Wednesday, June 23, 2010

What You Can DO To Save Earth: Oil Spill

First, you can take a look at these photos:
http://www.katu.com/news/photos/95866799.html

Tell your friends who live on this planet that you can at least take a look at these photos. Face what is happening to our Mother Earth and our oceanic wildlife.

We can do something about it. While (instead of just) finding out who is responsible.

Bottom line is we are living on this planet together. We are stewards of the planet. We, who are living today, are responsible for future generations.

Let's stop the war and preparation for war(military exercises) for now, use the money for the cleaning and restoring this one of the biggest environmental disasters of mankind.

Here is 10 things you can do:
http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/oil-spill-10-ways-you-can-help/
1. Boycott BP
2. Tell the Government, "Enough is enough!"
3. Shave Your Head
4. Purchase Dawn Dishwashing Detergent
5. Donate Essential Supplies For Volunteers
6. Support Those Saving The Wildlife
7. Become A Hero
8. Save A Fisherman
9. Join Hands
10. Get Connected and Inspired

"Shave Your Head"??
Why??

Read the entire story here.

Please pass this information to all of your list.
Mother earth is calling for help!

HELP. Together, we can do what no one of us can do alone.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

♪ Celebrating, Learning and Growing ♪ - 21 min 52 sec - 5.4 MB

PodCast GIF

I am about to leave for San Francisco Airport. I will be taking a flight back to Japan soon.

I left home, leaving my children for the longest time, 3 weeks. I called them every day but I miss them and I am guessing they miss me, too.

I am finally learning a little bit about NVC because of my participation in the Leadership Training course offered by BayNVC. I feel like I am learning two languages, English and this Non-Violent Communication at the same time.

NVC JPG

When I first heard about NVC (it was a long time ago), it did not do anything for me or seem to fit me and my lifestyle in Japan). That was when I listened to Marshall Rosenberg on cassette tape back in 2003. It sounded good, but when I translated the words into Japanese, it all sounded too strange to use practically. So I never did anything with it.

But NVC kept coming back to me.

When I started a campaign to create Ministry of Peace (the equivalent of the Department of Peace in USA), many of the Americans in the movement were practicing NVC. When I attended the 3rd National Department of Peace Conference in Washington DC in 2005, Marshall's book "Speak Peace in the World of Conflict" was given to me. I read some, but I never finished it. (Sorry, Dot!)

On another occasion, when I attended the 2nd Global Alliance Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace in Canada, I met Miki Kashtan, the trainer of this retreat and organizer of the whole LP program this time. When I heard her speak in the conference, I thought, "What is this? She is speaking differently..."

When we organized the 3rd Global Alliance Summit for Ministries and Departments of Peace in Japan, Miki Kashtan was the facilitator for all the sessions. At that time I got to know more intimately about NVC.

After that some of my colleagues from JUMP (Japan United for Ministries of Peace) started learning NVC more intensively and I also became more interested.

Now I find myself attending the LP10. Such a thing, a few years ago, was beyond my imagination. It seems like a big leap, an enormous leap. How did I get here?

Time to go to the airport. I will write and reflect more about the retreat when I get home. Please click the title to listen to my podcast. My need of learning and growing was met by this 2nd retreat and I am celebrating!

Monday, June 07, 2010

Come & Join Us for 7th Tokyo Peace Film Festival (Jun 19-20, 2010)!

I am in the redwood forest of Santa Cruz (Ben Lomond) learning a new language called NVC (Non Violent Communication) and this is 4th day of the 2nd retreat. It is a year long program offered by BayNVC and Miki Kashtan and Roxy Manning are our trainers.

I am making a little bit of progress in understanding NVC and excited about using it in my real life back in Japan creating more sustainable and peaceful community.

I was so happy that the Yomiuri Shinbun (a big Japanese daily newspaper) wrote a story about the upcoming Tokyo Peace Film Festival that I shared about that news during the morning community time with my co-participants of the retreat.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/e-japan/tokyo23/news/20100604-OYT8T00087.htm

The 7th Tokyo Peace Film Festival will be on Jun 19 & 20, 2010 in the Main Hall of the Olympic Youth Center (near Sangubashi Station, Odakyu line). This year, we will show 10 films (including my talk and film cuts concerning War and lies and facts surrounding the events of Sept. 11, 2001) and tickets can be purchased from our website (unfortunately, there are no English pages):
http://www.peacefilm.net/home.html

If you have not seen Michael Moore's Capitalism: A Love Story, or Blue Gold, Under Cover in Tibet, Children of 911, and the other movies in the program, this is the chance for you to see them all at a bargain price.

I hope to see you there. If you do not read Japanese, you can order tickets directly to me by e-mail.

Click here to download the full color Japanese flyer
that lists the movies and schedule.