that term, this also works right now:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/blessingday/ -- click on a picture tag to follow other linked pictures.)

Audient & Gina and Chris & Ellie


TO DOWNLOAD pictures on Flickr.com, just click on the specific picture and look for the "All Sizes" icon above the picture -- you can download smaller or more printable large photos, as you like.

Enjoy -- and let me know what you think -- either on the set or picture(s) -- or by leaving a comment here. (Yes there were others there -- sorry Audient and Gina I didn't take more of the various groups, but I was enjoying your DAY and EVERYONE!!!)

Peace hugs,
Mom Kat a/k/a Kate Anne

Catching up with Peace, Justice, and Nonviolence

Met with some friends this evening and was talking books and I thought of my Books Page on my Kate Anne for Peace Justice and Nonviolence website. Now post-move (as I continue my de-boxing) I must begin to update it and my more pensive blog at that space. Maybe my friends reading that can leave comments here -- if they can crack the code that Blogger requires.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne