Just a stream of thoughts today I'm afraid. I've been so busy lately and when you are working as basically your own boss, sorta, the time really does start to become the most valuable commodity you have. It reminds me of why my work with the Flow Campaign is so important. I have really taken the lessons I've been learning from this work to heart. Time is the premium.
Yesterday I did some initial shooting of a site visit for the Sustainable Rain project for Sustainable Seattle. The location was on the corner of MLK and Union in a formerly vacant lot that was overrun by blackberries, brambles and broken furniture. Across the street is a Grocery Outlet, a cafe espresso stand, and a series of houses with no fences, dogs and comic book readers who flip through superhero hijinks while taking drags off of early morning cigarettes.
The neighbors are all behind the new project that is being lead by a fiscal sponsoree of Sustainable Seattle, Green Plate Special. The project is all about teaching youth about healthy eating, cooking and urban agriculture. It takes youth who have not had the training and examples of a well rounded diet or even the baseline knowledge of where food comes from or what it takes to bring that food from farm to table.
Showing posts with label nathan jackson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nathan jackson. Show all posts
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Exercise Fun
Ever since I can remember I ran around. I've always been an active person who made every movement an exercise in movementism, er movementee? Anyway, I did every sport I could all the way through school and the only one that I could never do officially was Football due to a mother's intuition/"oh my god my kid is gonna die."
The other day I talked about my conversion to Yoga and how it has really helped me work on my main weakness in regards to physicality, my flexibility. I've always been pretty flexible since I'm a dancer and a track runner. I used to do the hurdles, long jump, almost every sprinting event and once in a while an 800 and one time in High School I had to run the mile. It was a "run" in technical terms only.
The idea of muscle confusion or cross training has always been something I've done even as a kid without knowing those technical terms. I always changed up my workouts and my playtime with running, dancing, weights, throwing, chasing, ya know the basics. As an adult in college I had four or five full hour routines that I would run through. I worked out every day right after work and I would go through my routines of half cardio, half lifting randomly depending on what machines were available and what music was playing.
I've started doing three classes per week with two Yoga classes and one Step class. The Step class is interesting because there is a group of regulars, who shall be henceforth referred to as "the cool kids," and they know the instructor's routine by heart. The routine is vigorous and quite enjoyable and the cool kids have a call out and call back with the instructor. I feel like I'm back in my church days with the pastor yelling out this and that while the crowd nodded their heads, fanned their sweating faces and blurted out "Amen," "yeah boys," "What chu talkin bout Willis's," and the ever popular "Arrrgh!." The cool kids were shouting encouragement to the others in the room, joking with the instructor and using each other's steps in an elaborate dance of stepmania.
I loved it. This is my third time in this class and now I understand the instructor's calls and his method, his madness and his enthusiasm. If you have never taken Step, each instructor is different and uses different terms for similar moves. What one instructor would call "around the world" another might call "Wadda wadda bing bang." So it takes a bit to get used to each instructor you encounter. The teacher at this 24 Hour Fitness likes to mess with people. He gets close to you and makes faces if you are not smiling. He jumps up and down flapping his arms and makes sounds somewhere between the squawk of a crow and the lowing of an oxen. It's quite impressive actually since he is doing this while stepping to "Single Ladies" without any sense of irony.
The other day I talked about my conversion to Yoga and how it has really helped me work on my main weakness in regards to physicality, my flexibility. I've always been pretty flexible since I'm a dancer and a track runner. I used to do the hurdles, long jump, almost every sprinting event and once in a while an 800 and one time in High School I had to run the mile. It was a "run" in technical terms only.
The idea of muscle confusion or cross training has always been something I've done even as a kid without knowing those technical terms. I always changed up my workouts and my playtime with running, dancing, weights, throwing, chasing, ya know the basics. As an adult in college I had four or five full hour routines that I would run through. I worked out every day right after work and I would go through my routines of half cardio, half lifting randomly depending on what machines were available and what music was playing.
I've started doing three classes per week with two Yoga classes and one Step class. The Step class is interesting because there is a group of regulars, who shall be henceforth referred to as "the cool kids," and they know the instructor's routine by heart. The routine is vigorous and quite enjoyable and the cool kids have a call out and call back with the instructor. I feel like I'm back in my church days with the pastor yelling out this and that while the crowd nodded their heads, fanned their sweating faces and blurted out "Amen," "yeah boys," "What chu talkin bout Willis's," and the ever popular "Arrrgh!." The cool kids were shouting encouragement to the others in the room, joking with the instructor and using each other's steps in an elaborate dance of stepmania.
I loved it. This is my third time in this class and now I understand the instructor's calls and his method, his madness and his enthusiasm. If you have never taken Step, each instructor is different and uses different terms for similar moves. What one instructor would call "around the world" another might call "Wadda wadda bing bang." So it takes a bit to get used to each instructor you encounter. The teacher at this 24 Hour Fitness likes to mess with people. He gets close to you and makes faces if you are not smiling. He jumps up and down flapping his arms and makes sounds somewhere between the squawk of a crow and the lowing of an oxen. It's quite impressive actually since he is doing this while stepping to "Single Ladies" without any sense of irony.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Revolutions
These past few months has been a historic period that has seen dictators that held thrall over their people for decades fall or be stammered in their efforts by nothing more than the political will of the people. The amount of unrest and discontent has many causes, but the peaceful solutions are not only working, but admirable. I stand with the people of Tunisia, Egypt and Libya and encourage them to continue fighting for a more perfect union.
One of the most troubling bits of news in this euphoric period has been how the US media has started to report the unrest in terms of "how will this affect us?" I understand the need to frame these events that have not been seen in the Arab world in forty years in a way that the audience can grasp, but I think that they underestimate the American public.
The people of America say that we are a freedom loving, liberty seeking country. Our entire history has been shaped by our claim to fame, democratically elected governments by the people, for the people and of the people. We stand with those who would be masters of their own fate in principle at least and we have as a people not sided with dictators.
I do think that fear is the biggest emotion holding back the American people from celebrating the peaceful pursuit of freedom that we are witnessing. I feel that too many of us are still biased and mistrustful of the entire Arab world due to the continued demonization from both left and right of the Middle East and its people.
We should be out in the streets celebrating and welcoming one of the last repressed areas in the world into the league of free people. We claim to be the leaders of the free world and it is time that we as a people start leading. One major aspect of leadership is celebrating the success of others that have put forth gargantuan efforts for the greater good. We have not had to fight or risk our lives for our liberty in nearly two hundred and fifty years and I think that many of us do not understand the extreme privilege of self determination. We have a government that through its many flaws is at least representative of its people. We have rights to petition to redress hurts and problems with those we elect and even though most of us do nothing to right the wrongs that our government sometimes does, we still have the ability if we would only wake up.
Journalists are starting to show a fear of the unknown in regards to what these changes in the world will mean to us. They are asking questions about the most asinine of topics gas prices. I've seen more reporting on the effect of democratically impassioned people on our morning commute costs than on the history of oppression, torture and control that these dictators did in the selfish pursuit and retention of power.
Our government has of course sided with many dictators if it allows our economic or security interest to thrive. I do not think that many of us understand just how much we have given to dictators in exchange of order, oil, or military bases. The media instead of being scared that we are losing our predictability in the Arab world should instead be investigating why we allowed these dictators to stand for so long.
What needs to happen is a series of investigations into our economic, military and social dealings with dictators who aim bullets at their own people. Why have we allowed a series of despots to hold sway over millions when we claim to love freedom and liberty so much? We need to start asking questions and showing our support of people making their own destinies. Even if we are uncomfortable with the decisions they may make, we must stand with them in their own determination.
It is time we showed leadership, true leadership that has nothing to do with government, but involves our citizens showing delight, wonder and appreciation at the bravery and courage that the people in the Arab world are showing right now. We cannot even imagine risking our lives for a cause like liberty because we have been born into privilege. We need to remember the continuing struggles of our own union and give encouragement and comfort to those that are fighting to bring about a more positive, inclusive government for themselves and their children.
One of the most troubling bits of news in this euphoric period has been how the US media has started to report the unrest in terms of "how will this affect us?" I understand the need to frame these events that have not been seen in the Arab world in forty years in a way that the audience can grasp, but I think that they underestimate the American public.
The people of America say that we are a freedom loving, liberty seeking country. Our entire history has been shaped by our claim to fame, democratically elected governments by the people, for the people and of the people. We stand with those who would be masters of their own fate in principle at least and we have as a people not sided with dictators.
I do think that fear is the biggest emotion holding back the American people from celebrating the peaceful pursuit of freedom that we are witnessing. I feel that too many of us are still biased and mistrustful of the entire Arab world due to the continued demonization from both left and right of the Middle East and its people.
We should be out in the streets celebrating and welcoming one of the last repressed areas in the world into the league of free people. We claim to be the leaders of the free world and it is time that we as a people start leading. One major aspect of leadership is celebrating the success of others that have put forth gargantuan efforts for the greater good. We have not had to fight or risk our lives for our liberty in nearly two hundred and fifty years and I think that many of us do not understand the extreme privilege of self determination. We have a government that through its many flaws is at least representative of its people. We have rights to petition to redress hurts and problems with those we elect and even though most of us do nothing to right the wrongs that our government sometimes does, we still have the ability if we would only wake up.
Journalists are starting to show a fear of the unknown in regards to what these changes in the world will mean to us. They are asking questions about the most asinine of topics gas prices. I've seen more reporting on the effect of democratically impassioned people on our morning commute costs than on the history of oppression, torture and control that these dictators did in the selfish pursuit and retention of power.
Our government has of course sided with many dictators if it allows our economic or security interest to thrive. I do not think that many of us understand just how much we have given to dictators in exchange of order, oil, or military bases. The media instead of being scared that we are losing our predictability in the Arab world should instead be investigating why we allowed these dictators to stand for so long.
What needs to happen is a series of investigations into our economic, military and social dealings with dictators who aim bullets at their own people. Why have we allowed a series of despots to hold sway over millions when we claim to love freedom and liberty so much? We need to start asking questions and showing our support of people making their own destinies. Even if we are uncomfortable with the decisions they may make, we must stand with them in their own determination.
It is time we showed leadership, true leadership that has nothing to do with government, but involves our citizens showing delight, wonder and appreciation at the bravery and courage that the people in the Arab world are showing right now. We cannot even imagine risking our lives for a cause like liberty because we have been born into privilege. We need to remember the continuing struggles of our own union and give encouragement and comfort to those that are fighting to bring about a more positive, inclusive government for themselves and their children.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Research into Environmental Justice
I've been researching Environmental Justice now for a few weeks and I have come to a few conclusions that will be available when I write my full report for Sustainable Seattle. For now I just wanted to highlight a few of the main points of Environmental Justice and the reasons why I feel that this issue is of the utmost importance.
Environmental Justice is the idea that toxic chemicals, disposal sites, deforestation, environmental damage caused by human activities and destruction of habitat are all caused by commercial and racial interests and the amount of institutional red tape to correct these issues is both complicated and actively thickened by vested commercial interests.
The facts are irrefutable that those communities that are under served and poor are disproportionately afflicted with environmental damage and feel the negative results of our commercial interests in a more visceral and immediate manner than those communities that are privileged, rich or influential. The difference between Environmental Justice and Environmental Parity is that EJ wants the harmful practices of toxins, pollutants and disposal sites to end completely, while EP wants the damage to be "equally shared."
The overwhelming evidence of racial and class discrimination in regards to environmental practices is in the locations and concentrations of toxic disposal, landfills, waste management systems and environmental degradation near, below and surrounding areas of low income towns, communities of minorities or lower class areas. There are numerous research projects that showcase the health and social justice impacts such as the infamous "Cancer Alley," and the more I research the more upset I get.
Van Jones has a wonderful talk about Environmental Justice from a TED talk that I encourage you all to watch. He sets up the connections between our consumption and the negative effects of our throw away society in a short, funny, but touching talk.
I will have more updates soon and when I am done with the report I will post it here for any to use.
Environmental Justice is the idea that toxic chemicals, disposal sites, deforestation, environmental damage caused by human activities and destruction of habitat are all caused by commercial and racial interests and the amount of institutional red tape to correct these issues is both complicated and actively thickened by vested commercial interests.
The facts are irrefutable that those communities that are under served and poor are disproportionately afflicted with environmental damage and feel the negative results of our commercial interests in a more visceral and immediate manner than those communities that are privileged, rich or influential. The difference between Environmental Justice and Environmental Parity is that EJ wants the harmful practices of toxins, pollutants and disposal sites to end completely, while EP wants the damage to be "equally shared."
The overwhelming evidence of racial and class discrimination in regards to environmental practices is in the locations and concentrations of toxic disposal, landfills, waste management systems and environmental degradation near, below and surrounding areas of low income towns, communities of minorities or lower class areas. There are numerous research projects that showcase the health and social justice impacts such as the infamous "Cancer Alley," and the more I research the more upset I get.
Van Jones has a wonderful talk about Environmental Justice from a TED talk that I encourage you all to watch. He sets up the connections between our consumption and the negative effects of our throw away society in a short, funny, but touching talk.
I will have more updates soon and when I am done with the report I will post it here for any to use.
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