People2PeopleTV

AGNT Charleston Response

noreply@blogger.com (pennylittlesavage) — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 15:10:00 -0700

repost of "Art and the American Dream"

noreply@blogger.com (pennylittlesavage) — Wed, 17 Dec 2014 10:38:00 -0800

“Every child is an artist, the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.”-Pablo Picasso

Why is this important? Why are the arts important? Why should we care if we remain artists when we grow up?

Arts programs are often the first on the chopping block when budget cuts are deemed necessary in public schools. Funding for the arts in the US is considered nonessential when compared with all the problems we face - like hunger, poverty, violence, bullying, homelessness. Private funding for the arts is often spread too thin among many worthy projects. While funding for wars seems to be a bottomless pit, funding for the arts and humanities is always at risk.

Outwardly it appears that our society doesn't truly support the arts and creativity, yet creative thinking is now more essential than ever. Research shows that "students who are exposed to music education do better in other subjects." CEOs know that creatiity is essential to success. Applying our creativity may be the only way to restore our long gone "American Dream". I say “long gone” because if you look at what the US has done in the past, and our current situation, it is difficult to support the idea that we are living the American Dream. And exactly what was this American Dream? Is it the ideal that every US citizen " should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative"?

Or is it more than that? This dream is rooted in the idea that freedom is our birthright, as stated in the US Declaration of Independence. James Truslow Adams in 1931 said that "life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement, regardless of social class or circumstances of birth."

It would seem that both freedom and creativity have in fact been discouraged by our system. Why? What good can come of this? We used to talk about "American ingenuity", prided ourselves on our inventiveness. One cannot nurture creativity without freedom. The best way to stifle creativity is through authoritarianism, the pressure towards blind obedience.

"Creativity is nurtured by freedom and stifled by the continuous monitoring, . . . pressure to conform that restrict children's lives today" and I would venture to say in adult's lives today. Peter Gray Article in Psychology Today: As Children’s Freedom Has Declined, So Has Their Creativity

A research report by Kyung Hee Kim, mentioned in Peter Gray’s Article in Psychology Today, shows a decline of creativity in school children in the US over the last several decades. In Kim’s words, the data indicate that “children have become less emotionally expressive, less energetic, less talkative and verbally expressive, less humorous, less imaginative, less unconventional, less lively and passionate, less perceptive, less apt to connect seemingly irrelevant things, less synthesizing, and less likely to see things from a different angle.”

Every one of us is creative. It's the nature of life - to create. Freedom is a big part of creativity, being free within one's self and free thinking is crucial in order to access creativity. But through years of schooling, our upbringing, we're essentially taught to conform, to fit in with standardized testing, homogenization of thought -- even in the arts, music, and creative fields. We're living on the brink of an authoritarian maximum security society with fear as the foundation. Money and the acquisition of power have become the primary focus, as more and more middle and working class people slip into poverty.

Einstein said, "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.Had creative thinking rather than money/power thinking been used during the Fukushima, Katrina and other disasters, the tragedies would have been lessened.

Life is tenacious - think of the blade of grass that pushes through the cement. Creation is not something that can be contained, nor can the desire to be free. Whether your belief system is based on spiritual or worldly views, you are alive and unique, you are constantly creating, your cells are creating, your mind is creating. To open yourself up to creative thought is a holistic opening -- your heart, your mind, your body, your intrinsic Self-ness, call it Soul, call it whatever you like. Every moment, awake or asleep, you are a Creative Being.

It doesn't matter what you were taught; this is a base reality. Now, all you have to do is get those belief systems (BS) out of the way.

There is hope through awareness and action. We can influence and change the conversation. In 2012 the LA Unifed School District voted to make the arts a core subject. This is a tangible goal, and with a little bit of rallying, organization, any small group in any city can do this. President Obama attempted to restore federal funding for some large arts organizations when their funding was on the chopping block. It was not as much a step in the right direction, as it was to prevent existing funding from slipping away. There are examples from across the US of dedicated individuals and groups trying to preserve access and funding for the arts. Whether amateur or professional, we need to build a society in which every person can fully express their potential; the arts and creativity play an essential role in the future of our attempt at self governance and a more civil society.

"Wounded Knee - A line in the sand". The truth about what happened at Pine Ridge in 1973 - coming soon!

noreply@blogger.com (pennylittlesavage) — Sat, 8 Nov 2014 19:48:00 -0800

"Who controls the past controls the future;

who controls the future controls the present" - George Orwell

"Wounded Knee, a Line in the Sand", a new movie by Kevin McKiernan comes in the midst of a firestorm of controversy generated by American Indian Mafia, a new book written by the FBI Special Agent-in-Charge of the Wounded Knee siege.

In 1973 Kevin McKiernan, a young NPR reporter who didn't think the media should be embedded on one side, penetrated the cordon of agents and soldiers around Wounded Knee and made his way into the village. He stayed until the end, smuggling out reports and film. While other reporters were reporting the official story, Kevin witnessed and filmed the siege from the inside. This was a turning point in modern Indian history and is considered the longest public disorder in US history not counting the Civil War.

The dramatic standoff caught the attention of the world. By the time it was over, two Indians were dead, two federal agents and 18 Indians were wounded, and more than 500 arrests had been made.

Why would Kevin McKiernan revisit this 40 years later? Is it because the truth in media is essential to a free society? He opens the trailer to the movie with the above quote from George Orwell. When we look at how a controlled media can change the story, change history, the politics, and the power structure, finding out what really happened at Pine Ridge, could have an impact our future. Every time another lie is written as history, there's another nail in the coffin of freedom.

Many worthy films do not get the support from big funders these days. Kevin is using crowd funding to get completion funds. The movie is in post - production. For more information and to support this documentary check out theKickstarter campaign here:

Kevin McKiernan is a veteran foreign correspondent, photographer and filmmaker. McKiernan's photography, nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, has taken him to some of the world's most troubled regions, from El Salvador to Iraq, from West Africa to Afghanistan and Syria.

Awakened World Film Festival Retreat 2014

noreply@blogger.com (pennylittlesavage) — Sat, 5 Apr 2014 15:59:00 -0700

Pause || Pres Play > at Columbia Kraft Center

noreply@blogger.com (pennylittlesavage) — Tue, 20 Nov 2012 13:37:00 -0800

Art, Film & Spoken Word Collaborative: a 9/11 Healing Arts Event Sept. 9th – 12th

OSR presents “Pause || Press Play>” an Art, Film & Spoken Word Collaborative at Columbia University | Barnard Hillel’s The Kraft Center, 606 W. 115th Street, NY 10025

Opening night, September 9, at 8 pm, California filmmaker Penny Little will presented her new film “9/11 Dust: A Healing Journey”. The film features US Congressman Jerrold Nadler, Daily News reporter Juan Gonzales, EPA whistleblower Cate Jenkins, Susanne Mattei, numerous doctors and 9/11 first responders including John Feal of the Feal Good Foundation.

Pause || Press Play is curated by L-M-N-T.com Gallery Miami, the art exhibition featured artists Gino Tozzi, Ashley Cumberland, Billie Grace Lynn, Rachel Hughes, and Kevin Vancio. A centerpiece of this exhibit was “The Pause Towers” – a plexiglass sculpture filled with medical packaging from ten years of prescription based treatments of a health survivor of the World Trade Center illness.

Pause Press Play contributor Rachel Hughes says, “It’s eleven years since the horrific events of 9/11 and our society has been on ‘pause’ too long. “It’s time to press ‘play’ and heal. Our project focuses on healing through the arts to release the grief from 9/11 and heal our society.”

The schedule for the three day event included films, presentations and guest speakers who are experts in the fields of holistic health, healing, creativity, integrative arts and education. Notable guest presenters include Dr. Lee Vickers, AmaLia Wai Ching, Olga Meylakh, Jonathan Talat Philips and many others.

Good Times Fly

noreply@blogger.com (pennylittlesavage) — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:42:00 -0700

Total Knee Replacement Recovery

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Fri, 2 Jul 2010 21:52:00 -0700

Mark Crispin Miller on the importance of voting

noreply@blogger.com (pennylittlesavage) — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:44:00 -0700

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This short clip gives another reason to get out and vote -- the larger the turnout the more difficult to disguise and perpetrate election fraud. This clip will be part of the re-release of Penny Little's Film Electile Dysfunction 2008, and part of the Unconventional Tour 2008, which includes music, film, audience participation. You can see the entire clip from Mark Crispin Miller on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvOjjvtMHGc

4th of July Street Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:56:00 -0700

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The Los Padres Chapter of the Sierra Club displayed their "Green Block" as part of the Ventura Street Fair in Ventura on the 4th of July. The 30th annual street fair is mainly a shopping extraveganza, but the "Green Block" was selling ideas: how to Save the World for Kids, and how to Green the Home. The Ventura City Environmental Department showed kids how to recycle which items and how to win prizes with the correct answers to their quiz. Air Pollution Control District of Ventura had games for kids and prizes, as did the KidsVsGlobalWarming booth run by young teens. The MEChA Club from Oxnard College was requesting help to get rid of toxic waste in their community, and the younger kids painted pictures of what they do to Save The World!
For the adults as well as kids, there were prizes and more prizes for answering correctly the questions about how to save money, energy and reduce global warming - at center stage, hosted by 3 teenagers actively participating in the environment: Eric Fernandez, Shannon McComb and Alec Loorz.
Ladybugs and wonderful aromas brought many landscape enthusiasts to Nature by Design's booth. Free bike parking was provided for all fair goers. It was a great day for the saving energy, saving money and saving the environment!

Computers For Families has a new citizen

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 18:50:00 -0700

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Walter just got his naturalization papers. His co-workers introduce him to "american" foods and deserts, but he seems a little skeptical....

Surfliner to L.A.

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 07:11:00 -0700

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The Pacific Surfliner runs from Central California to points South. I took it from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles, with my bike, then took the subway with my bike, then a city bus with my bike, went to visit my friend, and returned home.
It sure as heck beats driving, and I got some exercise!

Dream Act - Santa Barbara

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 09:59:00 -0700

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Dream Act legislation for Callifornia was discussed in Santa Barbara at an event on the library grounds, downtown. A cheerful group of would be college students and supporters talked about the need for the legislation and what it means to all Californians. This law, if passed, would allow undocumented students who have attended schools here for 3 years or more, to apply for loans and scholarships when they go on to college.

Halaco Educational Event

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Mon, 4 Aug 2008 07:54:00 -0700

On the Ormond Beach in Oxnard, California sits the Halaco Company's toxic waste pile which is 4 stories high. It is filled with heavy metals and radioactive materials and many poisonous pollutants. This is what is left over from their metal recycling plant which they begun in the '50's. They were closed down because of their far too frequent safety violations. They have since moved their operation to Tennessee under the name of MagPro, but have left their mess here in Oxnard for the community to deal with. Here's where we are with it now.

Bike Ride to Mercury Lounge

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:26:00 -0700

During Bike Week in Santa Barbara, one of the events is to ride from BiCi Centro, the community bike shop to the Mercury Lounge way out in Goleta, to watch....bike movies! We just can't get enough of it.

Whitaker Peak Trash Pickup

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:54:00 -0700

Los Padres Forest Watch organized a trip to Whitaker Peak to clean up the Condor feeding site. It was a dynamic day, with the weather changing rapidly. After a few short hours picking up tiny little reflective pieces of glass, fired clay, bullet casings and the like, guess what? It started to snow!! See this 3 minute video about our fun trip to a beautiful site.

PUEBLO Makes Plans

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Sat, 8 Mar 2008 11:24:00 -0800

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PUEBLO (People United for Economic justice Building Leadership through Organizing) recently retreated for the weekend in San Ynez to extablish their plans for the year. With new leadership from its Director, Belen Serea, the organization laid out it's plans for the year. It was an arduous process and came out with great results - our 4 most important things to accomplish this year!

Albert Ellis Interview

noreply@blogger.com (pennylittlesavage) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:31:00 -0800

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Albert Ellis, Ph.D. Died July 24, 2007, New York City Dr. Ellis, who was 93 years old, died of natural causes. At the time of his death, he was President Emeritus of the Albert Ellis Institute in New York City. As a practicing psychoanalyst from 1947 to 1953, Dr. Ellis grew increasingly doubtful about the efficacy of that form of psychotherapy, concerned that no amount of talk would help his clients if they failed to take action against their habitual thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. By late 1953, he had stopped calling himself a psychoanalyst and begun developing Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT), an action-oriented therapy aimed at making emotional and behavioral change through challenging self-defeating thoughts." Ellis was 90 years old when I interviewed him. He was working from his room, co-writing a book with James Walter, Jr. I asked him questions about war, the Bush administration, and 9/11.

Ventura Transit Needs

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Tue, 5 Feb 2008 21:37:00 -0800

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The Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) had its annual public hearing on transit needs. It takes testimony to see if there are any unmet needs. The money that is spent for this comes from the California State Transportation Development Act (TDA) which provides funds for local transit, bicycle/pedestrian and street projects. These funds are administered by VCTC.

You may share your views of public transit service needs within Ventura County, and between Ventura and Los Angeles/Santa Barbara Counties to help identify unmet transits needs which are reasonable to meet.

If the funds are not spent on these needs, road capacity improvements would then receive it.
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Das Williams, a part time employee for CAUSE, (Coastal Alliance United for A Sustainable Economy) a grass roots group representing workers, wants to see more transit funding for those who use it every day.

Most of the comments were very specific, such as needing another bus run between Ojai and Ventura in the afternoon, additional bike racks on the busses, Sunday service on the Camarrillo Route, more routes between Pt. Hueneme and Los Angeles, Oak View and the High School, Thousand Oaks to Santa Barbara (include fewer transfers and wait times), and to please have the Vista bus stop in Montecito.
Ve
The moderating Supervisor, Kathy Long, asked staff if these comments and questions that were made had been responded to by the staff. Vic Kamy, Director of transit said, Yes, and they will be responded to after this meeting. We do try to answer the questions for information our riders have. They can also contact our office any time to tell us their concerns.

Mary Harris: The disabled need night time service between Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara. After hours for disabled people need to be coordinated between cities and counties so that they don't become stranded somewhere in the dark.

Andrew Hecker: After hours service is needed. The connections between towns need to be coordinated, like the Metro link and Amtrak sharing one ticket. Bus, train connections. It took me a long to figure out the real way to get around. It is sometimes a secret. The service is not publicized enough.

P.U.E.B.L.O.'s got the winnng team!

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 07:45:00 -0800

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PUEBLO is a non-profit economic and environmental justice organization dedicated to building the political power and leadership of low-income residents throughout Santa Barbara County.

Santa Barbara County is home to one of the wealthiest communities in the United States, yet there is tremendous poverty throughout our County. Santa Barbara County has the highest rate of uninsured children in the State, and the economy is dominated by low-wage jobs in the service, tourist, and agricultural industries.

However, PUEBLO has come up with a way to gain political power for its work. Here's one way they do it. Click on movie to play.

It's a STYLE Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Sun, 27 May 2007 06:52:00 -0700

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Santa Barbara High School has a new bike club for low rider bikes. See what the boys have created for STYLE..........and they are rideable! time is 8:47

Fossil Free by '33 (long version)

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Sat, 3 Mar 2007 11:48:00 -0800

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The Community Environmental Council of Santa Barbara, California, has a plan to stop using fossil fuels by the year 2033. Think it can't be done? Find out how they are using available technologies and fuels and practices to stop using pollution causing fossil fuels! Get out the popcorn - this version is a half hour long.

PUEBLO Educates Their Volunteers.

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 22:00:00 -0800

Watch the video

How does a growing community organization continue to be successful? They educate themselves continuously, giving trainings to new volunteers with seasoned volunteers. In this case, PUEBLO (People United for Economic justice, Building Leadership through Organizing) in Santa Barbara and Santa Maria, California, recently winning several election campaigns, continues to struggle for advances for working families. http://www.sbpueblo.org/ is their website to learn more about them. Here's a little sample of the retreat. (It may take a minute or 2 to load).

Fossil Free by '33 Part 4 San Luis Obispo

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Thu, 7 Dec 2006 20:35:00 -0800

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The Central Coast Clean Cities Campaign sponsored a Clean Fuels exhibit at the Farmer's Market in San Luis Obispo August of 2006. See some of the new technologies as well as the old. Some are inexpensive, some are small, some are pricey. They all reduce the use of fossil fuels. Check it out!

Sustainable Transportation at SBCC, Part 3 of "Fossil Free by '33"

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Fri, 1 Dec 2006 20:51:00 -0800

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Santa Barbara City College students and staff have their own ideas about transportation which uses less fossil fuels than the norm. Check out their ideas on how to get to and from school.

"Fossil Free by '33" Part 2 Veggie Mobile

noreply@blogger.com (Dorothy Littlejohn) — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 20:07:00 -0800

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Emma has found a way to reduce her use of fossil fuels and save money as well. Here's what she and her husband do.