Jul 8
Stop Oil Contamination in the Amazon! We need your help!
Stop Oil Contamination in The Amazon – Historic Forum on Oil Contamination in Iquitos, Peru
A New Wave of Hope in the Amazon:
Unification of the Indigenous Tribes of the Amazon against Oil Exploitation.
After suffering decades of division, disorder and destruction driven by multinational oil companies plundering the Amazon Rainforest, twelve distinct local indigenous groups from the eight different major tributaries that become the Amazon River set aside their differences to stand together against the forces that have thus far marginalized them!
Upriver from Iquitos, more than five hundred Indigenous and Mestizo communities survive in a rainforest world with few wires or roads, still close to nature and their ancient roots. While far from idyllic or utopian, these communities could otherwise choose the pace and course of their development if not for the invasive and destructive scourge of oil.
In an unprecedented move to unify their efforts to stop oil contamination in the Amazon, over 150 leaders from the Indigenous Federations of Loreto gathered in Iquitos, Peru on July 7th. Answering their call, Alianza Arkana and other organizations such as Amazon Watch helped make this event possible, covering the costs to transport the leaders downriver and providing them with accommodations and a venue in Iquitos to develop a solid political platform to present to newly elected President Ollanta Humala when he takes office on July 28th.
Alianza Arkana is a Peruvian non-profit working with US sister organizations focused on the protection and preservation of the Peruvian Amazon, its people and traditions. For more information on this organization visit: http://www.alianzaarkana.org
Alianza Arkana needs our help to raise the final $5,000 needed to subsidize the costs of this historic forum! Donate Now
We issue this urgent call for financial support. The forum is the idea of the Indigenous people and we have been asked to support them. While it represents their agenda, the struggle includes us all; we all live on the same planet and all of our lives depend on the protection of the Amazon Rainforest. Please consider the significance of this event and the potential impact it will have, not just here in the Amazon, but stoking the growing flames of resistance against oil companies across the planet.
We have a duty as a species to care for our planet and now is the time to help these warriors defend the most important Rainforest left on our planet!
CLICK HERE to see what indigenous groups and environmental organizations attended, as well as a full agenda of what was covered.
Click here for a recap of this historic event by Amazon Watch: http://amazonwatch.org/news/2011/0707-historic-forum-on-oil-contamination
Alianza Arkana’s Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Alianza-Arkana-The-Arkana-Alliance/198385713505508
Alianza Arkana’s Website: http://www.alianzaarkana.org
No commentsJul 6
Cheb i Sabbah Needs Your Help
TO DONATE: http://www.chebisabbah.org/
Fundraiser Event: FUNDRAISER THIS FRIDAY AT 1015 FOLSOM in San Francisco
Dear Friends and Fans of Cheb i Sabbah:
Recently, our dear friend and musical pioneer Cheb i Sabbah was diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer at San Francisco General Hospital. He was advised that the cancer was spreading to his liver and left lung. Without immediate and proper treatment, the prognosis given is very grim. The phrase “weeks maybe months” was repeated to a devastated group of close friends and family who were there to support him as he received the heartbreaking news.
Like many Americans, “Chebiji” — as he is affectionately known — does not have health insurance. Private health insurance is astronomically expensive and public state funded health insurance barely provides the most basic treatment — and it does so only if you qualify. Due to his weak health condition, Chebiji found himself having to cancel live shows, meaning his income stream has come to a complete halt, with mounting medical bills and future medical costs ahead.
Upon learning of his condition, a few close friends and artists have come together to rally around Chebiji and assist him with his fight. Devastated by the news and outraged that an artist of Chebiji’s caliber cannot afford to care for himself and receive the proper urgent medical treatment needed, we have set up a fund to help.
Please help by donating and spreading the word to your communities. With our financial support, love and healing thoughts let’s help Chebiji receive proper medical care and beat this cancer. Chebiji’s debut album for Six Degrees Records, Shri Durga, is considered one of the true classics of South Asian Fusion. Although he was born in Algeria, Sabbah’s unique affinity for the music of India and Pakistan has resulted in some of the most distinctively beautiful marriages of tradition and “DJ Science” ever recorded. Following Shri Durga, Sabbah’s recordings featuring collaborations with Indian master musicians include Krishna Lila & his latest studio recording Devotion as well as the Maha Maya remix project. On La Kahena (and it’s subsequent remix project La Ghriba), Chebiji returned to the music of his North African homeland with equally mesmerizing results.
Cheb i Sabbah has led a fascinating life, with stints as one of the very first DJ’s to spin records in the early Parisian Discothèques more than forty five years ago. As an actor he worked for two decades with the famed Living Theatre and as a director and cutup sound manipulator, he created the group Tribal Warning Theatre, performing with Psychic TV in his adopted home of San Francisco in the early eighties. He has managed the great Global Jazz icon Don Cherry who insisted that Sabbah continue his DJ mission and quoted him as “a professor of music”; Sabbah eventually ended up on stage with Don mixing layers, sound-scapes and beats way before software and laptops. As a promoter, under the banner of 1002 Nights, he was the first person to book concerts with artists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Khaled, Hakim, Transglobal Underground and a host of electro and world musicians from Asia, Arabia and Africa.
Sabbah’s influence on the global electronic music and DJ scene cannot be over estimated. He has shown two entire generations that classical world traditions can blend beautifully and respectfully with DJ Culture. It is our hope that the many people from around the planet who have been touched by his music, might be able to give back however they can in his time of need.
The fans and friends of Cheb i Sabbah have experienced his music and artistic vision through his many albums. For those of us who can recount those ecstatic moments on his dance floors — whether in Goa, Essaouira, Moscow or at Nickie’s, where he ran an eighteen year San Francisco weekly residence, we know what a beautiful gift Sabbah has been to the world at large. This is our opportunity to give something back to Cheb i Sabbah in his time of need.
Please donate generously and spread the word about this wonderful artist and human being. Remember that this could happen to any of us. Donate not only to Chebiji but donate as a way of expressing your support for the millions of uninsured Americans who quietly suffer the undignified humiliation of not being able to fend for themselves simply because their economic and social status.
Thank You and Blessings to All.
Jun 26
Catch Happy! Award winning film. SF Premiere July 1 – 7th!
Catch HAPPY!
Did you know you can get your tickets for the SF Bay Area Premiere of HAPPY – A Documentary online? Schedule your Independence Week HAPPY movie night now (screening July 1 – 7) and purchase up to 10 tickets online for your whole group! We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!
HAPPY, the latest award-winning film by Academy Award® nominated director Roko Belic, takes us on a compelling journey across the world in search of what really makes us happy. From a scientist scanning brains in his lab to a rickshaw puller in the streets of Kolkata, India, deeply personal stories weave together with insights from renowned experts to provide the keys to our most valued emotion.
BONUS! Meet Academy Award® nominated director Roko Belic and Marci Shimoff, best‐selling author of Chicken Soup for the Woman’s Soul and Happy for No Reason, during an exclusive Q and A after the July 1 screening. Director Roko Belic will also be available for Q and A after the July 2 and July 3 screenings.
EXTRA BONUS! Receive 15% off personal Yoga Instruction from Nicole Presents: Yoga, Health, and Wellness when you present your HAPPY ticket stub from the Roxie Theatre screening! Can also be used for Online Skype sessions!
FOR TICKETS: Link Below and then Tickets for the specific show: http://www.roxie.com/events/details.cfm?eventID=EDC65927-1143-DBB3-C6AF0572862A0C15
Website
http://www.thehappymovie.com
Click for Facebook Fan Page HERE
SCREENING TIME & LOCATION
Friday, July 1 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm
Roxie Theater, 3117 16th Street, San Francisco, CA
Jun 15
10 Great Reasons Why People Choose Private Yoga Instruction
Yoga is everywhere these days. There are many styles, studios, classes and instructors to choose from, so why would one choose private yoga instruction?
Did you know that thousands of years ago, Yoga was taught only using one-on-one instruction? It was a practice of meditation using very little postures and way more emphasis on breath. As Yoga evolved to the West, we added more asanas and made it a group activity, similar to the other fitness activities we practiced. So with many types of people and interests here in the West, Yoga became diverse and exciting eventually growing into a billion dollar business!
But now, stepping back, let’s evaluate this new approach to Yoga and ask if people are practicing mindfully. Are you getting the attention you need in large classes? Do you know how to prevent injuries? Do you understand how to modify postures for a health issue? Are you getting hurt when practicing?
There are many benefits to personalized yoga instruction listed below.
10 Great Reasons Why People Choose Private Yoga Instruction
- Proper foundation -Learn accurate postures from the start and develop awareness and alertness to cues so you can move your body safely in any class.
- Customized -A curriculum designed with your specific needs in mind based on your body type. Not everyone is meant to do what you see in the magazines.
- Safety -Learn modifications that make sense for your body and gain a deeper knowledge of body movement, preventing injury in less alignment-focused classes.
- Recovery – If you have an injury or health limitation, take a private to learn how to modify and to work with poses specifically that will aid in your recovery.
- Environment– You dislike the gym, prefer a more peaceful environment, or don’t like sweaty yoga rooms. Lucky for you Yoga is easy to take anywhere – your room, your deck, your roof, or outdoors!
- Convenience - Pick a time and place that is best for you. No stress and hassle about where to go, park and how much time you have. You also can eliminate worries about not getting the space you want in a packed class.
- Beginner/New Style –If you are not sure how to get started or you want to try a new style of Yoga, begin with a sequence that’s customized for you and your body so you can begin a practice with safety and effectiveness. Learn pose names for more advanced classes and learn the philosophy that accompanies it.
- Privacy – Eliminate any fear, intimidation or self-consciousness that you might experience in a yoga studio, focusing on your needs first.
- Honor Your Body Approach – Yoga is a total mind, body, spirit approach. We practice to create space in the mind, reduce stress and build strength in the body through development of self-awareness and compassion. Some trainers and gyms prefer a hard, rigorous approach focusing on the body only.
- Next Level – If you feel you’ve reached a plateau or you are not progressing as you might have wished, find out why. As you develop your practice over time, you will need to respond to the changes in your body. Find out how to do this effectively.
If you want to find a private instructor ask your studio or search online for certified yoga teachers that offer private yoga and include the style of yoga you prefer.
Nicole Doherty is a 400+ hour Certified Yoga Instructor, blogger and marketing and events consultant for wellness businesses. Her articles can be found on http://wellness.nicolepresents.com and other wellness sites such as Yoganomics, Glad.is and EZine.
3 commentsJun 14
Yoga for Brides: Get Lean, Fit and Calm for Your Wedding
Summertime is wedding season and every bride wants to look lean, fit, and calm when she flows down the aisle to say “I do”. A great way to achieve elevated physical and mental states is through a Yoga practice. Yoga combines the toning and strength building aspects of fitness and exercise with the relaxation and stress reduction benefits of meditation. Brides find that yoga is a great way to prepare for their wedding.
There are many postures in Yoga that can help with the toning of the arms and shoulders, often the place of most concern for brides because of strapless gowns. Yoga is different from weight lifting in that you bear the body’s own weight on the arms to achieve a more natural tone appropriate for your body type. Yoga poses like Plank, Downward Facing Dog and Chaturanga, the Yogic push up, are great for these areas. For more advanced practitioners arm balances like Crow Pose, Dolphin or Handstands are perfect ways to build strength, flexibility and tone. Additionally, opening the shoulder girdle leads to a more beautiful, upright standing posture illustrating confidence and grace as you walk.
Slim waistlines bring the tummy area into focus for brides. As mentioned above, many arm balance postures require core awareness to achieve them, so this area is also worked while holding these postures. In fact, most Yoga poses require core awareness. To be in proper alignment and to protect your body during practice your teacher will consistently ask you to be aware of the core. Yoga will not let the tummy go unnoticed!
The by-product of a consistent Yoga practice brings attention to your food choices as well. You may experience a lessened desire for heavy meals and or unhealthy food choices that may inhibit ease in your practice. You may also find your energy level increases, possibly decreasing your need for sugars and caffeine for that extra boost.
Yoga provides stress reduction and mental relaxation through the use of the breath. By becoming aware of the breath during the practice of movement, the mind begins to still. By the end of a Yoga practice, the mind has let go of time and task lists. A bride can learn the art of breathing to help her achieve composure throughout the whole wedding process.
Not only is Yoga excellent for the bride, but also it’s a great way to ground the energy of the bridal party and the rest of your family. Many brides use Yoga as a method to create balance and reduce the high emotional levels of their family members the day of. Brides have also turned to Yoga as a way of connecting with their family members in a fun and relaxing environment.
Yoga is appropriate for all fitness levels and age from teens to grandparents. The Yoga teacher you hire for your wedding will discuss this with you. It’s also super easy to set up. All that is needed is an open space, some mats and an open heart.
Brides try Yoga this summer and enlist your friends and family. Get lean and toned. Feel calm and ready for your wedding. Say, “I do” with grace, ease, confidence and beauty!
If you are interested in scheduling a Bridal Yoga Fitness program preparing you for your wedding day this summer, contact Nicole at nicolpresents@yahoo.com.
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