Thanks to Stephen for this link:

An image captures a feeling, a story shares a message, a movie becomes a movement. Media That Matters brings you 16 inspiring films by youth and independent filmmakers committed to changing the world, in 8 minutes or less.

Head on over to the site and kill some time by watching these important documentaries - all made by youth.

In hopes of raising awareness about the reality of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, Sam writes every Monday about a key issue in an attempt to stop the atrocity. Doing so may not bring about a wave of change, but it is a small ripple that represents the tide that needs turning.

The New York Inquirer is doing a special series about the genocide in Darfur. They begin the coverage with a reality check. It's been over two years since Colin Powell and the House of Representatives called this thing a genocide, but US and international efforts have been pathetic (as has been mainstream media coverage).

Go read today's coverage and then check back all week. This is very important.

Also posted on: Darfur Be Damned, Darfur Mondays

A story in the BBC News details how a group of Wal-Mart employees in China has formed a union. I think this is beautiful.

While I am generally anti-union because I think they harm workers financially more than they help them politically (look at the utter debacle of the New York City transit workers' strike), I do like to see people take swings at the Goliath known as Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is pretty PR savvy, even though lots of young hippie web folks like to tear them new ones.

However, I went into a Wal-Mart last week. I normally don't shop there because I disagree with their labor practices, but I had some time to kill (I didn't even take my wallet in). After browsing around the store for about 15 minutes I came to this conclusion: no one likes to work at Wal-Mart. I did not see one cashier, stocker or customer service rep smile. None. I don't blame them. I would hate to work there, too.

If you'd like a good read and want to know more why these people aren't smiling, read "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrenreich. And, don't shop at Wal-Mart.

The BBC is reporting (as well as many other sources) that the Darfur peace agreement has been deliberately broken by the Sudanese government and their Janjaweed militias.

Even though two key rebel groups did not sign the May agreement, Minni Minnawi's group and the government in Khartoum did. However, with today's attacks, the government has not lived up to its end of the bargain.

The once very fragile deal is now shattered. Everyone (including third party nations like the US, Britain and others) must go back to the drawing board and do everything in their power to make sure that innocent lives are spared.

Source: BBC News
Also posted on: Darfur Be Damned

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered that foreign words no longer be used. He has replaced the word 'pizza' with 'elastic loaf.'

I once heard of another country doing this with everything that started with the word 'French.' Some people tried to replace it with the word 'freedom,' which was kind of a compliment and made people who actually ate 'freedom fries' sound really stupid.

It looks like Ahmadinejad is the second coming of Kim Jong Il. Iran's president has also denied the holocaust and is relegating himself to the ranks of resounding gong. Unless of course it turns out he has nukes. Then we'll have to listen to him while we eat our elastic loaves with extra cheese.

This is an example of the good news that can happen when two nations put aside their differences in order to protect their citizens from murder and rape. Chad and Sudan aren't best buddies, but they can now offer their people a little bit of safety.

Source: BBC News
Also posted on: Darfur Be Damned

I'm tired of the apathy, the lack of information, the misinformation, and all the rest. It's time to write more than Mondays and do my part to supply the world with the reality of Darfur's genocide. So get ready, and make Darfur Be Damned your source for Darfur news and analysis.

For those of you on my 'Daily Dose' list (and anyone else who cares) - would you rather I list your name or the name of your blog? Mine are the same, so I can't answer. Let me know what you think; I'll probably just rename the links to your blog name if you want. Otherwise I'll let people be able to Google for you (and increase my site traffic and AdSense revenue - $0.76 and counting!).

The New York Times (I'm still boycotting the Times, but this is the only place I could find the full article) reports today about a new Las Vegas city ordinance that makes it illegal to feed a homeless person on city property like parks. Gimme a break.

This is terribly short-sighted and biased. While I don't know much about homelessness as The Homeless Guy, I do think laws like this (which will hopefully be rarely enforced) do little to address the issue of why people are homeless. And when this issue isn't addressed, little progress can be made.

And, yes, I redsigned my blog. Glad you like it.

Yesterday, President Bush met for about 40 minutes with Darfur rebel leader Minni Minnawi at the White House. That’s right – one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time and the President carves out 40 minutes for it. I know he’s busy not calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, and that he’s occupied by ignoring the huge national deficit, and that it takes a lot of time to continue to do little after Hurricane Katrina (I mean he finally vetoed a bill, right?). But, I would have only assumed that a president who scribbled "NOT ON MY WATCH" on the Clinton-Rwanda report would have rolled up his sleeves, pulled up his cowboy boots and tried to hammer out a way towards lasting peace and ending this century’s first genocide.

But we all know what happens when we assume.

Basically, at this meeting that only took a little longer than an episode of Scrubs, the President asked the rebel leader to stop instigating violence (which has happened in a region facing continually deteriorating security problems) and to try and work with the other rebels (the two groups who did not sign the May peace agreement and cited it as inadequate) to bring about peace.

Uh…if Mr. President would read a newspaper (or my blog) he would realize that the existing groups warring in Darfur, and the African Union troops, are woefully incapable of doing that. And so it appeared, that in typical conservative Christian fashion, Mr. Bush approached the meeting as what he could give to someone else, with little regard for what that someone else actually needed.

Yes, the whole thing is complicated (which you know if you read here regularly). There are certain sensitivities, ancient history, religious undertones, and a whole myriad of other crap that makes every step of this arduous marathon seem like we’re all running uphill into the wind while hot ash and boiling lava spew down from above. But we get nowhere if we don’t even bother to put on our shoes.

What could Mr. Bush have promised Minnawi? That he would go (not Mr. Bolton, who may be slightly more inadequate than the African Union forces) to the floor of the UN, shout about the atrocities being committed in refugee camps (we’re talking about women getting gang-raped and kids’ arms being hacked off by machetes) and demanding a united front politically (and a non-Western front militaristically) to stabilize the region so that the terms of the May deal could be realized. This speech could be written and delivered, say, in no more than 40 minutes?

And, Mr. Bush, if you do happen to stop by this blog from time to time and would like me to write said speech, I’ll do so free of charge. Seriously.

In hopes of raising awareness about the reality of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, Sam writes every Monday about a key issue in an attempt to stop the atrocity. Doing so may not bring about a wave of change, but it is a small ripple that represents the tide that needs turning.

This is a huge headline that broke before lunch: President Bush is set to meet with Darfur rebel leader Minni Minnawi tomorrow.

While this may not seem earth-shattering, I do have to give the president credit for seeming to care about this international crisis. Stay tuned here to see what happens.

After weeks of reading mouthwatering reviews on Nashville is Talking and elsewhere, I finally was able to make it to Berry Hill and Mothership BBQ (Mothership blog). Kerry Woo threw it out there as a great place to meet up, so we went and Lynnette also joined us. She’s a chicken-only meat-eater, so the PB&J had to hold her over. As for me, I came for the barbecue and stayed for the potato salad. It was delicious and tangy. I think next time I’ll get a few quarts so I can have a month’s equivalent of starch in an afternoon.

If you haven’t been, head on over. And if you have been, go back.

Nashville Scene's annual You Are So Nashville If... issue came out today. I sent in a submission, and I didn't win, but I seemed to have made at least one person laugh. Not too bad for four seconds of inspiration.

Some think that this year's issue is a little weak, and I'd have to agree. Perhaps the Scene can't garner the submissions they once did, or perhaps since Nashville is slowly morphing into nearly every other city in America (as our local eateries are priced out of their leases and Starbucks appear within half a mile of each other). Either way, being so Nashville ain't as easy as it used to be.

Jake has the full scoop and guest list over on his blog, but Lynnette and I are going next Thursday to the first dialogue regarding CBF and Emergent. Should be a fun and important discussion.

If you're interested in this partnership/conversation, all are welcome in Chattanooga. If you're in Nashville and would like a ride, email me, because we've got room in the car. Hope to see you there.

In hopes of raising awareness about the reality of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, Sam writes every Monday about a key issue in an attempt to stop the atrocity. Doing so may not bring about a wave of change, but it is a small ripple that represents the tide that needs turning.

An article in today's Herald quotes former President Clinton:

"I would like to see a larger force go there with as many Africans as possible – and then other Muslim forces, perhaps from Turkey, or Pakistan or Bangladesh. I think that the government of Khartoum should be pressured to accept such a force. I think the AU should be supported."

This echoes sentiments shared by Brian Steidle when he spoke in Nashville in March. As much as America is capable of in terms of military power, a better move politically (and for the victims of the genocide) is if non-Western troops (preferably a NATO force) were the ones to keep the peace (and combat the militias).

The Darfur situation is already overly complex (I feel like I say this nearly every Monday). If you want a great Darfur: 101 page, check out either this article from the BBC, or this link from SaveDarfur.org. Anyway, trying to find the right troops, religiously, ethnically and politically makes a dire situation become prolonged. And in a genocide, every day counts.

Troops are needed badly, more so than my wife's hydrangeas need water. The AU force is tired and ready to hand this thing over to the UN. But the reality of war suggests that until the perpetrators are held accountable for their atrocities (which may take the form of armed combat), the genocide and its body count will continue to rise.

Pray for the peace of Darfur.

From CoolPeopleCare:

Make Your House More Energy Efficient by Changing All Your Light Bulbs

Ingredients: Pen and Paper
Enough energy efficient light bulbs for your entire house
Ladder (for ceiling light fixtures
Friend (to hold the ladder or to make things go quicker and to keep you company at the hardware store)
DVD of Kilowatt Ours (optional)
Caring Time: 112 Minutes (or 174 if you watch the movie before or after)
Cost: About $125
Results: Reduced utility bill
Conservation of natural resources
Satisfaction of making a difference

My wife, Lynnette, and I watched Kilowatt Ours at a local awareness-raising event. The documentary details how Americans are using vast amounts of electricity and what this is doing to our environment and our pocket books.

The ultimate goal of filmmaker Jeff Barrie is to wean the entire nation off of its addiction to coal and other fossil fuels because our consumption of them causes so much harm to the earth. His film details the various ways in which our massive use of coal hurts people and communities. In order to achieve such a monumental goal, Jeff encourages people to act small—use less electricity, purchase energy efficient appliances, change the most-used light bulbs to energy efficient models, and buy clean energy.

He inspired us. In fact, we didn’t decide to change only the bulbs we use most often, but every single one inside (and outside) of our house. We knew it was quite a task and would cost a bit of money, but we knew that in the end our reduced electric bill would make up for the initial investment.

First, we took a survey of all of our lights in our house. We counted the overhead lights, the lights on the fans, the lamps, the outside lights, the vanity lights, the closet lights, the lights in the hall, and the lights in the pantry. Having made a list of numbers and wattage, we headed off to our local hardware store.

Home Depot has a great selection of energy efficient light bulbs, and we were able to find specific bulbs to meet our needs. Not only did we find a variety of wattages, but also we found floodlights, outdoor bug lights, and regular lamp light bulbs. The bulbs do cost quite a bit more that traditional light bulbs (about $4 a piece, on average), but the fact that you’re using 75% less energy for each bulb replaced and will save money on your next monthly electric bill offsets the feeling of a lighter wallet. You can also buy bulk packages and save money.

Since we needed about 25 regular 60-watt bulbs, we decided to buy in bulk on eBay. We ended up saving about $35 dollars going this route. Just search eBay for ‘energy efficient light bulbs.’ We bought 30 bulbs for less than $40 shipped.

Within a week, all of our fixtures were filled with better bulbs, and we even saw a $4 decrease in our electric bill. The way these bulbs work is similar to how fluorescent bulbs work, as opposed to incandescent bulbs (regular light bulbs). Regular bulbs produce heat, which ends up as wasted energy since all you need is the light (and not the heat). Energy efficient bulbs don’t produce heat, thus they use less energy. They are also brighter and last longer. Everyone wins.

They key, of course, to really saving energy and money, is to use less electricity to begin with, which we’re working on. Unplugging appliances when we’re not using them, turning off lights when we leave a room, and turning the thermostat up a degree when it’s warm out helps us accomplish this, one step at a time.

**Articles like these, and more helpful hints will be available in just a few days when the revoultion begins. Get excited, and sign up for email updates.**

I love catching up with my friend Ben. He's as perceptive as they come. Here's a dialogue sample from lunch today:

Me: I think there's a fine line between patriot and terrorist.
Ben: Yeah, there's also a fine line between president and warlord.

Wow.

From time to time, I write over on Metroblogging: Nashville. Jackson Miller came up with a great idea: have the ten authors each come up with ten things about Nashville. My list is up for your reading enjoyment. Be sure to check back as people update.

News today reveals that Southwest Airlines is thinking of assigning seats.

I couldn't believe it either. This airline had two hallmarks: low prices and cramming everyone down the jetway in a mad dash for aisle seats. Last week, they raised their fares a few bucks due to gas prices; this week, they're making us sit in assigned seats.

I like what one guy said: "If I wanted assigned seats, I would go to one of the other airlines." No you wouldn't. The unassigned seating was rarely a draw, and people actually complained about it until they were allowed to complain about assigned seats. The moral of the story: people like to complain.

The whole unassigned seat thing actually provided me with some entertainment. I'm loyal to Southwest because of their good service and low fares (okay, I'm really loyal to my wallet). And, when I would fly with them, I always marveled at the people standing at the front of the A line 45 minutes before the plane even showed up. If I had an A, I would sit back and relax, because I'd still get that aisle seat. But, if I drew the B or C card, then I, too, became and line-stander, doing a crossword while looking out the window for my brown or purple bird to arrive - especially if it were a long-haul flight. No one wants to get stuck between the Kool-Aid Man and Jabba the Hut and their newspapers from Nashville to Los Angeles.

While this in only a test in San Diego, and while they only saved one minute by assigning seats, I don't think this thing will stick. Some think it's to combat the rising number of websites that will ensure your A-grouping (making lots of people complain that they can't print and get their own A boarding pass). There are too many loyal business travelers who book flights a day or two out to get to that sales pitch in Omaha and Tulsa, who print out their A boarding pass 23 hours and 59 minutes in advance in order to get on and off that socialist plane ride to the middle of nowhere. And, with Jet Blue and their leather seats and DirecTV expanding into other markets, look for any sort of difference to become a hallmark.

In hopes of raising awareness about the reality of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, Sam writes every Monday about a key issue in an attempt to stop the atrocity. Doing so may not bring about a wave of change, but it is a small ripple that represents the tide that needs turning.

I was tempted nearly two months ago to take off my green bracelet.

I wear one of those rubber bracelets that nearly everyone has. I’d seen them for a while and decided I wanted to wear one for a really important cause, and I decided that once I found one, I would wear it until the point of wearing it was over. After learning more about Darfur and learning that a green bracelet was available to raise awareness, I decided that’s the one I wanted. I’ve worn it everywhere – to weddings, to work, to the beach – and on more than one occasion I’ve been asked what it means, and I’m always happy to share.

After the signing of a peace deal over 60 days ago, it looked like the bracelet would come off and I’d have to pick another cause. One of the rebel factions and the Sudanese government had hammered out a last-minute pressure-packed deal, and a lot of the world thought the genocide would end and we could go about our merry way and fight injustice elsewhere.

And then the BBC carried these words today:

Two months ago, in their haste to get a deal, the international community pushed through a peace agreement involving just one of Darfur's rebel factions - that of Mr. Minnawi.

The size of that mistake is now becoming clear.

Reports today describe violent fighting among rebel groups in northern Darfur. Many are dead. Relief workers can’t access the sight yet to assess the damage.

As I’ve written before, peace deals aren’t easy or quick, and as soon as international attention shifts because something as been signed, things can get worse very rapidly.

Pray for the peace of Darfur. And hope beyond all hope that new excitement and energy can be invested in a new and workable solution. And go get a bracelet.

Headlines abound this morning regarding a possible alliance between General Motors and Nissan. With the newly moved headquarters only a mile or so from my house, the local paper likes to fill its pages with AP wires about the new kid on the block. And when the Tennessean fails to connect the dots, its non-readers are quick to jump in with pencils and laptops. Allow me:

One of the scenes that I liked in An Inconvenient Truth was the one in which Al Gore presents the economic advantages of combating global warming. He shows a graph of worldwide fuel standards (the US is predictably near the bottom). Gore surmises that if US automakers were to raise their standards, they could sell their cars in more markets. As of right now, the Hummer can’t be sold nearly anywhere else. But, a hybrid hummer could be sold in some of the largest markets around the globe.

So why haven’t US automakers caught on? Why has no one stepped up and started making hybrids and fuel cell vehicles by the barge-load to sell at home and abroad? Why are plants in Michigan and elsewhere still pumping out the gas-guzzlers of the past that only get 25 miles per gallon?

Some might cite a lack of vision. This is why GM is interested in talking with Carlos Ghosn, who has turned Nissan into a very profitable and dependable company. The dinosaurs at the helm of GM think a little Brazilian magic will fix their problems of sales, pensions and healthcare. Nothing could be further from the truth.

While Mr. Ghosn is a brilliant executive and a smart leader, his walking into a boardroom will not automatically bring GM back into its heydays of big profits and fat margins. In order to turn around such a lethargic giant, change has to happen in the factories, where the company's goods are mass-produced. Cutting a health plan here and a pension there will not make GM stock sexy to shareholders; doubling global sales with new technology will.

I found it interesting that Suzuki, GM’s sales partner in Japan, ended its relationship last month. An immediate reason was not given, but one can bet it has to do with the bottom line. This news came after the Japanese government required its trucks and buses to have better fuel standards by the year 2015. One can only guess that if Suzuki wants to be successful and have a future in Japan, it has to stop selling Trailblazers and start selling something than runs on the soon-to-be-required ethanol. (Just a few weeks ago, Japan announced a new requirement that all cars run on a mixture of ethanol. I don’t know of any Cadillacs that do this.)

In contrast to GM, Nissan is getting the picture. After its sales in Japan slumped badly in April, it increased its lineup of tiny cars. And, on its website, you can read about its initiative for the fuel cell vehicle in Japan.

It seems as though they are taking a page out of Toyota’s playbook, which is poised to become the number one automaker in the world. So far this year, Toyota has a 1% sales increase in Japan, and has nearly 42% of the Japanese market.

Auto makers like GM used to know the future: they saw a nation of suburban dwellers who drove to work and to the beach and to grandma’s, and so they mass produced affordable and reliable vehicles. But they only predicted the end user would look at the sticker price. Now, the end user, who still lives in the suburbs and drives everywhere, is also looking at the gas pump prices and the air quality, as well as the sticker price. And, now, there are end users in places like China, Brazil, and India by the billions. And in some of these countries, their cars have to run on alternative fuels, and they have to get 40 miles to the gallon. With GM still only thinking about maintaining the status quo in the US, it is missing out on the future entirely.

It will be interesting to see what will come of these meetings between Nissan and GM. I, for one, hope that it finally dawns on them (US automakers) that the way of the future is not the way of the past, and if we are to have a future, we will need clean vehicles. And Mr. Ghosn, if you’re reading, take all those board members a copy of The World is Flat and this clip so they can see what they’re missing.

In hopes of raising awareness about the reality of genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, Sam writes every Monday about a key issue in an attempt to stop the atrocity. Doing so may not bring about a wave of change, but it is a small ripple that represents the tide that needs turning.

The milestone was reached last week. In a ceremony on Capitol Hill, 2 very unlikely allies came together to focus on Darfur: Senators Bill Frist and Hillary Clinton became signatures number 999,999 and 1,000,000 in the Million Voices for Darfur Campaign.

Now that the target has been reached, will the US put more pressure on Khartoum? Will the President (who will soon be receiving a copy of each signed card) pool more resources to help end the genocide? Will Washington leverage its relationships with other nations in order to save innocent lives?

Meanwhile, at the African Summit meeting in Gambia, it appears that AU troops will stay in Darfur in order to keep the peace until the end of the year. This is a revised date from their earlier plan to vacate at the end of September. Again, this is a great achievement, as their presence is badly needed in a place that continues to deteriorate.

However, the peace deal that was signed recently continues to disintegrate. Lacking the full backing of everyone in the conflict, it now looks as if everyone needs to go back to both the drawing board and the negotiating table in order to provide the innocent civilians of Darfur with even a sliver of hope.

Success in catastrophes like this are rarely marked on the front end. No matter how many peace deals are signed, we don’t know how workable they are until we can touch the peace on the back end. Hopefully, 1,000,000 concerned citizens will be enough to start action, and hopefully an extension of African troop deployment will result is a safer Darfur. But we’re standing on the scary precipice and won’t know the results until we come out on the other end of this long, dark night.

Al Gore is a brilliant man. He’s not brilliant because he unlocked the mysteries of a rapidly warming planet before anyone else. He’s brilliant because he’s running for president in 2008 and cleverly disguising his campaign launch with a feature-length documentary.

I usually don’t read movie reviews before I go see them. If the preview looks good or a friend recommends its, I’m going, even if Rotten Tomatoes thinks the movie is complete crap. I wanted to go see An Inconvenient Truth when I first heard about it 1) because I like documentaries, and 2) it would make my Republican planet-hating friends mad.

With the wife and the in-laws in tow, we settled in for what I thought would be a wonderfully brave look at global warming. I had seen the buzz online and figured this would be an insightful movie that would inspire millions to recycle more and demand better fuel standards. Unless you’re an obtuse oil tycoon, there’s no denying the planet is getting dangerously warmer. The global warming debate isn’t like arguing whether the chicken or the egg came first; it’s like arguing whether or not in 50 years you want to bake your chicken in the oven or fry it on the sidewalk in December – it’s happening, it’s real, it’s here, let’s deal with it.

Sadly, however, the movie isn’t that incredible, Al Gore is terribly boring, and if I wanted to watch a lecture, I would borrow my sister’s course videos from Nashville Tech.

Literally, the entire movie is footage of Gore giving a lecture. His pictures are cool, his graphs are informative, and he even cracks a few jokes. But, he is not an exciting man. Yes, more people need to hear that the earth is warming due to more people using more finite resources. But having Al Gore tell this story nearly sucks the life out of it.

There are a few ‘scenes’ not shot in the lecture hall. These scenes at his farm, of him traveling, or of him telling stories about his past are informative, but not in the way that picks up the pace of a boring movie. They’re informative in a vote-for-me-in-2008 kind of way. Throughout the course of the movie we learn that Gore is a family man, a gun owner, not afraid of hard work, environmentally aware, socially conscious, moral, and can use a Mac. Who wouldn’t vote for a guy like this?

But at the end, Gore comes across like a rich tree hugger. Let me explain.

I’ve got no problem with tree huggers. I hug trees. I love them. We need more. I love the environment. I think we’re destroying it. I want my kids to be able to breathe clean air and have a planet to live on. I recycle. I only have energy efficient light bulbs in my house. I installed a digital programmable thermostat last weekend. Nothing is wrong with tree hugging.

But, there are a lot of people with a lot of causes who only shout from the hilltops. And while we need storytellers who simply inform, in today’s world, words without application is hot air (the kind that’s hurting the glaciers). Because as much as this movie is about telling the truth about global warming, it’s equally not about equipping ordinary people with practical ways to help stop the earth’s destruction. In fact, the only practical advice given in the entire movie is found mixed in with the end credits. And even there, the biggest push is to get people to go to the movie’s website. If you want to appeal to a broad mass of people you’re seeking to mobilize and motivate to jump on your cause’s bandwagon, you’ve got to tell them how (besides subliminally saying, “Vote for me in two years.”).

Secondly, I can’t believe how rich Al Gore is becoming. I have nothing against people making money. I like to make money. I want to make a lot of money and give some of that money away. I want to buy things for my wife and my parents and my kids. I want to leave big tips at little restaurants. Money is good and capitalism allows people access to it. But, Al Gore is an advisor at Google (where many think he was compensated with stock options) and charges lots of money to come at speak at your graduation or bar mitzvah. So why did he charge me, the wife, and the in laws $24 to go see his boring lecture-movie?

So here’s the action-laden, low-on-funds alternative. Watch Kilowatt Ours. It’s by local (Nashville) documentary guy Jeff Barrie. In this quirky and informative film, Barrie pieces together interviews and facts to show the real faces hurt by our abuse of the environment. And Barrie even shows you what you can do in your little corner of the world to stop this thing. And I don’t think Jeff’s running for office, so you don’t need to be skeptical of the source.

In conclusion: An Inconvenient Truth, while shedding light on an important subject, is boring. Now, go plant a tree.