5-18-13 - Here's a better presentation of the last link put up yesterday. Take Action Today to End Solitary Confinement in Immigration Detention - an appeal from NRCAT - the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
5-09-13 - Congratulations to the human race for reaching the 400 parts per million for the first time in four million years or so. The World Suicide Club salutes you! Also see Species Threats - climate change.
5-06-13 - One way diagnostics, medical costs will come down - thanks Gregory
5-05-13 - RIP dear friend Peter Warshall who helped to save Bolinas, friend to chimpanzies and all living creatures, watershed savant, septic tank guru, Whole Earth editor, brother to Suzuki student Jackie, sweet guy farewell, . Just learned from Rick Levine. - DC
Great tribute to Peter from his niece Yoginrose
Tributes to Peter on funeral home site
5-03-13 - Cheap Canadian electric car - thanks McIver
4-29-13 - Truthdigger of the Week: Jeremy Scahill
4-26-13 - Happy Chernobyl Day - April 26, 1986
Starting a page for Fukushima today [a subpage of Engaged Buddhism/Current Events] featuring links and comments from Taigen Dan Leighton and John Steiner - the situation is much worse than it gets credit for being.
4-25-13 - Southern Poverty Law Center - a noble organization
4-23-13 - Oh darn - Obama's Terror Campaign
4-22-13 - Happy Earth Day
Poll Finds Americans Less Concerned About The Environment Now Than When Earth Day Began
4-12-13 - A Message From a Dying Veteran
4-01-13 - Dotty Woodson's page - praise to her for her tireless work to educate Texas communities and individuals on sound water management and conservation - one of my best buds here in Fort Worth.
3-30-13 - Japan Journalist: Situation at Fukushima Daiichi “way worse than officially announced”
Petition urging California senators Boxer and Feinstein to investigate and do something about the threat to California from further Fukushima disasters.
3-29-13 - This border checkpoint story was of interest to me because of the police state type experience Katrinka and I had recently coming up from Big Bend.
3-25-13 -
Solitary - Torture in Your Backyard
Hot spring by the Rio Grand river, soaking, swimming, waving to Mexican cowboys on the other side. Out of Big Bend on the way to Marathon car searched by Border Patrol officers with dog - and we'd never left the US. This is government spending that could be cut. Reflected on the strong arm of government seeking to crush the harmless while ignoring and creating major harm. US Border Patrol and Immigration for instance. - dc
3-22-13 - Authorities On Alert As Hundreds Of Crazed Sociopaths Enter Congressional Chambers - thanks O'Neil Louchard
3-21-13 - National Religious Campaign Against Torture announces their April hour long webinar: Solitary Confinement in an Age of Mass Incarceration.
3-17-13 - A trailer for a documentary named Midway about birds and plastic 2000 miles from a continent. Disturbing. We haven't had plastic very long. Must learn to deal with it in a less harmful way. We are capable of doing better, adjusting. Good luck to us and the birds. - dc - thanks Edgar Arnold
3-06-13 - It's the Sugar, Folks - New York Times (blog)-by Mark Bittman- Feb 27, 2013 - thanks Ron Browning.
2-27-13 - Ecological Buddhism - a Response to Global Warming
2-25-13 - Haven't checked on Project Censored in a while. Look at their list of 2013 underreported stories.
2-23-13 - Hoshyar Foundation to promote the education of women in Asia.
Think I'll start a section on Empowering Women - for the benefit of the biosphere and to sweeten things at home. - dc
2-21-13 - A note from Taigen Dan Leighton on the importance of stopping the Keystone XL pipeline with a link to a talk he gave on this. He just returned from demonstrating in front of the White House with 50,000 others. - filed on Taigen's Peace and Justice Page.
Related to this, Shudo Spring sends a link to Compassionate Earth Walk
2-20-13 - Debunking the Boston Tea Party Myth - at history net dot com - filed in current events - thanks JR
1-27-12 - First saw this in today's Fort Worth paper from Carolyn Lochhead, the San Francisco Chronicle's Washington correspondent.: Climate change may be irreversible, scientists say
Googled "global warming" and got a string of more encouraging links such as
Norway Data Shows Earth’s Global Warming Less Severe Than Feared
Checked science sites and got more dire results.
Experts Agree Global Warming Is Melting the World Rapidly
Have not noticed Buddhist groups including this subject in their projections and plans. Like the government. Like almost every institution and everyone. Individual and local actions are good I think but only massive global action it seems will help. All I do is mention it, link to it, watch and wait. Good luck to us all. - dc
1-21-13 - Remembering the Real Martin Luther King
1-14-13 - So 2012 was the hottest year on record in the US with a one degree spike that was unprecedented, usually it's one tenth this way or that. I recall Dennis Miller on some talk show a few years ago saying he could live with a world that was one degree warmer and I'm sure that's what a lot of people think. But it seems to me that thinking about the significance of the world's average temperature in terms of what it's like outside is not useful. Better to liken it to the temperature of a human, one's child or parent might bring it home better for some. We could look at the world as our mother who is running a bit of a fever with signs that the fever is going to get worse. But that analogy also doesn't quite work. The mother is fine - as George Carlin pointed out - it's her children that will suffer from her running a temperature, not her. She runs a few degrees and catastrophes happen, world order is threatened. Stephen Hawken warned that too many degrees could tip us into a Jurassic type climate not suitable for humans. Mother earth would just have different children. Meanwhile the smartest pundits like Zakaria whom I admire greatly, host conversations with authorities whom speak of the necessity of every country having continued growth, the benefits of all this cheap gas that wasn't figured on. We hear all sorts of interesting ideas and learn important facts but there seems to be a factor or two missing. We don't seem to be able to focus on serious impending problems or prepare for and do everything we can to avert catastrophe. See Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Are our leaders to blame? Again I refer to George Carlin who didn't blame the elected leaders but the electorate.
12-28-12 - Study: booze worse than pot for kids' brains
12-05-12 - David Cay Johnston on NPR about how big companies rob us blind.
11-27-12 - Author Warns 'Second Nuclear Age' Is Here - NPR
See Species Threat Department.
11-24-12 - UNEP Greenhouse Gas Emissions Report Finds Climate Change Goals Growing More Elusive
11-20-12 - We can learn about education from the Finns - This op ed in our local Marin Independent Journal points out the rewards of living in a society where people take care of each other - all for one, one for all. - dc
See Species Threat Department.
11-14-12 - A message from the National Religious Campaign Against Torture - Sixteen religious leaders will meet with White House staff on Tuesday, November 27 to urge the President to sign the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture. Please join us by signing this statement.
11-13-12 -Climate Change - it's the Heat and the Humidity
11-12-12 - New pot laws in the face of the feds - John Stewart and Andrew Sullivan have both recently pointed to the giggles that frequently accompany this topic when covered by TV media, not taking it seriously. Obama brushed it off with a joke too when legalization was topic #1 on his Internet ask-the-president thing a few years ago. But surely he knows the suffering these pointless draconian laws cause - to millions, especially to the poor and minorities. Around 750,000 arrested last year in the US followed by jail time, sometimes many years, stigma, loss of jobs, job opportunities, Federal aid to education and housing. If Obama who was a pot head had been by chance he'd not be president. - dc
Legal drugs, deadly outcomes - LA Times
11-11-12 - Veteran's Day - Support the troops - take care of them after they've served, bring them home as soon as possible, don't let politicians send them to fight without extremely good reason. Check out Veterans for Peace
Suggest we pass a law that any politician who votes to send soldiers to fight is then committed for life to work for veterans - in veterans' hospitals or with a veteran's jobs program or veteran's counseling or veteran's something. It's going to effect the people they're sending for the rest of their lives so it would effect theirs' too and they'd take the gravity of their vote more seriously. - dc
11-08-12 - Buddhism/Current Events section topics rolling around in my thought stream: , the plight of disadvantaged poor people and plutocracy, the rise of women, nuclear threat, torture, drones, war on drugs, voter suppression in the US and climate change as something that could make all other issues insignificant,
11-07-12 - For many, today is a day to rejoice. One thing to be grateful for is the rise of the scientists (Nate Sliver, TPM, Huff Post, and Real Clear Politics Poll calculators), the comedians (Stewart, Colbert, Maher), and humanists (Moyers, Hedges).
11-06-12 - VOTE
11-05-12 - A Simpson's animator comments on the election
11-03-12 - Chris Mathews and guests on Climate Change
11-02-12 - Active Non-Violence and More: Turning Wheel Media Interviews Alan Senauke
10-31-12 - Our Words Are Our Weapons by Rebecca Solnit (on Truthdig from Tom's Dispatch)
See Rebecca Solnit in Tom's Dispatch
10-30-12 - Garbage Warrior - thanks Howie
10-29-12 - Bill Moyers and Company - Plutocracy Rising - thanks Howie and others
10-22-12 - Congratulations to James Fox for miraculously meeting the Kickstart goal to raise $30,000 to finish his movie on the year of the BP oil spill, Pretty Slick.
10-21-12 - Watch: Pastor’s Speech Against Gay Rights Has Surprise Ending
10-16-12 - Only two days to go for Jamie Fox to achieve his Kickstarter goal of $30,000 to fund his documentary film on the BP oil spill. Jamie is already an acclaimed documentary film maker. (made it somehow)
10-15-12 - "We all grew up thinking soda could be part of a healthy diet. It's not. Soda is the No. 1 cause of the health crisis in America," says DR. Ritterman of Richmond, CA. Read more - from SF Chronicle
10-13-12 - Diss Information: Is There a Way to Stop Popular Falsehoods from Morphing into "Facts"? - Scientific American
10-12-12 - The US presidential debates' illusion of political choice - Glen Greenwald in in Guardian - thanks Gregory
More Greenwald in the Guardian
10-08-12 - An article by Noam Chomsky - Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are ignoring two of the gravest threats to humankind: climate change and nuclear war. Article on the article - in Truthdig
10-06-12 - Al Gore suggests Obama was suffering from altitude sickness Wednesday night. He'd arrived four hours earlier. That happens to me. One example: Security guards at Harrah's in Tahoe told me I couldn't sleep in a comfy chair near where son Clay and friends were playing video games. I told them I'd lost all my energy and couldn't stay awake. "Just get here?" one asked. "Yeah." "You've got altitude sickness. Go get a chocolate bar."
10-01-12 - Community Grows - Barbara Wenger continues greening up the Koshland Park and San Francisco and SF youth. Give generously.
9-28-12 - PDA Launches BlogTalk Radio - One Nation Protecting the Vote
9-27-12 - Pundit Sarah Silberman on Voter Suppression - an old topic for cuke's Engaged Buddhism/Current Events section -
Clean Version - failed attempt to bleep
9-26-12 - Rocky Anderson of the Justice Party is the guy Ralph Nader is supporting. Here's an article on him speaking candidly from Truth Out.
Here's the Anderson-Rodriguez official website - Vote Rocky dot org
9-22-12 - Once again Robert Moses was to me inspiring in the meeting yesterday. He met with about twenty of us, mainly veterans of the civil rights movement. - Read more
9-19-12 - Robert Moses, the inspiring leader of the 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer Project, will be in the Bay Area at an Oakland church near Mills College raising funds for Ron Bridgeforth [see article in SF Chronicle]. While he is here, he would like to meet with Bay Area veterans of the Mississippi Movement to discuss plans for a 50th anniversary gathering of the Mississippi Summer Project. He was truly a moving and humble spokesman for non violent change - and that's change I hope for. - DC - Read details
9-20-12 - NRCAT’s Preventing Torture Everywherecampaign urges President Obama to sign a new treaty to help end torture.
A mushroom for international defense as long as we preserve old growth forests. - thanks JR
9-16-12 - AMEG - Arctic Methane Emergency Group - thanks again to Brian Fikes, following up on yesterday's link on Arctic ice melt.
9-15-12 - Arctic Ice Melting fast
9-12-12 - Ron Browning asks us to sign this petition (I did.- DC):
Have fact checkers at the presidential and vice-presidential debates
I wanted to stay away from posting things about electoral politics cause then someone else will ask me to post something opposing but later I thought that well, it's not taking sides between what to me are just different imperialist servants to giant robots (read giant corporations) and the inorganic money flow though of course many sincere Buddhists take one side or another and I am going to vote and I'm sure you know who for - my favorite imperialist servant to giant robots and the inorganic money flow.
Exploring the link between junk food, government, and Alzheimer's. - from the Guardian
9-11-12 - Remembering those who died on this day eleven years ago. May we evolve toward a peaceful world where violence and revenge as policy are not seen as virtues. May we be more alert.
May we cause as little harm as possible. How many September 11ths has the United States caused in other nations since WWII?
On this day reflecting on the approximately 1500 people who die violently each day worldwide, only one tenth of those in "in conflict settings or during terrorist activities." See Trends and Patterns of Lethal Violence.
9-03-12 - CBD - revolutionizing medical marijuana
Read The Straight Dope, including a review of Smoke Signals.
I've always seen the war on pot as cruel persecution but used to be suspicious of pot as medicine but not now. The war on drugs causes more harm than the drugs is nothing new but the more I know the worse it looks - a war on superior medicine and a great overall plant. And millions thrown in cages and screwed over by our hysterical criminal justice system for involvement with pot. It's our version of burning witches.
8-24-12 - Ron Browning wants everyone to know what the NY Times has to say about TRUTH and LIES ABOUT MEDICARE.
8-06-12 - Hiroshima day - Species Threats - Union of Concerned Scientists - Buddhist Peace Fellowship
7-27-12 - received from Taigen Dan Leighton today. Add my name to those concerned. - dc
Zen Buddhist Temple in Pennsylvania Endangered by Natural Gas Fracking
An Open Letter to the American Buddhist Community
7-26-12 - A comment on Warrior monks on the Buddhist Blog. Also
Posted on Brian Victoria page
7-25-12 - Greenland Ice Melting liquidy split.
Why haven’t we rallied our collective power to mitigate climate change? - Columbia U blog
7-24-12 - Kirkus Reviews review of Chris Hedges' Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt - pardon my dwelling on this guy and his message, but this articulate fan of the Occupy Movement is talking about really serious threats to the sort of social stability necessary to have the time to meditate and secure places to do so (thus the relevance to this strictly Zen site). And he's also talking about the human race being sacrificed little by little then more by more but always person by person to institutionalized robot greed.
Somewhere around 1983 I wrote and produced an angry demented song on this subject - sort of. It's called Mr. Bigness. I've been wanting to post it ever since the Occupy Movement started. Please forgive me. - dc
7-23-12 - Chris Hedges was great as usual on Bill Moyers and Company also great as usual - yesterday. Painted a dire picture of our future as usual - unless we do something about our slavery to corporate robots. I loved it when he quoted Paul Tillich as saying all institutions become demonic. Reminds me of Ivan Illich's statement that all institutions inevitably come to thwart the purpose for which they were founded and Saul Alinsky's practice of firing the people who hired him to deal with urban community problems. We're talking corporations which "only know one word, more" according to Hedges, and governmental institutions, and religious, etc. It's another of those "can't live with them, can't live without them" things. Good luck to us all. - dc
7-19-12 - Nine great non-believer's - second Humanist post.
7-18-12 - American Humanist Association - more on this to come. - dc
7-08-12 -Oh gosh - genetic engineers explain why GMO food is dangerous. - thanks John Steiner
click
thumbnail to enlarge
7-04-12 - Happy birthday USA and
Ron Kovic and good cheer to all, this
day celebrated because, as Wikipedia states, The United
States Declaration of Independence is adopted by the Second
Continental Congress. May we continue to guarantee for each other
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Interesting reading,
reminding me that this is the day that the above mentioned declaration
explained why independence was declared two days earlier. Many other
tidbits there to contemplate on this holiday from working on the
CCA. - dc
6-26-12 - War on Drugs a boon to the spread of AIDS according to prestigious international body.
6-07-12 - While we're fiddling:
Earth Tipping Point Study In Nature Journal Predicts Disturbing And Unpredictable Changes
Green decline 'may bring irreversible change'
5-25-12 - Penn Jillette Accuses Obama Of Class Warfare on Drug Policy
Harm reduction - working to reduce the harm caused by drugs and the war on drugs
4-22-12 - Happy Earth Day.
Cuke staff takes day off to honor our interconnectivity with the land, sky, water, animals, and plants. We will go forth into the world to hug rocks, dance with trees, dissolve into the earth body. reflect on public policy, sing to the crushing treads of corporate and governmental robots which tower over us, crush our dreams, and disappear as we awaken. - dc
4-21-12 - Ken Spiker took exception to the Chris Hedges column linked to recently
4-17-12 - Critical review of Thrive movie and movement - Thrive is a bunch of New Age Libertarian, paranoid conspiracy theory, naive, wishful thinking, global warming denial hooey.
Thrive movie and movement - got it all worked out. Linked to on cuke last year.
4-16-12 - First they came for the Muslims - Chris Hedges in Truthdig -
4-05-12 - Willem Malten writes from Santa Fe: Here are two articles and together will give people insight into what happened here in New Mexico, and how a new nuclear modernization facility was stopped and some of the strategic thinking that went into that. Read more from Willem
The two articles:
Activist's experience, passion culminate in LANL project delay
On Stopping the CMRR-Nuclear Facility, Nuclear Policy, and the Future of New Mexico
4-04-12 -
Tell President Obama to stop
his war on medical marijuana. Join us in asking the President to
finally put an end to the government's war on medical marijuana.
Students for Sensible Drug Policy. Also along these lines check out
the MPP and the
Drug Policy Alliance. Millions
hassled, busted, incarcerated, ruined while robber barons and war
criminals aren't even bothered. Federal attorney in CA says medical
marijuana sends the wrong message to the children. I say she sends the
wrong message of persecution, putting people in cages for what she
disapproves of. I wonder if she drinks alcohol. I don't. I haven't
partaken of any psychoactive except caffeinated tea for years. To me
oppression of others is the worst addictions. - dc
3-15-12 - Science is the Only News from edge dot org. I remember saying to Baker Roshi that if I was in a hurry I only looked at the bridge column in the paper and if online maybe just a short BBC science article and he said that Stewart Brand said something like the title above. I like stuff like this cause I think it holds our superstitions to the fire but am skeptical about these opinions as well- dc
3-12-12 -
3-08-12 - Bill Maher on being a Christian
3-07-12 - Representative Maureen Walsh touching Remarks on ESSB 6239 - on same sex marriage bill - thanks David Cohen
2-18-12 - Things are bad.
2-23-12 - TORTURE IS A MORAL ISSUE
Solitary Confinement: Torture in Your Backyard
Dear NRCAT Friends,
On Tuesday, February 28th the First Congregational Church of Berkeley (FCCB) will be holding a viewing of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture’s new 20-minute film, Solitary Confinement: Torture in Your Backyard. Special guest, Sarah Shourd, who was one of three hikers captured in Iran and held in solitary confinement for 14 months will be speaking after the film screening. She is featured in the film, which also tells the story of how the religious community in Maine took action that helped produce significant change in Maine’s prisons: a seventy percent reduction in the number of prisoners held in solitary confinement.
Event Details:
Location: First Congregational Church of Berkeley, Small Assembly Room
2345 Channing Way
Berkeley, California
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Accessibility: Handicap Accessible
Parking: Street parking available. Pay parking available in the lot behind the church and in neighborhood lots.
Event Sponsors: TEARS ministry team of FCCB and Bay Area Religious Campaign Against Torture
Contact: If you have questions, please contact barcatreply@gmail.com.
This is a free event -- Donations accepted
We hope you will join FCCB on February 28th to learn more about solitary confinement and how to advocate ending its use in California!
Best,
Heather Rice
Director of U.S. Prisons Policy & Program
2-20-12 - Bill Moyers' Journal - Good he's back. NO, that's a mistake, though those shows were great. That's the show from two years ago. The one he's back with is Moyers and Company
2-1-12 - Excuse me for linking to this song. It's super cornball and gushy though rather amazing and has got a message like John Lennon's Imagine except for the most culturally conservative crowd. Lawrence Welk would have loved it. I'm always somewhat puzzled at so-called Christian values people when they turn their backs on those less fortunate and clamor for war (as in Ron Paul being booed when he suggested the Golden Rule be applied in US relations with other countries). when care for the poor and peaceful relations with others are the most repeated messages of Jesus. So I'll file this in CurrentEvents\EngagedBuddhism rather than Cuke the Arts Music. - dc
1-30-12 - Bill Moyers interview with Gretchen Morgenson on Corporate Clout in Washington on Moyers & Co.
1-18-12 - SOPA/PITA Blackout day - posted this for the home page.
1-17-12 - Here's how the MLK parade in Fort Worth went. Later that day I dug up old and made new notes about my bumbling experience in the civil rights movement in 1964 planning to post something but I just ended up with over four pages of notes most of them a single line, fifty lines a page. Will try to get something writ on that.
1-16-12 - Went to the parade today in downtown Fort Worth for Martin Luther King Jr. It was touching. I reflected on the past. I think I'll take a walk to a coffee shop to drink tea and write something on that. - dc
1-11-12 - The Union of Concerned Scientists has moved their doomsday clock one minute closer to doom. I read it today but can't find it now. Anyway, don't worry about it. Everything's perfect. But on the other hand, if anything comes up to nudge that minute hand back some, of course we'll do that. - dc Posted in Species Threats.
1-09-12 - Just getting ready to zap today's changes to cuke through air and wires to your computer, thinking of the amazing progress and rapid development in various scientific fields - computing, communicating, media, medicine, and ways to destroy each other. Reflecting on the news, debates, reporting, politics - that area is not moving fast, is still in Alice in Wonderland nutzoid territory. We're a psycho planet trying to wake up to sanity. Good luck to us all. - dc
11-25-11 - NY Times review of The Better Angels of our Nature on the reduction of violence in modern times - as mentioned here on cuke 10-23-11.
11-24-11 - Robert Scheer's Thanks for What? on Truthdig and I'm grateful on this Thanksgiving that he wrote that.
11-22-11 - National Religious Campaign Against Torture. Like to plug these folks now and then. That way I can feel like I'm doing something to reduce torture and can then spend the rest of the day ignoring the suffering of others. - dc
I like the Keiser Report such as this one sent by Eric Arnow. Don't really know anything about economics but that doesn't stop me from putting up stuff about Buddhism either. - dc
11-19-11 - Ken Kappel's UseForeclosureLaw is a thorough website and book. Met him at Occupy Santa Rosa. Before he gave younger son Clay a ride back to Sebastopol, he told me all sorts of awful stuff like how when one gets foreclosed on the recent laws make it where the bank gets reimbursed, not the homeowner, and then the bank can also write it off and then they can extract the former homeowner's gold teeth and sell their vital organs and put their children in coal mines to slave away for the 1%. It was maddening. Glad my field is emptiness - I'll have to leave the phenomenal problems to folks like him. - dc
11-14-11 - Kyoto Journal - the great magazine now only on the web. There are plenty of engaged Buddhist type articles.
Marijuana user persecution - arrests skyrocket in CA. Why? Cause it's easy and they're powerless - mainly black.
11-13-11 - Interesting almost effortless way to support Occupy Wall Street sort of thing.
10-23-11 - Believe it or not - the world is becoming, humanity is becoming less violent - say three studies.
10-31-11 - Went with friend artists sculptor blacksmith Andrew A to another Occupy Santa Rosa event on Saturday for a while and was impressed with the vibes. Not much anger. The media has a tendency to paint the crowd as unclear of purpose unemployed hippies. There is surely that but also there are plenty of employed and concerned about an imbalance that's causing a lot of grief. - dc
Got this graphic from Crooks and Liars.
10-23-11 - Believe it or not - the world is becoming, humanity is becoming less violent - say three studies.
10-21-11 - Global warming 'confirmed' by independent study - BBC article on this trend which could have catastrophic implications for meditation halls everywhere.
10-19-11 -
MK sent this from wherever he was - Nevada City? We had that sign here for Occupy Santa Rosa too. My favorite sign was a kid riding on his father's shoulders holding up a sign that read "My arms are tired."
10-18-11 - Climate change 'grave threat' to security and health - BBC - nothing new but since it poses such a threat to our ability to meditate serenely, it's worth occasional reminders.
10-16-11 - Ken Knabb of the incredible BOP Secrets on The Awakening in America (about the Occupy movement). Also, see Ken's cuke interview.
While in Chicago a young woman approached me with info about the Mercy Home and what they're doing for some young people there with parent or no parent problems. I couldn't give money so I told her I'd mention this on cuke. Check 'em out.
10-16-11 - Joined in on Occupy Santa Rosa yesterday. Check out some photos of son Clay, friends, and me and see links to articles on the local, nationwide, and worldwide event. - dc
10-08-11 - From the MPP (Marijuana Policy Project):
Department of Justice Takes Steps to Subsidize California Gangs; Threatens to Shut Down Medical Marijuana Dispensaries
FBI: 750,000 People Arrested for Simple Marijuana Possession in 2010. And for What? - It is time we stop spending billions of dollars ruining people’s lives in a vain attempt to prevent them from using a plant that humans have used safely for thousands of years.
Tell Obama to keep his word on medical marijuana
DC note: Haven't had any pot for years but continue to oppose persecution of those who do.
10-07-11 - On the subject of torture:
Check out National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) website.
Support hunger striking prisoners and send a message to Gov. Jerry Brown from NRCAT.
Join NRCAT on Facebook: www.facebook.com/nrcat and Twitter: www.twitter.com/nrcattweets
End Prolonged Solitary Confinement - an issue NRCAT focuses on.
Read the New Yorker article, Hellhole - The United States holds tens of thousands of inmates in long-term solitary confinement. Is this torture? - thanks Janie Okamura
9-30-11 - Wow. Occupy together. - thanks Howie.
Democracy Now on the Wall St. protests - thanks Taigen
Noah Fischer was there in NYC where they're going to see that Wall Street redistributes the wealth more fairly. Hope they don't forget you.
9-22-11 - Amory Lovins' response to Stewart Brand's new pro nuclear power position.
For earlier links on this subject including a talk by Brand, go back to 4-24-11 through 4-29-11 in Current Events/Engaged Buddhism.
8-10-11 - Lakoff: How to Rescue the American Dream from the GOP's Nightmare
And, for balance, Democrat’s nightmare: ‘Let’s make a deal’ Obama
8-09-11 - Remember Nagasaki, Japan's tradition Christian center. Sixty-six years ago, the year I came from, the nuclear bomb was created and used. Many more people had died in the fire bombings but the potential for these bombs was to waste the biosphere. So far we still haven't done that but people tend to think that the danger has passed. It hasn't. One of the greatest threats, maybe the greatest threat, to the human race and other higher forms of life is the use of nuclear bombs. Accidental nuclear war between Russian and the US is still possible. We still have thousands of missiles armed and ready to launch in an instant. President Obama has indicated an awareness of this and in a first for US presidents made early assertions that we should work toward a world without nuclear weapons in his lifetime but also threatened Iran with "all options are on the table."
Center for Defense Information
See cuke's Species Threat Number 1: Accidental or Otherwise Caused Nuclear War Between the US and Russia
Check out the Nuke Songs section of DC's Defuser Music, featuring World Suicide and Freeze Please.
8-08-11 - ALEC exposed in Taigen's Peace and Justice Page
8-04-11 - Econ Stories TV, featuring Fight of the Century - Keynes vs. Hayek. Wow. Thanks Howie.
Howie also sent this discouraging piece of economic commentary by Michael Hudson. Ouch.
8-01-11 - Taigen on the debt deal
7-27-11 - Culture of Empathy
7-23-11 - Love Cenk Uyger - the progressive host with the most mispronounced name.
7-22-11 -
Taigen's Peace and Justice
Page
updated
7-19-11 - Public Citizen - founded by Ralph Nader.
7-16-11 - The National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) urges us to send an email to California Governor Jerry Brown on behalf of fasting prisoners on the verge of death at Pelican Bay.
Go here to read a brief and disturbing description of the situation and to send an email to the Governor.
7-10-11 - In a monologue the progressives at cuke appreciated, Bill Maher compares recent famous verdict with the thinking of his unfavorite political party, making a point related to that which Thom Hartmann made when he compared the engaged and displeased public reaction to that verdict to their lack of opinion to another batch of crimes from Wall Street in recent history. See two video reports from Hartman:
7-08-11 - Thom Hartmann - progressive talk at its best. IMHO
with Bernie Sanders - thanks Howie
7-05-11 - Come Home America - calling for an end to American militarism
7-04-11 -
Happy birthday America and
Ron Kovic.
Reminiscing - This posted from the Panama Hotel in San Rafael where Katrinka hosts. I lived a few blocks from there by Gerstle Park 93-96 in a home with a woman renting downstairs who was taking care of George Wheelwright (in total memory loss) who'd sold/donated Green Gulch Farm to the SFZC. She also knew Ron Kovic who lived over the hill in Ross and I had the honor of meeting him there. Taigen Dan Leighton was involved with Kovic at the time in peace work.
6-22-11 - Are you enjoying the summer? Were two days in now. Here in Fort Worth which I'm flying away from later today, it was over 100 all last week, to 106 the day I was in Austin which has forgotten what rain means unless they participated in the thunder and rain of last night. Which reminds me, how is my country dealing with this global warming thing?
The Zen tie in to this is that some of the catastrophic predictions of the results of climate change would interfere with people's spiritual practice as they might be distracted by heat prostration or in some cases extreme cold and neverending snow, drowning, starvation, societal collapse.
Let me check it out. Uh oh.
Al Gore article in Rolling Stone says Obama not doin near nuff
And I remember some UN environmental report was critical of the US. Let's see. Found this on how world lags in trip to cut carbon emissions.
But look at this: Report Debunking UN's Global Warming Alarmism is Backed by 31,478 U.S. Scientists.
Good. Nothing to worry about. Burn baby burn. - dc
6-17-11 -
On 40th Anniversary Of War On Drugs, Cops Decry Obama's Drug Policy
6-16-11 - EAST BAY MEDITATION CENTER
24 Hour Dharma-thon 7/2/2011 Oakland, California
I know you care about Dharma and social justice, and how working together, we can improve the world for ourselves and the next generations. That is why I am reaching out to you.
I’m teaching as part of the 24 Hour Dharma-thon to raise money for EAST BAY MEDITATION CENTER - please make a donation by visiting my FirstGiving page
You can donate online with a credit card. All donations are secure and sent directly to EAST BAY MEDITATION CENTER by FirstGiving, who will email you a printable record of your donation.
Please send my page on to anyone who might like to donate!
"Mushim Ikeda" <support@firstgiving.com>
6-02-11 - Drug War Has Failed And Governments Should Explore Legalizing Marijuana, Says Report from Huff Post
Global War on Drugs has Failed - BBC
6-01-11 - Paul Shippee has written an article on Lester Brown, WORLD ON THE EDGE in the Crestone Eagle, at this link for now.
5-30-11 - Memorial Day
Iraq Veterans against the War (includes Afghan Vets)
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
5-28-11 - George Carlin on the economy and you
5-24-11 - The Wrath of Shiva - India like the US in dealing with tribal peoples. - thanks Andrew Main
5-16-11 - Willem Malten in Santa Fe urges us to be aware of the work of the Los Alamos Study Group. Willem says please help me destroy the proposed CMRR-NF: the liar of the nuclear beast: visit LASG.org & see what u can do.
5-09-11 - Rejoice Not - thanks John De Smidt (Gene's bro)
4-30-11 - Steve Weintraub sent a rare appeal to join 350 dot org in this global movement to solve the climate crises
4-20-11 - Remember when cops, fire fighters, teachers, other public employees, Planned Parenthood, NPR and PBS crashed the stock market, wiped out half of our 401Ks, took trillions in TARP money, spilled oil in the Gulf of Mexico, gave themselves billions in bonuses, and paid no taxes?
Yeah, me neither. - thanks to Rene Pettit
4-07-11 -
Mexican Standoff - Dan Rather
Bodies found as Mexicans March Against Drug Violence
3-25-11 - Donate to Japan Relief through Soto Zen in America.
Japan has not stopped giving aid to India, where I am, but
I've seen articles in the paper
about ways that India is sending and
offering to send help to Japan. - dc
3-22-11 - A message from an American in Sendai, hardest hit by the earthquakes. - thanks Elin
$300 Home - maybe not for you, but then, if you look around, say where I am these days in Tamil Nadu, it seems worth looking into. - thanks MK
A message from an American in Sendai, hardest hit by the earthquakes. - thanks Elin
3-17-11 - Buddhism and Wealth: Defining 'Right Livelihood' - Lew Richmond's Huff Post blog featured on their front page today. My web news habit is to quickly on all - check the BBC RSS feed first, then Huff Post, Talking Points Memo, and Crooks and Liars. So I was most pleased to see Lew's article featured so prominently on Huff today.
See Lew's cuke interview where there are more links.
3-06-11 - Clay's grandpa Rusty op ed in NYT from Planetary Defense Blogspot and an article on the New Yorker, Vermin of the Sky, featuring his concern over preparedness for NEOs, near earth objects. This to add to prior articles and links in the Space section of the Species Threats department of Current Events/Engaged Buddhism theater of cuke.com. The point being that it will be harder to meditate if the planet gets destroyed in a way we could have easily avoided.
2-10-11 - Here's a dated but still relevant video from True Majority. (for the CurrentEvents\EngagedBuddhism section).
1-17-11 - Martin Luther King was as much an anti-war activist as one for civil rights. Here's one article on that.,
1-1-11 - Happy New Year to all from the staff at cuke.com. What does this year have in store for us? Who knows. But the climate, the weather, may capture our attention with ever-increasing force. Check out the following from EcoBuddhism:
Ten Major New Findings Made 2010 a Stunning Year in Climate Science
- thanks to Taigen
CurrentEvents\EngagedBuddhism was just Current Events before it was cuke-engaged Buddhism. Maybe it will just alternate among these headings.
Check out the ill-fated Election Countdown Calendar Dot Com which ran from 9/1/04 to 11/7/04 and see DC's failed attempt to enter into presidential politics. But still each day's quote and the supporting material from that site are relevant to today's situation (6/12/05)
Taigen's Peace and Justice Page
Your suggested links are welcome
here. Just send them to dchad3(at)sonic.net
Pre 2007 stuff from this page
DC's Current Events Statement
To Keep Up with Current Events, We at cuke.com suggest:
Common Dreams, for the discriminating cuke-Engaged-Buddhist.
Talking Points Memo - Internet journalism at its best.
Crooks and Liars - pithy daily video feeds and news updates plus some neat music videos
Media Matters - great analysis of daily mass media mush.
Truthout - excellent articles.
Robert Scheer's Truthdig.com
Thom Hartmann - writer and radio host, my absolute favorite talk radio host.
Bill Moyers Journal, Jon Stewart's Daily Show, the Colbert Report,
So much more - this is not a comprehensive or up to date list. Mainly put here around 2004 - cleaned up 9-12 - dc
4-20-10
- Today's the big day for pot.
11-27-09
- 
1-22-09
- From
1-20-09
- The whole staff at cuke.com welcomes our new president. We look forward
to opposing his policies when they promote the continuation of war,
imperialism, corporatism, and the destruction of the planet, and hope our
hope proves true - that he will do much less harm and encourage our higher
angles a bit. Saw the inaugural with son Clay and fellow students and
teachers and parents on wide screen TV followed by pancakes. What a day.
Now enjoy 
4-22-08 - 
9-25-07 -
Read Taigen Dan Leighton's brief 
Friday
August 10 - Welcome to the
Monday,
August 6, 2007 - It is most appropriate on this day to have received
7-04-07
- Happy Fourth of July from
cuke.com!
Left:
cuke.com staff at work
4-24-07 - 
4-05-07
- Anyone who's following the news knows that it's no longer "Free Josh
Wolf!" Now it's Josh Wolf's Free! 
2-10-07
- More on the US coming ever closer to acting on the long held Bush
administration plan to attack Iran. See the new
