antiwar, Nonviolence, Nonviolent Communication, PAXi, Peace

Peace Index: Daily stats for the peace movement

July 15, 2012 susanna 4 Comments

Peace Index. Daily stats for words such as “peace”, “nonviolence”, and “anti-war”. How much are Americans talking about peace today?

See ongoing chart of daily peace index numbers under **asterisks** at the bottom of this post.

“When will the wars end?” I wonder that each day, and, I reflect on secondary questions, such as: “Is anyone succeeding with peace work lately?” and “Is the peace movement thriving?”.

I had always wished there was a way to check up on these concerns, a way to check the pulse of peace. I wanted to find statistics on peace, just like people can find statistics on the stock market, the price of gold, or, even, the casualties of war. I did a little research, and I could not find a number or index that answered my questions. There are some very good peace indexes. Though, the ones I found are only calculated yearly, or they only changed when big events happen.

So, it is still impossible to predict exactly when the wars will end. Though, we have devised a system to give some answers about the status of peace and antiwar sentiment in the United States. The system is The Daily Peace Culture Index for the United States [DPCIUS], which has the nickname PAXi. The PAXi number will be posted prominently at Peace Couple every day. [Well, we try!] We hope you will seek it out when you do your daily searches for news, information, and updates on the state of the world. Continue reading Peace Index: Daily stats for the peace movement →

Music, Occupy Wall Street, Royal Book of the Week

Celebrate Woody Guthrie 100th Birthday with one of our favorite books

July 14, 2012 Augustus 1 Comment

For Woody Guthries’s 100th birthday. The children’s book “This Land Is Your Land” first appeared in 1998, and has since been updated with a special edition. The book has bright, folk art style illustrations by Kathy Jakobsen which bring Woody Guthrie’s classic song to life. It includes interesting details such as: a scene with a soup kitchen in a poor neighborhood; images of Woody Guthrie playing guitar with friends; and depictions of picnics and sing-a-longs in various regions of the USA. There is also a tribute to Woody Guthrie written by his friend Pete Seeger.

Every page will stimulate discussion about how things were and are around America, as well as the lessons and culture of Occupy Wall Street. And, your child will become familiarized with a song that has been sung over and over again — with old and new verses — at Liberty Square and many other occupations.

“This Land Is Your Land” is truly beautiful, fun, and thoughtful. It is a great book to use to explain to children ideas such as economic hard times, the joy and power of community, and the focus of Occupy Wall Street. Continue reading Celebrate Woody Guthrie 100th Birthday with one of our favorite books →

Royal Book of the Week

Nader Approved: Get Up, Stand Up: Uniting Populists, Energizing the Defeated and Battling the Corporate Elite

July 11, 2012 Augustus 1 Comment

Ralph Nader just recommend a book from one of our favorite publisher as summer reading. Here is what he had to say:

Get Up, Stand Up: Uniting Populists, Energizing the Defeated and Battling the Corporate Elite by Bruce E. Levine, Chelsea Green, 2011. Going beyond the how-to-become-active civic handbook, Levine, a clinical psychologist invites us to explore what he calls the “learned helplessness” that has “taken hold for a great many Americans…locked into an abuse syndrome in which revelations about their victimization by a corporate-government partnership produce increased anesthetization rather than constructive action.” The author, citing historian Lawrence Goodwy, then shows many ways toward “individual self-respect” and “collective self-confidence,” the “cultural building blocks of mass democratic politics.”

antiwar, Music, Nonviolence, Peace, Royal Song of The Day

A whole year of Peace Songs: Finale to “Peace Song of the Day” project

July 9, 2012 susanna 1 Comment

Susanna, The Duchess of Peace writes:

On July 9th of last year, I began a project to find, and blog about, a peace song for every day of the year. The Peace Song of the Day archive is: here.

The idea of the project was to create interesting content, to create a daily ritual of peace culture, to bring people to the blog, and to nurture some self-discipline in myself as a writer.

I believe I succeeded a little bit on the first three counts. Though, since there are many days with no peace song announced, I guess I failed on the self-discipline score. And, I failed even though I had some nurturing help from the Duke, who sometimes provided inspiration, and sometimes just wrote the post for me. My missed days have taught me that I cannot count on myself to be both creative and ambitious each day. So, my next daily project will involve less of a need for inspiration. Though, I hope it will still be fruitful to the peace community.

Other lessons learned: Continue reading A whole year of Peace Songs: Finale to “Peace Song of the Day” project →

Music, Royal Song of The Day, Social Justice, Video

Peace Song for 7/8/2012: Phil Ochs tribute to Woody Guthrie

July 8, 2012 susanna Leave a comment

“Bound for Glory” a song by Phil Ochs, which tells the story of Woody Guthrie, is the Peace Song of the Day for July 8th. The Duchess heard this song played today on “Woody’s Children” radio show, on 90.7FM WFUV radio from New York City. The song was played in honor of Woody Guthrie‘s 100th birthday, which will be on July 14th, 2012.

This song is the finale for the Peace Song of the Day project. Yes! We started the project back on July 9, 2011. (Unfortunately, there is not a song posted for everyday. But, we did our best, and may figure out how to fill in throughout this next year.)

Tomorrow will be an “encore” post to the project. The Duchess will reflect on her year of song-searching and share lessons learned. And, also, tomorrow, we will announce our new, upcoming, daily project.

For now, hope you enjoy the video. And, maybe you will learn the song for Woody’s birthday?

Continue reading Peace Song for 7/8/2012: Phil Ochs tribute to Woody Guthrie →

environment, Food, Shopping

Are genetically engineered foods bad for you?: New research on GMO food

July 8, 2012 susanna Leave a comment

Original article at: earthopensource.org

Summary article at: commondreams.org news source

An “Egads!” political GMO happening described at Alternet: here.

(excerpt from) Common Dreams
New Report on the Dangers of Genetically Modified Foods
by Richard Schiffman / July 5, 2012

“Aren’t critics of genetically engineered food anti-science? Isn’t the debate over GMOs (genetically modified organisms) a spat between emotional but ignorant activists on one hand and rational GM-supporting scientists on the other?”

These questions are posed by Earth Open Source, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to assuring the sustainability, security, and safety of the global food system. They answer their own questions in a new study “GMO Myths and Truths.” The myth, they say, is that GM foods have been proven safe. The truth is that there are hidden dangers which corporate-funded research has not yet adequately investigated.

What makes this report unusual is that it was authored not by the usual food activists and environmentalists, but by two well known genetic engineers with help from an investigative reporter.The team conducted an exhaustive survey of hundreds of peer-reviewed scientific studies and concluded not only that GM food crops pose significant, if largely under-evaluated, health risks, but that they have so far failed to deliver on their promise to increase crop yields and lower herbicide and pesticide use.

The authors argue, moreover, that there are already safer environmentally friendly ways to grow more food for the planet’s exploding population… Continue reading Are genetically engineered foods bad for you?: New research on GMO food →