Posts tagged with "Film and Video"

I wrote an article about how to organize a community swap/barter meet for Shareable

By Shira | Feb 4, 10 12:47 PM

Shareable, a website that "tells the story of sharing,” invited me to write a how-to article for their site and I seized the opportunity in the hopes of inspiring similar efforts in other communities.

Read the article: How to Throw a Community Swap Meet

Information everywhere: Pattie Maes and Pranav Mistry demo SixthSense

By Ari | Feb 2, 10 08:30 PM

New Ithaca Freeskool Mushroom Hunt Video

By Shira | Jan 12, 10 11:58 AM

Renowned local fungi expert Carl Whittaker led a Mushroom Hunt and Identification on August 30th, 2009 as part of the Ithaca Freeskool summer session, and I finally got around to editing the footage. Enjoy the beauties of the Danby State Forest while learning about many species of edible and inedible mushrooms.

Mushroom Hunt and Identification - Ithaca Freeskool Distance Learning from Shira Golding on Vimeo.

Meteor over Gauteng, South Africa

By Ari | Dec 1, 09 07:56 PM

YouTube link

Joy and delight!

By Ari | Nov 30, 09 09:34 PM

Thanks to Nate for the link!

Our 2nd Annual Shirari Week

By Ari | Nov 30, 09 10:49 AM

We took last week off from most of our regular work so we could focus on big and/or neglected projects. Here's some new stuff to check out, if you want to see the fruits of our labor:

Made and launched a site for Frac Attack and arranged our world premiere (Dec. 10 at Cinemapolis in Ithaca)
Event outreach and site updates for Share Tompkins (next swap is Dec. 12th at Southside)
Posted and tagged photos of natural gas drilling for Shaleshock
A new look for Shirari.com!! (Not done yet, but don't worry, there will be bunnies.)

Basically, we still worked the hard the whole time, and barely left our computers. Whoo! It wasn't all work though - we also went to NYC to hang out with Meg and Kevin and see Devendra Banhart, and we hosted a Dacha-licious mostly-vegan Thanksgiving. Shira wrote and recorded a new song which is not up on her MySpace yet but here's the link anyway, and I wrote 32,876 words in November - not a novel yet but it's on its way. And now that we're done with our working break, it's back to work again. Happy Monday everybody.

My Life in Pictures

By Shira | Nov 14, 09 01:59 AM

Greening "Away We Go" and the Fun Theory

By Shira | Oct 30, 09 10:34 AM

Ari's Brother Was Car-Jacked...He's ok Now!

By Shira | Oct 21, 09 07:44 PM

For real!

VIDEO: How to make a simple print block

By Ari | Oct 13, 09 10:36 AM

Our friend Lea enlisted me to show how to do some simple block-printing in this short video for About.com. Yay Lea!

What the Frac?!

By Shira | Oct 12, 09 12:59 AM

Behold the teaser for Frack Attack, a short environmental zombie thriller that we're making with the Dacha Project:

Frac Attack Teaser from Shira Golding on Vimeo.

Distractions from Wild Things

By Ari | Oct 2, 09 09:06 AM

I love how human and accessible Dave Eggers and Spike Jonze sound in this glimpse at the writing of the "Where the Wild Things Are" screenplay:

Eggers and Jonze also talked about the difficult process of turning a short storybook into a full length movie. Eggers had never worked on a screenplay before, and he didn't have any software. He and Jonze wrote the first draft in Microsoft Word, adding tabs and capitals themselves. Jonze kept getting easily distracted and wanting to go to the store or watch Youtube videos, so Eggers was more of a task-master, keeping him in focus.

I think of these guys as such pros, so it's nice to hear that even they get distracted by YouTube!

"A Recipe for Change: Documentaries on Food" - My Most Recent Article on MediaRights.org

By Shira | Sep 24, 09 04:15 PM

Check out my new article on food documentaries. It's kind of a survey/opinion piece and I'd love to know what you think!

Read the full article:
A Recipe for Change: Documentaries on Food

Here's an excerpt:

These days it seems like green is the new black. From designer grocery bags to eco-tourism, popular culture has finally embraced environmentalism and, for better or worse, begun coopting it with profit-driven campaigns. Regardless of how you feel about capitalism, the good news for mother earth is that changing your daily habits to lower your impact is no longer wholly dismissed as radical, hippy behavior, at least not by people in blue states. Core to this cultural paradigm shift is food. Americans are making the not-so-giant-leap in logic that what we eat affects our health and the health of our planet, and documentary films have played a significant role in getting us here.

In 1976 Americans were reeling from the Vietnam War and Watergate. The utopian visions of the sixties were fading memories and food was already firmly established in the collective psyche as a “product” – fast, cheap and out of control. It was in this context that filmmaker Frederick Wiseman released Meat, a cinema verité portrait of what was, at the time, one of the country’s largest slaughterhouses. Years before animal rights activists were capturing the disturbing conditions at factory farms with hidden camcorders, Wiseman invited Americans to meet their meat through his nuanced filmmaking. (Read more)

And, the article got a mention on Ithaca's Food Web, a new blog about local food - thanks Alison!

New Videos for freeDimensional

By Shira | Sep 24, 09 02:08 PM

More shorts from the freeDimensional Wasan retreat...

Providing for Artists in Residence Through Sharing and Bartering in the Community from freeDimensional on Vimeo.

Negotiating the Balance Between the Roles of Artists and Facilitators from freeDimensional on Vimeo.

Defining Community from freeDimensional on Vimeo.

Fundraising for the Arts from freeDimensional on Vimeo.

Connecting the Arts and Human Rights Worlds and the Role of Emerging Art Spaces from freeDimensional on Vimeo.

If you spell something wrong, do you really deserve surgery?

By Shira | Sep 22, 09 01:33 PM

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Ha - nice work MoveOn.org!

I just finished making this movie for the Ithaca Area Poets

By Shira | Sep 15, 09 09:39 PM

Our friends Josh and Jeci organize monthly open mics/slams for Ithaca Area Poets. They're applying for a local arts grant and thought having a video of one of their events might strengthen their submission. So they asked me to make a 5-minute piece and in exchange they hooked us up with many beautiful baskets of fruits and veggies. Yay for swapping! Here's the video - I hope they get the grant!

Photos from My Family's Visit to Ithaca Last Weekend

By Shira | Sep 9, 09 11:27 AM

My parents Hana and Dov, my brother Amit and his wife Sharon, and their kids Eli and Natan all came up from Maryland to Ithaca for the weekend. They couldn't sleep at our place because Eli is allergic to cats, but their hotel was really close to The Commons and we managed to pack in a lot of antics - The Cayuga Nature Center, The Johnson Museum of Art and the Suspension Bridge up at Cornell, Cascadilla Gorge, The Farmers' Market, a 2-hour cruise on The Cayuga Lake Floating Classroom and The Science Center. We also took my parents see the land we might buy near The Dacha. Thank you, Ithaca!

Adorable excited penguin video

By Ari | Aug 28, 09 10:21 AM

These penguins appear to be enjoying the snow falling, and seeing this one little guy running around excitedly brings joy to my heart. But it's sad they're captive, and not allowed to live freely in their native habitat. It seems very wrong to me that you could take someone who loves the snow so much, and put them into this little enclosure in the wrong climate so humans can be amused by them.

But then I don't know, maybe he's excited about something else. Even so, I wish he could be both happy and free.

Via Final Boss Form

Drying for Freedom

By Shira | Aug 25, 09 04:42 PM

I just heard about this documentary from TreeHugger.com. I guess drying your clothes outside is a revolutionary act. It's crazy that we have to fight for the right to not destroy the planet. Anyone want to join my campaign to legalize composting toilets?

Ari and I finally got clothes-pins and started line-drying...

Photos from NYC and New Paltz

By Shira | Aug 19, 09 09:56 PM

I went down to NYC on Thursday for Meg's bachelorette party. Ari joined me Friday and on Saturday we drove up to New Paltz for Meg and Kevin's wedding. It was a great weekend!

A crowd dancing in a train station

By Ari | Aug 12, 09 11:59 AM

This made me cry. Yay public dancing!

Thanks to Frank for the link!

Pumpkin Cheesecake with the Vegan Cooking Skillshare - Ithaca Freeskool Distance Learning Video

By Shira | Aug 8, 09 09:19 PM

As part of D.I.Y. Movie-Making, we're filming other Ithaca Freeskool classes and making them available online for anyone who wants to participate.

Sharon of the Dacha Project taught us how to make vegan pumpkin cheesecake at the "Thank You America" House in Ithaca on July 29th, 2009. Watch the video to hang out with some Ithacans while they collaborate on a recipe, share vegan tips and chat about strategies for sustainable living. Join the Facebook group to find out about future Vegan Cooking Skillshares.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with the Vegan Cooking Skillshare - Ithaca Freeskool Distance Learning from Shira Golding on Vimeo.

Just sayin': A gay Sherlock Holmes would be awesome

By Ari | Aug 5, 09 09:12 PM

Robert Downey Jr. has said of his Holmes and Jude Law's Watson in the upcoming Sherlock Holmes, "We're two men who happen to be roommates, wrestle a lot, and share a bed. It's bad-ass." And in reply, some homophobic movie critic has said, "There's not a seething, bubbling hunger to see straight stars impersonating homosexuals... I think they're just trying to generate controversy… They know that making Holmes and Watson homosexual will take away two thirds of their box office. Who is going to want to see Downey Jr. and Law make out? I don't think it would be appealing to women. Straight men don't want to see it."

For the record, Mr. Spoilsport, people really like gay movies and shows. There are a surprisingly high number of people of all orientations out there who are only too happy to watch The L Word and Brokeback Mountain and all the recent post-queer bromances like Superbad.

I have a feeling that Downey is playing up the queer element a bit and that we're headed for a more subtle, less overtly gay movie-watching experience than Michael Medved fears. But for the record, just to put this up on the interwebs in case this asshat critic likes to Google himself: Personally, I would love to watch Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law make out, and more. I think that would be fantastic. I'm a queer woman, not even interested in dudes, but I would pay double to go see those two smooching and groping on the big screen in a bad-ass manner. My hunger? It is both seething and bubbling.

fD Outreach: Wasan Retreat 2009

By Ari | Aug 5, 09 04:15 PM

fD outreach: wasan retreat 2009
Originally uploaded by arimoore

Shira and I work for freeDimensional, an international network that fosters collaboration and resource-sharing between activists and art spaces. I recently became its Director of Communications. Fun! One of my first big projects has been helping to coordinate the follow-up documentation and outreach of our Wasan Retreat 2009.

We used Flickr and other social media including the Ning I set up for fD to record the happening, and to digest all we learned there so that it will be of use to a wider audience. Over time we'll be posting more and more videos and texts, but even now, you can see photos, videos, info on the amazing people who were there, and other coverage online. Check it out and join the Ning if you too care about free expression and the power of culture to change the world!

British Queer as Folk on Hulu

By Shira | Aug 5, 09 12:00 PM

Last week Hulu added a bunch of episodes of the original, British version of Queer as Folk to its streaming offerings. I was surprised to see that the main character was being played by Aidan Gillen a.k.a. Mayor Tommy Carcetti of The Wire. And his teenage boy toy was played by Charlie Hunnam of Judd Apatow's follow up to Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared. Who knows if Gillen or Hunnam are actually gay, but they certainly do a good job acting gay. The series originally aired in 1999 and helped pave the way for the American remake and a growing offering of queer television.

Hosting Activism in Art Spaces - A New Video for freeDimensional

By Shira | Aug 4, 09 09:39 AM

Working with footage from freeDimensional's 2009 Wasan retreat, I put together this 8-minute video, which has been submitted to the Commonwealth Foundation's Group on Culture and Development:

Hosting Activism in Art Spaces from freeDimensional on Vimeo.

Mushrooms - Earth's Natural Internet!

By Shira | Jul 31, 09 05:23 PM

Yes, we have mushrooms on the brain. Here's a great video that our friend Isaac sent us:

We're planning on going foraging for mushrooms again this weekend...

Water catchment system for rain collection and filtration (video)

By Ari | Jul 30, 09 04:48 PM

Thanks, Sean! Via Share Tompkins.

How to tell people they sound racist

By Ari | Jul 28, 09 04:40 PM

I'm participating in a 5-week talking circle on race and racism, and one of the participants just sent out this video, which is pretty awesome. And useful. I think this advice is probably good for any situation in which someone is acting in an oppressive way: Hold them accountable for what they did, instead of accusing them for being racist (or oppressive in some other way).

A Truck Farm Grows in Brooklyn

By Shira | Jul 28, 09 11:58 AM

I'm not quite sure why they're doing this in a truck other than that it's quirky, and I feel like they could have gone more low-budget by getting free seeds, compost, etc, but I love the spirit of what they're doing - really great production value and the musical narration is awesome...

Ithaca Freeskool Distance Learning Videos

By Shira | Jul 24, 09 12:43 PM

The Ithaca Freeskool brings people together to equalize the distribution of knowledge and confidence with an emphasis on skills and issues of local importance. As part of D.I.Y. Movie-Making Class that I'm facilitating, we're filming other Ithaca Freeskool classes and making them available online for anyone who wants to participate. We're hoping this will inspire people across the world to start Freeskools in their communities.

This first class I video-taped in full is D.I.Y. Tooth Care, a discussion of tooth care strategies including diet, pain relief, cleaning and preventive care facilitated by Lily Gershon at the Umi House in Ithaca, on July 16th, 2009. The last part of the class is a collaborative experiment in making tooth powder - you can follow along and make your own! For more information on tooth care Lily recommends paradisenow.net/healing.html.

D.I.Y. Tooth Care With Lily - Ithaca Freeskool Distance Learning from Shira Golding on Vimeo.

Stay tuned for more videos...

Swap Meet Video!

By Shira | Jul 21, 09 01:23 AM

Back in May we hosted an open meeting to discuss strategies for sharing resources in our community. Out of this meeting, Share Tompkins was formed to help folks share and trade goods, services and labor in Ithaca and Tompkins County. In addition to creating a growing directory of resources, we've been organizing monthly Swap Meets. Shot at our second convergence, this video will give you a good idea of what the Swap Meets are all about. Hope to see you at the next one if you're in the Ithaca area. If you're not living around here, you should organize one in your community!

Share Tompkins Community Swap Meet #2 from Shira Golding on Vimeo.

Video Interviews from the 2009 Emerging Art Spaces Retreat on Wasan Island

By Shira | Jul 20, 09 03:54 PM

Meet Alma Khasawnih of the Makan Art Space in Jordan from freeDimensional on Vimeo.

Meet Pierre Mujomba of the Kamalenga House in the Democratic Republic of Congo from freeDimensional on Vimeo.

As I mentioned a few posts back, Ari and I recently helped facilitate and document a retreat for emerging art spaces which explored the intersections between the arts and human rights. As part of the video documentation I filmed interviews with all the participants, which are now online thanks to Vimeo. You can watch all the interviews on the freeDimensional Ning and check out pictures on Flickr.

Positive News: Gift Economies

By Ari | Jul 19, 09 10:07 AM

Positive News US has a brief article by Anya Lapham about gift economies - you can read it on page 6 of this PDF of the spring 2009 edition. It draws on the work of feminist gift economy theorist Genevieve Vaughn, whose research indicates that we and our exchange economy are already "dependent on the gift economy, yet we don't acknowledge it."

Lapham writes, "As our 'free' market's lack of human care and equity is exposed, and new research questions if this recent crash would've been different is women were running Wall Street, we can choose to return our focus to the economics which will never abandon us or run out of resources. This is because the gift economy or gift-giving as a basis for an entirely different economic system operates according to human need not greed as it arises out of women's nurturing."

I agree that women are often unsung heroes of society, carrying the firewood and bearing and raising the children and feeding our families - but then again, I wish these tasks weren't "women's work" but rather, recognized responsibilities that we could all share equally. I think increasingly, "women's work" and "men's work" are overlapping, but we obviously have a lot farther to go in ensuring that work distribution is equitable and transparent. While we work on that, Vaughn's ideas hold a lot of water... but we can all participate in the gift economy right now, regardless of our gender identities and family situations.

To find ways to access giving networks in the Tompkins County area, check out the resources page on Share Tompkins. I also hear the Red Cross is in need of donations, to help them pay for housing and caring for families displaced by a recent fire in the area.

It's Vegetarian, It's Healthy, It's Beans

By Shira | Jul 14, 09 07:31 PM

We're going to see Bruno tonight!!!

Guinea pig cucumber fight (remix)

By Ari | Jul 12, 09 07:20 PM

Thank you, Shira.

Guinea pigs eating watermelon

By Ari | Jul 12, 09 07:14 PM

Thank you, Huffpo.

Photos from Israel

By Shira | Jul 12, 09 06:38 PM

After our week on Wasan Island in Canada, we traveled straight to Israel for my grandmother's 80th birthday celebration. Ari was out of commission for most of the trip because she came to down with lyme disease (no worries - she's on antibiotics and feeling much better). But thankfully she came out of quarantine the last few days to hang out with my family, check out some art in Ein Hod, and see a modern dance performance in Tel Aviv.

During the trip I spent a lot of one-on-one time with my grandmother, savta Margalit. I shot some beautiful video of her telling stories about the Holocaust and her life since for a film I'm making with my brother. I'm also going to be laying out and publishing a book of her poetry later this summer. She's a very inspiring lady - Happy Birthday Savta!

Check Out My Article About Food, Inc. at Documentary.org

By Shira | Jun 11, 09 02:44 PM

I had a chance to see a preview copy of the new documentary Food, Inc. and interview the Director, Robert Kenner. This is my first article for the International Documentary Association's blog, and I'm psyched to get a chance to write about a topic so close to my heart:

Here's an excerpt and you can read the full article online:
Change: It's What's for Dinner: 'Food, Inc.' Takes on Agribusiness

In a world dominated by corporations, it is no surprise that the American food system has been hijacked by the relentless drive for profit. Under the pretexts of affordability and convenience, modern industrialized agriculture has consistently ignored the unintended consequences of their "efficient" practices on our health and livelihoods, the environment and other species.
Equally implicated is the United States government, which simultaneously subsidizes and fails to adequately regulate the agriculture industrial complex. This reality, explored by Frederick Wiseman in his 1976 cinema vérité documentary Meat and more recently by Nikolaus Geyrhalter in the unnarrated montage film Unser täglich Brot (Our Daily Bread; 2005), is more explicitly tackled in Robert Kenner's Food, Inc., which opens June 12 in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and nationwide on June 19.

The issue of food and the many ways in which it affects our lives is an enormous one, and the film is a broad undertaking, exploring everything from the health impacts of ever ubiquitous high-fructose corn syrup (one out of three Americans born today is expected to develop early-onset diabetes), to water and air pollution caused by intensive factory farming, to human rights violations perpetrated against undocumented workers by mega corporations like Smithfield Foods, the world's largest pork producer. Viewers are aided in processing all of this information by motion graphics created by Big Star NYC, which worked with Kenner to create an entertaining and helpful visual language for the film.

Ultimately, Food, Inc. is an examination of free market capitalism's disregard for anything other than the bottom line. "This is a film that's about more than food," says Kenner. "It's really about corporate consolidation and irresponsibility and about the relationship of these companies with government. It's not that different from what happened with the financial crisis. These companies have been totally irresponsible and at the end of the day, we're the ones who pay the price."

Rooftop Films: Spread the word

By Ari | Jun 3, 09 12:38 PM

If you're in NYC this summer, go check out Rooftop Films, a film series dedicated to showcasing new, independent films and emerging bands in unique outdoor locations. This weekend there are a couple of screenings coming up that look great - one has free beer, and both also feature live music. Good times!

Fri, June 5
Trapped Inside the Machine (short films)
A fun, frantic, fantastical program of films about losing your grip on reality, and reality losing its grip on the world.
Venue: on the roof of the Open Road Rooftop
Address: 350 Grand Street @ Essex (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music
9:00PM: Films
11:30PM - 1:00AM: Open Bar at Fontana's (105 Eldridge St), courtesy of Radeberger beer
Tickets: $9, http://newyork.going.com/event-602721;Rooftop_Films_Trapped_Inside_the_Machine

Sat, June 6
Stingray Sam (Feature length film)
A dazzling six-episode musical-western comedy that takes place in outer space, written, directed by and starring Cory McAbee, the creator of The American Astronaut. The filmmakers will be in attendance. Watch a trailer at http://stingraysam.com/trailer.html
Venue: on the roof of the Brooklyn Tech
Address: 29 Fort Greene Place (Fort Greene, Brooklyn) MAP
8:00PM: Doors open
8:30PM: Sound Fix presents live music
9:00PM: Films
Tickets: $9, http://newyork.going.com/event-602737;Rooftop_Films_Stingray_Sam

listen to mr. t - treat your mother right!

By Shira | May 10, 09 01:12 PM

Waterboard torture memo set to music

By Ari | Apr 23, 09 05:55 PM

Via Hugh Ryan.

Beauty

By Ari | Apr 18, 09 08:26 AM

Paul Potts and Susan Boyle have made me cry, so here they are on our blog. Watch and listen. Even better than the performances is seeing the faces of the audience and judges (these are both on Britain's Got Talent, if you haven't seen them yet...) change. In both cases, judgement and condescension is replaced with disbelief, glimmers of awe, happiness. Thanks, Paul and Susan, for helping to wake us up.

Here's the New York Times on what Susan means to us, with a mention of Paul as well.

UPDATE, 4.19.09: A great article on Huffington Post about why Susan makes women cry.

Going Green, One Film at a Time

By Shira | Apr 15, 09 08:56 PM

My interview with Larry Engel, Co-Author of the recently released Code of Best Practices for Sustainable Filmmaking, was just published on MediaRights.org and featured in their newsletter to over 20,500 members:
Going Green, One Film at a Time

Here's a choice excerpt:

Shira Golding: Do you think documentary filmmakers have a particular responsibility to be sustainable?

Larry Engel: Yes. Those of us from Filmmakers for Conservation and the Center for Environmental Filmmaking, are very much in the forefront of contact with the most exotic and fragile environments. We’re in the face of animals who are threatened and near extinction, and we make stories about them. It’s important to do that so that the public sees how beautiful and precious our world is, and exactly how fragile it is. Yet, for many many years, it didn’t matter how many Land Rovers you had – it didn’t quite matter what imprint you made on the land or the animals. And that didn’t make any sense.

This came to me many many years ago when I was working with a dear friend of mine and Co-Producer, Tom Lucas, out in Yellowstone. We had done an hour-long film for the National Wildlife Federation and PBS called Wildfire. We were tracking the ‘88 Yellowstone fires, and in the winter we went back to see how the park was doing, and we witnessed many many elks starving.

One of the researchers with whom we were working said, “You know, we’ve been doing studies about the caloric impact of human contact on animals from the back-country, and we learned that one contact can burn up hundreds of calories. Even if the animal doesn’t run or leave or do anything, just the stress and awareness, the adrenaline, consumes calories. In a marginal year, human contact could make the difference in the life and death of individual animals.”

At that point Tom and I looked at each other and we said, “Well you know what? We don’t really want to film anymore of these animals.” And she said, “You can keep filming them, but back off. Let’s make sure to use blinds and work in the trees so we minimize contact, instead of clomping around among hares and elks and buffalo. Let’s change our behavior.” Tanya really emphasizes that we have to change the behavior and sensitivity of the whole filmmaking world, from distributors, to programmers, the filmmakers, the manufacturers, all through the line.

Because if we can’t come around to figuring out how to create a sustainable lifestyle as filmmakers, then we’re doing a disservice to our subjects and therefore also to the audience.

Take a read and let me know what you think!

Flutter - Satire Is Fun!

By Shira | Apr 7, 09 01:24 PM

This really gets at the ridiculousness of Twitter, a website that I have thus far managed to steer clear of...

(And yes, I know that Twitter is great for all kinds of reasons, I just can't spend any more time online or I will explode.)

My Top Twenty-ish

By Shira | Apr 5, 09 02:33 PM

After my recent post about the film Happy Go-Lucky being in my Top Ten, Chris asked what else makes my list, at which point I realized I didn't actually have a list, so I made one. I then realized that I can't actually narrow my faves down to ten, nor can I rank them. Here are my favorite twenty-two films, in alphabetical order:

All About My Mother
American Movie
Before Night Falls
The Big Lebowski
Buffalo '66
Boys Don't Cry
But I'm a Cheerleader
Children of Men
Dancer in the Dark
Donnie Darko
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Ghost World
Happy-Go-Lucky
Lost In Translation
Out of Sight
Phantom India
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Style Wars
Walkabout
Wet Hot American Summer
Y Tu Mama Tambien

Happy-Go-Lucky in My Top Ten

By Shira | Apr 3, 09 03:12 PM

Ari and I finally watched Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky on DVD last night. It's been less than 24 hours, but I feel comfortable saying it's one of the best films I've ever seen. There are so many movies about fucked up people doing fucked up things. Here's a story about someone who is compassionate and vulnerable and has a sense of humor, which somehow manages to steer clear of cliches and devices. Perhaps the only real device is how the film was made - Leigh's improvisational, collaborative approach gives the actors the opportunity to create their roles from the ground up, so that by the time the cameras are rolling they can simply "be" the character and allow the scene to unfold.

Has anyone else out there seen the film? Did you totally fall in love with Poppy like I did?

The Coen Brothers Take on Clean Coal

By Shira | Mar 12, 09 02:02 PM

Gay Rights at the Oscars

By Shira | Feb 23, 09 05:10 PM

Thanks Sean Penn!

Sometimes Green Building Makes Me Cry

By Shira | Feb 12, 09 05:25 PM

Granted, the voice-over and music are heavy-handed, but I must confess to weeping tears of joy throughout this video.

Via Puppetgov/Rebuild Green /GroovyGreen

Our Friends at The Dacha Project Are Awesome.

By Shira | Feb 1, 09 05:20 PM

Our friend Lea makes videos for About.com. She's also part of The Dacha Project, "An unlikely band of six, creating a more sustainable and autonomous existence somewhere in upstate New York." These awesome instructional videos were made on their sixteen acres...

"Sometimes It's Hard to Breathe" - I finally edited my footage from our trip to India in 2006

By Shira | Jan 18, 09 06:28 PM

Sometimes It's Hard to Breathe from Shira Golding on Vimeo.

Shot in India over three weeks in November 2006, Sometimes It's Hard to Breathe is an experimental, personal travelogue. For more context, check out our photos from the trip:

Shira's India Photos
Ari's India Photos

"You are brilliant and the world is hiring!" – Paul Hawken

By Shira | Jan 14, 09 07:21 PM

Here is first part of Alex Steffen's keynote at the Hazel Wolf Environmental Film Festival. You can watch the rest at Worldchanging. I especially like when he talks about transportation and mutual-aid. Good stuff!

freeDimensional: Birthing a web 2.0 child

By Ari | Jan 12, 09 06:44 PM

I hope executive director Todd Lester of freeDimensional doesn't mind if I quote him with the title of my post here, but this is how he described the collaborative experience of launching fD's new site this weekend, and I think it's particularly apt: We all birthed a web 2.0 child. You can go meet it here: freeDimensional.org.

freeDimensional is an organically-growing, partnership-based organization that links activist culture workers (journalists, artists, writers, and the like) who are facing repression and censorship with support services, including safe haven placements in artist residency programs. The power of the organization is in its social networks around the globe. These programs, these services, these people, are all out there - the challenge is only to connect everyone so we can all engage more effectively in mutual aid.

I met Todd way back at the end of 2005, through Shira and their work around the Media That Matters Film Festival. He needed a site, and at the time, I remember seeing that they'd need something much more interactive in the future, but that for now, I could make a small, informational site to give them a web presence while they built their organization. For a long time I thought that in the future we'd hire some big web design firm to come in and create some perfect glittering website for them that would magically fulfill all of their many needs.

In the interim, I had a bit of an awakening about the internet, via my understanding of web 2.0 (collaborative, online) technologies. The internet can be an extension of our physical lives, a way for us to transcend space and time. Our blogs and Flickr photostreams and Tweets and Delicious links and Facebook updates are extensions of and aids to our imperfect human memories. Email and messaging and Skype and the like allow us to connect with each other across great distances, often instantly. We're all learning how to use the internet most effectively to meet these great needs, and in the process, I believe we're gradually realizing our commonality, and creating new solutions to age-old problems that formerly seemed unsolvable. (I have a theory about web 3.0. If anyone reads this and is interested, comment and I'll write about it!!)

So when fD finally outgrew their little site and was ready for something new and more useful, Shira and I were ready to craft a solution for them. It was time for them to clarify what they were all about, explain it well, and then provide an online platform for the incredible social networking that had been happening in the real world. fD was ready to go web 2.0.

Shira made a short video intro for them and helped them rework and refine their mission statement and other organizational copy. I helped them look at their many technology options and to select free services that will allow them to grow and extend their reach with minimal cash outlays. The site is built on the Ning custom social networking platform (the free version for now). We're transitioning the mailing list to Vertical Response and their lovely nearly-free non-profit program. Shira chose the beautifully high-res-capable video service Vimeo to host fD's intro video. We integrated Twitter, Flickr and YouTube feeds into the site. We'd settled on Network for Good to collect donations a while back. fD also has accounts on other social networking sites, which we've been using to meet and collaborate with even more people around the world.

These free and low-cost services have limitations - you're fitting your own complex self into a sometimes-imperfect template, and you don't have the same level of control over your content that you'd have if you were hosting the whole thing on your own server. However, they make an extraordinary array of sophisticated communications features accessible to organizations that don't have tens of thousands of dollars to drop on a new custom-crafted interactive site every few years. The internet is changing so fast that production cannot keep up with the technology if we follow old models of design and interaction. This solution can and will grow and evolve, flexibly adapting to and taking advantage of new technologies as they come.

This project would not have been possible if Shira and I, or fD, worked in a more mainstream and less openly collaborative way. Shira's and my cooperative approach to design problems and fD's trust and willingness to experiment made for a very organic design and production process that drew on the strengths and knowledge of everyone involved. This web 2.0 child we've birthed together reflects that process, and is stronger for it.
freeDimensional.org »

Further Evidence That Animals are People

By Shira | Dec 10, 08 11:02 AM

animals are people
Originally uploaded by Shira Golding

An essential step towards compassion is acknowledging that animals are people, too. They might not be human people, but they are people - individuals with interests and relationships and, as this video shows, the capacity to show compassion.

Via Juan Carlos Zaldivar

R.I.P. Odetta (1930-2008)

By Shira | Dec 8, 08 12:22 PM

Shale Shocked

By Shira | Dec 6, 08 03:05 AM

There are many factors that contribute to the fertility and productivity of land that are beyond a landowners' direct control. One of the major issues we need to consider in New York State is natural gas drilling. Ever since the development of more commercially-viable drilling techniques around 2000, major oil companies have been going to town on the Marcellus Shale. One of the main ways they get access to the land is by leasing land and drilling rights from local landowners. While this can be a good source of income for struggling farmers, there are numerous environmental impacts including the distribution of toxic chemicals into the soil and water table.

We've been getting involved with Shaleshock, a local resistance group, and we recently designed their logo and a new website. Check out the site to get up to speed on the issues and take action. One thing you can do now is comment on the DEC's draft scope...

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has released a draft scope document that outlines how they will regulate natural gas drilling of the Marcellus Shale. In addition to commenting at public hearings around the state, you can submit your comments via letter or email by December 15th.

Submit comments to:
Attn: Scope Comments
Bureau of Oil & Gas Regulation, NYSDEC Division of Mineral Resources
625 Broadway, Third Floor
Albany, NY 12233-6500

Or email to dmnog@gw.dec.state.ny.us with "Scope Comments" as the Subject

Download the pdf of the scope

Prop 8: The Musical

By Shira | Dec 3, 08 01:21 PM

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

The Scenarios USA 2008 REAL DEAL Film Premiere - Dec. 10, NYC

By Ari | Dec 3, 08 11:38 AM

Shira and I have been working with an incredible Brooklyn non-profit, Scenarios USA, for years now, and are currently helping them to promote their 2008 premiere. If you'll be in NYC on December 10th, this is your chance to meet the award-winning teen writers and Hollywood directors of the organization's three new sex-ed shorts - and to see the new films. You can catch Scenarios USA's earlier films online at the site we designed for them, scenariosusa.org.

Expanding My Musical Horizons

By Shira | Nov 24, 08 02:41 PM

I've been playing guitar for twenty years. I started taking lessons at the Jewish Community Center across the street from my school in the third grade, after tap class. This guy named Tom taught me how to read music and play classical tunes. Later, I learned a bunch of Flamenco pieces. But really, I've always wanted to be in a band.

I was born in Portland, Oregon and even though we moved to Maryland when I was two, we have strong ties to the Feuer family, who have lived there for decades. Throughout my childhood, we visited them every few years, usually for Passover, when they host a seder with upwards of fifty people. The Feuers know how to have a good time, and a big part of that is music. Everybody plays something, or multiple instruments. Yoav plays the trumpet and can sing like Louis Armstrong. Avi plays guitar and taught me how to play folk music - the first non-classical song I learned to play was Tracy Chapman's "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" and it was Avi who showed me how to strum. Kimi's son Asher is a year younger than me and he can play a bunch of stuff, including the didgeridoo! In my nostalgic memories, every night at the Feuers was one extended jam session, with the players dropping in and out, spirited singing, and toddlers banging on drums.

Now that I'm a more seasoned musician with a bunch of songs and performances under my belt, what I'm still longing for is the jam. I want a community of people who I can get together with and make music. And I think I'm finding it here in Ithaca! The musical culture in these parts is really strong. When the weather is warm, it's not uncommon to see a person walking down the street playing the banjo, or stumble upon a drum circle in one of the parks.

And I'm jumping in. I haven't done an open mic yet, but I'm going to be performing on December 19th with my "hat band." I went to this party last week where a bunch of folks got together and put their names in a hat. Bands were picked at random and each group is going to perform as part of a group show. The catch is, we're supposed to play an instrument that we're not proficient in. I just got a mandolin a few weeks ago, so I think I'm going to play that! Wish me luck and stay tuned for details...

Keith Oberman's Book of Love

By Shira | Nov 11, 08 04:51 PM

Keith asks us to spread happiness and protect the ember of love by defending the gay right to marriage...

A great animated film about Critical Mass

By Ari | Nov 6, 08 08:44 AM

Shira and I saw a simple, beautifully-done animated short a while back, about Critical Mass. I just found it online and wanted to share it. It's by filmmaker and Brooklyn bike commuter Nick Golebiewski, and you can see it in Quicktime format here. It's 2.5 minutes long - give it a looksee.

If you want it on DVD, you can get the short as part of a larger collection of media about Critical Mass, Still We Ride, from Microcosm Publishing.

Thanks, Errol Morris

By Shira | Oct 31, 08 11:35 AM

Errol Morris has made a series of ads to promote Obama to "people in the middle." Take a look and pass it on to anyone you know who might be undecided.

Coincidentally, last night we watched Morris's documentary Standard Operating Procedure, about the torture and abuses in Abu Ghraib. Morris is definitely the king of the documentary interview. While I generally am annoyed at the overuse of "talking heads," there's something so intimate about his interviews that I could stare at the faces in his films all day and not get bored.

The Ithaca Green Buildings Open House

By Shira | Oct 17, 08 04:25 PM

Ari and I spent the first weekend of October climbing on people's roofs, investigating their toilets, and befriending their goats. No, we weren't being inappropriately nosy - it was all part of the 2008 Ithaca Green Buildings Open House!

In partnership with the American Solar Energy Society's National Solar Tour, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Tompkins County, Ithaca Green Building Alliance and the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association organized the two-day event in which twenty-seven sites were open to visitors.

As aspiring owner-builders with a vision for a naturally-built, sustainable ecovillage, the tour offered an amazing opportunity to see what building and energy techniques work locally, and to meet a bunch of really cool people. In addition to a lot of photovoltaic systems, we checked out some amazing living/green roofs, unconventional stoves, outhouses, vegetable gardens, and really, really long driveways.

Folks were using a variety of building-techniques including timber-frame, strawbale, earth-berming and round construction. We also learned, not surprisingly, that a lot of green home-owners love animals. We made friends with many cats and dogs and even a couple of goats!

We managed to visit six homes, but my favorite was the first - Sarah Highland's straw-clay timber-framed house-in-progress. Sarah designed and is building the house herself, with help from friends. It's surrounded by beautiful land featuring a pond, an adorable sauna, and a composting toilet outhouse, which Sarah and Liz lovingly refer to as their "room with a view" and which is also temporarily housing their solar panel equipment.

While some of the other homes on the tour were just as beautiful, Sarah had designed and built the house mostly by herself, which is pretty damn impressive. The masonry stove itself, is something to behold.

All in all, it was a great tour. My take-aways are:

It's all about the land.
If you're not too far from the road, being on-grid has some benefits, even if you're generating most of your own power.
Wood is a beautiful building material.
Solar systems are easier to maintain if they're not on your roof. Unless of course, if you have a solar hot water system on top of your earth-bermed green roof like the Bensons.
Water catchment is easy - all you need is a barrel.
Being a bit of a gadget geek is good.
It makes sense to design a home where you can age in place.
Salvaged and vintage stuff is awesome.
Make friends with your local saw mill.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the tour...

liz says she likes big "crazy" ideas like bike generators - me too!

approaching tina macdonald's place

visitors on the bensons' earth-sheltered living roof

the bensons' roof is so cool...

Hopefully it won't be too long before our home is part of the Ithaca Green Buildings Tour...

Breast cancer: Prevention is the cure

By Ari | Oct 15, 08 05:31 PM

I did some animation work a while back for a documentary called No Family History by filmmaker Sabrina McCormick. Unfortunately the animations didn't make the cut; the film has been restructured into more of an advocacy piece about the need to focus on prevention in the fight against breast cancer, and so it no longer required animated explanations of chemotherapy and other scientific details of cancer and its treatment. (Prrrrobably for the best, all things considered. They were pretty technical.)

Sabrina's written a piece about the film and the prevention approach for MediaRights, where Shira used to work. Check it out: Reframing the Fight: Why Prevention is the Cure for Breast Cancer. We can't wait to see the film - keep an eye out for it!

Ellen's PSA against California's homophobic Proposition 8

By Ari | Oct 15, 08 02:25 PM

Ellen Degeneres has made a PSA against Proposition 8, the initiative coming up in California to rob queer folks of the right to marriage. Bravo, Ellen!

Also, I hear her mom has joined Bradd Pitt and Steven Spielberg in giving money to the campaign against Proposition 8. Way to go, Ellen's mom!

Now here's a place where I could work out...

By Shira | Oct 13, 08 12:55 PM

Eco-Gym @ Yahoo! Video

Spreading the Word About Ahimsa Ecovillage

By Shira | Oct 6, 08 04:03 PM

On September 20th, 2008, we presented our idea for Ahimsa, a vegan ecovillage, with members of Club Veg Southern Tier and the Ithaca Area Vegan Meetup. The discussion took place at Smart Monkey Cafe where the group convened for a delicious vegan meal. Thanks to Ben Bristoll for video taping the event and to Bill Huston for taking photos!

Ahimsa Ecovillage Discussion from Shira Golding on Vimeo.

I love this photo of us. Doesn't Ari look like a visionary?

Photo by Bill Huston

Check out more photos from the event on flickr...

If only there were more Garbage Warriors

By Shira | Sep 17, 08 02:12 PM

My friend Jolene from Arts Engine just told me about this movie. I haven't seen it yet, but the trailer looks great. Hopefully Ari and I won't face as many governmental challenges as we move forward with our natural building dreams...

While Michael Reynolds has focused on the earthship approach, which makes perfect sense for New Mexico (and perhaps post-Katrina New Orleans), it looks like strawbale might be a better technique for upstate New York, where we recently moved. We've got a lot to learn about building, but we have a community vision. We're giving a presentation about our ideas for an Ahimsa Ecovillage this Saturday at 6pm at the Vegan Meetup at Smart Monkey Cafe in Ithaca. RSVP and come!

Matt Damon Disses Sarah Palin

By Shira | Sep 11, 08 10:59 AM

The best line is at the end...

Jonathan Safran Foer Tells It

By Shira | Sep 10, 08 10:55 AM

He never uses the word "vegan" so I'm not sure exactly where Mr. Safran Foer stands, but he makes some great arguments for going vegetarian, especially if you're a Jew who keeps Kosher. I particularly like this bit where he quotes Tolstoy...

For some reason I hold in the back of my mind that everybody I know is going to be a vegetarian in twenty years, it's something I really believe... Tolstoy once said that if everyone were vegetarian, there wouldn't be war anymore. And it sounds like a very silly statement on the surface because what on earth does one have to do with the other. But I thought about it a lot, and I believe in it - not because the meat industry itself is causing wars, but because if we became the kind of people who were regularly choosing our reason over our hungers, being more deliberate, more willful about our sense of what's right, we'd be living in a very different kind of world.

No End In Sight

By Shira | Sep 10, 08 10:38 AM

Watching this really helped me wrap my mind around what has been going down in Iraq. Between now and November 5th, this Oscar-nominated doc is viewable in its entirety on YouTube. Check it:

"Bee-Boys" ask us to save the honey bees

By Shira | Aug 21, 08 08:25 PM

...but I have to ask, why does Haagen Dazs want to save the bees, but not the dairy cows? And where are they getting their honey?

Here are some original B-Boys and the woman who documented them when hip-hop was born:

how far we've come...

By Shira | Aug 18, 08 10:23 AM

And by the way, Ellen and Portia just got married and apparently the food was vegan!

Spike Jonze Captures the "Real Al Gore"

By Shira | Aug 12, 08 11:32 AM

The video below was made in January 2005 by Spike Jonze, director of Adaptation, Being John Malkovich and many awesome music and skateboarding videos. I just saw it a few days ago on Wholphin Issue #1, recently released on Netflix.

While Jonze was hired by Gore's campaign to make the film at the time, it was barely used and never broadcast on TV. Some people think that if it had been widely seen, it may have impacted the election. I think any candidate could benefit from being the subject of an intimate cinema verité portrait, assuming they're as nice as and functional as Gore comes off in this piece.

Rev Billy on Fox Business Happy Hour

By Ari | Aug 8, 08 01:32 PM

Check out this incredible video of Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping dropping some science on Fox News. The host really gets into it, though she's a little shocked by his indictment of capitalism. On Fox! He dissed capitalism on Fox! You have to watch it. Oh, and stop shopping!

Via the Stop Shopping Monitor
Previously:

Strange Overtones

By Shira | Aug 8, 08 12:02 PM

"Strange Overtones" is the name of the new track just released by David Byrne and Brian Eno. I was just listening to it a few minutes ago, and I could not keep myself from getting up and dancing. It's pretty awesome. You can download it for free from the album site - I guess they're experimenting with new distribution techniques a la Radiohead with their album, In Rainbows.

I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't know much about Byrne a few years ago, but he'll definitely be a part of what I remember about our time living in NYC, which is rapidly coming to an end! And apparently he likes some of the same stuff as us. He was in the same movie theatre as us when we saw the amazing Korean monster comedy The Host at the Sunshine and I spotted his glistening white hair in line at McSweeney's "The World Explained" fundraiser for 826 NYC in April 2007. He also curated what was definitely the best concert experience I have had in many years - the "Welcome to Dreamland" show at Carnegie Hall, a showcase of the "freak folk" movement featuring Devendra Banhart, Vashti Bunyan, CocoRosie and others.

Most recently, we checked out Byrne's installation "Playing the Building" at the Maritime Building en route to the Figment Festival on Governor's Island. Here's a little video clip...

So now I have to start learning more about Brian Eno. Our paths haven't crossed nearly as much, but coincidently he did the music for the 1997 BBC series "How Buildings Learn" by Stewart Brand (embedded below), which I was just watching a few days ago on Google video. It's a great introduction to the way that buildings are shaped by humans and the environment. So can I assume that Eno shares our passion for permaculture and natural building? Just maybe...

Announcing Lionessthefilm.com

By Ari | Aug 1, 08 02:36 PM

Just launched today, Lionessthefilm.com. We worked with filmmakers Daria Sommers and Meg McLagan, along with consultation from Working Films and Matt Syrett, to craft a comprehensive online outreach tool for this exciting new documentary. The site was built on Movable Type 4 (open source, baby!), uses Google Analytics to track traffic, and dovetails with accounts on YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, and Google Calendar, to provide soldiers, veterans, and those providing support services with ways to engage with the film and with each other - and to help get their stories heard. We also designed the film's branding, as well as posters, postcards, email graphics, and other outreach essentials.

Through beautiful footage shot by our friend Kirsten Johnson (Farenheit 9/11, Deadline), Lioness tells the story of the first women in American history to be sent into direct ground combat. The interviews with the Lionesses are gripping; as anti-war activists we found watching the film to be an invaluable learning experience that really helped us identify with soldiers who are putting their lives on the line in armed combat. It movingly shows both the combat experience and the impact of it on people's lives, after they've come home.

Visit the site at Lionessthefilm.com to view the trailer, find screenings, get involved, and sign up for updates.

Jack and Jane - Environmental Pioneers

By Shira | Aug 1, 08 02:30 PM

An Anti-Capitalist Blockbuster?

By Shira | Jul 30, 08 05:28 PM

I Met the Walrus

By Shira | Jul 9, 08 06:45 PM

Watch Election Day on P.O.V. tomorrow night!

By Shira | Jun 30, 08 01:15 AM

From the folks at Arts Engine:

Our broadcast premiere is almost upon us! Election Day will air just in time for Independence Day on Tuesday, July 1, 2008 at 10 p.m. on PBS, during the 21st season of P.O.V. (Check local listings.) American television's longest-running independent documentary series, P.O.V. is public television's premier showcase for point-of-view, nonfiction films, and is a 2007 recipient of a Special News & Documentary Emmy Award for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking.

And for those of you who may miss the broadcast and can't TiVo it, never fear. We are offering an early release of the Election Day DVD to alleviate just this kind of problem! Starting on July 1st, Election Day will be available for purchase at the Arts Engine store.

I had the pleasure of editing the trailer and designing the outreach materials and DVD for this awesome film. It's a great documentary and is just the kind of programming that needs to be seen as we approach the next presidential election. Watch it!

Thanks to the NY Times, now I know that...

By Shira | Jun 29, 08 09:35 PM

Peter Sarsgaard likes the sound of rubbing his fingers together next to his ear, and Charlize Theron likes fried things. Thanks NY Times!

"Chickens are decent people." - George Carlin

By Shira | Jun 29, 08 07:06 PM

About four minutes into this amazing monologue about a woman's right to choose, Carlin asks, "How come when it's us, it's an abortion, and when it's a chicken, it's an omelette?" While Carlin was not a vegan (or vegetarian), he was an astute observer of American society, including its schizophrenic attitudes towards animals.

Carlin died just as I started reading Lenny Bruce's autobiography How to Talk Dirty and Influence People. Carlin has cited Bruce as an influence many times and was actually at the famous Lenny Bruce performance when Bruce was arrested for obscenity.

While America has a long way to go in the struggle for social justice, I've got to give props to these comedians for moving us forward in significant ways and paving the way for today's politically progressive comics. After all, could Stephen Colbert be named the 3rd most influential person of the year by TIME Magazine readers if Lenny hadn't pushed the envelope in the '50s and '60s? Nope.

More photos from Reykjavik, Amsterdam, and Israel

By Ari | Jun 26, 08 10:41 AM

shira and a troll friend
Originally uploaded by arimoore

Better late than never, here are my photos from our recent trip, finally all organized and described and tagged on Flickr. You'll find cute animals and magical forests, street art and graffiti, beautiful architecture and ancient ruins, macro experiments and lens flares, geologic wonders, funny and strange signs and art, and lots of ecological sustainability and animal rights stuff. Comments highly appreciated!

Previously: Two and a Half Weeks in Israel, Amsterdam and Iceland (Photos by Shira)

Heinz UK Pulls Ad Showing Two Men Kissing

By Shira | Jun 25, 08 01:31 PM

I'm not sure what's more shocking - that this ad was pulled because of complaints or that it was aired in the first place. I can't imagine Heinz putting an ad this gay on U.S. television, Americans are way too homophobic. Further evidence that capitalism serves profit, not people, and definitely not the chickens whose eggs go into Heinz mayonnaise.

Now if Heinz is looking for new ideas for the American market, they need look no further:

Live Mermaid Cam - Save Coney Island!

By Ari | Jun 24, 08 11:25 AM

Coney Island is still in danger of being creepily redeveloped, and the Mermaid Queen (who also happens to be Reverend Billy's wife, Savitri D), is on a hunger strike in protest. Chat with her above by clicking the "Enter Chat" button. If you're a Stickam member you can add her as a friend or video chat with her: stickam.com/coneyislandmermaid. Visit Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping to get your own Mermaid Cam embed code, for your own blog - it's super-easy.

Support your Queen's quest to save Coney Island! Come to the Community Scoping Meeting TONIGHT June 24th, 6:00pm at Linclon High School, 2800 Ocean Parkway. (NYC.)

UPDATE: Unfortunately the chat seems to be mobbed by creepy sexist asshats (at the time of this writing, 12.20pm) demanding to see the Mermaid's "fish taco" and such. So um, yeah, not such a good chat. But it's a cool idea! Who knows, maybe some of the people coming in via Digg and so on will at least think to look up the Coney Island situation after seeing this, even if the chat itself isn't so helpful.

Monkeys, Pigeons and Vegans Oh My!

By Shira | Jun 19, 08 03:34 PM

Doesn't this photo make you smile? It's of a monkey and pigeon who have become close friends at an animal sanctuary in China:

The 12-week-old macaque -- who was abandoned by his mother -- was close to death when [he] was rescued on Neilingding Island, in Goangdong Province. After being taken to an animal hospital his health began to improve but he seemed spiritless -- until he developed a friendship with a white pigeon. The blossoming relationship helped to revive the macaque who has developed a new lease of life, say staff at the sanctuary. From Mail Online

This story gives me a "new lease on life."

Also, check out this awesome clip on CNN about going vegan. It's one of the most positive non-dismissive segments about veganism that I've ever seen coming from the mainstream media:

Should Animals Be Doing More For The Animal Rights Movement?

By Shira | Jun 13, 08 04:11 PM

Should Animals Be Doing More For The Animal Rights Movement?

In other words, animals can't organize, so we humans have to speak up on their behalf. I love the Onion, especially when they make fun of PETA.

New and wonderful things from Lavender Diamond

By Ari | Jun 10, 08 10:15 AM

Becky Stark and the adorably wonderful peace-loving folks of Lavender Diamond are working on a new video project, Imagine Our Love. Click for info, beautiful film stills and production photos like the one above, and art for auction, proceeds to support the video.

Also, look: Ron Regé, the band's resident illustrator (of Peace Comics fame) now has his own blog.

I learned all of this from Lavender Diamond's mailing list, which I just joined. Yesterday an email arrived, the first message I've received on the list, apparently written by Becky Stark herself. It's probably one of the more awesome mailing list postings I've ever received. It begins:

hello everyone!
i hope you are well!
it is a beautiful day here in los angeles at the beginning of june-
i hope that wherever you are you feeling well and whole-
i'm writing to you today with some news!
and- also a little reminder-
remember: the power of love is infinite! Reading this email and visiting these links made me really happy, so I had to share. I listen to Lavender Diamond and I'm filled with hope for the world. I think that's a great effect for music to have.

Happy List

By Shira | Jun 5, 08 07:20 PM

There is a cat posse in our apartment, same-sex marriages are going to be recognized in New York State, my cousin Amir starred in this Borat spoof (it's a video for his high-school graduation party in Haifa), crop circles on google earth, using skype as our land line, Senegalese hip-hop at the eighth annual Media That Matters Film Festival Awards Ceremony, visiting Ithaca last weekend for a co-housing workshop at EcoVillage, looking for an apartment in Ithaca and finding an awesome one!!!, the plants in our window pots are starting to bloom, Obama is the democratic candidate for president, sharing our art and music this weekend as part of Bushwick Open Studios, picking up our first Hearty Roots CSA share of the season in Williamsburg, women's turkish oil wrestling at Galapagos, Renegade Craft Fair at the McCarren Park Pool June 14-15, Pineapple Express at BAM with Director David Gordon Green, tank tops, summer...

Toul Omri: A new queer Arabic film

By Ari | May 21, 08 11:49 AM

Our friends at freeDimensional let us know about "the first gay-positive, unapologetic and uninhibited feature movie in Arabic," Toul Omri (or "All My Life"). It's premiering at Frameline LGBT Film Festival in San Francisco on Sunday June 22nd at 8:30pm. (View trailer)

To help the independent filmmakers meet their post-production expenses, please send any donations to one of the 2 addresses below:

Tax-deductible donations: Please write a check to "Al-Fatiha Foundation" (and write "All My Life movie" in the memo) and mail the check to: *Mike Karim*, PO Box 3422, San Diego, CA 92163.
If you prefer to send your donation to the filmmaker directly (not tax-deductible), please send a check to Maher Sabry, 584 Castro St., Box # 378, San Francisco, CA 94114.

If for any reason you do not wish your full name to be to listed as a donor in the film's credits, please provide a partial name for the credits or mention that you prefer to stay anonymous.

Guerilla Girls meet Barnstormers - Saturday, NYC

By Ari | May 15, 08 12:19 PM

We just heard about a cool event happening on Saturday at the Bronx Museum: A "Collaborative Day of Performance" that goes 12-6pm and includes, among other wonders, a collaborative "Satiric demonstration" by the Barnstormers and the Guerilla Girls. If you don't know the folks in question yet, check out the video below of the Barnstormers in action. Now imagine it crossed with feminist art activism. I think this is not to be missed. More info can be had here: Bronx Museum Events.

(Via the Bluestockings Feminist Book Club)

Two and a Half Weeks in Israel, Amsterdam and Iceland

By Shira | May 12, 08 05:36 PM

Israel (232 Photos)

Amsterdam (232 Photos)

Iceland (207 Photos)

Photos from Ari and more about the trip coming soon :)

The Shirari Update: Recent Work

By Ari | Apr 11, 08 08:00 AM

So we're gearing up for this trip, and churning out a LOT of work before we go. In the past couple of months we've done quite a bit, much of which we've already written about. But here are some projects we haven't blogged about yet:

I worked with GLSEN to design a new look for StudentOrganizing.org and put fresh skins on their Day of Silence and Remembering Lawrence King MySpace sites.
We co-created a brand and launched a placeholder page for the new documentary Lioness, currently making the rounds at festivals. Posters and a full site are on the way... follow this film, it's a good one.
I made posters and other collateral for the freeDimensional / Casa Frela production OFF THE WALL.
Shira designed the DVD for the doc Innocent Until Proven Guilty, soon to be available for purchase at Arts Engine.
I handled the International Women's Day and May Day issues of The Socialist, the magazine of the Socialist Party USA. The May Day issue inaugurated our brand spankin' new redesign.
We designed a new film distribution brochure for Scenarios USA and rebranded (and re-designed and re-authored) their DVD collection. We also handled the collateral for their 2008 REAL DEAL Awards and Gala. (I made their site, too - though that was a few years back!)
I did a launch postcard for The Plant Republic's new site.
Shira's been a pre-screener and has been coordinating the jury process for Pangea Day, a project of TED Conferences.
I designed a guide to US citizenship and naturalization for South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) and a fresh cover for the National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), through the Japanese American Citizens League (JACL).
I made invitations, posters, programs, and a million other things for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Community Center's Broadway Backwards 3 and Center Dinner 25th Anniversary Celebration.

I'm sure I'm missing a million things, so if we worked on your project and haven't mentioned it, apologies! We really love all of our work, though it can be hard (I got up at 7am and am currently running on empty...), and we've been very lucky in that we can choose to work only on projects we really want to stand behind politically and ethically. It's a good life, this. Thanks to all of our clients and friends who continue to bring these amazing projects to us.

R.I.P.

By Shira | Mar 25, 08 01:55 PM

rip - 3.08.08.jpg

When people die around the same time, are their souls somehow interconnected? I'm not sure that I believe that we have a "soul" and I'm pretty certain that there is no after-life, other than a slow reunion with mama earth, and yet when people pass away in close succession, I can't help but searching for common threads. (Remember when James Brown, Robert Altman, Saddam Hussein and Gerald Ford died in November/December 2006?)

So what do filmmaker Anthony Minghella, author Arthur C. Clarke and musician Israel "Cachao" López have in common? They were all creative visionaries.

Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley is a beautiful film that captures the conflict between external and internal identities in a way that I have never seen before or since. It also shows how totally destructive homophobia, especially the internalized variety, can be.

Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey was written concurrently with the production of Kubrick's film and published after its release. The film, the book, the whole of Arthur C. Clarke's work, is an example of the best of what science-fiction has to offer the world - a glimpse into the future that shows us what we need to do today.

I actually hadn't heard of Israel López until a few days ago, when his death was announced. On NPR he was described as the "inventor of Mambo music." While I'm sure that, as with any artistic movement, López had many collaborators and co-inventors along the way, it's still pretty amazing to be known as the creator of anything. It's time to listen to the Buena Vista Social Club Soundtrack again (López composed a number of the songs).

So rest in peace Anthony, Arthur and Israel. If there is a heaven, I hope you're all up there working on a mambo/sci-fi/cinematic mash-up.

Drawing Truth

By Shira | Mar 21, 08 01:18 PM

My article about animation in documentaries is up on MediaRights.org. I got to interview filmmakers Brett Morgan, Judith Helfand, Dan Gold, Emily Hubley and Jeremiah Dickey for the piece - it was a lot of fun.

I really want to get more into animation myself. I've done a few simple pieces in Flash, but After Effects is calling my name...

"Conscious consumerism"

By Ari | Mar 16, 08 03:05 PM

A little while ago, Brooklyn activist/art collective Change You Want to See / Not an Alternative banned Raw Revolution products from their gallery space, issuing a kind of anti-greenwashing/consumerist manifesto along with the announcement: The Real (Raw) Revolution:

A line is here drawn against alternative capitalist products. Revolution is not a candy bar or an energy drink. Don't get us wrong, we recognize good intentions, but good intentions alone are no solution for avoiding the road to hell. All products that represent themselves as "sustainable solutions" are hereby banned from The Change You Want to See Gallery. Creating an economy where fairly traded, organic, vegan, healthy, (and even free) products are the norm rather than an anomaly is something we encourage. We believe however that to achieve this, a stand has to be taken against any commodity that is packaged as the embodiment of an alternative or a revolution. Consuming "Raw Revolution" will never be a meal replacement for actual revolution. Please... continue to invent, build, create, fight, force the limits of the capitalist system. Bring the results of your work to the Gallery, we want to and will continue to help you promote your work. However we will no longer provide a cover for a guerilla marketing campaign. If "false revolutionary", "fake alternative" "politically correct" "do-gooder" products are brought to the Gallery their packaging will be removed at the door.

(Via Stop Shopping Monitor)

Here's the video version:

I really dig the sentiment behind this move. We've been trying to figure out what we can possibly put in our own shop that would pass our ethical muster. We don't like using new materials or toxic art supplies. We don't want to ship things all over the place, requiring shipping suppplies and fuel as well as causing pollution. And we don't really like having money relationships with people anymore, either - though that's hard to avoid when you live in a capitalist society and sell your skills for a living. All of this rather limits what one can sell in a shop, if one decides to keep the shop at all.

There's such a fuzzy line between people working for social change and trying to make a living at the same time - and people who are more in it for the money, but who may do some good along the way. Where do you cross the line into exploitation, or are you always there, so long as you're participating in capitalism?

On the other side of this equation is consumerism of different sorts. In our ongoing efforts to reduce our impact we've found that there are certain things we've needed to buy that require shipping. You can find used books on alternative energy at a local bookstore, for example, but what about that washable shower curtain that requires no plastic liner (or other hard-to-find but highly efficient replacements for conventional housewares)? You'd think in our massive city we'd find it (and yes, if we were craftier, we'd make it), but no luck. But buying online from a company like Simple Family Living Homegoods or Gaiam has a broad impact (supporting capitalism; using packaging material; and polluting the air, using up fuel and clogging up a highway, during shipping). At what point does it make more sense to just buy a damn curtain that requires a liner, imperfect a solution though it might be?

I know we can't be perfect, but we can do our best to do the right thing for the planet and our neighbors. In the society we've set up for ourselves though, it can be hard to know what the "right" decision is.

UPDATE, 3.26.08
Lest I sound too negative about Simple Family Living Homegoods and Gaiam, I wanted to put in that these two companies - and Simple Family Living Homegoods in particular, which is much more indie than Gaiam - are both really great places to get things that will help you move toward a lower-impact life. Reusable, washable mesh produce bags will help you avoid using plastic ones, reusable cloth gift bags and handkerchiefs will help you avoid the use of wrapping supplies, soap nuts and a collapsible drying rack will help you avoid detergents and use less power when doing laundry, and so on. If you can't - or won't - make these things yourself, and if you can't find them locally (which is all too often the case, hence this post), these are indeed very good places to find them.

Tiny houses = small footprint

By Ari | Mar 9, 08 11:10 AM

A tiny house means fewer materials and less energy used in construction, lower fuel-use and emissions. It also (potentially) means that more of your land is left undeveloped, leaving room for our free-living neighbors to move back in.

Here's an adorable video of Tumbleweed's Jay Shafer giving a tour of his tiny house:

Another tiny house company: Martin House-To-Go
See also: The Small House Society, Tiny House Blog

Fight Military Recruitment in Schools

By Shira | Mar 1, 08 07:21 PM

The New York Coalition of Radical Educators (NYCoRE) have recently released a curriculum that helps teachers educate their students about military recruiting tactics. The goal is to empower students with concrete information and to make sure they know about alternative ways to access education and career-building tools after high-school.

Ari and I had the pleasure of designing the cover for Camouflaged: Investigating How the U.S. Military Affects You and Your Community, which you can preview and buy online through Lulu.com.

If you're a teacher who want to get involved, you should come to the meeting this week...

NYCoRE's Counter Recruitment Project Meeting
Thursday, March 6, 5:30-7:30
CUNY Graduate Center 34th St. & 5th Ave., Room 5489
Please bring ID

Topics of discussion include:

Bringing teachers together to develop a workshop for other teachers around unpacking military recruitment in New York City Schools and across the country
Outreach to bring teachers and administrators from Upper Manhattan neighborhoods to the workshop
Strategizing ways to share the ideas developed by New York City teachers in NYCoRE's recently released curricular guide Camouflaged
Developing ways to be a voice in the events acknowledging the anniversary of the war in Iraq

If you are interested in attending or getting involved, email Edwin at NYCoRE.

And here are some great videos about recruiting and the impact of war on veterans from Media That Matters: No Child, All That I Can Be and Night Visions

Radical Solidarity Ecovillage

By Ari | Mar 1, 08 03:57 PM

Hey, any activisty, creative vegans out there interested in cohousing, intentional community, or ecovillage life? Shira and I just posted a listing for a forming community, Radical Solidarity Ecovillage, in the Online Communities Directory.

We're relocating to Ithaca, New York, at the end of this coming summer, and are talking about buying a house, seeking freedom from rent - but do we really want to lock ourselves into a 30-year mortgage on a conventionally built house, is that freedom? We're very attracted to intentional community, co-housing, ecovillages, and other alternatives, but no matter how cool they are, we just can't stomach the idea of putting our labor and money into animal exploitation. (Unfortunately most communities incorporate some form of "animal husbandry".) So we thought we'd put a listing out there, see if we can find some kindred spirits. Check it out and let us know if you or anyone you know would be interested in something like it.

For a great overview of a family's experience building their own earth-friendly, mortgage-free house, check out A Low-Impact Woodland Home.

And for a glimpse at what ecovillage life can look like, check out The Farm's Ecovillage Tour:

Arts Engine Meets VH1's Pop-Up Video

By Shira | Mar 1, 08 01:25 PM

A couple weeks ago I had the pleasure of putting together a video for Arts Engine's big 10 year anniversary party at Southpaw. Having recently left the staff after almost six years to join forces with Ari, it was a pretty nostalgic experience. I'm not sure this will be in any way entertaining for folks not intimately familiar with the ins and outs of Arts Engine/Big Mouth Films, but feel free to take a look.

If Only All Capitalists Were Ed Begley, Jr.

By Shira | Feb 20, 08 05:29 PM

Go, Ed Begley, go!

Loving mama earth, one day at a time

By Ari | Feb 16, 08 02:00 PM

There have been a lot of locavore for a year / vegan for a week / freegan for a month projects going on lately, usually resulting in a book or article. I worry that rather than inspiring lasting change, these sorts of projects frame these actions as extreme (and temporary, limited) experiments by extraordinary people. As Vegan Freak Radio says again and again, there's nothing extreme about living ethically and with compassion. Our individual actions do affect the future of our planet, and each of us has the power to reduce our negative impact and even make our impact a positive one.

I think the secret is to make changes at a pace that's sustainable. If you rush it and try to go vegan or zero-waste overnight, odds are, your plan will backfire. But if you can identify an area in which you want to improve your actions, make a change and see positive results, that change is more likely to be a lasting one - and you'll be more likely to go on to work on another thing you want to improve.

For example, by making small changes over a period of over a year, Shira and I have gone from throwing out a big bag of trash at least once a week, to throwing out a tiny bag of trash every two weeks or so. Where did all that trash go? Well, it wasn't "trash" in the first place - it was compost, recyclables, and reusables. And in many cases, because we've been working on reducing our consumerism and choosing items with less packaging, it no longer comes into our apartment in the first place. And this wasn't a temporary experiment - it's just what we're doing because we love our earth and want our future children to be able to enjoy it, too.

Want more perspective on why sorting your trash is worth the effort? Long before The Story of Stuff came Jorge Furtado's Ilha das Flores, a Brazilian documentary short that shows how one person's trash becomes another person's food. Here it is with English subtitles.

Here are some resources and groups working toward a zero-waste / low-impact future:

The art for this post is from a Shell ad that was pulled because it was deemed misleading - since Shell is, after all, an oil corporation and not an envrionmental activist organization. But damn did they make a pretty image - and they're right, don't throw anything away - there is no away!

Tofu and Soy Milk Explained, by Puppets

By Ari | Feb 4, 08 06:08 PM

(via invisible voices)

And Another Awesome Video

By Shira | Jan 30, 08 05:03 PM

I think this one makes an even stronger case for gay marriage than Al Gore:

Al Gore for Gay Marriage Equality

By Shira | Jan 30, 08 02:47 PM

Oh Al, thanks for this one!

Angela Davis Tells It

By Shira | Jan 25, 08 03:33 PM

Earlier this week, on Martin Luther King Day, I happened upon an amazing speech that Angela Davis gave at Duke University in 2005. In an hour she manages to cover racism, homophobia, the war in Iraq, the prison industrial complex, media conglomeration and more (including some prescient shout-outs for Dennis Kucinich and Barack Obama).

Most importantly, Davis calls attention to the worldwide movement for social change, a network of people from around the globe, united in the belief that "Another World Is Possible." It turns out the World Social Forum, the largest annual convening of this movement of movements, is taking place right now, all around the world (in the past, it's been held in particular locations like Porte Alegre, Mumbai and Nairobe). The WSF site hosts an interactive Google map that you can search for actions in your area.

I found the Angela Davis speech on iTunes U, a pretty awesome section of the iTunes store where you can download free audio from various universities, including full courses. To find the speech, open iTunes, click on the store, click on "iTunes U" on the upper left side, then click on "Duke" in the universities list on the left, then on "Campus" in the topics list on the left, and then on "Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration" under Offices and Programs on the bottom. (Yes, it's really annoying that you can't bookmark or hyperlink things in iTunes,unless you know you don't mind installing AppleScripts.)

Does anyone out there know the deal on Shola Lynch's documentary Free Angela & All Political Prisoners? All I can find online is this video interview Shola did for AOL Black Voices about the project. I really want to see it, but I can't find any distribution info.

Ari and I are also working our way through the UC Berkeley class "Introduction to Nonviolence" with professor Michael Nagler. Just go to iTunes and do a search to find it. College without homework - woohoo!

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