Newsworthy

Dog-Racing Ban Gets Local Support

contact Kara Holmquist at the JP based MSPCA to find out how you can help get the dog racing question on this year's November election ballots: dogblog.dogster.com

Tree Appreciation Show

www.flickr.com/photos/naturejournal/
Web community for Boston recreational tree climbing
www.richardpreston.net/
www.richardpreston.net/books/wt_illustration.html

people get ready

stay on top of your right to an honest elections system.

For more information:
http://pol.moveon.org/paper2008/?r_by=-8885330-7MV0ei&rc=mailto

Penguin Perfection-Raising $ For Penguin Protection

Julia, a 12 year old junior penguin expert currently living in Germany but with ties to Jamaica Plain, has created a web site which both teaches about penguins and provides a way for people to contribute towards penguin care via the Adopt A Penguin program at the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha Nebraska (which, by the way, got its start in 1898 with the loan of 2 bison by Buffalo Bill Cody).
Julia's parents met while on the swim team at U Mass Boston. Her mother Nancy is a former JP resident. Here are excerpts from an email interview with Julia:

Q: How much does it cost to adopt a penguin?
A: I am adopting a Rockhopper Penguin, which is my favorite and the least expensive to adopt, $100.00.

Q: You live in Germany, with extended family in NY & MA, how did you know about an Adopt A Penguin program from a zoo in Nebraska?
A: I was looking for a site to raise money for penguins, and my Mom suggested the Omaha Zoo because we went there in April '06. I googled the zoo and Voila!  I found the site I needed.

Q: When did you think of this idea?
A: I did an endangered species project on these penguins last year in my science class. Around September this year I had to do a project for school that's supposed to help me with one of my life goals. Well, one of my life's goals is to become a Penguin Expert, so I did this project. I was originally going to try to raise the money needed to adopt a penguin by selling penguin T-Shirts at school, but, changed my mind and built a web site instead. This way I could teach more people about penguins, and offer more variety of things to sell on line, it's a way for more people to be affected by it.

Q: What is the mark up on the things you are selling to raise money for your penguin adoption?
A: There is a $1.04 mark up on all the things.  

Q: How much have you raised so far?
A: $25.

Q: Whats been your favorite part about this project?
A: I look forward to reading people's comments on the "What Do You Think" section of my Penguin Perfection web site. I like answering their penguin questions and teaching people about penguins.
http://www.freewebs.com/rockhoppers-rock/index.htm

For more information:
Penguin Perfection
Be Cool Save the Penguins

500 Trout Arrive in JP Pond

This morning at 11AM a tank truck from the Massachusetts Wildlife & Fisheries arrived at the pond in Jamaica Plain with about 500 trout. The trout came from a hatchery in Belchertown MA. They are healthy, swimming in the water and are hoping you all make an expedition to the New England Mobile Book Fair in Newton to buy "Trout Fishing in America" written by Richard Brautigan instead of catching them and eating them. But if you do catch them and eat them, please dont forget to give thanks. Thanks!

For more information:
jp pond photos
New England Mobile Book Fair

Theatrical Clown Creation & Performance Workshop in Guanajuato Mexico October 2007

Theatrical Clown Creation & Performance International Workshop in Guanajuato Mexico for semiporfessionals & professionals. Taught in English and in Spanish, with hosting by Janet Izzo. This course takes place during Guanajuato's Festival Internacional Cervantina. Students are invited to perform their recently created pieces at our Teatro Tanque as an independent extension of the programmed festivities.

Based on his unprecedented collective creative process of "Comic Movement Theatre", Sigfrido guides the workshop participants in the creation of a collaborative performance. Theatrical Clown Creation and Performance developes selected aspects of the disciplines involved in Pantomime-Theatre, depending on the specific group of theater artists involved.

For more information:
Theatrical Clown Creation International Workshop

picture of the day

air show over Germany, late 1940's or early 1950's

Hilly Kristal

see our "View" section for photos of CBGB these past two years

JP Open Studios on Sept. 29 & September 30

Chris Gorton, Laura Major, Patti Hudson and Raymond Borsman will have work on display at the JP Art Market Saturday & Sunday Sept. 29 & 30 from 11:00 AM until 6:00 PM. Light refreshments will be served. Drop on by and see whats new. Pictures of some of the artists' works can be found under the "view" section of this web site.

John Nikolai

http://www.bostonnow.com/news/local/2007/08/14/edgy_art_given_the_axe/

 Edgy art given the axe in Cambridge finds a home in JP.

link to above article to read more.

new art show opens today

John Steck Jr. color photography

Steven Bacon, B&W photography

Renee Rives, Paintings and Color Photography

Kristen Pulcifer, photography

Tyshawn Taylor's film on Mr. Butch's Memorial

Sat Aug 4, 2007 from 4 until 7

show runs until Aug 28

Thur & Fri 4-7

Sat & Sun 12-6

help save the right to photograph freely in new york

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/28/nyregion/28film.html
http://www.pictureny.org/
http://www.pictureny.org/petition/index.php

New Show

summer travels.

New Show

Sorry for not being able to update the site, have been traveling a lot this summer. Dave Dolan hung a great new show up on July 5th. It will run until sunday July 29th.

 the artists are:

Oscar Anderson, black & white photography

Stuart Sherman, color photography (www.stusherman.com)

Matthew Gordon, illustration/collage

Tyshawn Taylor, digital photography

Matthew Harrison, digital photography (www.silverjackphoto.com)

Dave Dolan, black & white photography

JP OPEN STUDIOS September 29 & 30

Chris Gordon and Raymond Borsman and Patti Hudson

Jenny Rebecca Trueblood showing new work October 3-13 2007

For more information:
matthew harrison
stusherman

GOOD NEWS!! Plastic Bags May Be Banned in Boston.

"....a measure whose time has come." MA State Senator Brian Joyce.

100 billion pastic shopping bags end up in American Landfills each year. They take centuries to decompose.  please send a message of support to Boston City Councilor Robert Consalvo and Mass Sate Senator Brian Joyce who are working on proposals of laws that would help consumers question their use of plastic bags.

from Boston Globe, April 26, 2007 Councilors cite ecological harm By Matt Viser, Globe Staff  |  April 26, 2007 for full story see:http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/04/26/plastic_bags_may_be_banned_in_boston/

For more information:
Brian Joyce
Robert Consalvo

SONY releases new Patti Smith CD Today

"Twelve" 12 cover songs. Changing of the Guard, Helpless, Gimmie Shelter, Midnight Rider, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Soul Kitchen, White Rabbit, .....etc...CD's sold at Target include a song not on other distributer's stock- R.E.M.'s Everybody Hurts, which makes it 13.  

For more information:
newbury comics

Nikki Giovanni speaks at Blacksburg VA

poets

by steve silberman on the anniversary of allen ginsberg's death:

When I was 19, I took a course in the history of the Beat Generation from Allen Ginsberg at Naropa, a school in Colorado founded by the Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. One day Allen asked the class, "How many people have taken meditation instruction?" Only a few students raised their hands. "Aww," he groaned to those who hadn't, "you're all amateurs in a professional universe!"

Allen's notion of being a professional in a professional universe had nothing to do with accomplishments, fame, or credentials. By the time I met him, he had already written most of his major poems ("Howl" and "Kaddish" were two decades behind him, the magnificent sad poems of White Shroud were still ahead), and he was weary of his own public schtick, though still appreciative of how being famous could inspire sweet, bright young men to share his bed with him. What I think Allen meant was more like learning what's really at stake in being alive, and then taking responsibility for your own role in creating—or helping to relieve—the suffering of your fellow sentient beings. No flake-outs, no neurotic freakouts, no excuses. Own your own shit, your own fraud—and then work hard. "And what's the Work?" he once asked in a poem. "To ease the pain of living. Everything else, drunken dumbshow."

Professionals know the rules, and in this universe, the first rule (the "first noble truth" of Buddhism) is that life hurts. Your herculean labors come to nada, your former friend tells you to fuck off, you get cancer—at the least, you catch yourself in the mirror and realize that you look like every other old person you've ever seen. So what do you do? You realize that everyone is in the same boat, and then start rowing. But what if it's hopeless? No "what if"—it's hopeless. Gradually or suddenly, you will lose the things, people, and places you love most. And then you row anyway, because in some profound way, all these "others" are you.

Allen got sweeter in his last decade in part because he grew to accept the inevitability of death, both through his Buddhist practice and through close observation of particulars, as the world he grew up in disappeared. The way that famous Allen Ginsberg matured to become more kind (even behind the scenes) was another huge lesson for me. Death is very good at what it does, so we have to be equally good at what we do. I'd say that I miss Allen, and I do, but the gift he gave us is everywhere, right now. Are you breathing? There's still time.

Steve Silberman

MARCH 22 IS WORLD WATER DAY:

For more information:
http://www.buzzflash.com/store/items/551
http://water.org/index.html
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/2005advocguide/en/index.html
http://www.ram.org/ramblings/movies/tank_girl.html

Situation for animals in Beirut ....

From Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (BETA): We urgently need funding to get the animals through this period, most of our normal fundraising options have been forced to stop, and we are now calling on you to help support these animals. While cash donations will be the most effective to get us through these days, we are also in need of cat and dog food as well as cat litter. Our vet is still donating his services for free but donations of medications are extremely helpful. DONATE ONLINE: http://beta.beirut.com/donate.php While we realize this is a trying time for all people in Lebanon, we do ask that you assist with this urgent appeal and recognize the importance of the lives of these animals. Joelle Kanaan (BETA) joelle_k@idm.net.lb writes, 7/14: Our shelters, cats and dogs, are both situated in Beirut and the dog shelter in particular is very close to where they've been bombing lately. A rocket fell only about 1km away from the shelter at 4 am this morning and the dogs are ALL so very scared. They all have diarrhea now from fear and they're not stopping barking. The sad thing is that we don't have any other place to move them to and boarding them in foster homes is also kind of impossible as we currently have 130 dogs at the dog shelter and 95 cats at our 2 cat shelters.

For more information:
Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

Diane Bonder

writings, like prayers, from Felice: Powerful, lyrical, witty filmmaker, designer, curmudgeon, benefactor, brilliant thinker, tireless creator, artist, workaholic, daughter, lover, confidante, Days of Our Lives devotee, extraordinary ally and friend... Mona said that it is our joy and responsibility to live Diane's values and esthetic in our lives - that is how we will keep her with us. So although, unbearable and unbelievable that Diane Bonder is not woven into my daily life, I assume this charge with squared shoulders, an open face, and a slow-growing knowing. Two weeks ago, as I was lying with Diane on her bed, stroking her arm, she said, "You know, I'm gonna see your Dad first". "What, in heaven? You see everybody in reverse chronological order of when they died or something?" "Yup" "Who's theory is that?" "Mine." She laughed, kind of. So we did the time-line math of all the people and pets who had died that we knew; who she would encounter first, second, third... ~~ I see heaven for Diane. Well, one of my versions of heaven for her. She is hanging out with her Dad in their old living room in Florence, MA, he in his big, worn, brown chair and she's stretched out on the yellow a bit comfy a bit stiff sofa. They watch t.v. and snack on the cookies he baked, a sleeping Spatz and Deming snuggled deep in the warmth of their room, of their love. And maybe my Dad is there too, watching John Wayne movies. The world is a changed place. I miss her. Already and so fiercely. Big love Felice

Former Boston artist Diane Bonder is having a retrospective of her films at NYC's MoMA

Former Boston artist (and restaurant worker!) (Back Bay Bistro! ) Diane Bonder left Boston in the early 1990's to persue further art studies at Rutgers University. Eventually settling in Brooklyn, Diane (who's been dueling with pancreatic cancer since Sept '05) is having a retrospective of her films at NYC's MoMA May 13th & May 17th: http://www.moma.org/exhibitions/film_media/2006/Diane_Bonder.html Diane Bonder: You Are Not from Here May 13 & 17, 2006 Diane Bonder's poetic semi-narrative and documentary film and media works explore themes of identity. This exhibition spans ten years of the Brooklyn-based artist's Super-8, 16mm, and video work. Bonder's shooting and editing style intimately marks the passage of time and poetically engages the viewer. Each theme is presented within a social and philosophical framework, coupled with compassion, subtle humor, and intelligence. Organized by Sally Berger, Assistant Curator, Department of Film and Media. Special thanks to Kathy High. Dear Mom. 1996. USA. A girl's identity is examined in relation to her powerful mother, a matriarchal family, and domestic fantasies. 13 min. If. 2000. USA. The confines of a room and the objects in it represent a missing lover. 12 min. If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home by Now. 2001. USA. Rural American landscapes and newspaper stories reflect the struggle over privacy, public space, and property. 15 min. Closer to Heaven. 2003. USA. "Urban ghosts collide; abandoned umbrellas tumble down the streets, my father calls again and again to say good-bye" ( Bonder). 15 min. You Are Not from Here. 2005. USA. The meaning we project on the environment is explored through the disappearing vernacular landscape. 10 min. I Remember Now, We Never Danced, I Miss You, Good-bye. 2006. USA. Everyday movement, woven into a dance of memory and loss. 8 min. Program 73 min. Saturday, May 13, 6:30 (introduced by Bonder); Wednesday, May 17, 6:00. T2

For more information:
MoMA

New window display

The new window display at the JP Art Market is a site specific installation "Studio Dig #2" by Paul Theriault and Nadya Volicer, with assistance from Patti Hudson. It will be up until Saturday Aug. 12, 24/7 A million little pieces of chopped up wood and material from Paul, Patti and Nadya's studios, organized into a cohesive randomness. Compelling head turner, like nothing seen before. Nadya also has a site specifica installatioin up in Forrest Hills Cemetary Outdoor Sculpture show, Dwellings. That show will run until the end October.

For more information:
foresthillstrust.org
Nadya Volicer
Paul Theriault

April 29th, GLOBAL NIGHT COMMUTE at Jamaica Pond.

Every night, while we remain comfortably in our homes, thousands of children in Northern Uganda walk miles to a larger town, seeking a safe resting spot away from the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). Raise global awareness for the children in Uganda by signing up for the Night Commute in the city nearest you!

For more information:
Invisible Children
Invisible Children: Uganda's Child Soldiers
Invisible Children Run

Lisa King

 The King passed away in her apartment in Somerville on February 11, right before that massive snow storm. After a 5 year struggle to over come debilitating pain from a failed back operation her heart just gave out. Lisa showed and sold some visual work in our very first show Love Needs Propaganda, visual drawings and collages with some of her poems printed on them, small pieces, all sold out, rare gems. A memorial event is planned to celebrate Lisa on Sunday Memorial Day at Cantab Lounge in Cambridge, see some of the links below for more details, especially the Truth Serum Link.

For more information:
Got Poetry
Truth Serum
Slam Nation