xmas celebration

we took it to another level this year. for some of us this was unprecedented. but we had fun with it. so happy birthday JC and praise thee the god of consumption. here's documentation on the celebrations:

xmas

liberation ecology

I just participated in a conversation with Van Jones about the Green for All campaign. Van shared with us some news that gave me shivers: like that all of Al Gore's worst case scenarios posed in An Inconvenient Truth are quite possibly our best case scenarios. That the city of Atlanta is 27 days away from being completely out of water. That we might not be talking about eco-apartheid in the near future, we might be talking eco-facism. Because the winners of today might just step up and say, you know what? There just isn't enough to go around, so we're getting rid of all the rest of these people.
He's talking about building a movement that is both left and green, one that works toward social justice while helping our environment. He says lets train all the poor kids to install solar panels; to caulk all the buildings that are leaking too much energy. He says, millions of homes, millions of buildings are going to need these things. That means millions of jobs for people who don't have them right now.

What's not to love about this scenario?
For me, its that it is a stop-gap solution. It doesn't address the inequities in our system - we could just have the same people winning, and the same people losing. It doesn't go far enough with addressing our ecological crisis. It maintains capitalism, consumerism. The system is broken and it needs real solutions.

I know he's thought all this through. And when he talks about building a movement, he's clear that this is only the beginning: that we need to start with things that we can win, that people can relate to. We pull in people from the right, we pull in the folks who are left but don't really think about the environment. And we don't hold back on taking down the Right with a capital R folks who just don't give a shit at all about the environment. And after we're through that, and we've begun to survive this climate crisis, we move on to Round 2... we make real change for the better --- meanwhile our people are employed and we slow climate change.

This is a nationwide movement toward a global solution. Growing food and justice for all is part of it. Food needs to be a part of it ... its not just about what we feed our bodies but how we feed our bodies, and how we relate to ourselves, each other, through the one tangible element that connects us all back to our ecology. Lots of thinking to do... and lots of work ahead.

Where do you fit in?

i'm just chillin enjoying my vacation surfing the web deliscious-ing like crazy and found this cool post:

Based on data collected and compiled within the Pew Internet and America Life Project, Rainie divided technology users into nine groups, with non-users being the tenth group:

1.
Omnivores (8 percent of the U.S. population): They enthusiastically use everything related to mobile communications technology.
2.
Connectors (7 percent): This group, trending toward older females, really uses the communication aspects of these technologies.
3.
Lackluster Veterans (8 percent): They use the Internet frequently, but are less avid about cell phones. (If self-placement is permitted, I think I would classify myself as a lackluster veteran.)
4.
Productivity Enhancers (8 percent of population): They have strongly positive views about how technology helps them increase their productivity at work and at home.
5.
Mobile Centrics (10 percent of the population): They fully embrace the functionality of their cell phones, but don't use the Internet much.
6.
Connected But Hassled (10 percent): They find all this connectivity intrusive and information something of a burden. They often experience information overload.
7.
Inexperienced Experimenters (8 percent): These casual users occasionally take advantage of interactivity.
8.
Light But Satisfied (15 percent): They have some technology, but it does not play a major role in their lives. They love TV and radio.
9.
Indifferents (11 percent): They proudly proclaim that they don't like this technology, but they begrudgingly use it a little.
10.
Off the Network (15 percent): They have neither a cell phone nor an Internet connection. Older females dominate this group.


So, where do you fit in? i'm going with Lackluster Veterans.

take your tentacle to work day

the Community Clinics Initiative, where O works, is amazing. i went to a little bit of their grantee meeting as part of take-your-tentacle-to-work-day. not only did i witness the illustrious O-dawg give a great introduction to their new grant cycle (on environmental/community health, partnerships, collaborations, whoo hoo!!) that had me and the rest of the room pealing laughter, but i also heard some inspiring speakers.

like america bracho. wow. and of course sandra, from TALC. and the woman from PICO. and whoever that other guy was, too!!

they all got me thinking about what it takes to build strong partnerships and to develop collaborations, which was awesome because that's a lot of my work right now. O's new initiative/RFP really showed what an unique and valuable role clinics can play in our movement toward healthy communities, and as someone who focuses mostly on food justice, i'm hoping this can be an opportunity to work with clinics!!

i hope we all get to keep participating in take your tentacle to work day.. more on WORLD's summit later, that brought the whole octopus to one tentacle's work!!

Lena's birth day

Lena Dalke is hecka old now. Here are the tentacles celebration at the Easy Lounge. Hey Lena, do you wanna sya something?

Lena's birth day

Coming up!!!

There's been some serious lagging on updating the blog but a new regime is coming to effect. Tentacles
are committed to updating the blog every two weeks. So here are the few things you can expect to read about in the next month:
-conferences, summits and meetings attended
-thanksgiving at Alcatraz
-misc. celebrations and concerts
-olive picking
-take a tentacle to work day will be a regular feature as well

Also we are looking for an intern to work on the blog as an editor. Storage space/work area will be provided. More details are forthcoming.

world summit on women & hiv

'kay ~ i'm starting this post and i expect that other tentacles will contribute. one particular tentacle works at WORLD - women organized to respond to life threatening disease.
somehow, she manages to mobilize all the rest of us to come work on some of their big events, like cape-making for the aids walk and this summit that just happenned on november 30th.
its always such a rich experience at world, because there is so much heart and passion and gratitude in the women who make it all happen. at the summit, i had the opportunity to lead a workshop for affected communiy members - friends and family of women living with hiv. there is so much learning and so much strength to be drawn from each other, and so much of it is just about telling stories.
i also volunteer-dominatrixed at the summit, and i have so much gratitude and respect for all of the might people who showed up to make it happen! we pulled it off without any real hitch - or glitch- or whatever you call it. way to be on your game, volunteers. the day was inspiring for me and i hear for many other volunteers...
other tentacle thoughts?

tentacle representation on hard knock radio World AIDS Day Special

Loren Jones, Peer Educator & Advocate & Naina Khanna, Outreach Coordinator at WORLD (Women Organized to Respond to Life-threatening Diseases), hosted by Anita Johnson on KPFA. Discussion on World AIDS Day 2007, with a special focus on Women & HIV, including Community Summit on Women & HIV.

Check out the radio show:

Hard Knock Radio Thursday, November 29th, 2007

The World AIDS Day segment starts around minute 14.

Olive harvest

The second annual olive picking harvest took place in Davis, CA. Many participants and lots of fun. There are more pictures somewhere and plenty of fresh olive oil even if we have to give some back. anyone wants to add to this post?

Giving thanks

In this National Day of Morning, tentacles had lots to be thankful for. For one, we had each other, and second, we were blessed with multiple amazing meals. But Navina atoned for our excesses by attending this amazing ceremony at Alcatraz Island. What do you have to say Z?

here is a few of her pictures:

Thanks

Cleaner tentacles

Day 8 and we are almost done with the cleanse. This last week the strict diet has taken over our lives. We're glad to have Naina to consult on what is kosher and if she doesn't know, we'll ask Pat. There is an idea to come up with a cleanse cookbook. Maybe the brainstorm can start on a wiki... or not. Can't wait to have burger!jk

Green Cities, Brown Folks

Some of the brown tentacles attended this event sponsored by the (H)Ella Baker Center. Here's what our esteemed O-Dawg had to say about it:

It was a great event to showcase many of the youth, comm organizing,
environmental equity and economic justice orgs that are throwing it down
in Oakland and the East Bay. It was very action oriented and posed many
questions for the crowd to think about in their own neighborhoods and
for their own actions to take. And so many beautiful brown folks too!!
Oakland WILL BE a model green city based in equal opportunity, oh-fo'
sho!

Fantastic party!!!

Our 'Dia de los Muertos' festivities was a great success. There were some great costumes and you can check out peeps in this album:

party

We had the cops come in but by that time the party was pretty much over. I guess the DJ had the music too loud. Next party is a chill out theme party. We'll make sure to invite the neighbors... and Kent this time.

Women & AIDS Fund Convening Nov 3-5, 2007

Palm Springs is weird. I stayed on a little golf oasis complete with pool & hot tub... i guess local food would be cactus... i dunno, didn't leave the resort i was at once in the three days i was there. here's the resort i stayed at:
http://www.doralpalmsprings.com/

yeah, the hot tub was nice but would have been ever so much sweeter with my honey.

anyway, what i was there for was a Women & AIDS Fund convening of grantees before USCA (the U.S Conference on AIDS). This is an INCREDIBLE group of women's organizations from around the U.S. funded by the awesome Ms. Foundation, which has been supporting community-based organizations - orgs that are by women for women, working to address issues around women & HIV in their communities. at the beginning of our two-day meeting, we began with a revealing exercise where Jacqui Coleman (founder of Vision Que! and all around kickass facilitator queen) had us form a map of the U.S repping our cities/states.

let me tell you ~ most of us were clustered in NY and CA. there were a handful of folks from assorted other states - colorado, louisiana, kansas city, minnesota, seattle -- but there was a GIANT GAP in the middle of the country. esp the south, where we now know the greatest crisis is happening and folks are still dying on the ADAP waiting list, waiting for access to medications, absolutely outrageous in this land of excess and pyramid economy. that pyramid which gets narrower at the top every moment.

but these organizations are revolutionary, innovative. the way they've been able to work with women living with HIV in their communities is by grounding, keepin it real, staying rooted. being the women, staying accountable to the women, developing peer-based programs, BY HIV-positive women, FOR HIV-positive women. an example of innovation that's made an org work: the LightHouse Project in CO supports positive women all over the state. some of these women live in hecka rural areas and it would require hours of driving for them to show up at a support group. so they have women call in to the group and put em on the phone with the ladies in the room. they have one woman who's a truck driver, usually on the road, and she calls in every group from wherever she is - is the first one on group, and the last one off.

it takes a daily commitment from each of us to make our work accessible.

yeah women warriors!

for more on the Ms. Foundation, please visit: www.ms.foundation.org

Party updates, part 2

oh yeah, since we're in the topic of parties. we got a big one coming up. i still have to invite folks which pretty much means they ain't coming. but i'll try. i haven't thought of my costume yet... maybe i'll be competency I (the only thing in my head right now, besides the red sox, sorry a's).


so here's some info on a few parties happening on the east bay.

who: CENTER FOR THIRD WORLD ORGANIZING
where: ibid
when: oct 26
blurb:What¹s better then a haunted mansion, themed drinks and food, the beats of DJ Soul Selecta, a great entertainment lineup and great company?
This is a party not to be missed.

who: THE LIBERATION INK Celebration and 2ND ANNUAL Tee Party!
where: Acorn Studios and Workshop 636 9th St. between Jefferson and MLK Oakland, CA
when: Friday, Oct. 26th , 2007,8 pm - 12 am midnight
blurb: Celebration Program & Fashion Show (don't miss it!!)
DJ's: DJ TJ, La Rumorosa & Lucha Grande, spinning all night...guaranteed to
get your groove on!

who: PROJECT SOUTH
where: Cafe Van Kleefe
when: Monday, October 29th, 5 pm - 7 pm
blurb: Come, hang out, have a drink with us, swap sweaty stories about the Social Forum, get in some good old fashioned heated political discussions about movements, southern strategies, and how to move forward after all the amazing work that everybody threw into the US Social Forum.

Party updates

folks acting silly.. mad silly, at anny's party. how good is your monkey face?

Garden update

this is a picture from the garden action committee last week. hopefully we'll get a few words from the head of that committee in future updates of the garden.

Congressional Briefing on Women and HIV

The National Women and AIDS Collective, (NWAC), a coalition born out of the Women and AIDS Fund at the Ms. Foundation, in collaboration with the National Association of People Living with AIDS (NAPWA) recently convened a congressional briefing sponsored by Senator Hilary Clinton that brought attention to the flawed HIV-surveillance system as it is currently designed and how that impacts women who are accessing HIV testing and counseling.

The current system is based on an outmoded understanding of the epidemic from the early 1980s. Therefore, it does not accurately report or reflect why women are increasingly becoming infected with HIV. The result: policies, programs and funding levels that are tragically inadequate to address the true magnitude of the HIV/AIDS epidemic among American women. This has profound implications for women at risk of, or living with, HIV/AIDS in the United States.

“For years, it has been widely understood among health practitioners and advocates nationwide that women— particularly women of color and low-income women—are at high risk of HIV infection. But as long as the data doesn’t reflect this reality, women will continue to be denied life-saving prevention and testing services now reserved for other high-risk populations such as men who have sex with men and injection drug users, “says Vanessa Johnson, a member of NWAC and Deputy Director for NAPWA.

In reality, many women are contracting HIV because they believe they are in a monogamous relationship with their male partner and/or they are unaware of their male partner’s sexual history, risk behavior or HIV status. Unable to identify their partner’s HIV status or risk behavior, they do not fit into any of the exposure/risk categories specified by the Center for Disease Control. This focus primarily on risk behaviors does not take into consideration contributing environmental and socioeconomic factors that go beyond basic gender, race and ethnicity classifications.

Consequently, the CDC surveillance system automatically places them in the category labeled "no identified risk”, which is eight out of eight in the hierarchy of risk. Once placed in this category, information about their case has no real chance of informing funding prescriptions for prevention and testing efforts nationwide or influencing public perceptions of the epidemic. This percentage ranges anywhere from 47-60% of women currently being tested.

In order to address this disparity, the National Women and AIDS Collective (NWAC) has written a position paper that is proposing the following policy recommendations.

1. Revise the CDC HIV/AIDS surveillance system's transmission categories in order to accurately capture HIV incidence and prevalence data on women.

2. Create an acquisition category that would capture information on comprehensive socioeconomic and environmental factors known to elevate women’s—particularly women of color and low-income women—risk of HIV infection irrespective of presumed or identified behavioral risks.

3. Increase surveillance funding.

4. Convene a workgroup to discuss items number 1 through 3 with representation from the National Women and AIDS Collective.

These recommendations will help to ensure a more accurate picture of the epidemic in women and enable this country to adequately address it.

New garden bed

as promised here's the update and picture of the action on the new garden beds.

this planting season we're expanding the cultivated areas around the house. navina and austin did an awesome job building the new beds and from the picture you can see everyone else pitching in, some with bigger shovels than others.

more updates on what actually goes in to each of the new spaces in the near future.

week in review

i've been slacking. and i got to find someone else to write on this thing. i guess it can work as picture blog but i want narrative descriptions about what happens with tentacles. we got pretty good writers in the house. for instance , someone coould explain what this picture is:

they were trying to distract me. that's all i got to say about it.

so what's happened in a week?

lots of stuff.

we all went to the city and warmed up Anny HA HA HA house.

then we hosted our neighbors for dinner on tuesday and that was really fun. i dont have pictures because i was still trying to solve the camera issue. but it's resolved and here i am posting some pictures .

we finished with the garden work. pictures from all these events are coming up.

Unofficial International Cephalopod Awareness Day

yesterday was a day to celebrate the octopus in all of us cephalopodcast reports. i think we're celebrating with a new garden bed. pictures are coming soon. meanwhile, think about the celebration will have next year on 8/8/8.
peace

Bienvenue

Well, here it is. The space where we are going to document all the cool stuff we do, we're into, and create an archive of the lives of eight tentacles.
Without further ado, let's get it started...