This card just dropped into my life….

Ok, so I was making my bed this morning….nothing out of the ordinary…kitties around….when I suddenly see this random card (as pictured above), entitled, “How To Build Community“….Ok, so I’ve never seen it before and I don’t know where it came from.

What I do know is this…..I was meant to read it and so I began to explore….

After some research…..Goddess bless the Internet…I found out the artist of the poster (also available in card size) is Syracuse, New York artist Karen Kerney who is also the Art Director of SCW or (syracuseculturalworkers) and the text was created by members of SCW.

Oh heavenly joy….I loved what I found out about these guys….Read on…

I just ordered this poster….I love it! Click here for more info.

Who is the SCW Community?……As stated on their website,

“Syracuse Cultural Workers (SCW) is a peace and justice publisher founded in 1982. We create and publish visual materials, like calendars, posters, and cards, that are feminist, lesbian/gay allied, racially inclusive, and honor elders and children.”

“Our mission is to help create a culture that honors diversity and celebrates community; that inspires and nurtures justice, equality and freedom; that respects our fragile Earth and all its beings; that encourages and supports all forms of creative expression.”

Beautiful Love….Ok, so back to the “How To Build Community List.” Here’s the message that I got. Open your heart and follow some of these suggestions….Just do it—you’ll be happy you did…

Here are my top 7…For the complete list, click here.

1- Turn off your tv….

2-Leave your house…

3-Share what you have…

4- Pick up litter

5- Help a lost dog…

6- Dance in the street…

7- Fix it even if you didn’t break it….

We love you SCW….

Eco-Chic Shenyang Olympic Stadium in northeast China, will host 12 soccer matches during the Olympics this summer….

Remember the Olympics? Ok, so it’s getting closer. It starts in August and yes, I know, typically ratings can be low, but the sheer eco-conscious aspect of this enormous beast is worthy of paying attention…..and the green construction involved is totally inspiring…

As stated by ChinaDaily.com:

“The local government’s campaign to deal with pollution and improve the environment ahead of the Games dates back to 2001. Over the past seven years, the local authorities have invested 78.8 billion yuan ($10.9 billion) in 460 key projects to clean up the city. All heavy-polluting factories have been either closed down or relocated, and an effective and environmentally friendly central heating system has been set up to replace small boilers.”

Go China! Check this out….

Is that a spaceship or Shenyang Olympic Stadium? That is a stunning piece of architecture!

The Olympic Stadium will host 12 football matches….that’s English for soccer….and I’m a big fan…Apparently, China gets to play since they are the hosting country…I wonder what David Beckham thinks about that….

Anyway, here are the eco-details as stated on ChinaDaily.com:

“All the items that will be used during the Games, from business cards to gift wrapping paper and disposable paper cups, are biodegradable and ecologically friendly. The stadium is even fitted with a water treatment system, which will make use of wastewater from swimming pools and bathrooms for cleaning, irrigation, flushing toilets and washing cars.”

I know, I know….A huge investment in an enormous structure. The benefit, however, is a greener city, a healthier lifestyle for its inhabitants and ultimately if they can clean up, so can we….

Front exterior view of my home…Isn’t she sweet? She just turned 100 last year…..

Ok, so last night after Samba class, oh about 8:30pm or so…. I drove up to my house and stayed in my car for a minute, talking to my friend Sarah on the phone. The car was running….it was brrrrr….cold….and all of a sudden, this guy who was walking along the sidewalk, very assertively, comes up to the passenger side of my car and starts yanking on the handle, trying to get in….Good thing the doors were locked…and yes, he was a stranger…

Oh Buddha, you are my protector….placed at the exterior entrance of my home…

So anyway….a split second later, with my cel phone in one hand, I just pulled away, but not before I bent down and got eye contact with this guy….talk about multi-tasking….

Ok, so I hung up, called 911 and returned home to wait for the police. Ok I admit, for a few seconds I drove around trying to see where he was going (but he quickly disappeared)….Anyway, the 911 operator didn’t think that was a very good idea and yes, he was right…

Oh, harmonium, I love to play you…..You bring me right to the Source….

Later on….in reflection, I had an opportunity to just let my feelings settle in. I felt fear come up and my mind wanting to go to the “what if” this happened, etc….But, instead, I shifted it. I sat in silence, lit some candles, space cleared with sage and sang with my harmonium, all in a place of deep gratitude and protection…I did this for about an hour and guess what? I slept well, I was not in a place of fear and I didn’t think bad thoughts about this person or what could have happened that did not.

I did learn something, important, however. Keep your doors locked while in the car and don’t hang out on a dark night in your car, talking on your phone….And most importantly, be aware of your surroundings…. Oh beautiful Universe, I hear you….

I was very lucky…

Ok, so my dear friend Elsa (I love you sister!) sent me a link the other day to the website, freehugscampaign and as I watched the above video, I cried…It was one of the sweetest and most courageous things I have seen someone do and I thought, yes that is a maverick, totally worthy of recognition.

Juan Mann, the guy who started the freehugscampaign….

Ok, so here’s the story:

There was this Australian guy, Juan Mann who was living in London and basically his world came crashing down on him forcing him to return home. As he tells it, upon his arrival in Sydney, no one was there to greet him or hug him…or anything, and….he truly felt all alone in the world…..

He suddenly had this hit to get some cardboard and a marker and made a sign…and as he says, “I found the busiest pedestrian intersection in the city and held that sign aloft, with the words “Free Hugs” on both sides.

And check this out…..

“And for 15 minutes, people just stared right through me. The first person who stopped, tapped me on the shoulder and told me how her dog had just died that morning. How that morning had been the one year anniversary of her only daughter dying in a car accident. How what she needed now, when she felt most alone in the world, was a hug. I got down on one knee, we put our arms around each other and when we parted, she was smiling.”

We love you Juan Mann. You are an inspiration.

Oprah was moved by Juan as you can see…

The funny and interesting thing about it was the controversy it created. As Juan puts it, “As this symbol of human hope spread across the city, police and officials ordered the Free Hugs campaign BANNED.” Fear can be a funny thing that way….but no worries, the ban has since been removed and free hugs are now encouraged worldwide.

I love hugs. They are powerful and that melty, gushy, warm feeling? You know what I’m talking about….Nothing can substitute.

Thanks again Juan. You are my hero….

Wow!….I have wonderful eco- news to share with you! Israel is going electric…with the car that is…What does that mean exactly? Read on….

The NY Times reported yesterday “the Israeli government will announce its support for a broad effort to promote the use of electric cars, embracing a joint venture between American-Israeli entrepreneur Shai Agassi and Renault and its partner, Nissan Motor Company.”

I’m getting the chills all over…

Shai Agassi, an American-Israeli entrepreneur, announcing his plans to make electric cars sell like cell phones in Isreal by the end of 2010. Isn’t he handsome?

Here are more details as stated in the NY Times article:

“The idea, said Shai Agassi, 39, the software entrepreneur behind the new company Project Better Place, is to sell electric car transportation on the model of the cellphone.”

“Purchasers get subsidized hardware — the car — and pay a monthly fee for expected mileage, like minutes on a cellphone plan, eliminating concerns about the fluctuating price of gasoline.”

Yes, hello! We love the idea!

Israeli road sign…Read on for more details….

“With $100 a barrel oil, we’ve crossed a historic threshold where electricity and batteries provide a cheaper alternative for consumers,” Mr. Agassi said. “You buy a car to go an infinite distance, and we need to create the same feeling for an electric car — that you can fill it up when you stop or sleep and go an infinite distance.”

Brilliant, brilliant…and check this out. Mr. Agassi’s company Project Better Place will provide lithium-ion batteries which will get 124 miles per charge…Yes, you heard right? When can I get one of these?

And more eco-love here. He proposes that meters on streets will have plugs to recharge your car, stations on highways and even at car washes, you can get your battery charged or replaced…Easy access…He and his company have have put up $100 million so far…

“Mr. Agassi and his investors are convinced that the cost of running such a car will be significantly cheaper than a model using gasoline (currently $6.28 a gallon here.)”…Source is Treehugger.com

A maverick you are, Shai Agassi and I don’t know anything about your politics. What I do know is I love your plan to bring electric cars to a tiny country with almost no oil in a volatile region. That is a giant leap towards bringing peace to the area and the planet, actually…I’m seeing it more and more–mavericks like you are changing the world.

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