31 May 2013

Dr. Dean: Transcendental Meditation In Education

The alarming rise of classroom stress fuels widespread problems in education, including poor academic achievement, anxiety, depression, school violence, and teacher burnout. To help neutralize this stress, many schools are establishing a “Quiet Time” period at the start and end of each school day, two 10 to 15 minute sessions when students sit quietly to rest and/or read silently. Increasingly, schools are offering their students and teachers the opportunity to learn and practice during these Quiet-Time periods the Transcendental Meditation program of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a simple, scientifically proven, nonreligious technique for reducing stress, improving health, and developing an individual’s full creative potential. Extensive published research in education has shown that this program strengthens physiological and cognitive foundations of learning, while promoting healthy lifestyle choices and positive behavior.

Website: Stress Free Schools



TM & ADHD

30 May 2013

Marijuna - Cannabis - Hemp: The Trillion Dollar Plant

The Union

The basic point of this documentary is to present the facts about Marijuana. It focuses less on the BC market and more on the reasons why marijuana should be viewed in the same light as alcohol and tobacco. It argues for the legalization of marijuana. The argument is compelling and factual with many legitimate sources.



Grass: The History of Marijuna

This film explores the history of the American government's official policy on marijuana in the 20th century. Rising with xenophobia with Mexican immigration and their taste for smoking marijuana, we see the establishment of a wrong headed federal drug policy as a crime issue as opposed to a public health approach. Fueled by prejudice, hysterical propaganda and political opportunism undeterred by voices of reason on the subject, we follow the story of a costly and futile crusade against a substance with debatable ill effects that has damaged basic civil liberties.



The Trillion Dollar Plant



See also: When We Grow & Leaf: The Power of Medicinal Cannabis







29 May 2013

Seeds Of Death

Understanding the deception behind GMO's.

The leaders of Big Agriculture (Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta,...) are determined that world's populations remain ignorant about the serious health and environmental risks of genetically modified crops and industrial agriculture. Deep layers of deception and corruption underlie both the science favoring GMOs and the corporations and governments supporting them.
This award-winning documentary, Seeds of Death, exposes the lies about GMOs and pulls back the curtains to witness our planet's future if Big Agriculture's new green revolution becomes our dominant food supply.

A question and answer fact sheet deconstructing Monsanto's GM claims and Big Agriculture's propaganda to accompany the film is available online: Seeds of Death
See also: The World According to Monsanto & A Silent Forest


26 May 2013

Money & Life (Trailer + Full Film)

"The struggles that destroy this world will continue if we don't find appropriate ways to deal with money."
Money & Life is a passionate and inspirational essay-style documentary that asks a provocative question: can we see the economic crisis not as a disaster, but as a tremendous opportunity? This cinematic odyssey connects the dots on our current economic pains and offers a new story of money based on an emerging paradigm of planetary well-being that understands all of life as profoundly interconnected.
This cinematic odyssey takes us on a journey, from the origins of money to connecting the systemic dots on the current global financial crisis and how we got here. Most importantly, Money & Life says that we owe it to ourselves to understand the fundamentals of this technology called money in order to be effective participants in the economic transformation that is happening around us, a shift more rapid and as profound as the Industrial Revolution.
The film is a tapestry of beautifully shot expert interviews woven with compelling vignettes of individuals and businesses consciously transforming their relationship with money. Together with dynamic animation, an original music score and an elegant voice of narration, the film tells a new story of money, but more broadly it tells a new story of humanity. Money & Life aspires to be a part of bringing a new consciousness to our understanding and practices in the world of money, bringing a touch of humor and a lot of heart to a matter that concerns us all.
An optimistic film steeped in appreciation for human ingenuity, Money & Life does not dictate answers. It is a respectful invitation to consider questions critical to all our well-being: How can we move beyond being merely consumers, debtors and creditors, and put money in service to what we really care about as citizens, as human beings? Can we design a monetary circulation system that fosters democratic equality? What responsibilities should a corporate charter convey? What does it really mean to make a living? The film itself demonstrates how to approach these questions with both clarity and compassion. Money & Life empowers each of us to respond to the fundamental issues of our time and participate in the emerging new economy.

Trailer



We are offering Money & Life to the world in spirit of the Gift. With the Creative Commons license we are effectively decriminalizing and inviting sharing of the film. By streaming the film online at no cost we are removing the financial barrier to access. Because the most important thing is that the film enter the flow of peer-to-peer sharing and discourse.
Instead of setting a price and transacting before you've seen the film, we are turning the tables and allowing you to experience the film and gift back according to your values, your means, and the quality of how the film may have gifted you.
Substantial resources went into the high quality production of this film and the creators are hoping to recoup some of these expenses. Additionally, donations will go towards supporting the film's continued outreach and distribution. If the film was of value to you, please pass it on to friends, family and colleagues and consider gifting back!

Full Film

25 May 2013

My Last Days: Meet Zach Sobiech

"Every teenager believes they are invincible," said Zach Sobiech. "It's not the kind of invincible like Superman; it's the kind of invincible like, 'I'll see you in five months.'" Zach didn't have five months. He died of cancer on 20 May 2013, shortly after his 18th birthday.
This film gives us a glimpse of Zack's indomitable spirit, enormous capacity for love, and quiet courage as he approached the end of his life -- and the profound impact of his empathy and grace on those he was about to leave behind.

24 May 2013

New Earth Destiny

An Anastasia inspired grassroots documentary film by Mikael King & Igor Revenko.
As ocean waters continue to rise, natural resources continue to dry up, GMO seed issues continue to distract, and the technocratic ego-mind based world continues to crumble; millions of awakening humans are now co-creating empowered spaces of love as the sole answer to the world's problems. Be inspired by the ringing cedar ecovillage movement which started in Russia and is now expanding into all countries throughout the globe. Follow film co-creators Mikael King & Igor Revenko on a synchronized journey into the heart of Russia where they discover ecovillage Kin Domains, Siberia ringing cedar trees, ancient Black Sea dolmen pyramids, and culminate the incredible journey with a week long immersion into the awe-inspiring lyceum children's school.

Read the books: Ringing Cedars Series

21 May 2013

Yogi's Of Tibet

For the first time, the reclusive and secretive Tibetan monks agree to discuss aspects of their philosophy and allow themselves to be filmed while performing their ancient practices.

19 May 2013

Midway (trailer)

The Midway film project is a powerful visual journey into the heart of an astonishingly symbolic environmental tragedy. On one of the remotest islands on our planet, tens of thousands of baby albatrosses lie dead on the ground, their bodies filled with plastic from the Pacific Garbage Patch. Returning to the island over several years, our team is witnessing the cycles of life and death of these birds as a multi-layered metaphor for our times. With photographer Chris Jordan as our guide, we walk through the fire of horror and grief, facing the immensity of this tragedy—and our own complicity—head on. And in this process, we find an unexpected route to a transformational experience of beauty, acceptance, and understanding.

18 May 2013

Triathlon Kids: Together For The Long Run

Conner Long is a child triathalete, racing in his hometown of Nashville, Tennessee. But he never races alone. He and his younger brother, Cayden, form an inseparable team. Together, they show the beauty of transcending individual achievement, the profound value of companionship, and the many ways in which doing is more important than winning.

17 May 2013

David Hamilton: Your Mind Can Heal Your Body

Dr David Hamilton discussing how kindness makes us happy and benefits the heart through the effects of the hormone oxytocin. After completing his PhD, David worked for four years in the pharmaceutical industry developing drugs for cardiovascular disease and cancer. During this time he also served as an athletics coach and manager of one of the UK's largest athletics clubs, leading them to three successive UK finals. Upon leaving the pharmaceutical industry, David co-founded the international relief charity Spirit Aid Foundation and served as a director for two years. He is now a bestselling author of seven books published by Hay House and also writes a regular blog for the Huffington Post.



Positivity and the act of kindness is proven to lower blood pressure, stress and improve a sense of well-being via the parasympathetic nervous system (in particular, the vagus nerve). Dr. David Hamilton explains in simple terms how people tackle serious conditions, like cancer, with their minds and explains the science of why it works.



“A good laugh and a long sleep are two best cures for anything.” ~ Irish Proverb

16 May 2013

Free To Learn

Free to Learn is a documentary that offers a perspective of the daily happenings at The Free School in Albany, New York. Like many of today’s radical and democratic schools, The Free School expects children to decide for themselves how to spend their days. The Free School, however, is unique in that it transcends obstacles that prevent similar schools from reaching a economically and racially diverse range of students and operates in the heart of a city. For over thirty years in perhaps the most radical experiment in American education, this small inner-city alternative school has offered its students complete freedom over their learning. There are no mandatory classes, no grades, tests, or homework, and rules are generally avoided. As a last resort, rules are created democratically by students and teachers, often at the prompting of a student.

15 May 2013

Wonders Of Life (BBC 2013)

Professor Brian Cox explores the globe to reveal how a few fundamental laws of science gave birth to the most complex and unique feature of the universe - life.

Episode 1: What Is Life?



Episode 2: Expanding Universe



Episode 3: Endless Forms Most Beautiful



Episode 4: Size Matters



Episode 5: Home


13 May 2013

Quest For The Lost Civilization

In this set of three videotapes, writer Graham Hancock traverses the world and explains his controversial theory that an ancient civilization, highly intelligent people who sailed the planet as early as 10,500 B.C., spread advanced astronomical knowledge and built ancient observatories.
Skeptics may scoff, but Hancock earnestly points out similarities in giant stone structures in the Egyptian desert and Cambodian jungles, and on Easter Island and in Micronesia, he points out what he considers evidence of an ancient society of seafarers. His ideas may seem utterly bizarre at first, but Hancock presents them in an understated and good-natured manner, and he also makes clever use of computer graphics and aerial photography to illustrate the startling similarities in ancient structures found from the North Atlantic to the South Pacific.
Hancock raises some puzzling questions, and even if you don't buy his arguments, bolstered though they are by mathematical equations and astronomical diagrams, the Quest for the Lost Civilization is an entertaining mixture of archaeology, astronomy, and speculation.

12 May 2013

The Many Uses Of Hemp

This video takes you on a quick tour of the many uses of hemp and offers a little bit of history. The first drafts of the American Declaration of Independence were written on hemp paper. It was eventually banned in the US not because of any potential that it could be abused as a drug, because commercially grown hemp does not have THC as marijuana does but because it's a major threat to corporations.
We are familiar with hemp used in textiles, but did you know it is also being used to manufacture bricks and building materials like chipboard? And fuel...and plastic? And it makes a great nutritional supplement? Did you know hemp makes up to 4 times as much pulp as trees for paper production? There are thousands of uses for hemp and the time has come for the U.S. government to legalize the growing of hemp so that we may benefit economically from this truly amazing plant.

See also:

11 May 2013

Geoff Lawton: Permaculture Pioneer & Designer

Food forests are at the heart of Permaculture and fast becoming a hot topic in many areas of debate as people realise the their full potential. Let's face it, with our all consuming global problems, there aren't many natural solutions out there that can halt & reverse deforestation, stabilise the climate by returning carbon to the soil where it belongs, solve poverty & extreme hunger all in one hit are there?
Yet this is exactly what the food forest is capable of, and provided people understand it and are at the centre of the system, they can go on living off that land forever. Here is a video of Geoff Lawton showing a series of food forests that have been planted at Zaytuna farm over successive years.



Survival Food Forest With Chickens



Urban Permaculture

Many of you have been asking what Permaculture can do for you in the small Urban space? Well, one of my students, Angelo, has transformed his tiny Melbourne backyard into an amazing productive garden and documented every detail over the last 4 years. Find out how much food you could grow in the Micro space when you apply Permaculture design creatively. You will be amazed.



See also: Urban Permaculture At Its Best

10 May 2013

Agafia's Taiga Life

In 1936, a family of Russian Old Believers journeyed deep into Siberia’s vast taiga to escape persecution and protect their way of life. The Lykovs eventually settled in the Sayan Mountains.
Two children were born during the isolation. They ended up in a dwelling in the taiga, in the Abakan river basin (Khakassia), 250 kilometres from any settlement.
In 1978 their location was discovered by a helicopter pilot, who was flying a geological group into the region. The geologists got in contact with the family, but the Lykovs decided not to leave the place. Karp’s wife Akulina died of hunger in 1961. Three of his children died in 1981. Karp died in 1988. He is survived by his daughter Agafia Lykova who continues to live in isolation in her Abakan fastness. Today, she is the last surviving Lykov, remaining steadfast in her seclusion. VICE crew travels to Agafia to learn about her taiga lifestyle and the encroaching influence of the outside world.



9 May 2013

Visions Of A Sustainable World

A short film of voices from India, South Africa, Bangladesh and Ethiopia, giving their answers to the question 'What is your vision of a sustainable world?'

8 May 2013

The Majestic Plastic Bag

Follow the poignant migration of a plastic bag as it travels from the parking lot of a supermarket, through the urban landscape, to the sea. If it can avoid predators and earthly ensnarement, it will 'join a billion other petroleum species' in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and live joyfully in perpetuity.

7 May 2013

Money And Life

Can we see the economic crisis not as a disaster, but as a tremendous opportunity? Centered around this provocative inquiry, Money and Life is a feature length film that offers a new story of money based on an emerging paradigm of planetary well-being that understands all of life as profoundly interconnected. This cinematic odyssey takes us on a journey, from the origins of money to connecting the systemic dots on the current global financial crisis and how we got here. It is a tapestry of beautifully shot expert interviews woven with compelling vignettes of individuals and businesses consciously transforming their relationship with money. Together with dynamic animation, an original music score and an elegant voice of narration, the film tells a new story of money, but more broadly it tells a new story of humanity with a touch of humor and a lot of heart.

4 May 2013

101 Reasons To Go Vegan

This is a great video presentation by James Wildman of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida addressing the process related to the creation of 90 – 95% of our dietary animal products. It examines the stories we have been told our whole lives about food that aren’t necessarily true. Sometimes when we are told something long enough, we begin to believe it and make it a part of our lives so heavily that we are not able to see the other side of the coin anymore.



Meet Your Meat

Meet Your Meat is a documentary about factory farming created by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), narrated by Alec Baldwin, and directed by Bruce Friedrich and Cem Akin. The documentary explores the treatment of animals in modern animal agriculture (also known as industrial agriculture or factory farming).

WARNING! Viewer discretion advised. This video contains scenes of extreme violence that some viewers may find disturbing.

3 May 2013

O.U.R. Ecovillage (Canada)

O.U.R. Ecovillage in British Columbia is aiming to create a self-sustaining community where they live in balance with the land, the animals and the environment. This is likely the most well developed eco community in Canada and is used as a model for similar sites all over the world.

Website: O.U.R. Ecovillage



From their Zero Mile Meal Eatery to zoning and financing innovations, O.U.R. Ecovillage in BC, Canada has paved the way for many communities worldwide. For co-founder Brandy Gallagher, the story on the planet right now could be a shared ethos of caring: "Everyone is fed. Everyone is taken care of." Asserting that "No is just an uneducated Yes," Brandy shows how a village mindset can transform individuals, preserve land, reduce resource use, apply permaculture principles, change laws, and even the way money works.



O.U.R. stands for "One United Resource," expressing how interdependence and inclusion undergird this 25 acre demonstration sustainable community on Vancouver Island. This model ecovillage comprises natural buildings, a school, long- and short-term residences, extensive gardens, greenhouses, and even a bed & breakfast. Brandy Gallagher MacPherson describes how they created an entirely new zoning category by building relationships with regulatory agencies that go beyond "us versus them".

2 May 2013

The American Dream

A simple animated explanation of how the private Federal Reserve steals your money and why it must be stopped...

1 May 2013

Let's Talk About Soil

This animated film tells the reality of soil resources around the world, covering the issues of degradation, urbanization, land grabbing and overexploitation; the film offers options to make the way we manage our soils more sustainable.