The Girl Effect...

So it appears Blog Action Day '08 threw a party and everyone came! Last count was over 12,800 blogs from all over the world addressing the single topic of poverty. Powerful. They claim an audience of over 13 million - but actually about 50 of those were me. I spent the morning coffee time scrolling around as I found my way to the blogging artists' neighborhood. I had had little sleep and wanted pictures, few words to wake me up. Then I found what I was looking for. One simple suggestion of a solution. Simply done so very well...




The Girl Effect.... good, huh. Allowing the world to evolve through simply educating a girl. Wow.

A similar cause has been going on for over 60 years by a group called Heifer International (not limiting services to just girls.) In fact, I was given a heart warming gift last Christmas by my youngest brother-family. A flock of chicks were given to an impoverished family on my behalf. They now not only enjoy that perfect protein-filled food each day, but also share eggs within their village. Building sustainable communities. Wow.

It's just that simple.

http://www.girleffect.org
http://www.globalgiving.com/girleffect.html
http://www.heifer.org

Blog Action Day '08 - POVERTY...

You know, you just don't see babies like these in your wealthy neighborhoods. Parents in Haiti feed their children dirt to hush their hunger while parents in the USA are feeding their children empty calories because that's all they can afford. I drew this cartoon to show the effect of poverty with obesity and malnutrition.

Today is "Blog Action Day '08 - Poverty" created to address just one issue with a thousand voices, an annual nonprofit event, that sparks communication. It's refreshing, interesting and instrumental in allowing voices to be heard. Check this site for an amazing assortment of ideas on this topic. http://blogactionday.org

Coincidentally, tomorrow is "World Food Day", marking the day, 45 years ago, that the United Nations created the Food and Agriculture Organization to address global hunger. Check out what they've been able to do, what they are doing today and what we all can do to ease this pain. No guilt. Just folks helping folks. http://www.wfp.org

Oh, and did you hear that in order to help ease the escalating poverty problems, Robert DeNiro's new hotel, The Greenwich, is donating half the rates charged to stay in any of his $5000 - $15,000 per night rooms!..!! (Okay, I totally made that up as I can't comprehend any other reason for fifteen-thousand-dollars-per-night. Bobby call me - we gotta' talk.)

Evolving Polar Bears...

Busy-busy! Living the life of a squirrel these days, staying as busy as possible, taking on more work than one can reasonably get done in a day. I'm storing up for the expected long, cold, grey winter daze ahead. So there is no new art to post here. None of my art that is...

 

But art is everywhere and always as a state of mind. With that said... the autumn winds are here, filled with political thoughts and the occasional protest.

Protesting may be passive or aggressive or passive-aggressive, or just go unfortunately unnoticed. Protesting can be written, impromptu, staged, huge or small. Protesting can also be a single solitary action. Just one lonely figure with a message can be art.

A friendly polar bear was hanging out across the street from last week's VP debate, held here in St. Louis. The art here lies in the fact many parents had some "expalining" to do...

This polar bear's simple message stood out in the middle of a recent rush hour traffic jam in Washington DC...

And this polar bear lives the indigent life of another homeless, out of work American as seen on the busy streets in DC, your town or mine... 

Seriously, the plight of the polar bear is horrible. They simply cannot evolve fast enough to compete with the changing environment. That is, evolve in a positive direction. Recent reports state they are resorting to cannibalism as they are literally starving as the reality of their world quickly disappears. Will the polar bears vanish from the face of Earth due to our changing environment - or because they've eaten each other? Leaving just one lonely polar bear, standing on a street corner somewhere with a sign. It's the cruelest of ironies.