The InterActivist
Es mejor morir de pie que vivir de rodillas.-Emiliano Zapata
Staff Picks No. 1
MOVIES WE ARE WATCHING!
1. Flow
a. An investigation into what experts label the most important political and environmental issue of the 21st Century: The World Water Crisis. This sobering movie will change the way you look at your connection with the Earth.
2. Real Dirt on Farmer John:
a. This movie documents the dramatic failure of Farmer John's conventional farming operation and its resurrection into a thriving, organic Community Supported Agriculture farm. This movie will undoubtedly leave you fantasizing about your own rural homestead… and craving more expression!
3. Zeitgeist: Addendum
a. Director Peter Joseph argues that the U.S. debt-based monetary system creates a society of economic slavery by requiring individuals to work in order to earn money that was created out of thin air by the Federal Reserve. The film later outlines the ideas of futurist Jacque Fresco, who proposes a “resource-based economy” which would create an environmentally friendly, sustainable and equitable society based on technology. Though some of the arguments throughout the film seem questionable, it serves as an interesting portrayal of the history of the American economy.
4. War Dance
a. Set in civil war-ravaged Northern Uganda, “War Dance” follows the lives of three children who attend school in a refugee camp and find hope through song and dance. Giving a face to sorrow, this beautiful movie will give you faith in the strength, passion and resilience of all people.
BOOKS WE ARE READING!
1. We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families: Stories from Rwanda, Philip Gourevitch
a. An unforgettable background of the Rwandan genocide, a firsthand account of a people's response and what it tells us about humanity. If you want to attempt to understand the roots of the genocide—how 800,000 people can be killed within 100 days—this book is a must read.
2. There Is No Me Without You, Melissa Fay Greene
a. A powerful story of one woman working to save her country’s children—transforming her home into an orphanage and day-care center and facilitating adoptions to homes all over the world. Get ready to adopt 20 babies!
3. Universe in a Single Atom, The Dalai Lama
a. His Holiness the Dalai Lama discusses his vision of science and faith working hand in hand to alleviate human suffering. Simply, the world makes sense after absorbing the wisdom of the Dalai Lama!
4. Planet of Slums, Mike Davis
a. According to the United Nations, more than one billion people now live in the slums of the cities of the South. This book explores the future of a radically unequal and explosively unstable urban world. Absolutely brilliant- and a dire wake up call to a growing and debilitating humanitarian disaster.
WEB SITES WE LIKE!
1. www.WaterWars.pulitzergateway.org
a. Reported by the Common Language Project team with support from the Pulitzer Center, Water Wars is an in-depth look at East Africans' struggles for water and how the actions of Americans are both alleviating and intensifying the problem. Fantastic, thorough and enlightening journalism.
2. http://Kaboom.org
a. KaBOOM! is the national non-profit that empowers communities to build playgrounds. I love this Web site—the entire world needs to play and laugh more!
3. http://www.TurquoiseMountain.org
a. Turquoise Mountain is investing in the regeneration of the historic commercial centre of Kabul, providing basic services, saving historic buildings and constructing a new bazaar and galleries for traditional craft businesses. I discovered this Web site after reading “The Places In Between” by Rory Stewart, who traveled across Afghanistan a few months after the Taliban were deposed. The site will reconnect you with the beauty, culture and depth of the region, looking beyond the violence and strife.
4. www.CommonLanguageProject.com
a. The Common Language Project is a nonprofit multimedia production house that reports news from around the world about the people affected by key social justice issues, with a specific focus on stigmatized regions and peoples underrepresented in the traditional media. Coverage is focused on issues of human rights, gender equality, social and economic justice, immigration, education, labor, health, environmentalism and resource equality. There is not enough time in the day to read this amazing Web site!
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