From: The Guardian
John Vidal reports from La Paz where Bolivians are living with the effects of climate change every day. Their president has called for an urgent 50% cut in emissions – action that is essential for the country’s survival. Click on the image to view video.
Excellent Video on Bolivias Iniatives
When the Earth Shakes, and We Humans on it.
Make a *donation directly to NZ Red Cross Christchurch Fund
Epicenter: Lyttelton from above our house, a day before the quake
Amanda and I escaped. We were in Christchurch about 19 hours before the earthquake hit, just in front of the main church , which is now collapsed, in the square dropping off my passport and work visa application at New Zealand immigration, We also ran some errands, and split up in the afternoon, Amanda stopping by a store, and I picking up our van at the bus depot.
When the earthquake did hit we were both at home. I was in the hallway, and all of sudden, I was being thrown about. I was disoriented for a few seconds, then ran down the hallway to grab my pregnant wife’s hand. She looked as confused as I, as we ran for the door. We had just experienced the earthquake 1km from the epicenter. Our rental home is just across the Lyttelton Inlet in Diamond Harbor’s Charteris Bay. As I grabbed Amanda’s hand and we ran out of the back door of the steel-framed house, I thought, “This isn’t good for Christchurch.”
Little did I know how bad it was. Just over the crest of Port Hills, 20 min away, it was Hell. (more…)
Don't Miss This Dose of Inspiration
The film This way of Life is as inspiring as it gets. Filmed in the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand’s North Island, this documentary is about a Maori family: a good and strong man and his wife who bring up their kids in the out-of-doors, raising wild horses. Peter, the father, is someone this writer admires for his steadfast adherance to what is right action in the midst of some people around him who act very badly. We happened to pick up the movie at the library the other day, and were wowed by it.
A lot of what we strive for here at Mountain Spirit Institute is encapsulated in the documentary, and how this family lives their lives. No nature deficit disorder here. But the hardships, and even the new house where the kids get their own rooms, don’t sugarcoat the difficulties faced by the family. We are about to bring a child into this world, and this film has added fuel to our fire to continue to head for the mountains. A cure for affluenza, for sure.
Director: Thomas Burstyn
New Zealand, 2010, 84 min.
Against the stunning beauty of New Zealand’s rugged Ruahine Mountains, Peter Karena and his wife Colleen instill in their children the values of independence, courage, and happiness. The family is poor in possessions but rich with a physicality and freedom within nature that most of us can only dream of. The children ride bareback, hunt, and play in the wild. Shot over four years, this film is an intimate portrait of a Maori family and their relationship with nature, adversity, horses, and society at large. Special mention at Berlin International Film Festival, 2010 Hotdocs, New Zealand’s Oscar shortlist.
You can learn a bit more about the family and the film on their Facebook page.
See the Movie Trailer
Master Instructor Teaches More Than Drumming
By R. Richards
Drumming Instructor Bob Bloom teaches a lot more than drumming. Bloom, who will be teaching Mountain Spirit Institute’s Drumming Jamaica program on February 7-11 at Treasure Beach, has been a regular keynote instructor on classes in creativity at Southern Connecticut State University. The semester course is instructed by the dynamic leadership of Phyllis Gelineau, PhD. The class consists of students from various disciplines in the university system. The premise of the class, says Bloom, “How are you going to take what you do, or what you teach, and get creative about it?”
Bob was certified in 1997 as a Master Teaching Artist by the state of Connecticut. “A Teaching Artist” says Bloom, “uses an art form to teach and illustrate something else, such as engineering, or marketing for example.
“We teach students how to apply creativity in their work, for example using a circus act to teach mathematics.” Bloom adds, “I’ve used drumming to illustrate the democratic method on how to vote…this movement is huge, it’s burgeoning in the field of education.
Bloom is on a mission – teaching others how to be teaching artists. He has a marketing background, so he’s also teaching educators and administrators how to get the word out about artistic education.
The video clip was shot after Bob had been teaching a group of students for a three hour creativity through drumming class the university.
Mountain Spirit Institute teams up with Master Teaching Artist Bob Bloom
By Cindy Heath
Bob Bloom, of Storrs, CT will lead our Drumming Jamaica workshop February 7-11, 2011 at the Calabash House in Treasure Beach, Jamaica.
I first met Bob Bloom in the late 90’s, when I was searching for musicians to fill the program for a children’s entertainment series in Lebanon, NH. Bob was on stage at a performing artists showcase, and I was immediately drawn to his energy and of course, his skillful drumming. I hired Bob on the spot, and he returned to our stage every summer thereafter, bringing drums for all to play.
Bob Bloom Leads Drumming Jamaica
Bob has been a busy guy, building a highly popular and successful interactive drumming and education program. Here’s a snapshot of his accomplishments:
*Bob’s certification as a ‘Master Teaching Artist’ was awarded by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts in 1997.
*For over a decade, Bob served as a faculty assistant to Dr. Babatunde Olatunji for his “Language of the Drums” courses, and he performed as a member of Drums of Passion, Dr. Olatunji’s internationally acclaimed drumming and dance company.
*Bob served from 2007 to 2010 as chair of the Interactive Drumming Committee of The Percussive Arts Society, the largest percussion organization in the world.
I bought my first conga drum right around the time I met Bob, and started taking lessons at Dartmouth College – what a thrill! There’s nothing like playing the rhythms with a group – I learned to play conga, bongo, clave and eventually steel drums – all without knowing how to read music. Turns out we feel rhythms at a cellular level, and drumming has all kinds of health benefits, including a positive effect on our immune system.
A highlight of my relationship with Bob was when he gave me one of his drums – a beautiful djembe. This is the one I’ll bring to Treasure Beach,
Jamaica for the Drumming Jamaica workshop Bob is teaching – perhaps I’ll learn some new rhythms, and come back from Jamaica a bit healthier and wiser.
As African music educator Olatunji said, “Rhythm is the soul of life. The whole universe revolves in rhythm. Everything and every human action revolves in rhythm.”
If you would like to join MSI in Jamaica, please check out the MSI website or call 603-763-2668
Krag Unsoeld from Washington State, sent this video link to me yesterday, and I found it inspiring. Thanks Krag.
Meet Gail Brill, Founder of the very active Adirondack Green Circle in Saranac Lake New York. She’s getting things done. Learn more….
Snatam Kaur &....
We’ve just had an amazing Mountain Spirit Institute fund raising concert: Snatam Kaur, Guru Ganesha Singh and Ramesh Kannan played at the Lebanon Opera House, New Hampshire, USA.
GuruGanesha Singh
Not only are we grateful for their music, but for who they are as people. We were fortunate that they made time in their schedule to come to central New Hampshire, and we responded with an enthusiastic audience, (301), and lots of willing volunteers who did everything from move gear, provide flowers, to cook wonderful meals. Thank you Snatam, GuruGanesha, Ramesh, Shanti, Sopurkh, and Japreet!
Snatam Kaur & Family/Band at Lake Sunapee/MSI
As we prepped for the fundraiser by printing brochures, prepping our booth, and coordinating volunteers, Snatam’s band rehearsed in our living room, here in Sunapee, NH, which was really tough duty for us, not.
I learned a lot about what music is meant to be, a spiritual communion – with good discussions about why Snatam and her band do what they do. Also I talked with Ramesh Kannan, and discovered that a book I’d bought in a Durango bookstore, is one of his favorites, on the treatise of the spiritual nature of making music. The book is called The Music Lesson, A Spiritual Search for Growth Through Music.
Ramesh Kannan
Stay tuned for some wonderful footage, pending the band’s approval of course. Meanwhile here are some pix. Again a BIG THANK YOU to all the volunteers, support team, Snatam’s family, band members, the Lebanon Opera House, and especially to our sponsors who made this fundraiser possible.
Randy Richards,
Founder
Mountain Spirit Institute
Meet a Passionate Food Supplier
"Made by Hand, From the Soul of Mexico"
After our drive through corn fields, cattle feed lots and processing plants of the of the great American prairies complete with narration on CD of “An Omnivore’s Dilemma” we arrived in Durango for our week of House sitting. When looking for a restaurant which served local food, we found Cocina Linda, run by an energetic and passionate woman to whom we both took a liking. Below is the first post in a series from our informative interview with her. Stay tuned for more the next few weeks. Watch this video to see why we love Linda and her good food.
Image: Cocina Linda’s Logo
Coming soon: New series of blog posts will open your eyes.
Keep an eye out for a new series of video and text posts starting here in a few days. We think you’ll like it.
We’ve just traveled across the U.S.A, listening to an Omnivore’s Dilemma by Micheal Pollan. It was experiential education at its best, and a sobering experience.
What’s more it led to some great footage and interviews here in Durango, CO with local farmers and restaurateurs.
Stay tuned for this informative series of blog posts on your food supply.
Mountain Spirit's Blog 