Enter email here
We respect your privacy
Emgee Poetry July 2007
On Gaia
If only you could see her and feel her pain
She is totally and unequivocably abused
In intense pain and agony
She is lying on her side in a foetal position
Head resting on a slowly disintegrating, moss-covered rock
Wondering, wondering, wondering…
She used to be fully clothed
She is now half clothed –
hardly any covering, hardly any jewelry
Tears flow from her eyes
Before they were tears of joy
Meandering gently around the globe
Now they are tears of woe , agony imbedded in the tears,
Lots of water rushing and flowing, on the one hand
Glaciers melting, floods accumulating, mountains deforested
On the other, not enough to dissipate drought and desertification
Around her is debris and rubble
The foundation on which she lies slowly
Disintegrating,Disappearing, so Disturbing to grasp that
This is the work of Man
This is how Man treats his Mother
Mother Earth
Kentucky Artist Completes New Environmental Sculpture “The Agony of Gaia”
Kentucky artist Jeff Chapman-Crane has recently completed a new work entitled “The Agony of Gaia”.
Originating from the Greek, “Gaia” is the personification of Mother Earth. Unlike most of his work, which is two-dimensional, this piece is a life-sized, figurative sculpture that depicts Mother Earth suffering the abuse of strip-mining.
Created in response to the devastation brought about by such mining practices as mountaintop removal and valley fills, the sculpture took over 1500 hours to complete, spanning over 16 years in its creation. “I believe the earth is a living thing,” Chapman-Crane states. “I wanted to do a piece that conveyed the torment she must feel when she is abused in this way.”
The sculpture depicts a woman lying on her side in a fetal position, her face covered by hands drawn tight in pain and agony. Her head rests on a moss-covered rock, and her upper body is cloaked with foliage and trees. The tears dripping from her eyes form a mountain stream flowing beneath her. Behind her is a painted panel, permanently attached as a backdrop, depicting distant mountains and a sky gradually changing from clear to very stormy and threatening. Much of her lower body has been stripped of its natural covering, and the bedrock on which she lies has been blasted away, leaving high-walls and mounds of rubble. A fleet of heavy earth-moving machinery is at work exposing coal seams that, when completely mined out, will level the entire mountain, which in essence is Mother Earth.
The head and the hands of the figure are carved in clay, fired to achieve a stone-like hardness. The rest of the sculptural form is constructed of rigid Styrofoam sheets, which the artist chose because they are strong, lightweight, and easily carved.
Extremely realistic in their detail, surface textures were achieved by attaching all natural materials, including moss, sand, rock dust and twigs. The dozers, excavators, and other mining equipment are very detailed 1/87 scale reproductions of Caterpillar and other brand name machinery, weathered by the artist to lend an “on-the-job” look. The effect is so realistic that close-up photographs of the mining activities are hard to distinguish from those of actual mining operations.
Measuring 72” long by 28” wide and standing approximately 48” high, the sculpture is mounted on folding legs with casters. Hinged front and side panels fold up and lock together, and a hinged lid folds over the top, forming a self-contained crate in which to transport the work. It was designed to be very mobile and easily set up for display.
Chapman-Crane has plans to exhibit “The Agony of Gaia” in a variety of venues, including galleries, museums, college campuses and events sponsored by environmental groups working to end such destructive practices as mountaintop removal and valley fills. One such group is Kentuckians For The Commonwealth, a grass-roots, social justice organization to which both the artist and his wife, Sharman, belong.
The sculpture made its public exhibition debut October 8-10, 2004 at the annual meeting of KFTC near Faubush, Kentucky. “The public needs to be made aware of what’s happening here in eastern Kentucky and throughout the Appalachian coalfields,” the artist said. “I hope this sculpture can help inform people about the devastation caused by mountaintop removal. We need to work together to save our mountain and streams while we still can.”
For information about displaying the sculpture
contact Jeff Chapman-Crane at:
2356 Hwy 806, Eolia, KY 40826
e-mail: chapmancrane@peoplepc.com phone:
606-633-8652
Thank you! Because of your hard work, millions of personal commitments have been made via the Web and SMS in 178 countries and 35 territories around the world. And our concert was not limited to 7 venues, but instead took place at parties and events in more than 10,000 homes and communities.
A decade from now, when people look back on Live Earth, what they will remember isn't what happened during the show -- instead my hope is they remember what happened after. More than 2 billion of us joined together on 7.7.07 and with one voice demanded an end to the climate crisis. We now have the responsibility to carry this movement forward and force our leaders to take action.
We need to take the first step today and make sure every single person possible joins us. That's why, right now, I need you to email five of your friends. Ask them to sign the Live Earth Pledge by visiting:
www.liveearthpledge.org
All of the actions we take from here on out to solve the climate crisis will be based on a simple premise: our home, Earth, is in danger. We don't risk destroying the planet, but instead risk making it inhospitable for human beings.
We have put so much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere that we have changed the heat balance between Earth and the Sun. And if we don't stop soon, the average temperature will increase to levels that will end the favorable climate balance on which our civilization depends.
The world must come together and direct our governments to take on a global challenge. Our leadership is a precondition for success.
We need to demonstrate that we have reached the tipping point where political will demands our representatives take action to solve the climate crisis. That's why it's so vital that millions of people sign the Live Earth Pledge.
Ask five of your friends to sign the Live Earth pledge today by visiting:
www.liveearthpledge.org
The climate crisis offers us the chance to experience what few generations in history have had the privilege of experiencing: a mission; a compelling moral purpose; a shared cause; and the thrill of being forced by circumstances to put aside the pettiness and conflict of politics and to embrace a genuine moral and spiritual challenge.
Please email five of your friends right now. Ask them to join us in this cause and sign the Live Earth Pledge today by visiting:
www.liveearthpledge.org
Our work begins now.
Thank you,
Al Gore
| |||||||||||||||
Get information about Moringa here also
There are 13 species known, of which Moringa oleifera is particularly easy to reproduce and its growth is very fast.
What is interesting to note is that every part of the tree is used and useful, to humans, to animals and to the environment:
- Oil extracted from the seeds is an excellent edible vegetable oil and is also useful within the cosmetics industry (Clarins cosmetics for one)
- Moringa is also an important food source in many countries. In India, Moringapods are widely consumed and plantations exist to produce pods for export, fresh and tinned, to overseas consumers. In West Africa, Moringa oleiferaleaves are commonly used to make sauces. Moringa stenopetala leaves are the staple food of the Konso people in Ethiopia. Studies have shown the leaves to be an excellent source of vitamins, minerals and protein: perhaps more than any other tropical vegetable. Many programs use Moringa leaves to fight against malnutrition and its associated diseases (blindness etc.).
Research shows that the leaves are full of nutritious content - for example, gram for gram, moringa leaves are an excellent source of calcium,vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium, and protein. In some Asian coutries (Japan for example) lactating mothers are advised to consume soup with malunggay (moringa olifeira) leaves to produce more milk that is rich in calcium.
Its economic impact could be huge in the areas where the tree is found (Africa, Asia, the Americas) as it contains polyelectrolytes which are highly effective in water treatment and produces a biodegradable flocculent unlike aluminum sulphate, currently used in water treatment plants and biofuel production infrastructure. The application phase is beginning,
In addition many not for profit and small-scale businesses are selling and promoting the use of moringa. Some say that moringa products have helped many people start their own farms to generate income in countries like Mexico, Thailand, Paraguay and Argentina, producing not only income but nutritional support for families.These businesses think of themselves as a community service organization as well as a small business.
Thus, a tree helping people nutritionally, financially, economically; a tree, hardy enough to sustain drought challenges and help to preserve and protect the environment; Moringa is a tree that most importantly, every school child should know and learn about ; a tree which should be among the plants/pharmacopeia in every school garden; a tree which should be the choice tree in tree-planting activities globally.
Moringa could provide some of the fuel needed for achievement/attainment of the MDGs - specifically Goals 1, 3, 6,7, 8
Tanzania will soon become the first African member of the Global Bio-Energy Partnership (GBEP), a partnership of nations whose purpose it is to promote the use and production of bioenergy, with a particular emphasis on underdeveloped countries, among other member states (10) including Britain, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia and the United States, and several international institutions, such as the U.N. Foundation, FAO, UNEP and the World Council for Renewable Energy.
Tanzania has already invested tremendous resources into building a large biofuel production infrastructure: plantations of oil-producing crops such as jatropha,moringa and neem have been popping up all around the country. According to Ntagazwa, the seeds could form the basis of a steady supply of cheap, efficient biofuels, that could eventually be marketed to other countries.
Etc - For more information go to http://muriellascorneronmoringa