Earth Day Pasadena: Family Fun (video)

Xochitl, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Katrina Hoven; CityofPasadena.net

Most of us now rarely think about where our food comes from. This video documents the story of a small urban lot and what a sustainable farm looks like. PathtoFreedom has an "urban homestead" on a successful half acre in Pasadena.

Earth Day L.A.: Pasadena Earth and Arts Festival 

Earth Day with WQ, Pasadena, California

FREE all-ages event in Old Pasadena... Live music from local bands, dancing, and an interactive drum circle you can join... Singles, kids, and parents get creative with art workshops... Eco-friendly exhibitors will display and sell green products and services... Sample tastings...

Celebrate nature, art, music, and community at Pasadena’s 12th annual Earth and Arts Festival (cityofpasadena.net/earthday) from 11-5 pm, Saturday, May 3, 2014 at Memorial Park, 85 E. Holly St., at Raymond Ave., and across the street at the Armory Center for the Arts, 145 N. Raymond Ave.  Pasadena’s Earth and Arts Festival is one of the biggest free “green” events in SoCal with family-friendly activities, Aztec dancers, drum circle, solar, electric vehicles, wildlife, building better homes, green jobs, gardening and art exhibits, vegetarian food, and entertainment for all ages.
 

North East Trees Earth Day Fest 

FREE admission, free on-site parking, plus 100 free trees to LA homeowners. Come to the Earth Day festival, where local artists, environmental organizations, and sponsors will exhibit and sell at this FUNdraiser for North East Trees. Learn what local environmental groups are doing and ways to can get involved. Be a part of the mayor's "1 Million Tree Initiative."

• Earth Day becomes Earth Fest in the Valley (Woodley Park)

Free Tibet or get a quake

Sharon Stone, 56, sizzles on cover of GQ
Sharon Stone may be 56 years old, but she has never looked hotter! The "Fading Gigolo" actress graces the cover of the May issue of GQ Italia posing in black lace lingerie and black heels. The blond beauty is pictured flirtatiously smiling with smoky eyeliner and tousled hair...

UFO people did it.

Solved! How ancient Egyptians moved massive pyramid stones (LiveScience.com) The ancient Egyptians who built the pyramids may have been able to move massive stone blocks across the desert by wetting the sand in front of a contraption built to pull the heavy objects, according to a new study. Physicists at the University of Amsterdam investigated the forces needed to pull…

Cowboy-Indian Alliance: No tar sands! (video)

Ashley Wells, Xochil, Wisdom Quarterly; Amy Goodman (DemocracyNow.org, April 28, '14)

Cowboy-Indian Alliance protests Keystone XL pipeline in DC after Obama Admin delay

 

Thousands of people rallied in Washington, D.C., on Saturday calling on Pres. Obama to reject the Keystone XL pipeline. 

The protest was organized by the Cowboy Indian Alliance, a group of ranchers, farmers, and tribal communities from along the pipeline route who have set up the "Reject and Protect" encampment near the White House. The rally came a week after the Obama administration announced it had again delayed a decision on approval or rejection of the pipeline that would carry super-polluting tar sands oil from Alberta to the Gulf Coast. 

Neil Young protests Keystone XL pipeline

Gary Dorr of the Nez Perce Nation, an organizer of the Reject and Protect encampment, Art Tanderup, a Nebraska farmer and Cowboy Indian Alliance member who took part in the protest, and actress and activist Daryl Hannah, who has been arrested three times for protests against the Keystone XL discuss the continued resistance to the pipeline. More



Ralph Nader on TPP, GM Recall, Nuclear Power, and "Unstoppable" movement

Ralph Nader on "Unstoppable" movement

Ralph Nader has a new book, Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State. He points out the common concerns shared by a wide swath of the American public, regardless of political allegiances.

Japan, U.S. expand nuclear power programs

Both the Left and Right oppose mass government surveillance, nebulous business free trade agreements, our unreformed criminal justice system, and finally punishing the criminal behavior of bankers and Wall Street traders destroying the economy. Nader, who is a longtime consumer activist, also discusses the U.S. push for the sweeping Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, General Motors’ new bid to escape liability for its deadly ignition defect, the revived nuclear era under Obama, and challenging U.S. militarism through the defense budget. More

• Tornadoes kill 17, level homes in Arkansas and Oklahoma 
• US grows military presence in Philippines with 10-yr pact 
• Anti-TPP activists protest Obama speech in Malaysia 
• Egypt Court issues mass Death Sentence for Brotherhood
• Afghan Panel: new secret prisons found on NATO bases 
• U.S. expands Russia sanctions; separatists seize European monitors in Ukraine 
• Nigerian schoolgirls remain missing after abduction by [CIA-created] Boko Haram

• White House issues new guidelines on sexual assault
• Senate drops mandate for public disclosure of drone deaths
• Iraq: Attacks kill 57 ahead of parliamentary election
• Central African Republic: MSF suspends medical aid in town after attack
• Death toll from tornadoes in U.S. rises to 28
• Entire state of California in drought; governor notes Climate Change link
• Assad seeks re-election in Syria; 14 killed in Damascus
• Pro-Democracy "April 6 Movement" banned in Egypt
• Obama defends foreign policy during Philippines visit
• EU, US announce new sanctions on Russia
• US Sec'y of State John Kerry apologizes for Israeli "Apartheid" remarks [He neglected to check with his donors, handlers, and lobbyists before accidentally telling the truth. Sorry.]
• Ethiopia: bloggers, journalists arrested before Kerry’s arrival
• Reid condemns GOP "Sugar Daddies" for stalled legislation

Wildflowering L.A. Spring and Earth Day Fest

Xochitl, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Arroyo Seco Foundation (arroyoseco.org); Trails Council

Los Angeles is a flowering desert wonderland as seen at urban Site 37 (wildflower.org)

Wildflowering L.A. Spring Exhibition

There are no birds without bees and trees.

LAND invites all to the Spring Exhibition for Wildflowering L.A. on Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27, 2014 at THE SHED. The exhibition will feature flower cuttings, photos fresh from the project sites, artist-designed posters, educational activities...

 

Earth Month Invasive Plant Removal Volunteer Day

Help remove harmful invasive plant species from the natural streamzone below JPL/Hahamongna/Devil's Gates Dam to protect our native riparian ecosystem (sponsored by SoCalGas).

Native American/First Nations people of California (starknowledgeconference.com)

 .

Earth Day L.A.: Pasadena Earth and Arts Festival 

FREE all-ages event in Old Pasadena... Live music from local bands, dancing, and an interactive drum circle you can join... Singles, kids, and parents get creative with art workshops... Eco-friendly exhibitors will display and sell green products and services... Sample tastings...

North East Trees Earth Day Fest 

FREE admission, free on-site parking, plus 100 free trees to LA homeowners. Come to the Earth Day festival, where local artists, environmental organizations, and sponsors will exhibit and sell at this FUNdraiser for North East Trees. Learn what local environmental groups are doing and ways to can get involved. Be a part of the mayor's "1 Million Tree Initiative."

The foothills' watershed in the time of the Tongva Natives of Los Angeles (tongvatribe.net)

La Canada Flintride Trails Council is dedicated to preserving, developing, promoting, and maintaining are local and regional trail systems (sometimes with the help of willing horses).

Urban Oasis: turning a home into a natural wonderland (pasadenaweekly.com)

Transition Pasadena: Arroyo Food Co-op

The Herb Walk, Bee Canyon, California

Wm. Broen (FYH), Xochitl, Pat Macpherson, Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

Herbalist Broen distributes Follow Your Heart water and trail mix (Wisdom Quarterly)

Beware of toxic fires! (WQ)

For the Japanese Mahayana version of the Buddha's birthday -- which we traditionally celebrate as the three-times-blessed day of VESAK on the full moon day in May (5/14/14) -- we went out on the Follow Your Heart HERB WALK with Herb Pharm herbalist William Broen into Bee Canyon in the Santa Susana Mountains.

The turn out was overwhelming, and it slowed the walk with repeated safety warnings. All we wanted to do was touch everything, nibble, and find artesian springs bubbling up after the recent rains on the drought tolerant chaparral. 

The crowd was large as we set off (WQ)

The lore was fascinating, the Sun was spectacular, the breeze was unexpected, and there was even a Native flute interlude under a coastal live oak as one participant took out elderberry branch instruments and entertained us. A kind garter snake dashed by, we were told never to touch Moon flower (datura, Jimson weed), and we planned our hike for the following day.

City denizens enter the wild (WQ)

• Medicinal Plant Herb Walks
• VIDEO: Science: Plants talk to each other
• The Real History of St. Patrick's Day
• Buddhist Dream Interpretation
• Buddhist JOKES! Do Dalai Lamas laugh?
• Buddhist Christmas: Xmas in Japan

Know Your GMO interactive board (pinterest.com/followyrheart/good-to-know)

Permaculture Design Course (Living Mandala)

Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly; Living Mandala, Permaculture, Social Enterprise and Leadership Program: 7 Stages to Sustainability Permaculture Design Course

Kat Steele (Esalen, Urban Permaculture Guild)

Living Mandala -- in conjunction with Empowerment WORKS and a host of community leaders, social entrepreneurs, visionary organizations, and amazing educators -- presents a groundbreaking 7 Stages to Sustainability Permaculture Design Course starting in less than a week!

 

Of all the more than 100 courses, workshops, and events Living Mandala has co-produced over the last six years, this one is going to be exciting.

Looking for an exceptional, manageable, affordable, and accessible PDC? This is an amazing program to support getting projects, social enterprises, and long term goals off the ground from Vision to Impact. It is an amazing opportunity! See more at livingmandala.com/7SS

UPCOMING

7 Stages to Sustainability (7SS)
Permaculture Design Course:

Permaculture for International Sustainable Development and Social Entrepreneurship 

4 Modules, 13 Days

March  27-May 18, 2014
MA Center /GreenFriends Farm, Castro Valley, California

Regenerative Leadership: From Igniting Our Purpose to Cross-Sector Co-Creation
March 27-30, 2014
MA Center /GreenFriends Farm, Castro Valley, California

Ecological Design in Action: Appropriate Technology, Measurable Impact and What it Takes

April 10-13, 2014
MA Center /GreenFriends Farm, Castro Valley, California

Social Enterprise for Synergistic Partnerships and Resilient Communities: From Harvest to Market to Reinvesting the Surplus
May 1-4, 2014
MA Center /GreenFriends Farm, Castro Valley, California

The Soil Food Web Intensive, March 2014 (livingmandala.com)

Native American Walkabout 2014 (March 22)

Xochitl, Pat Macpherson, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; ArroyoSeco.org (Facebook)

If the Buddha -- a wanderer -- went on a walkabout, what would he be doing? "May peace and balance be restored to Mother Earth and all who walk upon her" (Eco_Bela/flickr.com)

Buddha Mind, Buddha Body: Walking Toward Enlightenment (Thich Nhat Hanh)

Tim Martinez led hikers to Hahamongna (JPL/Devil's Gate Dam), where they learned about its rich Native American heritage and how to protect it. Comments on the Devil's Gate sediment removal draft EIR were due on Jan. 21, 2014. (See here for more information).

View of flood control basin as it fills from atop Devils Gate Dam with JPL in distance

 

Old Los Angeles (tongvapeople.org)

What better way to celebrate the equinox and welcome spring than to set off on an aboriginal walkabout?

The original inhabitants of Los Angeles were the Tongva, who considered the Hahamongna watershed "sacred" land. The rain that falls in the forest rushes down the mountains and percolates through springs rising before flooding down into the Los Angeles Basin into the Pacific Ocean.

The Foundation

One of the most spectacular accomplishments of the Arroyo Seco Foundation (ASF) is reestablishing the Arroyo chub, a native fish in this major tributary of the Los Angeles River.

 

The ASF mission is to preserve and enhance the Arroyo Seco (dry gulch) from the San Gabriel Mountains down to the Los Angeles River, reforest the region, and promote environmental and cultural (Tongva/Gabrielino and Chumash) awareness of one of Southern California’s greatest natural resources. More

• The Original People of Los Angeles
• A Brief History of the Tongva People
• Our Rain Dance (Wisdom Quarterly)

Hahamongna Watershed Park, next to dam and its usually dry basin (PasadenaWeekly.com)

How to eat well for $50 a year (video)

Seven, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Lisa Cianci (crossbullranch.com)

This year the annual and sometimes biannual Conscious Life Expo began a "permaculture" (permanent agriculture utilizing natural, ecological, sustainable design principles and methods) lounge running concurrently with the expo along with a growing selection of Spanish language events. 

Just before the Institute of Urban Ecology's Rishi Kumar and the L.A. Arboretum's Albert Chang presented their topics, Lisa Cianci demonstrated how everyone in the USA can eat for a year for a mere $50 worth of ingredients. How is it possible? Sprouted legumes (bean seeds) and grains!

Lisa Cianci

Sprouting does not require soil or even light! All it takes is the right combination and cycling of air, water, and moisture. Then in 3-5 days we will have a bountiful harvest of nutrient dense, vitally charged, homegrown organic produce. After adding an inch of seed stock into glass jars, in a few days they will be growing out of the top! How's that for a green thumb? By sprouting grains, seeds, nuts, and beans before cooking, we are increasing their biomass (volume) up to 10 times, and the bio-availability (nutrient absorption potential) is rising up to 500%. Since the sprouting process naturally hydrates and softens them, they cook much more quickly and thoroughly. A pot of "sprout soup" is ready to eat in an amazing 10 minutes of boiling! Beyond the time savings, the real cost savings comes in when organic seed stock are bought in bulk. A 25 to 50 pound bag means big savings. There are local bulk suppliers so as to cut out the middleman. It also trains us to take responsibility for our family's food security. This way we will always have emergency back up food supplies at home.

Distribute the seeds in a sack, sprout them at home in glass jars with linen cloth, and prepare a digestible and delicious soup in addition to greens and whatever else one wishes. Sprouting is the secret, since it changes the chemistry, nutritive value, and digestibility with much higher enzyme levels. Cianci runs Cross Bull Ranch -- a private retreat, international healing center, and permaculture eco-village nestled in a sacred ancient oak grove in Topanga Canyon, California, above Malibu.
 

It hosts a variety of private healing, educational, family, organizational, and corporate events on the land. Check out the Event Calendar to see what's coming up next! Or book an event at the ranch by filling out the booking contact form. Or for any other inquiries, contact them!

India declares DOLPHINS "non-human persons"

Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly; TheMindUnleashed.com (facebook.com)

Dolphins can sleep with half their brain and can therefore stay awake for at least two weeks (S.D. McCulloch/earthsky.org)

Dolphins (Jesslee Cuizon/earthsky.org)

India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests has decided to forbid the keeping of captive dolphins for public entertainment anywhere in the country.

 

In a policy statement released Friday, the ministry advised state governments to reject any proposal to establish a dolphinarium “by any person / persons, organizations, government agencies, private or public enterprises that involves import, capture of cetacean species to establish for commercial entertainment, private or public exhibition and interaction purposes whatsoever.” Why?

Social dolphins (cutepictures.co)

“Whereas cetaceans in general are highly intelligent and sensitive, and various scientists who have researched dolphin behavior have suggested that the unusually high intelligence; as compared to other animals means that dolphins should be seen as ‘non-human persons’ and as such should have their own specific rights and is morally unacceptable to keep them captive for entertainment purpose,” the ministry said....

India and landlocked Nepal have an indigenous freshwater Ganges river dolphin.

 

(Jessa Gamble/lastwordonnothing.com)

[This] happened back in May and somehow escaped worldwide attention and the 24-hour media hoopla. The effort to re-categorize cetaceans (dolphins, whales, porpoises) as non-human persons has been gathering steam since a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2011, when a group of philosophers, conservationists, and animal behaviorists attempted to gather wide support for a Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans from the scientific community.

 

The Declaration for Dolphins

1. 

   The cetacea, evolving family (wiki)

   Every individual cetacean has the right to life.
2. No cetacean should be held in captivity or servitude; be subject to cruel treatment; or be removed from their natural environment.
3. All cetaceans have the right to freedom of movement and residence within their natural environment.
4. No cetacean is the property of any state, corporation, human group, or individual.
5. Cetaceans have the right to the protection of their natural environment.
6. Cetaceans have the right not to be subject to the disruption of their cultures.
7. The rights, freedoms, and norms set forth in this Declaration should be protected under international and domestic law.

And what does it mean to say an animal has “rights”? More

"The Kingdom of Plants" (video)

Dev, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; David Attenborough; Jackal Safaris (video)

Plants can feel, communicate, heal, and maybe even think (Lila Daley)

New research on PLANT intelligence (video)

Dev, Dhr. Seven (eds.) Wisdom Quarterly; Science Friday/The World (PRI, Jan. 10, 2014)

Field of brilliant sunflowers (Bruce Fritz/USDA/Wiki/pri.org/sciencefriday.com)

   

New research on plant intelligence may change how we think about plants

Flower girl bhumi-devi (Getty Collection)

Plants have senses that put humans to shame. Not only do they hear and smell, they can also sense the presence of water, and even sense an object within their space. [This was suspected, scientifically verified, and largely ignored long ago from a series of botanical experiments published in The Secret Life of Plants.] Now new research suggests that plants can actually learn and remember.

The Secret Life of Plants

TopDocumentaryFilms.com

Glorious Bhūmi (Gaia) blooms each spring, Landmark Nat'l Park, Mt. Rainier (13som)

  

The Secret Life of Plants

Even on the subordinate levels of the life scale, there is profound consciousness -- an awareness that binds all sensitive things together. The Secret Life of Plants: A fascinating account of the physical, emotional, and spiritual relations between plants and man (Peter Tompkins and Christopher Bird) was published in 1973.

The book forwards the idea that plants are sentient, despite the absence of a physical nervous system and brain. This sentience is testable through changes in a plant's conductivity, as measured with a polygraph, a technique pioneered by Cleve Backster. The book also summarizes Goethe's theory of plant metamorphosis.

 

Right wing survivalist seed supply

But the book is about much more than plants. It delves deeply into such topics as the aura, psychophysics, orgone, radionics, Kirlian photography, magnetism/magnetotropism, bioelectrics, dowsing, and the history of science. It served as the basis for the 1979 documentary of the same name, with a soundtrack especially recorded by Stevie Wonder.

• The Secret Life of Plants (Inside NOVA, PBS)
• "The Intelligent Plant" (The New Yorker)
• Michael Pollan: Omnivore's Dilemma, The Botany of Desire