Peace is our focus here at Peace Couple. So, we like to think about how various events affect our Peace Index.
With elections happening in the USA today, we have been wondering about the effect the campaigns, the focus on national priorities, and the energy of election season might have on the DPCIUS (Daily Peace Culture Index for the United States). Continue reading Peace and the Election: Quick Reflections
(Canceled due to Hurricane Sandy aftermath. Next Coffeehouse in December)
PeaceSmiths November 2012 Coffeehouse will feature:
PeaceSmiths Coffeehouse
Friday, November 2, 2012
8pm-11pm Continue reading Friday, Nov 2nd: Long Island peace community meets for music and pre-election networking
Surprise! There should be a big jump in the Daily Peace Index today!
(Update: The PAXi Peace Index number for today, Oct. 13, 2012 is, in fact, “754”. A new high, and a giant leap from yesterday!)
One of the key indicators is a search for “peace” at Google News.
Today, the Google News number is over 60 million! Compare that to the past few days: 10/10 was 4,020,000; 10/11 was 3,790,000; 10/12 was 4,040,000. Also, the highest day yet for the PAXi/Daily Peace Index was on September 11, 2012. On that day, the Google New/peace figure was 20,100,000 and PAXi came out to 337. When we do the figures later today, we will probably have that beat! (Come back to the front page this evening to check on today’s PAXi number!)
In searching for causes of the jump, I reviewed what the top Google News stories about peace were this morning. I think the main story pushing this jump is the Nobel Peace Prize being given to the EU/European Union. Though, I was also happy to see a third party candidate shaking up the peace discourse: On the first page of the Google News results, Roseanne Barr for President on the “Peace and Freedom Party” line shows up!
Garlic Festival at Garden of Eve Organic Farm and Market in Riverhead, Long Island, New York.
2012: Saturday, Sept 29th and Sunday, Sept 30th
Our photos at Flickr: here.
Yesterday, we were driving on the Eastern End of Long Island, and stumbled upon a Garlic Festival at a local, organic farm. It is good for the earth and for our health to buy things in season, and to be creative with local bounty.
We bought three of the many different varieties of organic garlic available. Pictured are: Polish garlic, German garlic, and Elephant garlic (The Elephant Garlic is the biggest one. It doesn’t even fit in my ceramic garlic keeper!). Continue reading Garlic Festival: Spontaneous, local, shopping
Occupy Wall Street in NYC is celebrating its one year anniversary.
Tonight, occupiers have gathered in Liberty Plaza for a huge, General Assembly.
Mic Check:
Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah!
Live, streaming, video:
www.ustream.tv/occupyeye
P
eace is difficult to quantify. Though, we have been trying to measure it somewhat with our PAXi Index, the Daily Peace Culture Index for the United States.
PAXi began on July 15th. The PAXi for that day was 131, the lowest PAXi has been in its two month history. In the last few weeks, PAXI has hovered at the 140’s and 150’s. The highest number so far has been 158. Until today…
Today, on the anniversary of the September 11th tragedy, PAXi has jumped up to 337. Continue reading Peace Index climbs on September 11th
Howard Zinn‘s 1970 essay Vietnam: The Moral Equation is the seventeenth chapter of The Power of Nonviolence: Writings by Advocates of Peace . I am proponent of Zinn’s People’s History of the United States, and especially the graphic novel version, A People’s History of American Empire. And Zinn seems to be a force behind this book of pacifism, including contributing the introduction.
Yet, here I go committing heresy: Howard Zinn is wrong. In the first few paragraphs of this essay he gives away the whole pacifist store. Now I am all for the concept of free, but not when it means surrendering my pacifism from the get-go. Zinn starts by giving up on pacifism:
I would start such a discussion from the supposition that it is logically indefensible to hold an absolutely nonviolent position . . . . Continue reading Howard Zinn’s The “Moral Equation” of War is Wrong