Regular Contributors
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Dana's Guests
I am very fortunate because so many people contribute to my life everyday. People are always sharing with me about their lives or they share with me different perspectives or new ideas. I invite you to share with me whenever you'd like and I look forward to hearing from you!
05.12.08 | DALAI LAMA - Timeless Remarks
War and more war is the unsettling topic of many conversations these days, providing an opportunity for the world to reconsider –
PEACE.
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05.05.08 | BONO: ON GOD AND FAITH
Well, thank you, thank you Mr. President, First Lady, King Abdullah of Jordan, Norm [Coleman], distinguished guests. Please join me in praying that I don't say something we'll all regret.
That was for the FCC.
If you're wondering what I'm doing here, at a prayer breakfast, well so am I. I'm certainly not here as a man of the cloth, unless that cloth is -- is leather. I'm certainly not here because I'm a rock star -- which leaves only one possible explanation: I've got a messianic complex. It's true. And anyone who knows me, it's hardly a revelation.
Well, I'm the first to admit that there's something unnatural, something even unseemly about rock stars mounting the pulpit and preaching at presidents -- and disappearing to their villas in the South of France. Talk about a fish out of water. It was weird enough to have Jesse Helms come to a rock show. This is really weird.
Now, one of the things I love about this country is the separation of Church and State and although I have to say in inviting me here both Church and State have been separated from something else completely: their -- their mind!
Mr. President, are you sure about this? It's very humbling, and I will try to keep my homily brief. But be warned: I am Irish.
I'd like to talk about the...
04.28.08 | LABOR THESE DAYS: THE WORK AND MESSAGE OF BARBARA EHRENREICH
More and more people are finding it near impossible to survive in a country with such tremendous resources. The gap between the rich and the poor is widening at an alarming pace. While some of its citizens reside in multiple luxury homes, and enjoy the influence that comes with having more, America has yet to effectively acknowledge and deal with the fact that far too many of its other citizens are slipping faster and faster into a world of barely surviving. Having to choose between food and gas, medicine or mortgage, is no longer “the thing that only happens to other people”. People that, at one time felt, they were somehow in the game, are having to deal with the sobering realization that the rules have suddenly changed.
This is America’s dirty little secret...
Barbara Ehrenreich has certainly earned the credibility to speak on this subject the hard way. Going undercover to investigate what it’s like for America’s working poor and the shrinking middle-class, she has lived the nightmare of trying to make it on inadequate wages. She has discovered, first-hand, the painful reality that is often too difficult and shameful to deal with. Together in a conversation with Bill Moyers, she exposes the dirt that continues to be swept under the carpet.
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04.21.08 | Earth Day: A Speech Delivered by Al Gore
For thirty-two years now, Americans have come together on Earth Day to support cleaner air, water and land - and to strengthen our resolve to preserve the earth's God-given beauty and natural resources for generations to come...
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04.14.08 | A Peace Corps History: A Speech delivered by Theodore Vestal
Isn't it wonderful to be celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the Peace Corps? To those of us who can remember forty years ago, it seems as if it were only yesterday! Everyone who has been associated with the Peace Corps has mental stories, if not a book, about his or her adventures and trials and tribulations of learning first hand about a different culture. I'll tell you some of mine...
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04.07.08 | A Time to Break Silence : A speech delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, I need not pause to say how very delighted I am to be here tonight, and how very delighted I am to see you expressing your concern about the issues that will be discussed tonight by turning out in such large numbers. I also want to say that I consider it a great honor to share this program with Dr. Bennett, Dr. Commager, and Rabbi Heschel, some of the distinguished leaders and personalities of our nation. And of course it's always good to come back to Riverside Church. Over the last eight years, I have had the privilege of preaching here almost every year in that period, and it is always a rich and rewarding experience to come to this great church and this great pulpit. I come to this magnificent house of worship tonight because my conscience leaves me no other choice. I join you in this meeting because I am in deepest agreement with the aims and work of the organization which has brought us together: Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam. The recent statements of your executive committee are the sentiments of my own heart, and I found myself in full accord when I read its opening lines: "A time comes when silence is betrayal." And that time has come for us in relation to Vietnam.
The truth of these words is beyond doubt, but the mission to which they call us is a most difficult one. Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world. Moreover, when the issues at hand seem as perplexed as they often do in the case of this dreadful conflict, we are always on the verge of being mesmerized by uncertainty; but we must move on.
And some of us who have already begun to...
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03.31.08 | Rye Barcott - A Lesson on Living
Rye Barcott is an officer in the United States Marine Corps. He has served in Iraq.
Rye Barcott graduated in 2001 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Peace, War, & Defense, and International Studies. Formerly a Triangle Institute for Security Studies Millennium Fellow, Rye is Co-Author of "American Anthropological Association Statement on Ethnic Cleansing," and Co-Editor of Armed Conflict in Africa.
In January 2001, Rye established Carolina For Kibera, Inc. (CFK), an international non-governmental organization. A program of the University Center for International Studies funded in part by the Ford Foundation, CFK leads a medical clinic, all-girls center, and youth sports association in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya.
Rye attended UNC on a Marine Corps Option NROTC Scholarship and In 2002, he served as a member of the World Trade Center North Carolina Board of Directors. Rye speaks Swahili and is currently working on a book project entitled Kibera Blood.
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03.24.08 | Life on the Plantation: A Speech by Bill Moyers
It has long been said (ostensibly by Benjamin Franklin, but we can't be sure) that "democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."
My fellow lambs:
It's good to be in Memphis and find you well-armed with passion for democracy, readiness for action, and courage for the next round in the fight for a free and independent press.
I salute the conviction that brought you here. I cherish the spirit that fills this hall and the camaraderie we share today. All too often the greatest obstacle to reform is...
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03.17.08 | Robert F. Kennedy: An Offering of Peace and Unity
Robert F. Kennedy knew that, as a nation, united we will stand, divided we will most certainly fall. His words offer to us, a reminder of this timeless truth.
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03.10.08 | Why Can't We? : A Speech delivered by Samantha Power
She has captured our attention. Here's a peek into who Samantha Power is and what she unapologetically stands for.
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03.03.08 | Senator Ted Kennedy: 1980 Democratic National Convention Address
More than a couple of decades ago, Senator Ted Kennedy delivered a speech to the Democratic National Convention after having lost the party nomination for President of the United States, proving that how gracious you are when you lose can be just as important as whether or not you won.
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02.25.08 | Creators of the new Hope.Act.Change Website (featuring will.i.am), Syrup
There is a movement that is erupting! Come and be a part of it!
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02.18.08 | Barack Obama
On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let's face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant...
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02.11.08 | Singer, Songwriter, will.i.am
The Man Behind The Video: will.i.am
The yes we can song
by will.i.am, February 3 @635
I was sitting in my recording studio watching the debates...
Torn between the candidates...
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02.04.08 | MICHELLE OBAMA: Fear Not
Our main reason, at least the girls and I -
we are here for the state fair.
I don't know about you but we're going to get some stuff on a stick. I don't care what it is -a hot dog, a snickers bar -- we are eating everything on a stick today. But the other reason I'm here is to introduce my husband. You know the guy running for President.
Yeah. It's pretty good.
One thing I want to share with you today is that whenever I get in front of an audience I get pumped up because I am very passionate about this race. I am very passionate about my husband in this race because I know that, and I am trying to convey to all of you that, there is something very special about this man. This is why we are doing this. Because Barack and I talked long and hard about this decision. This wasn't an easy decision for us because we've got two beautiful little girls and we have a wonderful life and everything was going fine and there would have been nothing that would have been more disruptive than a decision to run for President of the United States.
And as more people talked to us about it, I mean the question came up again and again, what people were most concerned about I think was -
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01.28.08 | JOHN F. KENNEDY - We choose to go to the Moon...
A monumental and pivotal moment in the history of man...
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John F. Kennedy -
"We choose to go to the Moon..."
September 12, 1962
Listen to the entire speech. (Real Audio file)President Pitzer, Mr. Vice President, Governor, Congressman Thomas, Senator Wiley, and Congressman Miller, Mr. Webb, Mr. Bell, scientists, distinguished guests, and ladies and gentlemen:
I appreciate your president having made me an honorary visiting professor, and I will assure you that my first lecture will be very brief.
I am delighted to be here and I'm particularly delighted to be here on this occasion.
01.21.08 | NELSON MANDELA - Free At Last
A life and a legacy that inspires courage and continues to humbles the heart...
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Friends, comrades and fellow South Africans.
I greet you all in the name of peace, democracy and freedom for all.
I stand here before you not as a prophet but as a humble servant of you, the people. Your tireless and heroic sacrifices have made it possible for me to be here today. I therefore place the remaining years of my life in your hands.
On this day of my release, I extend my...
01.14.08 | MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. - I Have a Dream
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: A legacy that speaks for itself.
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I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free...
01.07.08 | BARACK OBAMA - Thank you, Iowa – A Message from Barack Obama
"There's something happening here..."
I am riveted – but I mean riveted! Could it be that we are poised as a generation to witness what we have yet to give ourselves permission to imagine?
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Thank you, Iowa.
You know, they said this day would never come.
They said our sights were set too high.
They said this country was too divided; too disillusioned to ever come together around a common purpose.
But on this January night - at this defining moment in history - you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. You have done what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days. You have done what America can do in this New Year, 2008. In lines that stretched around schools and churches; in small towns and big cities; you came together as Democrats, Republicans and Independents to stand up and say that we are one nation; we are one people; and our time for change has come.
You said the time has come to...
12.31.07 | ANITA RODDICK - A Tribute
I remember reading her book Body and Soul and being transformed. I can’t remember what made more of an impression on me, the fact that she started The Body Shop in her kitchen while taking care of two babies, or the fact that she was so doggedly committed to fair trade and environmental issues.
Anita Roddick was an icon. She was a woman who was far ahead of her time and the legacy that she leaves behind speaks with clarity about who she was and the way that she lived her life, while inviting us all to re-examine ourselves.
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12.17.07 | AUTHOR AND ECO-ACTIVIST, PAUL HAWKEN
Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, journalist and author who has dedicated his life to improving the relationship between business and the environment, and between human beings and living systems in order to create a more just and sustainable world.
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12.10.07 | A CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE: A SPEECH DELIVERED BY PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER
Take the time to read this historic speech, delivered by President Jimmy Carter in the summer of 1979. America was in crisis and fighting desperately to regain its optimism. Again, today, we find ourselves at such a crossroads, poised and ready for a change.
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12.03.07 | THE URGENCY OF NOW: DELIVERED BY SEN. BARACK OBAMA
Every once in awhile do we have the opportunity to witness the emergence of something really great...
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11.19.07 | GONE GREEN! GAYLA TRAIL AND YOU GROW GIRL
You Grow Girl™ was launched by Gayla Trail in February 2000 and has grown into a thriving online community that speaks to a new kind of gardener, seeking to redefine the modern world relationship to plants. This contemporary, laid-back approach to gardening places equal importance on environmentalism, style, affordability, art, and humour.
Now in it's seventh year online, You Grow Girl™ has become a thriving community for likeminded gardeners and even self-confessed “black thumbs.” The project's aim has always been to promote exploration, excitement and a d.i.y approach to growing plants without the restrictions of traditional ideas about gardening. While we have never said "You must do things this way" organic growing and a motto of “Do no harm” has always been the platform to start from. I strongly believe that most people take the plants around them and the food they eat for granted, and that if they are encouraged to see the wonder of plants and the relative ease with which they can be grown, it will foster a respect for nature that will extend beyond their backyards.
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11.12.07 | NORMAN MAILER
Norman Mailer passed away on Saturday, November 10th, 2007. The world collectively mourns the passing of a great writer, a controversial pop icon and a talent that will be nearly impossible to replace.
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11.05.07 | WINE JUST GOT HIP!
Courtney Cochran grew up in California's Central Valley, where she gained an early appreciation for wine and food while sampling the abundant produce at local farmer's markets and traveling frequently to the state's numerous wine regions on vacations with her family. A summer exchange program in France cemented her interest in both the French language and the country's finest export, its award-winning wines. Later, a semester at the Sorbonne during college led to extensive travel through France's most renowned wine regions and contributed to her decision to pursue a formal education in wine tasting and evaluation. It was also an excuse to drink lots of ridiculously good wine.
Courtney holds her sommelier certification from the International Sommelier Guild and the American Court of Master Sommeliers and operates a business, Your Personal Sommelier, in Los Angeles and San Francisco. The business enables her to channel her enthusiasm for wine and her knowledge of evaluating, purchasing, storing, appraising and selling wine into a livelihood.
A freelance writer, Courtney is currently working on a book about wine for savvy wine enthusiasts. Titled "Hip Tastes: The Fresh Guide to Wine," the book will be released in fall 2007 by Viking Studio, an imprint of Penguin. Courtney has passed levels 1 and 2 of the Master Sommelier program and continues to work towards the Master Sommelier title.
In addition to her wine education Courtney graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in English and French from the University of California, Los Angeles and is a member of the Phi Beta Kappa academic honor society. She also holds an MBA from the UCLA Anderson School of Management, where she studied marketing and entrepreneurship.
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10.29.07 | FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA JORDAN
Democratic Convention Keynote Address: Who Then Will Speak for the Common Good?
New York, New York, July 12, 1976
Fifth among the Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th Century
...We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. We are a people in search of...
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10.15.07 | AL GORE - Memorable Remarks
Vice President Al Gore, now the recipient of The Nobel Peace Prize, continues to be a man just ahead of his time as he continues to courageously speak out and inform. Here in a speech that he delivered just after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, his message is still one that should not be ignored.
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10.01.07 | AARON DWORKIN - Founder and President of The Sphinx Organization
This past week I had the privilege of attending a concert at Carnegie Hall. It is always a privilege to attend almost anything at Carnegie Hall, so rich in all its tradition, but what made this particular evening a particularly special one is that The Sphinx Laureates were playing!
Aaron Dworkin founded the Sphinx Organization eleven years ago as a result of his commitment to provide an opportunity to Black and Latino kids to learn how to play the string instruments, to prepare them to play professionally and to expand the opportunities available to them, on a global level. What he has created, along with his faculty and staff is breath taking and the pleasure to continue to participate with them –
is all mine.
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09.24.07 | ROB HOLZER AND JAKOB DASCHEK: The Syrup-y Sweet Life
They are business partners, friends and brothers-in-law. They are the founders of Syrup, an integrated, brand design advertising agency.
I remember when Rob and Jakob started Syrup. I remember their enthusiasm and their creative vision. I remember admiring the way that they seemed to always have fun.
I visited Rob and Jakob at Syrup recently "at the office" and they are still having fun. What impresses is the way that they have integrated their work into their entire lives. They have combined work with living and living with work - magically, providing an attractive model for the way work can -
work.
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09.17.07 | IF YOU THINK YOU CAN...
Clifton Bell reminds me of that guy we all went to high school with; the guy who everybody likes and the one who everybody always speaks well of. The fact that Clifton has been able to successfully break into the film industry is not surprising - after all, he's the guy that everybody likes. But take a closer look and you'll see that there is a definite method to his madness and a science to his art.
Clifton Bell understands what it takes to make it and he is unwilling to waste time or squander opportunity and that is just one of the reasons why people speak well of him today.
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09.10.07 | ANNE MULDERRY: She Rose Above Her Sorrow, And Took A Stand for Peace: A Speech
Just two months before that September 11th of 2001, I had moved to this village from the nearby city of Albany, which was where our three daughters and five sons were raised. We had been blessed to have a comfortable home there in a neighborhood rich in neighbors and friends, and my children had had a grace-filled place to grow-up before college and career opportunities took them away. At that time, the family home was sold, and the smaller house in the village of Kinderhook, just 30-minutes south of Albany on the east side of the Hudson River, had already become the family’s new gathering place.
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08.27.07 | PAULA'S KATRINA, PT. 1
It’s 5:30am. We spent an anxious night watching The Weather Channel. We packed our cooler and two days’ worth of clothes yesterday. We’ve got the checkbooks and insurance papers (just in case), flashlights, batteries, our cell phones and laptops. We’re good to go...
It’s a beautiful day on the coast. You’d never know there was a storm out in the gulf. More...
08.13.07 | ELIE WIESEL: The Peril of Indifference
Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, Elie Wiesel, gave this impassioned speech in the East Room of the White House on April 12, 1999, as part of the Millennium Lecture series, hosted by President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
In the summer of 1944, as a teenager in Hungary, Elie Wiesel, along with his father, mother and sisters, were deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz extermination camp in occupied Poland. Upon arrival there, Wiesel and his father were selected by SS Dr. Josef Mengele for slave labor and wound up at the nearby Buna rubber factory.
Daily life included starvation rations of soup and bread, brutal discipline, and a constant struggle against overwhelming despair. At one point, young Wiesel received 25 lashes of the whip for a minor infraction.
In January 1945, as the Russian Army drew near, Wiesel and his father were hurriedly evacuated from Auschwitz by a forced march to Gleiwitz and then via an open train car to Buchenwald in Germany, where his father, mother, and a younger sister eventually died.
Wiesel was liberated by American troops in April 1945. After the war, he moved to Paris and became a journalist then later settled in New York. Since 1976, he has been Andrew Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University. He has received numerous awards and honors including the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was also the Founding Chair of the United States Holocaust Memorial. Wiesel has written over 40 books including Night, a harrowing chronicle of his Holocaust experiences, first published in 1960.
At the White House lecture, Wiesel was introduced by Hillary Clinton who stated, "It was more than a year ago that I asked Elie if he would be willing to participate in these Millennium Lectures...I never could have imagined that when the time finally came for him to stand in this spot and to reflect on the past century and the future to come, that we would be seeing children in Kosovo crowded into trains, separated from families, separated from their homes, robbed of their childhoods, their memories, their humanity."
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08.06.07 | RECONNECTING: A CULINARY REVOLUTION - A Speech by Alice Water
Few things could be considered more important than the food that we eat everyday. What we eat, where our food comes from and how it is prepared is critical to so many aspects of our lives. Alice Waters understands the power of food and as a result she has magnified the urgency of eating consciously by identifying the relationships between how the food that we eat and the quality of our lives.
Whether we live well or not has everything to do with what we are putting into our bodies and this is the inspiration behind Alice Waters and her culinary revolution that inspires us to think before we eat.
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07.30.07 | BILL MOYERS: This is the Fight of Our Lives
On a recent trip to the Midwest, Auguste and I had the opportunity to talk with a woman about life in her town. She talked to us about how bad the job situation is and about how much things have changed for the worse. When she shared with us that she works two jobs and still can’t afford her health insurance we asked her if she had seen the movie Sicko, which is a documentary that confronts the health care crisis in America. She immediately became defensive and let us know that she had not seen the movie and didn’t plan on seeing it because she hates Michael Moore. When I asked her if she had ever seen any of his movies or read anything that he had written she answered “No. I have not”.
It is my belief that we are in the middle of a serious crisis in this country and I am not talking about our health care system or lack thereof. We are in a crisis with regard to our lack of willingness to think for ourselves about issues that profoundly effect how we can live our lives everyday. That we are so quick to form an opinion based on marketing and manipulation; that we are unwilling to do our own investigatory work and arrive at our own critical conclusions; that we are too lazy and complacent, too otherwise occupied or distracted to deal with issues that will literally result in whether we can live well or die, is our most urgent crisis indeed.
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07.23.07 | DIVINECAROLINE: Life in your words.
Meet DivineCaroline.. Just who is DivineCaroline? Read this article and find out. You'll discover what's in it for you...
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07.02.07 | L.E.S. IS MORE. EXPLORE
Established in 1992, The Lower East Side Business Improvement District (LESBID) is a non-profit, economic development organization created to revitalize the Orchard Street Shopping District, while preserving its unique and diverse character. The LESBID promotes the local businesses, hosts events and provides community beautification services.
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06.25.07 | MAJORA CARTER: SAY IT LOUD! I'M GREEN AND I'M PROUD!
I started Sustainable South Bronx in 2001 to serve as a direct response to the issues and the degradation that the South Bronx community had been dealing with for twenty years or so. I wanted it to be something that would create the kind of vision that the South Bronx community, thru various visioning and community planning workshops, had decided that they wanted. Things like waterfront development and open space and parks. Things like opportunities for living wage jobs that actually don't degrade the environment, the right to clean air and access to various transportation systems that actually allow people to live a little more humanely.
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06.11.07 | TOMMY HAYES-BROWN: We Are Family.
His whole life is about his family. His whole family is about making a difference in this world.
Tommy Hayes-Brown knew from a very young age that he wanted to adopt children one day. Today, he and his wife Sharon have four beautiful boys - the first three adopted and the fourth, their natural child, and Tommy would be the first to point out that all of his kids are just his kids.
To listen to Tommy tell stories about a day, any day in his life with his kids, is to fully appreciate the fundamental joy of -
LOVE.
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06.04.07 | CINDY SHEEHAN
Peace. We say we want it. We all wish it for one another at least once every year. But Peace, we’ve seen, doesn’t seem to come easy. Peace often comes with a price. What would you be willing to pay for Peace? How far would you be willing to go?
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05.28.07 | SEN. BARACK OBAMA
Because everyday is an opportunity to start all over and to begin again, commencement speeches always cause me to take a fresh look at what I am doing and what I want my life to be for and about. Because of his ability to offer to us, the opportunity to live a BIG life beyond our comfort and our petty concerns, and because of his amazing ability to inspire, Barak Obama is someone I like to listen to.
“Do you want to be passive observers of the way world is or active citizens in shaping the way the world ought to be?”
This is the question that he invites us to ponder; this is the choice that he invites us to make.
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05.21.07 | KATYA GRINEVA
It was a rainy Tuesday morning when we met for breakfast. I love rainy weather because it is mood evoking rhythms and colors allow you to think deeper thoughts. This was the perfect weather for a conversation with a beautifully sensitive pianist.
Katya Grineva speaks about her music with the kind of reverence that might begin to explain her genius. Everything about Katya seems to suggest that mountains move and stars align just so she can share her music.
It is clear that she was born to do what she does and her clarity about that is empowering.
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05.14.07 | ANNA ZANES
I received the following email a few weeks ago:
Hello Friends,
I am happy to invite you to a fundraiser this Sunday, April 29th with The Children of Agape, an amazing South African vocal group from the Agape orphanage in Durban, South Africa. Their orphanage burned down in 2005 and we are working to raise funds to help finish the rebuilding. I spent time with them during their last two visits to New York and I love them as people and I love their music.
This is an opportunity to help.
I am putting on this concert in cooperation with my friends at Keep A Child Alive from whom I have learned a lot about the tragedy of AIDS in Africa and the millions of AIDS orphans as well.
Please join me to help our friends at Agape and to experience their incredible music on Sunday April 29th at 2pm.
My dad, Dan Zanes, will be one of the musical guests and there will be a reception following the concert for anyone wishing to make donations beyond the ticket price.
Thank you!
Anna Zanes
Anna Zanes is a seventh grade student with all of the concerns and preoccupations of most kids her age. Yet Anna made the time and put forth the effort to help some kids who have experienced more than their fair share of tragedy.
With the help of her of Dad and a few other really cool adults, Anna has raised over $12,000 for The Children of Agape; money that will go a long way in helping them rebuild their orphanage and in getting the medicine that they need.
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05.07.07 | THE GUEST AT CENTRAL PARK WEST...
Every once in a while, something comes along that alters your consciousness, something like Levy Lee Simon's play The Guest at Central Park West.
Simon's play, which runs through June 3rd, challenges comfortable ways of thinking and being and provokes conversation that will hopefully inspire new ideas.
Brilliantly acted by a cast led by John Marshall Jones, The Guest at Central Park West delivers and is definitely not to be missed.
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04.23.07 | ONE MAN BETWEEN TWO WORLDS
If you've ever traveled, even the shortest distance, there is no doubt you've seen a bridge. It's likely that you have even traveled over one. More...
04.16.07 | ACTION AGAINST HUNGER
While dining at a restaurant recently, Auguste and Gussie and I noticed the card that came with our menu. The card was an invitation to us to give one dollar at the end of our meal that someone else might eat...
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04.09.07 | CAROLINA FOR KIBERA
In January 2001, Rye established Carolina For Kibera, Inc. (CFK), an international non-governmental organization. A program of the University Center for International Studies funded in part by the Ford Foundation, CFK leads a medical clinic, all-girls center, and youth sports association in the Kibera slum of Nairobi, Kenya.
Founder Rye Barcott, graduated in 2001 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Peace, War, & Defense, and International Studies. Formerly a Triangle Institute for Security Studies Millennium Fellow, Rye is Co-Author of "American Anthropological Association Statement on Ethnic Cleansing," and Co-Editor of Armed Conflict in Africa.
An officer in the United States Marine Corps, Rye has recently returned from serving on active duty in Iraq. He possesses a unique commitment to make a difference for people. It is what his whole young life is about. Rye is just twenty seven years old.
I continue to support Rye Barcott and the work of Carolina for Kibera. Please take a moment to learn more about them and how they are making a difference and how you might participate.
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04.02.07 | PAUL MOMENT: Identity
Paul Moment is one of the most credible people I know.
Because of his uncompromising sense of honesty and his refreshing imagination, I always have an ear for what he has to say.
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03.26.07 | AN OPEN HEART
With her 15 month daughter in her arms, Leslie entered the room and we settled in for a talk.
Leslie is a genuinely curious person and as a result I found it was easy for me to get lost in one of my own life altering stories. She is easy to talk to. She listens well. I think that is what makes her so good at what she does; she is so able to connect with the experience of another.
Leslie Lewis Sword is a beautiful woman with a beautiful spirit telling the story of another beautiful woman with a tremendously beautiful spirit.
Well, they do say that --
"It takes one to know one..."
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03.19.07 | AN ANNIVERSARY
March 19, 2003
George W. Bush
My fellow citizens, at this hour, American and coalition forces are in the early stages of military operations to disarm Iraq, to free its people, and to defend the world from grave danger.
On my orders, coalition forces have begun striking selected targets of military importance to undermine Saddam Hussein's ability to wage war. These are opening stages of what will be a broad and concerted campaign. More than 35 countries are giving crucial support -- from the use of naval and air bases, to help with intelligence and logistics, to the deployment of combat units. Every nation in this coalition has chosen to bear the duty and share the honor of serving in our common defense...
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03.12.07 | DASHAUN "JIWE" MORRIS: Now
With his movie star good looks, Jiwe greeted me with the charm of someone from another time.
We sat and had coffee while he shared stories with me about his past; painful stories that are regrettably not so unique. It is because his story is the story of so many other young men, that Jiwe is doing what he does - spreading his message of peace.
As I listened to him share about the things that he has been through, the things that he has done, the things that he regrets and the things that keep hope alive in his heart, I predicted silently that Dashaun "Jiwe" Morris is destined to build a legacy of -
PEACE.
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03.05.07 | SELMA ALABAMA
The marches that took place in Selma Alabama forty two years ago, Bloody Sunday being the most memorable, served as a catalyst for the Voter's Rights Act.
Many sacrifices were made including loss of life as people took a courageous stand for the opportunity to participate in the democratic process - equally.
This past weekend two great leaders were in Selma, Alabama to mark another anniversary of this historical event, bringing with them a spotlight that will once again, draw our attention to the Edmund Pettus Bridge and what took place there in March of 1965; men and women who walked because they stood for something that they were willing to die for.
In remembrance...
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02.26.07 | SHALEIA REID AND JAMILA MANNING: Young Entrepreneurs
Their very first big interview was with Jennifer Hudson. They got it because they had the nerve to ask. They reached for the stars and got one and now they are not afraid to ask for the moon.
Their youthful ambition is a reminder to all of us that we really can have, if we'll only just believe...
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02.12.07 | TOMMY HAYES-BROWN: We Are Family.
His whole life is about his family. His whole family is about making a difference in this world.
Tommy Hayes-Brown knew from a very young age that he wanted to adopt children one day. Today, he and his wife Sharon have four beautiful boys - the first three adopted and the fourth, their natural child, and Tommy would be the first to point out that all of his kids are just his kids.
To listen to Tommy tell stories about a day, any day in his life with his kids, is to fully appreciate the fundamental joy of -
LOVE.
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01.29.07 | DAVID BRADLEY: Courageous
The first person on my list of friends isn't a person at all. It's more the beginning of a great journey than a circumstance. The first thing I wanted to talk about was my friend my tumor. I don't want to get into medical terms but more or less explain the story of my cancer for those of you that do not know it and maybe it will help to explain the writing of this section of this book.
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01.22.07 | COMP2KIDS - No Child Left Behind
Four years ago a friend invited me to a meeting of Comp2Kids, a newly formed non-profit organization formed to create programs to "bridge the digital divide." More...
01.15.07 | DEREK PHILLIPS : Keeping It Real
A lot of stuff goes back to when I was young. Sometimes I talk to my students and they think that I don't understand what its like for them:
"You're a teacher. You have a job. You went to college. You can't relate to what we are going through".
What I tell them is that for me, life is not easy.
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01.08.07 | GERALD FORD: A War That is Finished
This speech was given by President Ford amid the international turmoil surrounding the end of the Vietnam War in April 1975. On the very day the President gave this speech, 100,000 North Vietnamese soldiers were advancing toward Saigon, South Vietnam's capital. Meanwhile, leaders from around the world, and the North Vietnamese themselves, waited to see how the United States would react to the pending collapse of South Vietnam, which the U.S. had fought hard to preserve.
The answer came from President Ford during this speech in which he declared the conflict "a war that is finished as far as America is concerned," and urged the young Americans in his audience at Tulane University to look toward the future instead.
A week later, Saigon fell and South Vietnam surrendered to the North Vietnamese. Vietnam was thus unified under a Communist regime that remains in power today, some 30 years later.
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01.01.07 | EVA MCKEND: Promise's Promise
I met Eva for lunch about a week before school was to begin. I had Gussie with me. We ate salads.
As I spoke with Eva she unfolded as this extremely wise, surprisingly thoughtful and disarmingly capable woman with a child's profile. She is in high school, yes, and I was challenged to match her knowledge and enthusiasm for what is happening around the world today. Her self confidence in her ability to make a significant difference in world affairs left me committed to raising the bar for myself in that regard.
I met Eva for lunch about a week before school started. I am glad that I had Gussie with me...
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12.25.06 | FORMER CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA JORDAN
Democratic Convention Keynote Address: Who Then Will Speak for the Common Good?
New York, New York, July 12, 1976
Fifth among the Top 100 American Speeches of the 20th Century
...We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. We are a people in search of...
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12.18.06 | FORMER VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE Delivers Remarks on Constitutional Issues
From my desk in Atlanta, I scour Internet articles in the Clovis News Journal looking for anything that might help my brother's death make sense. We have family and friends in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, New York, Wisconsin, Texas and Illinois who are all doing the same, searching Clovis for something that we have yet to find: peace.
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12.11.06 | DENATALIE PHILLIPS: Essay From A Loving Sister
From my desk in Atlanta, I scour Internet articles in the Clovis News Journal looking for anything that might help my brother's death make sense. We have family and friends in Oklahoma, Tennessee, Georgia, New York, Wisconsin, Texas and Illinois who are all doing the same, searching Clovis for something that we have yet to find: peace.
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12.04.06 | ELIE WIESEL: The Peril of Indifference
Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate, Elie Wiesel, gave this impassioned speech in the East Room of the White House on April 12, 1999, as part of the Millennium Lecture series, hosted by President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.
In the summer of 1944, as a teenager in Hungary, Elie Wiesel, along with his father, mother and sisters, were deported by the Nazis to Auschwitz extermination camp in occupied Poland. Upon arrival there, Wiesel and his father were selected by SS Dr. Josef Mengele for slave labor and wound up at the nearby Buna rubber factory.
Daily life included starvation rations of soup and bread, brutal discipline, and a constant struggle against overwhelming despair. At one point, young Wiesel received 25 lashes of the whip for a minor infraction.
In January 1945, as the Russian Army drew near, Wiesel and his father were hurriedly evacuated from Auschwitz by a forced march to Gleiwitz and then via an open train car to Buchenwald in Germany, where his father, mother, and a younger sister eventually died.
Wiesel was liberated by American troops in April 1945. After the war, he moved to Paris and became a journalist then later settled in New York. Since 1976, he has been Andrew Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University. He has received numerous awards and honors including the 1986 Nobel Peace Prize and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was also the Founding Chair of the United States Holocaust Memorial. Wiesel has written over 40 books including Night, a harrowing chronicle of his Holocaust experiences, first published in 1960.
At the White House lecture, Wiesel was introduced by Hillary Clinton who stated, "It was more than a year ago that I asked Elie if he would be willing to participate in these Millennium Lectures...I never could have imagined that when the time finally came for him to stand in this spot and to reflect on the past century and the future to come, that we would be seeing children in Kosovo crowded into trains, separated from families, separated from their homes, robbed of their childhoods, their memories, their humanity."
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11.27.06 | NICOLE KING-BURROUGHS: Heart and Soul
"I am not interested in dressing the world, just the few with an inimitable sense of style."
Born and bred in Detroit Michigan, King-Burroughs has held style court on the East and West coasts for over 10 years.
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11.20.06 | JOHN POLLACK: The Quiet Storm
In 1989, the image of one man standing in front. Can one man, willing to take a stand, make a difference? Can one person stop the powers that be dead in their tracks?
Remember Tiananmen Square?
Profiles of that kind of courage seem hard to find these days but, if you are willing to look then you will indeed find,
examples of that kind of heroism.
John Pollack, or JP as he is fondly known amongst his friends, is just such an example. JP is the kind of man that I imagine somebody will want to make a movie about one day. He is the kind of man that people write books about. Like that kid who stood in front of that tank in Tiananmen Square in 1989, JP is a quiet storm. Fueled by his passion to make a difference, armed with the courage of his convictions and shielded by the power that comes with integrity, he willingly answers the call.
John Pollack thinks globally and he acts locally as he fights to preserve those principles and ideals that ultimately shape the way that each of us experiences everyday life.
An extraordinarily courageous young man captured the attention of the entire world in June of 1989, when he single handedly stopped the advance of a tank column by standing in its way...
JP reminds us all again of the power of one man willing to take a stand.
One person cheering doesn't make a whole lot of noise but, you get 100,000 people cheering and suddenly you've got a roar!
-- John Pollack
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11.13.06 | JENI BECK : We Are Here!
I had this moment recently...
You know when you remember some of the most important lessons that you've learned, that you forget, and you have to remember again? Well, I remembered that -
no one else is going to live my life for me and no one else will make my dreams come true and no one else will regret the things that I don't do.
So, I just did it!
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11.06.06 | BARAK OBAMA - Take Back America
My friends, we meet here today at a time where we find ourselves at a crossroads in America's history.
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10.30.06 | MADELINE MCCRAY: I BELIEVE I CAN FLY
I am proud of the things that I have done -- my sons and my grandchildren.
I am a mother. I have two sons Terahshea, and Uhuru. I have four grandchildren Khalil, Nadir, Elijah, and Minkhara. I always start with them because they are my proudest productions.
My sons are grown, they are 31 and 32 years old and my grand children range from two months to 13 years old. I worry that they have to live in this society. I worry about not only my own flesh and blood but the children that they will come in contact with.
I am no stranger to "the streets". I was born and raised in Harlem and Harlem will always be in my bones. It is where the foundation of so much of my character is born from. The struggles during my time were different but in terms of an emotional experience, it is still the same. I look at what young people are exposed to today, what society has embraced as "OK". The lines have been so blurred between what is right and what is wrong. I knew junkies that had more character than some of the people who wear suits and ties today. Young people really need guidance from people who understand what they are going through but at the same time do not condone their behavior. I have become very passionate about trying to pass along the things that got me through, in my own life.
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10.23.06 | LINDA MASON: The Art of Beauty
Linda Mason is first, an artist and her approach to beauty is as unique as it is fresh. With a painter's sensibility she is able to create beauty, anywhere and with anyone.
Upon walking into her shop, I am always transported into, not only to a glamorous state of mind, but to a playful one as well. Linda is delightful with an inner beauty that serves to explain -
how and why she always looks terrific!
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10.16.06 | EMILY VERELLEN: Let There Be Light!
If I were to describe Emily Verellen as an extraordinary young woman, I would be understating her courage, her creativity, her unselfishness and her commitment to being someone who contributes at a global level. I don’t know of a word that would accurately describe a young person who is more concerned about improving the quality of life for young girls halfway around the world, then they are about their own comfort.
Emily relates to all that she has done in the same way that most other people would relate to donating their spare change to a worthy cause while checking out at the grocery store.
With a humble and generous spirit, Emily Verellen raises the bar when it comes to exploring the possibilities of caring for our fellow man.
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10.09.06 | KEVIN LYNN: Kevin Shares
Kevin Lynn an inspiring example of living the life of your dreams no matter what life throws your way. He is a fighter who does not understand what it means to quit or give in. Kevin is a devoted husband and a wonderful father and I am proud to call him my friend.
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09.18.06 | GORDON CHAMBERS: Beyond Successful
It always surprises me that Gordon Chambers is not quite fully aware of his musical genius. It is refreshing however. Gordon remains humble, even as someone who has been writing music since he was a child and has written for such legends as Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle and Whitney Houston. Gordon is determined to re define what success means for him, as he strives to carve out yet another place for himself in an industry where he has already known success.
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09.11.06 | ANNE MULDERRY: She Rose Above Her Sorrow, And Took A Stand for Peace: A Speech
Just two months before that September 11th of 2001, I had moved to this village from the nearby city of Albany, which was where our three daughters and five sons were raised. We had been blessed to have a comfortable home there in a neighborhood rich in neighbors and friends, and my children had had a grace-filled place to grow-up before college and career opportunities took them away. At that time, the family home was sold, and the smaller house in the village of Kinderhook, just 30-minutes south of Albany on the east side of the Hudson River, had already become the family’s new gathering place.
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09.04.06 | KEVIN KEATING : A Time For Everything!
My life is largely shaped and driven by my work. I think maybe a bit too much. It is all consuming. I am fortunate. My work is driven by my awareness of my surrounding - political awareness; of what is happening in my, in our society. Essentially the separation between work and existence are not much. When I leave work, I don't stop thinking about what it is that I am doing. I am lucky. What I enjoy most is what I do at work. Maybe I am unlucky because there isn't much of a distinction between work and life.
My work is what I love.
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08.28.06 | PAULA'S KATRINA, PT. 1
It’s 5:30am. We spent an anxious night watching The Weather Channel. We packed our cooler and two days’ worth of clothes yesterday. We’ve got the checkbooks and insurance papers (just in case), flashlights, batteries, our cell phones and laptops. We’re good to go...
It’s a beautiful day on the coast. You’d never know there was a storm out in the gulf. More...
08.21.06 | BLANE WITHERS AND BARBARA GOLD : Remembering Marty
Marty's was brought to life as a tribute to the talent and distinguished career of Roxbury resident Martin O'Brien who lost his battle with cancer July 22, 2005.
Marty and his partner G. Blane Withers intended to open a version of Marty's together when Mr. O'Brien's life was tragically cut short. Blane and his good friend Barbara Gold decided to continue the project in his name and with his inspiration.
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07.31.06 | JACK MAZZOLA: Where Everybody Knows Your Name, and You're Always Glad You Came
At first glance, Jack Mazzola would seem to be just an ordinary, regular guy. But more than a glance will reveal that Jack Mazzola is, in fact, highly irregular.
Jack Mazzola is an extraordinary guy.
Jack is the owner of Jack's Stir Brew Coffee, an organic and fair trade coffee shop located at 138 West 10th Street in New York City's West Village.
But that is not what makes him highly irregular.
Jack serves some of the best coffee in New York and has gotten a lot of recent local and national attention including the Best Coffee Award from New York Magazine and a guest appearance on The Today Show with Al Roker and Katie Couric. And, while all of that is great, what makes Jack Mazzola so extraordinary and leaves him in a class all by himself is the simple, yet powerful philosophy that governs the way that Jack chooses to live his life.
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07.24.06 | THERESSA DUBOIS : We Are Here!
Deaf Welcome Foundation is a tax exempt public charity. We presented our business plan to the Federal Government, hoping to be approved as a non-profit organization, and to our surprise they approved us in record time and made us a public charity as well.
Right now we need to have major funding to create and produce sign language media for a deaf population that can't read. There are lots of deaf people who can not read. And so the best way to communicate with them is sign language...
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07.17.06 | NANCY MALTIN: Never Too Late
"All human beings are 'late bloomers' and all of us 'bloom' in life at different times, each of us according to our own pace."
Wise words from my wise friend, Nancy.
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07.10.06 | ROB MOREA: On Being Present
“Being present is a concept that, I have noticed, is becoming more and more difficult with our increased access to technology and information. There are many benefits to technology and information, but there is a time and place for everything.” More...
07.03.06 | TRACE GAYNOR AND STEPHEN SOTOR: Kids Do The Darnedest Things!
Recently, I discovered something that I think I should share. I discovered a story about two 13 year old boys, Trace Gaynor and Stephen Sotor, who live in Chicago and decided to make a film about -
choices and about being responsible. Their film is about consequences and hope; about compassion and better days because it is about considering life beyond what works for you, personally.
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06.26.06 | LAURA LOBDELL: One Small Step, One Big Difference
Armicitia (Latin) - to bind by friendship
It would be on her way home from a party, that Laura would, in a strange twist of fate, find a sense of urgency about her life purpose to spread peace through promoting friendship.
Laura was on her way home from a party given by her friends. She was alone. All of a sudden she began to feel sick and suspected...
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06.12.06 | R.E.U.B. DELLE: It's Not About The Shoes. Or Is It?
A lot of people dream BIG dreams, but few will do whatever it takes to make their dream come true. More...
06.05.06 | JENNIFER LEHR: Can We Talk - About Sex?
"Let's talk about sex, baby. Let's talk about you and me. Let's talk about all the good things and the bad things that can be..."
And that is just what Jennifer Lehr does in her 'brutally honest' book Ill Equipped for a Life of Sex. While this book is definitely loaded with information that is guaranteed to make you blush, even as you sit at home alone with your cup of hot coffee and good piece of chocolate, do not make the mistake of "writing this book off" as merely a book about sex, or the lack thereof as was sometimes the case with Jennifer and husband John.
There is so much more that Jennifer has to offer...
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03.27.06 | BERT M PETERSEN, JR., M.D. : Prescription for Healthy Living
When I turned forty, my skin started going, but that was okay, because my eyes started going too. So, I couldn’t see what was happening. It was like aging with the lights down low.
You know somewhere along the way between thirty and forty you begin to notice that you don’t bounce out of bed quite the same way you used to. Its usually the first hint that we are all getting older.
Often we use forty as a marker. But how do you begin to chart a course for yourself that empowers you to manage your health throughout the life cycle.
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03.20.06 | DONNA SPERRY: The Love of a Mother
This is the story of a mother's love and my attempt to honor her request to -
"Please help". More...
03.13.06 | CHRISTOPHER PIZZO: Make It Happen!!! No Matter How Big The Dream
Just two months before that September 11th of 2001, I had moved to this village from the nearby city of Albany, which was where our three daughters and five sons were raised. More...
02.27.06 | THE GIFT
If you've ever traveled, even the shortest distance, there is no doubt you've seen a bridge. It's likely that you have even traveled over one. More...
02.13.06 | GWEN LASTER: Let the Music Play
Gwen Laster is a violin player and she is gifted. She handles the violin as if she were born to play.
I am a violinist and the art of improvisation on violin gives me the opportunity and challenge of spontaneously transferring my musical thoughts through the facility of my instrument. My classical approach is to execute and interpret what has already been composed.
She is good but what makes Gwen Laster great is her commitment to pass her gifts on to the next generation.
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12.19.05 | RONNIE RUN: Stop And Look Me Over
North Carolina rapper Ronnie Run is clear about one thing - that he is an original and he is clear that he is trying to blaze new trails in the world of hip hop by taking people on a journey back to the past; back to old school rap...
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12.12.05 | STEVE PAGEOT: A Man Who Won't Be Denied
Steve Pageot is relentless when it comes to getting what he wants and accomplishing what he sets out to accomplish. And, although he has a manner that is quiet, gentle and easy to be with, I would go so far as to call him ruthless when it comes to making his mark.
We talked last week:
_________________________________________
"I started training to play music at the age of 3. I began with guitar, and at 13, I entered a high school called Pierre-Laporte, where I picked up the flute and studied classical music. At 17, I won the most prestigious classical music award from the Canadian Music Competition. When I turned 21, I put a recording studio together in my parents' house."
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11.21.05 | A LESSON IN LIVING
What kind of person would dedicate their life to improving the quality of life for people on the other side of the world? What kind of drive, desire and determination does it take to start an organization for people who are nothing like you? How do you do that?
This is what I wanted to know so I asked Rye... More...
11.14.05 | IT'S NOT ABOUT THE SHOES. OR IS IT?
A lot of people dream BIG dreams, but few will do whatever it takes to make their dream come true. More...
11.07.05 | ON BEING PRESENT
“Being present is a concept that, I have noticed, is becoming more and more difficult with our increased access to technology and information. There are many benefits to technology and information, but there is a time and place for everything.” More...
10.24.05 | Anne Mulderry: She Rose Above Her Sorrow, And Took A Stand For Peace: A Speech
A hot, humid summer day in New York City...June 30, 2005. I remember that it was hot and humid, not only because most summer days in New York are like that but because I had to wear a suit and tie to a very important business meeting. More...
09.25.05 | BARAK OBAMA ADDRESSES THE NATION
On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let's face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant.
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09.12.05 | PAUL MOMENT : Hurricane Season
It's not always the case, but sometimes I'm struck by the similarities of how what happens on a macro-scale in the world around me is a perfect metaphor for what's happening on micro-scale in my life and in the lives of people around me.
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