VIDEO: The Racial Crossroads

Posted on February 22, 2012 by ari

Asher Roth and the Racial Crossroads

Via Talking Circles on Race and Racism

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The Feminist Frequency on Lego

Posted on February 22, 2012 by ari

I love Legos. And I LOVE this blog, and this two-part series on Lego and Gender.

LEGO & Gender Part 1: Lego Friends

Lego & Gender Part 2: The Lego Boys Club

Sign the petition to #liberatelego!

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VIDEO: Stroke of Insight

Posted on February 21, 2012 by ari

I just watched this video of brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor’s TED Talk about her stroke and the incredible insight it gave her. I don’t want to spoil the experience of watching it, so I’ll just say that for me, this video started out as a dry-feeling scientific talk, but by the end, I was nodding and saying “yes,” with tears in my eyes. Thank you, Dr. Talyor, for sharing your hard-won wisdom with the world!

Via my friend Frank Muller.

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Some new sites, fresh off the WordPress

Posted on February 8, 2012 by ari

We’ve been hard at work over here but just realized we haven’t been blogging about it very regularly. So, here’s a batch of recent sites we’ve made for some lovely clients in Ithaca and NYC. Stay tuned for more reports from the Shirari Industries factory floor, a.k.a. our desk.


A new graphic home page for Todd Lester, to give folks a one-stop shop for his RSS feeds and WordPress blogs: Unadulterated.info. This was art directed by Todd, but the illustration style and handwriting is my own. This one’s the only one that’s not a WordPress itself – it’s basically a big image with links in it.
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A new website for our alternative energy doc, Empowered

Posted on January 26, 2012 by ari


Check out the new WordPress website we made for Empowered – there are new video clips, and we’re selling the DVD. Let us know what you think!

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We Remember You, Dr. King

Posted on January 16, 2012 by ari

Here are some of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s words. Let’s remember him, and then follow his advice and go change the world for the better.

“We will not build a peaceful world by following a negative path. It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it. We must concentrate not merely on the negative expulsion of war but on the positive affirmation of peace. We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody, that is far superior to the discords of war. Somehow, we must transform the dynamics of the world power struggle from the negative nuclear arms race, which no one can win, to a positive contest to harness humanity’s creative genius for the purpose of making peace and prosperity a reality for all the nations of the world. In short, we must shift the arms race into a peace race. If we have a will – and determination – to mount such a peace offensive, we will unlock hitherto tightly sealed doors of hope and transform our imminent cosmic elegy into a psalm of creative fulfillment.”
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VIDEO: Soldiers, in the name of democracy, let us unite!

Posted on January 5, 2012 by ari

“One of the most inspirational speeches in recorded history was given by a comedian by the name of Charlie Chaplin.” Watch it (given a 99% / #OWS video treatment) above or on YouTube.

How does this video make you feel? How can we change the world together in 2012?

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VIDEO: Rural farmers unite to feed Wall Street protestors

Posted on January 3, 2012 by ari

From November, 2011: “How rural farmers, an unemployed chef and a protestor named Heather are getting 1,000 dinners served at Occupy Wall Street every night”. I’m posting this because I just watched it and realized that Ithaca farmers get a shout out! I feel like our little city is a part of history in the making.

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‘Tis the Season for Sharing and Bartering

Posted on December 4, 2011 by shira

In Ari’s recent blog post Say Happy Holidays to the Earth and Your Neighbors, she pointed out some great ways to get gifts while supporting your local economy.

If you want to take traditional money out of the equation altogether, in Ithaca, you can come to one of three (count ‘em, three!) local events in the coming weeks…

12/8: Take It Or Leave It Sustainable Gift Swap
Donate your gently used clothes, odds and ends, school supplies, kitchen supplies, books, movies, etc. to the gift swap and avoid sending it to the landfill.

12/11: Ithaca Free Barter Market Grand Opening
A new community based trade event organized by Occupy Ithaca, using Ithaca Hours as a base currency.

12/18: Share Tompkins Arts and Crafts Really Really Free Market
Details TBD

Or swap for gifts online by using Swidjit!

All this activity reminds me of this NY Times article from last year.

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Say Happy Holidays to the Earth and Your Neighbors

Posted on November 28, 2011 by ari

Holidays can be a lot brighter when we give without hurting the earth (with excess packaging, plastic junk, planned-to-be-obsolete electronics, etc.), and when we’re conscious of where we’re sending our money. If you buy a cookie-cutter gift that everyone else is getting from a big box store where workers are being exploited and money is being funneled into the pockets of CEOs, it’s just a little less warm-and-fuzzy than when you support a hard-working local business owner who’s providing handmade, eco-friendly gifts.

Here are some links to peruse, if you too are trying to make your holidays greener and more ethical:
How to Buy Local for the Holidays
Shift Your Shopping
Independent We Stand
Inhabitots
ishopindie.com
Etsy

If you’re in Ithaca, be sure to check out:
Local First Ithaca

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keep looking »