Milwaukee Renaissance |
 Tracey Dent, Crusader for Peace, Runs for State OfficeBy Patricia Obletz, Editorwww.MilwaukeeRenaissance.com/PeaceOfMind/HomePage The strength of the community will change the future. - Tracey Dent
Last December, Tracey E. Dent and I met to talk about his now four-year long push for peace. We concentrated on his work with Milwaukee youth, to which he dedicated free time after his day job as legislative assistant to Representative Elizabeth Coggs* http://milwaukeerenaissance.com/PeaceOfMind/ProfileOfSuccessTraceyDent Prior to that position, Tracey worked as an accountant. This time Tracey and I got together about two weeks before the recall election to discuss his experiences in Madison, as well as his campaign to pursue peace and improving the quality of life by running for retiring State Assemblywoman Barbara Toles 17th District Assembly seat. Click here for the rest of the article
 NAACP President James H. Hall, Jr., Sends For US Calvaryby George F. SandersJune 19th, Juneteenth Day, 2012:In honor of the day that slaves were emancipated in America, an historic complaint was filed with the United States Federal Department of Justice citing the results of $1 Million worth of disparity studies over 18 years about the City of Milwaukee and its on-going means of denying economic development among people of color, particularly African Americans. NAACP President James Hall stated: The NAACPs 102-year mission aims to ensure that the fundamental rights of all Americans are protected and advanced. Our request is being made out of that historical focus and concern. Consequently, we emphasize that it is the responsibility of each political leader in government and all community stakeholders to uphold the federal and state constitutional rights of citizens and ensure that these rights are fully protected at all times. Click here for the rest of the article
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSWFinal Entry!!!5/14/12 Life and Death in BamakoLupus Awareness Fact #14: People with lupus are usually encouraged to engage in appropriate daily exercise in order to maintain muscle and bone strength. Care should be taken, however, to balance exercise with rest. By the way, I consider chasing my daughter around appropriate daily exercise. I also think this Lupus fact was written by someone who doesnt have Lupus. We hear from Bamako that Sanogo is showing no signs of stepping down from power. Not sure how the Mali people feel about this, but doesnt seem hopeful for elections to take place as the 40 days of the interim president comes to a close on May 22nd. Click here for the rest of the entry
Chaya Nayak Update on Sweet Water Growing Networks Kerela India Project We have received substantial interest and support from many organizations here in Kerala, including the equivalent of a mayor (which got us featured in a Malayalam newspaper!), the Kerala agriculture university, various radio stations, and above all significant interest from one of India’s largest corporations that has a cooperative business structure with rural farmers across India! Click here for the full article
Voter ID Town Hall Click here for more articles from Peace of Mind
 LOVE in the CityBy Grace Lee Boggs
Last week I was the commencement speaker at the Ecumenical Theological Seminary, which is located in the historic First Presbyterian Church at Woodward and Forest in Detroit. ETS educates students for urban ministry. In the more than 75 years since my first commencement, I have participated in many commencement ceremonies. But this was my first gig as a commencement speaker. I didnt even know how to begin until I was asked to provide a scripture, That prompted me to choose the familiar passage from Corinthians about Love. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Read the full article here
Smart City Nexus : A Gathering of Minds June 22nd 6-8pm. Poems of the Washerwoman at Public Cable TVIf you missed the Coffee House performance you have another opportunity to see this intriguing program. Be in the studio audience for the Public Cable TV premier. See the world’s most mundane creature transformed into a blazing Superhero in The Poems of the Washerwoman: Homage to the Most Unsung Character in Literature performed by these fantastic actors: Jeanie Dean, Roberta Higgins, Brenda Smith & Jacob Hey. Thursday June 7, 2012 6:30 pm
Contact: 414–546–3251 The menial washerwoman is transformed into a character of superhero proportions. In this production washerwoman is everywhere, she forms a union and leads one of the first successful US labor strikes, she is a saint of Hinduism, a diva of grand accomplishments, an Irish Banshee, a redeemer and remover of sins, an inventor, historian, a friend, a mother, Kitchen Guy and and perhaps yourself, Enjoy Washerwoman’s many faces and expressions. We are reading the poems in a project to explore a full theater production. It will be great Voting rights info & election protectionKnow Your Rights: Convicts
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UPDATE On Milwaukee County ICE Detainer ResolutionOn Friday May 25th, Voces de la Frontera took a delegation comprised of representatives from MICAH, Equality Wisconsin, Voces members, board and staff to meet with county executive Chris Abele to ask for his support in reforming the use of ICE detainers in county jails. On May 24th the resolution was approved 14–4 by the county board. At the meeting, the county executive acknowledged that the delegation gave him information about ICE detainers that he did not previously have and that he would try to get numbers that state how much tax payer dollars honoring ICE detainers is costing the county, since the sheriff has refused to provide this information. A follow up meeting will soon take place as agreed upon by both the county executive and the delegation. Click here to read the full article
Sweet Water Foundation Digital Aquaponics Training ProgramFor 16,000 e-Choupal Village Centers & SchoolsMethinks the stars may be aligning for Milwaukee’s digitally exporting our expanding knowledge re home/school aquaponics systems, not in shipping containers but in digital on-line books and films. ITC’s Murthy’s e-Choupal Digital Kiosks & 16,000 Indian Schools With ITC’s 16,000 e-Choupal kiosks we might imagine training films reaching 16,000 Indian schools at astonishing speed, building upon Sweet Water’s MacArthur Mozilla badge based digital training. http://www.itcportal.com/sustainability/lets-put-india-first/echoupal.aspx With a film studio drawing upon our data design team’s work that connects Chicago, New York, and Frisco partners with our Milwaukee center, our product can be quite outstanding. Sweet Water Great Farm Film Studio: Content for Harvard MIT Stanford On Line Courses and Emerging Global Documentary Training Film Industry I am writing to invite you to an on-line conversation aiming to develop cooperative film studios at the Sweet Water Great Farm, in support of a start-up $150,000 global competition award from Mozilla/MacArthur for "badge based" digital training and credentialling for "Aquapons." http://www.dmlcompetition.net/Competition/4/badges-projects.php?id=3197 This vision has been inspired by the support for democratizing and globalizing aquaponics Sweet Water has received from IBM, the State Department, the US Department of Agriculture, engineers and biologists from universities in Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, as well as Europe and Asia. I believe the Sweet Water Film Studio could be as important a resource for connecting with projects like the Harvard/MIT/Stanford on-line course project as the transformation of the classic factory into a Great Farm has been for mainstreaming aquaponics across the planet. Cloud Computing for Self Publishing & Producing Thanks to cloud computing for the masses, anyone anywhere can for a tiny hourly fee now rent the most powerful computing and storage facilities on Amazons cloud to test any algorithm or start any company or publish any book. Start-ups can even send all their inventory to Amazon, and it will do all the fulfillment and delivery and even gift wrap your invention before shipping it to your customers. This is leading to an explosion of new firms and voices. "Sixteen of the top 100 best sellers on Kindle today were self-published," said Bezos. That means no agent, no publisher, no paper just an author, who gets most of the royalties, and Amazon and the reader. It is why, Bezos adds, the job of the company leader now is changing fast: "You have to think of yourself not as a designer but as a gardener" seeding, nurturing, inspiring, cultivating the ideas coming from below, and then making sure people execute them. NYT Friedman, May 19, 2012
Community Wide Donorship Scholarship Drive Saturday, June 9, 2012Dear Community, We need your support to help make our first 2012 Scholarship drive a HUGE Success! You can help by volunteering to:
Thanks in advance for your commitment. Penelope Stewart
 On Social Justice and Public HealthDr. Christian Head is a well-respected African American faculty surgeon who’s now filed a racial discrimination suit against the UCLA Medical Center and UC Regents. Dr. Christian Head has been intentionally degraded based on his race and UCLA officials have ignored blatant acts of racial discrimination, including an edited photo depicting Dr. Head as a gorilla being sodomized by his supervisor. That alone is offensive. But the fact that the photo was publicly presented for laughs during an annual medical school sponsored event attended by more than 200 physicians, faculty, residents and guests is both shocking and indefensible. You can hear about what Dr. Head has endured and what UCLA officials continue to ignore: Watch Dr. Christian Head’s video. Click here to read the full article
Click Here for Early Voting InformationMilwaukee County Immigration ResolutionHello, We are asking that you take action on a Milwaukee County Resolution that will be up for a vote this week, May 24th, and that seeks to change the draconian rules regarding ICE detainers for undocumented peoples. The resolution was born from a request made by Voces de la Frontera to supervisors Peggy West and Marina Dimitrijevic for County level legislation that would change the way local police interact with ICE (Federal Immigration Enforcement). Click here to find out more on how to help
  Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW5/3/12 Lupus Awareness MonthLupus Awareness Month Fact #3: Lupus develops most often between ages 15 and 44. However, between 10 and 20 percent of cases develop during childhood and these cases can evolve more rapidly into serious health complications. Problems in Bamako continue. The airport is closed, there have been multiple shootings, with reports of anywhere between 25 and 150 deaths. The US Embassy is closed. The coup leaders are building up the case that there are foreign mercenaries from neighboring countries trying to take down the Junta. Not everyone believes this story, and the truth becomes harder to decipher. Click here for the rest of the entry
 IndividualityBy Rosemary OllisonINDIVIDUALITYI have seen many beautiful things
INDIVIDUALITY is difficult to obtain
Click here for the rest of the Poem
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW4/25/12 Cant walk wellToday is a very big day. I am driving to Staten Island and back. I was very successful the last time I took this challenge on, and got inspired to do it again. But first is a site visit to an agency in Harlem. Well, the agency is on the second floor, and I had to drive there first. Driving always makes me limp. My legs get weak, shaky and painful. Even though I hadnt driven very far or for very long, I was in a lot of pain afterwards and Harlem is the small leg of todays trip. After the meeting, it was back down the stairs. OMG, I had to take it really slow and hug the wall the whole way down. Very impressive when youre walking with colleagues from other agencies, I assure you. Click here for the rest of the entry
 Click image to register online Milwaukee Police Department’s Fifth District Community Action Day, Saturday, May 19th, 2012You are cordially invited to attend the Community Action Day on May 19th, 2012. Milwaukee Police Departments Fifth District is hosting the event from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The event will take place at the Lighthouse Youth Center 2475 West Roosevelt Drive with neighborhood garbage clean up from 10am to noon and a cookout and resource fair at the Lighthouse Youth Center from noon to 2:30pm. The event will be concluded with a Roll Call in the street at 2:45pm. The Community Action Day is part of law enforcement and citizen interaction, involving aesthetic improvement and sustainable crime reduction. We would like to invite you or another representative from your organization to present materials during our resource fair. We would be able to provide you with a table and two chairs for any materials you might have. Set up begins at 11:30am and take down would be at or before 3pm. If you could please RSVP by May 11, 2012. The point of contact for the event is myself or P.O. Thomas Kupsik. He can be reached via e-mail ([email protected]) or by calling 935–7187. Thank you in advance for your support. P.O. Lori Osiewalski
Plankington Arcade’s Arugula Garden Tuesday Lunch Hour BrainstormingMay 8 TopicsMilwaukee’s Great Issues Series Offering One at Sweet Water Monday Potluck
http://www.itcportal.com/sustainability/lets-put-india-first/echoupal.aspx http://www.pingg.com/rsvp/8x8ce4fe5tk5mpzjw www.indiegogo.com/growingnetworks
http://www.dmlcompetition.net/Competition/4/badges-projects.php?id=3197.
http://cominggoodboom.blogspot.com/ and more Dear All, At the upcoming Sweet Water Monday Potluck “Great Issues Series” IT pro Matt Richardson will be discussing the $150,000 SWF Mozilla global competition award and his visions for transforming educational systems and acclerating the diffusion of aquaponics miniatures to the schools of the world with the coupling of the USDA teachers grant and the Mozilla life long digital badge award. I and/or Chaya Nayak will be introducing the Wisconsin Milwaukee Kerela India project, the first initiative being “Empowerment Through Aquaponics.” I will also say a few words about Dean David Garman’s $30,000,000 Environmental Bio Technology Cooperative Research Center vision, and how that might tie in with a “Golden Triangle Collaboration” between Madison Chicago and Milwaukee to partner with the Indian ITC’s e-choupal program. http://www.itcportal.com/sustainability/lets-put-india-first/echoupal.aspx Doug Booth, MU economist emeritus, author of “The Coming Good Boom,” will be participating as well, because, in his words… I am especially looking forward to hearing about aquaponics digital learning from Matt Richardson. This sounds like something I could promote on possible trips to Tunisia and Egypt later in the year. Schaduf, the rooftop hydroponics effort in Cairo, is experimenting with aquaponics. Sweet Water’s Great Hall of the Tulip Building
Sweet Water Friday May 11 Celebration of Wisconisin Kerela India Aquaponics Experiments and Eco TourismTo support the UW Madison student team service learning project to build an aquaponics demonstration site in Kerala, India. I(Shajan John) will be traveling with the students to India and initiate the project over a 5 week period, all of month of June. To see the invitation to the fund raiser event and place to easily purchase ticket to enjoy a great evening of fun in an urban farm, please follow this link http://www.pingg.com/rsvp/8x8ce4fe5tk5mpzjw This can be a fun date night and a family night. There is going to be dances, art display, music, silent auction, great food, free drinks and much more. For those who wish to do more than this or to learn more about this exciting initiative, please visit our online crowd source campaign IndieGoGo site at www.indiegogo.com/growingnetworks The opportunity for business and growth from global markets are enormous - today the global GDP is only roughly $60 trillion, experts at Gallup say it will be $140 trillion in 2030. Much of this growth is predicted in today’s developing world and we need future leaders confident and with an entrepreneurial mindset and this is why I am doing this creating immersion opportunity for college students. Hope you will support this initiative by joining us on May 11 and I look forward to seeing you all.
Highlights from 2012 so far: The Good NewsOh boy, as my dear friend who died at 101 last year used to say when things got really good. The following stories show some of the progress We the People are making against giant wealth and power; some of these stories expose the GOP mindset that denies the existence of human and civil rights: Sat. 7/7/12 (T)he saddest thing of all is to know a ladys life has been saved from AIDS but died from cervical cancer. http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/1025157/former_president_george_w._bush_breaks_from_his_party%E2%80%99s_%E2%80%98war_on_women%2C%E2%80%99_advocates_for_women%E2%80%99s_health_abroad/#paragraph4Fri. 6/15/12 Human Rights for all http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/16/us/us-to-stop-deporting-some-illegal-immigrants.html?nl=us&emc=edit_cn_20120615Thurs. 5/31/12 Civil Rights Wins Again http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/us/appeals-court-rules-against-federal-marriage-act.html?nl=us&emc=edit_cn_20120531Sun. 5/27/12 Thank you, Stephen Colbert: the way in and a logical way out:Mon., 5/21/12 The Oneness Movement Grows:Civl Rights Upheld:Tues, 5/15/12 Federal Appeals Court Rules Out Election Money Donors’ Secrecy:Tues., 5/8/12: Wyatt Earp lives on!Sun., 5/5/12: Austerity Loses to SocialistThurs., 5/3/12: Minnesota Senator Thinks Abortion Pill Is Wrong, While Viagra Is a “Wonderful Drug”Sat., 4/28/12: The Washington Post Admits That Republicans Are the ProblemThurs., 4/26/12: How the Wisconsin Legislature Was Boughthttp://www.expressmilwaukee.com/article-18491-how-the-wisconsin-legislature-was-bought.html Click here for the full List
Sweet Water First Monday Potluck Great Issues SeriesMatt Richardson Discussion of Digital Aquaponics Self Learning and GlobalCredentialingI think the subject of the talk is how technology is benefiting the MKE Renaissance viz. Urban Agriculture via two things I am involved in currently: The Sweet Water Digital Aquaponics Learning Experience and the sharing of information about environmental planning and urban agriculture systems. Sharing data about urban agriculture systems can assist in refining the experiment of urban ag, whether it be an aquaponics system in a classroom, an urban garden at a community center, a commercial farm or a city green space.
The Digital Aquaponics Learning Experience will be revolutionary for urban agriculture education worldwide. By taking a good idea (students getting excited about learning at an urban farm), combining it with the necessary requirements for learning (educational standards and local demand for water/green talent) and serving it up on a digital platter with a side of creative content, it will be a system that is palatable to all lifelong learners of any age or interest level. The Sharing of Urban Agriculture data is something that is done informally, but greater sharing of data (successes and failures) of systems can yield great results for our community. Sharing data encourages a collaborative approach to solving small or large community problems, and also helps our commercial agricultural entrepreneurs have more information to refine their efforts. Imagining, Designing, and Orchestrating 21st Century Jobs, Work, & EnterpriseEnnobling Working Class Social Roles: Starting Out With Mindful PeddlersCreating Our 2012 Farm Bill--For a Healthy, Fair Food System and New Opportunities Wed. May 9th - 6 - 8 pm at the Urban Ecology Center in Riverside Park You’re invited to join Friends of Real Food
What’s important to include in the next Farm Bill? How do we best advocate for these provisions? Margaret Krome has over 20 years experience analyzing farm policy and activating grass roots support for sustainable agriculture. She says, We have tremendous power as farmers and citizens, and we need to step up, act, and participate in our democracy; thats how change happens. For more info: [[http://friendsofrealfood.org] March for Immigrant Rights MAY DAY Solidarity March Sunday APRIL 29Dear Friends in solidarity with the Salvadoran Nation,
Can you make a pulpit announcement? It has to be this weekend! April 21–22. And also on April 28–29. Will you join us? We’ll be walking for Justice for immigrants.
en solidaridad,
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 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW4/2/12 Al Quaeda gaining presence in the NorthThe UN Security Council met and is very concerned about the growing Al Quaeda presence in the north of Mali. There are now three groups vying for power with three very different goals. And they keep gaining strength and taking over more cities. Almost half the country, the regions in the north are now under rebel rule. There will be international community support of the West African economic sanctions, which, while not surprising, does not bode well for the citizens there. As for Sabou, she got to play with Nana and Pops all day. They are staying with us until tomorrow. It was hard to concentrate at work. I just wanted to go home and be with my family. Click here for the rest of the entry
This Just In From DRW April 24, 2012:Judge extends injunction preventing photo ID requirements for May 8 Recall Primary and June 5 Recall ElectionThis means that you will not need to present a current and valid identification card in order to vote May 8th and June 5th. If you have any questions regarding your rights or responsibilities to vote in Wisconsin, feel free to contact the Disability Vote Hotline. See below for additional information on the hotline. Disability Rights Wisconsin (DRW) has a toll free line to help the disability community with questions and concerns about voting rights. We can help:
CALL: 800/928–8778 (toll free) or 888/758–6049 (TTY) Phones are answered between 8:30 and 5:00 most weekdays, and from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM on Election Days. “Vote as if your life depends on it, because it does…” - Justin Dart Jr. Click here for more articles from Peace of Mind
TRIAL REPORT -- NAACP PHOTO ID TRIAL CLOSES TODAY ON HIGH NOTE!By Richard Saks, Esq.Hawks, Quindel, SCApril 19, 2012 Our four-day trial before Judge Flanagan in the Dane County courthouse ended today in the NAACP/Voces lawsuit against Wisconsins photo ID requirement. I can report we made a detailed evidentiary presentation to the court that approximately 335,000 voting-eligible persons in the state of Wisconsin lack acceptable Photo ID under the law. Despite a desperate attempt by the Attorney Generals office to besmirch the intentions of our individual plaintiffs and voters who submitted affidavits in support of the lawsuit, 34 affidavits and 18 deposition transcripts of voters were admitted into evidence, which detailed the burdens and costs faced by ordinary voters attempting to comply with the law. The case opened on Monday morning with an engaging 50-minute video deposition of 83-year-old Ruth Frank of Brokaw Wisconsin, who explained in detail the bureaucratic quagmire she encountered when attempting to correct her birth certificate to obtain a photo ID to vote. Our expert witness, Prof. Ken Mayer, testified at length on three of the four days about Wisconsins history of access and expanded voting rights, and how photo ID serves no deterrent purpose to vote fraud. Prof. Mayer also testified about the database match he conducted between the GABs vote file and DOT database, where he estimated that over 300,000 voters lack a Wisconsin drivers license or photo ID. Professor Mayer concluded that approximately 335,000 voting-eligible persons lack any of the Act 23 acceptable photo IDs. Click here for the full account
Understanding the Challenges & Changes: Caring for Someone with DementiaWorkshop Series:
Have you ever wondered how youd ever be able to manage caring for children while also caregiving for your aging parent?
To register call the Alzheimers Association at: (414) 479–8800
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National Donate Life MonthGreetings, April is designated National Donate Life Month. Its a time to build awareness for organ, tissue, eye, blood and marrow donation across America. As the home of the Wisconsin Donor Network and the Wisconsin Tissue Bank, BloodCenter of Wisconsin would like to encourage you to share life. You can register to become an organ, tissue and eye donor, join the Be the Match Marrow Donor Registry and donate blood. Share life this April and make a profound impact on the lives of others. We encourage you to share this information with your congregations, families, and friends. Thank you for your continued support! Darlene Robinson
Doing More Good Than You Know.
Invite to Share Sweet Water Space at US Bank Building Earth Day ExpoPlease send an e-mail to [email protected] if you would like a space at the Sweet Water table at this great venue. On behalf of U.S. Bank and Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc., I would like to extend an invitation for you to exhibit and/or sponsor our 2012 Earth Day Exposition. With over 200 people and 26 exhibitors attending this event last year, it is a great way to educate others on your organization’s “green” efforts and for company recognition! We expect this year’s event to be bigger and better! This years theme: Its Our World, Take Care Of It Date: Friday, April 20th. Location:
Set-up time available between: 8:00 am - 10:00 am Event Time: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Tear-down available between: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Racial Justice and Environmental SustainabilityA talk by Andrew KahrlAssistant professor of history at Marquette University and author of The Land Was Ours: African American Beaches from Jim Crow to the Sunbelt South (Harvard University Press, 2012)
 When: Wednesday, April 18th, 5:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m.
Friendly Reminder: 2 days until Senior Panel Presentation with Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on Wednesday, April 11, 2012You are invited to join the Milwaukee County Department on Aging For a Senior Health Panel Presentation on the Benefits of the Affordable Health Care Act with SECRETARY KATHLEEN SEBELIUS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES WHEN: 9:00 AM (CDT) Wednesday, April 11, 2012 WHERE: Washington Park Senior Center 4420 West Vliet Street, Milwaukee, WI 53208 Reservations ARE NOT required. Secretary Sebelius will highlight how the law extends important benefits such as free preventive services, annual wellness visits that give seniors more time with their doctor and a 50 percent discount on prescription drugs for people with Medicare in the coverage gap known as the “donut hole.”  Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW3/22/12 Coup detatWhen I got home from the documentary last night, looking all gorgeous in my Mary Kay make up, I was sure that Youba would notice and have some compliments for me, but no, nothing. It kind of surprised me, but then it didnt because hed been with Sabou all evening and was probably exhausted, and he was just heading out to work, so I let it go. This morning, when he got home from work, he went right to the phone and called his brother. I was a little surprised because he usually calls everyone on the weekend, but then living so far away from family like he does, who would question an extra phone call. I cant understand everything he says on the phone when he is talking really fast, but I did hear him ask multiple times about his other brothers whereabouts. But, I was on my way to work, so I let it go, didnt think anything of it, and left for day care and then work. Click here for the rest of the entry
 Organic Gardening at the Center for Veterans IssuesSpeaker: Howard Hinterthuer(Gardener and the 2012 TedX Challenge winner)Wednesday, April 11th, 6 8 pmFriends of Real Food at the Urban Ecology Center in Riverside Park Join us next week for a potluck dinner, short videos, and a lively discussion.Peer-to-peer Mentor Howard Hinterthuer has helped to start an organic gardening project at the Center in Milwaukee that has many therapeutic and health benefits for the involved veterans. He will tell us why the Organic Therapy project works and why it is growing—pun intended. This January, Howard spoke in New York City as part of the TedX program: Changing the Way We Eat. He was the Challenge winner — selected in a national vote of Ted enthusiasts! He was one of a fantastic line-up of speakers on a wide variety of good food topics that are available on the web. We’re fortunate to be able to hear in person about the gardening project from Howard this month. Great Waters Group of the Sierra Club invites you to…Earth Day Celebration Friday April 20th 5 - 7:30 pmFREE! All are invited @ Hart Park Riverview Room
Celebrate
Preserving our River Parkways and ParklandsLearn
Meet Up with FUEL at MKEs New Creative EpicenterWhen: April 18, 2012 5:00–8:00 PM
The Shops at Grand Avenue have been a Milwaukee landmark since 1982. But with increasing concerns about its future as a mall and a growing reputation for vacancies rather than destinations, the propertys owners have had to get creative about filling its empty spaces. On April 18th, FUEL members will be introduced to Creativity Works Here, a partnership between Creative Alliance Milwaukee and The Shops at Grand Avenue that leases space to local creative organizations, artists, and non-profits at a discounted rate. Creative Alliance Milwaukee touts this initiative as the force that will transform a “once powerful retail destination into the “epicenter of arts, culture and creativity in Milwaukee. We think a creativity epicenter sounds pretty cool, and since FUEL members are a creative bunch, we know youre going to want to know more. So join us for a tour of Creativity Works Here as we seek answers to the following questions:
Click here to read more, and to register.
Town Hall Meetings with the Recall CandidatesAfter a year of incredible mobilization by people in Wisconsin, the upcoming recall elections are a time to:
MICAH has joined with other partners to put on town hall meetings with the recall candidates — real democracy where the people decide. At these town halls, members of MICAH and other partner organizations are going to put make sure the candidates listen to us. Sign up to join us at the town halls here: http://refundwisconsin.org/register/?org=micah&orgsource=email1 The town halls will take place statewide in early April:
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 Detroit’s Boggs Educational Center Receives Kellogg Foundation GrantThe Kellogg Foundation has provided great support for the educational vision of Detroit’s Grace Lee Boggs, the philosopher of urban agriculture and visionary organizing. In her book, The Next American Revolution, 96-year-old community activist and the schools namesake, Grace Lee Boggs, presents a radically different vision of education: Just imagine how safe and lively our streets would be, if, as a natural and normal part of the curriculum from K-12, school children were taking responsibility for maintaining neighborhood streets, planting community gardens, recycling waste, rehabbing houses, creating healthier school lunches, visiting and doing errands for the elderly, organizing neighborhood festivals, painting public murals.This is the fastest way to motivate all our children to learn and at the same time turn our communities, almost overnight, into lively neighborhoods where crime is going down because hope is going up. The Boggs Educational Center Project Team of Detroit, Michigan, is developing a community-based school on the East Side of the city. The development phase currently consists of planning and design in the areas of community outreach, business and management preparation, enrollment, and programming, including development of a locally sustainable food service and urban gardening education program. The project will be funded in part by a $150,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Battle Creek, Michigan.  We need to give children a better reason to study than simply to get a job or advance individual wealth, says Project Team member Julia Putnam. Children need to develop a desire, even a passion, for lifelong learning. They need to learn to read and write with the purpose of communicating their ideas with people in their neighborhoods, their country, and the world. They need to learn about themselves in order to understand their identities and how those identities mesh with others in society. Their lives should be enriched through investment in the community. They need practice in making smart, thoughtful decisions, so that when it is their turn to run the country, they understand the delicate intricacies of resolving conflicts, while creating a world that works for all. The mission of the Boggs Educational Center is to nurture creative, critical thinkers who contribute to the well-being of their communities. BEC will implement Place-Based Education, a nationally renowned and research-based model, which immerses students in local heritage, cultures, landscapes, opportunities and experiences, using these as a foundation for the study of academic subjects. The school hopes to open in the fall of 2012. BEC will be an institution that nurtures and supports the whole community, including families and their neighborhoods’ economic, aesthetic, cultural, and agricultural stability. Students will:
The Boggs Educational Center Project Team is a nonprofit organization formed in 2010 by five Detroit educators to develop this school. More information can be found at www.boggseducationalcenter.org. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation, established in 1930, supports children, families and communities as they strengthen and create conditions that propel vulnerable children to achieve success as individuals and as contributors to the larger community and society. Grants are concentrated in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and southern Africa. For further information on the foundation, please visit www.wkkf.org. Amanda Rosman
Sweet Water Potluck, 5 to 7 p.m., Monday, April 2, 2151 S. RobinsonBring a dish to share or share $5! Sweet Water is a hybrid enterprise, with the “farm,” i.e. Sweet Water Organics, Inc.,
Here is a new look for the Academy’s web page, with lots of inspiring new news: http://sweetwaterfoundation.com/ Here’s some info on a Sweet Water India project underway: http://prezi.com/ltg2b88etxxb/empowerment-through-aquaponics-the-wisconsin-kerala-connection/ Youth Mental Health Summit UpdateThanks to everyone who attended our March meeting and all who are hard at work on plans for the May 3rd and 4th summit. We hope to see you at our next meeting: April 4th, 2012 at Pathfinders from 3 pm-6 pm Click here for the rest of the entry
STOP The VIOLENCE ADULT & YOUTH Town Hall Meeting Click here for more articles from Peace of Mind
 Our Ferocious Love of Life vs. Catastrophic Climate ChangeA pulpit guest presentation by Eric Hansen at Unitarian Church North (Mequon)April 1 Fine folks, Ill be a pulpit guest for Unitarian Church North this Sunday, doing Our Ferocious Love of Life vs. Catastrophic Climate Change, my 14th presentation of this theme. 13800 North Port Washington Road, Mequon (9:15 and 11am). For more information Click here Humans, both as individuals and societies, have confronted towering crises before. What lessons and hope can we draw from those experiences? How do humans perceive that a crisis is at hand and an immediate change in course is wise? Eric Hansen is a nationally recognized conservation essayist, award-winning public radio commentator, and frequent pulpit guest http://www.ucnorth.org/node/35 Alternatively, if you wish to indulge, a prior podcast is at http://www.uumilwaukee.org/node/229 Prior media coverage (Racine Journal-Times interview)
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW3/11/12 Dont bring 2-year-olds to meetingsToday I kept Sabou close to home for the majority of the day, but we needed to get to a meeting where there was going to be a babysitter. I was hopeful, need to learn to stop that. We get to the parking lot to get the car and the poor attendant cant get it down. Its on this lift so they can fit more cars into the lot and make more money, and no matter what he does, he cant get the lift to work. So, here I am all proud of myself, out of the house, going to a meeting and we may not be able to get in our car. Hysterical. Sometimes I am humored by the randomness of life in NYC. But this guy is determined, and is not giving up. After about 20 minutes, he finally gets the car down and we are able to head out. Click here for the rest of the entry
This Just In: March 28, 2012STATEMENT OF NAACP MILWAUKEE BRANCH AND VOCES DE LA FRONTERA CERTIFICATION DECISIONS OF COURT OF APPEALSBy James H. Hall Jr., President, NAACP Milwaukee Branch; Christine Neuman Ortiz, Executive Director, Voces de la Frontera; Richard Saks, Attorney, Hawks & QuindelTodays Certification decisions by two separate districts of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals addressing challenges to Wisconsins Photo ID requirement does not change the current status of the law. Wisconsins Photo ID law remains enjoined for the April 3 elections. These two Certification decisions send all aspects of Attorney General Van Hollens appeals of two injunctions issued by Judges David Flanagan and Richard Niess to the Wisconsin Supreme Court for review. The Supreme Court has discretion to accept or reject these appeals. Click here for the rest of the statement
Action Alert - People over Politics TOMORROW (3–20)March 20th is the last Common Council meeting of the legislative cycle, UNLESS we demand a special session to pass the Milwaukee Jobs Act. Last week 300 people attended the People’s Public Hearing on the Milwaukee Jobs Act. At the hearing the members of the Milwaukee Jobs Act coalition called on the Common Council to call a special session to draft, introduce and pass the Milwaukee Jobs Act. Join the Milwaukee Jobs Act coalition at City Hall (Water and Wells st.) on March 20th at 8:30 am.
Soap Box Moment at St. Patrick Brigid’s 10th Annual All City GatherinHannah’s St. Patrick’s Facebook PageWill Hannah’s St. Patrick’s Facebook Page
Will Zav’s Riverwest Radio
Will the Riverwest Cafe and Public House Co-op partners
Will Milwaukee Chicago and India,
Why not? Godsil
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW2/27/12 Medication FiascoSo, my parents left today, and wouldnt you know it, I get home from work, all ready to take my medicine, and Im having trouble getting the pill bottle open, and whoop, there it is, all of my pills have fallen into the wet sink. ARGH! Its the Plaquenil. Its my relief from who knows what kind of pain its hiding from me so well. I just filled this three-month prescription at the end of January. Theres like 100 pills on my floor, in my sink, and Im freaking out, which interests Sabou in helping me, and that really freaks me out, I dont want her anywhere NEAR this medicine. No idea what effect it would have on her. OMG! I am desperate, and I pick up every single one of those wet pills and place them back into the pill bottle. Pathetic I know, but what else could I do? Click here for the rest of the entry
This Just In From DRW March 14, 2012by Make It Work Milwaukee/Mental Health Task ForceGood morning! Early this morning, the Assembly passed SB-380/AB-477, the bills to lift the cap on Family Care. The bill passed 87–6. The Senate previously passed the bill with unanimous support, but will need to vote again since the Assembly had amended the bill, with the requirement for Active Review by Joint Finance. Contact your Senator to ask them to thank them for passing the bill last month and ask them to continue their support today - see contact information below. Read the article here as well
10th Annual St. Patrick Brigid All City Gathering at Club TimbuktuThis Saturday, March 17, 5 to 8 p.m.
Music, dance, and Soap Box MomentsActivist from around Milwaukee get 2 minutes on their soapbox: skit, song, or other flamboyant, energized, poignant, succinct, slamming, daming, bamming two-minute soapbox moment to carry their message to a hot, fun crowd o’ folks, Music by Embedded ReporterDance by Barbara Wesson’s Nia DancersSoap Box Orators and Event OrchestratorsHolly Haebig
Schedule of EventsMarch 17, 5 to 8 p.m. 5 to 5:30 Hang Around Time w. Embedded Reporter Background Music 5:30 to 5:45 p.m. Ceremonial Opening Jahmes Finlayson 5:45 to 6 p.m. Round Circle Introductions of All to All 6 .to 6:30 Soap Box Moments One 6:30 to 7 p.m. Nia Dancers and Music 7:00 to 7:30 Soap Box Moments Two 7:30 to 8 p.m. Embedded Reporter Music, Dance, and Milling 8 Closing Ceremony Event Moves to One Year Celebration of Public House, one of two co-op pubs in USAWISCONSIN VOTER ID LAW UPDATEThe Milwaukee Branch of the NAACP and Voces de la Frontera are pleased that the League of Women Voters has prevailed in its challenge to the voter photo ID law and that Dane County Circuit Judge Richard Niess has granted the motion for summary judgment in that case, James H. Hall, Jr., President, NAACP Milwaukee Branch said Monday, March 12, 2012. Richard Saks, Attorney, Hawks & Quindel S.C. added, Judge Niess ruling, combined with Judge Flanagans temporary injunction of last week, send a powerful message that Act 23 has significant and substantial constitutional infirmities, which violate the spirit of voter access and citizen participation in the electoral process in Wisconsin. Read the article here as well
Lift the Family Care/IRIS caps!Make It Work Milwaukee Action AlertLast week, the State Assembly postponed a vote on the bills lifting the Family Care/IRIS caps. This vote is now scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday, March 13. This is the final week the Assembly and Senate will be in session for the rest of the year. If these bills dont pass this week, the caps will remain in place until at least 2013 and people with disabilities and frail elders will continue to languish on waiting lists or may have to enter a nursing homes or other institution. Failure to lift the caps will have a terrible human cost and a significant fiscal cost as institutional care is far more expensive than services in the community.. Since both Assembly Bill 477 and Senate Bill 380 were amended by the Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care, both houses must pass the bills this week. PLEASE ACT NOW
If you dont know who your legislators are, go to Who Are My legislators at http://legis.wisconsin.gov/w3asp/waml/waml.aspx Milwaukee’s Fresh Water Innovations As 21st Century Export IndustryThere is an increasing amount of on-line validation of Indo American aquaponics collaborations, sparked by the US State Department sponsorship of a 3 week Sweet Water tour to Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Rathnigiri, Kolkata, with a focus on visits to faculty and grad students at a number of Central Institutes of Fisheries Education(CIFE).
http://span.state.gov/jul-aug2011/eng/40-43-James-Godsil.html Less than a half year following this visit, Shajan John of Cochi, Kerela, but also Milwaukee School of Engineering(MSOE), and Dr. Subra Mukherjee, of Kolkata, and adjunct professor from U. of Colorado with close ties to the U. of Calcutta, have orchestrated projects of great possibility.
http://prezi.com/ltg2b88etxxb/empowerment-through-aquaponics-the-wisconsin-kerala-connection/
http://citiesprogramme.org/index.php/news/
http://wn.com/IBM_Smarter_Cities
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/62050055/MacArthur%20pitch%20v_3.pdf
http://hbr.org/2012/03/enriching-the-ecosystem/ar/1 An innovation zone The emerging urban aquaponics effort in Milwaukeecreating an innovation zone linking science, start-ups, and the community. It connects water researchers at the University of WisconsinMilwaukees School of Freshwater Sciences (the nations first) with entrepreneurial urban farms occupying abandoned factories. Aquaponics combines hydroponics, in which plants are grown in water instead of soil, with fish farming, and uses 80% to 90% less water than other food-growing methods. The fish waste makes fertilizer for the plants, whose roots help filter the water for the fish. Milwaukees Sweet Water Organics, for example, produces thousands of fish and over 70 kilos of lettuce and other greens every week in large tanks in a former crane factory. The company was launched with angel capital in 2008 and used federal stimulus money to convert the building. Cofounder James Godsil was part of a network that wanted to build a new industryand also get healthful food to poor neighborhoods. By mid-2011 proposals were in place for an Aquaponics Innovation Center, backed by Milwaukees mayor with analytic support from IBM, to link universities and K12 schools for technology transfer, skills development, and market building. The vision is to increase the locally grown food supply, demonstrate more efficient water systems, create jobs for urban residents, and generate enterprises with export potential. Whats right with America can fix whats wrong
For all this gloom, the Reviews gurus argue that, as Bill Clinton said in his first inaugural address, there is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America. The country has huge strengths, from its world-beating universities to its tolerance of risk-taking. It has a highly diverse market: firms that seek cheap labour can move to Mississippi, where wages are a third lower than those in Massachusetts. Rosabeth Moss Kanter of HBS points to the extraordinary amount of innovation that is going on not just in Silicon Valley but across the country. For example, water researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee have linked up with urban farmers who occupy abandoned factories. The fruit of this alliance is firms such as Sweet Water Organics, which produces fish and greens in a former crane factory.
http://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Business/Aquaponics-a-future-for-Asian-food-cultivation
http://sweetwater-organic.com/press
ACLU and Disability Rights of Wisconsin are sponsoring a Public Meeting For Families Of MPS Students Concerning VouchersWhen: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 Where: Center Street Library-2727 Fond Du Lac Ave. TIME: 6–7:30 p.m. Refreshments will be provided please let them know if you plan to attend at [email protected] Or 1–800–928–8778 MICAH wants you to SAVE the DATE: Saturday, May 19th, 2012 6:00 8:00 p.m. Back to top
Milwaukee County Board Candidate ForumFree and open to the publicPlease spread the word!Join the Make It Work Milwaukee! Coalition and Milwaukee County Board candidates to discuss the importance of county services for older adults and individuals with disabilities. Friday, March 9, 2012
Location: Washington Park Senior Center 4420 West Vliet Street, Milwaukee, WI 53208
Relief: Breaking News of Temporary Injunction Against Wisconsin Voter ID LawNAACP Milwaukee and Voces de la Frontera win temporary injunction against Wisconsin’s Voter ID Law March 6, 2012. Circuit Judge David Flanagan ruled that the Voter ID Law is blocked until a five-day trial beginning April 16 determines its fate. Meanwhile, the 200,000 Wisconsin residents who do not have a photo ID will be able to vote on April 3, 2012. Click here for the full entry and more resources
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW2/14/12 Happy Valentines Day and Fighting with SabouLately, Sabou does not want to get up in the morning, and when I see her sleeping there so peacefully, I really dont want to wake her up either. On the weekends, I let her sleep as long as she wants, which is usually like until 8am. That just wont fly during the week with my hour long commute to work. Its mornings like this that make it so hard to go to work, no matter how much I love my job, and I do. But there are these moments of completely understanding why Moms stay home. But no, need to let that thought go, because time is ticking and I really do need to get to work. So, I think Ill make her happy by giving her the Valentines gift right away. It worked, she did wake up, she liked the little stuffed animal puppy, and then it was right back down to sleep. No, this cant be happening. I try everything. She really needs to get up and she needs to get dressed. Click here for the rest of the entry
Unbelievably Stupid Law Would Declare Single Parenthood Child AbuseWisconsin, that land of beer, cheese, and Aaron Rodgers jerseys, has had a tough couple of years, government-wise. First, they elected a bunch of, from what I can tell, taxidermied badgers holding guns to state legislature. To make matters worse, their governor seems to be an evil yet gloppy Koch puppet. And now, one state legislator has decided it’s a good idea consider being a single parent a form of child abuse. On, Wisconsin! Senate Bill 507 is sponsored by Republican Senator Glenn Grothman of West Bend. If passed into law, SB507 would formally consider single parenthood a contributing factor to child abuse. Since most single parents are women, it doesn’t take a Vince Lombardi to see that the game plan here is to inch toward criminalizing a woman’s state of nonmarriage. The proposed law states, Click here for the article
Inspiring Presentations at Sweet Water Monday Potluck Tonight, 5 to 7, 2151 S. Robinson in Bay ViewMatt Howard City of Milwaukee, Environmental Sustainability Director to Discuss Milwaukee City Sustainability PlanThe purpose of the City of Milwaukee Sustainability Plan (the Plan) is to provide a community and City endorsed strategic vision for Milwaukees sustainable economic development for the next 5–10 years. The Plan will document the vision, goals, targets and specific actions that the City of Milwaukee and its community partners will undertake in order to ensure that both current residents and future generations can attain and enjoy a higher quality of life. The Plan will incorporate triple bottom-line accounting so that Milwaukees residents, businesses and environment benefit from implementation (i.e., people, planet and profits). The planning effort will utilize the 2005 Green Team Report as a foundation for Plan development as well as utilize the Natural Step for Communities and ICLEI STAR Communities Index as methodologies. In addition, the Brico Fund is developing a Milwaukee Sustainability Fund that ensures immediate transition from planning to action in the community. The Mayor has appointed 15 people to a joint City-community Green Team to oversee Plan development. This new Green Team will be the primary liaison between the public and the planning effort. The Executive Committee Green Team is: Chair: Matt Howard City of Milwaukee, Environmental Sustainability Director Vanessa Koster City of Milwaukee, Department of City Development Earl Buford Wisconsin Regional Training Partnership Marcia Caton Campbell Center for Resilient Cities Peter McAvoy University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Kimberly Gleffe River Revitalization Foundation Dave Misky Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee Larry Adams Walnut Way Conservation Corp Dennis Grzezinski Midwest Environmental Advocates Pam Fendt Laborers International Union of North America Preston Cole City of Milwaukee, Department of Public Works Nelson Soler Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute Juli Kaufmann Fix Development Jeff Polenske City of Milwaukee, Department of Public Works Michelle Mason American Society for Quality The plan will seek to integrate participatory planning methods into its development process. The members of the green team have been tasked with choosing sectors of interest and working to engage the public in discussing and imagining a sustainability vision for those sectors. Sign up for City of Milwaukee’s E-Notify program, and you’ll hear about upcoming Sustainability Plan meetings and events. Chaya Nayak To Share Growing Networks Sweet Water India ProjectDuring the sunny, rainless summer months in India, the land goes dry, and the once abundant food and water resources are steadily depleted. Consequently, farmers, who live off of their ancestral land, are forced to migrate in order to survive the deficiency of resources. Many times, these farmers end up in brick kilns, where they are paid scanty wages and forced to toil under the hot sun for survival. Action must be taken in order to counteract the impact of an ever-changing environment as well as provide a sustainable and fruitful livelihood to those who need it the most. Aquaponics, the symbiotic cultivation of plants, and fish, holds promise in reviving the livelihoods of these distressed farmers, while allowing them to build upon the skills and resources they already possess. By engaging in aquaponic cultivation, farmers can produce substantial cash crops, and grow food to feed their families, all while using minimal water resources. Growing Networks, in partnership with the Sweet Water Foundation, seeks to democratize Aquaponics and build networks of Aquapons within developing countries. Growing Networks will act as a conduit to the creation of mutually beneficial relationships to spread the wealth of Aquaponics gardening abroad. In that Aquaponics must be developed in a participatory manner in order to be successful, given social, environmental and economic conditions, Growing Networks offers baseline resources and guidance to allow for guided yet flexible and adaptive aquaponics systems to be developed within new localities. Growing Networks pilot project will progress in the summer of 2012, by utilizing the exuberant energy, and wealth of knowledge of 10 UW-Madison students. The students, who will be project management interns, will guide the project to its fruition while conjunctively learning about culture, community, and of course Aquaponics. In a 6-week period, the students will construct an Aquaponics system, network with villagers, educators and businessman, and add art and culture to the Aquaponics movement in India. Through the initial pilot project conducted by these 10 interns, Growing Networks staff will have the research and scalable system necessary to grow the aquaponics movement in India as well as other developing countries. -Chaya This picture below was taken in Darewadi, India (a small village) when we were working with villagers to build an aquaponics system based off of WIll Allens tiered model at Growing Power. We were all laughing at the safety glasses that the man in the middle is modeling! :)  David Drew Urban Ag Working Group DiscussionDavid Drew, a practicing environmental engineer with emphasis on water, sustainability, and energy, has become active in the communitys urban agriculture movement. Current focus is on the economics of this emerging industry, with emphasis in linking a variety of businesses, industry, academia and activists into a supply web that supports a long-term growing and sustainable business platform for entrepreneurship, job creation, and social justice in the community. This is envisaged to connect with global business activities to allow feedback loops for technology transfer and economic improvements at the local levels around the world. The approach aligns with recommendations of the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge Milwaukee report and various efforts of community initiatives such as being undertaken by the Milwaukee Food Council, UEDA Food Summit, M7 Economic Development around the local Food Industry, Milwaukee Water Council, and others. David is part of a small working group that is developing approaches for supporting the economic growth and stability of the industry. A key outcome is to foster the attraction of business investments in urban agriculture demonstration projects.  Retired Navy Diver MSOE Engineer to Share Engineering a Sustainable Earth(EASE) VisionsThe 4th Sweet Water Winter Monday Potluck will be introducing the work and vision of retired Navy Diver and MSOE visionary engineer Jeremy Anderson, March 6, 5 to 7 p.m. Jeremy is a Retired Navy Diver and student researcher for the Department of Mechanical Engineering at MSOE. He experienced great success in the military, becoming a First Class Petty Officer in only six years. His ability to lead dive teams through high-risk/high-stress operations won him numerous awards and accolades. With eight years of honorable service, he was no longer able to dive and was medically retired from the Navy. Now, Jeremy is on course to becoming a Mechanical Engineer with as much success. Jeremy started performing renewable energy research in the spring of 2010. He led a team of researchers collaborating with a green energy start-up, Solar Logic, to develop a solar-fired power cycle using the suns energy to vaporize fluid and turn a power generating turbine, enabling them to compete directly in the roof-mounted PV distributed energy market. He was the first and only UNT engineering student to be selected as a McNair Scholar, a competitive scholarship offered to top juniors and seniors at select schools around the country. In addition to his academic research, Jeremy leads his own organization called Engineering a Sustainable Earth. The organizations purpose is to lower the access barrier to alternative energy technologies. E.A.S.E. is currently developing a new kind of solar-fired biomass reactor to extract energy from biomass waste streams. E.A.S.E. will be delivering a pilot scale biomass processor and combined heat and power system to SweetWater by May of 2013.  Local Craftsmen Deconstruct Shorewood Home From the Roof to the Foundation.Recycling is taking on a whole new meaning for the deconstruction team at Community Building & Restoration this week as they dissemble, an entire house salvaging every part they can for reuse or recycling. Community Building & Restorations Deconstruction Team Leader, Alexander Montezon says, Deconstruction is good for everyone. Instead of using big and wasteful machinery to tear a house down and put it in a landfill, by pulling the house down manually (de-constructing it) you save energy, create jobs, and salvage tons of useable materials. You give construction workers jobs. You give back to the community with wood and other materials that are reusable. We donate fixtures, cabinets, lights, windows, and any appliances from the site. Metal is saved, scrapped and salvaged. Reusable items are donated to the Habitat for Humanity Restore or similar places. A couple of examples of the salvaged items in this particular house include the oak flooring (over 500 square feet), as well as all of the framing lumber (which we estimate at around 3,200 board feet, made up of 2×4′s, 2×6′s and larger. To picture 3200 board feet is, imagine a stack of 8′ long, 2×4′s, piled 20′ wide, and 20′ high. That’s 400 studs for a future building. Owner of Community Building & Restoration, Erik Lindberg points out more benefits, The owner receives tax deductions for the materials that are donated. The home owner pays a little bit more upfront for the deconstruction but then they get money back from both the tax benefits or from selling salvaged materials. Montezon re-emphasizes the benefits: It can work out favorably for the home owner financially, the contractor benefits through the paid work, the community benefits by having more jobs, and it is better for the environment because the materials are reused. I think more people would do this if they knew about deconstruction. The owner of the Shorewood home will be building a new home in place of the old one. Community Building and Restoration would like to see more people in Milwaukee take on this kind of work. Owner Erik Lindberg says the hardest part of the project is getting the permits from the municipalities, as some municipalities dont understand the nature of deconstruction. Images of the deconstruction process will be posted daily on our Facebook page. Follow along at: https://www.facebook.com/CBR.ThoughtfulCraftsmen
Reclaim Wisconsin MarchJoin us in Madison on Saturday, March 10 for the Reclaim Wisconsin March. On Saturday March 10, Wisconsinites will return to the Capitol to mark the one year anniversary of the passage of Gov. Walker’s union-busting bill. The people of Wisconsin will never forget that on March 9, 2011, despite massive citizen protest, Gov. Walker and his legislative allies rammed through the rights-stripping bill in an illegal meeting in the dead of the night. Pre-rally festivities will begin at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 10, with rally speakers taking the stage at 2:00 p.m. The people of Wisconsin are standing up to reclaim their democracy and reclaim the true Wisconsin. By recalling Scott Walker we can return to a Wisconsin that is fair, a Wisconsin that honors justice and a Wisconsin that treats its workers with dignity and respect. Click here to share the Face Book event for the Reclaim Wisconsin March. If you havent already, take the Pledge to Reclaim Wisconsin. In Solidarity, Phil Neuenfeldt, President Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer Boomer Milennial Partnerships for Eco-Career School ExperienceNorm Thomas, a fellow alum of St. Louis U. High who has connected about 100 of the class of 1963, sent me an article from “The Economist” called “The nutrition puzzle,” which contained a list of organizations addressing the issue of bad food in poor countries that are worthy of Milwaukee and Sweet Water’s “globalizing teams.” St. Louis U alumna’s Charlene Spretnak’s new book “Relational Realilty” has inspired me to wonder about connecting college students with high school students—and alums—in a boomer/milennial, town gown net enhanced collaboration experiment to win resources for aquaponics miniatures in schools, first, across the nation and beyond. Shajan John’s Kerela India project may find India leading this cause. These aquaponics innovation centers could serve not only to teach STEM, eco-mindedness, and global citizenship, but also serve as test sites and showcase platforms that network faculty, school communities, entrepreneurs, and funders. Here are the organizations Norm highlighted:
Anyone interested in advancing this project in their alma mater or a relative’s school,
 Hello supporters!There is so much going on in the Milwaukee area that we wanted to send a message highlighting all the great ways you can get involved. Please follow the links and send us an email to let us know you can attend. Saturday, March 3rd, 201299% Summit,
Join Milwaukee leaders and activists for an all-day skills training. For more information, please include your name, contact info, and that you heard about this event from “United Wisconsin” to [email protected] or 920–284–4710. This training is free! Monday March 5 and Tuesday March 6Educate MPS Parents about Voter ID and voter registration
Click here for the full article
 Blockbuster musical thrills audience at North Division High SchoolBy Gregory StanfordSo mesmerizing was the performance of “We Are the Drum” by Capita Productions over the weekend, I had to keep reminding myself I was in Milwaukee’s North Division High School, not on New York City’s Broadway. Everything about this high-energy, community-based musical, featuring mostly non-professionals, was superb: the choreography, the singing, the costumes, the story line, the staging. This blockbuster traces through music and dance the African-American experience - from Africa to present-day America, with some emphasis on Milwaukee. A live band performs in a pit, and vocalists demonstrate impressive talent on stage. Click here for the full article
Youth Mental Health Summit UpdateThanks to everyone for the continuing great work on the Children Come First Conference/Youth Mental Health Summit, We hope to see you at our next Summit Planning meeting, next Wednesday, March 7th, from 4 - 6 PM at Pathfinders. Your Help Needed with Fundraising!We are moving forward with fundraising for the Children Come First Conference/Youth Mental Health Summit. We will be asking for sponsors to support the summit to make it possible for us to offer stipends to youth, family members, and community members with limited financial resources to ensure diverse and inclusive participation. The Sponsorship opportunities are attached. Click here for the full article
MATC and Milwaukees Taxpayer Under attack in the State LegislatureBy Michael Rosen, Ph.D.Dr. Rosen is the president of AFT Local 212 Last week a Wisconsin senate committee passed SB 275 that will remove all nine members of the MATC district board and replace them with a board selected by a new, less democratic and representative appointment committee composed of the Washington, Ozaukee and Milwaukee County Executives and the Milwaukee County Board Chair. The bill is an outrageous power play by Republican politicians who slashed MATCs funding by 30% last year and have never supported the college or its students. It was bottled up in committee until it was amended to be exclusively about MATC. There was no public hearing on the bill. Nor did its authors, Senator Glen Grothman (R) and State Representative Mark Honadel (R) discuss the proposal with the MATC board chair, Melanie Holmes, MATCs President Dr. Michael Burke or the appointment committee chair, Dr. Michael Bonds. Click here to read the full Statement
Extending Lake Parkway, a new highway duplicating I-94. $200 million for 6 miles. Philo Kassner’s “Kochanski’s Concertina Beer Hall” Photo Book Now at Woodland Pattern, Covered in “Riverwest Currents,” and Soon To be a David Luhrssen “Shepherd” PieceBook signing Saturday March 3rd 7pm at Kochanski’s 1920 s. 37th St.   Designing & Orchestrating the Plankington Arcade Co-Op Cafe & PubTables & chairs sturdy and beautiful. Food, coffee, brew high quality increasingly artisinal and local. Art of great beauty. Worker owners inspired and competent.  Ongoing gatherings and performances. Milwaukee eco-tourism and green innovation centers surrounding. Local and global enterprise and experiments. A Grand Alliance All campus all discipline all sectors converging for work and fun.  Green Bus Line and #15 easy public transfer for north and south,
There are so many people who want to bring life back to the Grand Avenue Mall. The Plankington Arcade is one of the most lovely built environments in the city. There are all kinds of new enterprises springing up nearby. The buses all converge there. There are 5 college campuses a walk or short bus ride away. Co-ops are key 21st century commercial forms. Cafes and pubs in the heart of downtown. Seems like the stars could align. Hoping to spend a noon hour the first Tuesday of each month to compliment internet, phone, and targeted meet-ups with people there. Why not? 
 Special Needs Education At Risk!ALERT!SPECIAL NEEDS VOUCHERS BILLS ARE BEING FAST-TRACKED NOW IN MADISON… DISABILITY GROUPS CONTINUE TO OPPOSE MODIFIED BILLS CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS NOW! The new bill removes funding for special-education services and educators from public schools, allows voucher schools to hire non-certified special-education teachers and services, and does not provide enough per-child funding to address the needs of moderately to severely disabled students. Skip to the bottom of this message for a call to action, or keep reading for more details on this fast-tracked legislation affecting the quality of special education for students in public and voucher schools. Background: This past fall, AB110 was introduced in the Wisconsin Assembly. During the public hearing, all disability groups in Wisconsin opposed the bill. Legislators from both sides of the aisle recognized that this bill would not pass. Current status: Rep. Litjens, the sponsor of AB 110, submitted a rewritten version. Disability groups in Wisconsin continue to oppose it for the reasons described below. The biggest problem: the bill does not require private schools to have any special educators or related services expertise (e.g.,therapists) on staff. Sen. Vukmir has introduced the same bill in the Senate as SB 486. Click here to read the full Announcement
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW2/2/12 Home again. Home again.So, here we are again. I woke up not feeling great and barely able to talk and still this incessant cough. When Youba came home from work, I asked him to take Sabou to day care, and I settled in for yet another day home from work. Unbelievable. I did participate on a conference call, but kept coughing and felt my voice just disappearing as the call went on. Can I say ridiculous? But at some point I needed to go to the pharmacy. I dont think I told you about the fiasco at the pharmacy after the doctor appointment yesterday, no probably not. Well, the rheumatologist gave me another round of Augmentin, but told me not to take it unless Im feeling worse. He said its too late for the Tamiflu, but that it would be a good idea for me to have the Tamiflu for my husband, since now hes been exposed to the flu. Click here to read the full entry: February2nd - February12th
Rally: Stop Violence in Our Schools Click here for a video interview.
 Mayor Barrett will be joining us! 10:00 a.m.
Click here for more Peace of Mind
 Greater Milwaukee Foundation Match DayOn March 8, the greater Milwaukee area has a chance to come together to support local organizations that provide food and shelter for members of our community who are struggling to meet the daily needs of their families. Match Day, a special, one-day online event coordinated by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, aims to raise much-needed resources for 19 area nonprofits that serve as a lifeline in our community. This event is unique, as the Foundation will match funds raised on this day, essentially doubling dollars raised from the public. Click here for the full article
Nichali Ciaccio’s RWCP Exhibition “Photos and Stories” Bulk GoodsKars, Turkey 2010 Kars sits on the far eastern edge of Turkey near the border of Armenia. I visited for two reasons: to accompany my friend Asiye on a train trip to her childhood home and to seek out the locations visited by Ka in the novel Snow by Orhan Pamuk, which takes place in Kars. As Asiye and I walked through the snowy, grey city we shopped for honey and cheese, the locally produced specialties. This photo was taken in a bulk goods store and reminds me, in a way, of what general stores must have looked like before the era of mass production.
 The Restaurant Opportunities Center-United is the only national organization dedicated to restaurant workers’ rights. ROC supports restaurant workers across the sector on campaigns for paid sick days, raising the tipped minimum wage (which stands at $2.13 an hour) and dignity in the workplace. In Milwaukee, we have the opportunity on Monday, February 13, to join ROC in the fight against discrimination and wage theft. ROC-Milwaukee will have its first DAY OF ACTION on Monday at the Capital Grille on Wisconsin and 4th at 6:30 PM. Here’s the backstory:On January 31st, Capital Grille workers in New York, Chicago, and in the Washington, DC area filed federal litigation against Capital Grilles parent company Darden for discrimination and wage theft. Darden restaurants include Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and Capital Grille. Darden employees of all races have reported racial discrimination, lack of breaks, tipped minimum wage (of $2.13 an hour) and hostile work environments for years. Event Details:
For more information, stories, and updates, visit www.dignityatdarden.org
 Join Other Activists and Leaders @ Inaugural Convening of We Are Milwaukee.
WHAT: We Are Milwaukee Inaugural Convening WHEN: February 11, 2012 — 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM WHERE: MATC Downtown (700 W. State St.), Room M605 WHO: Leaders and activists from community-based organizations, unions, student groups, faith communities and the community at-large WHY: To develop an organization of our own unifying populist, progressive forces to build power for working families Register online to attend the We Are Milwaukee Inaugural Convening right here: http://tinyurl.com/WeAreMKEinaugural Click here for the full announcement
 Citizen Action: How the Affordable Healthcare Act Affects you.  A Collage of Misrepresentation by State Elected Officials: Black & Whiteby Leon Todd1) Black County Chairman strips Black Supervisor Thomas of committee assignments. Did he play to the white power structure?2) Black Alderman disrespects Black Occupiers at City HallHave Black Elected Leaders been supporting City Hall with federal funds for poor?
Click here for the rest of the article
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW1/9/12 Decided to Stay HomeI was still not feeling better at all and decided to stay home, understanding that the doctor note only lasted until last Friday, and that if I was getting worse then I should buy the stronger medicine, because neither idea, returning to work nor trying stronger medicine seemed to make sense to me. I wasnt getting worse, I just wasnt getting better. Also, my doctor was scheduled to come back from vacation tomorrow, and I really wanted to see what he had to say instead of the other doctor. It was another day in bed, coughing every time I talk or, even worse, if I laugh. I have completely settled in to a sedentary life in the apartment and am still amazed that I feel no cabin fever. I really cant do anything else anyway, and the couch is very inviting. Click here to read the full entry: January9th-February1st
 Milwaukee to EgyptBeyond the Arab SpringA Potluck Discussion at Sweet Water, Monday, February 6, 5 to 7 p.m..Many of us were riveted last Spring by the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions. Democracy has already taken hold in Tunisia and appears to be on the way in Cairo, although the path is likely to be a rocky one. What are the future prospects for Egypts democracy-demanding youth? Can there be a good boom in Egypt and other Middle East democracies to help resolve their economic and environmental problems? This is obviously a highly speculative question but worth pondering in light of Milwaukees urban renaissance in places like Bay View helped along by entrepreneurial and socially responsible businesses like Sweet Water Organics. Do we in Milwaukee have any lessons to offer?  Organic agriculture possesses the potential for fostering a ‘good boom’ and the creation of a compact, nutritious cuisine in Egypt that can be marketed to the world. A compact cuisine is one not taking much space away from nature and minimizing fossil fuel consumption and carbon emissions. Egyptian organic agriculture fills the bill for both and has the capacity to create significant employment in rural Egypt. Let me explain by way of an example. The SEKEM group, headquartered in rural Egypt, is composed of five different companies that employ 1,800 people and produce and distribute a variety of organic products including natural medicines, cereals, rice, vegetables, pasta, honey, jams, dates, spices, herbs, edible oils, herbal teas, juices, coffee, milk, eggs, beef, sheep, chicken, seeds, and organic cotton textiles and clothing. One company, ISIS, distributes more than 80 percent of the herbal teas sold in Egypt. SEKEM operates four farms on reclaimed desert lands that provide almost a third of the companies organic raw materials and develops permanent ties with small farmers to produce the rest in compliance with Fair Trade standards. SEKEMs secret weapon in desert reclamation is compost, of which it produces and sells a surplus to other farmers. Compost rich soils in deserts increase fertility and productivity, retain much more water than conventional farm soils (essential in an arid climate), and sequesters substantial amounts of carbon in its organic matter. As a result of its aerobic composting operation, SEKEM is awarded carbon credits which it can sell in the European carbon allowance market. SEKEM delivers health care and educational services through its foundation to employees and local communities in which it operates. The foundation also provides training to farmers in organic methods as well as support for research in organics. For a complete picture of SEKEMs activities check out its web site at http://www.sekem.com/english/default.aspx, and look at its annual report at http://www.sekem.com/Files/PDFs/SEKEM%20%20Report%20on%20Sustainable%20Development%202010_en.pdf.  SEKEM is positioned to expand dramatically as the global economy recovers given the growing global market for organics. Its special environmental virtues include producing food without using carbon-based fertilizers and pesticides and sequestering carbon in its soils. On top of these, by reclaiming desert for agriculture, SEKEM takes nothing away from natures space and reduces the agricultural demand for the Niles scarce waters. The one think SEKEM doesnt produce is fish, but given its ability to create large amounts of compost and interest in water conservation, desert aquaponics could be a huge opportunity for the company. SEKEM can probably teach us much about organic agriculture, but perhaps we in Milwaukee at Sweet Water and Growing Power could offer an outdoor version of aquaponics adapted to the desert. SEKEM stands out as a potential leader in a good boom that could lead Egypt out of its economic depression and put it on a path to prosperity. SEKEM is but one of a number of other Egyptian opportunities for economic development based on a compact form of life, one that limits human disturbance to the natural world and curtails global warming.  Panel moderators will be Doug and Jeremy Booth. Jeremy is finishing a degree in Global Studies at UWM specializing in Middle East politics and the Arabic language and recently returned from a year in Egypt and Jordan, and Doug is the author of The Coming Good Boom: Creating Prosperity for All and Saving the Environment through Compact Living.  What does volunteerism have to do with success?It started on a dare. In October of 2009 Colleen and I were having coffee at the Hi-Fi Caf on Kinnickinnic Avenue and I saw a poster on the wall for rockabilly music at a place called Kochanskis Concertina Beer Hall. Do you want to go there? I asked. Colleen replied at once, Sure! So we went.
In December of 2011, I published a small book of photography based entirely on our excursions to Kochanski’s. I expected the book to be successful but had no idea at first what I had created. Christina Zawadiwsky, an eminent writer and reviewer quickly published the type of review only an angel could produce. A rockabilly website in Europe soon picked up the book, only to be followed by one closer to home. Before I knew it, Dave Luhrssen from the Shepherd Express had set up an interview. Many years ago, my wife Colleen had an internship at a very worthy organization know as the Grand Avenue Club (GAC). This organization provides adults who have experienced mental illness an array of opportunities. Program participants are members of a community with a place to come, meaningful work, and meaningful relationships. In 2006, Colleen decided to contact the GAC by asking them if they’d like to participate in a three day extravaganza of art, music and poetry. Colleen of course got to exhibit her art right alongside that produced by many of the highly talented artists who are members of the GAC. At the culmination of the event, the GAC was presented with a check from the generous proceeds of the event. Since that day, Colleen and I have become volunteers and have learned beyond any doubt that by giving ye shall receive. The relatively small art collective has been expanded into a full-fledged art gallery, The Gallery Grand. It’s located on the 4th floor of the Grand Avenue Club in an historic an elegant building on Water St. and Michigan Av. I do as much volunteer work there as I can, not only helping out in the art gallery, but in the IT department keeping the computers running. After being a virtually unknown photographer for over forty years…it was only through the Gallery Grand that my photography has been getting attention, I finally made my first sale! By the choice Colleen and I have made to do volunteer work we have both benefited enormously and the two of us have expanded artistically beyond our expectations. Please everyone, come down to Kochanski’s (1920 S. 37th St) on the evening of March 3rd and join me for my book signing event which begins at 7pm. Then stay for the rockabilly entertainment which begins at 9pm. But consider doing volunteer work wherever and whenever you can and please investigate what the GAC is doing. Colleen’s story:
Review of Philo’s book:
Gallery Grand:
IN HONOR OF BLACK HISTORY MONTHThe Life & Times of Brother Booker Ashe: A Panel DiscussionMilwaukee, WI (February 2, 2012) In honor of Black History Month, a six member panel will be convening February 26, 1:30–2:30 PM, at St. Francis of Assisi Parish, 1927 N. Fourth Street, Milwaukee, to discuss the life and times of Capuchin Booker Ashe, co-founder of the House of Peace. The event is also introducing the biography of Brother Booker, Brother Booker Ashe Its Amazing What the Lord Can Do by new author, Willy Thorn. In this biography printed by Marquette University Press, the author presents the history of well known Capuchin friar, Booker Ashe, co-founder of the House of Peace. The book will be available for purchase at a special event price of $15. Click here for more information about the event
 Click here to visit the Milwaukee Inner-city Congregations Allied for Hope website
Action Alert:Act Now to Support the Workplace Mobility Act andRestore Funding for Public TransportationJanuary 30, 2012Background:State budget cuts to public transportation are starting to affect people with disabilities and older adults. The Legislature cut public transportation services by 10% in the 2011 2013 State budget. Now counties and municipalities throughout the state are reducing services and/ or increasing fares. Public transportation services are very important to people with disabilities and seniors as many do not drive because of their disability, frailties of aging or the expense of owning a car. Reduced funding for public transportation may mean a person with a disability cannot get to work or a caregiver does not have transportation to get to someones home and provide needed services. When public transportation services are cut, the independence of people with disabilities and seniors and their ability to live productive lives in the community is at risk. Click here to read the full entry
 21st Century Freedom FightersBy Patricia Obletz, Editorwww.MilwaukeeRenaissance.com/PeaceOfMind/HomePage No one fights for freedom unless inspired by The Golden Rule, treat others as you want to be treated, God the Holy Spirits only Law. When the worlds American President Barack Hussein Obama gave his State of the Union speech January 24, 2012, the world watched The Golden Rule at work. The best for the majority. Respect, encouragement and support for people in need at the expense of a few gold bricks for members of the 1 Percent. The Republican presidential candidate mindset shows the world the uncivilized opposite of The Golden Rule at work: me and mine only, contempt for others less lucky. Their behavior towards Pres. Obama and most Americans is certifiable: Narcissism and the worship of the almighty dollar. Click here to read the full entry
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW12/27/11 Termination with therapistSo, at therapy today I brought up my reaction to Sabou hitting me in the face and asked him why I lose all my self-esteem. He looked at my reaction, and explained that I am reacting in a way that is part of the cause of the lack of self-esteem. He recommended that I act in a self-preserving way, getting out of the way of her hits, and respecting my feelings, so that if after the time-out I am still upset, then I dont have to hug her. I can show her that Im upset and refuse to hug her. He also said that I need to say less. No discussion. Just show her that it is bad and put her in time-out. He said that will help me feel better about myself. I also told him about Youbas school schedule, and we have three more sessions before we end. That night when I got home, Sabou was at it again. Coming after me and trying to hit me. I got out of her way, and told her no. Youba intervened, telling her not to hit mommy and he was the one who put her in time-out and I felt completely loved in that moment by him. Click here to read the full entry
 Picture copyright Washington Post In My Minds Eye: January 20, 2012Racism in Americaby Robert MirandaThere are those who may believe that talking about race in American politics causes many Americans to feel uncomfortable and awkward. Well, during the GOP presidential debates this past week, the candidates looked in tip-top form espousing their racist undertones aimed against President Obama and African-Americans receiving food stamps. Whoa nelly! You can even say that all of the GOP presidential candidates looked very comfortable spewing their subliminal racist message. Romney with his anti-immigrant slams and Gingrich with his food stamp references. Yes, these good ol boys were at the top of their racist mantra campaignand much to the amusement of their audience, too. You can detect this racist tone in the level of disrespect for the president. Between Gingrich making an inaccurate and divisive statement that African-Americans should “not be satisfied with food stamps, and Rick Santorums remark in which he appeared to single out African-Americans as recipients of federal aid, one has to wonder if Ron Paul would be the choice for the GOP. Click here to read the full article
Make It Work Milwaukee/Mental Health Task Force Update January 17th, 2012At Friday’s Make It Work Milwaukee meeting, we had a very informative presentation from Sandra Kellner and Michael Giugno of Milwaukee County Transit System regarding the 2012 Transit System changes, including the new MetroExpress Bus Service. The new service chances will be effective Sunday January 29th and will include many changes to bus stops and schedules. additional information is on the web at rideMCTS.com. Click here to visit directly Click here to read the full article
 Safe Driving Is No AccidentBy Ron Lee, Program CoordinatorI have no formal training as a teacher. My degree is Poli-Sci/Sociology. Even so, the YWCA hired me to instruct both a Basic Computer and Drivers Permit class. That was somewhere in the late 90s; it was conducted in several Milwaukee County libraries. The program was de-funded after three years. Although it took me more than 18 months, I found my own funding, took ownership of the Drivers Ed program, added Adult to the title and relocated it with New Concept Self-Development Center, another non-profit. Today in 2012, we are now in our twelfth year servicing the general public. Click here to read the full article
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW12/16/11 This is your calling.Today was the day that Ive been dreading for a long time. It was my last and final all day training that I had scheduled at my former university, over an hour away by train. Because I had such a hard time keeping my energy up for the last workshop, and that one was only an hour, I really had no idea how this one was going to go, but I was not hopeful. Four trains later, yes, somehow I got on the wrong train, even though I taught at that university for five years, and had to switch trains half-way through the trip. I was about 20 minutes late, and instead of the small class of nine people that I expected, I walked into a full house. Click here to read the full entry
FREE Birth Certificates to aid in obtaining a Voter ID are now available@ Milwaukee County Courthouse, 901 N. 9th St. Rm. 103 (limit 5,000). Bring mail with your street address on it and another form of ID (I.e. School ID, work ID, parent w/ a photo ID, etc).
Emerging Global Community of Aquaponic Experimenters to India?The key concept I submitted was that since my visit to Mumbai and Kolkata the
 Shajan John has won a small start-up grant for 10 University of Madison students
  Here are 8 developments from 2011 that support the notion that Mother India is calling
(l) IBM awarded Milwaukee a Smart City designation with a $400,000 in-kind grant
The IBM report said Milwaukee could become more economically
http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/130096388.html Short film re IBM Report(scroll down a bit)
 (2) United States Department of Agriculture(USDA) Demonstration Grant to Train
Sweet Water Foundation, the Milwaukee Teacher Education Center (MTEC) and Kennedy King College (Chicago) have received planning grant funding from the USDA to move forward with its Midwest Aquaponics Expertise Development Initiative (MAEDI) proposal. Starting in October 2011, SWF and Co. began rolling out an ambitious pilot project to support biology and social studies teachers in 5 high schools (4 in Milwaukee and 1 in Chicago) in developing and implementing customized, STEM-infused curriculum units for a total of 80 to 100 students around site-based mini-aquaponics systems. In year one, we will train 5 Instructional Coaches to support these teachers and project outcomes will include an aquaponics teacher training module, curriculum framework, and a bank of model lesson plans, to be developed by participating teachers. Next spring, teachers and students will share their mini-aquaponics system designs and what they have learned with each other at an Aquaponics Symposium, to be held at the Sweet Water Organics site.  The larger goal of this USDA grant is to develop a long term proposal detailing how we will take what is learned from this pilot project and expand it, so more youth can benefit from aquaponics as a learning tool and to create a K-16 pipeline of students prepared to become food science workers and graduate with STEM-related degrees/credentials. From initial discussions, this plan could include an aquaponics certification, virtual learning tools, and other types of innovative educational programming that help at-risk students access a broad range of inter-connected learning opportunities (mentoring, internships, summer programs, etc). For the MAEDI project to be successful, we will need partners of all typesschools, businesses, community based organizations, foundations and other funders. Send an e-mail to [email protected] if you would like to connect with the
(3) Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel(previously President Obama’s Chief of Staff) hosts fund raiser for Sweet Water Foundation and Partners with Emmanuel Pratt, Executive Director of the Sweet Water Foundation and head of Chicago State U. Aquaponics Center (4) U.S. Marines and Army Begin Aquaponics/Urban Agriculture Training at Camp Pendelton http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/06/us/06vets.html?_r=1&ref=patricialeighbrown  (5) Founding of the international Aquaponics Association, Fall 2011 http://theaquaponicsource.com/2011/10/05/aquaponics-association-2011-conference-highlights/ This included my panel on Indo American Aquaponics Initiative(IAAI) (6) Publication of Sylvia Bernstein’s “Aquaponics Gardening” http://aquaponicgardening.com/ (7) Accelerated Growth of International Aquaponics Collaboration Platform Which had 600 members one year ago, now has over 3,500, with 10 new “partners”arriving every day! http://aquaponicscommunity.com/profiles/members/  (8) Partnership with United Nations Global Compact Cities Project Coordinator, Liz Ryan Liz has invited us to submit reports for their magazine and on-line platform. http://citiesprogramme.org/index.php/projects/details/waterquality/ NAACP ONE MKE SummitThe NAACP Milwaukee Branch Young Adult Committee is pleased to host the NAACP ONE MKE Summit this Saturday, January 7, 2012. We are asking the entire community to join us for the Stakeholders Town Hall Meeting @ MATC Cooley Auditorium (1015 N. 6th Street) from 9:30am - 11:30am/Doors Open at 8:30am. Panelists include:
Submit questions to ask the panelists to [email protected] Join us after for the ONE MKE Mixer at the Rotunda at City Hall from 6p - 9p Hosted by:
Grace Lee Boggs, “Living For Change” January 1, 2012 Issue2011 A YEAR TO REMEMBERBy Grace Lee Boggs 2011 opened with the Arab Spring when the people of North Africa decolonized themselves, thrilling the world with their nonviolent gatherings, ousting the dictators the United States has supported to secure its access to Mideast oil.  The worlds eyes next focused on the struggle to defend the collective bargaining rights of Wisconsin public workers against the right-wing attacks coordinated by Governor Scott Walker. The growing mobilization swelled to tens of thousands of union members, their families, and supporters. By the fall of the year hundreds of thousands had participated in the Occupy Wall Street movement and its offshoots throughout the nation and across the globe., We./they were righteously and rightfully protesting corporate domination of our culture and the suffering that it is producing., We/They were also taking back our government, taking back our humanity,
The ongoing struggles of 2011, from the Arab Spring to Wisconsin and the Occupy/Decolonize movement and our current crises, were rooted in the decline of the empire which made possible the middle-class standard of living and the welfare state with its thousands of public employees to take care of tasks for which we, the people , must become increasingly responsible. With the end of empire, we are coming to an end of the epoch of Rights. We have entered the epoch of Responsibilities, which requires new, more socially-minded human beings and new more participatory and place-based concepts of citizenship and democracy. Now is the time for us to Re-imagine Work and Re-imagine Life. The new paradigms we must establish are about creating systems that bring out the best in each of us, instead of trying to harness the greed and selfishness of which we are capable. They are about a new balance of individual, family, community, work, and play that makes us better human beings. This means that we need to practice visionary organizing. Every crisis, actual or impending, needs to be viewed as an opportunity to bring about profound changes in our society and in ourselves. Going beyond protest organizing, visionary organizing begins by creating images and stories of the future that help us imagine and create alternatives to the existing system. Revolutionaries, Evolutionaries, and SolutionariesIn the spring of 2011 the first edition of The Next American Revolution, my new book with Scott Kurashige , was released. Since then it has been a true joy to see so many diverse people turn to this little book for help in understanding how and why another world is necessary, possible, and already in the process of being created. We have met hundreds of people at book release events, where we have shared the stage with good friends and fellow visionaries like Ruby Dee, Danny Glover, Amy Goodman, Michael Hardt, and Lisa Lee. And weve continued the conversation through radio interviews with figures like Michael Eric Dyson, Celeste Headlee, Krista Tippett, Tavis Smiley, and Cornel West Many readers have bought multiple copies of TNAR to share with family and friends. Teachers have begun assigning it to their classes. Faculty, students, and staff at several small colleges are reading it together. Activists have started study groups around the book. And because so many others in faraway places want to talk about The Next American Revolution, I have become a regular user of Skype. Why is this book having such a deep resonance? Maybe its because it is giving Americans in all walks of life a more people-friendly view of revolution as empowerment rather than struggle for political power. Maybe it helps us view Revolutionaries as Solutionaries, working together to solve very practical problems of daily life, growing our souls by growing our own food and bringing the neighbor back into the hood, Maybe its giving us the new, more positive view of ourselves that weve been hungry for. Maybe it helps us envision ourselves as Revolutionaries, moving away from the wrong side of the world revolution where we have seemed stuck since the Vietnam War. Maybe it also helps us see ourselves as Evolutionaries, making the radical revolution of values that Dr. King called for during that war, transformimg ourselves from materialists, militarists, and individualists into a people who can be proud of how we are advancing humankind to a new stage of consciousness, creativity, and social and political responsiblility.  In My Minds Eye: December 29th, 2011American Presidential Candidate Example of ExtremismBy Robert MirandaRepublican candidate for president of the United States, Newt Gingrich, called the people of Palestine terrorists. They teach terrorism in their schools, says Gingrich; they have textbooks that say, if there are 13 Jews and nine Jews are killed, how many Jews are left? All of this nonsense is coming from a candidate for president of the United States. Rightly so, Palestinian officials said that Gingrich’s allegations were based substantially on material produced by an Israeli organization, Palestinian Media Watch, which has published a long list of entries on its website under the heading Promoting Violence for Children. An article published in 2007 reports that Palestinian textbooks, that were paid for with US dollars, teach kids to deny Israel’s right to exist. Read the rest of the article here
  Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW12/10/11 Finding Volunteer Work that I can do.So today, Sabou and I had a laid back morning, just chilling in the house and then I decided to take her on some errands, mostly to pick up her anti-Malaria medication, which just happens to be on the East Side of Manhattan. We wandered in and out of stores. I kept her occupied with snacks like bananas and Cheez-Its, and we got a lot accomplished actually. She was easy going, and we walked from 86th Street down to 59th Street and then back. Thats like 27 blocks each way. It felt good to walk, although by the end, the back was definitely acting up. On the way home, we bump into someone from the Alternatives to Violence Project Bronx Area Council on the train. What a wonderful coincidence, because I had completely forgotten that the next meeting was today, and because I had kind of already decided not to go anyway because of feeling so useless to them at the last meeting. But, seeing him kind of inspired me, so Sabou and I went home, had lunch and I baked cookies to bring to the meeting. Click here to read the full entry
Legal Crusade Against Wisconsin Voter IDhttp://www.wiseye.org/videoplayer/vp.html?sid=7409 Back to top
USDA Supported Sweet Water Foundation Aquaponics 101 Training for TeachersIt’s official—Sweet Water Foundation, the Milwaukee Teacher Education Center (MTEC) and Kennedy King College (Chicago) have received planning grant funding from the USDA to move forward with its Midwest Aquaponics Expertise Development Initiative (MAEDI) proposal. Starting in October 2011, SWF and Co. began rolling out an ambitious pilot project to support biology and social studies teachers in 5 high schools (4 in Milwaukee and 1 in Chicago) in developing and implementing customized, STEM-infused curriculum units for a total of 80 to 100 students around site-based mini-aquaponics systems. In year one, we will train 5 Instructional Coaches to support these teachers and project outcomes will include an aquaponics teacher training module, curriculum framework, and a bank of model lesson plans, to be developed by participating teachers. Next spring, teachers and students will share their mini-aquaponics system designs and what they have learned with each other at an “Aquaponics Symposium,” to be held at the Sweet Water Organics site. The larger goal of this USDA grant is to develop a long term proposal detailing how we will take what is learned from this pilot project and expand it, so more youth can benefit from aquaponics as a learning tool and to create a “K-16 pipeline” of students prepared to become food science workers and graduate with STEM-related degrees/credentials. From initial discussions, this plan could include an aquaponics certification, virtual learning tools, and other types of innovative educational programming that help at-risk students access a broad range of inter-connected learning opportunities (mentoring, internships, summer programs, etc). For the MAEDI project to be successful, we will need partners of all types—schools, businesses, community based organizations, foundations and other funders. Send an e-mail to [email protected] if you would like to connect with the
Written by Dave Libert, one of the heroes of this project.   Profile of Success: Tracey Dent, Safeguarding Milwaukee YouthBy Patricia Obletz, Editorwww.MilwaukeeRenaissance.com/PeaceOfMind/HomePage The energy that flows from Tracey Dent is gentle and filled with quiet passion and warmth. Tracey refers to himself as an ordinary person who wants to make a difference in his city, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Whats ordinary about Tracey? Nothing. As a child, Tracey was alone a lot. His closest sibling in age was seven years older than he was. His mother had men on her mind, not her youngest son.  After school, Tracey played with neighborhood kids. Tracey didnt realize that when these boys called him the N word that they were parroting the racism of their white-skinned parents and mainly white, middle class neighbors. By chance, an older brother of Traceys overheard the language his brothers friends used, and made sure that they stopped that uncivilized behavior. Click here to read the full entry
 NAACP Milwaukee and Voces de la Frontera Challenge WI Act 23By James H. Hall Jr.PresidentNAACP Milwaukee BranchThis Friday, December 16th, 2011, at 11:00am, at the Wisconsin State Office Building, 821 N. 6th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the Milwaukee Branch of the NAACP and Voces de la Frontera will announce their united legal challenge to the constitutionality of 2011 Wisconsin Act 23, also known as Wisconsins Photo ID Voting Requirement. We are challenging Act 23 because it disenfranchises scores of thousands of qualified African-American voters. About half of all African-Americans in Milwaukee currently lack a drivers license. This new law is tantamount to a denial of the right to vote for many otherwise qualified voters. There has never been a single prosecution or conviction of a Wisconsin voter misrepresenting his or her identity at the polls. This law is nothing but vote suppression of minority voters. Click here to read the full entry
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW 12/3/11 Kid-event at Barnes and Noble and Time with SamSaturday morning, first thing, Sabou and I head up to the suburbs to hear my brother sing childrens music at a Barnes and Noble in the mall as part of a fundraiser for Sams nursery school. Well, you cant make a girl any happier than a chance to ride in a car and to go and see Sam. She was very excited. Everything was going fine in the car. I was driving fine. I dont remember any pain and the vision was cooperating. I was feeling good about myself, and about the awesome day that Sabou was about to have. Well, life happens, you know, and as we began the necessary snaking in and around the mall parking lot, it was just too much for Sabou and she puked up her entire breakfast all over herself, the car seat, and the car. So close, and yet so far. Click here to read the full entry
This Just InCampaign to cut waste: Vice President Biden announces U.S. will halt production of excess dollar coins and Department of Justice recovered a record $5.6 billion in fraud in 2011Department of Health and Human Services takes new steps to prevent Medicare fraudAs part of the Obama Administrations Campaign to Cut Waste, Vice President Biden today announced the U.S. Mint would suspend the production of presidential dollar coins for circulation. Today, nearly 1.4 billion surplus dollar coins are sitting in Federal Reserve vaults due to lack of demand for the coins. By halting this unnecessary production, the administration will save taxpayers at least $50 million per year in production and storage costs. The vice president made todays announcement at a Cabinet meeting focused on the presidents commitment to cut waste and eliminate misspent dollars across the federal government. Click here to read the full entry
This Just InFacebook provides first-of-a-kind service to help prevent suicidesVia SAMHSAThe Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline collaborate with Facebook to help those in crisis Facebook is announcing a new service that harnesses the power of social networking and crisis support to help prevent suicides across the nation and Canada. The new service enables Facebook users to report a suicidal comment they see posted by a friend to Facebook using either the Report Suicidal Content link or the report links found throughout the site. The person who posted the suicidal comment will then immediately receive an e-mail from Facebook encouraging them to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1–800–273-TALK (8255) or to click on a link to begin a confidential chat session with a crisis worker. Click here to read the full entry
If We Can Win a White House Garden, We Can Win a Nobel PrizeMight it not most likely be in the interest of sustainable agriculture for a real live person to win some well deserved recognition for their team’s efforts and accomplishments? I would be interested in conversations about this theme. Should we mobilize a Nobel Prize for one of our most renowned “partners?” Who should that be? Is is worth a conversation as to whether we should fix our minds on the prize of a Nobel.
 If so, then should we not begin to systematically compile a list of the projects he and the
If our movement can win a White House Garden, we can most likely win a Nobel Prize
Godsil  Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW 11/27/11 The Pain Worsens and Is That Your Baby?So yesterday morning after sorting through the laundry that I had picked up and all the items that we bought for the trip to Mali, I just got inspired and packed. Sabou is ready to go. Its an easy pack because its basically all of the adorable summer clothes that she wore this past summer, and her bathing suits, a bunch of diapers and baby wipes, summer shoes, towel, facecloth, toiletries, and she is ready to go. That felt so good, it also helps me to clear space in her closet for the next size up of clothing and for the winter gear. So, now its just the waiting game until they leave, and I have a feeling that December will fly by anyway. In the afternoon, it was back to the mall, for continued shopping, to pick up the items we didnt get yesterday. I had called my friend to see if she wouldnt mind going to the mall, and she came along. We got more stuff done, probably all of it, actually. Click here to read the full entry
 In My Minds Eye: December 7th, 2011If it isnt racism, then its bigotryBy Robert MirandaThe race for Alderman of the 12th District has begun. As it stands today, the incumbent, Alderman James N. Witkowiak, is facing Jose Perez in what many believe will be a close race. I mentioned this race on my radio program this past week. I spoke about how Latino leadership has begun to abandon Alderman Witkowiak, and I asked the question, Why? Not all Latinos have thrown Witkowiak under the bus, there are some who stand with him. But there are those Latinos, who I believe have sent a bigoted kind of message, which puts the our community in a bad light. During my radio show, a caller expressed his dissatisfaction with the wording I used when I questioned the endorsement made by Voces de la Frontera, an organization that endorsed Witkowiaks opponent.
 AquaponicsMilwaukees Critical 21st Century Industryby Linda SechristAlthough it may not be nice to fool Mother Nature, Rebecca Nelson and John Pade, founders of Nelson & Pade, Inc., in Montello, have learned that it is nice to imitate one of her grand designs: aquaponics. This sustainable processfeeding fish whose waste nourishes plants that clean the water for the fishoccurs naturally in healthy ponds and streams and is essential to life on Earth. The man-made version of aquaponics is a food production system that combines aquacultureraising fish or other aquatic animalswith hydroponicscultivating plants in water. While the husband and wife team, authors of Aquaponic Food Production, were early pioneers in combining design theories of hydroponics with aquaculture and testing them in greenhouses in 1992, they were not the first to borrow the clever idea from Mother Nature. Humans first put the intricate sequence to work in China 1,500 years ago, and later, the Incas of Peru used it to raise fresh fish and super-rich, high-quality produce. Read the rest of the article HERE at Natural Awakenings
Welcoming a Will Allen Nobel Prize. Followed by Your Community’s Nobel PrizeI hope we will have some conversations about how to respond to… Will Allen’s Nobel Prize Sometime revolutions devour their children. That’s why Grace Lee Boggs has inspired the notion of a
Will Allen deserves a Nobel Prize. But humanity deserves a focus on the notion of communities winning a Nobel Prize. Say, the emerging community of planetary urban agrarians and aquapons
I hope in the not too distant future, one shaped by how imaginatively we process Will’s
Milwaukee Chicago St. Louis and Detroit Deserve a Nobel Prize. Building upon the work of the comfoodies, Aquaponics Gardening, Blueberry Pancake
At Will’s acceptance speech moment, I hope he offers a dream of not just charismatic individuals
Why not fix our eyes not only on helping inspire a Will Allen Nobel Prize,
Nobel Prize for Your Community  Howard Hinterthuer, Veterans Food Production ProjectHoward Lewis here, I am in the running to give a TED Lecture, one of five finalists. The topic is “Changing the Way We Eat.” I submitted the CVI (Center for Veterans Issues) Organic Therapy Program. (“It’s a good thing!”) Besides the spiritually theraputic quality of organic gardening, the program is also designed to change the eating habits of the formerly homeless veterans now housed in CVI’s facilities, while offering exercise and job training. We are entering year number four for the Organic Therapy Program on a high note. We managed fresh tomatoes from the garden in November. There are still some ripening on the window sill. (For those of you not from Wisconsin, fresh tomatoes in November is a BIG DEAL!) You may cast a vote for “4. Howard Hinterthuer, Veterans Food Production Project” by sending an email to: [email protected] Kindly do it now or soon. The voting deadline is Dec. 5, 2011. Thank you for your consideration and help, Howard Hinterthuer
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW 11/22/11 Fun weekend, Blood Work, and ThanksgivingSo, Im sitting here, all ready to write the next update, and I see that I left off on November 18, which was a Friday. And for some reason, I have absolutely no recollection of Saturday the 19th. Id like to tell you what we did, but I really have no idea. Oh yeah, I just remembered! Sabou slept really late, like till 9:30 I think, and so did I. She was screaming again, Mama, Sam! Mama, Outside! Mama, Car! Mama, Apple! So, I called my sister-in-law, the mother of Sam who has become Sabous favorite cousin, and asked what they were doing. She said not much but playing outside. I told her how much Sabou really enjoyed last weekend with Sam and being outside and taking the car ride and eating all those apples. She said we were more than welcome. Click here to read the full entry
Hope Gives Rise to That Which It Contemplates These, for me, at least minor, perhaps major miracles, inspiringPragmatic Utopian Visions re Urban Agriculture & AquaponicsA UN Conference Is Within Our Reach! Why Not?Send e-mail to [email protected] to join in. The meteoric rise of Will Allen and his Growing Power team, Growing Power magic!  Michelle Obama’s White House Garden;  Photo courtesy of Treehugger.com ‘’‘Sweet Water, i.e. The Farm and the Academy! Sweet Water Founding VisionCommercial Upscale ExperimentDemocratize AquaponicsInternationalize Aquaponics Large and Small Guiding ConceptsMarriage of Scientists/Artists, Artisans/AgrariansAsset Based Sequential DevelopmentMultiple Bottom Lines, Income Streams, “Chaordic” PathwaysOpen Source Hybrid EnterpriseCo-Creating a Major Earth Friendly 21st Century Industry/Movement in WhichAquaponics Gardening and Backyard Aquaponics platforms;  WSJ, NYT, NPR, and NBC news reports on Sweet Water;      IBM, State Department, Commerce, Marines, city governments awakening; http://growninthecity.com/2011/08/scaling-up-solutions-aquaponics-in-milwaukee/
http://span.state.gov/jul-aug2011/eng/40-43-James-Godsil.html Helping Veterans Trade Their Swords for Plows By PATRICIA LEIGH BROWN
Charlie Price and Sylvia Bernstein’s Sweet Water meet up   Sweet Water Foundation’s Director Emmanuel Pratt Heads Up Aquaponics at Chicago State University  Sweet Water Foundation and Friendly Aqupaonics to Advance Shajan John’s
    Sylvia Bernstein’s Book!  This gathering of over 200 at the founding conference of the Aquaponics Association!   and much more: testimony to the fact that since around 2005 Our Visions Outpaced By The Facts.So why not Pragmatic Utopian VisionsIndia, China, Egypt Breakthroughs   Urban Agriculture & Aquaponics at Presidential Conventions    Major UN Conference on Aquaponics
Nobel Peace Prize for One World Aquaponics Community Net Enhanced American Indian Aquaponics InitiativesConnect Your Work With India ProjectsNet Enhanced Pen Pal Exchanges! Internet Empowering Interns Advance Collaboration Platforms High School Aquaponics Miniature Project!   Advance UN Global Compact Cities, IBM, Commerce, and CIFE Collaborations    Live, Work, Tour Exchange Programs     ITC’s E-Choupal’s Internet Empowered 16,500 Indian Villages  Aquaponics TV ExperimentsIntroducing the Indo American Aquaponics Iniative(IAAI)  Five Thousand Sweet Water Sweet Soil American Indian Pictures  Sweet Water Foundation “Heavy Lifter” Jill Frey and Board Gearing Up to Advance Links to Indian Pictures from June 2011 Visithttp://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157627628075836/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/5938362922/in/set-72157627296034408/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157627416413002/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157627296034408/ Rural Sceneshttp://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157626961315445/ Mumbai and Rathnigirihttp://www.flickr.com/photos/ourrenaissance/sets/72157626959080931/ Joyous Youth and Sweet Water Sweet Soil MomentsSweet Water Foundation Harvests Hard Won Information              http://springintogreen.weebly.com/event-images.html   Sweet Water Sweet Soil Energy Centers for Every City In Every NationSweet Water, the Farm and the Academy,
Sweet Water is a high tech, high science,
Center for safe and delicious food production--
Sweet Water is a center for hands on education
A center for attracting and energizing
Civic minded celebrators! Transforming our great industrial cities
Every city in every country,
Deserves a Sweet Water! Sweet Water, Sweet Soil.
Our children’s birthright,
Sweet Water, Sweet Soil,
For one human race. Sweet Water Theorem FW + BB = SW + SV + SF + WWWW where F is fish W is water BB is beneficial bacteria SW is sweet water SV are sweet veggies WWWW are world-wide wisdom workers web Sweet Water WWWW Holiday Gift DesignersSweet Water Theorem for Sweet Water Aquaponics Miniatures in Our Schools
Grateful, Aquaponics Association International Conference Exceeds Fall 2010 VisionSweet Water/One World Aquaponics Item Number One: FARM ShopHere is Charlie Price, the creator, along with Rebecca Bainbridge, describing FARM Shop: the idea is basically take a farm and put it into a shop in central London… we were given a lease free for a year from Hackney council in london, and basically regenerated a disused building into a hub for urban agriculture, demonstrating aquaponics in the front room, as well as mushrooms in the basement, chickens on the roof, and a polytunnel cafe/cinema in the garden… with offices and meetings rooms on the first and second floor… anyway its a bit of fun, but we’re hoping to connect up a number of FARM:shops with a cetralized commercial hub, and then from the FARM:shops have a number of outreach growers, growing in their homes, greenhouses and gardens… Click here for the FARM Shop Summary pdf (2373K)  NBC Nightly News Story on Sweet Water Accelerates Expanded VisionHere is a link to Brian William’s, Anne Thompsons’s, and Garrett Haake’s great contribution to the good food ®Evolution! http://sweetwater-organic.com/blog/sweet-water-on-nbc/ Sweet Water Organics is the “main frame.” We are preparing to roll out “Sweet Water Miniatures” asap. Let us “apple” Sweet Waters! Simple, cheap systems for fresh tasty fish and produce! Every city, every school,spiritual community, and gifted families can replicate Sweet Water! A 21 century organic technology industry! For all of God’s children! Partnering across the planet for: One World AquaponicsWe also have our eyes on the prize of sparking collaborations among biologists, engineers, MBAs, and worker creatives to develop ancillary industries, e.g. cultivating soldier fly larvae for fish feed, raised bed gardens from compost grown with organic urban waste streams like leaves, wood chips, fruit and veggie wastes, urban agriculture implements like green and hoop houses, cold frames, worm bins, and more. New organic technologies explored in creative worker owned enterprise experiments, Mondragon inspired! Please keep track of Sweet Water Organics Developments and keep in touch w. me for news re on-line and in the real workshops, support, etc. Grateful, Godsil “Mondragon USA” One World Aquaponics ExperimentsDear All, There are springing forth urban agriculture experiments across the planet, many of which combine some form of self-managed or cooperative legal/management/ownership structure with cutting edge, high yield “organic engineering experiments” in fish and plant growth. Some of the people in this mix are in conversation across the continents eye on the prize of introducing aquaponics miniatures to 1 per cent of the planet’s schools in the next 5 or 10 years. Please send an e-mail to [email protected] if you would like to spend time, when the Spirit moves you, in some on-line brainstorming, for starters, perhaps workshop gatherings down the line. Thanks! Godsil
Democratize Aquaponics!“Apple” Sweet Water Miniatures!Dear Earth Friendly Citizens of One World, Please consider the democratization of aquaponics for your city, eye on the prize of providing this inspiring methodology for growing fish and plants year round in school science labs, as well as providing hands on experience for students, faculty, families, and the school’s neighborhoods toward increased food security and self-reliance in the context of community building. Sweet Water Miniatures on Brian Williams NBC Nightly News Next Week? Sweet Water Organics, i.e. The Farm, has an associated non-profit called Sweet Water Foundation, i.e. The Academy. The Farm is like the old computer main frames at universities.
The Academy hopes to collaborate with the nation’s biologists, engineers, and MBA’s, to find them adopting miniature aquaponic systems in 2 per cent of the nation’s schools in the next 5 years, eye on the prize, not only of hands on aquaponics learning that enhances science, math, mechanical, artisinal, enterprising skills and spiritual aptitutudes, but also provides a more competent and civic city culture to advance this 21st century high yield, local, fresh, and earth friendly agricultural methodology. Organic Engineering Systems
“Let’s ‘Apple’ Sweet Waters! Why not raise fish and growing greens
Godsil In My Minds Eye: October 24, 2011Support Hispanics, Because?By Robert MirandaI was recently approached by a young, very nave Hispanic woman who asked me why I am supporting Jim Witkowiak for Alderman. Like many up-starts her age, she seemed to know everything about politics and Latino unity. She gave me the run-downon why Hispanics should support Hispanics at all costs. After listening to this pipe-dreamer give me her take on the elections, I promptly responded and gave her my point of view of the myth of Latino unity. I said to the young Latina that Hispanic unity is a lie brought forth by Hispanics who are either nave or on a hustle. I said to the young lady that, when it comes to money, some Hispanic leaders will join forces to find a way to make a few dollars. When it comes to self-gratification and emperor status, there are Hispanic leaders who turn their backs on the community and there are others who are blacklisted for standing firm in their commitment to the community. Read the full article here
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW 11/14/11 Playing Catch-upOh dear, its been a while, so I guess I need to catch you up. I took Election Day when work was closed, but daycare was open, and treated myself to a grown-up movie complete with popcorn, and a day in Greenwich Village, just like I used to do in my youth. It was awesome, and yes of course, I found time to do some cute shopping for Sabou as well. The movie was Midnight in Paris, by Woody Allen. The whole movie was based in Paris, with lots of time changes between different eras in the art and literary world of Paris. As a former French major, it just opened up this whole other realm of myself that I havent been too much in touch with lately. The movie was adorable and it inspired me to get Sabou to Paris someday, when shes old enough to remember and before its just uncool to be with Mom. Im thinking like 7 or 8 or 9? Click here to read the full entry
 In One AnotherBy Megan Dwyer-CossouMortgage companies get greedy,
Work harder,
Work harder,
Click here for the rest of the poem
 Greed loses key whips November 8, 2011By Patricia Obletz, Editorwww.MilwaukeeRenaissance.com/PeaceOfMind/HomePage Public workers keep their collective bargaining rights in Ohio.
In this Second American Revolution that Wisconsin public workers ignited, consciousness raised by unprecedented lust for money inspired We the People to speak out on our own behalf and vote to rid American life of tyranny. We the people also can overcome voter suppression, another root of evil in greed. After the GOPers revealed their intention to wipe out birth control as well as abortion, to decimate healthcare, education and collective bargaining rights for pubic worker unions, a friend said that the social programs that make America a true democracy are the aberration and that we now have reverted to the old order. Happily, the November 8, 2011, election proved her wrong, setting the stage for 2012. Click here for the full article
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW 10/30/11 An Awesome Day followed by Hurtful CommentsSo, yesterday was an awesome day. I got together with a friend and her family, after about five years. We got to meet each others kids for the first time, and reflect on how entirely different our lives are now. Shes got three kids one and a set of twins. And I was completely impressed by her and her husband and how they navigate that. And I was also so thankful that I only have Sabou. She is more than enough, and sometimes more than I can handle anyway. We went to the Childrens Museum of Manhattan, where Sabou and I had celebrated Curious Georges birthday back in September. Sabou had fun coloring, playing with glue, and climbing on everything, driving things, playing with the blocks and the balls, feeding the alphabet eating dragon all the different letters, etc. etc. My friends twins are 18 months, which was also perfect. It was like we could completely understand each others frustrations and exhaustion. Sabou had her temper tantrums in the morning, before lunch, and one of the twins had one in the afternoon, after lunch. And we just both sat through each one with complete understanding. While it was a very exhausting day, because remember it snowed this wet slushy disgusting snow in NYC yesterday, yeah, you try pushing a stroller in that ugly wet slushy snow the many blocks it takes to get to the subway station, it was so completely worth it to me. Click here to read the full entry
Medicaid Savings Initiatives UpdatesUpdate! 11/08/11Click here for a summary of the changes being proposed! DHS Milwaukee Town Hall Meeting on Medicaid Savings Initiatives pdf (10/21/11) By: Make It Work Milwaukee! Coalitioncomments on DHS Medicaid Savings Plan pdf By: Survival Coalition of Wisconsin Disability OrganizationsHealthcare effects of the proposed changes to badgercare on children pdf By: Wisconsin Council on Children & FamiliesClick here for more Peace of Mind Stop the Violence Self Development Workshops Click here for more Peace of Mind Make It Work Milwaukee/Mental Health Task Force Update: October 31st  Click here for more Peace of Mind  Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW 10/17/11 Nightmare and More Tests in Saying No, or at least, MaybeWow, I didnt think it possible, but I had a Lupus nightmare. Two fingers (pinky and ring) on my left hand were getting so swollen that they actually fused together making it look like I only had four fingers. And the pain was incredibly intense. They would come back to normal for a short while, only for the process to happen again and again. Then sometimes instead of the fusing, the ring finger on the left hand would swell up like a balloon from the palm to the tip and turn like a bluish purple. Then it would do the opposite by de-swelling from the tip to the palm, also very painful, and freaky to watch. Yeah, I didnt go back to sleep, and I am proud to report that for today, my fingers look fine and are all working. Click here to read the full entry
A great day for the Great Lakes urban agriculture industry/movement! Ex. Dir. Sweet Water Foundation, Emmanuel Pratt, at Chicago MK restaurant gathering on urban aquaponics, agriculture, and chefs, sitting with Mayor Barrett of Milwaukee, Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago, Obama family chef and White House Garden co-creator Sam Cass, MK proprietors Lisa and Michael Kornick. Make It Work Milwaukee/Mental Health Task Force Update:Paratransit and Unfinished Businessby Barbara Beckert, Executive Director
Update! The Finance committee continued their budget deliberations today with Unfinished Business. Paratransit was first on the agenda. Two amendments were put forward to reduce the proposed paratransit service increase from $4.50 per one way trip to $4.00 per one way trip.
Click here for the complete story and resources
The Second Annual Fruity Nutty Affair From the Journal of an ArtistBy Patricia ObletzThe phone rang one night in late April 2010. Cousin B has the most aggressive and lethal form of leukemia. Hes a loving, encouraging and supportive medical doctor who once worked for NASA. My hand grabbed the sketch pad lying on the floor where Id left it after coating it with black gesso yesterday. When next aware, I had a white oil pastel drawing of a robed figure pushing an IV pole with its poisonous bag of chemo heading to a hospital bed.  Read the full article here
 Will Milwaukee Become the Arugula City of America?Well me and my brown thumbs have not killed the arugula they are ACTUALLY thriving. My kids have loved watching them grow and my 8 year old took some leaves, washed them, and actually ate them the other day. He liked it so much he immediately wanted me to research uses for Arugula. So later that evening we made tortilla pizzas with diced arugula on it. We have all been snacking on the Arugula. I am sharing the joy by giving a plant each to two of my friends to grow and get their children to try.  This has gone so well I have convinced my husband to give us a small space in the basement to take some storage tubs and plant the arugula to give it more room and I also started some lettuce and herbs so we will be replanting those if they actually sprout. We picked up a small grow light to help with the plants.  The entire family is really getting into growing our own produce. Who would have thought that a tech obsessed, former failures at growing ANYTHING, family could have so much fun and, so far, relative success, growing our own food.
 Redman original to MK.Sweet Water, the Farm and the Academy, will be presenting Lisa and Michael Kornick of Chicago’s renowned MK Restaurent this Redman original in gratitude for their Sweet Water Foundation Benefit, which is also sponsored by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, to mark the urban agriculture and aquaponics legal breakthrough the Mayor’s team advanced this month.  Megan And Ok Jeyifo came up to gather Sweet Water perch and veggies for the event.
 Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW 10/15/11 Pushing limits that I didnt know I had, and learning to stopThen on to Saturday, you know the day that I am alone with Sabou all day while Youba goes to school. Well, this time we already had a plan. My nephews birthday party, in the suburbs, not too far, so I know I can drive there, followed by a family meeting. So, we left the house early and headed towards the burbs. It was a lovely fall day, and I have to say that fall is my favorite season, and living in the concrete of South Bronx that I do, its hard to get a sense of fall without blowing leaves and changing colors and all that, and it was just great to see the colorful leaves lining the sides of the Hudson River.  And I was feeling so strong, no pain, and like I could just keep on driving. So, we did. We drove past my brothers town and to the town where I grew up. Sabou has never been for a walk in the woods. Shes never seen a deer or had any of the experiences that I had as a child growing up in the burbs. So, we went to a park I havent been to in a million years to walk on the trails in the woods. It was awesome and amazing. Click here to read the full entry
 Here is our lifeBy Megan Dwyer-Cossouthe world
Read the full Poem here
 Your eyes and ears wont betray you. Watch:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGRXCgMdz9A&feature=youtu.be Back to top
Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW 10/7/11 not much Lupus going onI havent written in a week now. I havent had much to say. Life goes on between work and baby. The aches and pains are random and still nothing compared to before, so they dont deserve much note. Although there have been these very annoying back pains each morning that seem to subside by lunch for the last two days, and today I had the blurry vision like all morning, which sucked during meetings and when it was time to edit documents. But even that seemed to subside before lunch.  Its a three-day weekend, and whereas in the past I would have filled the days with fun activities, or went somewhere far away from where I live, this time, I took the opportunity to fill up that third day with doctor appointments so I dont have to take time off of work. Yup, the new me with new priorities, and there you go. Click here to read the full entry
Victory Garden Initiative Recent photos Blitz day installation 2011 on Buffum Street  Blitz day installation 2011 on Buffum Street  Blitz day installation 2011 on Buffum Street  Melissa T does the compost thing in the heart of winter.  Concordia Garden Plans the first Edible Forest in Milwaukee.
 The ResistanceIf the big money profiteers worry you, join the Resistance launched a few years ago by a group that has named itself “Anonymous.” For more information, visit these two sites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP9q61Fjlqo&feature=youtu.be Back to Op-Ed.
Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW  9/25/11 Always an AdventureSo, knowing that Youba would again be headed to school on Saturday, I made myself and Sabou a little plan for the day. A co-worker had told me about a kid-friendly diner she had gone to that was quite loud and she thought it would be perfect for a rambunctious toddler. So, I Googled it and found the easiest one to get to one right near Union Square. Now, Im happy about that because in Union Square, one can also find a Babies R Us, and a Childrens Place, and its not far from the Party City that we went to when we were buying stuff for her party back in August, and maybe, just maybe they have Halloween costumes. So, off we went. We landed in Union Square, and the first thing I notice is that the NYPD are like everywhere. Their cars are lining the roads, surrounding Union Square. I take note, but not that much, and we head north towards the diner. It was easy to find and everything my co-worker said that it would be: loud, lots of high-chairs, and very welcoming staff to kids in general. Perfect. She took her time eating, as she always does, and when she was finally full, we headed towards the childrens shops. Click here to read the full entry
Photo Essays of Milwaukee’s Good Food ®EvolutionWalnut Way Vigil Celebration Blocked Junk Food Franchise on 17th & NorthHere are some wonderful photos of one of Milwaukee’s top good food movement stories of the decade, i.e. Sharon and Larry Adams’ joyous vigil that stopped a greasy fried chicken joint from adding to the health challenge of their community. I hope to win some memories of this great event from the people who were there.     Beyond the Absurd: Life with Lupusby Mary Kay Diakite, LMSW 9/18/11 Another Great Day with SabouSo today was a surprise birthday party for one of my sisters-in-law. Youba is deep into school work now, so I knew that if I was going, I would be the one driving. Now, I havent driven a long distance since the dizzy spell on Route 95 in August. A little nervous, yes, but my brother is just 45 minutes from me, and I just felt confident that I can do it. I feel like my brain is just back for the time being and I need to take advantage of it. And I am so glad I did. There were tons of little girls there, like two-and-a-half, three, five, and Sabou fit right in. She was playing with them all, and the bigger kids too. She was running around in the backyard, pushing the play lawn mowers, driving the little play cars, and climbing up the jungle gym and down the slide. Click here to read the full entry
Mind Body Health and Healing Archive  My First Generation Sweet Water Business PlanSweet Water is a museum alive, and a lab! A high tech, high science,
Center for safe and delicious food production--
Sweet Water is a center for hands on education
A center for attracting and energizing
Civic minded celebrators! Transforming our great industrial cities
Every city in every country,
Deserves a Sweet Water! Sweet Water, Sweet Soil.
Our children’s birthright,
Sweet Water, Sweet Soil,
For one human race. Godsil Michelle Obama Meets Aquaponics Assocation at Her Alma Mater’s Sweet Water Miniature  
IBM Video Advances Globalization of Grand Milwaukee Urban Agriculture Alliance Aquaponics and Farming MethodsTheres an inherent tension in the local food system movement: what is the proper scale? Some, for example, promote the radical home economics approach, encouraging hyper-local, backyard farming for self-sufficiency. Others advocate for the Community Supported Agriculture model, which begins to use economies of scale to spread the risk and reward involved in local production and consumption while still maintaining personal connections to the farmer. More recently, however, theres been a shift toward examining the possibility of local food production as a viable job training and economic growth tool in places with large swaths of vacant urban land and high unemployment such as Detroit, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee. Milwaukee has long been at the forefront of the local food movement, with McArthur Genius Grant winner Will Allens Growing Power leading the way. The organization develops Community Food Centers, as a key component of Community Food Systems, through training, active demonstration, outreach, and technical assistance. As Allen, the organizations CEO notes, If people can grow safe, healthy, affordable food, if they have access to land and clean water, this is transformative on every level in a community. I believe we cannot have healthy communities without a healthy food system. In recent years, Milwaukee has been increasingly focused on Aquaponics. Urban farmers, policy makers, economic development specialists, and local food proponents make pilgrimages to Milwaukee to meet with Growing Power and Sweet Water Organics staff to see the closed-loop aquaponic systems, where fish waste is absorbed as nutrients by edible plants that clean the water, keeping the environment in homeostasis. Click here for the rest and be sure to watch the great video:
State Department to Mainstream Urban Agriculture and Aquaponics?I believe the good food movement is on the edge of a “moment” that will mark a new phase in our development. There may well be an emerging “Grand Alliance” of supporters from most social sectors and a growing number of very, very powerful institutions and enterprises, large, medium, and small. The State Department might be on the edge of providing much needed resources for some our experiments, as this article re Sweet Water in India in a State Department magazine suggests: http://span.state.gov/jul-aug2011/eng/40-43-James-Godsil.html The Marines and Army are funding exploratory organic farming and aquaponics projects. Large and medium sized corporations are checking us out. I’m not feeling ridiculous with visions of our movement offering the Bishops of Rome an opportunity for restorative justice by turning over lots of underused church land and buildings to community agriculture demonstration projects and community gardens. I am a graduate of a Jesuit high school and university and feel it entirely possible that Jesuit schools in India will provide a breakthrough for the India American Work Learn Tour Project Dr. Subhrankar Mukherjee and Shajan John are advancing. A couple of years back I wrote a “Community Roofing truck poem” with what I thought back then was a utopian vision of 10,000 food gardens in Milwaukee. That now appears pragmatic and modest. Last year I threw out a quest for 5% of our nation’s schools with small aquaponics or vermiculture experiments w/in 5 years. And 5% of the world’s schools w/in 10 or 20. Seems less utopian and more possible today. Reality checks and confirmation/negation conversation appreciated. Godsil Father of Organic Farming, Sir Albert Howard: India America Work Learn Tour ProjectThere are some Indian scientists and eco-enterprisers, most notably Dr. Subhrankar Mukherjee http://www.sankalpacmfs.org/general/essem.pdf developing a project that would offer Americans an inspiring work learn and tour experience. India taught the “Father of Organic Farming” a couple of generations ago. Much to learn for current generations. Let me know if you would like to co-create this “collaboration of civilizations.” Father of Organic Farming Taught by India Farmers’ 3,000 Year MethodologiesThe British botanist Sir Albert Howard is often referred to as the father of modern organic agriculture. From 1905 to 1924, he worked as an agricultural adviser in Pusa, Bengal, where he documented traditional Indian farming practices and came to regard them as superior to his conventional agriculture science. His research and further development of these methods is recorded in his writings, notably, his 1940 book, An Agricultural Testament, which influenced many scientists and farmers of the day. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_organic_farming Howard worked in India as agricultural adviser and was in charge of a government research farm at Indore. Howard observed and came to support traditional Indian farming practices over conventional agricultural science. Though he journeyed to India to teach Western agricultural techniques he found that the Indians could in fact teach him more. One important aspect he took notice of was the connection between healthy soil and the villages’ healthy populations, livestock and crop. Howard has been called the father of modern composting, for his refinement of a traditional Indian composting system into what is now known as the Indore method. He went on to document and develop organic farming techniques, and spread his knowledge through the UK-based Soil Association, and the Rodale Institute in the US. His 1940 book, An Agricultural Testament, is a classic organic farming text. It was his first book aimed at the general public, and is his best popularly known work. However his 1931 book The Waste Products of Agriculture, based on 26 years of studying improved crop production in Indian smallholdings, is considered by some as his most important scientific publication. His 1945 book Farming and Gardening for Health or Disease was also intended for a general audience, and was republished in 1947 as The Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture. Howard’s work influenced and inspired many farmers and agricultural scientists who furthered the organic movement, including Lady Eve Balfour (the Haughley Experiment, The Living Soil) and J.I. Rodale (Rodale Institute). Howard advocated studying the forest in order to farm like the forest. He devoted the last half of his career to understanding that end, presaging those contemporary ecologists who advocate the understanding of the interface between ecology and agriculture. Indeed, Howard is grouped, along with Sir Robert McCarrison and Richard St. Barbe Baker, as one of three progenitors of the organic agriculture movement. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Howard
Turn Your Front Yard Into a Food Garden If you would like to learn how to compost and grow your own food on your front or
There Are Now Bees Along With the Fish and the Plants at Sweet Water Permaculture Theory Makes It to the New York Timeshttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/garden/permaculture-emerges-from-the-underground.html If you would like to learn how to raise bees at your place, be it home, school, faith community, or business, send an e-mail to [email protected]
Detroit, Chicago, & Milwaukee: From Industrial to Organic CitiesChaordically! Principally, a chaordic organization is a self-organizing and self-evolving entity, which ends up looking more like a neural network (like the Internet) than a hierarchically-organized bureaucracy in which decision-making power is centralized at the top and trickles down through a series of well-regulated departments and managers. Chaordic organizations do not fear change or innovation. They are, by their very nature, supremely adaptive. They also tend to be inclusive, multicentric, and distributive and, ultimately, strongly cohesive due to their unshakable focus on common purpose and core principles. If you cant quite visualize it, theres a good reason, which Hock will explain in the following interview. http://www.enlightennext.org/magazine/j22/hock.asp Chaordic Theory Foundational to Milwaukee Urban Agriculture Industry & MovementThe Grand Alliance that is making Milwaukee famous for its urban agriculture/aquaponics initiatives, developmentally speaking, was given a great boost when Julilly Kohler and Ron Doetch, pulled together the Milwaukee Urban Agriculture Network(MUAN). Julilly introduced MUAN as a chaordic experiment, which would network enterprises advancing urban agriculture. MUAN organized the worlds first international urban agriculture conference and did the foundation building for our recent legal victories and the wider appreciation of Growing Power, Victory Garden, Sweet Water, etc. to be continued Godsil |
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