Twan's List

New Orleans Photos by Paynie

Have a look at Paynie’s excellent photographs from his visits to New Orleans, documenting the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Any purchase will result in a donation being made to the Burners Without Borders organization.

Sez Paynie:

As you fly into New Orleans, it looks normal.

As you drive away from the airport, it looks strange.

When you stop and get out of your car, it???s devastating.

50% of any funds will be donated to Burners Without Borders.

Please help by passing this link around.

Paynie

OrganicFoodee hosts a fun event against climate change

Step It Up 2007 at The Hollywood Sign

April 14, 2007 01:00PM to 03:00PM

Event Description:

• Take a hike to the Hollywood Sign!

Location:

• Hike up there through Bronson Canyon, from Canyon Drive in Hollywood.

Directions:

• Drive north up Bronson Avenue until it bcomes Canyon Drive.
• Continue up Canyon Drive until it becomes Brush Canyon Trail.
• At the end, the road enters the gates to the park which is at the bottom of Bronson Canyon.
• Either park up here, or
• keep driving on Brush Canyon Trail until you reach the car parks on the right or later on the left.
• Now it???s time to take a hike up the dirt trail until we???re all under the Hollywood Sign.

Key Facts about Step It Up 2007:

1. This is the largest day of action against global warming in the history of America.
2. It???s a nationwide campaign, with 1100 actions in 50 states, ranging from a rally of thousands in New York City to a community of senior citizens in Ohio holding a global warming awareness day. Go to StepItUp2007.org to find out more.
3. We have one unified message:

• For Congress to cut America???s carbon emissions 80% by 2050???
• (less than 2% reduction per year, something easy for us to do!)

Ysanne Spevack, Editor of OrganicFoodee.com says:

???Let???s have fun while raising awareness about climate change??? And what could be more fun than a hike to the Hollywood Sign? We???re hoping OrganicFoodee.com readers and their friends will bring delicious organic goodies to share under the Sign, and that the whole hike will have a fun party vibe. The press will be watching, so let’s make sure there’s a whole bunch of people out having a good time and making their views about climate change known to the world.???

Ysanne

Friend, musician and fellow adventurer Scott Huckabay was in Hawaii giving his mother’s ashes a final parting. A hot water pipe broke in his place while he was gone and it basically destroyed everything.

Like many folks who are musicians and artists whose crafts, skills, and talents bring joy to our lives, Scott was not insured.

Lyra writes:

Conditions were perfect for mold and it had about a month to do its thing throughout his home and its contents including several of his guitars, master tapes, and computer. Good news is that he is seeing this as an opportunity to ascend to an even higher plane, fresh.

I work at an eco-friendly lifestyle store in Santa Monica, which has done art shows and things in the past, and I thought, what better place to hold a benefit for him? There will be organic wine and other refreshments as well. Come and hear this amazing shamanic guitarist!

I look forward to seeing all of our Southern California friends! I’ll be putting out event invitations soon. Tell all your friends!!

Blessings and love,
Lyra

• Suggested donation: $10
• 10% of in-store sales will go directly to Scott!
• Fine art raffle!
• Proceeds to Scott!

Sunday, April 1st, 7-9pm

• Earth Accents
• 2665 Main St Suite D.
• Santa Monica, CA 90405

message me for the phone number of the store.

I’ll be looking for volunteers to help out with the door, refreshments, and security (it’s a store with small items, after all) so all help would be appreciated!

Scott’s site, if you haven’t heard him

Blanket Drive for the Homeless

Poverty Matters is in the process of collecting blankets for the homeless. We deliver them directly to those living on the streets in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles.

If you can donate a blanket, please bring it to one of the donation centers listed below.

Thanks.

Los Angeles:

• Westside Jewish Center
• 5870 W. Olympic Blvd. (Between Fairfax and LaBrea)
• Los Angeles
• (Please ring the bell for entrance to the lobby area)
• Drop off 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ring the front door bell for entrance

• Bill Brady Classic Car Collection
• 17514 Ventura Blvd. Encino 91316
• Drop off 24 hours/day through Outer Gate.

South Bay:

• The Comic Bug
• 1015 Aviation Blvd.
• Manhattan Beach (1 blk south of Manhattan Beach Blvd.)
• Tues . Sun 10:00 am . 7:00 pm (closed Mon.)

And, join us Saturday March 10th for our next Homeless Outreach in the Skid Row Area of Los Angeles. Starting at 5 pm.

If you would like to join us on Saturday, please contact Poverty Matters.

Warm Regards,

Susie Shannon
Executive Director
Poverty Matters
(323) 939-5475

Legalized Drugs in Rio?

Governor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, calls for Legalizing Drugs to Fight Crime from Drug Trade

Rio???s Governor Joins Latin American Leaders in Call for International Dialog on the Harms of Drugs and Drug Prohibition

Contact: Tony Papa (646) 420-7290

Rio de Janeiro Governor Sergio Cabral on Friday called for legalizing drugs as a strategy to fight the ongoing drug-related gang violence that is devastating his state. He expressed hopes that this would reduce the violent crime caused primarily by drug prohibition. Rio de Janeiro has one of the highest murder rates in Latin America, due primarily to outbreaks of violence among different gangs, and between gangs and the police in the slums of Brazil???s favelas, where urban drug lords rule.

???The governor is merely saying out loud what so many more think but fear to say.. Rio today is like Chicago under Al Capone ??? times ten. Reforming drug prohibition won???t be as quick and easy as repealing alcohol Prohibition was, but there???s no hope for breaking the drug-crime nexus unless many more elected officials heed Governor Cabral???s call.???

Ethan Nadelmann:
executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance

Governor Cabral???s comments add to a growing list of Latin American leaders who are questioning drug prohibition and calling for new strategies, including legalization, to address the violence created by the illegality of drugs. Former Central and South American presidents, including Mexico???s Vicente Fox and Uruguay???s Jorge Batlle, among others, have called for an international dialog on how best to deal with the disastrous prohibitionist policies that are costly, futile and counter-productive.

Governor Sergio Cabral, who took office two months ago, promised that a priority of his administration would be to combat the crime stemming from these drug gangs. Several months ago, one of the governor???s first acts was to ask the federal government to send a special security force to Rio following the eruption of gang violence that caused civilian and police deaths.

Cabral questions current U.S. drug policy. When he asked, ???Is the United States correct in its conservative policy on drugs???? he responded, ???In my view???absolutely incorrect.???

You’re invited to a double feature of

“America’s Drug War”

&

“Ninja Bachelor Party”

At the DRUID film Festival in Los Angeles CA.

Sacred Cow Productions

Anyone who knows me is very familiar with the fact that I’m a huge fan of the late great, prophet, comedian, social commentarian Bill Hicks. No one has come close to the kind of truth and brutal honesty that Bill Hicks laid out on a day to day basis. Bill was a uniquely hilarious and gifted individual. In fact, I feel that one of my jobs in life is to Spread the Word of Bill. In that mission, I have remained true.

The filmmaker of the above featured film America’s Drug War is Kevin Booth, Bill’s best friend from childhood, and one of his business partners up until Bill’s unlikely and untimely death in 1994 at the young age of 32 (he died of pancreatic cancer). In fact, we just had the 13th anniversary of his passing on February 26th. It should be a national holiday. It is for me, anyway. Celebrate Bill’s life accordingly.

In any case, I hope you can make it to the screenings. It should be a hoot, and it’ll be good to give Kevin all the support I’m sure he could use! Plus, half of all the proceeds will be donated to “The Bill Hicks Foundation for Wild Life” (I love THAT play on words!)

Many thanx,

Twan

P.S. Click on the flier above to go to a great interview with Kevin Booth on Ain’t It Cool News. It’s a really good read.

More trouble for the Burning Man org. Or just a minor irritation…. You decide:

Watch the video

It’s a little bit disturbing… I hate to say it, but the people that came out of the Burning Man offices to “counter” the protesters (who seem to be expressing legitimate concerns), those people come across as complete kooks. I wonder if they had been put up to the task by their higher-ups…

Have a look and share your thoughts here.

LOS ANGELES BURNING MAN COMMUNITY TOWN HALL MEETING

2/11/7

2pm – 6pm

This is what we hope to make the first of many meetings – come and share your hope, vision, ideas (but not yer flyers).

Interested in info about Singularity?
* Want to volunteer?
* Want volunteers?
* Feel like making your voice heard?
* Well, use our soapbox.

We’ll also be announcing our first LA-specific art grant, for an Icon at Singularity. Thinking caps on, please.

Here’re some links to the Burning Man’s mission statement

And the 10 principles

So bring your bad self, your bad-ass friends and your bad-ass dreams of what we can truly be.

peace,

Patrick (aka “Eleven”) Shearn
Los Angeles Burning Man Co-regional Director

Los Angeles Burning Man Town Hall Meeting

Sunday, February 11th, 2007

2 – 6pm

Abundant Sugar
618#A Moulton Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90031

PLEASE oh please park on Moulton, Main, or the lot just in front of Abundant Sugar, and leave the main Brewery Lot to our patient and kind neighbors (that they might remain that way)

Interesting article about how the press, who are often pressured to come up with the most sensationalized stories, will sometimes resort to fabrication. Drugs and drug use has always been a popular target, which has helped keep the public confused and unreasonably emotional when it comes to the truth about drug use within the US population.

Killagrrrl is a NY burner and a kissing bandit. It doesn’t matter what coast or what city you come from, the following is a call to action for citizens of Black Rock City:

Killagrrrl recently had an aneurysm while in San Francisco on New Year’s Day which has left her in a coma on life support. She apparently has a rare progressive disorder called moyamoya.

Killagrrrl has visited many burner communities recently: Austin, Toronto, Philly… but she is from New York and most of her family and core social support system is in New York.

We are very thankful for those who are looking after her for us in San Francisco, but we would like her family to be able to visit her as often as possible. They have decided to rotate a different family member every few weeks.

Several people in NYC are attempting to raise some funds to cover the family’s travel expenses. These attempts are being put in the works and will continue to unfold over the next few weeks, as it has become unfortunately clear that Killagrrrl’s recovery will be an ongoing process.

For now, we are calling out for goods to auction and we have a paypal link set up for $$ donations. We have a raffle, a dance marathon, and perhaps a movie festival in the works.

Please refer to http://www.asylumvillage.com/killa.htm for more info and photos.

http://people.tribe.net/killagrrrl