From Tribe of Heart

Special Guests Film Subjects Howard Lyman & Willow Jeane Lyman Filmmakers James LaVeck & Jenny Stein

Screening followed by Q&A and Light Reception
Thursday, May 13th at 6:30 PM
The Egyptian Theatre, 801 E. Pine St. (Capitol Hill area) Map & Directions
Tickets: $8 purchase in advance

About the film... Watch a preview Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home is a new documentary by the award-winning filmmakers of The Witness. A riveting story of transformation and healing, this 78-minute documentary portrays the experience of five farmers, an animal rescuer and a humane police officer, each engaged in a courageous struggle of conscience. As they attempt to re-integrate parts of themselves that were fragmented by expectations and experiences that went against their deepest natures, they reveal the complex web of social, psychological and economic forces that have led to their present conflict. Their powerful testimony, combined with rare footage providing insight into the emotional lives of animals, creates an unforgettable portrait of farm life that many viewers have called "a life-changing experience." Video highlights from the World Premiere Video highlights from the Chicago Premiere Audiences are saying... "Phenomenal film. Life-changing." "I felt 'whole' after watching the film. It makes connections that I don't encounter in everyday life. It made me feel larger than myself, like I am a part of something bigger." "Moving and honest." "Beautiful. Courageous. It has raised my awareness to a whole new level." "The first time I cried and laughed at the same time. I feel awakened and alive." "This is by far the best film on our modern agricultural system, and an alternative view, that I have ever seen." "It has re-awakened in my soul what I have known all along and now I must follow. Thank you." "We are truly all connected, and this documentary shows this better than anything else out there." "Very clarifying, morally and ethically." "Our world needs this message -- it was heartfelt, tragic, hopeful and inspiring. I'm overwhelmed and grateful." "I can honestly say that after seeing this film, I am changed for the better." "This film reminds me to live with heartfelt connections to animals, people and the earth." "My heart has been broken, and opened." "Everyone on the planet needs to see this film. I am deeply moved." For instant news updates and breaking information about Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home, follow Tribe of Heart on Facebook and Twitter:

Please help us publicize this event! Share this invitation with people you know in the Seattle area. It's easy! Use the share button at the top of this invitation. If you are on Facebook and plan to attend, let us know, and invite your Facebook friends, too! In the coming weeks, the film will also be screening in the Chicago area (Evanston, IL), the Berkshires (Western Massachusetts), and Cleveland, OH. Event details... The Egyptian Theatre is in the Capitol Hill area, at 801 East Pine Street, between Broadway & Harvard Ave. Map & Directions A light reception is included in the ticket price, and will take place in the theater immediately following the film screening and Q&A. Street parking is available in the neighborhood as well as a parking garage that is located caddy corner to the theatre at the same intersection (Pine & Harvard). Rate is $5 for evening parking. TICKETS are $8. You can purchase in advance (select May 13 as the show date) through the Egyptian Theatre box office, or at the door the night of the event. Seating is unreserved, and will be on a first come, first served basis. Special Guests Film Subjects Howard Lyman & Willow Jeane Lyman Howard Lyman was a 4th generation farmer/rancher/feedlot operator from Montana who, together with his wife Willow Jeane, transformed the family farm into an agribusiness empire. Stricken by cancer at the height of his success, Howard came face to face with an undeniable reality. His way of life was not only jeopardizing his own health, it was destroying the vitality of the soil and the lives of thousands of animals. Howard and Willow Jeane left their way of life behind to focus on alerting the public to the growing environmental crisis and the plight of the small family farmer. Howard would eventually become a world-renowned public speaker, author, and impassioned advocate for animals and the environment. Also known as the "mad cowboy," Howard was Oprah Winfrey's co-defendant in the highly publicized 1996 lawsuit which was pursued, unsuccessfully, by the National Cattleman's Beef Association. Howard is the founder of Voice for a Viable Future, a non-profit organization that educates the public about organic family farming, biodiversity, vegetarianism, environmentally friendly practices, and enlightened trade. He is also the subject of two documentary films, Mad Cowboy and Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home. Howard and Willow Jeane currently live in Ellensburg, Washington. Filmmakers Jenny Stein and James LaVeck The work of documentary filmmakers Jenny Stein and James LaVeck has been recognized by film festival juries and audience members for its uncompromising yet compassionate portrayal of the interplay between what is most troubling in human society with what is most inspiring in human nature. Stein (director) and LaVeck (producer) are co-founders of the Ithaca, New York-based non-profit documentary production organization Tribe of Heart. For the last ten years, Tribe of Heart films have appeared in 80 festivals around the world and won 17 top awards, including 4 for Best of Festival and 12 for Best Documentary. Their work has appeared on PBS, LinkTV, FreeSpeech TV, and the United Kingdom’s Community Channel. Festivals are saying... “Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home truly is a journey of inspiration; a journey to an enlightened consciousness.” —Elizabeth English, Founder Moondance International Film Festival “I believe this important, groundbreaking film deserves the widest possible audience because of its potential to advance our understanding of the essential personhood of animals and our innate human capacity to relate to them with compassion, joy and respect.” —Steve Grumette, Co-Founder Ojai-Ventura International Film Festival “Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home is a grand wake up call... you would have to be so numb to not be affected by this film." —Milissa Pacelli, Director Peace on Earth Film Festival

Tribe of Heart is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that produces award-winning, life-changing films about the journey of awakening conscience and the ethics of the human-animal relationship. As a small organization with a big vision, we depend on the power of our community to make our programs come to life. Thank you for the many ways you help Tribe of Heart encourage positive, peaceful transformation.

Donations can be made online or mailed to
Tribe of Heart, POB 149, Ithaca, NY 14851

From My Sister's

Giant 150 Year Old Red Oak

During the Biblical rain fall a giant 150 year old red oak fell across my sister's home. Since Saturday she has been living in a motel. Yesterday, the flood waters finally subsided enough for me to drive into Nashville to see the damage.

From The Narrows (Photos)

The Flood Waters Subside

The following photos were taken yesterday afternoon from a perspective that would have been underwater two days ago.

The Road Out of the Narrows

Harris-Street Bridge

Across from Mound Bottoms

From The Narrows (Photos)

I’m safe and well.

As most of you may know middle Tennessee has been devastated by floodwaters.

Fortunately, my house sits several hundred feet above the Harpeth River. All five families though who live within the Narrows of the Harpeth have been without electrical power for several days, now.

The flood waters rose above the only road in and out of Bell’s Bend of the Harpeth early Saturday morning, leaving us all stranded and inundating the home of a neighbor and friend who lives below me.

Adjoining his property is a 60-acre farm that houses horses. It too was completely flooded. Unfortunately, the owner of the farm lives on the other side of the Harpeth River. Sunday we were informed that there were possibly six horses locked in their stalls in the stable. By the time we began the rescue the stable had five feet of water in it and was nearly 300 feet from shore.

My nearest neighbor is Anthony Curtis. Anthony and I after some serious deliberation reluctantly decided to try and make our way out to the stable tethered to a 300-foot rappelling rope. The river current was very strong. The floodwater was shoulder high on the horses and disgustingly foul. Debris had collected with the current up against their stalls. Fortunately, just as we reached the stable, three young men in a rescue boat arrived out of nowhere. It took all five of us nearly two hours, but after some difficult and harrowing maneuvers we successful released all six horses.

The rain finally stopped Sunday night. By Monday morning the sky was clear and blue. I spent much of the day, yesterday, helping the neighbor below me clean out his house after the river subsided some. His father-in-law crossed the river in a boat and brought us a generator. He was going to take his daughter back across when out of the blue a rescue helicopter arrived.

The generator has allowed us to recharge both our cell phones and computers. Otherwise, I would not be writing this to you.

Thanks to all of you who have emailed me expressing your concern and good wishes.

Dee

From Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC)

Field Trip to C Street House

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

From Truthout

The Lowdown from Hightower

Friday 30 April 2010

by: Michael Winship, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed

I first became aware of Jim Hightower more than 20 years ago, during the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. The Democrats were nominating Massachusetts Governor Mike Dukakis to run for president against Reagan's vice president, George H.W. Bush, and at the time Dukakis looked like he had a pretty good chance at the White House. This was before a series of events did him in, including the notorious Willie Horton ad that attacked Dukakis for a Massachusetts weekend furlough prison program that allowed a convicted murderer back on the street, where he robbed and raped.

And it was before Dukakis bobbled a harsh debate question about what he would do if his own wife Kitty was raped and murdered. And it was before he was photographed atop an Abrams tank wearing a helmet that made him look like he was starring in Snoopy III: This Time It's Personal.

Also See: Bill Moyers | Interview With Jim Hightower

All of that misery lay ahead. The Democrats were still in giddy spirits during the convention and had a high old time poking fun at Bush, Sr. That was when the late Ann Richards, then the Texas state treasurer, famously lamented, "Poor George! He can't help it - he was born with a silver foot in his mouth!"

But it was the convention speech by Hightower that I especially remember. He was the Texas agriculture commissioner in those days - an important job in the Lone Star State - and described Bush as a "toothache of a man," a cruel but remarkable metaphor. And he said that Bush behaved like someone who was "born on third base and thought he hit a triple... He is threatening to lead this country from tweedle-dum to tweedle-dumber."

Maybe Hightower didn't originate those lines (as Milton Berle used to say, "When you steal from me, you steal twice"), but he delivered them with a gusto akin to genuine authorship and over the years has come up with enough original material of his own to absolve him - mostly - from the sin of occasional joke-filching.

Now others steal from him. It was Jim, I believe, who came up with the notion that all elected officials be required to wear brightly colored, NASCAR-like jumpsuits with the corporate logos of their biggest campaign contributors, an idea I've heard appropriated by several others without proper attribution. And I think it was Jim who first said of George W. Bush, "If ignorance ever reaches $40 a barrel, I want the drilling rights to his head." (On hearing that another politician was learning Spanish, Hightower is supposed to have remarked, "Oh good. Now he'll be bi-ignorant.")

These days, Jim Hightower broadcasts daily radio commentaries and edits "The Hightower Lowdown," an invaluable monthly newsletter. With the passing of both Ann Richards and Molly Ivins, he has became the funniest person in Texas politics - intentionally, that is. But it is his steadfast advocacy of progressive politics, his unyielding embrace of the old time gospel of populism, that made him an especially appropriate guest on the final edition of the PBS series, Bill Moyers Journal.

"Here's what populism is not," he told my colleague Bill Moyers. "It is not just an incoherent outburst of anger. And certainly it is not anger that is funded and organized by corporate front groups, as the initial tea party effort [was], and as most of it is still today - though there is legitimate anger within it, in terms of the people who are there. But what populism is at its essence is just a determined focus on helping people be able to get out of the iron grip of the corporate power that is overwhelming our economy, our environment, energy, the media, government.

"...One big difference between real populism and... the tea party thing is that real populists understand that government has become a subsidiary of corporations. So you can't say, 'Let's get rid of government.' You need to be saying, 'Let's take over government.'" As Hightower's fond of saying, the water won't clear up until we get the hogs out of the creek. "I see the central issue in politics to be the rise of corporate power," he reiterated. "Overwhelming, overweening corporate power that is running roughshod over the workaday people of the country. They think they're the top dogs, and we're a bunch of fire hydrants, you know?"

Of President Obama he said, "It's odd to me that we've got a president who ran from the outside and won, and now is trying to govern from the inside. You can't do progressive government from the inside. You have to rally those outsiders and make them a force... Our heavyweight is the people themselves. They've got the fat cats, but we've got the alley cats..."

This weekend, Jim is being honored at Texas State University-San Marcos with an exhibition celebrating his life's work as a populist journalist, historian and advocate. They're calling the event "Swim Against the Current" because, as Moyers says, "That's what he does." In fact, "Swim Against the Current" also is the title of Hightower's most recent book, subtitled, "Even a Dead Fish Can Go with the Flow." He comes from a long history of flow resisters, a critical, American political tradition. "I go all the way back to Thomas Paine," he said. "I mean, that was kind of the ultimate rebellion, when the media tool was a pamphlet." The men who wrote the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence "didn't create democracy. [They] made democracy possible.

"What created democracy was Thomas Paine and Shays Rebellion, the suffragists and the abolitionists and on down through the populists and the labor movement, including the Wobblies. Tough, in your face people... Mother Jones, Woody Guthrie... Martin Luther King and Caesar Chavez. And now it's down to us.

"These are agitators. They extended democracy decade after decade. You know, sometimes we get in the midst of these fights. We think we're making no progress. But... you look back, we've made a lot of progress... The agitator after all is the center post in the washing machine that gets the dirt out. So, we need a lot more agitation.... "We can battle back against the powers. But it's not just going to a rally and shouting. It's organizing and it's thinking. And reaching out to others. And building a real people's movement."



With this week's edition, Bill Moyers Journal goes off the air. But we'll be continuing the conversation via our Web site at PBS.org/moyers. These weekly columns will be continuing for the foreseeable as well. It has been a delight and honor collaborating with Bill - and the entire production team - so intensely over the last two years. I am always improved in their presence and thank them all, especially Bill and executive editor Judith Davidson Moyers, executive producers Judy Doctoroff and Sally Roy and Diane Domondon and Jesse Adams, the two of whom every week have made sure these scratchings make it out alive, with alacrity and accuracy.


Michael Winship is senior writer of the weekly public affairs program Bill Moyers Journal, which concludes Friday night on PBS. Watch online or comment at The Moyers Blog at www.pbs.org/moyers.

From Jezebel

Since When Is Hillary Clinton Less Influential Than Sarah Palin?

Hillary Clinton put 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling and then successfully took on the Herculean task of remaking America's world image in the wake of Bush Inc. Apparently, that's just not maverick-y enough for Time.

Sarah Palin, on the other hand, Tweets about "Hockey Dads" and policy in 140 characters or less (we'll refrain from commenting on how it might not actually be a good thing to reduce the policies of the United States to a text message), posts ghost-written rants on her Facebook wall, goes on fake-bus tours to promote her un-fact-checked memoir and appears for $100,000+ speaking fees to reliably conservative groups to make fun of journalists, read off her hand and spout a bunch of catch-phrases. For that, and the fan-boy and -girl raves of her followers, she's considered one of Time's "100 Most Influential People of 2010" — and a "leader" at that, with multiple heads of state, military commanders, the first female Speaker of the House and the CEOs of major corporations. Can I get a "What the motherfuck?", people?

I mean, the woman has disapproval ratings of 55 percent among all U.S. adults and only 17 percent of people have strongly favorable views of her. While the disapproval ratings are lower than Congress', the favorables aren't much higher, either. By comparison, Hillary Clinton's approval ratings last December were fully 75 percent.

Plus what, exactly, is Sarah Palin leading, other than fools around by the nose and HarperCollins' book sales figures? She's not leading Alaska anymore, she's not leading the Tea Party movement (given that it's a headless hydra), she's not leading 2012 Presidential polls and she's certainly not leading anything but a small minority of Americans who, like Ted Nugent, praise her carefully-crafted "authenticity" the same way they praised Bush's. I guess we can be thankful Time didn't stick her in the Thinker category, but all the same, Palin's hardly a leader or an innovator.

Clinton, on the other hand, is leading this country's foreign policy. She's logged 127 days abroad in the 15 months since her confirmation in 54 different countries. She oversaw the appointment of the first-ever United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues. She's been visible on everything from Haiti reconstruction to denuclearization to climate change to Israeli peace negotiations to putting pressure on Pakistan to remapping our relationship with Russia to wresting control of U.S. policy towards China away from the economists and financiers at the Treasury Department, and she shows no sign of stopping. Is anyone still talking about Bill Clinton's potential influence at State? Nope, because no one really believes that he has any. Anyone still talking about her as the top of the team of rivals? Nope, although there are rumors about her replacing Biden as VP candidate in the 2012 race. Anyone still calling her shrill, or a bitch, or speculating that she only got elected on the basis of her husband's infidelity rather than her own hard work and skills? You bet your ass they aren't. Hillary Clinton is leading the fucking State Department, she's leading this country's foreign policy and she's leading the charge to replace the image of America as a bunch of stupid cowboys with one of a thoughtful nation committed to the ideals of democracy and freedom we constantly profess.

So, why the hell is Palin on this list and not Clinton? It is, put frankly, the difference between the popular girl and the girl who ran the high school volunteer program. Sarah Palin's the popular girl — there are people that adore her, people that want to be like her and people that hang on her every word because of some ephemeral quality (looks, money, ability to be cutting to those she doesn't like, all of the above) that makes her popular in a certain crowd for a certain period of time. Clinton's the volunteer leader — it's an often thankless job, with students who join just to pad their resumés and the kind of work that inevitably exposes you at an early age to life's sadnesses. Yeah, we call the popular girl "popular," but outside of a certain fashion or the ability to determine other people's "coolness," she's never actually that influential with most of the people in the high school. And when it's time for the school awards and scholarships, she's not the girl who wins: it's the girl who ran the volunteer programs to help the homeless, assist the elderly, work with the disabled and care for the abused and abandoned animals. And we all know who among those girls in high school did anything that actually changed even a small piece of the world, and who deserved the real accolades — and it wasn't the proto-Palins.

So, maybe Time should stop calling their list a list of "influential leaders" and just cop to the fact that it's a way to get the popular kids to like them back. Of course, if they did so, Time assistant managing editor Radhika Jones probably wouldn't get her picture with the most popular girl in school to put in the yearbook.

From ProPublica

Chemicals Meant To Break Up BP Oil Spill Present New Environmental Concerns 

by Abrahm Lustgarten, ProPublica - April 30, 2010 5:44 pm EDT 

The chemicals BP is now relying on to break up the steady flow of leaking oil from deep below the Gulf of Mexico could create a new set of environmental problems.

Even if the materials, called dispersants, are effective, BP has already bought up more than a third of the world’s supply. If the leak from 5,000 feet beneath the surface continues for weeks, or months, that stockpile could run out.

On Thursday BP began using the chemical compounds to dissolve the crude oil, both on the surface and deep below, deploying an estimated 100,000 gallons. Dispersing the oil is considered one of the best ways to protect birds and keep the slick from making landfall. But the dispersants contain harmful toxins of their own and can concentrate leftover oil toxins in the water, where they can kill fish and migrate great distances.

The exact makeup of the dispersants is kept secret under competitive trade laws, but a worker safety sheet for one product, called Corexit, says it includes 2-butoxyethanol, a compound associated with headaches, vomiting and reproductive problems at high doses.

“There is a chemical toxicity to the dispersant compound that in many ways is worse than oil,” said Richard Charter, a foremost expert on marine biology and oil spills who is a senior policy advisor for Marine Programs for Defenders of Wildlife and is chairman of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. “It’s a trade off – you’re damned if you do damned if you don’t -- of trying to minimize the damage coming to shore, but in so doing you may be more seriously damaging the ecosystem offshore.”

BP did not respond to requests for comment for this article.

Dispersants are mixtures of solvents, surfactants and other additives that break up the surface tension of an oil slick and make oil more soluble in water, according to a paper published by the National Academy of Sciences. They are spread over or in the water in very low concentration – a single gallon may cover several acres.

Once they are dispersed, the tiny droplets of oil are more likely to sink or remain suspended in deep water rather than floating to the surface and collecting in a continuous slick. Dispersed oil can spread quickly in three directions instead of two and is more easily dissipated by waves and turbulence that break it up further and help many of its most toxic hydrocarbons evaporate.

But the dispersed oil can also collect on the seabed, where it becomes food for microscopic organisms at the bottom of the food chain and eventually winds up in shellfish and other organisms. The evaporation process can also concentrate the toxic compounds left behind, particularly oil-derived compounds called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.

According to a 2005 National Academy of Sciences report, the dispersants and the oil they leave behind can kill fish eggs. A study of oil dispersal in Coos Bay, Ore. found that PAH accumulated in mussels, the Academy’s paper noted. Another study examining fish health after the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska in 1989 found that PAHs affected the developing hearts of Pacific herring and pink salmon embryos. The research suggests the dispersal of the oil that’s leaking in the Gulf could affect the seafood industry there.

“One of the most difficult decisions that oil spill responders and natural resource managers face during a spill is evaluating the trade-offs associated with dispersant use,” said the Academy report, titled Oil Spill Dispersants, Efficacy and Effects. “There is insufficient understanding of the fate of dispersed oil in aquatic ecosystems.”

A version of Corexit was widely used after the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill and, according to a literature review performed by the group the Alaska Community Action on Toxics, was later linked with health impacts in people including respiratory, nervous system, liver, kidney and blood disorders. But the Academy report makes clear that the dispersants used today are less toxic than those used a decade ago.

“There is a certain amount of toxicity,” said Robin Rorick, director of marine and security operations at the American Petroleum Institute. “We view dispersant use as a tool in a toolbox. It’s a function of conducting a net environmental benefit analysis and determining the best bang for your buck.”

Charter, the marine expert, cautioned the dispersants should be carefully considered for the right reasons.

“Right now there is a headlong rush to get this oil out of sight out of mind,” Charter said. “You can throw every resource we have at this spill. You can call out the Marine Corps and the National Guard. This is so big that it is unlikely that any amount of response is going to make much of a dent in the impacts. It’s going to be mostly watching it happen.”