Clean Air Under Attack !
Dear AITD,
It’s an outrage. 2010 should start in a way that reflects our movement’s amazing accomplishments from last year — moving the ball forward to passage of comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation. Instead, our elected leaders are proposing policies that would set us back decades and let the worst polluters completely off the hook.
Despite the chorus of alarm bells sounding the need to address the climate crisis and stop polluting the air our families breathe and the water we drink, Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and her allies are attacking the Clean Air Act — for the second time in six months.
And it gets worse. Last night, news broke that the original version of the amendment was literally drafted with lobbyists for the oil and coal industry.*
We can’t let this attack succeed. Write your Senators right now and tell them to vote NO on Senator Murkowski’s proposal.
We defeated this same effort once already, just six months ago — but the fossil fuel lobby is at it again. The amendment would strip the Environmental Protection Agency of its ability to regulate most carbon pollution, letting the worst polluters completely off the hook.
Efforts like this are designed to do one thing and one thing only — slow our transition to a clean energy economy that will create millions of new jobs, reduce our dependence on foreign oil and solve the climate crisis.
Help flood your Senators with messages to vote NO on this attack on the Clean Air Act.
The very last thing we should do in the fight to end the climate crisis is throw away tools that we already know are effective at reducing pollution. But that’s exactly what Senator Murkowski’s proposal does.
For decades, the Clean Air Act has kept millions of tons of pollutants out of our air and water. Senator Murkowski’s proposal would create an Alaska-sized loophole in the Clean Air Act, giving a pass to the biggest carbon polluters.
http://cpaf.repoweramerica.org/cleanair
In 2010, our movement to solve the climate crisis will face its biggest test yet — passing comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation. But if Senator Murkowski’s amendment passes, some in Congress will use it as an excuse to keep stalling — and the long overdue promise of progress toward a 21st century clean energy economy will be lost.
You helped stop this toxic amendment once before. Together, we can and must stop it again.
Thank you,
Al Gore
Anti-Homosexuality Bill could mean a death sentence for LGBT People in Uganda
A proposed bill storming through Uganda’s parliament is one of the most severe pieces of anti-homosexuality legislation in the entire world! If passed, it would establish an alarming precedent that would virtually annihilate the human rights of Uganda’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population.
Stop Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill!
Dear AITD,
In October 2009, Parliamentarian David Bahati introduced draconian legislation in Uganda that would make “any form of sexual relations between persons of the same sex” punishable by prison or even death. The bill even takes aim at those offering protection or support to any lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) person by instituting harsh prison sentences of up to 7 years.
If the Ugandan Parliament chooses to endorse this hateful legislation, it would be responsible for depriving countless Ugandans of their human rights as well as placing LGBT people throughout the world at significantly greater risk.
The vote on this bill could happen as soon as the end of this month, so we’ve got to act fast.
Fortunately, momentum to fight Uganda’s egregious bill has already started building in Washington. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) is spearheading a joint Congressional letter that will be sent to Uganda’s President urging him to put an end to this discrimination. We need all U.S. Representatives to unite in opposition to codify persecution and discrimination in Uganda.
Protest in front of the Ugandan Mission
Urge your Representative to sign-on to stop Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Bill.
We fear that the negative consequences sparked from the passage of such irresponsible legislation will not stop at Uganda’s borders, but will reverberate throughout the rest of Africa and even the world.
Make your voice heard and stand up for human rights in Uganda! Tell your Representative to condemn the proposed legislation that would deal a blow to human rights in Uganda and across the world.
In Solidarity,
Michael O’Reilly
Director, Individuals at Risk Campaign
SHG & ART ~ Upcoming Events ~
Day of the Dead – NEW LOCATION Teacher/Youth Leader Orientation Saturday September 28th at 11 am
High School teachers and youth leaders are invited to attend a special orientation at
Self Help to learn about all of our youth arts programming including:
- The Digital Media/Cal Arts Project every Tuesday after school
- Aerosol/Graffiti Art workshops with Vyal on Fridays
- Summer of Youth art workshops and much more
Participants are also invited to take part in a silkscreening demonstration with artist Dewey Tafoya. Join us to learn more about our work with community youth!
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Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoes UFW’s SB789
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We need to share some very disappointing news with you. Late yesterday, California Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed SB789. We are disappointed, but we are not surprised. It has unfortunately become very clear that the governor has no idea what it is like to work in the fields as a farm worker. His decision to veto SB789 emphasizes the deep disconnection between his words and the reality that hundreds of thousands of farm workers have to endure every day while harvesting the fruits and vegetables that feed America. The governor says he knows that farm workers are subjected to sexual harassment, heat illness, abuses and intimidation at the workplace. He has acknowledged this problem and promised to change the situation. Yet, again and again, he has failed to protect farm workers. Instead, he continues to support employers who are responsible for at least 95% of the reported violations during union election campaigns. Please take a moment and send a message to Governor Schwarzenegger and let him know how disappointed you are.
http://www.ufwaction.org/campaign/sb789veto
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Sangeet school of World Music ~Reopening~!!
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SANGEET IS REOPENING IN SEP AT THROOP CHURCH IN PASADENA!
New classes & World Music Concert Series open this September in
the beautiful sanctuary of Throop Unitarian Universalist Church.
a
Paul is directing music for 11am services at Throop Church
this Sunday (8/23) and Sep 13th with the WAGE PEACE BAND.
a
IMPROVISATIONAL TRADITIONS OF INDIA AND ARAB WORLD
Friday, September 25th, 8pm
opening our fall world music series at Throop!
Paul Livingstone of the Arohi Ensemble in a 2 part concert of classical
Indian music and folkloric music of the Middle East.
The Sangeet School of World Music in now located at Throop Church in Pasadena
300 South Los Robles, (corner of Del Mar, just southeast of Old Town)
OUR NEW INTERNATIONAL MUSIC PROGRAM THIS WINTER!
Two weeks of intensive music workshops with several of the leading classical
music artists in Calcutta, the cultural Mecca of Hindustani music. Instructors
include: Partho Sarodi (sarod), Abhijit Banerjee (tabla) and others.
dates:
Calcutta, India December 09/Jan 2010
Save the dates ~ Dec 28th —> Jan 9th
more info to be announced shortly!
Do Not Call Registry
I went ahead and registered my parents phone number since all kinds of markerters called them at all hours of the day. They were so helpless so i decided to look for this “Do Not Call” thing i heard about. I think this is it. I registered their number and the calls have slowed. They still get calls from agencies they do business with like cable company or phone company but thats it, no more companies outside of who they actually do business with. You can also file a very simple complaint against who ever does call you that you are not doing business with. It takes 31 days after filing.
This is the Link, click on pic:
Or Call Toll Free
(888) 382-1222
TDD (866) 290-4236
Smear Show Pics
SMEAR on full blast with his classic Liquor face character that Dream Works studios used on Bee Movie was the piece chosen for the window display. I thought it was a good choice because it made those whom are familiar with his street character welcome and at the same time gave a taste of the street SMEAR to the new crowd. It totally prepared me for the unexpected which was the main entrance piece. The main entrance piece had elements i hadn’t seen from SMEAR before. It was black paint as the back drop with blood red outlines. He added splashes of blues and i think some splashes of silver or was it white with Smear cards that also had red outlines and a 3-d finger painted Character that complimented the entire arrangement. A real stunna that pulled the crowd in. I myself froze in its presence when i walked in.
This beautiful lady has so many Smear pieces that i want !!
This one next is called “I once smoked crack” which is one of my all time favorite pieces, its just perfect.
like these too. 1994 Smear?
The Homies..
The famous “Al Jafee” became available as a Gicle’e limited run.
Thats all I got with my shitty Iphone. I cant wait to see Amayzunla’s professional pics, i know she has the bomb!
More SMEAR here. Hey that rhymes!
~Event~ SMEAR ~ “Im tired of being sexy”
Smear has become one of my favorite artists of all times.
His painting style in my opinion is a representation of Life in its randomness captured at the spur of the moment. Life is always throwing curve balls at us and no matter how we plan ahead it has the authority to change our plans without notice. We either crash under the stress of relinquishing control or adapt and go with the flow. I see both of those actions in his paintings.
Smear constantly challenges my perception and acceptance with his paintings. He seems to reveal the conditioned degree my thought process is gravely in at times and puts whatever spiritual/progressive principles I claim to have to the test. I see what I need to drop in order to be free from a closed minded attitude that does nothing but keep one programmed in mediocre ness. The process proceeds with certain questions the piece asks me; like what is beauty? What is perfection? How does this relate? Why? And of course is this piece finished? His work would confuse me as to whether the piece was finished or not. I would ask myself; how can an artist leave something unfinished? I dug deeper and asked myself, does the perception of what looks unfinished tell me everything is in constant beginning and I should not give significance to end? If there is no end then surely there is no beginning which then takes me to a quote from Shri Krishna that says “For the soul there is neither birth nor death. The soul that is will never cease to be. It is unborn, eternal, ever-existing, underlying and primeval. It is not slain when the body is slain”. Which brings us to “The Moment” as an eternal point of reference which is clearly what is the most important and perhaps what his paintings are about. You can see where I am going with this and that’s how deep I go with a smear piece. He has the ability to incite revolution in my head.
It isn’t always discovery in the head sometimes its plain fun and I do have friends that just simply enjoy his artwork because it’s fun and random, they seem to just get it right of the bat. Once in a while you will hear a “This is so wrong I love it!” at one of his shows. I recently seen a piece with his dirty socks clipped on wood with a drawing n paint strokes and the title of the piece was “come a little closer“! How much fun is that!? A moment of honest freedom and perhaps childhood playfulness we sometimes lack in our routine. Good Times! Some have political references for example I have seen a painting of the Una-Bomber with the word environmentalist on it. There is another one called “Yogis first Hooker” which is one of those so wrong its right pieces. Be warned though his myspace headline is “The Neighborhood Nasty Man” and you will find some of his pieces filled with perversion and repulsive themes. I heard about a commissioned piece called “Your barking up the wrong tree snoopy” which has three nude women in sexual poses and the rumors are that smear either mixed inside the paint or straight painted areas of that specific piece with certain bodily fluids. When I asked if the rumor was true he didn’t give me a yes or no or maybe he did, he simply said “The commissioning collector asked for a controversial piece filled with neighborhood nasty-man perversion and so I gave it all I had!” Lol!
I have heard about his past run-ins with the law and his continued struggle with the police using his probation status to unjustly raid his home and leave it in shambles. It is clear that smear has left tagging behind and that he is dedicating his energy on producing fine art but yet they still harass him. I hope he doesn’t let that bring him down and that he uses it as energy to fuel his motivation and grow his skill. There is also a list of people who do not like his work and they are entitled to their opinion. I never disliked his work I just didn’t get it. Now I do and I am excited to see and purchase more of it. You can catch his new works at the Lawrence Asher Gallery this August 15. Go and stimulate your brain.
the show! 
PS: I probably described Abstract Expressionism or some other genre with my description of smears style or whatever the experts find his style falls under, but it so much better to write and talk about his style and what it does to me than to just to call it whatever label he’s considered under one or two words. This is also my interpretation of how I perceive his pieces which you will find I connect with transcendental philosophy. I am sure there are many interpretations and some might disagree with mine but no matter, it’s all left for interpretation, so tell me yours.
~Event~ The Art Of IVAN GODINEZ !
Self Help Graphics & Art ~ Print Fair ~
