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Eco-Pirates & Santa: On The Road for Change

art predator — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:41:42 +0000

VC Eco-Pirates Present Eco-Fest Dec. 3 & Save Santa Ride Dec. 4

art predator — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:23:15 +0000

On Thursday December 3, the Ventura College Eco-Pirates (a/k/a students in Gwendolyn
Alley’s English 1A & 2 classes) invite you, your friends, your family, and your students to:

The Ventura College Eco-Fest:
a Do It Yourself Day of Action
Thursday December 3,
8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. in the quad

RIDE YOUR BIKE to SCHOOL
& get a free bagel from Noah’s
& get it looked over by a mechanic
& get your winter riding lights on!

BRING YOUR COFFEE CUP to the quad
& get a free cup of coffee from Starbuck’s!

Learn why you should ride your bike
Learn how to grow a salad
Learn about DIY & self empowerment
Learn about the threat of plastics to local ocean ecosystems

Listen to music, watch films & more:
Gifts & crafts by local artists
Tables with info from local environmental organizations including VCCool & City of Ventura
Environmental Services

Friday, December 4, Save Santa ArtRide:

What will happen to Santa if the North Pole melts?
Calling all Santas, elves, polar bears & reindeer!
4:45 p.m. Meet at the corner of Day Rd & Telegraph
5:00 p.m. Ride down Telegraph to Main
5:30-6:00 p.m. Meet at the Artists Union Gallery
6:00 p.m. Ride to art galleries and studios
7:45 p.m. Socialize: Meet at the Ventura Visitors Center, 101 S. CA St at Santa Clara
for food from Milanos & beverages
$5-$15 donation for all you care to eat & drink

For more information, see Wednesday’s article in the Venture Breeze or check out these links–

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2009/nov/29/wheels-of-change-turning-in-ventura/

http://whisperdownthewritealley.wordpress.com

http://artpredator.wordpress.com

http://bikergogal.wordpress.com

Make a video about YOUR concerns about climate change

art predator — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:42:33 +0000

I received this email today from the Alliance for Climate Protection
& think making a video would be a great project for us all!

As the New Media Director here at the Alliance for Climate Protection,
I’ve been thrilled to see The Wall grow so rapidly over the last few weeks.

My team and I have been busy reviewing thousands of moving messages,
and I just wanted to take a moment to highlight a few of our favorites,
and share with you why I’m so excited about this campaign.
Enjoy these, then add your own:

In the past few years, new online tools have revolutionized the way
that people can get involved in the world around them,
connect with the things they care about, and even
organize others to truly make a difference.

Of course, traditional media like TV and newspapers are still
an important way we communicate. But most of us can’t just go on TV
or get published in the newspaper when we have something
that we want to say.That’s what makes The Wall so unique.

The Wall is powered by your support for clean energy and enabled by an
online platform that brings together your messages from across the country
in a powerful, visual display.

We then amplify your messages by putting them in mass media ads targeted
for your state or community.

These ads are uniquely positioned to have an impact on the elected leaders
who are deciding now how soon we’ll take action for clean energy and climate
in this country.

The Wall represents a resounding sense of urgency shared by diverse voices
from across the country.

It gives us the chance to organize and connect on clean energy and climate
in a whole new way.

As our leaders debate issues of Make and scope related to clean energy policies,
The Wall is more important than ever to make our voices heard
in the fight for strong energy and climate policies.

Add your voice and grow a movement for clean energy that our leaders can’t ignore:

http://acp.repoweramerica.org/wallform

I look forward to your message and thank you for being a part of this exciting campaign.

Tim Fullerton
New Media Director

I hope you’ll go check it out! If you make and post a video, leave a comment below
so we can check it out!

It’s almost Halloween!

art predator — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:14:07 +0000

Last year I led some writing workshops in my son’s class. His group wrote a poem, “I am a Scary Smelly Skeleton Pirate” which my son and I turned into this YouTube video. Here’s the text to the poem and here’s two more Halloween oriented poems from that workshop.

And here we are as un muy pequeno calavero with Art Predator aka Ms Frizzle of the Magic School Bus fame.

River of Skulls: the perfect wine for Halloween & Dia de los Muertos & more

Yep, Twisted Oak’s River of Skulls: This is the wine you need for Halloween, Dia de los Muertos, and maybe for all the sinners on your list: Twisted Oak’s River of Skulls, a mourverde with a little syrah thrown in.

from Twisted Oak in Calaveras County CA

This is a special creature, this wine. Sorry to say that unless you have a trip planned to Calaveras county, you’re out of luck. You can get on the list now for next year! Sign up here.

While my favorite blend on Earth has to be GSM (grenache/syrah/mourvedre), seeking out a mourvedre– “the sinner” in all its wild gamey glory–seems perfect for this time of year. And for my money, I’m going for Twisted Oaks “River of Skulls” which conveniently arrived a few weeks ago in my “Twisted Few” allotment!

I had the amazing opportunity to taste this wine at last year’s Wine Blogging Conference 2008 and it wowed the socks off of me. (OK, I admit, I’m a sucker for mourvedre!) This year, El Jefe aka Jeff Stai served it up during the live blogging portion of the 2009 Wine Bloggers conference. This wine not only wowed us bloggers but in recent competition and tastings, it’s done well: they just got word from Wine Enthusiast magazine that the 2006 Spaniard will receive a score of 92 points, and the 2007 River of Skulls will receive a 90 point score, in their December issue. Congrats to Jeff and crew!

For more poetry, jump on the TRAIN! For more about wine, head over to Wine Predator! That’s where I plan to aggregate my wine posts and where I will post first from the European Wine Bloggers Conference and from the Enoforum Tour of the Alentejo region of Portugal. (Oh, you didn’t hear about that? You didn’t hear my joyous noise? Go here to learn more.)

There is some ghostly formatting going on here–just attribute it to the hi-jinx of los calaveras!

Halloween Weekend Activities at the Moorpark College Teaching Zoo

art predator — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 18:43:36 +0000

Halloween Event at Zoo

Contact: 805 378-1441

Boo at the Zoo
America’s Teaching Zoo at Moorpark College will be holding the annual Halloween weekend event on October 31st and November 1st. The zoo opens to the public at 11 am, and hours have been extended until 7 pm for this event. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors & children 12 and under, and free for children 2 and under. Booths will include face painting, crafts, and Halloween activities with candy and prizes. Animal shows in the amphitheatre are at 12, 1, 2 and 3pm. Visitors to the zoo can also witness a carnivore feeding display that takes place cage-side at 4pm. Complete details are on the website at www.moorparkcollege.edu/zoo

NCTE’s National Day of Writing: Tues Oct 20

art predator — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 18:25:26 +0000

About NCTE
The National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) is devoted to improving the teaching and learning of English and the language arts at all levels of education. Since 1911, NCTE has provided a forum for the profession, an array of opportunities for teachers to continue their professional growth throughout their careers, and a framework for cooperation to deal with issues that affect the teaching of English. www.ncte.org

About the National Day on Writing
Whether we call it texting, IMing, jotting a note, writing a letter, posting an email, blogging, making a video, building an electronic presentation, composing a memo, keeping a diary, or just pulling together a report, Americans are writing like never before. Recent research suggests that writing, in its many forms, has become a daily practice for millions of Americans. It may be the quintessential 21st century skill. By collecting a cross-section of everyday writing through a National Gallery of Writing, we will better understand what matters to writers today—and when writing really counts. Understanding who writes, when, how, to whom, and for what purposes will lead to production of improved resources for writers, better strategies to nurture and celebrate writers, and improved policy to support writing.

America’s writing will be front and center on October 20, 2009—the National Day on Writing. On that day, writers from every walk of life will pause to share their work. Communities across the nation are planning events to celebrate local writing, and NCTE will open the virtual National Gallery of Writing for all to appreciate the rich variety of work on display. The National Gallery will continue to accept submissions until June 1, 2010 and will remain open to readers through June 30, 2010.

Click Here to visit the National Day on Writing Website.

Stay Connected!
Become a Fan of the National Day on Writing on Facebook
Follow the National Day on Writing on Twitter
Join the National Day on Writing Group in the NCTE Ning

3 Recommended Reads for Blog Action Day 2009

art predator — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:53:45 +0000

Three books that I’m into right now are perfect companions to Blog Action Day on Climate Change 2009 — Nowtopia: How Pirate Programmers, Outlaw Bicyclists and Vacant-Lot Gardeners Are Inventing the Future Today by Chris Carlsson (AK Press 2008), Critical Mass: Bicycling’s Defiant Celebration edited by Chris Carlsson (AK Press 2002) and Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne (Penguin 2009).

How are you changing YOUR lifestyle to combat climate change and participate in being part of the solution instead of the problem?

Help Stabilize the Climate–support this bill by signing the petition below

art predator — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:50:56 +0000

Keep the climate bill strong.

Sens. Feinstein and Boxer:

“I urge you to take the pledge to vote only for a climate bill that retains the EPA’s ability to regulate CO2 and doesn’t give massive subsidies to the coal industry. This is a rare opportunity to stand up for our planet, and we cannot afford a bill that is too weak. Please stand up for a strong climate bill and take the pledge.”

Just in time for Blog Action Day 2009, I received this email in my in-box today from the good folks at Credo…

Tell Sens. Feinstein and Boxer: Protect a strong EPA in the climate bill.

Senators Kerry and Boxer have introduced a climate bill that protects the EPA, a bold step that deserves to be commended. But Big Coal and Big Oil will stop at nothing to strangle the EPA, and maintain the status quo, where polluters escape regulation and our planet pays the price.

Almost immediately, the strongest provisions of the climate bill started to be talked about as “bargaining chips,” to be given away for a few votes of hesitant senators. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stepped right up to this offer, and last weekend authored an editorial with Sen. John Kerry.

Many cheered this turn of events. But if you look closely at what Kerry and Graham wrote, you can see the horse trading has begun. Among the major concessions to Big Energy already being talked about are huge investments in nuclear energy and an increase in offshore drilling. And what does Big Coal get? A commitment that America will become the “Saudi Arabia of clean coal.”

With these concessions already out in the open, an all out assault on a strong EPA can’t be far behind. Big Coal was able to strip the power of EPA to regulate CO2 in the House bill; you can bet it will stop at nothing to take away EPA regulatory power in the Senate.

Environmental senators need to stand up and draw a line in the sand: they must pledge only to support a bill that preserves the EPA’s ability to regulate C02 and doesn’t give away tens of billions of dollars to the coal industry.

If enough environmental senators draw a line in the sand and say, as a bloc, that they will not vote for any plan that fails to meet this minimum threshold, the Obama administration and the Senate leadership will be forced to listen to their demands.

Click here to automatically sign your name to a petition asking Sens. Feinstein and Boxer only to support a climate bill that retains the ability of the EPA to regulate CO2 and does not include massive subsidies to the coal industry.

Thank you for working to build a better world.

Michael Kieschnick, President
CREDO Action from Working Assets

E.B. White asks: Save the world or savor it?

art predator — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:15:24 +0000

“If the world were merely seductive, that would be easy; if the world were merely challenging, that would be no problem. But I wake up each morning torn between a desire to save the world and a desire to savor the world. This makes it very hard to plan the day.” — E. B. White

Let’s try to do both!

Poetry: Verse and shaping forms

art predator — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:34:44 +0000

In The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms, editors and poets Mark Strand and Evan Boland write:

“If metrical forms (sonnets, villanelles, etc) are the architexture of of poetry, then the shaping forms of ode, elegy, and pastoral are its environment.”