WOW! Thanks to Jan C. for alerting me to this moving presentation ... With TED talks like this one and Jill Bolte Taylor's recent one, they are sure sharing some inspiring content!!!

Here's a link to watch a trailer and learn more about Pangea Day.
...the day is the result of the combined efforts of countless TED supporters around the world, inspired by the TED Prize wish of film-maker Jehane Noujaim. She dreamed of a day when people around the world could share the the same film experience at the same time. The idea has grown into a giant global project... thanks to you.

My loving partner just sent this neat link to a site that makes charitable donations based on visitors interests; how cool is that! I just searched on "Solar Electric Light Fund" and "Save The Rain" to give them some support. Now it's your turn!

Thanks to Robert D. for this inspiring music, imagery and text about
Metta - The practice of Universal Loving-Kindness

I'm about half-way through my first read of The Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard and this morning came across an amusing radical notion that the new "f word" (truly radical!) is FORGIVENESS! This reminds me of Colin Tipping's work and book, Radical Forgiveness. I also discovered the same amusing phrase in The Forgiveness Project website (while perusing the Global Oneness Project website, my colleague in forgiveness research and practice, Leonard Laskow showed me.

Renard's book continues to astound me with the depth and profundity of the power of true forgiveness, which, as his book and A Course In Miracles reminds, is not about anything outside ourselves, including the "people" and "Universe" that appear to be external. It is about letting go of the mental model that believes in the illusion of separateness and forgiving ourselves for ever believing that our unlimited, immortal selves could ever suffer (or punish).

Polarity (example still image from the animations in The Geometry Code Screensaver/Meditation tool/eBooklet

My aunt and uncle just sent me this worthy, quick and simple way to show support for what appears to me to be VERY appropriate legislation:

Subject: Co-sponsor Barbara Boxer's global warming bill

Dear Friend,

Senator Barbara Boxer has just introduced legislation with Sen. Bernie Sanders to comprehensively reduce global warming, and she's asking for citizens like you and me to join with her in co-sponsoring the bill.

One week before Earth Day, which comes on April 22nd, Sen. Boxer will announce the number of citizen co-sponsors that have been gathered, giving her a huge push forward as she approaches her colleagues and enlists their support for Sanders/Boxer.

I hope you will join me in signing on as a citizen co-sponsor of this critically important legislation -- just click the link to do it!

Today we attended the Ashland Chocolate Festival which was rather tasty; some remarkably delicious (for a non-chocaholic) gourmet chocolate fare of all sorts, from a number of high quality vendors, mostly locals. The highlight for me (and all the fare was outstanding!) was the talk (and ware samplings) from local producer, Dagoba, which presented a very inspiring and compelling hour of details about not only the importance of "fair trade", but some of the ramifications of what is really going on behind the public relations, and who is really walking their talk. Dagoba is! (We get their chocolate locally from the Ashland Food Coop.) Highly recommended from both culinary and activist perspectives... When you visit their website, wait until the photo of the adorable sloth comes around; we saw some in the trees in Costa Rica when we were there a few years ago and were inspired by them. Our interconnected, vote-with-your-wallet choices DO make a difference!

Thanks to Joline for this idea; a massive greeting card (with a huge number of signatures) to send to our troops supporting THEM, regardless of whether we support the administration's policies or timetables. This is the brainchild of peace troubador, James Twyman.

Over the weekend, we attended a letter writing meeting in Ashland to let our elected representatives in Washington know that we want them to support HR 17 to fund our 15 soon-to-be-closed libraries throughout Jackson County. We also wrote letters to friends across the country, since this involves federal funding for many other related programs being cut.

Pardon the "soapbox" moment:

What are they thinking?
How can our government fund so many insane programs. while axing libraries, forcing their closure?
Talk about short-sighted!!!

We don't have kids at home, but we both use our local library frequently, always finding interesting books there, as do so many people of ALL ages. The idea of not having a public library seems like a completely neanderthal idea (no offense intended to neanderthals!)

I'm now directing this "steam" to support those who ARE supporting the libraries, and encouraging others to do the same - focusing on the outcome as thought it has already happened!

Here is a page talking about the issue, another about how you can help locally, and a link to the Jackson County library system and our beautiful local Eagle Point library, the cultural hub of our community. I also posted a prior entry on the blog about the rally we attended in Medford a couple weeks ago here.

If you want to support keeping libraries open and MANY other worthy government programs, here is a link to an article about H.R. 17, and links to your Washington representatives and senators to contact them for support. Also please thank Representatives Peter DeFazio and Greg Walden for introducing this bill, and others who are supporting it!

Here is a file with some example text to send to your representatives:

SaveOurLibraries

I just finished watching a re-inspiring video featuring former astronaut, Brian O'Leary speaking at a conference in Portland, Oregon on the New Energy Movement. He was the third speaker (I had fun writing about his work here in 1995) for our New Frontiers group. O'Leary commented how changing our energy picture is pivotal to creating a sustainable world, and at the core of this issue is the nature of consciousness, intention, and our collective passion for making the planet a better, safer, saner, more lovely place.

Here is a pertinent quote from the video that resonate with me:

"Quantum physics tells us, beyond any reasonable doubt, that there is a cosmic dance of interaction going on, that is instantaneous – that we're all interconnected – we are One in this Universe."
– Brian O'Leary, PhD

Today Nancy & I watched the Colbert Report on Comedy Central (our usual comic relief du jour, along with the Daily Show which precedes it). Stephen interviewed Wendy Kopp of Teach for America, and I was inspired by her vision of luring bright, enthusiastic recent college graduates to give 2 years of service in the educational arena to those who might not otherwise have that advantage. Then I read in "Good To Great and the Social Sectors" by Jim Collins (just mentioned this in yesterday's post) ... you guessed it ... Wendy Kopp of Teach for America. Collins touted her efforts as someone who held to the "Hedgehog Concept" of finding 1) What you're passionate about, 2) What you can become the best in the world at, and 3) What drives your resource (energy) engine. I suppose this isn't TOO astonishing a synchronicity, given my interests and the media I'm attracted to, yet it's still fun to have a few minor "Aha" moments now and then.

Nancy & I were among several hundred peaceful library supporters that showed up in Medford, Oregon's Alba Park today to voice our emphatic support of keeping all the libraries in Jackson County open. In the photo, Nancy is in the lower right, holding up the colorful sign with the yellow "O" in "Save Our Libraries!", and you can see my "Martineau Solar System - Mars/Venus" print on the white sweatshirt next to her left arm holding her picket sign. We'll be taping the evening news tonight from Medford, since at least two TV stations had videographers present. Both the primary county commisioner's chambers and the overflow viewing room on the third floor of a nearby county building were packed to capacity (it was a great place to warm up for a few minutes, though!). So we went to the Medford Library, where we joined the Standing Room Only folks and watched most of the 3-minute (very eloquent and diverse) citizen speeches in support of keeping our libraries open. All 15 county libraries are scheduled to close on April 6 unless other imaginative solutions are mustered. (Maybe we need to catch up?)http://www.mailtribune.com/Here is the email I sent yesterday to a few dozen folks (local to Jackson County, here is the land of Jefferson)====Hi all:If any of you live in Jackson County, use the public library system or know people who benefit from our libraries, have children or know people who have children, or just plain want to let our county government officials know that we want to KEEP THE LIBRARIES OPEN, read on!This peaceful rally isn't about HOW this is to be achieved – a different issue – it is about the people of Jackson County speaking out in SUPPORT of our libraries...Nancy & I will be there in Medford tomorrow morning; we hope to see some of you there! Carpool if you can. Date: Wednesday, January 31, 2007Time: 8:30-9:30 AMPlace: Alba Park, Medford, Oregon ( Main Street, corner Ivy and 8th Street)More details

Although the vast majority of my mentoring has been informal, I've been an avid mentor as long as I can remember, and I just discovered not only a local opportunity here in Eagle Point (ASPIRE) to contribute to the community as a mentor, but also a statewide organization here in Oregon (Oregon Mentors), and a national organization (Mentoring.org) which links to resources and networks to mentoring groups and opportunities all over.

If you feel that you want to make a positive contribution with your enthusiasm, support, knowledge and just plain caring in the lives of young people, check out these opportunities! If you're reading this, you probably have a lot to share, and that sharing can make a BIG difference... See my thoughts about the film "Right Here, Right Now" in a recent post... I don't claim that my high school paper on the golden ratio was responsible for my uncle's Joe's younger nephew becoming a Math professor ... although HE acknowledges that as being an influence... We often see only the tip of the iceberg of the effects that our goodwill creates, which may propagate through many lives and around the planet!

When I reflect on the years I taught Adult School (Leadership and Human Relations), conducted classes at Deuel Vocational Institute in Tracy, California, workshops in Arizona, California, and now Oregon (including our local high school) those have been some of the most fun highlights of my life... Perhaps you have insights and knowledge you would like to share also; now is the time!

Yesterday, I saw two wonderful RVML videos! Sharif Abdullah, author of "Creating a World That Works For All" & David Korten, author of "The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community". Both emphasize how all our personal and planetary challenges ... and opportunities to transcend them ... are interconnected and ultimately all "one thing"... Highly recommended! The ideas in these important videos have the potential of lightening our hearts on an ongoing and sustainable basis!

Abdullah is founder and president of Commonway Institute... Here is Korten's website.