Progressive Calendar 03.31.12 /2
From: David Shove (shove001umn.edu)
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2012 01:58:18 -0700 (PDT)
*P R O G R E S S I V E   C A L E N D A R    03.31.12    *

1. Garden Fair     3.31 9am
2. WAMM annual 3.31 10am
3. End ICE          3.31 12noon
4. Occupy Mpls   3.31 12:30pm
5. CUAPB           3.31 1:30pm
6. Northtown vigil  3.31 2pm
7.Tour Coldwater  3.31 2:30pm
8. Palestine         3.31 4pm
9. Rhoda Gilman  3.31 7pm
10. Mizna journal  3.31 7:30pm
11. Kolstad blues 3.31 8pm

12. Robert Greenwald - The new film 'Koch Brothers Exposed': The 1% at its
very worst
13. Janet Nye            - Two Occupy haikus   [Haiku Open]
14. ed                       - How would god vote? [snapshot]


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From: Margaret at Gardening Matters <margaret [at] gardeningmatters.org>
Subject: Garden Fair 3.31 9am

Come one, come all! Resource Fair is THIS Saturday March 31st from
 9am-4:30pm at Neighborhood House.

 We hope that you will be able to join Gardening Matters and other
 community gardeners THIS Saturday March 31^st, 2012 for the Annual
 Community Garden Spring Resource Fair at Neighborhood House, located at
 179 Robie St E on the Westside of St. Paul.

 This free event (suggested donation $5-10) is open to all gardeners new
 and old from across the metro area. The collaborative nature of the
 event means that attendees benefit from broad participation of
 gardeners—come one, come all!

 An agenda of the days activities is copied below. You can find detailed
 workshop descriptions on our website at www.gardeningmatters.org. Also,
 we encourage you to pre-register for the event our our website in
 advance, to help us plan for spacing and food.

 Please note: Spanish and Hmong interpretation will be available the
 whole day! Attendees in need of interpretation can get connected to an
 interpreter at the registration table.

 COMMUNITY GARDEN SPRING RESOURCE FAIR SCHEDULE

 9:00-9:30amRegistration and Free Continental Breakfast
 9:30amOpening and Welcome
 Spoken Word: [3]Louis Alemayehu, EJAM
 Emcee: Melvin Giles, Peacemaker and urban farmer
 9:45-10:30amKeynote: [4]Karen Washington, New York
 CityCommunityGardenCoalition
 10:30-11:30amPanel: What’s Growin’ in the Twin Cities!
 Mustafa Sundiata, Northpoint Health and Wellness, and Local Food
 Resource Hubs
 Youth from Gordon Parks High School Gardens
 Organizers from the West Side Citizens Organization
 Gardeners from the International Outreach Church, Burnsville
 Members of Afro-Eco
 11:40am-Noon Traditional Aztec Dance
 [5]Kalpulli Yaocenoxtli Dancers
 Noon-1:00pm Lunch and Networking
 Lunch available for purchase from El Burrito Mercado
 Workshop Session #1:
 1:00-2:30pm
 Food + Justice =
 Democracy
 SWAP and CO-OPS: Organizing in your neighborhood
 Urban Soil Contamination: Don’t Eat the Dirt!
 Engaging Youth in the  Garden
 Planning to Eat: Food Policy in the Twin  Cities
 Beyond Canning: Freezing, Dehydrating, Fermenting, Root Cellaring
 Workshop Session #2 :
 3:00-4:30pm
 Strategies for Long-Term Land  Access
 Growing Gardens in Small  Spaces
 Planting Seeds for Our Collective Future (En Espanol!)
 Growing Hunger, Growing  AnswersWAMM annual 3.31 10am
 Composting: Creating Black  Gold
 Getting Started with Bees or  Chickens


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>From WAMM
WAMM annual 3.31 10am

WAMM's 2012 Annual Meeting Saturday, March 31, 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Mount Olive Lutheran Church, 3045 Chicago Avenue South, Minneapolis.

Help us begin the celebration of WAMM's 30th Anniversary year. This year's
program features Marie Braun and Jess Sundin, both travelers and witnesses
in Iraq speaking on "Iraq-What's Next?” and then Liz Dahl bringing updates
and energy from the streets in "WAMM and the Occupy Movement." Brief annual
meeting to follow. Good Music! Good Program! Good Brunch! WAMM Action! Meet
old friends. Make new friends. Win raffle prizes. Support WAMM. And if you
like, bring along some sidewalk chalk to donate to the Occupy Movement.
FFI: Call WAMM, 612-827-5364.


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Claire Stoscheck cstoscheck [at] gmail.com
End ICE  3.31 12noon

END IT, DON’T MEND IT: MIRAc denounces ICE’s Secure Communities program and
calls for its termination in a rally on Saturday
Minneapolis, Minnesota- March 31, 2012- The so-called “Secure Communities”
program (SCOMM) has been characterized by deception both to the public and
local and national lawmakers. The program more or less turns police into
immigration agents by obligating them to cross check detained immigrants
against a national fingerprint database.  In addition to tearing families
apart, this program decimates the trust between immigrant communities and
local law enforcement that is necessary to protect against crimes like
domestic violence, where trust is vital to effective reporting.

MIRAc, the MN Immigrant Rights Action Committee, will be holding a rally at
Lake and Bloomington on Saturday, March 31 at noon and therefore joining
the national push to end this horrible program.

Any day now Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is expected to
announce a second round of “reforms” to the Secure Communities deportation
program.  This announcement is coming only days before the DHS Office of
Inspector General Report on the program is set to be released.  Once again,
ICE is moving for cosmetic reforms to a fundamentally flawed program in
light of mounting national criticism that has been widespread since its
introduction in 2008. Immigrant rights, religious groups, unions and other
groups across Minnesota have been unequivocal in their condemnation of the
program.  Three states and numerous cities have demanded to be removed from
the program, but ICE has refused their requests.

With such widespread criticism from immigrant rights groups and local law
enforcement, it is incredible that President Obama has continued his goal
of using the program to reach the yearly deportation quota of 400,000.

In light of Obama’s failed campaign promises in regards to immigration and
his continued assaults on immigrant families, this is a unique opportunity
for the president, as well as local politicians, to demonstrate leadership
and end this fundamentally flawed program.

The Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action committee (MIRAc), a grassroots
organization which works for immigrant rights, strongly denounces the
Secure Communities program and joins the national call to “END IT, NOT MEND
IT”.  We cannot tolerate programs in our community that so strongly erode
the safety of our homes and families.
Contact:
Mikael Pensec
pensecm [at] gmail.com612-702-4989


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From: "Occupy Minneapolis" <Operations.OccupyMpls [at] gmail.com>
Occupy Mpls 3.31 12:30pm

Join us Saturday, March 31st when we will be marching from Loring Park at
12:30pm, heading down Hennepin Avenue and ending at Peavey Plaza to stage a
daylong occupation and “People’s Festival.” The People’s Festival will
celebrate the diversity and creativity of the movement and offer an
opportunity to plan for the reoccupation to take place at Loring Park and
Peavey Plaza on April 7 at noon (LINK:
http://www.facebook.com/events/125914217536954/).

It is time to do some major spring cleaning. The economic and political
systems of this nation and abroad have to change in order to fulfill the
promises that have been made to those that hold them up. We are about to
see a full revival of the ambition and perseverance that is at the core of
this movement and are exhilarated with the prospect of what is to come.

The march will wake up the city and get people excited for many more
actions and events that will take place during 2012. Come to celebrate the
energy of the Occupy movement and help make it kick off the reoccupation
strong on April 7th and beyond!

Join the march and let your voice be heard. The American Spring is upon us
and we cannot let this unique moment in our history slip away!


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From: Michelle Gross <mgresist [at] visi.com>
Subject: CUAPB 3.31 1:30pm

Meetings: Every Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Walker Church, 3104 16th Avenue
South http://www.CUAPB.org <http://www.cuapb.org/>

Communities United Against Police Brutality
3100 16th Avenue S
Minneapolis, MN 55407
Hotline 612-874-STOP (7867)


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From: Vanka485 [at] aol.com
Subject: Northtown vigil 3.31 2pm

Peace vigil at Northtown (Old Hwy 10 & University Av), every Saturday 2-3pm


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>From Seasnun seasnun [at] gmail.com
Tour Coldwater 3.31 2:30pm

Tour Coldwater
Saturday, March 31, 2012
2:30-3:30 PM
The National Park Service will lead the walk.
Free. Open to all.
Weather Saturday: 70-degrees, partly cloudy
Meet at the Front Gate to Coldwater Spring

DIRECTIONS: Coldwater Springs is between Minnehaha Park & Fort Snelling, in
Minneapolis, just North of the Hwy 55/62 interchange. From Hwy 55/Hiawatha,
turn East (toward the Mississippi) at 54th Street, take an immediate right,
& drive South on the frontage road for ½-mile to a parking meter. Coldwater
is at the end of the road.

PARKING ALERT: Parking meters cost 75-cents per hour until midnight. Either
bring quarters or plan to park in the neighborhood, across Hwy 55.
Note that dog-walkers will also be out in full force and use the meters, so
parking in the neighborhood and walking over is a good option.
Info: www.friendsofcoldwater.org


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From: CMEP
Palestine 3.31 4pm

• Saturday, March 31, 4pm, at Spring Lake Park High School, Central & 81st
Av. NE, Spring Lake Park, MN: Al Quds—Pursuit of Justice, Palestine Day
2012.

Palestinian food served 4-5:30pm. Keynote speaker Kristin Szremski; Debka
dancers from Milwaukee and Twin Cities; play titled “Palestine Bleeds.”
Tickets at door: adults $10, kids 4-11 $5.


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From: Amber Garlan
Rhoda Gilman book 3.31 7pm

The Green Party book club is reading “Stand Up! The Story Of Minnesota’s
Protest Tradition” by Green Party member and historian Rhoda Gilman.

This wonderful book is about the history of protest movements in Minnesota.
Minnesota has a strong history of third parties.  One of the most
interesting people Rhoda writes about is Ignatius Donnelly.   “Donnelly led
those who favored a third party and succeeded in creating a national
committee for a People’s Party…and “Populist” became a household word.” In
1892 Ignatius Donnelly wrote a preamble to the platform adopted by the
People’s Party.  What he wrote in 1892 could have been written yesterday.
“We meet in the midst of a nation brought to the verge of moral, political
and material ruin.  Corruption dominates the ballot box, the legislatures,
the Congress, and touches even the ermine of the bench.  The people are
demoralized.  Many of the states have been compelled to isolate the voters
at the poling places in order to prevent universal intimidation or bribery.
 The newspapers are subsidized or muzzled; public opinion silenced;
business prostrate, or homes covered with mortgages, labor impoverished,
and the land concentration in the hands of capitalists.  The urban workers
are denied the right of organization for self-protection…The fruits of the
toil of millions are boldly stolen to build up colossal fortunes,
unprecedented in the history of mankind…” “Stand Up! The Story Of
Minnesota’s Protest Tradition” by Rhoda Gilman, page 39

Saturday, March 31 at 7:00 in the community room between 161 and 163 on
Erie Street in St. Paul.  The Green Party book club meets the last Saturday
of every month at 7:00. Peace,Amber


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>From Mizna
Mizna journal 3.31 7:30pm

Join us to celebrate the publication of Mizna's 24th issue, with a focus on
Literature in Revolution. This timely issue contains prose, poetry, and art
from people on the ground in Syria, Egypt, and Morocco, as well as the
perspectives of Arab Americans including the literary luminaries and
activists Mohja Kahf and Remi Kanazi. We are working on including Maimouna
Alammar, an author in Syria, via Skype.

Local authors will be reading their work from the journal. We'll pay
tribute to the artist Ahmed Basiony who was killed in Tahrir Square during
the Egyptian Revolution and feature his visual art. Reception afterward.

Saturday, March 31, 2012
7:30 p.m.
$5 General * $3 Students
Open Book * 1011 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis 55415
A percentage of the proceeds will be donated to help the people of Syria.


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From:  John Kolstad jkolstad [at] millcitymusic.com
Kolstad blues 3.31 8pm

Papa John   Acoustic Blues this coming weekend at Merlin's Rest.
Saturday, March 31,   2012

Papa John Kolstad is doing an Acoustic  12 String and Blues night at Merlin
Saturday, March 31,   with  Gary Schulte [brilliant blues and jazz fiddle],
 Sam Fiske [Fat New Orleans Trumpet sound] and Tom Lewis one of the Twin
cities top Upright Bass players,  and Scott  Sansby  is planning to sit in
on Scrub board.    8   to 12  PM,   No cover and good food and drink.
 Street Parking is easy.

I don't haul out the 12 string that often,  but Merlins has asked me to do
it.   I will play some 6 str also and do some swing and standards.  But I
plan to focus more on blues.   Pass it on.     Reservations are recommended
if you want to get a table.   Merlin's 612/216-2419.

       Future dates   for Acoustic Blues at Merlins:
The Acoustic Blues Thursday   featuring Papa John Kolstad  and hopefully
regular guests will  be the 4th Thursday of each month, Except   in May it
will be the 31  which is the 5th Thursday.
So it would be
April 26
May 31
June  28
July  26
August  23
After that we'll see.


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Robert Greenwald on the New Film 'Koch Brothers Exposed': The 1% at Its
Very Worst
By AlterNet      29 March 12

[Thank god the exposure in question is not full frontal nudity - ed]

Robert Greenwald and his Brave New Foundation will tonight debut their
feature-length film, Koch Brothers Exposed, in New York. (The DVD is
available here; see the two-minute trailer for the film on the last page of
this article.) Koch Brothers Exposed weaves together a series of short
films produced over the course of the last year or so as part of an online
video campaign of the same name. As principals of Koch Industries, the
second-largest privately held corporation in America and one of the
nation's top polluters, the Koch brothers have grown notorious for their
funding of think-tanks and astroturf organizations that aim to deregulate
business and scale back government programs such as Social Security,
Medicare and the new healthcare reform law.

Koch Brothers Exposed zeroes in on several aspects of the Kochs' impact by
focusing on the people most affected by the brothers' use of their billions
to buy politicians and ignore regulators. In North Carolina, we meet high
school students whose lives would have been gravely impacted had
Koch-allied politicians succeeded in undoing the desegregation of the Wake
County school system. In Arkansas, the filmmakers take viewers to a
community that is riven with cancer, the likely result of toxic dumping by
a Koch-owned paper plant. We meet voters in Missouri and Texas who find
themselves disenfranchised by a voter-ID law pushed by an organization
funded with Koch money.

Before becoming an activist filmmaker, Robert Greenwald enjoyed a long
career in the world of commercial film and television, directing the
feminist classic, The Burning Bed, and earning a Peabody Award for Sharing
the Secret, a 2000 made-for-TV movie about a teenager with an eating
disorder. He also directed the cult classic, Steal This Movie, about his
late friend, Abbie Hoffman - which may speak to where his heart was all
along. The advent of Fox News launched Greenwald into the role of an
activist when his Brave New Films launched with Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's
War on Journalism. Since then Brave New Films and Brave New Foundation have
produced a torrent of video shorts and films, including Wal-Mart: The High
Cost of Low Price, Rethinking Afghanistan and Iraq for Sale: The War
Profiteers.

AlterNet sat down with Greenwald to discuss the value of storytelling as an
organizing tool - and to explore just what makes the Koch brothers "the 1
percent at its very worst."

 AlterNet: What drew your interest to the Koch brothers as a vehicle for a
broader story? These guys are your poster boys, but they're poster boys for
something even larger than themselves.

Robert Greenwald: What we always try to do with Brave New Foundation films
is to connect the dots. I think it's very important that people understand
how whole systems work - and that it's not a question of a rotten apple, be
it Wal-Mart, or be it war profiteers, or be it the Koch brothers. In all
these cases, they are representative of the fact that there are structural
and systemic inequities in our society.

The Koch brothers, as you say today, are perfectly out of Central Casting
[as typecasts for] rich, arrogant, conservative billionaires. But they're
not the only ones. What drew my attention to it was Jane Mayer's brilliant
piece in The New Yorker, and articles by Lee Fang and [AlterNet's] Addie
Stan - and the realization that this was an opportunity to do what we do,
which is build narratives. Now we can't, and shouldn't, do everything.
There are certain issues that should absolutely remain in the hands of
policy folks, or think tanks or position papers. But the Kochs are
breathing, human representatives of the worst of the 1 percent - and it's
the way they use their money to advance their economic self-interest and
their ideology. And that's important.

It's not just about having money; it's the use of the money, the use of the
power - it's the use of the money and power to impress and take advantage
of others. And it's the fact that they are fighting tooth and nail to make
sure that capitalism has absolutely no restraints on it. And capitalism
without restraints is a very ugly beast.

A: You embarked on this initially as a series of shorter films. What led
you to that approach? Each of these films dealt with very different aspects
of the Koch brothers' activities. When you set out to make these shorter
films, did you have a longer film in mind?

RG: When we started the Koch Brothers Exposed campaign, we were not
thinking - or I was not thinking - of a longer film. It was similar to our
work around Afghanistan, were we learned - you know, one of the things
that's exciting about working in digital media is how quickly everything
changes.

A: One of the challenges, too.

RG: Oh, my god! We could have a long session just on the changes on
YouTube, which has been phenomenal in a short period of time. But we
realized with the Afghanistan work - and there we did it because we really
had no choice; we had no money and no funding at the beginning, so we were
only able to do a couple of short pieces. But with each short piece, we
found that we were building an online community, and so we used that same
approach with the Koch brothers.

And so, one piece was around Social Security, one piece was around
environment, one piece was around Wisconsin, one piece was around education
- and what we were doing was we were reaching an audience with particular
interests in that aspect of the Koch work. And, frankly, very strategically
reaching out to audiences so they could see how the issue they care about
most profoundly was being attacked by the Kochs. And then a couple of
months into it, we realized that there was an opportunity for a full-length
film here.

We fortunately were able to raise some money to allow us to take the short
pieces - we went online, we asked people for help, we had a very strong
response from thousands of our small donors and some wonderful larger
donors and a foundation or two who said, We think this is important. We
think it's important because it's talking about the structure, it's talking
about the way the system works, and it's connecting the dots between these
various issues: Social Security, resegregation, buying up politicians,
buying up college professors. And, overall, it's the money in politics
frame. This is what you can achieve when you have money, when you have
power, when you have access and you're willing to use it for your own
narrow self-interest.

A: By doing this film in these pieces that look at all different aspects of
what these guys are up to because of their broad reach, do you
inadvertently build a coalition? One piece of the film that is so moving is
about an African-American community in Arkansas that is decimated by cancer
because of the apparent dumping of toxic waste by a plant owned by Koch
Industries. You have the environmental community galvanized by parts of
your film. You have the voting rights community targeted by another part of
the film.

RG: Definitely. And as we realized the size and scope of what the Kochs
were doing, it became very intentional. One of the problems in the
progressive movement, all too often - and, you know, people have talked
about this endlessly - the separate silos, the single-issue folks who are
both focused and funded to do a single issue - but how do you encourage and
work so that the issue people come together and see the importance of the
fact that the people who are attacking the environment are attacking Social
Security, are attacking public education, are attacking and buying
politicians, are attacking an African-American community, etc., etc.

[The Koch brothers] are a perfect example of the interlocking interests of
the 1 percent, and how they are using, again, their money, their power,
their access on a series of issues. And woe unto us if we do not see that
and if we do not connect those dots, and if we do not bring all of those
communities together. I'm actually thrilled that we have more than 40
groups working with us on this - from the NAACP to Greenpeace to DFA
(Democracy for America) to a whole series of unions. And it's been very
exciting to see and be a part of building and growing that coalition.

A: Social media has been your primary means of distribution, particularly
on the short films. Koch Brothers Exposed is being made available on DVD,
but how else do you plan to distribute it?

RG: There will be the 40-plus groups - and they've been critical to every
undertaking we do. There will be progressive media, led by AlterNet, which
have been, as on every single film, extraordinary partners. [Progressive]
radio stations and televisions and the Huffington Post - there's been all
kinds of places where attention has been given to the specific campaigns
[such as Rethinking Afghanistan and Wal-Mart]. Then there is the very, very
active Facebook presence, and lots of work using Twitter, of course. And
then in what's gonna be a major breakthrough, we're going to be in
somewhere between 50 and 60 million homes with streaming and
video-on-demand (via cable and satellite networks). That doesn't mean that
all 60 million people are going to watch it, but it's going to be an option.

A: Are there times when you find yourself surprised by who you're actually
reaching? For instance, in Addie's research, she stumbled upon an opera
blog that featured your video on the North Carolina school board takeover
by Koch-sponsored advocates of resegregating the school system. The link
there is that David Koch is a significant patron of the New York City
opera, and this blogger was issuing a warning to other opera buffs about
tainted Koch money.

RG: One of the things that people often don't understand about digital
media online is that they'll say, you know, you're only reaching people who
agree with you: You really should do an op-ed in the New York Times. And I
kind of smile to myself and think, the only people who read an op-ed on a
certain subject in the New York Times - and I love the New York Times - are
a very self-selected group of people. But when you put narrative content on
digital platforms the possibilities are limitless because - and the opera
blog is a perfect example, because that's gonna reach opera audiences. It's
not going to reach red, white or blue; it's not gonna be defined by
Republican or Democrat; t's going to be defined by opera.

And similarly, with some of the health folks that we are reaching with this
because of the cancer in Arkansas. The fact that religious communities are
spreading these around because they see a moral and religious issue around
the Kochs. The fact that older people are spreading and using some of the
Social Security stuff, which, again, we know cuts across Republican or
Democrat. So that's the beauty of the potential with the digital platforms.
And video is a perfect way to do that - video passed on by friends,
relatives, even coworkers, is among -- and the advertising agencies have
tested this - the most effective and impactful ways [to convey a story].

Because people don't trust 30-second [television] spots. You can show me
all the data in the world about how many homes [are reached by] the
30-second spot. But the impact is the real key, because regardless how many
homes it's in, how many silence it? How many are watching on Tivo and
fast-forward through it? And how many, particularly 35 and under, just
don't trust TV ads? Versus something forwarded to you from an opera blog,
or from a member of your church.

A: Returning to the Arkansas segment of Koch Brothers Exposed - the story
of a small town that is riven with cancer, apparently because of toxic
dumping by a Koch Industries Georgia Pacific factory. The rest of the film
- in very different ways and in very different circumstances - mostly
highlights the Kochs' involvement in government or politics, whether it's
the attempt to resegregate the Wake County school system in North Carolina,
or the voter ID laws passed by state legislatures across the country, or
attempts to scale back Social Security.

Then we go to this community in Arkansas, where way too many people are
dying of cancer, and it's a very poignant story. The scenes in the cemetery
are just gut-wrenching. What made you decide to use that story, and how did
you decide where to place it in the film?

RG: What I've tried to do in as many of the films as possible is to make
the personal political, so that people understand it's not them as
individuals, and it's not even their fault or a result of the alignment of
the stars, but it's the way the system works. Whether it's the individuals
in Wal-Mart, whether it's the individuals in Iraq for Sale, it's always
important to find those people who exemplify what we're talking about.
Because otherwise the discussion is too abstract; it's an abstract
discussion about ideology and its consequences. But if you see people
bleeding and hurting and paying a price, then it brings it home. So that's
the overview.

In this particular case, a couple of things that i read came together. One,
that Koch [Industries] was one of the worst 10 polluters. Two, that David
Koch was a cancer survivor himself. And, three, that [the Koch brothers]
spend enormous amounts of money trying to fight regulations that would
protect people from getting sick from their own factories and plants. So
putting those three ideas together… [Brave New Foundation filmmakers] Jeff
[Cole] and Natalie [Kottke]  spent five months on this - a story, by the
way, just as an aside, one would hope the corporate media would be
undertaking, but they're not, partly because they don't have the resources,
and partly because they don't care about a poor, black community somewhere
getting screwed over. So, because we had the support from the people we
did…Natalie was able to put months into finding the community and the
people, building a level of trust, going and visiting,and then getting
their agreement and encouragement and support for us to be able to go
forward.

A: Progressives and liberals - we know our facts. We like to think we can
convince the world to see things our way through reason and facts. But you
can't convey the facts without storytelling and narrative, and despite the
great number of artists and creative people who identify themselves as
either liberal or progressive, the right often does a better job at
creating a narrative - often a narrative with which facts do not comport.
What do you have to say to AlterNet readers about the importance of
storytelling and narrative?

RG: This is a very important discussion; it's very critical, because many
wonderful, committed, passionate progressives really believe that if we can
turn out one more white paper with 17 points about how to fix Problem X,
the the world and the axis would shift. And they truly believe that because
they are in a distinct minority of people who function primarily with their
rational brain. But there's all kind of scientific evidence, psychological
evidence, that that's not primarily the way you reach people; it's not the
way you move people. It's not the way a great majority of people make their
decisions. And what we do at Brave New Films and Brave New Foundation
always, and this comes from my commercial background in storytelling, is,
you reach the heart first. And if you reach the heart first, then you can
access the brain - and you can access change and movement. But if you start
with the multifaceted position paper, it's very hard to move people.

So narrative becomes important, because that's the way that you touch
people, that's a way that you get them feeling something, and then you open
up their brain so that you can change their position, so that you can
encourage them to think differently.

A: We're in the throes of a political season that is one of the angriest
we've seen in a good, long while. Given that context, how would you like to
see people use Koch Brothers Exposed?

RG: Probably the most exciting thing of all in doing these films is that
people find all kinds of ways of using them that we at the Brave New
Foundation would never dream about. I mean, the most creative and inventive
ways. People have shown them in bowling alleys, in church basements, on
college campuses. I think the primary thing is that with the films, with
the digital media, everybody can do something. Everybody can get a copy of
the movie and do a screening. Or everybody can get a copy of the movie and
donate it to the library. Or everybody can get a copy of the movie and give
it to a church or a social group - or show it at any one of the many places
today that have TV screens.

And that's another reason that we do these films but do not focus on
getting them into theaters, where the bar to entry is high - $9, $10, $11.
No - put them in every possible place where people congregate, because
where they congregate today, there's almost always a TV screen. You know
the ultimate goal is organize, organize - and then, organize.


--------13 of 14--------

Two Occupy haikus   [Haiku Open]
Janet Nye


In a forlorn world
blooms Occupy, all over.
My secret, mad hope.

People ask just why
I've broken out my old smile.
I say:  Occupy

--Janet Nye


--------14 of 14--------

How Would God Vote?

God goes to vote.
Ok, big fella, where’s your voter ID?
What? I’m god!
Yeah, right, you and a dozen others could come in with that line. How do we
know you’re not some other god trying to mess things up for Jehovah?
 But I am Jehovah, goddammit!
 OK, that’s it, you’re outta here!
 But..But...Wait…

 -ed

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           ShoveTrove
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