Uncle Walt's Birthday
May 31, 1819 is Walt Whitman's birthday. Look for celebrations at: Whitman Project and Poets.org - Walt Whitman
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May 31, 2007
May 25, 2007
College Essay Topics
Star Wars at 30
May 20, 2007
BoGo Solar Flashlights Deliver Light
BoGo Light - Help Light the World!
The BoGo Light is a scientific, eco-friendly breakthrough that is making an impact worldwide. From Cairo to Cape Town, from the Caribbean to the Amazon, it is improving the lives of individuals, families, and entire villages by replacing costly kerosene, candles, and disposable battery flashlights with an affordable, long lasting, solar flashlight.
BoGo means Buy one, Give one. We want our lights to benefit the less fortunate; therefore, with each light purchased in the developed world, a second identical light will be donated to an organization that will distribute it in the developing world with our direct financial support. Give the Gift of Light, and Help Us Change the World!
Solar Flashlight Lets Africa’s Sun Deliver the Luxury of Light to the Poorest Villages
NYTimes Sunday May 20, 2007
May 17, 2007
PB&J Campaign
Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich Campaign is working to combat environmental destruction and improve animal welfare by reducing the amount of animal products people eat. The PB&J Campaign approaches positive change one meal at a time by illuminating the differences one single dining decision can make.
May 16, 2007
This I Believe . . .
This I Believe is a national media project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values and beliefs that guide their daily lives. NPR airs these three-minute essays on All Things Considered and Weekend Edition Sunday. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow.
"This I Believe . . ." on NPR and Bill Gates' "This I Believe . . ." essay.
This I Believe Essay-Writing Instructions
The Original (1954) Invitation from 'This I Believe'
This I Believe photographs by Nubar Alexanian.
May 12, 2007
Poems and photographs emerge
"American Image"
By Sebastian Matthews
I want to be Walker Evans
or Robert Frank setting up shots
in the street—renegades
in Brooks Brothers suits
with Leicas draped on their chests
snapping shots of the downtrodden,
of churches, bits of billboard, bored
debutantes at posh parties
you'd have to fast-talk your way into;
or aboard an ocean liner, itching
to disembark; down in the boiler room
waiting for the foreman to look away
so you can frame his profile
with an arabesque of pipes
and release valves. I'd want to be out
on assignment taking far fewer rolls
than I'm being paid for, down
south alongside sharecroppers
and the sunburnt poor—trying to steal
moments, not souls, to find the past
inside the present, catch the already
falling out of fashion.
From We Generous. © Red Hen Press, 2007
Also by Sebastian Matthews: My Father's Garden: Tending a literary legacy
By Sebastian Matthews
Poets & Writers, Inc.
May 07, 2007
On Tools
Wendell Berry's standards for technological innovation are as follows:
1. The new tool should be cheaper than the one it replaces.
2. It should be at least as small in scale as the one it replaces.
3. It should do work that is clearly and demonstrably better than the one it replaces.
4. It should use less energy than the one it replaces.
5. If possible, it should use some form of solar energy, such as that of the body.
6. It should be repairable by a person of ordinary intelligence, provided that he or she has the necessary tools.
7. It should be purchasable and repairable as near to home as possible.
8. It should come from a small, privately owned shop or store that will take it back for maintenance and repair.
9. It should not replace or disrupt anything good that already exists, and this includes family and community relationships.
Community in 17 Sensible Steps from Utne Reader
Why I am not going to buy a computer
Scythe Supply Wendell Berry essay: "A Good Scythe: Here's a case where a hand tool outperforms its motor-driven counterpart."
May 04, 2007
Sherman Alexie
Alexie's Flight Book Tour Blog
The journey for this young hero begins as he’s about to commit a massive act of violence. At the moment of decision, he finds himself shot back through time and resurfaced in the body of an FBI agent during the civil rights era. Here he will be forced to see just why “Hell is Red River, Idaho, in the 1970s.” Red River is only the first stop in a shocking sojourn through moments of violence in American history.
This is a great read about Robert Johnson arriving at a Spokane Indian reservation and the inspiration he finds and leaves there. Sherman Alexie also wrote the screen play for the film Smoke Signals.
Sherman Alexie Links at the Internet Public Library
Reservation Blues-Home-Seattle University
Sherman Alexie links: http://del.icio.us/dlackey/Sherman_Alexie