Letter writing campaign

Groups that have organized letter writing campaigns include freeburmacoalition.org,   burmaproject.org,   and earthrights.org.  Visit their websites and type your own letters to:  The President of the United States, the Secretary General of the United Nations, and the Government of Myanmar.
 

President George W. Bush The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20500 Switchboard: 202-456-1414 Fax: 202-456-2461

Gen. Colin Powell Secretary of State U.S. Department of State Washington, D.C. 20520 Switchboard: (202)647-4000 Fax: 202-261-8577 E.mail: Secretary@state.gov

Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General United Nations Headquarters, Room S-3800 New York, NY 10017, USA Tel: 212-963-5012 Fax: 212-963-4879

• List of all U.S. Senators and links to their websites

• Search for any U.S. Representative's contact information

• U.S. Supreme Court: http://www.supremecourtus.gov

U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Supreme Court Bldg.
Washington, D.C. 20543
(202) 479-3000

Advice to Letter Writers

• Amnesty International has a guide to letter writing.
• Amnesty International has a campaign manual on the web.
• Letters to Congress (from about.com)
• Tips on Writing a Letter to the Editor (from the ACLU)
• Tips on Writing to Your Elected Officials (from the ACLU)
• Tips on Meeting with Your Elected Officials (from the ACLU)
• Legislative Action Center (from adc.org)

More from Burma

Security forces in Burma increased their crackdown on anti-government protests and fired at demonstrators. Dozens of monks were reportedly beaten and arrested and up to eight people were killed. Despite the crackdown, the protests continue......... early this morning, security forces raided two Buddhist monasteries and arrested as many as 200 monks.

Burma Cracks Down Violently
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, September 27, 2007; Page A14

With the Burmese government restricting visas to foreign journalists, and all internal media controlled by the state, the internet provides one of the few routes left for getting eyewitness reports from inside Burma to the outside world. Despite rumours that the junta intends to close down internet access, a few brave bloggers continue to report their experiences.
.... Government military Car was crossing to the protest line and randomly shot all of them ... don't they have Family? don't they have Brain? ... I
............Despite peaceful demonstrators have been beaten to break up the crowd, the demonstrators are still together reciting "metta sutta" (A discourse on loving-kindness, about disseminating love to those who are aggressive)...
ko-htike.blogspot.com
weblog.xanga.com/dawn_1o9
seinkhalote.blogspot.com
koniknayman.blogspot.com
seinkhalote.blogspot.com
ko-htike.blogspot.com

Krishnamacharya's legacy

Whether you practice the dynamic series of Pattabhi Jois, the refined alignments of B.K.S. Iyengar, the classical postures of Indra Devi, or the customized vinyasa of Viniyoga, your practice stems from one source: a five-foot, two-inch Brahmin born more than one hundred years ago in a small South Indian village.

He never crossed an ocean, but Krishnamacharya's yoga has spread through Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Today it's difficult to find an asana tradition he hasn't influenced.

Read about him here

Death Penalty: Cruel and unusual?

USA Today and Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with the Supreme Court's announcement that it will hear a case that challenges the constitutionality of lethal injections. The justices announced they will consider whether the method of execution violates the Constitution's provision against cruel and unusual punishment.

To learn more or act agout against the death penalty, visit the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty which is also where I once worked.

Ralph S. Baze speaks during an interview, Sept. 10, 2007, at the Kentucky State Penitentiary in Eddyville, Ky. The Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 25, 2007, agreed to consider the constitutionality of lethal injections in a Kentucky case that could affect the way inmates are executed around the country. The high court will hear a challenge from two inmates on death row in Kentucky _ Ralph S. Baze and Thomas Clyde Bowling Jr. _ who sued Kentucky in 2004, claiming lethal injection amounts to cruel and unusual punishment. 

Jivamukti in the Washington Post!

Today's section in the Washington Post EXPRESS included a great article on Jivamukti's co-founders David and Sharon! check it out:

Fit: Boost Brain and Brawn

SHARON GANNON AND DAVID LIFE are best-known as the duo who launched the yoga boom at their New York studio back in the 1980s. But they're not your run-of-the-mill mat dwellers.

Besides being well-regarded artists and musicians, Life founded the Lower East Side's Life Cafe (of "Rent' fame) to nurture the creative community; Gannon is a staunch supporter of animal rights (she's the author of " Cats and Dogs Are People Too"). Their passions are an integral part of Jivamukti, the yoga style they developed. The word means "liberation while living" in Sanskrit. In practice, it means a sweaty workout combined with music, studies of yogic philosophy and an emphasis on political awareness. Confused? Beginners can get a taste with their new DVD, "Transform Yourself With Jivamukti Yoga" ($20, Acacialifestyle.com).

Read the entire article here

The sages of our modern times ---> FREEGANS (free + vegan)

Check it out.............new like-minded brothers & sisters called FREEGANS who understand the philosophy of those like St. Francis of Assisi and Jivamukti Yogis. We are NOT alone! Read all about them in this week's Newsweek article:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20920377/site/newsweek/

Some excerpts:

Sounds like Lord Shiva, the very first yogi:
"The freegans' real antecedents are Utopian and religious communities like the Shakers and Amish, and the hermits, mendicants and holy fools who have been rejecting the corrupting influence of civilization since it was invented."

And St. Francis was a perfect fit:
"Saint Francis of Assisi might have made a passable freegan.  We do know, according to Katherine Ashenburg's forthcoming history of cleanliness, "The Dirt on Clean," that like many early Christian saints he "revered dirt" and regarded bathing as a decadent pagan luxury."

Freegans
For those new to the term (free + vegan), a freegan is a person who has decided to boycott capitalist society by severely curtailing consumption of resources through reusing, recycling and Dumpster diving. Taking the expression "Waste not, want not" to its extreme conclusion, freegans try not to purchase anything up to and including food. Instead, they rely on bartering and what the rest of us leave for the garbageman. At a time when the environmental movement is gaining mainstream acceptance, the freegans are actually living the most hard-core beliefs about consumption and sustainability.

Pic's from the DC Global Mala

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Reject Animal Agriculture Subsidies

Support Funding For Produce; Reject Animal Agriculture Subsidies
Within the next few weeks, the U.S. Senate will debate the 2007 Farm Bill, which will set agricultural policy for years to come. The Farm Bill is particularly important for farm animal protection because it contains various measures that address funding for the factory farming industry. Traditionally, Congress has disproportionately allocated funding toward animal factory farms, while leaving fruit and vegetable farmers lacking for support. However, this year, Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) is proposing a measure that will rectify this inequality and route money toward produce growers and away from factory animal farm operations. Read more.

Wailings Woke Me Up Today

This morning I was awakened by the heart-wrenching wailings coming from outside.  It was so excruciating to hear, with each cry becoming more and more desperate. This went on for hours. I crawled down the stairs and went outside, still half asleep at 3am, and started looking around for the source of this wailing. It turned out to be coming from a cat who had gotten stuck inside a car hood - from a car parked RIGHT outside my house. I crawled under the car and tried to get the cat free but it was useless. The car hood had to be opened. Out of frustration, I just lied there in resignation under the car. It was so hard to just lie there helpless, while the cat was in such terror and fear.

But out of suffering comes compassion. After praying for this poor cat, I resolved to finally adopt that animal from the Farm Sanctuary, something I had been meaning to do for a while but never got around to it. And since I had just recently returned to my veganism, I thought there would be no better way to pay back for all that milk I had drunk than to sponsor a cow. So, I did it.

My thoughts are still with that cat. Before leaving for work this morning, I put post-it notes all over the car to inform the owner of the cat, and to beg him to rescue it. Then I had to leave it in God's hands. What a way to start a Friday......

Farm Sanctuary

$50/monthly ($600 per year) Cow

Basic Adoption Package PLUS * Farm Sanctuary mug * VIP tour to meet your animal * Vega

Can't wait to visit my new friend at the NY location. Turns out their place is just west of Watkins Glen, close to Buffalo. My parents and I had a lovely camping trip out there once, back when we had our dog Leo with us. It brings back great memories.......And now is the chance to make some more!

New York Shelter

Our 175-acre New York farm is set amidst rolling green hills and forests in the Finger Lakes Region of upstate New York. We are located next door to Sugar Hill State Forest, just west of Watkins Glen. It is a 45-minute drive west of Ithaca and a 1½-hour drive southeast of Rochester.

In addition to caring for hundreds of animals, Farm Sanctuary's New York facility receives thousands of visitors every year. The "People Barn," a unique visitor center, is filled with displays, literature and videos. It also includes the "Kids' Korner" and gift shop, where visitors will find a variety of items, including books, videos, posters and vegetarian snacks.

For Visitor Center hours and tour times, please click here.

A Philosophy for Living a Less Stressful Life

 

 

 

 

 

At the End of the Day, Ask Yourself:

Did my thoughts, actions and deeds contribute to the well-being of others?

Did I ask more from others than I needed?

Did resistance to change cause harm to myself or others?

Did my words express the truth from my heart?

Did the choices I made nourish myself?

Did I pause to give thanks for at least one gift in my life?

Did I take time to notice the omnipresence of a power beyond myself?

At the end of the day, am I at peace with myself?

Monks in Myanmar stage nonviolent protests

Myanmar Junta Feels Pressure From Monks
September 20, 2007

Hundreds of Buddhist monks marched through rain-washed streets for the third day in Myanmar's main city today, taking the lead in month-long protests that the military junta has so far been powerless to contain.

They prayed at the gold-spired Shwedagon Pagoda, the nation's holiest shrine, then wound through the streets of the city, Yangon, before disbanding in late afternoon and announcing that they would march again, wire services reported.

The involvement of large numbers of monks has increased the challenge to the government in a nation where the Buddhist clergy is highly revered and comprises the most organized group apart from the military.

Protests by monks have been reported in a number of other cities over the past three days. If the monks' demonstrations continue, analysts said, the military junta will face a difficult decision over whether to crush them by force and risk a still greater public backlash.

Read on