The Falcon and the Dove Podcast

Falcon and Dove’s Fall Movie Preview

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:16:00 +0000

Hello Everyone,
Well, it's time for the Fall Movie Preview. We tended to avoid writing about films that weren't that interesting, and instead have brought you a batch of what we thought were worth seeing...with only a couple of exceptions. Enjoy!

A Serious Man
The Coen Brothers are at it again, this time looking back at one of my favorite eras of waxing nostalgia, the late 1960’s. A young Jewish man is trying to make sense of his life in a world of Surrealistic Pillow by Jefferson Airplane and his marriage. He feels he is trying to do the right thing, yet he also thinks his world is changing faster than the world around them is spinning. It is supposed to be tongue in cheek funny, but there will be much too much profoundly familiar in this quirky film.

Act of God
Interesting independent doc involves conversations with people who have been struck by lightening (wow-I wish they would have talked to me!). This film looks at the metaphysical implications and eye witness stories of what these individuals were like before they were struck…and after. This film is by Jennifer Baichwal.

Aladin
Yes, another version, aka ‘Slumdog’ style; very modern Bollywood film with special effects, wild costumes and lots of dancing. It looks like Xanadu meets the classic Magic Lamp tale. Our take: skip it.

Amelia
Hillary Swank gets the nod to play the famous pilot Amelia Eckhart on Fox Searchlight. Ewan McGregor, Richard Gere give respectable performances. Great cinematography.

An Education
Alfred Molina stars with a strong British cast (Emma Thompson, Dennis Cooper) in a period piece (aka 1962 abouts) that looks a little like Educating Rita with less of an age gap. Girl gets into Oxford and runs off with a man she met to Paris-more exciting, yet not what she thought it would be, go figure.

As Seen Through These Eyes
Maya Angelou gives a powerful narration to a powerful documentary montage of images of Nazi survivors in photos and artwork, along with their own voices and stories. Magnificent art, challenging stories.

Avatar
We are all waiting for this. If the story unfolds as well as the trailer does, and the special effects deliver, this will be one of the best films of the year. It looks like moving Rodger Dean artwork with Native American embellishments. We hope the film lives up to the hype.

Broken Embraces
A nice French film with strong performances, featuring Penelope Cruz, beautiful yet a bit tortured since all of the saturation as that 60’s early 70’s feel, deliberately. Good date film.

Capitalism: A Love Story
Michael Moore’s magnificent indictment of greed, lying and the price the average person pays for a system without a moral compass. Includes sending perfectly good children to prison while judges get kickbacks (here in PA, believe it or not), farm families having their homes forclosed upon, and conversations with people who have just had it.

Dare
Teen film with Self-self discovery/affirmation film with Sandra Bernhard featuring Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford and Alan Cumming (who I hadn’t seen in a film in awhile). It breaks out of the typical a bit, and the actors make it worth the trip.

Edge of Darkness
Mel Gibson returns as a homicide detective whose 24 year old daughter was killed on his doorstep. Turns out her world was more dangerous than his. This is a January release, so no one really holds a lot of hope for this one,(January is usually the time for films that are expendable) but it is better than it looks.

Endgame
From Monterey Media comes a very strong film with tricky filming that doesn’t blink with a highly diverse film of quality actors, including William Hurt. Very, very good.

Extraordinary Measures
True story about John and Aileen Crowley whose children were diagnosed with a fatal disease called Pompe, which is genetic, impacts the heart and usually fatal. They started a business, left their jobs and started extraordinary research to save their children’s’ lives. Appearances by Harrison Ford and Brendan Frazier.

Five Minutes of Heaven
Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt star in an interesting film about an adult revolutionary who killed Nesbitt’s character’s brother as a teen. The two have an opportunity to meet. It is a film about truth and reconciliation. Forgiveness…is it possible? The character’s are deeply well developed.

From Paris, With Love
Starring Welsh actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers and John Travolta, directed by Peter Morrell. Action, laughs, more action, lots of things blowing up.

Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

Heath Ledger has one more hurrah, Christopher Plummer and Colin Farrell along with Johnny Deep (sounds like a dream I would love to have) and directed by Terry Gilliam. Wow. It looks incredible and has all the makings of a spectacular nominee, IF the voting members don’t write this off as just a special effects feast. Shot in Bulgaria, it is visually stunning and magnificent. It is nice to see “Academy Award Winner” before Heath Ledger’s name. It is really sad that he is no longer with us here.

Killing Kastzner
Was he a hero or in collusion with the Nazi’s? A documentary looking at the trial, his daughter, and the questions. Did he make a secret deal? His name brings gratitude and rage to many. See the film and see how you feel.

Lies and Illusions
Cuba Gooding, Jr. along with Christian Slater star in a thriller about a man whose book of fiction has more truth to it than he wishes it did. Cuba, good to see you back; I hope you have a great agent and we will see more of you-such a strong actor. Christian has been on TV lately, and it is nice to see him back on the big screen. This film has some promise; I hope it delivers.

The Lovely Bones
An excellent thriller novel by Alice Sebold filmed in Pennsylvania, directed by Peter Jackson, handled with beauty and sensitivity. Susan Sarandon and Mark Walberg deliver strong performances. Must see it to believe it.

The Men Who Stare at Goats
Yu don’t know whether to laugh or cry, but this is based on a true story. Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges, and George Clooney, Kevin Spacey star in this 1970’s tale of ‘remote viewers’ aka psychic Jedi Knights. Inspired by the book by Jon Ronson.
Just go with it…

Paranormal Activity
Produced for a mere $15,000, this film opened at number one for weekend receipts after garnering a million clicks demanding that this film be released country wide. Wow! What a story. The film itself is a fine first film and looks like a couple doing their own episode of “Ghost Hunters”, but it goes badly wrong. That’s the fun part for you! A little “Blair Witch” camera work in spots, but really well done overall.

Peter and Vandy
Relationship movie that is incredibly honest in its portrayal and entertaining. Jason Ritter is warm and loving, and controlling and manipulative-perfect.

Pirate Radio
Already out and fantastic, stars one of my favorite actors, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, along with Billy Nighy, and my absolute favorite, Kenneth Branagh

Precious
Every living human begin above the age of 12 should see this film. A Lee Williams film, based on the book, “Push” by Sapphirewith an unbelievable cast: Sherri Shepherd, Mariah Carey, Mo’Nique, Lenny Kravitz. Oscar, can you hear me?

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee
Extremely well cast ensemble around a central character who is looking at renewing the quality of her life at a crossroads. Alan Arka, Keanu Reeves, Juliann Moore, Winona Rider, Robin Wright Penn are part of an excellent examination of a woman’s personal portrait, exploration, and eventual liberation.

Red Cliff
A strong film by John Woo focus on epic battles during the third century in China during civil war. This picture makes Helm’s Deep look like a little skirmish at a stronghold.
Cinematography great, special effects, strong, period costuming, nice.

Serious Moonlight
Meg Ryan stars with Timothy Hutton stars in this comedy directed by Cheryl Hines. Over the top a bit, but entertaining. See this with the girlfriends, laugh a lot. See it with men, and the guys will be trying to escape the theater.

Sherlock Holmes
Like you have never seen him before, Sherlock Holmes is played by Robert Downey, Jr. and Watson is played by Jude Law. Rachel McAdams rocks! Watson whines a little. Robert Downey, Jr. and Mark Strong deliver the goods. Very nicely done. I bet if this one is successful, like Harry Potter, they will make more. By the way, this is not for the kids.

The Book of Eli
The Hughes brothers have put together a little post apocalyptic film with Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman that looks like a fun little romp in Mad Max land. It’s a January release. You know what that means. Maybe it will be better than they think. The trailer is very cool…kinda video game like, but cool.

The Road
Viggo Mortensen is awesome in this Cormac McCarthy’s unoptimistic novel made into a film. Charlize Theron is also in this portrait of what happens after…
This was filmed in Pittsburgh, and when we ran out of snow, up near Erie.

The End of Poverty
A stunning documentary narrated by Martin Sheen on how we got in such a financial mess, and how contrived poverty is. Some may actually be surprised that ‘trickle down’ doesn’t work, and how deliberate and systematic the atrocities are globally. This is another film I feel strongly about that everyone should see.

The Fourth Kind
Based on a sleep study, complete with footage of the actual sessions included in the narrative drama side by side, this film asks the question: have we had more than casual contact with aliens? Who are they? Why did these people in Alaska have the same experiences? Are they all delusional, abused…or what? This film may have you leaving with more questions than you came in with…

The Messenger
This just opened the Savannah Film Festival on Halloweeen and stars Woody Harrelson (finally in a film that’s actually good) with a magnificent support soundtrack of awesome pieces Ben Foster gives an unforgettable performance. This film will strike a chord with so many as these two men are the messengers of the undeliverable message of the loss of a man or woman at war. Very, very, very good.

2012
As good as the previous movie was: this film is the polar opposite of that one. Let me paint a picture: Roland Emmerich, who I had a ton of respect and support for when he did “The Day After Tomorrow” has completely abandoned his fracking mind and made a film that while the special effects are incredible, has virtually no real plot or character development.

Most films we here at Falcon and Dove thought just plain sucked we didn’t talk about in the Fall Preview. Some we just didn’t get a chance to properly review. Falcon has seen nearly 20 minutes of this film and can’t stand a moment of it. Why? Besides being kind of a downer (end of world on 12/21/12- I won’t mention what time, everything goes to you know where, and the government has secret underground bunkers for the select few, blah, blah, blah) it has some plausibility problems, and not just the obvious ones.

If I were a filmmaker showing the end of the world, with collapsing buildings all around, I would have remembered the people. THE PEOPLE> the ones being blown to bits, thrown around like rag dolls, and falling into the open crevasses in the earth that is now heated and cracking. You barely see any human toll. That would have been an “R” rating, I suppose. The human side of this story is gone. Woody Harrelson (can’t believe he did this film and The Messenger in the same year. Note from Falcon: if he doesn’t get an Oscar for his role in The Messenger, he may have this film to thank for it-memories are long at Oscar time). He plays a character who wants to leave the proverbial building first by setting himself in the middle of the caldera at Yellowstone. He’s on radio, the Net, takes questions and calls, and has a website for you to follow until the end. He wears a long haired wig and a Moroccan style hat-looks great on Dumbledore, on Woody…not so much.

So…where do I begin? First, Roland, you really DON”T understand the prophecy of the Maya; so stop. Not enough of the real feelings of many Native American people are in this film…oh, yeah! I forgot! It’s about the bang and the money. Silly, me…

The hopelessness of this film is so bad, I would not let a child see this film, period. There are children in it I feel sorry for. No one who has had Post Traumatic Stress Disorder should see it either. There is a loss of continuity in this film that is astonishing, but no loss of special effects of destroying many monuments gone wild.

The dialog is occasionally comedic in the most inappropriate times. The moment before all of California is about to go from the inside, there are humorous remarks made by the lead character (John Cusack, who in interviews doesn’t sound like he believes it, either) about the state governor’s acting just moments before the bottom falls out-literally. There are moments that are so confused between comedy and annihilation that I wasn’t quite sure what the director was going for. The film doesn’t take itself very seriously in spots. Maybe we shouldn’t either.

So here’s the supposed science: the earth’s core will heat up and break up all the weak spots when the planets align with the Milky Way and the Sun on the other end. In Native tradition, it is a configuration of the Alligator (a representation of the Cosmic Matriarch) giving birth to the Sun). We personally consider this time a time of birth, higher consciousness and new revelations. That revelation may be that the earth will continue without us, if WE MESS UP. We do have choices, and our behavior is what determines our fate. What is written is change and transformation. It will not be easy, but it is not all doom and gloom unless we succumb to the misery and negativity of things, and fail to rise with courage to change what we can clearly change.

Otherwise, no underground bunker, hermitically sealed with O2 from plants clearly underground in greenhouses and energy from geothermal ( we ought to have plenty of that)can save us-according to their complete disaster, there won't be any fresh air for years, the underground too warm in most places and with plate shift, where are the fresh water aquafirs, or am I over thinking this? Contamination would be rampant, and we would be cooked anyway. The End. Wow...what a fun film!

Twilight Saga: New Moon
Okay, this will be better than the first film; it already looks better. I don't just mean the special effects...THE MEN!!! Look, this is an eye candy story; I am not a teen, I am there for the 'visual effects', you feel me? Yes, there's a bit of a story, and I am not even sure I like it. Dove says it's ok, but I am there for the guys. With an ensemble of men that hot, you tend to ignore weak storylines. Okay, actually generally I do pay attention to plot...who care? It looks great! I'll be there on Nov. 20, watching it with all the rest of the young men and women. The whole vampire thing doesn't really do anything for me...gotta love those werewolves, though! Whew! Is it hot in here???

Alright World Family, there is Falcon and Dove's quick overview of the fall movies. Our Holiday Film Special blog/podcast will be out during the Thanksgiving weekend, as always.

Be strong, stay safe, and enjoy the fall offerings.
Peace
Falcon and Dove

HFCS Sucks! Industry: STOP using it!!!

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:24:00 +0000

Hey World Family,
This is a Falcon and Dove combined rant. We are going to say something simple, yet powerful when combined with direct action: World: stop eating, using ANY products with high fructose corn syrup in it.

Industry: stop making excuses about something that is vile and dangerous where you make gross profits and people (and animals, bees more specifically) are getting sick and dying. There is no excuse for this selfish, morally bankrupt behavior. There are other ways to make money-poisoning people is not the way to do it.

Just to be clear: Falcon and Dove have never embraced this Frankenstein-ian product. There has been study after study (mostly outside the U.S. since food additives don’t have to pass muster with FDA) that shows HFCS compromises liver function, and possibly other organs. How important is this? Well, if your liver isn’t functioning properly (removing toxins and recycling red blood cells every 120 days), creatine levels can rise, and its harder to oxygenate the body. If you can’t get enough oxygen, your entire body suffers: brain, heart, lungs, the full monty. That increases other health difficulties: asthma, diabetes (HFCS is THE contributing factor for this one beyond sedentary lifestyle and simple, non-nutritious white carb consumption), kidney malfunctions (since those who consume a lot of HFCS also don’t get enough water, on average), and other health deficits. When heated (like inside your body), it creates a carcinogen.

In addition to the already ridiculous amount of evidence that this is a singularly awful additive choice, studies have also shown that mercury showed up in 50% of common products tested. This is probably due to the caustic soda that is commonly contaminated with mercury from the chlorine industry (stay with me), and then used as an additive in food products. Although that process is to be curved completely by 2012, we aren’t there yet. Legislation to correct this vile practice was introduced by a young senator who is now our president: Barack Obama.

The fact that the industry actually ran a campaign of commercials asking American to keep using and consuming this filth really shows the lack of human decency that this industry shows for consumers. We all know that cheaper products will be filled with HFCS and other additives that together create a time bomb for the people who consume it. Oh, and by the way, the fact that the health care industry hasn’t climbed all over this and demanded that changes be made shows their collusion in this awful cycle of stupidity.

All this is about profit and sacrificing certain populations as expendable for the sake of profits: people with more money can buy at stores whose food comes from healthier, organic, and sustainable sources. The poor have far less options.

SOLUTIONS

ALL COMPANIES WHO GARNER THIS POISON FROM INDUSTRY SOURCES SHOULD BEGIN TO REPLACE HFCS IN THEIR PRODUCTS IMMEDIATELY!!!

Falcon knows of several companies who have done just that. A lot of products are now labeled: no high fructose corn syrup. Our suggestion is that you work with other companies as consumers and ask…no, DEMAND that they remove this from their products. Buy products without this additive.

World Family, you and your children cannot afford to consume this trash. It’s not worth it. Demand that your grocer, your gas station, your dollar store, etc. get food that is safe for you to consume. Demand it.

This is why every person with the tiniest bit of earth should begin to grow their own food, work with others in your community to grow your own food, and create sustainable networks to get wholesome food.
It is time for a revolution, Brothers and Sisters. It’s been time.

Want more information on this subject? Check out your favorite search engine, or go to the websites below:

www.webMD.com

www.naturalnews.com

Protect your health, World Family. Defend your right to have food without additives known to hurt and kill. It’s your life. After all, what else do you have that’s more important than your life and health?
Peace,
Falcon and Dove

Somerhill, Charles Constantino on 52nd Grammy Entry List

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 04:02:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
Here's an announcement from our Brothers Somerhill and producer Charles Constantino. It is great news for Falcon, too...I sang backing vocals on both nominated songs!!! Whoo-hoo (Shameless)

Somerhill, Charles Constantino on 52nd Grammy Entry List

‘Free Your Mind (Tara Na),’ ‘Today or Tomorrow’ in categories of Best Rock Performance by a Duo or
Group with Vocals, Best Rock Song

The Recording Academy has selected Free Your Mind (Tara Na) and Today or Tomorrow, both performed by Somerhill, for inclusion on the 52nd Grammy Entry List in the category of Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The category of Best Rock Song on the 52nd Grammy Entry List includes producer Charles Constantino and Somerhill members Chad Gontkovic and William Rose for writing Free Your Mind (Tara Na).

Constantino and Rose are also in the category of Best Rock Song for writing Today
or Tomorrow.

Winner of the 2006 Rockin’ in the Valley original music contest held by Our Town, Somerhill was the closing act for American Idol finalist Chris Daughtry in March 2007 in Pittsburgh. In 2008, Core Media House L.L.C. released Free Your Mind (Tara Na) and Today or Tomorrow, both of which were digitally tracked, mixed and mastered at 24 bits/96 kilohertz at Treelady Studios. Members of the Recording Academy vote from the 52nd Grammy Entry List, also known as the 52nd Grammy Awards Nominations
Ballot, for the nominees for the 52nd Grammy Awards.

Visit the Recording Academy at http://www.grammy.com/

Visit Somerhill at http://www.myspace.com/somerhill

Co-Op Scholarships for 2010:APPLY NOW!!!

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:27:00 +0000

Hey World Family,
Falcon here with important information for high school seniors planning on applying (or about to apply) to Co-Op Universities in the U.S.: Scholarship applications are now available online:

www.co-op.edu

The National Commission of Cooperative Education (NCCE) have released their new apps and the materials package hit our snail mail this morning.
Here’s what you need to know:

NCCE Universities

Drexel University
www.drexel.edu

Johnson and Wales University
www.jwu.edu

Kettering University
www.kettering.edu

Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
www.rit.edu
University of Cincinnati
www.uc.edu

University of Toledo
www.eng.utoledo.edu

Wentworth Institute of Technology
www.wit.edu

These are institutions that provide cooperative job training programs 6 months long as an integral part of their undergraduate education. Students graduating from these institutions are prepared for the real work world in ways that sometimes others are not, and have a clear advantage when it comes to getting a job in a variety of progressive fields.

QUALIFICATIONS

Any high school senior-public, private, charter, cyber, or home school student

3.5 GPA or better on a 4.0 scale

Complete the application materials at the website listed for the partner school you are interested in-yes, you will have to be accepted to the school of your choice in order to receive the scholarship

One page, 500 word essay on why you have chosen to pursue a college cooperative education.

Mail materials to:

National Commission for Cooperative Education
360 Huntington Avenue, 384 CP
Boston, MA 02115-5096

For general questions, please contact:
617-373-3406
f.schettino@neu.edu
NOTE: We do NOT require transcripts or recommendations.

EARLY APPLICATIONS ARE HIGHLY ENCOURAGED!!!

Scholarship winners are determined by each partner institution. Notification will be between March and May, 2010.

DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION: February 15, 2010

Scholarship amounts average around $6,000/yr. with a maximum of $30,000 over the span of the undergraduate education (so those with 5 year majors like engineering and architecture will be covered for the full term of their education, provided they can stay on that track).

'The Greenest Building' by SCAD President Paula Wallace

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:26:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
Falcon here posting a link to the Huffington Post blog by none other than SCAD prez Paula Wallace on Sustainability. Yes, Dove attends SCAD and as a SCAD Mom, I am certainly proud of the university, but it's more than that. They have a plan...and guts. They have a vision, and acumen. Here's what following a 'green' plan for the last 30 years can yield you and your community if your vision is bold, courageous, and encourages progressive thinking. Oh, and there's some serious sweat equity in this venture, too. Savannah has done it, so can you.
Read President Wallace's blog below:

The Greenest Building

In the summer of 1978, the city of Savannah, Georgia, was not doing so well. The iconic downtown department store was shuttered. The Art Deco playhouse was empty. The city's oldest high school, an elegant Greek Revival structure with WPA murals, was abandoned. Young people left and never came back. It was a tired, old, and dying city. Savannah needed ideas, investors, people, something.
I had an idea, and shared it with the mayor.

"We're going to start an art school," I said.
He chuckled. "It won't work," he said. "But go right ahead."

The distinctive architecture of downtown made Savannah the perfect choice for students studying art and design, and the first building of the new Savannah College of Art and Design was a dilapidated volunteer guards armory (a Richardsonian, Romanesque behemoth that seemed way too big at the time). We scrubbed it, restored it, painted it, and hauled in my kitchen table for an admissions desk. Three decades later, we have nearly 10,000 students. And nearly 100 historic buildings at locations in Savannah, Atlanta, Lacoste, and Hong Kong. That downtown department store is now a world-class university library. That Art Deco playhouse is now home to the Savannah Film Festival. That empty high school is now home to SCAD's School of Liberal Arts. Out of nearly a hundred SCAD properties around the world, only four have been newly built.

There's a lot of talk about sustainability these days, and that's a good thing. It's good to grab the low-hanging fruit, like hybrid cars, community gardens, and low-flow plumbing. But real sustainability is systemic and seismic. SCAD didn't start out to become a leader in sustainability. I wish I could claim that kind of prescience. But after we restored our first several historic properties for students, we realized that what we were doing had a name: recycling. Recycling on a monumental scale. As they say, the greenest building is the one that already exists.
But just because SCAD stumbled into its own sustainable practice doesn't mean we can't do it intentionally from here on out. That's why we have embedded sustainable design practices across the curriculum. It's no longer an elective; it's in everything we teach.

At SCAD, interior design and architecture students live and breathe sustainable ideas as naturally as they do building codes. Graphic design students don't just think about how to sell a product with package design - they think about what happens to the package afterwards. Industrial design students travel to Hong Kong and other cities in China to tour manufacturing facilities and learn the names of those who actually fabricate the products. Service design students learn to eliminate paper from the customer experience. Historic preservation students learn to preserve cultures, not just buildings. Fibers students create DIY bedding solutions for the homeless, buildable with thrift-store materials. And there's the new Design for Sustainability degree program at SCAD, where students design water conservation systems in post-Katrina homes and laptop prototypes capable of disassembly.

At SCAD, we teach sustainable design because it gets our students jobs. Aspiring artists and designers need to know how to practice sustainable design, especially when there's an entire summit devoted to the life of a Starbucks cup. Or when a recyclable office chair becomes one of Herman Miller's biggest sellers. Or when the AIA is now requiring annual sustainability education for licensed architects.
Teaching sustainable design also has the added benefit of transforming students into rather brilliant thinkers. That's because sustainable design is nothing less than holistic, productive, and imaginative thinking. In other words, sustainable design is...design. SCAD students are asking big questions, such as, "What are the philosophical assumptions behind this product or service?" and "Is anyone hurt in its manufacture, use, or disposal?" and "How can we save money and people at the same time?" In short, Design for Sustainability is for the 21st century what a degree in philosophy was for the 18th century, providing a healthy, comprehensive worldview. Oh, and employers are desperately seeking leaders who can think in such a way. Just ask Dan Pink, who said, "The MFA is the new MBA."

Sustainable design is about designing a world that's more beautiful, more functional, more equitable. It's about designing something - a world, a city, a product - that lasts. In many respects, this is what SCAD has helped accomplish in the living laboratory of Savannah, and what we're just beginning to do in other communities around the world. Sometimes we stumble into sustainability, looking up and realizing that the smartest decision was the most sustainable one, too. But the next generation of artists and designers won't stumble into it. They will seek out sustainable solutions with clear, purposeful, and imaginative thinking.

Savannah is no longer tired, old, and dying. It is vibrant, reborn, and alive. The change in the city has indeed been seismic. There are jobs. There are young people. There is joy and community. The old buildings are alive with new ideas. That's lasting change, and that's what sustainability is all about. And that's why it's worth teaching to every student.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-wallace/the-greenest-building_b_326018.html

New Music Releases that are Must-Haves for Rocktober

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:24:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
It’s that time of year: time to look at the best of the best in music and film…and maybe even a few television shows, since some of the new stuff isn’t too bad;)

There are some great releases this fall, and Falcon and Dove have listened to the following ones intently and feel strongly that your music collection would feel bad without these strong tunes in your library.

11: 11-Rodrigo y Gabriel1a

If for some reason you don’t know who these two powerhouse guitarists are, go to their website, My Space, You Tube…Conan O’Brian…anywhere, and check them out.
This album is tremendous. Each song on the CD is dedicated to the guitar style of someone who inspired them in the past. It is a mighty project. “Buster Voodoo” is sweet and was performed on The Tonight Show a few days back. It was inspired by the genius that was Jimi Hendrix, probably the greatest guitarist that has ever lived. Their humble dedication continues with songs inspired by composers like Jorge Reyes to John McLaughlin, to Pink Floyd. “Hanuman” is a strong favorite, and gives kudos to Carlos Santana, one of Falcon’s personal favorites for its inspiration.

1 – ‘Hanuman’ – inspired by Carlos Santana
2 – ‘Buster Voodoo’ – inspired by Jimi Hendrix
3 – ‘Triveni’ – inspired by Israeli Oud three-piece Le Trio Joubran
4 – ‘Logos’ – inspired by jazz-rock master Al Di Meola

6 – ‘Master Maqui’ – inspired by Spanish guitar legend Paco De Lucia
7 – ‘Savitri’ – inspired by John McLaughlin and Zakir Hussian’s ground breaking 1970’s world fusion ensemble Shakti
8 – ‘Hora Zero’ – inspired by Argentine tango composer and bandoneon virtuoso Astor Piazzola
9 – ‘Chac Mool’ – inspired by Jorge Reyes, the Mexican composer who
10 – ‘Atman’ – inspired by Dimebag Darrell, never to be forgotten lead guitarist in Pantera and Damageplan, who was tragically murdered onstage in 2004.
11 – ’11:11’ – inspired by Pink Floyd.

Peter Janson: Compass Rose

Beautiful, powerful, melodic and sensual, Compass Rose is one of my favorite releases of the year. This project is up for Grammy consideration, as well it should be-Peter demonstrates why he is one of the most articulate and influential acoustic guitarists of our time with a CD that has modern influences with classical approaches, contemporary work with Celtic teeth and powerful imagery. He is a joy to see live on his Tippin Guitars. One my favorite tracks is “Sligo Creek” which holds a local point of affection, as there is a Sligo in Pennsylvania; this work has that green, lush mountain feel that you would sense here or in stringed soul and easygoing rhythms that are infused with a transportable flair. Want to hear some? Check out his website:
www.peterjanson.com

Beecake: Soul Swimming

Glorious Scottish roots, extremely strong songwriting, and the beautiful tenor of Billy Boyd (yes, Pippin from “The Lord of the Rings”, also in “Trainspotting” among other Glaswegian films). What more could you ask for? “Soul Swimming”, the title track of the new Beecake project (the long wait is over) is a powerful combination of melodies and styles. The band is solid as are the tunes. There isn’t a weak song on the CD. What kind of style, you ask? Well, it’s mixed. If you enjoy the music of The Beatles, Alan Parsons Project, early Genesis, and even some edgy stuff like LIVE, Nine Inch Nails, and Pearl Jam, you will probably love this CD. Boyd wrote every song (and co-wrote “Radio” with bassist Rick Martin), and it shows his range not only vocally, which is outstanding, but also his thematic attractions.

Falcon’s personal favorites include the Alan Parson-esque “Lost Direction” including Billy on harmonica, the profoundly brash and stinging “Radio” that questions the capitalist culture, and my favorite, “This is Not an Exit”, a pro-environment, anti-stupid, introspective examination of what makes us collectively queasy. “Rip It Up” has some of the strongest vocal stylizations on the project, there’s a little Dean Martin on the track “Friends and Lovers” and “Boy” may be in the top ten for most emotional songs ever written, examining a parent’s emotional turmoil after their adult child dies in war.

There are videos on You Tube of Beecake and on My Space:
www.myspace.com/beecakeband

Beecake is wonderful to see live. I was extremely lucky to see them at Tin Angel in Philadelphia, (where I got some lovely birthday gifts) a fantastic venue with yummy food (especially the tuna!). I have to say that I am working my way through their menu, and although half-way there, I have many more dinners to enjoy and awhile before I can get through their wonderful offerings.

No Look Escape

This band out of southern California has some strong chops in the Alternative Rock genre. The self titled project has some nice tunes with varied instrumental approaches and great vocals. Charlie has a clear, sincere voice, nice range, clean delivery. My favorite song from this project is “I’ll Be There” which has some serious R&B kinda Rockabilly thing going there. “Stand” is a stokin’ rock affirmation that will get you moving; check out the melodic “Home” a modern ballad with a classic feel. This project is available on iTunes.
Check them out on My Space:
www.myspace.com/nolookescape

I have not had the honor of seeing this group live, but would love to in the near future.

What I am getting in the next few weeks:

A couple of new CD’s and some classics:

Lita Ford-Wicked Wonderland
Cliudan-The Fair
Brother-the first CD “Pipe Dreams” is now available for download. This project has some brilliant songs, including their exceptional version of “Amazing Grace”.

Pittsburgh Selected as United Nations World Environment Day Host City

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 23:10:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
What a busy day it has been! Here's one more announcement in the environmental/green news category-get ready Pittsburgh; we are the North American host:

www.pittsburghWED.com

World Environment Day was established by the United Nations General Assembly in 1972 at the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Another resolution, adopted by the General Assembly the same day, led to the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

Commemorated each year on June 5, World Environment Day is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. With thousands of events in UNEP's six global regions, namely, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, West Asia and Europe, World Environment Day is considered one of the largest environmental events of its kind.
Since 1972, 36 World Environment Day celebrations have been held around the globe. World Environment Day 2010 in Pittsburgh will mark the 37th annual celebration.
Word Environment Day is designed to:
• give a human face to environmental issues;
• empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development;
• promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and
• advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

On World Environment Day, heads of State, Prime Ministers and Ministers of Environment deliver statements and commit themselves to care for the Earth. Pledges are made which lead to the establishment of permanent governmental structures dealing with environmental management. It also provides an opportunity to sign or ratify international environmental conventions.
But World Environment Day also is a people's event. People around the globe celebrate with colorful activities such as street rallies, city-wide walks, scientific forums, bicycle parades, green concerts, essays and poster competitions in schools, tree plantings, as well as recycling and clean-up campaigns.

NOTE: This event really runs from Earth Day (April 22) through June 5 with the highlight week beginning May 31. The Bayer CAUSE Challenge Film Festival, sponsored by the Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Bayer Corporation will be held at the the Science Center Stage on April 22 as part of this effort. More information will follow as we are given updates.

This is good stuff, world family! We hope we get to see some of you here in Pittsburgh in April!

Peace,
Falcon and Dove

Live Earth Announces 2010 Global Event-Water is the Word

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:45:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
Wow-what a busy day! First the EPA report, and then the GAO announcement right behind it (see previous blog for all the details) and now this just arrived in our box!

As Falcon has said before, water is currency; it's the only one that really matters. Without it, we don't have a world we can inhabit.

We were planning on doing some major posts on water issues in the coming months anyway, but this really puts the exclamation point on it. Some of the things we will be talking about may be controvertial to some, but it is a conversation that must be had-because we all need to pay attention to our water.
Peace,
Falcon and Dove

Live Earth Announces 2010 Global Event!

Live Earth is pleased to announce the largest worldwide water initiative in history to help combat the global water crisis. The Dow Live Earth Run for Water - to take place April 18, 2010 - will consist of a series of 6 km run/walks (the average distance many women and children walk every day to secure water) taking place over the course of 24 hours in countries around the world, featuring concerts and water education activities, raising awareness and funds to help solve the water crisis. Jessica Biel, Alexandra Cousteau, Pete Wentz, Angelique Kidjo and Jenny Fletcher will lend their names and their time in support of this global event.

Why Water?

Water scarcity is a a major issue affecting countries, communities and families all over the world. One in eight people don't have access to safe, clean drinking water. Communities in Africa, Latin America and Asia suffer 1.8 million deaths every year from diarrheal diseases and the death of 5,000 children each day due to inadequate water infrastructure. In these areas, women and children are forced to walk 6 km (3.7 miles) each day to secure water that is likely unsuitable for drinking. However, the water crisis is not only limited to developing nations. Adding to these existing issues, the affects of climate change are increasingly impacting both supply and quality of available fresh water throughout the world - shifting traditional rainfall patterns, altering water-shaping ecosystems and magnifying the effects of pollution.
In 60% of European cities with populations greater than 100,000, groundwater is being used faster than it can be replenished. By 2025, two-thirds of the world's population could be living under water-stressed conditions.

Falcon's note: it certain industry practices are allowed to prevail in certain places, that could happen a whole lot sooner. More on that later...

EPA ANNOUNCES PLAN FOR CLEAN WATER ENFORCEMENT REDEUX-GAO UPDATE JUST POSTED

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:05:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
Here's some interesting news from the EPA. Check out today's press release.
Peace,
Falcon and Dove

CONTACT:
Deb Berlin
berlin.deb@epa.gov
202-564-4914
202-564-4355

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2009

EPA Administrator Announces Plan to Retool and Reinvigorate Clean Water Enforcement Program

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced today at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing that the agency is stepping up its efforts on Clean Water Act enforcement. The Clean Water Action Enforcement Plan is a first step in revamping the compliance and enforcement program. It seeks to improve the protection of our nation’s water quality, raise the bar in federal and state performance and enhance public transparency.

“The safety of the water that we use in our homes -- the water we drink and give to our children -- is of paramount importance to our health and our environment. Having clean and safe water in our communities is a right that should be guaranteed for all Americans,” said Administrator Jackson. “Updating our efforts under the Clean Water Act will promote innovative solutions for 21st century water challenges, build stronger ties between EPA, state, and local actions, and provide the transparency the public rightfully expects.”

The plan announced today outlines how the agency will strengthen the way it addresses the water pollution challenges of this century. These challenges include pollution caused by numerous, dispersed sources, such as concentrated animal feeding operations, sewer overflows, contaminated water that flows from industrial facilities, construction sites, and runoff from urban streets.

The goals of the plan are to target enforcement to the most significant pollution problems, improve transparency and accountability by providing the public with access to better data on the water quality in their communities, and strengthen enforcement performance at the state and federal levels. Elements of the plan include the following:

· Develop more comprehensive approaches to ensure enforcement is targeted to the most serious violations and the most significant sources of pollution.

· Work with states to ensure greater consistency throughout the country with respect to compliance and water quality. Ensure that states are issuing protective permits and taking enforcement to achieve compliance and remove economic incentives to violate the law.

· Use 21st century information technology to collect, analyze and use information in new, more efficient ways and to make that information readily accessible to the public. Better tools will help federal and state regulators identify serious compliance problems quickly and take prompt actions to correct them.

Last July, Administrator Jackson directed EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance to develop the plan in response to data showing that the nation’s water quality is unacceptably low in many parts of the country.

More information on the plan: http://www.epa.gov/compliance/civil/cwa/cwaenfplan.html

UPDATE: THIS JUST IN FROM THE GAO

CLEAN WATER ACT
Longstanding Issues Impact EPA’s and States’ Enforcement Efforts

What the GAO Found

In 2000, GAO found variations among EPA’s regional offices in the actions they take to enforce environmental requirements. For example, the regions varied in the inspection coverage of facilities discharging pollutants, the number and type of enforcement actions taken, and the size of the penalties assessed and the criteria used in determining penalties. GAO also found that variations in the regions’ strategies for overseeing state programs may have resulted in more in-depth reviews in some regional programs than in others. Several factors contributed to these variations including differences in the philosophical approaches among enforcement staff about how best to achieve compliance with environmental requirements, differences in state laws and enforcement authorities and how the regions respond to these differences, variations in resources available to state and regional offices, the flexibility afforded by EPA policies and guidance that allow latitude in state enforcement programs, and incomplete and inadequate enforcement data that hampered EPA’s ability to accurately characterize the extent of variations. In 2007, GAO reported improvements in EPA’s oversight of state enforcement activities with the implementation of a state review framework. However, while this framework helped identify several weaknesses in state programs, the agency had not developed a plan for how it would uniformly address these weaknesses or identify the root causes of these weaknesses.

In 2005, GAO reported that the scope of EPA’s responsibilities under the Clean Water Act along with workload associated with implementing and enforcing the act’s requirements had increased significantly. At the same time, EPA had authorized states to take on more responsibilities, shifting the agency’s workload from direct implementation to oversight. In 2007, GAO reported that while overall funding for enforcement activities had increased from $288 million in fiscal year 1997 to $322 million in fiscal year 2006, resources had not kept pace with inflation or the increased responsibilities. Both EPA and state officials told GAO that they found it difficult to respond to new requirements while carrying out previous responsibilities and regional offices had reduced enforcement staff by about 5 percent. In 2005, GAO also reported that EPA’s process for budgeting and allocating resources did not fully consider the agency’s workload, either for specific statutory requirements such as those included in the Clean Water Act or the broader goals and objectives in the agency’s strategic plan. Any efforts made by the agency to develop a more systematic process would be hampered by the lack of comprehensive and accurate workload data.

In 2007, GAO reported that EPA had made substantial progress in improving priority setting and enforcement planning with states through its system for setting national enforcement priorities and this had fostered a more cooperative relationship with the states. Finally, in 2008, GAO reported that EPA could improve the accuracy and transparency of some of the measures that it uses to assess and report on the effectiveness of its civil and criminal enforcement programs. GAO identified shortcomings in how EPA calculates and reports these data that may prevent the agency from providing Congress and the public with a fair assessment of the programs.

WHY THE GAO DID THIS STUDY
Congress enacted the Clean Water Act to help reduce water pollution and improve the health of the nation’s waterways. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) administers its enforcement responsibilities under the act through its Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA), as well as its 10 regional offices and the states.

Over the last 9 years, GAO has undertaken a number of reviews of EPA’s environmental enforcement activities, including for the Clean Water Act. For this testimony statement, GAO was asked to summarize the results of five prior reports on the effectiveness of EPA’s enforcement program. Specifically, this statement includes information on the (1) factors that cause variations in enforcement activities and lead to inconsistencies across regions, (2) impact that inadequate resources and work force planning has had on enforcement, (3) efforts EPA has taken to improve priority planning, and (4) accuracy and transparency of measures of program effectiveness.

GAO’s prior recommendations have included the need for EPA to collect more complete and reliable data, develop improved guidance, and better performance measures. Although EPA has generally agreed with these recommendations, its implementation has been uneven. GAO is not making new recommendations in this statement.

Golf and Rugby Sevens approved for 2016 Olympics

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:54:00 +0000

Hey World Family,
Get got back in town, and people are filling our email and various social networks with questions about this Olympic announcement. Here is official word courtesy of the USGA site:

Golf Approved for 2016 Olympic Program On Vote By International Olympic Committee Membership

Competition will be held in Rio de Janeiro, selected as site of 2016 Games

Copenhagen, Denmark (October 9, 2009) – After an absence of more than a century, golf will return as an Olympic sport in 2016 and 2020 along with rugby sevens following their approval by the International Olympic Committee membership during the IOC’s 121st Session.

Golf was approved 63-27 with two abstentions. Rugby was voted in 81-8 with one abstention.

They will be part of the Olympic Program in Rio de Janeiro, which last week was selected as the host city for the 2016 Games by the IOC. Golf was last an Olympic sport at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, Mo., when the United States and Canada were the only two competing countries.

“We are elated that the IOC membership has accepted golf as an Olympic sport, and look forward to seeing the world’s best golfers compete for gold at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro,” said Ty Votaw, Executive Director of the International Golf Federation Olympic Golf Committee, which has coordinated golf’s Olympic bid. “We thank the IOC for its support, and also congratulate rugby sevens for its inclusion in the 2016 Games.”

Votaw and Peter Dawson, chief executive of The R&A and joint secretary of the International Golf Federation, were accompanied by professionals Padraig Harrington of Ireland, Michelle Wie of the United States and Suzann Pettersen of Norway, as well as 16-year-old (British) Amateur Champion Matteo Manassero of Italy, for a final presentation to the IOC prior to the vote.

“We are extremely grateful that Padraig, Michelle, Suzann and Matteo were able to join us to help communicate the genuine interest world-class players of all ages share in golf becoming an Olympic sport,” Dawson said.

Golf and rugby sevens were recommended for the Olympic Program by the IOC Executive Board in August following an extensive review process involving seven sports that were vying to be added to the 2016 Olympic Games. Although they emerged as the finalists, both sports still required final approval Friday by a majority of votes cast by the members of the IOC.

“In addition to those golfers who will have an opportunity to compete as Olympic athletes, we are excited for the national golf federations that will reap the benefits from today’s decision in terms of growth and support within their countries,” Dawson said. “This is a very significant day for golf.”

Leading up to Friday’s final vote, golf and rugby sevens emerged from a year-long evaluation that included formal presentations by the seven sports, the submission of a Detailed Questionnaire and responses to questions raised by both the IOC Programme Commission and the IOC Executive Board. The IOC Executive Board announced its recommendation of two sports following a meeting in Berlin, Germany on Aug. 13.

“We strongly believed that golf deserved to be added to the Olympic Program and felt that we presented a compelling case to the IOC,” Votaw said. “We have received unprecedented support from international golf organizations throughout this process, as well as from the world’s top-ranked men and women players, which was critical to our success. We also stressed the universal nature of golf, with 60 million people playing the sport in more than 120 countries.”

Based on player feedback, the IGF has proposed a format of 72-hole individual stroke play for both men and women. In case of a tie for either first, second or third place, a three-hole playoff is recommended to determine the medal winner(s).

The IGF also has recommended an Olympic field of 60 players for each of the men's and women's competition, using the Official World Golf Rankings as a method of determining eligibility. The top-15 world-ranked players would be eligible for the Olympics, regardless of the number of players from a given country. Beyond the top 15, players would be eligible based on the world rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players among the top 15.

Current world rankings from both the men’s and women’s games show that at least 30 countries would be represented in both the men’s and women’s competitions, from all continents, under this proposal

Tsunami slams Samoa islands after 8.0 quake

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 01:40:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
Prayers are needed now for our Family members in Samoa and the region.
UPDATE: Tsunami Advisory for the West Coast of U.S.
STAY ALERT!

This is from The Associated Press:

Dozens reported dead after wave hits following temblor

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa - Towering tsunami waves spawned by a powerful earthquake swept ashore on Samoa and American Samoa early Tuesday, flattening villages, killing at least 34 people and leaving dozens of workers missing at devastated National Park Service facilities.

Cars and people were swept out to sea by the fast-churning waters as survivors fled to high ground, where they remained huddled hours later. Hampered by power and communications outages, officials struggled to assess the casualties and damage.
The quake, with a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3, struck around dawn about 20 miles below to ocean floor, 120 miles from American Samoa, a U.S. territory that is home to 65,000 people, and 125 miles from Samoa.

Mike Reynolds, superintendent of the National Park of American Samoa, was quoted as saying four tsunami waves 15 to 20 feet high roared ashore soon afterward, reaching up to a mile inland. Holly Bundock, spokeswoman for the National Park Service's Pacific West Region in Oakland, Calif., said Reynolds spoke to officials from under a coconut tree uphill from Pago Pago Harbor and reported that the park's visitor center and offices appeared to have been destroyed.

Bundock said Reynolds and another park service staffer had been able to locate only 20 percent of the park's 13 to 15 employees and 30 to 50 volunteers. The National Park of American Samoa is the only national park south of the equator, a scenic expanse of reefs, picturesque beaches, tropical forests and wildlife that include sea turtles and flying foxes, a type of fruit bat.

Barry Rose, the owner of the Coconuts Beach Club in Western Samoa, told NBC News that his hotel took a direct hit, with several buildings completely destroyed. He said one guest was unaccounted for and one member of his staff was in the hospital with minor injuries. All guests have been evacuated either to the hospital or to other hotels on the island, he said.
He said the wave hit less than a minute after warning sirens went off.

Quake lasted two to three minutes

Residents in both Samoa and American Samoa reported being shaken awake by the quake, which lasted two to three minutes. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a general alert from American Samoa to New Zealand; Tonga suffered some coastal damage from 13-foot waves.

Mase Akapo, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in American Samoa, said at least 14 people were killed in four different villages on the main island of Tutuila, while 20 people died neighboring Samoa. The initial quake was followed by at three aftershocks of at least 5.6 magnitude.

An Associated Press reported saw the bodies of about 20 victims in a hospital at Lalomanu town on the south coast of the main island, Upolu, and said the surrounding tourist coast had been flattened, with the dead including those who hesitated to leave right after the quake.

An unspecified number of fatalities and injuries were reported in the Samoan village of Talamoa. New Zealander Graeme Ansell said the beach village of Sau Sau Beach Fale was leveled.

"It was very quick. The whole village has been wiped out," Ansell told New Zealand's National Radio from a hill near Samoa's capital, Apia. "There's not a building standing. We've all clambered up hills, and one of our party has a broken leg. There will be people in a great lot of need 'round here."
The Samoan capital was virtually deserted with schools and businesses closed.
Local media said they had reports of some landslides in the Solosolo region of the main Samoan island of Upolu and damage to plantations in the countryside outside Apia.

American Samoa Gov. Togiola Tulafono was at his Honolulu office assessing the situation but was having difficulty getting information, said Filipp Ilaoa, deputy director of the office.

Scene of destruction

Rescue workers found a scene of destruction and debris with cars overturned or stuck in mud, and rockslides hit some roads. Several students were seen ransacking a gas station/convenience store.

Rear Adm. Manson Brown, Coast Guard commander for the Pacific region, said the Coast Guard is in the early stages of assessing what resources to send to American Samoa. Coast Guard spokesman Lt. John Titchen said a C-130 was being dispatched Wednesday to deliver aid, assess damage and take the governor back home. A New Zealand air force P3 Orion maritime search airplane also was being sent.
One of the runways at Pago Pago (Pan-go, pan-go) International Airport was being cleared of widespread debris for emergency use, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said in Los Angeles.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it was deploying teams to American Samoa to provide support and on the ground assessment.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of American Samoa and all those in the region who have been affected by these natural disasters," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said.

Dangerous waves in the forecast

The ramifications of the tsunami could be felt thousands of miles away, with federal officials saying strong currents and dangerous waves were forecast from California to Washington state. No major flooding was expected, however.
The earthquake and tsunami were big, but not on the same large scale of the 2004 Indonesian tsunami that killed more than 150,000 across Asia the day after Christmas in 2004, said tsunami expert Brian Atwater of the U.S. Geological Survey in Seattle.
The 2004 earthquake was at least 10 times stronger than the 8.0 to 8.3 measurements being reported for Tuesday's quake, Atwater said. It's also a different style of earthquake than the one that hit in 2004.
The tsunami hit American Samoa about 25 minutes after the quake, which is similar to the travel time in 2004, Atwater said. The big difference is there were more people in Indonesia at risk than in Samoa.

After 26 years, Reading Rainbow reaches its end

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:58:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
Here is a story from NPR that touches our hearts here at The Falcon and the Dove.
After over two and a half decades, the hit show, Emmy Award-winning Reading Rainbow has reached its final show.

See the link below:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=112312561

G-20 is done; Thank You Protesters and Leaders

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:49:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
Well, things are wrapping up here in Pittsburgh; the G-20 leaders and their attaché are leaving and life will get back to normal here in the shire-just in time for the high school football games and Saturday soccer games in the region.

Pamela’s Pancakes once again reigned supreme with a visit from the First Lady, Michelle Obama in Millvale this morning. I understand the Japanese Prime Minister also got some pancakes, but even the President didn’t know how he pulled it off;)

There have been 81 arrests over three days-14 on Wednesday, mostly Greenpeace people who pulled off that daring banner display on the West End Bridge; only a few yesterday until evening where in the Oakland area of the city some folks just got stupid breaking out windows, and some police pushed bicycle riders. Everybody should have behaved better, we think. Just one today during the very large protest of thousands of people, all expressing their concerns in a democratic fashion, and everyone walking away with all parts in-tact.

KUDOS

First to the people of Pittsburgh-you are truly special. The definition of what is really super-you do what you do best: stepping up when needed and working so hard and being so patient during this entire process. From leaders to laborers, everyone did a fantastic job.

There was a broad, diverse group of visitors from around the world, and it seems that a splendid time was had by all. Thank you, visiting Brothers and Sisters for being so kind while you were here. We respect your voice and appreciate your energy. Our blessings go with you as you travel home. We wish you peace, joy, and increased prosperity as you continue your struggles back home on issues we all care about. Be strong, and know that you are never alone.

Thank you security forces who came from everywhere to help keep our house safe. We are gloriously glad that you will go home to your families no worse for wear, and secure within yourselves that you did a great job. Travel safely, and be ever vigilant in your police work where you live. Remember to see each person you meet as a brother or sister, and treat them with respect, even when they forget to do the same. Take the high road.

G-20 Leaders: We are impressed with some decisions you made during this event, particularly with no longer giving subsidies to fossil fuel industries. This is a grand opportunity to begin to transition our global communities into a place where we all can live in harmony with the planet, encourage enfranchisement that respects all people and populations, and enjoins our abilities and creativity to make products and conduct prosperous industry with a heart as well as a head.
This is a good beginning-there is much work to do; let’s all get to work.

The preparations for this week have been exhausting for many. Thank you protest organizers, peace leaders, environmental organization activists, and regional planners for your hard work. You have done an incredible job, and deserve high praise. Congratulations on a job well done.

We would also like to personally thank all of you: those that marched, those that planned, those that prayed, whether here in the region or on the other side of the earth. It has been our continuous prayer that all would be well, and healing would manifest in mind, heart and action. We thank you for your words, thoughts, prayers…whatever you put forth that provided positive energy for the highest, best outcomes is greatly appreciated.

These times are not easy. There is so much to do. Let’s continue to be mindful of our best purposes-to thrive and help others to do so.

We can never in words truly express our gratitude to all who made this event so peaceful. We can simply and with the greatest of sincerity say, thank you. Thank you, all.

Peace,
Falcon and Dove

Book Drive on Your Campus for 'Invisible Children'

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:21:00 +0000

Hey World Family,
We received this message from our Brother at the IQA concerning children who desperatly need our help. Please read below.
Peace,
Falcon and Dove
p.s.:Don't forget that the Quidditich World Championships will be held inext month near Boston. Check the IQA Facebook page for more information.

Alex Benepe September 23 at 2:15pm

This message is on behalf of Seth Williams, a member of the organization Invisible Children. The IQA supports groups that promote literacy and education for children, so we hope you will take a minute to read this message.

INVISIBLE CHILDREN began in 2003 as a documentary on the Ugandan civil war. Today it is a non-profit that helps to improve education in the region in which it was filmed. So far the program has put more than 765 Ugandan students through High School and more than 120 through college.

In order to bolster the program, a new group called Schools for Schools was created. Schools for Schools is an organization of high school and college students working to raise money and awareness about civil war and the need for education in Uganda.

SCHOOLS FOR SCHOOLS NEEDS MORE STUDENTS to help. Last year they partnered with Better World Books (http://www.betterworldbooks.com/invisiblechildren) and collected over 2 million books for Ugandan schools.

If you are interested in running a book drive at YOUR CAMPUS (or high school) send an email to bookdrive@invisiblechildren.com.For more information, check out http://www.invisiblechildren.com/bookdrive.

Best Wishes,

Alex Benepe

IQA Commissioner

Greenpeace drops banner off West End Bridge in Pittsburgh

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:05:00 +0000

Hey Family,
It's Falcon with a bold move by Brothers and Sisters at Greenpeace. Check this out!

The World is Ready for a Strong Climate Treaty
Greenpeace Activists Greet G20 Leaders with Massive Banner on Pittsburgh Bridge

Pittsburgh, United States — Greenpeace activists rappelled off of a Pittsburgh bridge with a massive banner displaying our message to G20 leaders gathering for tomorrow's summit. The banner takes the form of stylized "road sign" that warns of the political maneuvering and delay that have put a international climate treaty in jeopardy as the world enters the final stretch on the road to Copenhagen.

"It is imperative that developed world leaders do not fail again in Pittsburgh. They must put money on the table to support developing countries" said Damon Moglen, Greenpeace USA's global warming campaign director. "It is also critical for G20 leaders agree to kick-start economic recovery through clean energy investment. Both of these elements are vital to achieve a good deal in Copenhagen and avert catastrophic climate change."

Savannah Film Festival selections released!

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:34:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
In the midst of the G-20 preparations, Falcon and Dove have been paying attention to the fall film calendar. TIFF had some awesome films, but not a lot of domestic distribution deals were struck. We will post a full review of some of our picks for fall after the G-20, but since this was released today, we wanted to pass it along asap.

Happy Fall Equinox, and for all of you LOTR fans, Happy Bilbo and Frodo's Birthday!
Enjoy these selections...we have seen a couple of these (the student shorts specifically) and they are extremely impressive.

Published: September 21, 2009

SAVANNAH, Ga. - The Savannah College of Art and Design announces the competition film lineup and jurors for its 12th annual Savannah Film Festival, scheduled for Oct. 31-Nov. 7 in historic downtown Savannah, Ga. Featuring the best in independent and innovative film from around the world, the Savannah Film Festival presents a full range of cinematic creativity from both award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers. The festival received a record-breaking 525 submissions from 37 states and 27 countries for the 2009 competition.

Jurors for the 2009 Savannah Film Festival are renowned for their work in the film and entertainment industries.

Patti D'Arbanville, winner of the Best Actress Dramalogue Award, has enjoyed an outstanding career in film, television and on stage, with noteworthy roles in "The Main Event," "The Sopranos," "Guiding Light" and "Third Watch."

Award-winning actress Rita Gam starred in more than 30 feature films before launching a second career as an author and documentary film producer. She has won numerous accolades for her documentaries and books, including the Literary Medal of Excellency from the United Nations Society of Writers for her contribution to better understanding between nations.

Ingrid Rockefeller has written, performed and produced original material off-Broadway and wrote and directed the award-winning short film "Melting Ice." She recently started her own company, Light is Sweet Films, and is producing and co-directing a documentary on the life of photojournalist Lisl Steiner.

Michael Sucsy is the writer, director and producer of the Emmy Award-winning "Grey Gardens," a made-for-TV movie starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore. The movie also won the 2009 Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Mini-Series, and Specials.

David Twohy, both a writer and director, was named by Entertainment Weekly as "one of the most creative people in Hollywood" for his work in films such as "The Fugitive," "Waterworld" and "The Chronicles of Riddick."

The highly anticipated 2009 Savannah Film Festival competition films include the following:

Professional Shorts

Lessons in Self-Defense
USA, 2009, 12 min.

Director/Writer: Lee Miller
Producers: Ayal Miodovnik, David Post
Cast: Ashley Ann-Michaels, Alfred Molina
Synopsis: Ben wants nothing more than to have his estranged 15-year-old daughter, Victoria, back in his life. When Victoria asks to meet with him, Ben eagerly seizes the opportunity, but quickly realizes that his daughter's reasons for coming back have nothing to do with reconciliation.

Love and Roadkill
USA, 2008, 14 min.

Director: John David Allen
Writer: Elisabeth Lewis Corley
Producers: Laura Heberton, James Ivory
Cast: Bill Camp, Madeleine Potter
Synopsis: A scenic ride through the country takes an unexpected turn, resulting in a rare moment of reflection on life and death for a female urban executive. Based on the one-act play by Rose Caruso.

Me, You, a Bag & Bamboo
USA, 2008, 18:40 min., DigiBeta

Director: Lara Everly
Writers: Annika Marks, Padraic Duffy
Producers: Annika Marks, Ceciley Jenkins, Stephen Chbosky
Cast: Kirby Heyborne, Ceciley Jenkins, Amber Elizabeth Ingram
Synopsis: Clifford and Chun Li, two melancholic strangers sharing a park bench, take a quirky journey as they work up the courage to say hello.

Nice to Meet You
UK, 2009, 14 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Will Garthwaite
Producers: Will Garthwaite, Will Misselbrook, Anita Sumner
Cast: Trudie Styler, Jamie Dornan, Mickey Sumner
Synopsis: In London, a mother, a daughter and her boyfriend become entangled in a web of secrecy and sexual tension that leads them from extraordinary circumstances into extraordinary acts.

Ten for Grandpa
USA, Canada, 2008, 7:08 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Doug Karr
Producer(s): Doug Karr, Edward Boyce, Heather K. Dahlstrom
Cast: David Alpay, David Huband, Catherine Black
Synopsis: David Karr: husband, father, White House press reporter, film producer, powerful millionaire, defense contractor, corporate CEO, Renaissance businessman ... Soviet agent? This film-a clear-eyed, comedic take on the life of a complex character and the events surrounding his untimely demise-reaches to understand the forces that push an individual to immerse himself in a nefarious web of danger and infamy.

That's Magic!
USA, 2008, 14:44 min., DigiBeta

Director: Brandon McCormick
Writers: Brandon McCormick, Billy Wilkerson, Charlie Wetzel
Producers: Brandon McCormick, Dave Ronne
Cast: Jackson Walker, Sorrell Sanders, Mark Ashworth
Synopsis: A disillusioned magician seeks his own answer to what is "magic" in the world around him.

Underwear
USA, 2009, 14:53 min, DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Tomer Gendler
Producer(s): Tomer Gendler, Christine Giorgio
Cast: Bernie Lippman, Jean Alexander
Synopsis: Leon and Frida, both deaf, communicate via an old, tethered clothesline that joins their two buildings across a fantastical distance. Leon attempts to convince Frida that although her beauty, talents and everything else have faded, there is plenty of life left in life. He does so by sending messages…. messages written on underwear.

Welgunzer
USA, 2009, 14 min, DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Bradford Schmidt
Producer(s): Bradford Schmidt, Katherine Sharp
Cast: Gary Colon, April Eckfeld, Michael McCartney
Synopsis: Donald was going to build a time machine. He was going to travel into the future... and murder himself.

Animated Shorts

Èikorja an' kafe (Chicory 'N' Coffee)
Hungary, 2008, 8:07 min., 35mm

Director/Writer: Dusan Kastelic
Synopsis: Throughout her marriage, a wife has been making chicory for her ruffian husband instead of real coffee. This story examines how people are unable to express their love to those they're close to … until it's too late.

Gerald's Last Day
USA, 2008, 11:30 min., DigiBeta

Directors/Producers: Shel Rasch and Justin Rasch
Writer: Justin Rasch
Synopsis: Gerald the dog has been scheduled for termination at the pound at 5 p.m. Today is his last chance to seduce a potential adopter. Can he do it before his time runs out?

Horn Dog
USA, 2009, 4:30 min., 35mm

Director: Bill Plympton
Writer: Bill Plympton
Producer: Biljana Labovic
Synopsis: The fourth film in the famed Oscar®-nominated "Dog" series features more adventures from a plucky canine. He fends off an obese dog, attacks oysters and encounters a wayward, killer violin bow, while trying to win the love of his heart's desire.

I Am So Proud of You
USA, 2008, 21:30 min., 35mm

Director/Writer: Don Hertzfeldt
Synopsis: Dark family secrets cast a shadow over Bill's recovery in this second chapter to Don Hertzfeldt's Everything Will Be OK.

The Mouse That Soared
USA, 2009, 5:45 min., 35mm
Director: Kyle Bell
Writers: Kyle Bell, Matthew J. Hayes
Producers: Daniel R. Casey, Steve Emerson
Synopsis: A famous flying circus mouse reflects back on his humble beginnings in this high-altitude adventure in aerodynamics.

Pigeon: Impossible
USA, 2009, 6:12 min., DigiBeta

Director/Producer: Lucas Martell
Writers: Austen Menges, Lucas Martel
Synopsis: Walter, a rookie secret agent, faces a problem seldom covered in basic training: what to do when a curious pigeon gets trapped inside his multi-million-dollar, government-issued nuclear briefcase.

Skylight
Canada, 2009, 4:37 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: David Baas
Synopsis: This animated mockumentary explores the ecological plight of penguins in the Antarctic, possibly foretelling cataclysmic results for the rest of the world.

Student Shorts

Duck Heart Teslacoil
USA, 2009, 5:40 min., Beta SP

Director/Writer: Tyler Kupferer
Producer: Alysha Kupferer
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Synopsis: A young duck learns how to deal with a bus stop menace through the use of high-voltage weaponry.

The Earth in the Air
USA, 2009, 14:50 min., DigiBeta

Director: Jared Hogan
Writer: Michael Bailey, Jared Hogan
Producers: Samuel Eidson, Jared Hogan, Matthew J. Kern
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Cast: Joshua S. Hogan, Robert Conley
Synopsis: On April 14, 1935, widely known as "Black Tuesday," the darkest cloud of the dustbowl rolled across the Midwest. When the storm leaves a man's house uninhabitable, he travels West in an attempt to start anew and escape the worst natural disaster in American history. But what begins as a journey to find life and opportunity becomes a struggle to simply survive.

Even in My Dreams
USA, 2008, 7:53 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Flavio Alves
Producer: Randall Martusis
School: New York University
Cast: Beau Hauser, Burt Panitz, Celia Howard
Synopsis: In his pattern of mundane daily urban meanderings, Michael, an elderly, world-worn widower, happens on a Tom of Finland doll in a sex shop window. His fascination with the erotic doll triggers a belated and reluctant sexual self-discovery. A series of dreams and stream-of-consciousness vignettes move Michael from surprise to hope to a love affair that ends in violence and betrayal.

The Fakers
USA, 2009, 14 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Evan Watkins
Producers: Max Crandall, Aram Kaplan, Evan Watkins
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Cast: Phil Morales, Ali Mohr, J.T. Chinn, Aurora Hiembach, Jeff Hall, Kat Paris
Synopsis: Jerry and Jill Tamlin have become so bored with life in the suburbs that they decide to create their own danger. Things go horribly awry when a few real criminals get into the mix.

Farewell to the Sparrow
USA, 2009, 15 min., DigiBeta

Director: Shane Ladd
Writers: Shane Ladd, Zack Cutler
Producers: Shane Ladd, Jon Spicola
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Cast: Timothy V. Murphy, Eileen Grubba, Lilly Rains, Dey Young, Carmen Argenziano.
Synopsis: Sable, a small town girl, returns home for her mother's funeral. The hard truth unravels as suspicious behavior at the funeral and gossip force Sable to get to the bottom of her mother's death.

Joy in the Morning
USA, 2009, 17 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer/Producer: Gina Atwater
School: Columbia University
Cast: Nedra McClyde, Kaprielle Trenard, Stephanie Parrott
Synopsis: When Nikki Hughes spends an unusual afternoon with her autistic niece, Joy, she is forced to confront her own impending motherhood.

Magellan
USA, 2009, 18 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Sebastian Davis
School: University of Southern California
Cast: Christopher Hobgood, Destiny West, John Ammerman
Synopsis: In industrial Atlanta, the scrawny hero, Magellan, walks to and from middle school every day with his popular, latchkey classmate, Tiana. Their precarious friendship is jeopardized, however, when Magellan works up the foolhardy courage to ask her to the upcoming spring dance.

McDonough
USA, 2009, 2:14 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Kyle Stephens
School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Cast: David Solomon, Chase Arrington, Jenna Paulette, Grace Olsen Davidson, Derrick Parks.
Synopsis: A steampunk stop-motion musical.

Quality Time
USA, 2008, 15 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Colin Marshall
Producers: Gilana Lobel, Joshua Greenberg, Martin Teevan
School: Columbia University
Cast: Charlie Tahan, David Alan Basche
Synopsis: Estranged brothers Tucker and Ray are forced to spend Christmas afternoon together while their father Harold lays comatose in a hospital bed. As they struggle to come to terms with his impending death, they're reminded of the sweet and sour taste of familial bonds.

Sebastian's Voodoo
USA, 2009, 4:07 min., DigiBeta

Director/Producer: Joaquin Baldwin
School: University of California, Los Angeles
Synopsis: A voodoo doll must find the courage to save his friends from being pinned to death.

There Once Was
USA, 2009, 2:18 min., DigiBeta

Director: Fay Helfer
Writers: Fay Helfer, David Leonard

School: Savannah College of Art and Design
Cast: Kate Helfer, Rose Ibiama, Rhianna Helton
Synopsis: A series of three short, animated limericks includes a comedy between bats in the air, a romance among turtles on land, and the horror a giant squid faces at sea.

Narrative Features

Bomber
USA, 2008, 84 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Paul Cotter
Producers: Paul Cotter, Maureen A. Ryan
Cast: Shane Taylor, Benjamin Whitrow, Eileen Nicholas
Synopsis: An 83-year-old man returns to Germany for a long-planned journey of atonement. When his useless son agrees to drive him there, a nightmare family road trip ensues.

Dear Lemon Lima
USA, 2009, 107 min., DigiBeta

Director/Writer: Suzi Yoonessi
Producers: Melissa M. Lee, Jonako Donley
Cast: Savanah Wiltfong, Shayne Topp, Zane Huett, Melissa Leo
Synopsis: Vanessa believes that a victory in the Snowstorm Survivor championship is the only way into Philip's heart. Unlike the Native Olympics, which bring together people of all sizes and shapes to celebrate Native Alaskan culture, Snowstorm Survivor perverts the traditional Eskimo games in order to foster an antiquated class system. Vanessa discovers the true meaning of love and must embrace her Native heritage to reclaim the spirit of the World Eskimo Indian Olympics.

Love Hurts
USA, 2009, 95 min., 35mm

Director/Writer: Barra Grant
Producers: Laura Hopper, Sara Mattison, Brian Reilly
Cast: Richard E. Grant, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jenna Elfman, Janeane Garofalo, Camryn Manheim
Synopsis: Ben (Richard E. Grant), a successful doctor but an obtuse husband, is finally left by his wife (Carrie-Anne Moss). Befuddled by life and romance and obsessed with winning her back, Ben receives tutoring from his extremely popular 17-year-old son. To his amazement, Ben becomes the most desirable single man in town.

Mercy
USA, 2009, 87 min., 35mm

Director: Patrick Hoelck
Writer: Scott Caan
Producers: Andrea Bottigliero, Scott Caan, Sean Gowrie, Vince Palomino, David Albert Pierce
Cast: Erika Christensen, Whitney Able, Troy Garity, Scott Caan, James Caan, Dylan McDermott
Synopsis: For novelist Johnny Ryan (Scott Caan), writing about love is the easy part. Believing in love is a different story; he's not entirely sure it exists. However, his lifestyle of seduction and bachelorhood forever changes when a single critic writes a biting review of his latest book, cutting through his charming persona and straight to his arrogant core. Thrown off course, Johnny does what comes naturally: He asks the critic on a date, which leads him on a rocky path of self-discovery as he realizes that love is much more real (and perilous) than he ever imagined.

Documentary Films

45365
USA, 2008, 90 min., DigiBeta

Directors/Producers: Bill Ross, Turner Ross
Synopsis: This film follows lives and stories in a small town as they coalesce into a mosaic of faces, places and events. The county fair, a barber shop, the retirement home, a football team, a judge's race for re-election, a father and son, young love lost, and arrest and sentencing are all explored in this sweeping survey of life in Sidney, Ohio.

An Unlikely Weapon
USA, 2008, 85 min., DigiBeta

Director: Susan Morgan Cooper
Producers: Susan Morgan Cooper, Cindy Lou Adkins
Cast: Eddie Adams
Synopsis: Eddie Adams photographed 13 wars, six American presidents and every major film star of the last 50 years. History was changed through his lens … but the person Eddie found hardest to impress was himself.

No. 4 Street of Our Lady
Israel, USA, Ukraine, 2009, 90 min., DigiBeta

Directors: Barbara Bird, Judy Maltz
Producers: Judy Maltz, Richie Sherman
Cast: Herb Maltz, Eli Kindler, Fay Letzter Malkin
Synopsis: If your neighbors were being hunted down and came to your door begging for help, would you risk your life to save theirs? This film tells the remarkable yet little-known story of Francisca Halamajowa, a Polish-Catholic woman who hid 16 of her Jewish neighbors during the Holocaust, while cleverly passing herself off as a Nazi sympathizer.

So Right So Smart
USA, 2008, 93 min., DigiBeta

Directors: Justin Maine, Michael Swantek, Guy Noerr
Producers: Guy Noerr, Leanne Robinson-Maine
Synopsis: As environmental awareness increases in customers, business leaders like Ray Anderson are learning that sustainability is an ethical imperative for the future; in the process, they're finding that money just might grow on trees.

Media inquiries and image requests may be directed to 912.525.5231.

About the Savannah Film Festival

The Savannah Film Festival brings world-renowned filmmakers, producers, actors and journalists, as well as other film enthusiasts, to SCAD and Savannah for eight days of feature films, lectures, workshops, panels and competition films from a range of genres. Now in its 12th year, the festival was started by SCAD President Paula Wallace to provide students with opportunities to network with, meet and learn from entertainment industry leaders and to showcase the university's talented students and unique resources.

More than 40,000 people from around the world attend the festival to celebrate film, network, and immerse themselves in the inspiring artistic environment of SCAD and Savannah. On average, more than 500 studio and independent filmmakers submit a range of films-including documentaries, narratives, animations, professional shorts and student projects-to the festival each year.

The Savannah Film Festival also plays a significant role in preparing talented students for creative careers. From dramatic writing and performing arts to animation and sound design, almost every department at SCAD-and every student-benefits from the multifaceted festival experience.

Each year, distinguished honorees are presented awards for excellence in the entertainment industry. Past recipients include Michael Douglas, Natasha Richardson, Jane Fonda, Alec Baldwin, Sydney Pollack and Kathleen Turner. Invariably, these guests remark on the wealth of talent and enthusiasm at SCAD, as well as their excitement at seeing a university so dedicated to the art of film.

Highlights of the festival include workshops, special screenings and evening receptions. Each day is packed with workshops about a variety of topics, such as entertainment investments, the latest film technology, sound design and acting for the screen. Every evening features a special screening at Trustees Theater, followed by a star-studded after-party where celebrities and industry professionals mingle with students, faculty and select pass holders.

Passes to the Savannah Film Festival are available for purchase through the SCAD box office, 216 E. Broughton St., or by phone at 912.525.5050.

A limited number of individual tickets to screenings and workshops will be available at the SCAD box office beginning Oct. 1. Morning and afternoon screenings and panels will be $5 for the general public; $3 for students, seniors and military; and free for SCAD students, faculty and staff with a valid SCAD ID.

The price for tickets to the evening screenings will be $10 for the general public and $5 for SCAD students, faculty and staff with a valid SCAD ID.

Group discounts are available.

The Savannah Film Festival schedule is subject to change.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

The Savannah College of Art and Design is the most comprehensive art and design university in the world, offering more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university. SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor's and master's degrees in distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers students a choice of degree programs in 46 majors and more than 50 minors at locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, in Lacoste, France, online through SCAD eLearning, and soon in Hong Kong.

The diverse student body of more than 9,500 comes from all 50 United States and nearly 100 countries worldwide. The education and career preparation of each student is nurtured and cultivated by a faculty of more than 600 professors with extraordinary academic credentials and valuable professional experience. Through individual attention in an inspiring university environment, and with advanced, professional-level technology, equipment and learning resources, SCAD is uniquely qualified to provide an exceptional education and unparalleled career preparation. SCAD has garnered acclaim from respected organizations and publications, including the Los Angeles Times, American Institute of Architects, DesignIntelligence and U.S. News & World Report.

B-PEP Events in Pittsburgh this week

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 15:06:00 +0000

Hello Family,
For those of you in Pittsburgh, here are some additional important events that should not be missed. Please see the details below.
Peace,
Falcon and Dove

DON'T MISS THIS… The Peoples' Summit
Black Political Empowerment Project

--MONDAY September 21 - 7:00 p.m.
"Ending Poverty, Reversing Economic Decline in Our Communities"
NEW HAZLETT THEATER (North Side) 6 Allegheny Square, Pittsburgh, PA 15212
Between Ridge St. and East Ohio St., below Federal St. in East Park

Special Guests: Privilege Haangandu (Jubilee Zambia/Jubilee USA), Tim Stevens (Black Political Empowerment Project), Carl Redwood (One Hill), John Canning (North Side United), Molly Rush (Thomas Merton Center), Maria Somma (United Steel Workers)

--TUESDAY September 22 - 7:00 p.m.
"Another World is Possible"
20th CENTURY CLUB (Oakland) 4201 Bigelow Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15213

1 block from Pitt's Cathedral of Learning (behind Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall)
Special Guests: John Tarka (President, Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers), Leo Gerard (President, United Steelworkers), Benedicto Martinez (National Officer, Authentic Workers' Front), Jihan Gearon (Diné (Navajo)/African-American organizer), Jeremy Scahill (award-winning author and investigative journalist), and others.

BE SURE TO ATTEND: The First Annual International Peace, Justice, and Empowerment Summit, September 22nd, 2009, 9am-4pm

Townhall Meeting and Banquet with Dr. Ron Walters, 5-8pm
--September 23rd, 2009, 9am-4pm

Hosanna House, (807 Wallace Avenue), Pittsburgh, PA 15221
Keynote by: Dr. Ron Walters
Video Presentation by: Dr. John a. Powell
Extensive workshops and panel discussions by grassroots organizations and activists from all over the world!

The International Peace, Justice, and Empowerment Summit

The G20 Summit of nations will meet in Pittsburgh, PA on September 24th and 25th following the London Summit of April 1st of this year, when it met in the context of the financial crisis, in an attempt to stabilize global financial markets. These Summits are closed-door meetings organized and attended by financial representatives from 19 of the richest and most influential nations and their decisions affect the economic trajectory of our world for generations to come…

Sadly, nowhere in the final communiqué issue by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the host of the April meeting, were measures proposed to shield disadvantaged communities around the world who were already under stress before the financial crisis provided even steeper challenges of survival. Indeed, the G7, the
antecedent of the G20, had been so criticized for creating structural criteria for the dispensation of funds to poor countries that activists and others from the private sector intervened in its discussions and stated that what was done to alleviate poverty was grossly insufficient and to demand added effort.

Since then, meetings of the G20 have met with enormous protest from progressive forces, calling on participating members to acknowledge the needs of the disadvantaged populations in their respective nations.

Therefore, in the effort to constructively empower and engage our disadvantaged communities, and those who advocate for them:

The Community Empowerment Association along with the National Council of Urban Peace and Justice presents:

The First Annual International Peace, Justice, and Empowerment Summit
September 22nd, 2009
9am-4pm
Townhall Meeting and Banquet with Dr. Ron Walters
5-8pm
September 23rd, 2009
9am-4pm
Hosanna House
(807 Wallace Avenue)
Pittsburgh, PA
Keynote by: Dr. Ron Walters
Video Presentation by: Dr. john a. powell
Extensive workshops and panel discussions by grassroots organizations and activists from all
over the world!

This Summit is a foundation for serious action and interaction, not merely a protest site. Our teachings and workshops will focus on the nature of the crisis faced by disadvantaged populations of color everywhere; from the many blighted communities in Pittsburgh, to the shanty towns of Brazil.

By elevating discussions of the G20 beyond the narrow aspects of the health of financial markets, into addressing problems such as poverty, housing, employment, education, climate change, urban infrastructure, health care, economic development, we seek to remind the world that the issues pertinent to the survival of disadvantaged peoples are also an essential part of the long-term answer to
national and global viability.

We are calling all professors, students, activists, grassroots organizations, business owners, politicians, and concerned citizens to participate in this action oriented Summit of the following goals:

1. To examine the intersectionality of local and global communities of color, addressing issues such as:

a. The effect of the global financial crisis on the poorest countries, most of which are on the African Continent
b. The impact of globalization on urban economic opportunity
c. Urban youth violence, and the prison industrial complex
d. Urban blight and the lack of neighborhood capital and investment
e. The access of disadvantaged peoples to the proposed “green economy”

2. Raise consciousness to the public about the myriad ways that communities of color are exploited locally and globally

3. Take steps to resurrect the important bond that has ceased to exist between the national and international struggles of people of color

4. Compare the "best-in-class models" of grassroots initiatives and pathways out of poverty so that we may replicate and learn from these models

5. Continue to communicate and organize with this newly formed community and network of progressives to further our work in racial and social justice

6. Determine the role of the White House Office on Urban Policy in addressing the urban crisis while developing a list of policy recommendations for the administration.

To register and find out more information about The First Annual Peace, Justice, and Empowerment
Summit please visit www.CEAPittsburgh.blogspot.com, or contact us!

SAVE THIS DATE:
October 3 at 2 PM --The August Wilson Center for African American Culture is featuring the upcoming documentary on Nate Smith, "What Does Trouble Mean? Nate Smith's Revolution." This 56 minute feature documentary follows the journey of a black laborer and his unexpected evolution into a charismatic leader who forced integration of Pittsburgh's construction trade unions in the late 1960's and 1970's. It's a tremendous story, and was produced by the Robert Morris University Center for Documentary Production & Study.
This great documentary that will appeal to people of all ages! We want to get as many people to come as possible.

Nate Smith and his family will be attending the film

G-20 Schedule of Awesome Community Events

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 15:05:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
Welcome to Pittsburgh! The weather is beautiful, although some rain may move in over night for you family members camping out. Stay warm and dry.

Here is a list of some very important activities, and we need some PLACES TO STAY for our family guests. If your church has space in the basement, yards, etc. for those who are coming to celebrate their voice and vision, we need you. Details are below.

From my Brothers and Sisters in the Three Rivers Climate Convergence (I love that name):
UPDATE: JUST RELEASED!!!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 20, 2009
Contact: Kim Teplitzky, 267-307-4707, kim.pgh@gmail.com
NOTE: For questions about actions or to confirm information, please contact Kim Teplitzky as an official source for all 3RCC inquiries, additional spokespeople are listed below for climate/ environmental specific inquiries
3 RIVERS CLIMATE CONVERGENCE ACTIONS DEMAND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL CLIMATE AND ECONOMIC CRISES
Convergence at Schenley Park serves as base camp for a series of workshops, film screenings, actions and events in response to the International Coal Conference and G-20
The 3 Rivers Climate Convergence kicks off Monday at Schenley Park for a week of action, education and organizing demanding sustainable and local solutions to the climate and economic crises.
The Convergence, being held at the Schenley Park Overlook Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 10pm is a hub for people and organizations demanding environmental and climate justice, demanding solutions that empower rural, Indigenous, and economically disadvantaged communities to overcome the toxic pollution and land grabs of our dirty energy dependence.
“The Coal Conference and the G-20 are a series of closed door meetings designed to further the same destructive systems that caused our current economic and climate crises,” said Kim Teplitzky, a Coordinator with 3RCC. “We want an end to these failed polices and institutions and instead solutions that value the health and safety of the 6 billion people of the world, not just the wallets of the few profiting from polluting our land, air and water.”
The group is demanding a swift move beyond coal and other dirty energy sources, including nuclear power that pollute and destroy land and communities here in Pennsylvania and around the world. Instead, they are advocating for clean energy solutions that will create jobs by jump-starting local economies.
“Because of longwall mining, Southwestern Pennsylvania is essentially being treated as an energy sacrifice zone. We provide “cheap” coal to a nation hungry for energy, while bearing a disproportionate amount of the environmental, health and economic costs to our citizens and communities,” said Raina Rippel, Director of the Center for Coalfield Justice.
The Convergence will feature workshops, films, art and demonstrations of sustainable alternatives, including a solar power array, a screening of the new movie “Coal Country” with speakers from directly impacted communities in nearby Ohio and West Virginia and trainings on “The True Cost of Coal”. See the full Convergence schedule below for more details.
The biggest challenge the Convergence currently faces is the denial of city permits for overnight camping, even in the face of precedent set by other groups who have camped in the parks overnight. The denial has caused a housing crisis for the hundreds to thousands of people expected to arrive this week who will be forced to the streets without the safe alternative housing space the Convergence was planning to set up at the park.
3 Rivers Climate Convergence is a collaboration of local and national individuals and organizations. Our purpose is to organize the voice of climate and environmental justice resistance and a vision for sustainable alternatives to the International Coal Conference and G-20 meetings in Pittsburgh from September 21-25, 2009.
For more information: 3riversconvergence.org On twitter: pghclimatecamp

3 RIVERS CLIMATE CONVERGENCE
OFFICIAL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Sunday Sept. 20
2pm-5pm Coal Country Film Screening, with Elisa Young, SE Ohio activist featured in the film
UPitt 120 David L. Lawrence Hall

10am-4pm Artbuild at CMU fence, as part of the G20 Artspace – a student project

Monday Sept. 21 – Welcome to Coal Country
7am-11am Convergence Site Set-up (good b-roll, background story opportunity)

10am-5pm Workshops at the Convergence, including “Decolonizing Your Mind”, “Health and Safety for Activists” and “Non-violent Direct Action”

10am-6pm 3 Rivers Climate Convergence banner and “Skills for the New Millennium” permaculture bus and display of sustainable and alternative living practices, including live chickens
At the Women’s Coalition Tent City at Point State Park, free lunch served at 12noon

11am-5pm Longwall mining tours led by the Center for Coalfield Justice
Departing from the Overlook at 11:30

12:18pm Flashmob “Wake up Call”
Penn Ave/7th St. Food Court

1pm Action on the Northside – Details TBA on Monday morning, call Kim for more info

4pm Climate Roundtable at USW Building – 3RCC focus on ensuring the voice of climate justice is present in the discussion

7pm “Coal Country” screening at Melwood Screening Room, followed by a reception at the Sierra Club office at 425 N. Craig St.

9pm-11pm Equinox Ritual – “calling for the sequestration of greed and the liberation of abundance” at Convergence space, Schenley Overlook

Tuesday Sept. 22 – This is Climate Ground Zero: Day of Actions for a Coal Free Future
8am Action Downtown – Details TBA on Monday night/Tues am, call Kim for more info

9am-4pm Rolling anti-coal actions downtown

1pm Action Downtown – Details TBA on Tues morning, call Kim for more info

10am-6pm 3 Rivers Climate Convergence banner and presence at the Women’s Coalition Tent City at Point State Park, free lunch served at 12noon

Wednesday Sept. 23 – Beyond Green Jobs, Building Sustainable Economies
9am-5:30pm Workshops at the Convergence space and “Skills for the New Millennium” permaculture bus and display of sustainable and alternative living practices

4:30 Youth Convergence and Critical Mass bike ride and caravan to the Clean Energy Jobs Rally
Meet up at Schenley Plaza, across from the Cathedral

4:30 Climate Justice convergence – Getting Beyond Green Jobs, alt organizing for Clean Energy Jobs Rally
Meet up at Steel Plaza on Grant and Sixth

Thursday Sept. 24 – Our Climate is Not Your Business
9am-2pm Workshops at Convergence site

2pm Youth Press Conference – Global Youth Voices for Climate Change Solutions, featuring the founder of the Indian Youth Climate Network, Executive Director of Energy Action Coalition (U.S. and Canada), Avaaz.org, Sierra Student Coalition and Pittsburgh Sustainability Alliance
At the media hub in the August Wilson Center for African American Culture
980 Liberty Avenue

2:30pm “Our Climate is Not Your Business” Climate Justice Contingent of G20 Resistance Project march
Meet up 40th and Penn

Friday Sept. 25 – United Voices for Global Solutions
11am Climate Justice feeder contingent to the People’s March (lots of great visuals, art displays and a drumming group)
Meet up at CMU lawn at Forbes and Melwood

3 RIVERS CLIMATE CONVERGENCE SPOKESPEOPLE

Raina Rippel - 724-229-3550 - Longwall mining, impacts on SW PA Communities

Raina Rippel has over nine years of experience researching and working on energy and environmental public health issues. She was previously the Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility, Maine, and helped build coalitions around climate change and other progressive issues. During her studies at the University of Pittsburgh, she spent six months in Newcastle, Australia, where she witnessed daily lines of 35 or more coal ships on the horizon, living next door to one of the busiest coal ports in the world. As an avid supporter of climate change prevention and mitigation, she eagerly witnessed Australia's sign-on to the Kyoto protocol, and believes firmly that the local is the global, particularly when it comes to the devastating effects of coal as our number one energy source in America.
Dea Goblirsch – 914-960-2197 – Mountaintop removal, impacts on Appalachia, importance of non-violent direct action
Dea Goblirsch is an activist and writer based out of Rock Creek, West Va whose work with Climate Ground Zero has included doing off-site action media and co-writing the content for the website. She has written for Our Truths/Nuestras Verdades, Bitch Magazine, and most recently covered mountaintop removal coal mining for the Earth First! Journal. She studied at Oberlin College for two years, pursuing a major in environmental studies and spending a summer taking Spanish courses in Chile, before deciding to take a year off to seek her education in the real world. She is currently an organizer with the Three Rivers Climate Convergence and will be returning to West Virginia in October to work with Climate Ground Zero and Coal River Mountain Watch.

For the following, please contact Hallie Boas, on her mobiles 203 247 3756 or 415 336 6590

Anna Pinto - Climate Change, Gender Justice, Indigenous Rights
Anna Pinto is the Secretary and Programme Director of CORE (Centre for Organisation, Research and Education), an indigenous peoples' policy research and advocacy organization based in the North East of India. Anna has been an active member of the Indian Women's Movement for over two decades. She will speak about the intersection between climate change, gender issues and indigenous rights. Anna will tour the Northeast U.S. in September to help mobilize participation in actions and events that will take place in Pittsburgh during meetings of the G-20. While the leaders of the twenty richest countries meet about the financial crisis and the climate crisis, activists representing diverse movements will convene in Pittsburgh to expose the common root causes of the financial crisis and the climate crisis and link them to war as well as the other crises we face: including food, water and biodiversity.

Jihan Gearon - Impact on poor communities, connections to global finance to environmental Injustice
Jihan Gearon, is Diné (Navajo) and African American. She is Tódích'ií'nii (Bitter Water) clan, and her maternal grandfather is Tl'ashchí'í (Red Bottom People) clan. Jihan's family is from the community of Old Sawmill and she grew up on the eastern part of the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Jihan is the Native Energy Organizer at the Indigenous Environmental Network, a member of the Steering Committee of the Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative and on the Coordinating Committee of the Grassroots Global Justice Alliance. Jihan will be speaking about the impacts of climate change and fossil fuels on poor communities and communities of color in the United States; and about the intersection between the financial crisis and the climate crisis and connections with the struggle for environmental justice in the U.S. She will be speaking in the industrial Midwest on a tour beginning in Pittsburgh during the G-20 talks at the end of September and ending in Detroit one week later.

Anne Petermann
Anne Petermann is the Executive Director of Global Justice Ecology Project, and the Coordinator of the STOP GE Trees Campaign. She is also the North American Focal Point for the Global Forest Coalition. She has been involved in the international and national climate justice movements since 2004, when she co-founded the Durban Group for Climate Justice. In 2007 she co-founded Climate Justice Now! at the Bali UN Climate Conference. And in 2008 co-founded the North American Mobilization for Climate Justice. Anne speaks around the world against socially and environmentally destructive "false solutions" to climate change, specifically focusing on the destructive social, ecological and climatological impacts of genetically engineered trees, and second generation biofuels made from wood. She has presented around the world on the subjects of climate justice, GE trees and second generation agrofuels at capacity-building trainings for indigenous peoples, and at conferences including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN Forum on Forests and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. She is the author of a report on genetically engineered trees, published in 2001, and is also a co-author of a major report on the impacts of agrofuels on forests and forest dependent peoples, published in 2008.

Lidy Nacpil
Lidy is currently Regional Coordinator of Jubilee South Asia/Pacific Movement on Debt and Development (JS APMMD). She served as International Coordinator of Jubilee South for 9 years, from 1999 until recently. She is also Vice President of the Freedom from Debt Coalition of the Philippines, Member of the Board of Director of the Development Group for Alternative Policies, and with the South Council for 50 Years is Enough. She started her activism in 1980 campaigning against the Marcos dictatorship, and contributing to the development of the women's movement. Her husband was killed by the military in 1987, leaving Lidy alone with her young daughter; In 1993, she began her anti-debt and economic justice work and is now considered one of the leading resource persons on the subject.
###

--
Kim Teplitzky
Coal Campaign Coordinator
Sierra Student Coalition
412.802.0811 - office
267.307.4707 - cell
Skype: kim.teplitzky
Twitter: kim_t

As the Int’l Coal Conference and the G-20 descend on Pittsburgh,
people from around the globe will converge to show
that another, sustainable world is possible. We will resist the
corporate lobbyists and political leaders who profit from the
pollution of our land and demand solutions that empower and
strengthen our communities.
We are United For Environmental Justice

Featured events include:
climate action camp•
sustainable living fair
renewable energy demos
workshops•food•music
films•direct action

Workshops, Trainings, Art, Movies and More Monday, Tuesday
and Wednesday check out www.3riversconvergence.org
for the full schedule

Sunday:
•Coal Country Film Screening on Mountain Top Removal in Appalachia 2pm
120 David Lawrence Hall (3942 Forbes Ave), University of Pittsburgh
(www.coalcountrythemovie.com)
Monday: Welcome to Coal Country- End Long wall Mining in
Western PA.
•Citizens Coal Council Bus tour of Coal Mining effects on Greenfield County
Departing from XXX at 11am
•Wakeup Call Flash Mob @penn/7th corner food court (set your cell phone
alarm) 12:18pm http://tinyurl.com/pgh1218
•Flash Dash Against Coal For meet up 12:30 at North Side of PNC Park
•Put The Alliance For Climate Protection On The Hot Seat- ACP/USW
Climate Roundtable at Steelworkers headquarters 4pm 5 Gateway Center-
Show up with climate justice questions.
•Coal Country Film Screening on Mountain Top Removal in Appalachia 7pm
Melwood Screening Room 477 Melwood Ave
(www.coalcountrythemovie.com)
•The Age of Stupid (film) World Premier- 7:30pm Pittsburgh West Showcase
Cinemas 301 Park Manor Dr

Tuesday:

This is Climate Ground Zero: Day of Protest
against the coal industry in Pittsburgh
•8am meetup at the park at Grant and 1st street in Downtown.
•Noon meetup at Steel Plaza, Grant and 6th Street

Wednesday:

•Alliance for Climate Protection and United Steel Workers Rally For Clean
Energy Jobs with Joan Jett, Kathy Mattea- Doors at 6pm Point State Park
•Youth Convergence/Meetup and Critical Mass/Caravan to PSP- 4:30pm
Schenley Park Plaza
•Climate Justice Meetup for concert- Getting Beyond Green Jobs- 4:30pm
Steel Plaza, Grant and 6th Street.

Thursday:•

Our Climate is not Your Business! Climate Justice Contingent of the G20
Resistance Project march 2:30pm 40th St and Penn Ave. (Unpermitted)

Friday:•

Climate Justice Feeder March for the Peoples’ March to the G-20 leaving
from Carnegie Mellon University Lawn 11am
For a full schedule of all G20 events and updates check out:
www.g20media.org

THE PEOPLE'S SUMMIT
http://www.peoplessummit.com/page/full-schedule

The primary sponsors of the Peoples’ Summit are a partnership of educators and advocacy groups concerned with peace and social justice. They include:

Global Solutions Pittsburgh
State Senator Jim Ferlo (PA 38th District)
Three Rivers Community Foundation
The Thomas Merton Center
United Steel Workers
National Organization of Legal Services Workers (UAW Local 2310)
Project to End Human Trafficking

REMP Upcoming Events:
September 25, 2009: B-PEP Moment: 25 Years Anniversary Awards Dinner Rev. J.A. Williams Evening of Recognition at the Churchill Country Club, 800 Beulah Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15235

Join us as we honor Tim Stevens with our highest recognition award for 20 years of continuous service to the church and community and Celeste Taylor for her commitment as a civil rights activist and Dr. Marilyn Barnett for her contributions in the field of education. Come out and enjoy the excitement Tickets: $40.00
Call 412-330-4622 with any questions.

Don't forget to get your tickets to join us in Point State Park for our Rally for Clean Energy Jobs
Doors open at 6pm. Join The Sierra Club, Blue/Green Alliance and other organizations and unions for this event. There will be fun as Joan Jett and the Blackhearts will perform! Get your green on, and come let the world's leaders know what you want. After all, they do work for us...at least they are supposed to;)

Everyone be cool out there, and respect each other. We all have a job to do; let's honor each other with the spirit of understanding, even if we are on polor opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to opinions and policies. Remember, there really is no US and THEM; there is only WE.

Stay strong and safe.
Peace,
Falcon and Dove

Happy Birthday, Arnie!

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 18:21:00 +0000

From Falcon and Dove, we wish you the happiest of 80th birthdays, Mr. Palmer. It would be impossible to put into words all the respect, love, and deep appreciation we have for you. We are proud that you are from our region, and honored at the times that we have had the opportunity to meet with you, honor you, and in Dove’s case, walk 18 holes with you.

A ball you autographed for her sits in high esteem on the bookshelf of our living room, surrounded by all the medals, awards, trophies and plaques that she was inspired to win in part because of your gentle but firm guidance to youth in the southwest PA region. To begin to talk about your influence, those who did not know your humble beginnings must understand what you overcame to be the king of the game of golf…and so much more.

The world is a better place because you have graced us with your presence. You have always been kind to everyone I have seen, and over the years, there have been many. Your influence in the world of golf is only matched by your generosity to children in regards to their health and well being. You have raised more money on their behalf than I can count, and you may never know how truly and deeply loved you are by so many you have never met.

Dove and I have marshaled many matches, and you have been a part of many of those events. Our volunteer time was always made better by your kind words of appreciation and thoughtful time spent with everyone you encountered.

My daughter (Dove) has said that one of the highlights of her life was having the honor of being the standard bearer at the 66th U.S. Senior PGA Championship at Laurel Valley with you, Fuzzy Zoeller, and Larry Nelson at your tribute. Mike Reid won, but we thought you were the champion of the week. I walked with your group the entire 18 holes that day, and saw that birdie! It was a fantastic day, and made the marshal work the rest of the weekend like a breeze. The weather was cool during the week of the practice rounds, but the tournament days were gorgeous. I watch the highlight reels they show on the Golf Channel (which couldn’t have happened without you) and marvel at how perfect that day was. My daughter looked more like 12 instead of the 16 she was at the time, delighted like a child at Christmas, watching every move you made.

From both of us and so many more, we wish you Happy Birthday! May you have many healthy, hearty, and happy more.
Peace,
Falcon and Dove

Pittsburgh: From the Secret Service

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:46:00 +0000

Press Release
September 8, 2009
Contact: (202) 406-5708
GPA 10-09
SECURITY INFORMATION FOR THE PITTSBURGH SUMMIT ANNOUNCED

First phase includes plans for perimeter near David L. Lawrence Convention Center
(Washington, D.C.) – The United States Secret Service in cooperation with its local, state and federal security, public safety and military partners, is developing the overall security plan for the Pittsburgh Summit. The summit will take place Thursday and Friday,
September 24 and 25, 2009.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has designated the Pittsburgh Summit as a
National Special Security Event (NSSE). When an event is designated an NSSE, the
Secret Service assumes its role as the lead federal agency for the design and
implementation of the operational security plan. The Pittsburgh Bureau of Police and the Pennsylvania State Police, as well as a number of other federal, state and local agencies, will play a critical operational role in securing the summit and resources will be deployed to maintain the necessary level of security. These same agencies have been involved in developing the overall security and transportation plans for the summit.
The first phase of closures announced today affect the area near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center. In addition to these temporary restrictions, the City of Pittsburgh
will be announcing a more comprehensive transportation plan in the coming days.
Additional announcements are expected in mid-September regarding temporary closures
near the Phipps Conservatory and other possible event sites.
The following security and transportation measures will be in place for the Pittsburgh Summit in and around the David L. Lawrence Convention Center:

Secure Restricted Zone: A map detailing the secure restricted zone is attached.
Beginning at 8 p.m. on September 23, 2009, through 8 p.m. on September 25,
2009, the secure restricted zone will be put in place in downtown near the David
L. Lawrence Convention Center. Information on the security zones will also be
available online on the City of Pittsburgh’s new website at www.g20safety.org.

www.secretservice.gov

Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Safety is developing a comprehensive
downtown-area transportation plan which will be put into effect September 24 -
25. The city expects to release this comprehensive plan the week of September
14, with the primary goal of keeping Pittsburgh safe while still ensuring that
downtown residents, businesses and guests are accommodated to the largest
extent possible. When announced, the transportation plan, along with maps and
other safety information, will be posted on the city’s official summit information
website, www.g20safety.org. Currently, individuals may sign-up via the website
to receive emergency e-mail and text alerts, as well as up-to-date information

Checkpoints: There will be checkpoints to facilitate pedestrian access for
members of the public to businesses and residences on Penn Avenue and 10th
Street. Credentials are not required to enter the pedestrian access area.
Individuals entering these areas within the secure restricted zone will be screened
using magnetometers prior to entering the area. Checkpoints will be located at:
o 9th Street and Penn Avenue
o 10th Street and Liberty Avenue

Prohibited Items: As a security precaution the following items will be
prohibited from the pedestrian access areas within the secure restricted zone:
firearms, ammunition, explosives, weapons of any kind and any other items
determined to be a potential safety hazard. Surrendered items will not be returned
or available for pick-up.

Airspace Security: An interagency airspace security plan will be implemented
to provide secure airspace over the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. A Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory listing enhanced restrictions was
released on August 24, 2009 (amended August 31) and can be accessed online at
www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=59419. Pilot inquiries should be directed to
the Special Operations Support Center, available 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT at 202-
267-8276.
It is anticipated that several Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs) will be issued in
support of the temporary flight restrictions for this event. All aircraft operators
should check NOTAMs frequently throughout this event for possible changes and
to ensure they are aware of the latest procedures.

Water Security: There will be an enhanced security presence on the waterways
around Pittsburgh. The U.S. Coast Guard Captain of the Port will establish a
waterside security zone starting at 6 a.m., September 24, which will be in effect
through 10 p.m., September 25.

www.secretservice.gov

Navigation will be restricted in the entire width of the rivers from the West End
Bridge (mile marker 0.5) on the Ohio River to the South Shore Marina (mile
marker 1.8) on the Allegheny River to the 10th Street Bridge (mile marker 1.5) on
the Monongahela River. Persons and vessels shall not enter into, depart from, or
move within this security zone unless specifically authorized by the U.S. Coast
Guard Captain of the Port Pittsburgh or a designated representative.
Coast Guard related inquiries should be directed to Lt. Sue Kerver at (504) 671-
2020, with specific inquiries concerning the security zone directed to Lt. j.g.
Douglas Kang at (412) 644-5808 ext 2108. For emergencies, the U.S. Coast
Guard can also be hailed via VHF-FM Channel 16.

###
EDITOR’S NOTE: For questions concerning this release, please contact the United
States Secret Service Office of Government and Public Affairs at 202-406-5708.
Questions regarding media credentials and other event-specific questions should be
directed to the White House and/or State Department.

Why is Everyone So Crazy? Also: Mercury Retrograde for September

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 15:56:00 +0000

Hey World Family! Falcon here to pose the question I keep hearing over and over again right now: Why is everyone so crazy? We are not talking about the usual quirks and idiosyncrasies; we are talking bold flat-out off the trail and deep into the woods, off the rez, not making any sense, completely off their rocker, crazy. Here are some of the dynamics that may shine light on the deep recesses of the current lunacy.

First of all, there is a Uranus opposition to Sun: we experienced this on Election Day of 2008, and again in February of 2009. Seeds planted then are now coming to bear fruit-for better or for challenge. Now, not all the challenges are ‘bad’; some are the fruits of stuff that needed to be sorted out a LONG time ago and was pushed under the proverbial rug. Now is the time to get them cleaned up and straightened out. It may seem crazy, but ultimately, it may lead to a better more conscious way of living-more responsible, more resourceful, more mature.
There is another reason that there seems to be more unbalanced responses from people right now-it is the symptom of a much larger cold-the virus of FEAR.

I am not going to sugar coat this; it could be a rough fall and winter. It doesn’t mean that there won’t be good things coming down the pike, but only if you have prepared to receive them. If springtime was spent in folly, unfocused, and not taking responsibility for something that should have been owned, fall could frankly suck. Like those who didn’t put seeds in the ground for harvest now, you may find your personal pantry depleted. Here’s the part that really stings: you probably have no one to blame but yourself, even if it appears others are involved. Let me explain:

Health Care Reform: words that strike fear in the hearts of politicians everywhere. Many of them think that the crazy people they are running in to at meetings are completely without merit; in some cases they are right. There is a bigger story to this, however. For years, we have needed modification in this country to health care. We have allowed profit to override, policy; lives to be sacrificed for drugs that don’t work and food additives that poison our populations, and it has all gone unabated. The idea that the federal government could run health care any better than anything else of recent memory is positively fear evoking for many.

We need universal health care. We need to take profit out of the healing of bodies, and it needs to be done now. If we don’t have something in place very soon, it could hamper our efforts to treat people on a large scale if we have an epidemic, a pandemic, or just a bad cold and flu season. The problem is: many people are acting with fear as the leading motivator, not reason and lucidity. As a result, the fear gets all the attention, and little is actually done that promotes creating a system that will benefit all. We must benefit all, or we all will fall.
High paid consultants have been paying people to misrepresent themselves at meetings, send emails that aren’t from the organizations they say they are (astroturfing), and there have been general disruptions in what could have been a sensible, solution-centered conversation about health and wellness. This is despicable. The result is, we may not get a health care plan in place before the end of the year, and literally, lives could be lost because of it. Further, there is no discussion about integrative therapies that could save millions of dollars, and many lives. We could bear bad fruit from inaction, and worse, allowing fear to override reason.

What should we do? There must be a strong, steady response to the stupid. People are whispering about the madness, and not shouting that it is completely irresponsible and costing us collectively. It is time to respond with loving reason and sensible dialog. That used to be respected. That time should come again. We are all responsible for the stupid unless we rise up, speak out, and act accordingly.

Oh, and if you are one of the individuals who have perpetuated lies, misled, behaved deceitfully and maliciously, interfered with fair process, or propagated chaos-you are in deep do-do. Depending on your astrological sign, this upcoming Mercury Retrograde period (beginning September 7 and running through September 29) could be nothing but challenge. You may have experienced a Wylie Coyote lesson this year (i.e. doing things for a prolonged period of time that were completely wrong, and maybe awareness of that wrongness has just come to the surface). If you have, don’t go away mad, just go away. This is a spanking that if not heeded will only grow in its painfulness of teaching whatever important lesson that needed to be gleaned. Don’t be vengeful because in some way, you asked for it. Just take it, be prayerfully grateful it wasn’t worse, and move on.

To those who are just plain overwhelmed with fear right now: STOP. Embrace something nice that makes you feel strong, steady, and renews your confidence. Don’t listen to those who would put you down or try to damage your spirit through underhanded tactics. Celebrate your self. You are so much more than you know; and your capabilities are much greater than you think they are. Rise to the occasion and move forward with confidence that you will figure it all out. Don’t let the retrograde period fool you; better times are coming and you can build a build a better future-visualize your possibilities. Don’t start the program until after Merc retro passes. Plan now.

There are going to be times this fall when it is clear that you are going to have to cut some people loose. You may not win this one, and just let them go and wish them well. DO NOT DO ANYTHING WITH REVENGE ATTACHED RIGHT NOW>YOU WILL PAY IN SPADES! Let it go. Move on.

Mercury Retrograde is a time of planning, introspection, cleaning out junk, organizing, moving forward with current plans with caution, but not starting any new ones right now. If you have a really great new idea, start it as soon as this period is over. Right now, investigate how to implement it, and form a business plan. Stay light on your toes; be flexible and patient. This period will pass.

Every time one of these challenging periods passes, we hear from Family on the blog that find the warnings were helpful. That is why we continue to share them.

Oh, and one more thing: if I had been in the store where the 61 year old man had hit a 2 year old baby four times for crying while in the check-out line, the baby wouldn’t have been the only one crying! The comments I have heard from mothers the past few days confirm to Falcon that this guys was lucky that mother wasn’t like the mothers I have met…or me for that matter. This was an example of extreme stupid craziness. Whatever kind of bad day this man was having, he is now facing felony assault charges-did that make his day any better? Think before acting, Family! Walk in love, even when it’s tough love. Let go of what you have outgrown, or what is no longer appropriate for you. Don’t seek revenge, seek wisdom. Keep as cool a head as you can right now.

Peace,
Falcon and Dove

Polluter Fraud Citizen Tip Line Launches THURSDAY

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:41:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
Falcon here with an important announcement and conference call THIS MORNING!!!
Please see the announcement from our Brother at the National Wildlife Federation:

Polluter Fraud Citizen Tip Line Launches THURSDAY

Aims to Uncover Extent of Oil and Coal Lobby Abuses
Callers Can Report Forgeries and Staged Events

What: Lobbyists funded by the coal industry are under
investigation for forging letters to Congress--
going so far as to falsify and steal the letterhead of civil rights,
senior, and other interest groups and send letters on their behalf to
members of Congress. Recent weeks have also seen the American Petroleum
Institute create a new front group in an effort to manufacture
opposition to comprehensive climate and clean energy legislation.

Now the AAUW, National Wildlife Federation, NAACP, and Center for
American Progress Action Fund and Sierra Club are joining forces to help
average citizens blow the whistle on deceptive, fraudulent, or illegal
tactics being perpetrated by big polluters and their lobbyists to strike
down clean energy innovation. The tip line (866-363-4648) launches on
Thursday morning.

When: Thursday, September 3, 2009, 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Eastern

Dial-In: Call 1-800-944-8766 pin 62856# just before 11 a.m.
(Eastern)

10 a.m. (Central) / 9 a.m. (Mountain) /
8 a.m. (West)

Who: Adam Kolton (moderator), senior director, congressional
and federal affairs, NWF

Linda Hallman, CAE, executive director, American Association of
University Women

Mary Anne Hitt, deputy director, Sierra Club’s Beyond Coal Campaign
Hilary O. Shelton, vice president for advocacy & director, NAACP
Washington bureau

Dan Weiss, senior fellow, Center for American Progress Action Fund

Contact: Tony Iallonardo, National Wildlife Federation,
202-503-8581, iallonardot@nwf.org
Lisa Goodnight, AAUW, 202-785-7738, goodnightl@aauw.org

Special thanks to my friend Ed Perry for forwarding this along. This is too important!

Falcon and Dove

Going to TIFF? Check out this event!

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:13:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
This morning we heard from our Brother Mike Regina at TORN-The One Ring.net, and he will be part of a panel at this year's Toronto International Film Festival. See his information below:

I will be doing a panel at the Toronto International Film Festival(TIFF) and would love to have a chat with anyone else who is attending! Dropme a line if you are interested, my panel will be:

Time: Sunday 13th 11:00am to 12:00pm
Location: 5th Elementt Restaurant, 1055 Bay Street, M5S 3A5

I am doing it in conjunction with the folks from z2hmedia.com, check out their website when you get a chance!

The panel is part of the 'Meet With...' segment of TIFFhttp://www.tiff.net/industry/programmes/meet-with

Meet With... is a series of informal and intimate information sessions on the hottest topics in today's film industry. Meet With... provides attendees with a unique opportunity to gain insight into the fundamentals of thebusiness and craft of filmmaking from seasoned industry professionals.

Meet With... is open to all Sales & Industry and Guest Relations Passholders.

2009 Meet With. Topics include:
* Feature comedy writing*
Digital distribution*
DIY Web 2.0* What filmmakers and producers should know about the convergence of the Film and Game industries*
An interview with a special selection of Variety's "Top 10 Producersto Watch"*
The state of international film festivals* and more...

Confirmed Guest Speakers include:
John Cooper, Director, Sundance Film Festival

Matt Dentler, Head of Programming and Marketing, Cinetic Media

John GalwayPresident, Astral Media

The Harold Greenberg Fund

Paul GertzExecutive Producer, Network Entertainment

Nathon GunnCEO, Social Game Universe

Sydney LevineStrategic Planner, sydneysbuzz.blogspot.com

Kevin ShorttLead Scriptwriter - Story Design,

Ubisoft Matt TonerPresident, Zeros 2 Heroes Media

All the best, Michael Regina, Editor in Chief - TheOneRing.net

ALL G-20 PERMITS HAVE BEEN APPROVED!

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:18:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
BREAKING NEWS! As of noon today, all G-20 public permits have been approved! All parks will be used that were applied for, and the march is also approved! HUGE VICTORY FOR DEMOCRACY!!!

This is why America can be cool! When we all work together, use our voices, use some logic, and keep our hearts and minds open, we can find an accord. Yes, there will be conditions...

Point State Park is only available 9am-11pm-no overnight camping. We still don't know where the march on Friday will end in downtown; that is still going to be figured out, but it will happen with approval!

Other issues like who is paying for all this and additional police begin approved to come in rom other cities was also on the docket today, all the figures seem to be all coming together.

More news is pending, and things will be in flux for awhile, but we here at Falcon and Dove just had to share the good news!!!

Everyone, be proud of your hard work!!! It was excellent! I am so proud of all my Brothers and Sisters who worked so hard on this. I am proud of our officials who worked diligently and consistently in front of, and behind the scenes to make this a reality.

World-you are gregariously welcomed to Pittsburgh to share ideas, protest, and engage in democracy during the G-20. You are invited to not be disruptive nor distructive. This is our house, and we want you be comfortable, but we don't want you doing anything that will bring harm to us or our children. Be kind, engage, enlighten, but do not disrespect our hospitality.

There will be many, many local eyes and ears and hearts in this sacred place: honor it with your presence, your love, your insight, and your wisdom.

Peace,
Falcon and Dove

City of Champions Becomes a G-20 Police State? Oh, No We Can't

falcondove@areyasimmons.com (Areya Simmons and Stephanie Simmons) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:12:00 +0000

Hello World Family,
Falcon, here, reporting directly after returning from a meeting of coalition forces of labor groups, spiritual groups, environmental groups, veterans groups, and more to say that even though no permits have been approved for the public for the G-20 period in Pittsburgh Sept. 24-25, 2009, our voices will be heard! This is our house, and we will be heard.

Here's the thing: It's our right. It's our constitutional right. Americans have watched their rights widdled away by government during the past decade, and this is another example of a good idea gone bad. Want to protect the public? Allow them to participate in the Democratic process that is our right as Americans. Here's what I mean...

Turning Point State Park into a staging area for law enforcement is, in a word: dumb. There's a reason my ancestors didn't base themselves in what is today the Golden Triangle: you're a sitting duck down there. This is the space that law enforcement will plan and stage? The point furthest from everything else in downtown Pittsburgh, including the Convention Center? Seriously? Well, a malcontent wouldn't have to be in downtown to do damage; they could pick you off from the West End!

This is not good; let the people have the park...every park; staging should be done in strategic places all over downtown, and preferably, underground. Yeah, I know soft targets in the park? Better locals with local knowledge a double the sets of eyes in Pittsburgh on every bridge, buffer, underpass, tunnel, overpass and hillside than some out of town law enforcement who are going to have a crash course in familiarizing themselves with the streets, topography and terrain in a month's time. Yes, I said that. If permits were issued to the organizations who applied, there would be 100,000 pairs of eyes with local knowledge, working with law enforcement 'cause this is OUR HOUSE! This is OUR HOME! You think we are going to let some troublemakers mess up our town? Oh, no we won't!

If the approach is to treat this like a natural disaster, I have a suggestion: bring in the aid BEFORE the storm hits! Your aid is your people; the people.

This is not just a political issue; it is a moral one. This is a sacred place; the confluence of The Three Rivers is a sacred force of power and prayer. That spot belongs to the people. ALL THE PEOPLE.

This is the City of Champions. WE are champions because we invite all peaceful people into our borders as family and friends. We are all Brothers and Sisters. Isn't that what Falcon and Dove have said since we started this blog?! We honor our differences and the opportunity to share our perspectives. We are not going to allow those with distracted tendencies to undermine our messages of peace, tolerance, and our constitutional right to do what we will do. We will also not allow our city, our home, our front yard to become District 9. We will walk, talk, and act. That is how democracies work, and that is how it will work in Pittsburgh during the G-20. WE will see to it.

We are all shareholders: veterans, politicians, clergy, environmentalists, union members, bloggers, firefighters, police, EMS, and teachers. We all have an investment in this event, and we all have something to gain...and to lose. There will be drama to be sure, but if we focus all our collective efforts, this will be an extraordinary opportunity to share. Why the elitism? Why the separation? What are we really afraid of? NOTHING! WE THE PEOPLE are not afraid.

We are taking a stand for our children and our grandchildren. We are honoring our ancestors with our hands, our voice, and our walk.

As Peter Gabriel once said in a song about a strong freedom fighter, Steven Biko, "The eyes of the world are watching now".

So are our children.

Peace,
Falcon and Dove