Say No to the Keystone XL Pipeline

There is so much to be said about the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline, but at the end of the day it comes down to the idea of justice.  Justice, because the companies that stand to profit from the project are destroying our climate and that of our children in the process.  Fast Company just posted an article that listed the Alberta Tar Sands as one of the 14 Carbon Bomb projects, that if exploited, would lead to disastrous long-term temperature increases.  Even the Dalai Lama and Nobel Peace Laureates are against this thing.

Yes, we use oil everyday. But stopping the Keystone XL is a crucial first step to creating a safe future for all of us.  It will send a strong signal to oil, coal, and gas companies around the world that people are pissed off at their reckless strong-arming of our energy policy and are prepared to take true action that will cure us of our fossil fuel addiction.  We are already capable of doing this through existing renewable energy technologies and smart energy efficiency policies.  And if it's jobs you're worried about - research from Cornell shows that the project would "kill more jobs than it creates by reducing investment in the clean energy economy."

On Sunday thousands of people will convene on Washington D.C. for the largest climate rally in this nation’s history.  I’m going, because this is one of those moments where we, as everyday citizens, have power.  By showing up in massive numbers, the media will take notice and that will give Obama and the State Department license to reject the pipeline.  This could actually work, people.

The Sierra Club is arranging for free buses and cars to take people from all over the country.  You should consider going. You won’t be alone.

Here are some tunes that try to put this exciting moment in history into perspective.  I imagine masses of people of all ages marching around the White House in slow motion, with no sound, but this music.  Then there would be cuts to shots of tar sands extraction and oil executives watching the protest on the news.

These are two runner's up:

Jeff Tweedy - The Ruling Class

The Cure - Faith (Tienanman Square Version)

And here are some reliable links that will explain the situation:

• The Keystone XL Project in a 4 minute video (NRDC)
• Project facts via the National Resources Defense Council
• Tar Sands and the Carbon Numbers (NYTimes)
• Is it worth it? (Patagonia)
• Why are tar sands worse than regular oil? [video] (Josh Fox, Academy Award Nominated Director of Gasland).
• "When This Oil Spills, It's a Whole New Monster" [stream] (NPR)
• Game Over for the Climate (James Hansen of NASA via NYTimes)
• Video from last year's XL protest - 10,000 strong (DemocracyNow)

Coverage of previous pipeline oil spills:

• Michigan
• Yellowstone River, Montana

image: NYTimes

Happy Friday - Dub

 

Some laid back dub to get you acquainted with the heat.  Wash these down with a Red Stripe.

Im & David - Wish Bone (Funky Reggae LP, )

Brethren/Tapper Zukie - Rub a Dub a Weh Them Want (Trojan Dub Rarities Box, )

Love the tone and mood from these horns.

Augustus Pablo - Fat Girl Jean (Trojan Dub Rarities Box, )

Sepalcure - Your Love (Fleur EP, )

Breezy and creative buildups from Brooklyn.

Monster Rally - Rainbow Rd. (Coral, )

Super catchy loop.  Had to include it's video by Green Crate Films below.  It's a great example of what lo-fi can do for a soundtrack.  It takes a completely different, almost comedic take on an intense scene.  His albums are up on his bandcamp page for pay what you want.

Have a good weekend.

1

Earth Day Playlist

via panopticamx

Spring!
Keep it light. Keep it hopeful. 

It's Earth Day. 

By all means go outside and do somersaults.  This playlist was meant for just that.  

 If you have a second, read something - here and here to make sure you stay in the know. 
Ride a bike.
Support your local CSA or Farmers Market.
Make a Meatless Monday plan.
Donate one dollar.
Write a letter.

But like I said, do some somersaults too.

1. Windsor for a Derby - Melody of a Fallen Tree (We Fight Til Death, 2004)
2. Tycho - Costal Brake (Coastal Brake 12", 2010)
    Pay attention. Everything Scott Hansen touches turns to gold.
3. Fat Freddy's Drop - Roady (Based on a True Story, 2006)                                                                      Fat Freddy's Drop is a New Zealand powerhouse of soul, reggae, dub... you name it.
4. The Dining Rooms - Cosi Ti Amo (Numero Deaux, 2009)                                                                      You know those movies where the little league players aren't working together, but you know they have so much heart and could be great if they just played naturally?  Then there's an inspiring speech by the unlikely leader of the group and all of a sudden there's a montage where they're catching fly balls, hitting homers and laughing while leaving the field... yeah this is the song for that scene.
5. Benoit & Sergio - Boy Trouble (Boy Trouble 12", 2011)                                                                      Really more of a summer jam, but maybe if you start playing it enough now, by mid-summer it will be the jam.  For open air parties where your friend of a friend brings his fog machine so you're worried about the cops, but it ends up being a great night.
6. Lemonjelly - The Staunton Lick (Lemonjelly.KY, 2000)                                                                 Lemonjelly gets trashed on, but this is just so feel good I couldn't resist.
7. Bibio - K is for Kelson (Mind Bokeh, 2011)                                                                                               As noted before.
8. Paul Simon - Rewrite (So Beautiful or So What?, 2011)                                                                      Paul Simon's new album came out this month.  This song is so clever that it was published in the New Yorker.
9. Air - Ce Matin La (Moon Safari, 1998)                                                                                              Classic.
10. Sugar Minott - Oh Mr. DC (Oh Mr. DC, 1978)                                                                                      Some ace Studio One reggae to finish it out. 

"What they like is they look outside and see the forest."

Bike racks at Colorado State University

The New York Times recently did a piece on how green infrastructure projects in three famous liberal havens are facing extinction due to their own disgruntled population.  For one reason or another these hipster havens feel infrastructure essential to a more sustainable community are meant to be stuck somewhere else.  Of course none of us are wired to accept change with open arms, but if the well-educated and wealthy middle class cannot agree on implementing a good thing (i.e. wind power) then we have a problem.

   How can we possibly expect booming developing nations like India to limit their resource consumption if those of us who know we should do the same.... don't?


Fat Freddy's providing the conscious roots.  Turn the bass up.