Psychedelic Blog

"Fine Art For Thought"

Art Exhibition

held at: Alana's Espresso Escape

on Friday, January 7 2011

A big Thank You to all who attended the show last Friday night! "Fine Art For Thought", Dubh's first solo show, featured his social commentary watercolor paintings that were designed to raise awareness of the overwhelming number of global issues concerning human oppression and environmental destruction caused by humans. 

The show was hugely successful in invoking thoughts on the subject matter, creatng insightful conversations of sensitive issues, and inspiring individuals to explore ways that they can help to make a difference in the world. We even heard from a couple of art educators in the community that held class discussions that day centered on the artist's interview in the Latitude 65. One of those teachers reported that the article even gave cause for her most non-participatory student to stay engaged with the conversation for the entire class period! A pair of fellow Fairbanks artists stated that Dubh's work spurred a desire in them to start creating again.

If you've had the chance to read the interview, you'll know that from Dubh's point of view, all of this conversation equalled success.  "I'm not trying to convince anyone of one particular point of view," he stated. "I hope the pieces will make them think of something or open their mouths and start talking. To take a moment to reflect on the world"

We've been away from the site for a few weeks now, readying for the upcoming summer art scene in our community and readjusting our lifestyles to the newest member of our family, a cockatoo that was in desperate need of a new and loving home. It's been a bit like adopting a 2 year old child, both rewarding and challenging. We're all settling into our new roles now and it's time to get back to the business of raising awareness of all the great resources out there that offer opportunities to participate in making the world a better place for all of us. First on the agenda is the proposed climate bill.

This bill, as many of you may already know, was supposed to go to the hill for discussion last week. You probably already know by now that the usual politics we see played out on a daily basis have stopped it in its tracks. Repower America is doing something about it, and they need our help to get things back on track. The following is an excerpt from their website and provides the necessary details on how you can help. Given the recent Gulf coast oil spill, a clean energy bill seems more important than ever to our environmental and economic success as a nation. All it takes for you to make a difference is the time it takes to make a phone call. A message from Maggie L. Fox, C.E.O. of the Climate Protection Action Fund. This was supposed to be the week the Senate made history. After years of planning and many months of careful negotiating, a major bipartisan proposal on climate and clean energy was all set to be introduced this week. The press conference was scheduled, the speeches were written, and the media was alerted. It would have kicked off debate and served as the foundation of the strong Senate bill we need so badly. Then it all fell apart. Comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation is being held prisoner to partisan bickering and political posturing. History has been put on hold — and I need your help to get the Senate back on track. If enough of us make noise, we can jump-start the process and make sure that this is just a minor detour instead of another dead end.

Call your Senators right now and urge them to put partisan politics aside and take immediate action on climate and clean energy: 1-877-9-REPOWER (1-877-973-7693). And then report your call here.

The urgency of this moment cannot be overstated. If our leaders in Washington cannot overcome the current climate of partisanship and distrust, the bill that Senators John Kerry, Lindsey Graham, and Joe Lieberman have spent so many months laboring over could be left with no Republican support. That would mean any hope of passing a comprehensive bill this year — a bill that would finally address the climate crisis, our addiction to oil and the future of our economy — would fade away.

We can’t let partisan bickering stand in the way of policy that is critical to Americans across every region, party, and demographic — and whose policy substance has support from courageous Senators on both sides of the aisle. The only way to get this bill back on track is for every Senator to hear from constituents who are demanding action. Call your Senators now and tell them that they can and must end our addiction to foreign oil, create almost 2 million clean energy jobs and begin to cut carbon pollution: Let’s be clear: The Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill draft won’t be perfect — and we hope to be fighting over the coming weeks to strengthen it as much as possible.
But we won’t get to have that fight if we don’t make ourselves heard, right now, about how important it is to solve the climate crisis and transition to a clean energy economy. Your voice is needed like never before.

Hello and how is everybody doing? We've been away from the site and the computer for this past month preparing for our community's summer art season and adjusting to life with our newly adopted cockatoo. It's a bit like adopting a 2 year old - rewarding and taxing. Our kids have been grown and out on their own for several years, so I'm afraid I'm a bit out of practice and a little lower on energy than I used to be. We're finally settling in to a pleasant routine for all family members (including the dog and 2 cats) and I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things on the web.

I can see that I've missed a lot of great new people, thoughts, and art! It's great to see what everybody's been up to here!

I'd love your help in catching up on all that I've missed in the past month. Who's been doing what great things for people, our planet and all its inhabitants. I'd love to hear about your good deeds and help you to spread the word! Just drop us a line here or add it to our forum at: http://sorrystateofitall.ning.com/forum/topics/catching-up-on-good-...

I can't wait to hear from you!
Susie

I was flabbergasted at CBS's 60 Minutes report on Patented Genes! (See video). Yep - that's right. Bio-tech companies have been taking out patents on your genes! What does this mean for you? According to the story, it means that these companies can control testing for the genetically abnormal gene that they hold the patents on. An example given in the story is that of the breast cancer/ovarian cancer gene. This means that you can only be tested to see if you have this specific gene by the company that holds the patent. And if your insurance won't cover it, it will cost you $3200.00 out of pocket. Experts estimate that the cost should really only be around $300.00. It also means that other scientists can't pursue cures for the defective genes. This certainly cuts down on the talent pool of those seeking cures through genetic research. How the heck did this happen?! This should destroy any doubts you may still be having that corporate America is now totally in control of our country. After all, these patents allow them to own an integral piece of you!

The good news is that the ACLU has brought a lawsuit against the U.S. Patent and Trademark Of... as well as Myriad Genetics and the University of Utah Research Foundation, which hold the patents on the genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2. The lawsuit charges that patents on human
genes violate the First Amendment and patent law because genes are "products of nature" and therefore can't be patented.

Repower America is vamping up their campaign for a clean energy bill with an online petition to make clean energy the next priority for Congress. This is such an important issue for all of us, and it's not just about cleaning up the environment. Passing this one piece of legislation provides a solution for a wide array of problems we are facing today:

The clean energy bill would add jobs to the economy. Somebody has to develop, manufacture, and install alternate energy sources and our economy is still struggling in this department. Innovation has moved us out of past recessions and on the road to recovery. Remember the space program and the world wide web? How about those oil prices already on the rise again, and for the sole reason that oil companies want to make a bigger profit this year. They're shutting down refineries so that we'll continue to pay more at the pump, putting more dollars in their pockets. This is a great way to put an end to their control over our lives. Ending our dependence on oil also increases our homeland security. As long as we're dependent on oil from Middle Eastern countries, we will be forced to continue our involvement in that region to protect our oil companies' assets there.

Please take the time to sign the petition today. You can even add personal comments if you choose. Repower America will deliver the petition and your comments straight to senate offices later this week. This is your opportunity to demand public service from our public servants. Together we can topple the oil companies, put more dollars in our own pockets, create new jobs, and leave a cleaner environment for future generations.