Category Archives: Peace

antiwar, Nonviolence, Peace

Lots of folks thinking about nonviolence!

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Our Peace Index postings are a little behind again. We just moved from North Babylon to Riverhead, and finding it hard to set up our new (old) house. Though, the stats are taken, and PAXi numbers will be posted soon for all the missing days.

Wanted to share that today, “nonviolence”, skyrocketed today on our Google News search. In looking at why, found this interesting story. Ela Gandhi comments on the potential (and limitations) of social media in supporting nonviolence:

(excerpt from) Perth Now
Ela Gandhi: education can beat violence
February 26, 2013

The granddaughter of Indian peace icon Mahatma Gandhi hopes a new institute in Sydney will help Australians re-think our approach to moral education.

Ela Gandhi told an audience at the University of New South Wales on Tuesday that existing education strategies were allowing a culture of violence to flourish.

An International Centre of Nonviolence to be opened in Sydney on Wednesday would examine education “as a way of transforming the community”, she said.

Ms Gandhi, a former South African parliamentarian who has spent her career promoting civil rights, said she feared social justice teaching was losing traction. Continue reading Lots of folks thinking about nonviolence! →

antiwar, Nonviolence, PAXi, Peace

Who is asking Obama for peace?: Please advise

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The State of The Union is tonight. [was Tuesday, Feb 12, 2013]

I have seen messages in my e-mail from various groups with important lobbying messages for President Obama. Though, I don’t recall seeing anyone specifically lobbying for peace.

I will have my eyes open, and blog here with any messages or demonstrations about peace.

Please, please, comment and/or send links to groups working on a peace/anti-war message for this evening.

It will be interesting to look at the way the The Daily Peace Culture Index for the United States (aks: PAXi Peace Index) moves in the lead-up and follow-up to the State of the Union. Continue reading Who is asking Obama for peace?: Please advise →

antiwar, Nonviolence, PAXi, Peace

Peace Index Update for 2/7/2013

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Peace Index for Thursday, February 7, 2013 is 190.

If you are following the Peace Index, apologies for the fact that we are a few weeks behind on posting.

Kimberly and Ian (aka The Duke and Duchess of Peace) have relocated from their apartment in North Babylon to a new home in Riverhead, Long Island, New York. (Ie: We moved east).

As of now, there are boxes everywhere! Though, we have still been collecting the data. And, we will fill in the Peace Index numbers for missing dates when we catch up with things. Please let us know if you are seeking numbers for a certain day.

About today’s Peace Index: Continue reading Peace Index Update for 2/7/2013 →

antiwar, Holiday, PAXi, Peace

Peace Index for Dec 2012 into Jan 2013: Where will the New Year lead?

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Our daily peace index, PAXi, is designed to describe the amount of energy and discussion devoted to peace and antiwar sentiment in The United States each day.

We are looking forward to seeing what the PAXi number for January 1, 2013 will be. We are hoping that many people will wish for peace, and make resolutions about peace, so that the number will be high. [Update: The PAXi for January 1, 2013 is 160. So, PAXi went down a little from yesterday. It’s somewhat disappointing. Though, sometimes there is simply “less on-line discussion” for holidays, which makes the indicators lower. So, there is a chance that the next few days may show different directions for PAXi, and/or more visible discussion about peace.]

(The low for PAXi has been 131. The high for PAXi has been 979.)

This is what PAXi looked like for
Dec 2012 into the New Year:

Started out on December 1st at 156.

On Christmas Day, December 25th, PAXi was at 164.

The high for December was 177, reached on December 27th.

On December 31st, PAXi was at 168.

New Year’s Day, Jan. 1, 2013 PAXi is at 160.

Jan 2, 2013: PAXi climbs 8 to 168.

Jan 3, 2013: PAXi at 166

Jan 4, 2013: PAXi at 167

Jan 5, 2013: PAXi at 167

Watch the front of the Peace Couple website for a daily announcement of the PAXi Peace Index number.

See this post “How Much Peace Is There Today?” for a continuously updated chart of PAXi numbers.

To celebrate New Year’s Eve in Times Square with a group of Idle No More, First Nation, Occupy-friendly, activists, see their Live Streaming here:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/amontillado-tv

antiwar, Holiday, Music, Nonviolence, Occupy Wall Street, Peace, Royal Song of The Day, Social Justice, Video

Imagine an Occupy New Years Eve 2012

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On New Years Eve in Times Square they will probably play John Lennon’s  Imagine.  It has also resonated with folks from the Occupy Wall Street movement. “Imagine” was one of the tunes sung by the small group of stalwarts who gathered at Liberty Square/Zuccotti Park for Christmas. [See story at DNA Info: here]

Below the first video are links to lots and lot of videos of Occupiers singing Imagine.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=5F5SK63voxE]

If you want to spend New Years Eve with Occupy:

http://www.nycga.net/events/occupy-new-years-eve-smash-the-baricades/

Date/Time: Mon. Dec 31, 2012 until Jan 1 2013, 9:00 PM – 6:00 AM

Location: Liberty Plaza (aka Zuccotti Park), New York, NY

A time to ring in the New Years with family and friends, this event is dedicated to the brave souls who last year took done the barricades in the park and danced in the New Years, come one and all and ring in 2013 in style and meet new friends old friends and map out the coming year.  Starts at 9:00pm to 12midnite and beyond. As always no drama, we are one! We will try to have small toy barricades for everyone to have at midnite and smash as a symbol of our right to protest any public space.

Contact: Apollo OWS Special Projects Affinity Group and OWS Outreach Working Group.

Email: owsspawg@Gmail.com or Phone: 917-225-3704 or Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/146642922152523/

 

Continue reading Imagine an Occupy New Years Eve 2012 →

antiwar, Holiday, Music, Occupy Wall Street, Peace, Royal Song of The Day, Shopping, Social Justice, Video

Occupy Holiday Gifts

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Occupy This AlbumIt’s the eternal question for a gift-giving activist:

How do I give a good present and at the same time do good?

There is always fair trade, organic, vegan chocolates or non-toxic toys.

This year we added a musical choice.  Occupy This Album: a compilation of music by, for and inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement and the 99%.  Lots of good stuff here.  The album artists include: Ani DiFranco, Aeroplane Pageant, Crosby and Nash, Devo, Immortal Technique, Jackson Browne, Joseph Arthur, Lloyd Cole, Loudon Wainwright III, Lucinda Williams, Patti Smith, Stephan Said, Tao Rodriguez Seeger, The Guthrie Family, Third Eye Blind, Thievery Corporation, Tom Morello, Toots And The Maytals, Warren Haynes, Willie Nelson, Yoko Ono, Yo La Tengo & more.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ws7zy5y1vN0]   Continue reading Occupy Holiday Gifts →

antiwar, Holiday, Music, Nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, Peace, Royal Song of The Day

The Genius of “Alice’s Restaurant”

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I realized a little after 12 noon this Thanksgiving that Arlo Guthrie has had a much broader cultural impact in terms of bringing a progressive message to the general population than his father, Woody Guthrie.   As a reader of this post is probably aware, across the radio dial across the United States, it is a tradition to play Arlo Guthrie’s song, Alice’s Restaurant at 12 noon on Thanksgiving.  This tradition has been going on for four decades.  We are not just talking about the anti-war song being played on granola-crunchy college radio stations.  I listened to Alice’s Restaurant on a Clear Channel owned classic rock station that won’t even play Imagine most of the year.  The DJ announced and dedicated the song as a favorite Thanksgiving tradition of a recently deceased listener.  No mention was made of the song’s lengthy anti-war message.  The song had transcended into a widely-celebrated annual tradition for the general population who never expresses a sentiment about war for the rest of the year.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8DtpdXZi0M]

Continue reading The Genius of “Alice’s Restaurant” →