THE DIVIDED MIND

BELO MONTE UPDATE

Brazilian Amazon groups invade the construction site and withdraw peacefully.

The NY Times report is here.

Press releases and news via Amazon Watch are here.

SENDING UP PRAYERS

The finale of the recent visit of the Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers to Brasilia was a ceremony at the Esplanada in the center of the Brazilian Federal Government to send up prayers for the protection of indigenous lands and the free clear flow of the waters.

More photos from the gathering...

VIVA EVO! VIVA!

Bolivian President Evo Morales -- photo by Jasmine Milani

Bolivian President Evo Morales has sent an amendment to Congress, halting the project to build a road through the Isiboro Secure National Park and Indigenous Territory (TIPNIS), which is home to around 50,000 indigenous people from various ethnic groups. “Therefore, the issue of the TIPNIS has been resolved,” Morales said.

More on the story from BBC.

FEDERAL JUDGE RULES AGAINST BELO MONTE LICENSE

re-posted from Mongabay:

The environmental license for the controversial Belo Monte dam violates the constitutional rights of indigenous communities and is therefore illegal, ruled a federal judge in Brazil on Monday.

Judge Selene Maria de Almeida concluded that the 2005 decree that authorized the dam is illegal because Congress failed to carry out a consultation process with communities that will be affected by the dam. The consultation process is a right guaranteed to indigenous communities under Brazil's constitution.

THE DAILY VIEW: Nossa Senhora Aparecida

Nossa Senhora Aparedcida is the patroness of Brazil and yesterday was Her day. Due to computer problems I couldn't post this yesterday but today I can report that the traditional kid's parties and celebrations were GREAT.

Salve a Rainha do Brasil.
Salve Nossa Senhora Aparecida.

THE DAILY VIEW: On Strike

My old Dell laptop went belly-up last night. I'm not sure if the problem is terminal or if the old guy is just on strike. I was using it while waiting for a better notebook to be returned from a distant repair but the postal workers have been on strike. For the moment that's two strikes against blogging so I'm going to take a break from computer and Internet until it all sorts out. For me, it could be a very good time.

I'll send out an alert when I'm posting again. Hope you'll stay tuned.

"POSTCARD" FROM ACRE

Andrew Revkin requested that I send Dot Earth a blog "postcard" [update: published at Dot Earth on 10/11/11] commenting on the October 3, 2011 press release from Brazil’s Ministry of Environment announcing, "the lowest Amazon deforestation rates for the month of August since monitoring began in 2004."

My response is more of a letter:

SOMETHING'S HAPPENING

Right Here All Over  (Occupy Wall St.) from Alex Mallis on Vimeo.

[Update -- 11 October 2011: Check out Tom Friedman's NY Times Column coincidently with a title similar to this post. Paul Gilding's theme is that we are witnessing The Great Disruption.]

HOW TO BE A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

[AVAAZ has a petition you can sign in support of the Wall St. protests. The running totals will be posted in the middle of the occupation.]

Deepak Chopra, one the world's leading New Age voices, says,

Right now Wall St. is the pure culture of money at its most selfish, greedy, and anti-social. If you aren't angry about that, you aren't breathing.

THE DAILY VIEW: Iara

Iara - photo by Lou Gold (wall graffiti)

I pass this image of Iara often during late night walks. On the darkened street, she is glowing.

THE DAILY VIEW: Peace

Peace -- image by Lou Gold

Today is the celebration of the life and vision of Saint Francis of Assisi.

OCCUPY WALL STREET MANIFESTO

(Image: Woman at Occupy Wall Street, a Creative Commons Attribution (2.0) image from 33498942@N04's photostream)


A manifesto of sorts has emerged from Occupy Wall Street:

THE DAILY VIEW: Unfinished

Unfinished -- photo by Lou Gold

Somehow, this old unfinished wall corner really intrigued me.

THE SALVATION OFFERED BY TREES AND FORESTS

Wisdom from the root of how things work -- trees and forests restore the climate balance on earth. And, if the deforestation does not stop and serious reforestation does not occur, there is very little that we can do.

THE DAILY VIEW: Daughters

Daugthers -- photo by Lou Gold

This is a big weekend for kids in Brazil. There are great parties celebrating Cosme e Damião, martyred twins who by legend are thought to be especially kind to children and give favors in return for sweets. Especially in Rio de Janeiro, children throng to the streets in search of treats and toys on this weekend.

When I first came to Brazil, I was really impressed with the attention and license given to children. It was so different from the "children should be seen but not heard" approach I knew in the States. Once, I asked a friend why he thought Brazilian culture gives such extraordinary attention and celebration to children. His answer was simple, "They are our hope."

THE DAILY VIEW: Night Race

Night Race -- photo by Lou Gold