GREENPEACE DECIDES TO KISS BRAZIL'S NEW FOREST CODE

Yup, you read right. After the recent series of line-item vetoes by President Dilma Rousseff, no one knows what Brazil's latest Codigo Florestal text means, only that there will be another period of time for wiggling the weasel words to get final passage in Congress. This places the tough negotiations beyond the global spotlight of the upcoming RIO+20 (June 15-22). Many, suspect that this was the smoke-and-mirrors strategy in the first place. When the Senate compromise that satisfied no one failed to gain support in the lower House, the ruraliststas (extremists among the agribusiness interests) were allowed free-rein, resulting in an ecological nightmare and allowing Dilma to veto the most onerous clauses without defining a clear forest policy. Cleverly, Greenpeace has decided to challenge the whole process.

TRUST HER AND GIVE LOVE

Here in Brazil (and many places), May is the month of the Mother, of the great feminine force.

Now, at the end of May, seems like a perfect time to share Robert Happé celebrating the love She offers.  An added bonus is a marvelous mix of English and Portuguese, of mind and heart.

The message is simple: TRUST HER AND GIVE LOVE

IT'S ALL ABOUT WATER

MAGNIFICENT - best to watch full screen...

SOIL, SOUL AND SOCIETY

A brilliant call from spirit through Satish Kumar 

TOMORROW IS D-DAY FOR THE AMAZON

"D" is for Dilma's Decision, Deforestation, Development, Dams and Drought


 
Dilma Rousseff, President of Brazil

Tomorrow, 25 May 2012, is the deadline for Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff to decide whether to accept or veto (in whole or part) the devastating new national Forest Code that was passed recently by the Brazilian Congress.

Andrew Revkin of the NY Times blog Dot Earth suggested that I might submit a "Postcard From Acre" describing the view from my perch in Brazil's western-most Amazonian state which borders on Bolivia and Peru.

A DREAM OF TREES

El tiempo ayuda a perdonar (Time helps to forgive) - image by el silencio

A DREAM OF TREES

 

There is a thing in me that dreamed of trees,
A quiet house, some green and modest acres
A little way from every troubling town,
A little way from factories, schools, laments.

HEALING SONG

SAD... BUT VERY BEAUTIFUL

This music came to me as a lucky late-night find at YouTube. Unfortunately, no information is given about the artist.

A PRAYER TO BEGIN THE WEEK

Mysteries, Yes

Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous
to be understood.

A VISION WORTH SHARING

CONIFER COUNTRY

There's Wonderful new book called CONIFER COUNTRY that documents with incredible maps, photos and field notes my old home region containing the largest variety of conifer species in the world. The map below is interactive. Click on any star to visit a specific location. The Kalmiopsis Wilderness (upper left on the map) is my old Oregon heart home. For a wealth of information and series of virtual hikes, check it out.

THE BEAUTIFUL FOOD WE EAT

  ... all made possible by water.

WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

The classic lyric with stunning imagery and narration by David Attenborough. Not to belabor the obvious, but the treasured gift of creation desperately needs our protection.

ELEPHANTS MOURN THE DEATH OF "THE ELEPHANT WHISPERER"

This is such a beautiful and inspiring story that I want to create a permanent link to it here at Visionshare.

^{A line of elephants approaching the Anthony house (Photo courtesy of the Anthony family)}

'For 12 hours, two herds of wild South African elephants slowly made their way through the Zululand bush until they reached the house of late author Lawrence Anthony, the conservationist who saved their lives.

The formerly violent, rogue elephants, destined to be shot a few years ago as pests, were rescued and rehabilitated by Anthony, who had grown up in the bush and was known as the “Elephant Whisperer.”

For two days the herds loitered at Anthony’s rural compound on the vast Thula Thula game reserve in the South African KwaZulu – to say good-bye to the man they loved. But how did they know he had died March 7?'

Read the full story and more about Laurence Anthony's amazing encounters and works at Wild Elephants Mourn Death of Famed Elephant Whisperer

CONNECTING THE DOTS

350.org, the global grassroots movement to counter climate change has gathered the results of last weekend's actions in a short-but-potent video and has assembled materials to carry forth the campaign in your community.

It’s nearly impossible to capture the feeling of watching people all around the world Connect the Dots last weekend, but this video comes close.

Please take 90 seconds to watch it and spread it around: www.climatedots.org/watch

BUDDHISM FROM THE HEART

Ending the Wesak weekend of the great moon with sweet sounds from Japanese Buddhism:

OH! LUA

As if to add celebration in the firmament to those on earth, the Wesak full moon (the largest of 2012) was accompanied by a meteor shower from Halley's Comet that's peaking as well, adding to the heavenly show.

And, on earth with one of the loveliest praises of the moon, here are Ney Matogrosso, Raphael Rabello, and Chacal with Padrinho Alfredo's Hymn, "Oh! Lua"



Salve a Lua!

FULL MOON IN WESAK

This weekend, at the time of the full moon, the Wesak Festivals around the world are celebrating the birth, enlightenment and the passing away of Gautama Buddha. His awakening signaled the stepping out of the illusion and the path of endless suffering, and the establishment of the first world religion. Here, from the BBC, is the story:



It is told that, when Buddha achieved enlightenment under the Bodhi tree, he reached down and said, "Let the earth be my witness."

Viva Wesak. Viva Gautama Buddha. Viva the peace that transcends all suffering.

May the earth be our witness.

Touch the Earth and Blessed Be

PAUL KRUGMAN AND A PARADE OF 'P's

Paul Krugman, the NY Times columnist and Nobelist, has a great analysis of what has contributed to America's long-term depressed economy. In, Plutocracy, Paralysis, Perplexity he persuasively postulates that the richest 0.01 percent has plundered US economic policy by highjacking one of its political parties.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?

The Heartland Institute, a leading right-wing think tank and advocacy group in the US is hosting its Seventh International Conference on Climate Change conference in Chicago later this month. As part of its denialist campaign, it is posting a series of billboards along Chicago's busiest thoroughfares that equate belief in global warming with notorious figures such as THE UNABOMBER



[UPDATE: The short hot campaign has been unplugged as disgust piled in from all directions. Dot Earth has an interesting roundup.]

Here's Heartland's official explanation of the originally intended campaign:

MOTHER FOREST

STILL SCREAMING

The Scream - Edvard Munch (Norwegian 1893) - source Wikipedia

The last time I posted Edvard Munch's iconic scream was in connection with the controversial media use of the painting to portray reaction to the horror of Anders Behring Breivik's murderous rampage killing 77 people in Norway.

Munch made four versions of “The Scream.” Three are now in Norwegian museums; yesterday the only one still in private hands sold at auction for a record $120 million making it the most expensive painting in the world.

And the world is still screaming.