A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently and die gallantly.
Specialization is for insects.
-Robert A. Heinlein
This website, http://www.breathingearth.net, will calibrate your global perspective – at least when it comes to birth rates, death rates, and carbon emissions. (Click on the link to see the map properly).
The blue star appears every time somebody in that country is born, and the black dot appears every time someone dies.
The map also tracks the CO2 emissions of each country. Suffice to say, America’s carbon emissions are utterly excessive. We already knew that, but this map puts that fact into its global context.
Explore this map and be sure to watch the populations fluctuate. It’s mesmerizing.
-Azy
A glimpse of the underbelly of a new IC-built roof that has just gone up on one of Layibi’s buildings.
In late March, the S4S team blogged about the start of a refurbishment project at St. Joseph’s College Layibi. The project consisted of renovating a building block that housed the school’s main auditorium, a computer lab, and a library. Although time and labor intensive, we knew our S4S team could handle the challenge.
Fast forward to today: After months of hard work, plans, and site visits, the S4S team has nearly finished the first phase of the renovation project. Using Round 3 funding of roughly $35,000, the team focused on external upgrades, which included replacing the entire roof, removing old plaster and windows, and putting in new flooring.
In the next few weeks, the team will begin focusing on the second phase of the project: refurbishing the internal elements of the structure. These tasks will include everything from painting to replacing furniture and installing new electrical systems.
The project will finish in the next two to three months. We couldn’t be happier, as this completed project means an upgraded auditorium for the students, a laboratory that will hold 30 computers (provided by our partners at Computer Aid International), and a quiet place where students can read leisurely and study in-between classes.
- The S4S team
The shiny new roof!
Dethkills is a collective of some of LA’s finest street artists. They’re doing amazing things and have come up with a really original art installment that YOU can be a part of.
Tweet in a positive message or quote to @dethkills or go to their Facebook page and post your message. http://www.facebook.com/pages/DETHKILLS/47941818829?ref=ts
They are creating a mosaic-mural of some of our Ugandan advocates (similar to the pieces above, only with less skulls) and YOUR MESSAGE and YOUR NAME will forever be immortalized in this brilliant piece of art.
So for example some tweets might look like this:
-“We must do extraordinary things. We have to. It would be absurd not to.” @dethkills
-To all my Ugandan friends.. I miss you and and can’t wait to see you again! Love ya, Kenny @dethkills
-Jacob, I will work hard to end this war. -President Obama @dethkills
Don’t be shy… Tweet as much as you want!! They’ve got a lot of space to cover.
If you don’t have your tickets yet, get them here: TICKETS
ps.. Shepard’s doing an original art piece too. Boom.
Jason Travis photographed this collection called Persona. He asked Atlantans to let him photograph the contents of their purses, pockets, messenger bags, and fanny packs. I have no idea why I’m so fascinated with the stuff these strangers carry around. But I am.
All in all, I was surprised by how many people carry Sharpies and flasks and how few carry books.
Here are some highlights. (Tip: watch it in slide-show mode on flickr).
-Azy
Southern Sudan is “scheduled” to become an independent state next year. This article operates on the assumption that President al-Bashir allows the south to secede without a fight (he’s promised that he’ll honor the democratic process, but his word isn’t worth much).
Yet, a new, independent state is not easy to build or maintain. This article speculates on the elements of success and failure inherent in the system, the people, and the culture. The author says that ultimately “The Dinka will decide whether Africa’s latest state-in-waiting will fail or prosper.”
-Azy
From The Economist:
THE Anglican Bishop of Bor, Nathaniel Garang, sits under the little shade afforded by a thorn tree. His dusty compound has a few mud and straw huts, some plastic chairs, and goats reaching up to bare branches on their hind legs. The bishop is around 70, he guesses, and in reflective mood. He wears a small brass cross given to him by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Entering Canterbury cathedral, he remarks, was a special moment in his life.
Mr Garang is a Dinka, the largest of south Sudan’s tribes. Specifically, he is a Bor Dinka (see map), the first of the Dinka groups to become Christian and be educated. Their historic missionary post, founded just upriver on the Nile in 1905, was burnt down during Sudan’s long civil war between the Arab and Muslim north and the Christian and animist south that ended only five years ago. The cathedral in Bor was also shot up, but still attracts several thousand worshippers.
Mr Garang attributes miracles in the war to the Dinka’s strong Christian faith. “We Dinka know the blood of animal sacrifice is very powerful, so the blood of Christ is easy for us to understand.” Will there be another war? Mr Garang shakes his head firmly. “This is a time of work, peace and resettlement.”
In elections last month Omar al-Bashir, a northern Arab, easily retained the presidency of Sudan as a whole, especially since the main northern opposition boycotted the proceedings, while in the south the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), the former rebels’ political wing, won hands down. The southerners now eagerly await a promised referendum on independence early next year. They are very likely to vote for secession. If allowed to, they will then create Africa’s first newly independent country since Eritrea in 1993.
In any event, the new state of South Sudan, whose official name has yet to be finally determined, will be dominated by the Dinka. Their politicians, their spending priorities, even their culture seem set to prevail. At least a quarter of south Sudan’s 9m people are Dinka. For two decades the southern rebels’ leader was a Dinka, John Garang, a kinsman of the bishop. After his death in a helicopter crash in 2005, he was succeeded by another Dinka, Salva Kiir, who launched his recent election campaign from John Garang’s mausoleum. Like the Kikuyu in Kenya, the Dinka are often accused by the region’s other 40-plus tribes of tailoring South Sudan’s foundation story to suit their own ends.
Read the rest of the article here.
On Monday, President Obama signed the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act into law. Then he issued a public statement about the LRA-affected areas and his commitment to carrying out the law’s mandate. Last April we made it clear “We Want Obama,” and a little over a year later, he invited us into the Oval Office as he signed the bill into law. Whoa.
The CEO (Ben Keesey) and 2 of Invisible Children’s founders (Laren Poole and Jason Russell) represented IC at the signing ceremony.
About an hour after the ceremony, they video-skyped with the Invisible Children office in San Diego. They told the story, giddy as children, and we listened, also giddy as children. They re-lived what the President said, what he did, and how they felt about what he said and did. It was quite a moment. But you’ll see:
We’ll post the official pictures with President Obama as soon as we get them. Expect ‘em in about a week.
Without the traffic, I think I could grow to like L.A., but it’s positively eerie without any pedestrians. Here are all the details about why and how Ross Ching made the vid.
-Azy
Linked from GOOD:
This lecture by Jeremy Rifkin was adapted by RSA Animate into the audio-visual treat you see below. Check out RSA Animate’s other lectures here.
Rifkin suggests maybe we aren’t as aggressive and self-interested as we’ve been told we are. Even from a young age, humans identify with the emotions of others. We empathize with our families, our countrymen, so what will it take to truly empathize with all our fellow humans – regardless of ethnicity or socio-economic situation?
I have hope that we are getting there. After all, thousands of young people have sacrificed a lot for the sake of ending a war on the other side of the world. So, yes, I believe that our generation has a strong sense of empathy.
Fascinating video. Worth a few minutes of your day.
-Azy
June 10. Ask your boss for the night off. Right now. Buy your ticket while you’re at it, and then find a ride to SoCal. This is going to be the most epic benefit party. Ever.
Straight from Billabong:
“We’re bringing The City That Never Sleeps to The City of Angels, join Billabong as we take over the NY Street Backlot at Paramount Studios in Hollywood for a massive block party with:
- two concert stages
- Invisible Children sensory exhibit
- League of Extraordinary Dancers (LXD)
- one-of-a-kind bikini runway fashion show
- warehouse art show curated by the prestigious Carmichael Gallery
- Hit+Run live t-shirt screenprinting
- DethKills live art installation
- Masters of Maple limited edition snare drums auctions
- food trucks
- VIP street party
and much more…all in celebration of this year’s very worthy beneficiary: Invisible Children.”
Details (like time and place):
DESIGN FOR HUMANITY: June 10th
Doors open at 7pm
Paramount Studios, 5555 Melrose Ave., Hollywood CA 90038
Tickets are ON SALE NOW! Tickets are $30 (a very limited amount of VIP tickets will be available for $150).
This is an 18 and over event, valid ID required.
Tickets are also available at Billabong retailers:
ZJ BOARDING HOUSE 2619 Main Street, Santa Monica CA
SPYDER 65 Pier Ave, Hermosa Beach CA
What you’re in for:
“Legendary electroclash duo FISCHERSPOONER are headlining this year’s event for an unforgettable festival of light and sound performance, which makes them a perfect collaborator for this year’s event. Chi-town rapper KID SISTER who seamlessly fuses elements of electro pop, Hip-Hop and ghetto house will be kicking off the night. DJ MARK MORENO, PASE ROCK, THEM JEANS, and CLASSIXX will be mixing beats throughout the night. Come ready to buy art, buy a custom t-shirt, buy a gourmet grilled cheese sandwich, or just party with a purpose – 100% of ticket sales, art show proceeds donated to Invisible Children.”
