Indigenous People are Fighting to Protect Biodiversity

The places on Earth where one can find the highest level of Biodiversity are those inhabited by indigenous people.

They are the unrecognized "care takers" of the planet.

Watch this eye opening documentary:
http://www.linktv.org/globalspirit/wisdom

Our Seeds

A film that celebrates the Seed Keepers, the farmers that keep and share the source of our biodiverse food, inherited from our ancestors.
Filmed in 11 different countries, with 20 different tribal groups, this film shows the true threats to our health and food quality, with a positive outlook, pointing out possible future scenarios where we can have an active role to play.

Yoga and Politics

I have the urge to talk about politics, about the present situation that we are living in Portugal and I question myself - what does Yoga got to do with politics?

Simple. The path of Yoga is a path on the search for truth, compassion and unity.

Yoga should permeate all aspects of your life, as it is a way of living, much broader than a physical activity.

And you cannot close your eyes when it is clear that politicians tell one thing today in Portugal and another thing tomorrow in the European Union quarters. You cannot ignore when decisions are made behind closed doors, in Portugal and in the European Union, serving the interests of a few major companies with thirst for power and profit without regarding the most basic values of life, like food sovereignty.

On the Portuguese political scenario, I advise you to see the speech of the Leader of the Portuguese Bar Association (Lawyers Official Association) who says "Corruption has spread to all levels of the Portuguese State"

I could only find it in Portuguese, but it would be very important to have an English version.

On the European Union behind doors, I advise you to get informed about the issue of Patents on Animals and Plants.

On the 18th April the European Union intends to approve an European Directive on creating a monopoly of seeds for agriculture - so that the only allowed seeds will be the ones sold by a small number of companies. This Directive puts our biodiversity at stake and the farmers on the hands of these companies.

Why Equality is Better for Everyone

When I read a good book and find in it ideas that should be spread I just cant help it but to share the information.

The book The Spirit Level – Why Equality is Better for Everyone, by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, takes a wide range of social studies in order to assess inequality and its implications in modern societies across the globe.


Am I looking stupid?

“By the standards of any previous society, we have become highly self-conscious, obsessed with how we appear to others, worried that we might come across as unattractive, boring, stupid or whatever, and constantly trying to manage the impressions we make. And the core of our interactions with strangers is our concern at the social judgments and evaluations they might make: how do they rate us, did we give a good account of ourselves? This vulnerability is part of the modern psychological condition and feeds directly into consumerism.” We then by goods that will make a good impression on others.

INEQUALITY INCREASES EVALUATION ANXIETIES

“Instead of accepting each other as equals on the basis of our common humanity as we might in more equal settings, getting the measure of each other becomes more important as status differences widen. We come to see social position as a more important feature of a person´s identity.”
(...) Surveys have found that when choosing a prospective marriage partners, people in more unequal countries put less emphasis on romantic considerations and more on criteria such as financial prospects, status and ambition, than do people is less unequal societies.”

3 DAYS on a TRAIN in INDIA

Festival Andanças 2010

Artigo publicado no Jornal do Andanças

Algum balanço...

Vânia Cunha • 35 anos • Voluntária no Jornal Andanças

Foi o meu primeiro Andanças e posso dizer que foi cansativo e
divertido. O que mais me deliciou foram as pessoas, a comunicação
e afectividade dentro desta comunidade que se junta uma vez por
ano. Mas o Andanças não morre aqui, permeia a vida daqueles que
partilham experiências, danças, vidas, durante esta semana fora da
vida, e tão vivida, que é o Andanças.
Quem acompanha o Andanças há alguns anos conta que há quem
tenha começado na Produção e passado para a Animação com as
crianças, há quem se tenha tornado bailarino e criado uma rede de
contactos que levaram a uma mudança de carreira.
O Andanças não morre aqui.
Ainda hoje uma colega da redacção do jornal me dizia “O que será
da minha vida depois do Andanças?” Não sei, a mudança pode ser
rápida ou ir crescendo dentro de nós.
Nós somos seres que necessitam de constantes trocas com o exterior
e quando estamos em terreno fértil de partilha e afectividade sentimo-nos
florescer e as nossas potencialidades desabrocham.
Comunidade e Individualidade é possível (e necessária) para sermos
felizes. É o individualismo que nos afasta dos outros e de nós mesmos.
O Andanças é uma oportunidade de estarmos a viver lado a lado,
diariamente, durante uma semana. É também uma oportunidade
de pensarmos como podemos viver mais em comunidade no nosso
dia-a-dia, durante o ano. E, por último, uma oportunidade de reflexão
sobre um estilo de vida mais sustentável a nível ambiental, em que
o lixo não tem de ser encarado como tal e pode ser um recurso para
outras criações.
O Andanças reforçou, sem dúvida, a minha opinião de que as
experiências que mais nos marcam são aquelas vividas em
comunidade.

Where is the love?

...
Black Eyed Peas have more meaningful songs than the World Cup one.
Here are the lyrics for my favourite one, pointed out to me by my Yoga teacher.

Where Is The Love?

What's wrong with the world, mama
People livin' like they ain't got no mamas
I think the whole world addicted to the drama
Only attracted to things that'll bring you trauma
Overseas, yeah, we try to stop terrorism
But we still got terrorists here livin'
In the USA, the big CIA
The Bloods and The Crips and the KKK
But if you only have love for your own race
Then you only leave space to discriminate
And to discriminate only generates hate
And when you hate then you're bound to get irate, yeah
Madness is what you demonstrate
And that's exactly how anger works and operates
Man, you gotta have love just to set it straight
Take control of your mind and meditate
Let your soul gravitate to the love, y'all, y'all

People killin', people dyin'
Children hurt and you hear them cryin'
Can you practice what you preach
And would you turn the other cheek

Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love (Love)

It just ain't the same, always unchanged
New days are strange, is the world insane
If love and peace is so strong
Why are there pieces of love that don't belong
Nations droppin' bombs
Chemical gasses fillin' lungs of little ones
With ongoin' sufferin' as the youth die young
So ask yourself is the lovin' really gone
So I could ask myself really what is goin' wrong
In this world that we livin' in people keep on givin'in
Makin' wrong decisions, only visions of them dividends
Not respectin' each other, deny thy brother
A war is goin' on but the reason's undercover
The truth is kept secret, it's swept under the rug
If you never know truth then you never know love
Where's the love, y'all, come on (I don't know)
Where's the love, y'all

I feel the weight of the world on my shoulder
As I'm gettin' older, y'all, people gets colder
Most of us only care about money makin'
Selfishness got us followin' our wrong direction
Wrong information always shown by the media
Negative images is the main criteria
Infecting the young minds faster than bacteria
Kids wanna act like what they see in the cinema
Yo', whatever happened to the values of humanity
Whatever happened to the fairness in equality
Instead of spreading love we're spreading animosity
Lack of understanding, leading lives away from unity
That's the reason why sometimes I'm feelin' under
Gotta keep my faith alive till love is found
Now ask yourself

Where is the love?

Father, Father, Father help us
Send some guidance from above
'Cause people got me, got me questionin'
Where is the love?

Sing wit me y'all:
One world, one world (We only got)

We only got
(One world, one world)
...