HEY ARE YOU READING THIS? send me a response!

I'd like to get some idea of who is still using Tribe.net!

I just noticed that I have 1 page view in a week. that has got to be the slowest I've ever seen. Well I probably check this like twice a week now and hardly ever post...

But I like tribe.. I like my friends on tirbe and I like a lot of things about it!

sigh.

well I hope that you will at least post a response - one or two words - just to let me know that you are still here.

wireless microphone I can borrow tonight?

Does anyone have a wireless microphone I can borrow tonight? I'm shooting a little video about myself & the whirlygig and my warehouse is right next to the freeway so my camera mic picks up too much ambient noise.
510-499-0946
thomas@tomsepe.com

In Memory of Tiffa - 1 year

Dear Tiffa,

I send my prayers out to you on your journey. It has been one year since your passing and I am thankful for your presence and the talents that you shared. You remind me to strive for excellence and to be bold and to make the most of this short time we have here in our lifetimes. Your light has touched so many that I love, and your smile and the brilliance in your eyes and soul will live forever.

Go with blessings and love

Tom Sepe

Why Tribe.net is Back Online - Update

I did a little digging now that tribe is up again and here are some info & links to explain what has been going on with Tribe.net

From what I understand, there is a very small crew of people keeping Tribe.net alive right now - I'm talking 2 - 4 people if I understand it correctly. They attempted to move the physical location of tribe.net from one set of computers to another, but a series of hardware and social problems have set in. Tangled wires, faulty equipment, politics, frayed nerves, rabid dogs and who knows what else.

I don't think they succeeded in moving tribe's servers, and the process of bringing it back online was anything but smooth, so once they got tribe plugged back in it kept crashing cause everyone was hitting it so hard trying to get back on!

Now apparently Darren Mckeeman - Operations Manager @ Tribe.net has resigned,
(read it here on Darren's twitter blog: twitter.com/tjcrowley ),

apparently because his co-worker Mark Pincus cursed at him:
markpincus.typepad.com/markpi...-a.html

Meanwhile DJ Shatter has been helping put tribe back together,
people.tribe.net/the-shatt...fd26403b6d

while also planning an escape route; a ning.com site for tribe refugees:
triberefugees.ning.com/

and then Shatter and his dog were attacked by a Pitbull:
shatter707.livejournal.com/387498.html

and his hands are all messed up.

So its seems like its a miracle that tribe is working at all, and it is also a very real possibility that unless some brilliant, amazing, dedicated hardworking people step-up to the plate, tribe may eventually collapse under its own weight.

If you want to get in on some discussions and be in contact with Mark Pincus:
markpincus.typepad.com/markpi...ve.html

Darren Mckeeman
darren@tribe.net
(and here is the official company blog: blog.tribe.net/ but don't know how useful that is.)

Shatter:
twitter.com/Shatter242

Hope this helps!
Tom Sepe

Hey my picture's in the paper!

"CAF has a rich history of performance art; pictured here are Mark Elk Baum and Tom Sepe in their 1994 performance, Taken by the Faerie."

independent.com/news/2008/...-events-sb/

CAF’s Forum Lounge Brings Avant-Garde Art Events to S.B.
(from the Santa Barbara Independent)

wow we got mentioned in the same article along with Laurie Anderson, Wayne McCall and Dick Dunlap

Hand-some

Hand-some
and then some more
pushing pounding pumpin p-OUCH!

"i knew that was going to happen"
(how many times have we said that?)

now crippled by my own sense of urgency
watching the painting that the universe
and I have created
the art of being alive

bright red blood
a feeiing of shock and adrenaline
time to take a break
will I be able to keep working?
would you like some water?
grab the camera - its a cool shape see it? like a man with a bleeding heart...
bleeding is good
(so is breathing)

let it out
let the offering sink into the soil
let it reach for the ground water
that we so desperately need
let there be this exchange

and let us get back to work
for we do need this well to be working
and let us work well
as well.

these hands are still working!
Some hands!

China - Time to Know the Truth

Please help us forward our new video!
goto:
digitaldharmafilms.org/2008/0...-truth/

Dear friends and supporters,
Digital Dharma Films is proud to announce that our new video is
launching on YouTube today! And we need your help to forward the video
to all your friends, family and colleagues, as well as posting it to
your social networking sites. First here's the link and then details
and instructions follow:

digitaldharmafilms.org/2008/0...-truth/

There you can watch the video and find out more about what you can do
to get involved.

Background:
March 10th 2008 marked the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan National
Uprising. In the largest Pan-Tibetan protests in history, tens of
thousands of Tibetans rose up against China's illegal invasion and
occupation of their country. Despite China's best attempts to destroy
the Tibetan spirit, Tibetan resistance has continued for nearly half a
century inside Tibet and in exile communities worldwide. With all eyes
focused on the Olympics in China, Tibetans and supporters worldwide
are protesting the Chinese government's use of the Olympics as a
political tool to legitimize its illegal occupation of Tibet.

Digital Dharma Films travelled to Dharamsala and New Delhi India, as
well as San Francisco in April 2008 to document and interview Tibetan
Exiles during these historic and tumultuous times. We are producing a
full length documentary, due out in Spring 2009. We need your help to
spread the word and in donations to make this film possible and to
make a difference towards a just and peaceful world.

Please help us - if we can achieve 50,000 views in the first 48 hours
on YouTube, then our video will be listed on the "Daily Most Watched"
page which has the potential to reach millions of viewers. Please help
out in this grassroots video activist action to educate, inspire and
activate!

Here is the link to our website video page:

digitaldharmafilms.org/2008/0...-truth/

Here is the direct link to the embedded youtube video:

www.youtube.com/watch

and here is the code if you want to embed it into your blog or web
page:

<div id="tmip-1-279108"><object width="425" height="355"><param
name="movie" value="www.youtube.com/v/-U1zXO-O...quot;></
param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed
src="www.youtube.com/v/-U1zXO-O...hl=en" type="application/x-
shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></
embed></object></div> <script language="javascript" type="text/
javascript" src="inplay.tubemogul.com/ipembed
v=1&site=1&uid=279108&vid=-U1zXO-O_ng&key=-U1zXO-O_ng"></script>

Thanks!

Tom Sepe
Andrea Vecchione
Digital Dharma Films
Illuminating Justice, Invoking Compassion
info@digitaldharmafilms.org

There and Back Again - http://digitaldharmafilms.org

Dear Friends and Supporters,

in this UPDATE:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1) Return From India
2) Announcing Our New Website: www.digitaldharmafilms.org
3) Fundraising!
4) How You Can Help - Connections & Donations
5) Infrastructure Creation
6) Milestones: Events Locations & Interviews We Filmed
7) THANK YOU!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


1) Return from India:
Andrea and I have returned from an incredibly successful trip in India and I wanted to share with you the milestones we have achieved and the current and future plans of our film project. We are deeply grateful with how magical this trip has unfolded; from the tremendous support from our community, to the incredible connections that arose in the Tibetan Exile community.


2) Announcing our new website! digitaldharmafilms.org
We're very excited about our new webspace. It is functionally a Wordpress Blog - so we'll be able to update it easily, and we'll be able to post photos and videos and links related to the project. We've also installed a forum: digitaldharmafilms.org/forums/ which will provide a place for community dialogue and discussion about our film and topics such as Tibet, Non-Violence, China, Activism etc. If you have a website please add a link to us, because that is what search engines like, and it will also help get the word out.


3) Fundraising!
There is a lot of exciting funding possibilities unfolding for our film. We are working on getting a fiscal sponsor which will allow us to receive tax-deductible grants and donations. If you made a contribution and would like to receive a tax-write-off, please let us know and we will get you the proper paperwork before the year's end.


4) How You Can Help:
Please send us information about any grants, foundations, organizations or individuals that may be interested helping out our project. We are looking for resources of all kinds! If you know of some great informative websites, send us the link! We are still totally community and self-funded, so any donation, even $20 still makes a big difference right now. You can visit our website: digitaldharmafilms.org/donate/ or send checks to:
Tom Sepe
430 Ashland St.
Ashland, OR 97520


5) Infrastructure Creation:
We are feverishly working on our mission statement and general proposal so that people can understand on paper what we are up to. We are also working on a 5-10min promo video that will give people a taste of the subject matter and style we are presenting. Stay tuned we'll let you know when its ready for viewing!


5) Milestones: Events, Locations and Interviews that we filmed:
Interview: Laurel Sutherlin (1 of the 3 activists from Golden Gate Bridge Banner Action) - 4/3/08
"March To Tibet" Fundraiser at 1015 Folsom 4/6/08
Interview: Kunsang Kelden (Students for Free Tibet International Board of Directors) www.studentsforafreetibet.org/ - 4/6/08
Golden Gate Bridge Banner Action/Protest - 4/7/08
Interview: Karsh Kale www.karshkale.com/ 4/7/08
Interview: Robin Goodfellow (CYPHERTOWN) www.facebook.com/pages/Cyphertown/ - 4/7/08
"Tibet Freedom Torch" Ceremony @ United Nations Plaza, SF - www.tibetanfreedomtorch.org/ 4/8/08
"Tibet Candlelight Vigil" with Richard Gere, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and others at U.N. Plaza, SF - 4/8/08
Interview: Karen Garfinkle www.solutionsinaction.com 4/8/08
S.F. Olympic Torch Protest - 4/9/08
Interview: Tenzin Tsundue www.friendsoftibet.org/tenzin/ - McLeodgnaj, India
Children & Students Candlelight Vigil & Procession- McLeodganj, India
Ongoing Hunger Strike - McLeodganj, India 4/14/08
Interview: Mary Gendler (ANEC - Active Non-Violence Education Center) McLeodganj, India 4/15/08
Interview: John Powers (Author - "History as Propaganda") McLeodganj, India 4/16/08
Tibetan Freedom Torch - Delhi, India www.tibetanfreedomtorch.org/ 4/17/08
March To Tibet - Press Conference and March Delhi, India tibetanuprising.org/2008/04/...-resumes/ 4/18/08
Gandhi Memorial and Museum, Delhi, India 4/18/08
Interview: Pema Richardson (Tibetan-American) (Media Team of March to Tibet) Delhi, India tibetanuprising.org/ 4/18/08
Interview: 6 ex-political prisoners (Tibetan Monks) 4/20/08
Sherbling Tibetan Buddhist Monastary Palampur, India 4/22/08
Interview: Wangdu (Tibetan Exile) 4/23/08
Interview: Urgen Tenzin (Director, Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy) www.tchrd.org/ 4/24/08
Students at T.I.P.A - (Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts) www.tibetanarts.org/ 4/25/08
Kalon Tripa Samdhong Rinpoche - (Prime Minister of Tibetan Government-in-exile) www.tibet.com/ 4/25/08
Kyizom Tsam (Tibetan) (ANEC - Active Non-Violence Education Center) 4/27/08
Dali Lama's arrival - McLeodganj, India 4/28/08
Buddhist Monks Debating at McLeodganj Monastery 4/28/08
Interview: Dhardon Sharling (Research and Media - Tibetan Woman's Association) www.tibetanwomen.org/ 4/28/08
Buddhist Nuns Debating at Geden Choeling Nunnery, McLeodganj gedenchoelingnunnery.org/ 4/28/08


7) THANK YOU!
A big shout-out to everyone: Thank you so much for your time, your support, your words, your contributions, your connections. This project is truly showing the power of community and how we can all make a difference by lending each other a hand. We are dedicated in our service to justice, non-violence, community and creative expression! Hip-Hip-Hooray!

Tibet Video Update: More great interviews & a haircut

We’ve had another epic couple of days. We have been so blessed.

Here’s some news:

1) Yesterday we interviewed Mr. Urgen Tenzin, the Executive Director
of the Tibetan Center for Human Rights And Democracy www.tchrd.org/

2) Today we filmed at TIPA - the Tibetan Institute for Performing
Arts…

3) AND the big news is that we just had an exclusive interview with Sondhum Rinpoche, the head of the Tibetan Governement in Exile! www.tibet.com/

The breaking news is that the Chinese Govt. as agreed to meet with the Tibetan Parliment!

On a more personal note - I shaved my head in solidarity:

www.youtube.com/watch

and I've posted a bunch of photos from the trip on my flickr page, please check them out!

flickr.com/photos/tomse...604737751065/

Namaste,

Tom

Tibet Connections

(photo of March To Tibet monks at the Gandhi Memorial in Delhi)

Things are going incredibly well. We are getting some great interviews! We just interviewed Dr. John Powers - checkout his book "History as Propaganda: Tibetan Exiles versus the People's Republic of China" on Oxford University Press.

We also interviewed Mary Gendler, who has been doing non-violent training here in India with the Tibetans for over 15 years! She was also close with the King family and involved with the March on Selma.

A few nights ago we did an audio-only interview with 6 ex-political prisoners - Tibetan Monks that had all been tortured and imprisoned by the Chinese Government. They did not want their faces to be shown for fear that the Chinese Governement will persecute their families back in occupied Tibet.

In addition we have been befriended by a wonderful couple here - Ronny and Rebeca Novick. Rebeca works for KPFK radio in Los Angeles, and Ronnie does video documentary work. They have a fantastic website: thetibetconnection.org/

Together with Ronny and Rebecca we are going to create a website tibetin49seconds.org where we will have a youtube video contest for people to submit their 49 second videos on the subject of Tibet.

I'm excited to start the editing process. We are starting to review some of our tapes while here.... its been such a whirlwind!

We are planning a couple of screenings here this week to share some of the footage from San Francisco - I think the Tibetans will get a kick out of seeing the thousands of protestors in SF as well as hearing the inspirational words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. www.youtube.com/watch

Anyhow that's the update... We are still planning more interviews and some trips to some monasteries... stay tuned!

Tom