Banks in failure, foreclosed mortgages, people out of work. How would a de-regulated Wall Street translate into these effects? Learn and teach others at a community discussion on the current economic crisis. Topics will be Wall Street’s actions, the effects, and the assumptions made by those who might have regulated it.

Event takes place at Lincoln Elementary School, 213 21st Ave SE, Olympia, WA; it will be facilitated by Professor Savvina Chowdhury of TESC.

This is Topic Three of the Green Economics series, presented to the public by the Green Party of South Puget Sound.

You are invited to join in the Dances of Universal Peace!

A Time to Plant: Dances for the Vernal Equinox will take place on Sunday, March 21, 7 - 8:30 pm, at the United Churches of Olympia, downstairs in the Social Hall. 110 11th Ave SE, Olympia; Corner of 11th & Washington.

Come one and all, and bring friends! Please come as 'fragrance-free' as possible. Non-perishable donations to the Food Bank will be gratefully accepted and delivered.

About the Dances: From the beginning of time, sacred movement, song and story have brought people together - at times of seasonal ceremony and celebration, as part of everyday life and life passages, in daily renewal and meditation. The Dances of Universal Peace are part of this timeless tradition of sacred movement, song, and story.

The Dances of Universal Peace are simple, meditative, joyous, multi-cultural circle dances that use sacred phrases, chants, music, and movements from the many spiritual traditions of the earth to touch the spiritual essence within ourselves and recognize it in others. Building on the work begun by Samuel L. Lewis in the 1960s, they promote peace and integration within individuals and understanding and connection within groups worldwide. All dances and songs are taught to the group. There are neither performers nor audience: new arrivals and old hands form the circle as everyone sings and dances together.

Since their beginning, the Dances have spread throughout the world, with about 200 circles meeting weekly or monthly in North America alone. Learn more at www.peaceworksdancesna.org.

The next Dances of Universal Peace in Olympia will take place on Sunday, April 18, 7 - 8:30 pm, at the same location.

How do we interact in this new town square called the internet? With all the options one has for information, news and dialogue are we more informed, or smarter, or more empathetic? Are the digital forums an electronic version of the echo chambers that were letters to the editor? What level of personal responsibility is appropriately required or expected of participants?

There are a number of internet “salons” or forums where people practice a “gracious space” (see the Center for Ethical Leadership) share, and hopefully learn on myriad topics. There are certainly those that have developed as a place where thoughtful and courteous users post and read in a true deliberative forum. There are also those that have developed as a sort of graffiti board (like The Olympian comments) where many post personal, irrelevant, gratuitous and/or what appear mere time wasters, and do so anonymously where public debate is actually debased and most thoughtful people simply do not participate while the echo chamber perpetuates itself.

I started posting here as an alternative to both the almost totally worthless local paper and the plethora of personal blogs out there for which one could spend all their waking time reading. What a great idea…a local blog with a calendar, insights on local community events and a place where people can share ideas and opinions in a safe, open and thoughtful place.

Maybe, over time, the local paper will either go away, or get better as a result of the competition.

As a communitarian, I advocate for the need to balance individual rights and interests with that of the community. As such, I have no problem with some rules which though might be viewed as crimping one’s style actually allow for more voices to be heard and encourage more users to share.

Live Drumming and Dancing for our fun loving community

Dance to Olympia’s Hottest Live Community Drum Circle Music

Fun like you have never before experienced!

All Ages Welcome!

Family Friendly and open to all skill levels of Musicians and Dancers.

When – Every Friday

Where – Fusion 302 Columbia St. NW Olympia, WA 98501

Time 7:00 – 9:30 pm

Cost Only $5

The first half hour will be dedicated to getting both the Musicians and the Dancers warmed up and connected.

We will start the evening with a fun warm up for both the musicians and dancers then we will open it up to a free form of community expression of a combination of some really hot live music and dance unlike anything that you may have experience before.

For more information please visit Friday Community Live Drum and Dance

Dance Host Molly Smith

Dance warm up will be hosted by the amazing dancer and dance instructor Molly Smith whose talents as a Dance Instructor and Fitness enthusiast are an amazing contribution to wholistic fitness in our Olympia community.

Molly has recently moved to the Olympia area from Calgary, Canada and is looking forward to sharing her love of dance and fitness with all of her new found friends in Olympia. Not only an fantastic overall health consultant/councilor, Molly is also a registered massage therapist and would consider it an honor to talk with you about your health and nutritional concerns.

Drum and Percussion

A quick reminder about the Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation weekly peace vigil on Friday's at Percival Landing.

It's a beautiful day, so please consider stopping by! The vigil goes from 4:30pm to 6pm. The fabulous and highly entertaining Artesian Rumble Arkestra regularly plays from 5 to 6.

The Olympia Women in Black also vigil from 5 to 6 on Fridays at the Heritage Fountain Park.

The Oly FOR has another weekly vigil on Wednesdays, from Noon to one p.m., at Sylvester Park.

Procession of the Species Call For Volunteers & Potential Workshop Leaders: Saturday Feb 13 (that's tomorrow), your choice of sessions, 10am-noon or 1-3pm.

Get a studio tour, find out what's going on, share what you're interested in helping with. It's at our studio, 301 N. Capitol Street, Olympia (behind the Royal Bar, across from Don's Camera).

Further info at www.procession.org or 360-705-1087.

[updated with segment from Democracy Now! and an additional comment.]

Regarding the discussion about Capitol Lake, it seems to me that the lake is unnatural and environmentally destructive. It seems to make sense that the correct way forward - the way that it ecologically correct (and therefore in the long-run also economically correct and socially just) - is to restore function to the natural estuarine ecosystem.

[Additional comment:
I think it's understandable, considering how industrialization has divorced us, as a society, from the natural world, how it would be difficult to imagine living - to imagine life - in an environment that comes complete within healthy ecosystems, to imagine life in a stable and productive ecosystem, an ecosystem that is teeming with life. It's a real contradiction with our present reality of ecological disease; at one time this area teemed with wildlife. For my part, I believe that to restore ecological health, vibrancy and vitality is an ideal to strive for.

Democracy Now! video below]

The following is a three part video series containing a speech by Mari Margil about law, environmental protection and regulation, and corporate power. After the videos there is an excerpt from and a link to a related article by Mari Margil from Yes! Magazine.

Video Description: The associate director of the Community Environmental Defense Fund (CELDF) describes the inspiring, groundbreaking work she and CELDF are doing to recognize Rights of Nature in law in both the U.S. and Ecuador, which recently became the worlds first nation to enshrine such rights in its constitution.

Part One:

Mari Margil Part 1 (of 3)

See Parts Two and Three

Live Drumming and Dancing for our fun loving community

Dance to Olympia’s Hottest Live Community Drum Circle Music

Fun like you have never before experienced!

All Ages Welcome!

Family Friendly and open to all skill levels of Musicians and Dancers.

When – Every Friday

Where – Fusion 302 Columbia St. NW Olympia, WA 98501

Time 7:00 – 9:30 pm

Cost Only $5

The first half hour will be dedicated to getting both the Musicians and the Dancers warmed up and connected.

We will start the evening with a fun warm up for both the musicians and dancers then we will open it up to a free form of community expression of a combination of some really hot live music and dance unlike anything that you may have experience before.

For more information please visit Friday Community Live Drum and Dance

Dance Host Molly Smith

Dance warm up will be hosted by the amazing dancer and dance instructor Molly Smith whose talents as a Dance Instructor and Fitness enthusiast are an amazing contribution to wholistic fitness in our Olympia community.

Molly has recently moved to the Olympia area from Calgary, Canada and is looking forward to sharing her love of dance and fitness with all of her new found friends in Olympia. Not only an fantastic overall health consultant/councilor, Molly is also a registered massage therapist and would consider it an honor to talk with you about your health and nutritional concerns.

Drum and Percussion

Interview by CS Song on KPFA, Pacifica Radio's Against the Grain, with Stuart Archer, author of Army of the Republic:

Listen to this Program:
Tues 1.26.10| Taking On The State | Against the Grain: A program about politics, society and ideas

In Stuart Archer Cohen's novel The Army of the Republic, unbridled privatization spurs grassroots activists and underground militants to directly confront the power of the State. Cohen talks about organizing, revolution, corporate power, and other issues addressed in his book. Also, Gordon Edelstein directs Athol Fugard's Coming Home at Berkeley Rep.

Weyerhauser employs a lot of people. I think that's good. And it's a solid argument for the present existence of the company. But despite the present day economic value of Weyerhauser's business, do we have a full accounting for all of the costs of Weyerhauser's business activities? Do we know about the full extent of environmental degradation, loss of habitat and threatened species that result from industrial logging practices? Do we know and understand the financial practices of the company, and the disparity in wealth and income between the various strata of people who are employed at, and/or who own, the company?