April 24
1916
The Easter Uprising began when between 1,000 and 1,500 members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood attempted to seize Dublin and issued the declaration of Irish independence from Britain.
The seven signatories of the Irish Proclamation
I was a little lax in my blogging last week. I was on spring break from school; I helped prepare and then send off my oldest son (21) for/to his move to Maryland, driving himself and his dog across the country by himself (he got there safely – whew!); and then learning that I am going to be grandmother and then learning that the pregnancy might be in danger.(both which were real shockers for me and which totally blew my mental state, thus disrupting my usual agenda of activities).
The benefit of a change in routine last week is that I put about 20-30 miles on my bike!
Hopefully I’ll be back on track this week now that school is back in session (for the next 5 weeks!)and become more accustomed to the state of affairs in my personal life!
Yesterday I spent all day at Earth Jam, where the Desert Greens, the Nationally Affiliated Green Party of Utah, held its Green Earth Fest. Our main activity was a children’s table where children (of all ages!) made bracelets out of cut cardboard tubes, hats, molded things out of clay, made bubbles with a homemade bubble mix, and hula-hooped!
There were two areas – our area (Green Earth Fest)with children’s activities and a stage and the main area where there was another stage and exhibitor booths.
It was beautiful and fun day. We had lots of folks come by our table to get literature, talk and sign up for our mailing list. We had a reduce, reuse, recycle area where we had rummage sale items for donations.
We even got time to speak on the main stage about our party. Here are photos:
Tabling
Children’s Area – Desert Greens Green Party Organizers prepare the children’s area, followed by children having fun
Speaking to the crowd – Shane Cutler, a Co-Coordinator with the Desert Greens Green Party of Utah, speaks to the Earth Jam crowd about Earth Day and how it is up to we the people to “clean up our own messes. The government isn’t cleaning up its messes and” his kids will be billed for it. Shane stated that the Green Party wants to change electoral politics so that the government does clean up its messes and so his kids kids won’t have to keep paying for it. Shown with Shane are his children, Michael and Eli.
The crowd
Artwork
Music
“War on Terror” Band – provided the sound equipment for the stage in the Green Earth Fest area
Local news coverage of Earth Day events:
KSL Channel 5
April 23
1953
Army-McCarthy Hearings Begin
1963
William Lewis Moore, a postman from Baltimore, was shot and killed in Attalla, Ala. during a one-man march against segregation. Moore had planned to deliver a letter to the governor of Mississippi urging an end to intolerance.
1968
Students at Columbia University in New York City occupied campus buildings to protest war research and the razing of part of the community in Harlem to make way for a new student gymnasium.
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April 22
Happy Earth Day!
1970
On the First Earth Day observance, an estimated 20 million participated in anti-pollution demonstrations across the U.S.
Ron Cobb……………………………………………………….1st Earth Day, 1970
O.k., I just talked to the mother of my possible future grandchild and she told me that the baby is in her uterus, just not where the doctor said it should be placed. More bloodwork was taken to today, the results of which will come back on Monday or Tuesday. If hormone levels are significantly higher than when the first tests were done, things will be “looking good”. If not, we’ll see what the next step is.
So now a few more days of waiting.
Greg made it to his destination early today. Whew! He is resting today and already has a job interview for next Tuesday.
He also found out today that the mother of his baby went to the doctor again today who was not optimistic about the pregnancy – no heartbeat (yet) and suspicion that it might be an ectopic pregnancy. I called her and left a message for her to get back to me. I anxiously await.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, I serve on the Green Party of the United States EcoAction Committee.
Over the last couple of weeks this committee has been working on its “State of the Earth Report”, which is being released today:
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The Green Party of the United States EcoAction Committee marks Earth Day
2006 with its State of the Earth Report.
Human life relies entirely on the Earth’s complex and resilient Biosphere and the Ecosystems that sustain it. The oxygen we breathe is replenished by plants, which also help to create the soil in which we grow our food to feed our children. Our wastes are cleansed and our water is purified through
wetland ecosystems. Much of the building materials for our homes are derived from the forests we love or from the rock we stand upon. The air, food, water, and shelter that benefits us as a species; all of these are supplied by the Earth’s ecosystems.
While the Biosphere of the Earth is inherently resilient it not impervious to harm. The diversity of the Earth?s species enables this inherent resilience and leads to an ever evolving yet subtle equilibrium. Existing niches are filled and re-filled leading to new and more specialized species which, in
the face of environmental change, respond to produce highly functional and elegant adaptations. The resiliency of Ecosystems can be measured by the level of species diversity, and thus, are threatened when ever-expanding resource depletion and environmental degradation exceed the replenishment capacity of
the Biosphere. Human induced environmental changes that exceed the natural pace of specie adaptation leads to mass extinction, weakened ecosystems and a reduced Biosphere.
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In celebration of Earth Day I will be busy at an event called Earth Jam in Salt Lake with the Nationally Affiliated Green Party of Utah‘s “Green Earth Fest” at Earth Jam. The weather is looking good and I am looking forward to spending the day in a park to celebrate this day.
Here are other events in Utah on Saturday:
The Seattle Speech
How can we buy or sell the sky, the warmth of land? The idea is strange to us.
If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can we buy them?
Every part of this Earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people. The sap which courses through the tress carries the memories of the Red Man.
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Tomorrow is the day the world celebrates Earth Day.
This year Earth Day will celebrate its 36th anniversary. While the concept has roots back to the early part of the 20th century , the founding of Earth Day is attributed to Gaylord Nelson, 1916-2005, Wisconsin’s Governor and Senator.. in 1970. Nelson was givenThe Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1995 for his work.
Many cities and organizations have since adopted Earth Day Resolutions, such as:
The Earth Day Network, which was founded by the organizers of the first Earth Day in 1970, promotes environmental citizenship and year round progressive action worldwide.
EDN has a comprehensive website with tons of resources for use all year. The site can be viewed in more than 10 languages.
EDN provides a resource through which activists can interact and connect with other individuals and organizations.
Deanna Dee-Dee Taylor 