Yesterday in Columbia MD was the culminating event for a project that I have been working on for the past year. This project has taken up the lion's share of my working life since last May. I am very proud of this effort and wanted to share it with others. Please check out the video that is linked below. It can offer a glimpse into my creative passions for the past 13 months. Enjoy...Daveed

Kamishibai International Project
Kids from Phelps Luck Elementary School in Columbia, MD and the Matnas Community Arts Center in Sapir, Israel participated in a year long literacy and cultural arts program, created by Port Discovery and the Matnas. They wrote stories, illustrated them, and performed through an ancient Japanese storytelling technique called Kamishibai. On June 10, 2009 the two groups of kids shared and performed their stories over a live web chat.

www.hocomojo.com/video/int...kamishibai

I am deeply moved today by the images that have soared around my head. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. envisioned a land where his children “would be judged not by the color of their skin, but rather the content of their character.” It is appropriate that we are celebrating the life and sacrifice of Dr. King today and inaugurating our first African-American President, Barack Obama, tomorrow. As a capstone to this year of change, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is celebrating their Centennial.

Dr King believed…
"When you are right you cannot be too radical; when you are wrong, you cannot be too conservative."

He also held that…
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."

Just felt that it was important to say. Words can inspire change. One life can make a difference. Thank you, Dr. King.

Once again, fanatics reign terror upon the innocent in the name of religion. I refuse to believe in a God or higher power that requires terrorism as a tool to reach out to the masses. A vengeful God...not in my way of thinking. Check out "Letters from Earth" by Mark Twain. I really respect his point of view.

JFK set the US on a path that took us to the Moon and back all within the 1960's. He set the goal and America delivered. It was a difficult, arduous path. With costs in the tens of billions and human lives also being lost, we were still able to dig down deep to into our creative centers. And, through some extreme "out-of-the-box" thinking, meet JFK's brave and global-changing challenge.

Today, we have a far greater challenge before us that requires as extensive a commitment upon the part of our leaders, government and centers of industry and creativity. The reinventing of our entire energy producing culture and infrastructure. This is no simple task. This is so huge a task that it may require the joint efforts of every industrialized country on the planet.

As naive as this might sound, for once we need to look beyond who will financially profit from such changes. Why must everything that is created for the benefit of humanity have to come at the expense of others? Why can it not be created and available simply because it is the right thing to do?

The creativity is available to meet this challenge, but it first requires a commitment on the part of those who have not only the political will, but the financial resources to make it happen. Then it requires a sacrifice from those same people who might want to take advantage of others just for the sake of money. We are not Ferenghi.

Capitalism, at the expense of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" is the same thing as rape and murder of the innocent and thus presents a "clear and present danger" to the security and peace of the whole planet.

Remember the scenario of "RoboCop"? In order to save money, Detroit allows a private corporation to take over City's Police Department. As a result, the corporation, that has no political oversight to protect the citizens from corruption and mismanagement, goes unchecked and ordinary people are catastrophically
harmed.

Think back to Gov Arnold's movie, "Total Recall", where the head guy on Mars is actually a very evil dude, who thinks nothing of exposing innocent people to radiation and cutting their oxygen supply just to get what he wants.

Some of you might think that I am totally out in left field some where, but I truly believe that if someone can fantasize such a storyline for a movie, then a corporate exec, who has the power and the will to use it, can equally be just as spiteful and as criminal.

Has anyone watched Ted Koppel's latest, "The People's Republic of Capitalism" series? It is an eye opening series. With what is happening in China and how fast their electric and gas needs are growing, if something isn't done soon our children and grandchildren will end up living in a world that tragically polluted, power starved and hungry.

Just a thought to add some light to the day...