Peace!

The fight against global warming has taken several complex turns in recent months. Biofuels made from ethanol-based crops like corn emit zero carbon when burned but compete with food supply already in crisis levels in many areas of the globe. Most recently the Environmental Protection Agency rejected a request to cut the quota for the use of ethanol in cars, boldly declaring that for the time being, the nation's reliance on oil outweighs any effect on food prices. According to CNET news, EPA administrator, Stephen Johnson, said that the mandate was "strengthening our nation's energy security and supporting American farming communities" and that it was not causing "severe harm to the economy or the environment." The EPA may have formed their reasoning after concluding that 'only' 3.5 billion gallons of renewable fuel was used in 2004--mostly from ethanol, and that patterns over the past three years project a goal of 5.4 billion gallons by the end of 2008. But are the EPA's claims entirely accurate? For right now it's difficult to say, but there is a lot of evidence coming from all sides offering a contrary view. Corn prices have risen steadily in recent years. Many farmers have attributed the rise to growing global demand for grain-fed meat, with many Asian countries like India and China consuming more meat products than ever before in history. Another study recently reported in the Guardian found that claim to be false. The World Bank conducted a confidential, and very damning assertion that studied the rises in global food costs on a month by month basis. Claimed as the first, in-depth study of the situation, it concluded that ethanol based biofuels were responsible for rising food prices up to 75%. The Guardian wrote, "Senior development sources believe the report, completed in April, has not been published to avoid embarrassing President George Bush." America and several other wealthy European nations have downplayed the negative factors of biofuels, and rarely ever mentioned is the fact that harvesting them may actually create enough carbon emissions to negate their benefits as a clean fuel. The Searchinger study that appeared in the February 7, 2008 issue of Sciencexpress made one such claim. The study calculated it's findings based on an approximation of what would happen if corn ethanol production was six times greater that of today. It states that land converted to farming will release 25% of its soil carbon, an average of 351 metric tones per hectare. Based on this, researchers calculated that it would take 167 years to pay back soil carbon losses. This means that corn-thanol would emit double the greenhouse gases of gasoline over the first 30 years of production. Even though the Searchinger study bases its findings on a hypothetical reality, it makes sense that ethanol production would increase by six times as it would most likely be necessary for biofuel mass-production. It seems strange to me that the EPA would be ignorant of such studies. They might be catering to the private interests of the renewable energy industry, or they are gathering data from their own scientists who have yet to publish findings. Either way, the global food crisis is a serious issue, stirring violence in some of the poorest nations of the world and even affecting wealthier countries in subtle but growing ways. There's also the simple fact that technology, while it can create efficiency and wealth, is not detrimental to human survival, or even the quality of life--just ask the Amish, or even those who prefer books to video games. The day our cars become more important than our food will be the darkest day we've ever known. Read More Articles At WeEarth.com

Hello again friends, So all of us here at WeEarth are very happy to announce that our Environmentally friendly E-store has finally launched! All of our products are environmentally friendly so that means no nasty chemicals! =) We have a cool selection of Organic Cotton T's, Hemp & Fair Trade Accessories, Organic Baby Toys, All Natural Lotions, and much more. Remember, this is just the beginning so keep an eye out for cool new products coming soon! As always, WeEarth is powered by the voice of its members so all feedback and suggestions are welcomed with open (virtual) arms! If you would like to see any products added to our store please use your voice at ourvoice@weearth.com Check out the Store Here! Gratefully, The WeEarth Family www.WeEarth.com

Alice Waters is a California culinary fixture. Back in 1994, she helped found a garden program at a Berkley area middle school, called the Edible Schoolyard. The Edible Schoolyard program provides an educational connection for students to learn more about where there food comes from. They also learn about nutrition and how to make healthy choices as well as eat healthy food in the school’s lunchroom, which are grown right on campus, all of which are important tools for students to know in the growing fight against childhood obesity all over the nation. The Center for Ecoliteracy has played an important role in developing a curriculum for children to learn more about their ecological impact and how it relates to their health and well-being. Core concepts of the program include: Networks, Nested Systems, Cycles, Flows, Development, and Dynamic Balance. The Edible Schoolyard Program has grown exponentially from it start over a decade ago, which involved the collaborative efforts of one celebrity chef and the principal of a school. Since then, the school has built a full-time staff and the program has been replicated in schools around the country. At the edibleschoolyard.org, you can find resources to start your own garden and ecoliteracy program at your local school. Read More Aticles At WeEarth.com

21 U.S. cities have announced this week that they will be measuring and sharing their carbon footprints with the public, including New York, Las Vegas, Denver, West Palm Beach, St. Paul and New Orleans. The cities will gather emissions data for their “municipal functions” (Reuters) such as fire and police departments, government buildings and waste services. They will also look at the city’s footprint as a whole. “If you don’t measure these emissions, you cannot manage them,” Paul Dickinson, the chief executive of the UK-based Carbon Disclosure Project, said, who joined forces with these select cities. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has also expressed his wishes for a fully collaborative process. “Working together, and with the best data, we can manage this problem,” he said in a release on Monday. The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) will be conducting the measurements, and have gathered emissions date since the year 2000. The company represents “385 global institutional investors that manage a total of more than 57 trillion in assets,” reports Timothy Gardner for Reuters. The CDP claim they have conduced the most greenhouse gas data in the world, as well as climate change data. The company has also successfully disclosed secret information from large corporations like Wal-Mart Inc., who have just recently agreed to cooperate with their carbon findings. All 21 cities will report their measurements to CDP by the last day of October and the results will be published by January of next year. At least 9 more cities are expected to jump on the bandwagon before then. Read More Articles At WeEarth!

These event will take place at future dates when a venue/s bcomes available within the UK. Please visit the group PEACEfest UK if you wish to put on or help organise any future event/s Please see events for detail or to make an addition

THE CONNECTIVE HUB Hampstead town hall Centre, 213 Haverstock Hill, London NW3 9th September 2008, doors open 7pm - 11.30 pm. A “Pay what you can” event fee All profits made on the door will go to charity, in this case it will be WAC (weekend arts college) working with the youth for the youth. http://www.wac.co.uk/content/ We are hosting this event in association with http://www.unsignedchart.com They will be running a live streamed podcast from the event. Broadcast time 7:30 pm GMT You will be able to listen live to the bands on the night by using this link; http://www.selfcast.com/unsigned So if you can’t make it at least you can tune in. Bands featured Radfax http://www.unsignedchart.com/profile/Radfax Koshbayer http://www.myspace.com/koshbayer Wezman Funk (2 bands yet to be added to listing) The evenings DJ will be KCC SoundSystem http://www.djkcc.co.uk/

I loved the old Nancy Reagan "Just Say No!" campaign. Here's a short list of things I say no too. * Just say no to genetically engineered foods. * Just say no to compulsory micro-chipping of your pets, farm animals and children. * Just say no to bogus vaccination campaigns And there is no more bogus one then the drive to have all pre-teen girls injected with some junk called Gardasil. If you have daughters or there are young girls in your extended family, this video you must watch: OH...just say NO to WAR!! http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/302.html

This one takes us deep down the rabbit whole. On 9/11, "hijacked airliners" did things that were physically impossible and beyond the capacity of any pilots, experienced or not. Here's why the news media doesn't want to look too closely into the simple, indisputable facts of aviation reality. http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/401.html

Future wars 'to be fought with mind drugs' Future wars could see opponents attacking each other's minds, according to a report for the US military. It is thought that some US soldiers are already taking drugs prescribed for narcolepsy in an attempt to combat fatigue Photo: EPA Landmines releasing brain-altering chemicals, scanners reading soldiers' minds and devices boosting eyesight and hearing could all one figure in arsenals, suggests the study. Sophisticated drugs, designed for dementia patients but also allowing troops to stay awake and alert for several days are expected to be developed, according to the report. It is thought that some US soldiers are already taking drugs prescribed for narcolepsy in an attempt to combat fatigue. As well as those physically and mentally boosting one's own troops, substances could also be developed to deplete an opponents' forces, it says. "How can we disrupt the enemy's motivation to fight?" It asks. "Is there a way to make the enemy obey our commands?" Research shows that "drugs can be utilized to achieve abnormal, diseased, or disordered psychology" among one's enemy, it concludes. Research is particularly encouraging in the area of functional neuroimaging, or understanding the relationships between brain activity and actions, the report says, raising hopes that scanners able to read the intentions or memories of soldiers could soon be developed. Some military chiefs and law enforcement officials hope that a new generation of polygraphs, or lie detectors, which spot lie-telling by observing changes in brain activity, can be built. "Pharmacological landmines," which release drugs to incapacitate soldiers upon their contact with them, could also be developed, according to the report's authors. The report, which was commissioned by the Defense Intelligence Agency, contained the work of scientists asked to examine how better understanding of how the human mind works was likely to affect the development of technology. It finds that "great progress has been made" in neuroscience over the last decade, and that continuing advances offered the prospect of a dramatic impact on military equipment and the way in which wars are fought. It also explains that the concept of torture could be transformed in the future. "It is possible that some day there could be a technique developed to extract information from a prisoner that does not have any lasting side effects," it states. One technique being developed involves the delivery of electrical pulses into a suspect's brain and delay their ability to lie by interfering with its neurons. Research into "distributed human-machine systems", including robots and military hardware controlled by an operator's mind, is another particular area for optimism among researchers, according to the report. It says significant progress has already been made and that prospects for use of the field are "limited only by the creative imagination." Jonathan Moreno, a bioethicist and the author of 'Mind Wars: Brain Research and National Defense', said "It's too early to know which, if any, of these technologies is going to be practical. But it's important for us to get ahead of the curve. Soldiers are always on the cutting edge of new technologies." SOURCE: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/onthefrontline/2557025/Future-wars-to-be-fought-with-mind-drugs.html

Hello Friends! We are very happy to announce that WeEarth has been confirmed for the 3rd Annual Tribute to Woodstock '69 Festival in Irvine tomorrow. The festival will feature Tribute bands performing the music of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Santana, Creedence Clearwater, The Who, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Ten Years After and many more! The Event takes place at Irvine Lake in Irvine from 1:00 to 8:00 and admission is only $20! We realize this is very short notice so not everyone will be able to attend but if your going to be in town tomorrow and would like to hear some classic tunes in a beautiful setting then come join us! Peace, Love, & Light ~Jeremy www. WeEarth. com

In our age of technological gain, we seem to be creeping closer to Science Fiction every day. Soon, scientists may be able to make a working invisibility cloak like the one used in stories like J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. According to scientists at the University of California Berkeley, certain materials have been developed “that could render people and objects invisible.” (Associated Press) Research is funded by the U.S. Army Research Office and the National Science Foundation’s Nano-Scale Science and Engineering Center. A demonstration successfully proved they were able to cloak three-dimensional objects “using artificially engineered materials that redirect light around the objects.” The experiment has only been done so far on two-dimensional objects. Xiang Zhang, the founder of this new revelation, will release the details in journals Nature and Science. This technique could be used for a number of different things, including military control. Scientists are now very close to hiding people and objects from any visible light. Cloaking works by using metamaterials to deflect radar, light or waves around any given object. People see objects because of a certain light that strikes them, “reflecting some of it back to the eye.” The metamaterials are made of metal and circuit board, similar to ceramic, or a fiber composite. It is the only material that can bend visible light to the naked eye by diminishing reflections or shadows. The sort of geeky playful undertone of the experiment is diminished when you seriously think about the power this device could hold in military and spy warfare. Not to mention if private individuals got their hands on it. There are obvious broad implications to what this “invisible cloak” would be capable of achieving or destroying. Read More Articles at WeEarth!

Self Healing Global Service by Peggy Black

Everyone is being encouraged to transform their personal fear, personal righteousness, personal prejudice, personal rage and personal judgment. Each individual, each human is responsible for the energy that they offer to the collective. Each individual, each human is being required to take their magnificent place in the transformation and unfolding of a better world - a world that knows peace, love and joy. You must first have the conscious awareness of any behavior before you can transform that pattern or program. Until that awareness flashes into your conscious mind you are operating on automatic, your ego is in control and is driving your life. The "out picturing" of the violence happening around the world is the collective emotional shadow of humanity. Humanity is awakening from a deep slumber, the ego slumber, the pre-patterned and pre-programmed slumber. There is tremendous celestial support being offered to the personal and collective consciousness. This celestial support is assisting in the shift to the higher dimensions of freedom and flow - the dimensions in which all are aware "WE ARE ONE". Each human carries an important key in this shift and transformation. Each human has an aspect of the collective shadow and can offer that shadow aspect to the light and transform what is repressed with an aware consciousness through their sacred heart. It is your willingness, awareness, and asking for assistance in personal shadow work. It is dedication and diligence in healing, forgiving, and transforming all that has been repressed within the subconscious. This is the opportunity of each multidimensional Star-being - to transform their emotions, transform their frequencies and transform their consciousness. Each human is either imprinting this field of all possibility with their fear, limiting beliefs and ego manipulation, or they are imprinting this energy field with their love, joy, gratitude and appreciation. Each human is a celestial transformer of emotional energy.

source - morningmessages.com

The WeEarth Team is calling on your participation to help us encourage a socially and environmentally responsible lifestyle for all of us on mother earth! WeEarth is a network of resources enabling us to explore our connectedness with each other and with our changing world We believe that together, by using our voices and being socially and environmentally responsible, we will be a meaningful force for the good of the planet, it’s people, and all the life which it sustains. We celebrate how we are all connected yet unique and embrace technology that empowers our community to create art and share ideas, further amplifying our connectedness! Come join us today!

African Elephant Jenny may be leaving her longtime home at the Dallas Zoo and relocated to a drive-through wildlife park in Mexico and the subject is generating controversy. 9,000 pound Jenny has lived in the Zoo for 22 years, but now that all her companions have died, zoo officials believe she should be transferred because "African elephants become unhappy when left alone." (Ana Ley, Associated Press) But activists consider the idea cruel, mentioning that Jenny is nervous by nature, fears cars and would be miserable in her new, strange environment. Margaret Morin, leader of a group called Concerned Citizens for Jenny, says, "We've grown up with Jenny. She's our family. She deserves better than getting sent to a drive-through tourist attraction in Mexico." The activists all gathered in front of the zoo last weekend in protest. City Councilwoman Angela Hunt expressed her personal concern because "the Mexican facility is not subjected to annual inspections and regulations by the U.S. Department of Agriculture." She added that elephants aren't protected by the U.S. Animal Welfare Act there. But famed zoo keeper Jack Hanna, along with the Africam Safari Park near the drive in zoo in Mexico all claim she would be well cared for. "We know she is a nervous elephant, and with protected contact, she can approach people if she wants to and we can monitor her stress levels easily," Africam owner Amy Carnacho said. The plan would involve Jenny sharing a 5-acre piece of land with a female elephant named Shanty at the new African exhibit in the park near Mexico City. Activists still claim she would be more comfortable at the Elephant sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, which inhabits 17 elephants and is known for being "a haven for troubled ones." Jenny would share a 300-acre area with 3 other elephants. Her current home is only one-sixth of an acre. For now Jenny will stay in Texas as Dallas zoo executives have a difficult decision to make on Jenny's behalf, as well as her many fans and say they will continue to inspect Africam's program. Check out more articles on WeEarth!

n Marburg, Germany, some are wondering if there's such a thing as too much eco-consciousness. The town council recently ruled some mandatory laws regarding solar panels, and it has some believing a "green dictatorship" hurts rather than helps the fight in global warming. The ordinance, the first of its kind in Germany, requires that solar panels must not only be fixed to new buildings (few oppose this part) but must also be applied to existing homes that undergo renovations or get new heating systems or roof repairs. If citizens don't think the council is serious, it's a $1500 fine to those who fail to comply. Critics are complaining the rules violate a host of property owners rights, and the regional government in Giessen is warning it might overturn them. Some of the critics include renowned town environmentalists too. The Herald Tribune wrote about Götz Schönherr, a resident who uses solar power to heat his water, allowing him to turn off the high-energy consumption of his water boiler for six months out of the year. He opposes the new ordinance, thinking it's self-defeating. To reinsulate his home as he originally desired, he would now have to install a larger, $8000 solar panel to be in compliance. "That leads, in my case, and I would think in other cases as well, that people say, 'Well, let's just not reinsulate the roof,"' Schönherr said. "So it's absolutely counterproductive." Germany is currently one of the world's leaders when it comes to green technology and battling global warming, but many feel victory can only be achieved when the desire of the larger population is true and voluntary--not when it's guided under the views of a select, controlling few. www.WeEarth.com

I would say that its about time that a means of alternative energy be developed and put to use in a recreational sense. Sustainable Dance Club, a company in Rotterdam, is working on opening the first sustainable dance club, Club Watt, in London this September. This dance club will be equipped with a dance floor that converts your dance moves into electricity to power the clubs lights, music, etc. Pretty wild right? Club Watt plans to reduce their energy consumption by up to 30% and their water and waste by 50%! Check out this video and keep an eye out for technology like this in your area, I have a feeling its going to start showing up a lot in the clubbing community. www.WeEarth.com

I came across an article in The Correctional News that reported on a law enforcement expo, but it touched on some surprising findings on current US prison data. According to a recent Pew Center study, for the first time in history slightly more than 1% of United States citizens--one in 99.1 persons is held in jail or prison. Currently the US leads the rest of the world in the number of inmates per capita, with "750 inmates per 100,000 residents." In 2007 the total prison population jumped by more than 25,000 inmates to almost 1.6 million. At the American Jail Association's 27th Annual Training Conference and Jail Expo, over 2,000 attendees and 230 exhibitors gathered in sunny trenches of Sacramento, CA to address the latest issues facing our growing, overcrowded prison system. Robert Lamkey, director of the Sedgwick County Division of Public Safety discussed issues of overcrowding, re-entry, and recidivism (the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after experiencing negative consequences from it). Citing the Pew study, he told attendees at a conference that the increasing inmate population is "saddling cash-strapped states with soaring costs they can ill afford and failing to have a clear impact on recidivism or overall crime." According to the Correctional News, "Since 1987 collective spending on state corrections systems has increased from less than $11 billion to more than $49 billion in fiscal year 2007." Approximately 67 percent of state inmates are returning felons who commit another crime within three years of release. With a growing convict culture and billions of dollars being invested into such programs--just about anyone can put two and two together and conclude something is seriously wrong with America's criminal justice system. The recent expo wasn't a call-to-arms for a revolution, but it addressed issues that could provide agents of change. Members of the architecture firm Ricci Greene Associates discussed the benefits--for owners, staff, inmates, visitors, and the local community--of pursuing a progressive design approach in the construction of a new jail or facility addition. They believe elements of interior lighting and exterior design can have a subtle impact. A slightly less clinical environment with more emphasis on comfort and artistry can evoke some much needed imagination and humanity. The firm also touched on environmental considerations such as off-setting carbon footprints. According to their website, "Responsible stewardship of limited natural resources is a key part of our design approach. Focus on life-cycle analysis of costs, human factors, and the “big picture” of how our buildings affect their communities and the planet drive this commitment to sustainability." Correctional authorities from Lexington, Kentucky and Fort Lauderdale, Florida also held a conference on getting to know the inmates better, or more specifically managing special populations like gangs. Closer identification, classification, and unique housing for managing gang members can prevent radicalization of inmate populations. America's Criminal Justice system is far from perfect, but there might be hope if such expos can continue to bring thousands together with the interest of improving it.

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New policies recently disclosed by the Department of Homeland Security allow federal agents to seize travelers' laptops and other electronic devices when traveling to and from the border. Currently the policies only pertain to U.S. Citizens, with DHS officials saying it's a necessary to step to "prevent terrorism." Apparently the measures have already been in place for some time, but were only disclosed recently after applied pressure from civil liberties and business travel groups. An increasing number of reports were showing up saying international travelers had their laptops, cellphones, and other devices removed and examined for lengthy periods of time. The policies also make hard drives, falsh drives, iPods, pagers, video, and audio tapes--as well as books, pamphlets, and other written materials fair game for seizure. The policies in place require federal agents to take measures that would protect business information and attorney-client privileged material, and probable cause must be proven to exist for agents to keep materials. But the amount of time for these paperwork procedures to go through is anyone's guess. Next time you travel out of the country, it might be easier to just forget your luggage and resist the urge to document anything. Although greater numbers of people at airports with no other belongings besides jeans, sandals, and a t-shirt is bound to raise suspicion at some point too. www.WeEarth.com

Deforestation and hunting for food are threatening the world's monkey and ape population. Russell Mittermeier, president of Conservation International and head of the INternational Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) primate specialist group issued a statement saying, "We Have solid data to show that the situation is far more severe than we imagined." According to the latest IUCN assessment, 48% of the 634 known species and sub-species of primates are at risk of extinction. Five years ago the percentage was at 39, and the organization ruled that it appears a lot more people are eating monkeys for dinner these days--no joke. "Gorilla meat, chimpanzee meat and meat of other apes fetches a higher price than beef, chicken or fish" in some African countries Mittermeier told Reuters. He says some species are "literally being eaten into extinction." A large part of why hunters have been able to persevere is because of deforestation. The burning and clearing of tropical forests not only destroys the creatures' habitats, but newly forming farmlands and roads cut to help loggers are opening up previously inaccessible regions to poachers. Primates are feeling the most heat in Asia, with 71% of all species at risk, versus Africa where the rate sits at 37%. Mittermeier believes the trends can "absolutely" be reversed, however. Pushing global warming legislation that would regulate deforestation is certainly a helpful measure, but he also believes "eco-tourism" can play a hefty role. According to his logic, local people will have a greater stake in conservation if their income from tourism is higher than from hunting--saving the planet through straight economics. The only difficulty is trying to generate greater interest in nature-based tourism. Mittermeier plans to do his part by helping to promote a new trend in "primate watching." Bird watching is already extremely popular around the globe, and believes primates can be just as fascinating if not more so to look out for. He himself has seen 350 out of the 634 known species and sub-species of primate in the wild, making him one of, if not the world's greatest record-holder. He plans to launch a website that lists the the top experts' sightings in hopes of making the hobby more popular. Of course, monkeys and apes aren't nearly as common to spot as birds, and will require expensive plane tickets to exotic lands, so whether or not this becomes a viable method to save endangered primates has yet to be seen. www.WeEarth.com

http://www.ewagz.com/authors/970/First-They-Ignore-You