Sunday, June 12, 2011

Energy (and Other) Events - June 12, 2011

Energy (and Other) Events is a weekly mailing list published most Sundays covering events around the Cambridge, MA and greater Boston area that catch the editor's eye.

Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com is the web version.

If you wish to subscribe or unsubscribe to Energy (and Other) Events email gmoke@world.std.com

My notes from three recent presentations on the Arab Spring are at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/05/13/975618/-Notes-on-the-Arab-Spring

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Monday, June 13, 2011

300 of the world's best design theses on view at SA+P: Archiprix

Time: 9:00a–8:00p

Location: MIT 7-431, On the 4th floor above Lobby 7, at 77 Massachussets Avenue

A major exhibit on view throughout the summer at the School of Architecture + Planning is presenting 300 of the world's best thesis projects in architecture, urban design and landscape architecture.

Sponsored by Archiprix International, the biennial exhibit is the largest such presentation in the world -- more than 1,400 universities were invited to nominate their best graduating students -- and offers a rare opportunity for assessing current trends in design education around the world and architecture in general.

Hosted by SA+P's Platform for Permanent Modernity, a research program in the Department of Architecture, the exhibit opened May 30 as part of a two-week international event that also features intensive six-day workshops for about 100 of the students represented in the show, conducted at MIT by prominent designers from leading architecture schools in the United States.

Web site: http://www.archiprix.org/2011/
Open to: the general public
This event occurs daily through August 31, 2011, except May 30, 2011 and June 6, 2011.
Sponsor(s): School of Architecture and Planning, Arts at MIT

For more information, contact:
Alexander D'Hooghe
617 308 7386
adhooghe@mit.edu
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Monday, 6/13/11
1 pm
Brandeis, Lemberg 55
Special Seminar (Justice Brandeis Semester on Mobile Apps and Game Design)
Stephen Randall (founder/CEO of Locamoda.com)
Mobile Games on Public Screens and other Innovations
Hosted by Pito Salas

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Ethnographies of Access, Ownership, and Collaboration in the Virtual Museum
Kate Hennessy, Assistant Professor, Simon Fraser University, School of Interactive Arts and Technology
Tuesday, June 14, 12:30 pm
Berkman Center, 23 Everett Street, second floor
RSVP required for those attending in person to Amar Ashar (ashar@cyber.law.harvard.edu)
This event will be webcast live (http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/interactive/webcast) at 12:30 pm ET and archived on our site shortly after.

Museums and academic institutions are rapidly digitizing their ethnographic collections to make them accessible to the public and to communities from which they originated. These practices both amplify the public nature of institutional collections, and create opportunities for re-thinking how collections should be shared online. In (post) colonial contexts, the virtual museum is a productive location of Aboriginal self-representation, where global heritage policies and institutional practices interface with Aboriginal paradigms of knowledge circulation, ethics, and control. Based on collaboratively designed virtual museum projects with Dane-zaa and Inuvialuit communities in Canada, I show that access to digital collections can both facilitate the reclaiming of intellectual property rights and copyright of cultural heritage––including the right to restrict circulation of cultural property––and support the design of archives and virtual exhibits on Aboriginal terms. These projects highlight Aboriginal remediation of digital collections as alternative modes of thinking about the design and activation of networked technologies in diverse cultural and institutional contexts.

About Kate

Kate Hennessy is an Assistant Professor specializing in Media at Simon Fraser University’s School of Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT). She has a PhD in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia and an MA in the Anthropology of Media from the University of London, School of Oriental and African Studies. As the director of the Making Culture Lab at SIAT, her research explores the role of digital technology in the documentation and safeguarding of cultural heritage, and in the mediation of culture, history, objects, and subjects in new forms. She is a founding member of Ethnographic Terminalia, an international collective exploring the borders of anthropological, curatorial, and artistic practice (http://ethnographicterminalia.org). She was a Trudeau Foundation Scholar from 2006-2010, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Graduate Scholar from 2005-2009, a Canadian Polar Commission Scholar in 2006-2007, and a Commonwealth Scholar in 2001-2002.
Website: http://hennessy.iat.sfu.ca


Links
• http://www.siat.sfu.ca/faculty/Kate-Hennessy/
• Kate Hennessy’s dissertation Repatriation, Digital Technology and Culture in a Northern Athapaskan Community(2010) is available at: https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/27055

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Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Clean Energy Innovation Reception

Speaker: Governor Jennifer Granholm

Time: 5:30p–7:30p

Location: MIT E14-674, Media Lab, 6th Floor, Corner of Ames and Amherst

Join local academic, industry, and government leaders in clean energy technology and innovation to meet and discuss clean energy opportunities for Massachusetts
with the Honorable Jennifer M. Granholm, Former Governor of Michigan from 2002-2010

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, who recently joined The Pew Charitable Trusts? Clean Energy Program, is travelling to Massachusetts to promote the importance of clean energy innovation and favorable public policy as an engine to grow our state and national economies and create jobs. Governor Granholm brings first-hand experience to the national discussion. During her two terms as governor, she worked to revitalize one of the country?s most challenged state economies, partly through attracting clean energy jobs and businesses to Michigan. The Governor looks forward to the opportunity to engage in an open dialogue about how we can grow our clean energy economy in Massachusetts and encourage research, development, and innovation.

This is a free event. Please RSVP to: laurie@1620associates.com or 508-479-8034
Web site: http://globalchange.mit.edu/news/event-item.php?id=411
Open to: the general public
Cost: Free
Sponsor(s): Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change, MIT Energy Initiative, Pew Charitable Trusts
For more information, contact:
Laurie Curtis
508-479-8034
laurie@1620associates.com
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Make Your Ideas a Reality: Creating Mobile Games with Max, Maya & Unity
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 from 6:00 PM - 10:00 PM (ET)
Boston, MA

Event Details
Join us for a great evening on Tuesday, June 14th at Bunker Hill Community College.
Carl Callewaert, Unity Evangelist and developer of Autodesk’s game creation curriculum for Maya, Max and Unity, will present the most productive workflow for Maya and Max with Unity. After an in-depth look at Unity, Carl will demo how to make a game and build it for the web, iOS and Android platforms.
Defective Studios will be in the house, presenting their Unity-based world-builder, Platformer, working with their Maya plug-in for full modeling of terrain, and the ease in which it lets you move back and forth between Maya and Unity.
There will be some refreshments and networking during check-in, from 6 - 6:30.
This is a free event, sponsored by Great Eastern Technology.
Register at http://greateasternunity.eventbrite.com/

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Tuesday, June 14

Evening Schedule:
6:30-7
Networking & Socializing over Tea, Coffee, Drinks, Food; Joining BostonCHI
7-8:30
Meeting
8:30-9
Dessert! ... And more Networking & Socializing

Play Control

Matt Boch, Harmonix Music

IBM Center for Social Software

1 Rogers Street
Cambridge, MA

Please register at http://www.eventbrite.com/event/800885470/eorg if you plan to attend. While not required, it helps us and our hosts estimate how much seating and refreshments to provide. All BostonCHI meetings are free and open to the public, although we'd appreciate it if you joined. Annual membership is only $15 / year and helps support our great speaker series.

Abstract:

Over the past few years of console gaming we've witnessed a rise in unique input/output devices. Generic controllers have given way to an incredible diversity: motion wands, voice based interfaces, camera-based controllers, touch screens, plastic instruments and even real guitars. What are the various affordances of these new peripherals and how have designers utilized them to create revolutionary gameplay experiences? What parallels can be drawn to similar historic moments in gaming? This presentation will explore the history of console game controllers, from Atari joysticks to Kinect for Xbox360, and, through case studies of specific games, offer key insights into how peripheral design has shaped gameplay over the past four decades.

Bio:

Matt Boch is currently Senior Designer at Harmonix Music Systems, guiding the direction of some of Harmonix's premier titles. Matt began at Harmonix four years ago, with a Visual and Environmental Studies degree from Harvard University. From 2007-2010, he worked as a hardware designer, developing the look and feel of Rock Band's iconic set of instruments. Matt transitioned to the game design world when Harmonix began work on Dance Central, where he was able to utilize his love for both music and dance. In his spare time, Matt is the lead singer for the Main Drag, a VJ and video artist, and makes video game remixes through his music project, AniGif.

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Dorkbot Boston will have it’s monthly meeting next week on Tuesday,June 14th.

The special guest speaker will be good friend Alex Reben. He’ll discuss the robot he built that explores the experience of individual human beings as they interact with artificial intelligence.

7:30 p.m. at Sprout in Somerville. Directions: http://thesprouts.org/studios

Bring snacks and refreshments! See you there!

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Attend the Energy Efficiency Forum Online at the Virtual Energy Forum

Johnson Controls and the United States Energy Associations are proud to sponsor the 22nd Annual Energy Efficiency Forum, taking place on June 15th - 16th at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.

We are also happy to announce that the Virtual Energy Forum will webcast the Energy Efficiency Forum live on Thursday, June 16th.

Register at http://www.virtualenergyforum2008.com/en_CA/br/johnsoncontrols/refcode=Newsletter

This year’s Energy Efficiency Forum theme is
The Smart Path to Energy Security and Economic Growth.
Initial confirmed speakers include:
• The Honorable Ray Mabus, U.S. Secretary of the Navy
• The Honorable Jeff Bingaman, U.S. Senator (NM)
• Charles Holliday, Jr., Chairman, Bank of America
• The Honorable Charles F. Bass, U.S. Representative (NH)
• The Honorable Gary Doer, Canadian Ambassador to the United States
• Jonathan Lash, President, World Resources Institute
• Terry Yosie, President & CEO, World Environment Center
Panel Topics:
• EPA National Building Competition Winners
• The Near-term Prospects for Vehicle Electrification – Hype,
Reality, or Both?
Launching of the Energy Efficiency Indicator

At this year’s Forum, global results from a major survey on energy efficiency will be released. The Energy Efficiency Indicator includes 4,000 respondents across Europe, North America, China and India.

New to the Virtual Energy Forum?
Register for the free webcast here: http://www.virtualenergyforum2008.com/en_CA/br/johnsoncontrols/refcode=Newsletter
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Harvard/Cambridge Walk for Peace
WHEN Wed., June 15, 2011, 12 – 12:20 p.m.
WHERE John Harvard Statue
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Ethics, Social Sciences, Special Events, Support/Social, Working@Harvard
NOTE Nearly 10 years of war. Thousands of American lives, hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghani lives, trillions of dollars. Come remember, mourn, and protest.
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JOIN US FOR A SCREENING OF TRUCK FARM!

PRESENTED BY: Boston University’s Gastronomy Program
DATE: Wednesday, June 15, 2011
TIME: 5:30pm
LOCATION: Room 313, College of Arts & Sciences,
725 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston

Admission is free! Visit the Urban Agriculture course blog (www.gastronomesgarden.wordpress.com) for more information about our Urban Ag class
or contact Dr. Rachel Black at rblack@bu.edu
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Science in the News Spring Lectures — The War on Cancer: Where We Are in the Battle, and Why We Haven’t Won

WHEN Wed., June 15, 2011, 7 – 9 p.m.
WHERE Pfizer Lecture Hall, Department of Chemistry, 12 Oxford Street, Cambridge
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Lecture, Science
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR Harvard Science in the News
COST Free
NOTE Join Science in the News for a series of provocative and fascinating talks! Science in the News is a graduate student organization dedicated to science outreach for the general public. Speakers for our lecture series are graduate students who are working directly with the topics. This talk will review the history of cancer and our current progress in fighting it.
LINK http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu
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Forum for Communities Impacted by Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station
Wednesday, June 15, 7:30-10pm
Duxbury Senior Center, 10 Mayflower Street, Duxbury
Hosted by the Town of Duxbury Nuclear Advisory Committee and Duxbury Emergency Management Agency in response to concerns arising from the ongoing disaster at Pilgrim's sister reactors in Fukushima Japan

If you know little about nuclear power or the potential threats we face as a broader Boston community, it is even more of a reason for you to attend!

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Bicycle-Powered, a sprout spaghetti dinner will be happening on

June 15 at 730PM at sprout’s studios, 339r summer st. somerville ma 02144

This dinner will look at bicycles as a cultural phenomenon, a method of transportation, an engineering amazement. Come see a bicycle fashion show, hear about The Practical Bicycle, the carfree movement, people who learn to ride bicycles as adults, and how bikes affect urban design.

you can also check us out at. . .
+ sprout discuss :: http://groups.google.com/group/sprout-discuss
+ twitter :: http://twitter.com/sprouts
+ facebook :: https://www.facebook.com/somesprouts
+ in person :: 339r summer st. somerville ma 02144

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Lemelson-MIT Program fifth annual EurekaFest to celebrate the inventive spirit!

EurekaFest is a multi-day celebration designed to empower a legacy of inventors through activities that inspire youth, honor role models, and encourage creativity and problem solving.

Thursday, June 16
1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Presentations by 2011 Lemelson-MIT Collegiate Student Prize Winners and InvenTeams
Kirsch Auditorium (Bldg. 32-123)
MIT Stata Center

Attend presentations and demonstrations by the winners of the $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Collegiate Student Prizes at MIT, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the California Institute of Technology, as well as several high school InvenTeams.

For more information about the event, please contactEurekaFest@mit.edu.

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Harvard China Project Special Seminar
June 16, 2011 - 3:30pm
"The Win-Win of Climate Protection and China's Energy Security." WU Gang, Visiting Scholar, Harvard China Project; Associate Professor, Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research, Institute of Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Sciences
http://www.chinaproject.harvard.edu/
Contact Name: Chris Nielsen
nielsen2@fas.harvard.edu
Pierce Hall 100F, 29 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA
Sponsored by the China Project, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

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What Happened At Fukushima - Why It Can Happen Here
Thursday, June 16, 2011, 6pm-8pm
Boston Public Library, Boston Room
700 Boylston St., Copley Square, Boston
Please join us at this important public forum. A nuclear accident anywhere is a nuclear accident everywhere. Co-sponsored by the Sierra Club. Speakers include David Lochbaum, Director of Nuclear Safety, Union of Concerned Scientists; Arnie Gundersen, Chief Engineer Fairewinds Associates; and Richard Clapp, Professor Emeritus of
Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health.

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Global Pitchfest" - International Start-up Competition
Thursday, June 16, 2011 from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM (ET)
Boston, MA

Switzerland’s most outstanding young innovators journey to Boston every year for an entrepreneurial “boot camp” called venture leaders, and you are invited to this year’s finale.
Coordinated by venturelab and swissnex Boston, this year’s 20 selected startups range from medtech to iPhone apps. They will undergo ten days of training culminating in the Global Pitchfest 2011 at MassChallenge on June 16.

Over drinks and high-powered networking, come out to see the venture leaders show off the skills they learned in Boston. They will pitch their ideas to the top start-ups and investors from the Boston area, while competing against 20 local counterparts for airline tickets courtesy Swiss International Airlines. You choose the winners with your votes!

Come and join us for this exiting "Global Pitchfest" and have a chance to select the winner of the night.

Organizers:
Visit the following link for additional information on the entrepreneurs visiting from Switzerland:http://www.swissnexboston.org/activities/ventureleaders
For local startup teams: We are looking for 20 entrepreneurs who would like to take advantage of this opportunity to get visibility for their companies. If you are interested in joining the lineup of presenters, please contact Thomas Boillat (thomas@swissnexboston.org).

MassChallenge: MassChallenge is running the largest-ever global startup competition and accelerator to catalyze the launch and success of high-growth, high-impact new businesses. Around 100 of the highest-potential entrants will receive intensive mentorship and other free resources, including office space and targeted introductions to customers and funding sources. The very best startups will be identified by expert judges to receive cash awards toward launching their businesses.

swissnex Boston: They act as a physical and virtual environment fostering closer ties between Switzerland, New England and Eastern Canada in academia, industry and society. It places particular emphasis on the next generation of creative thinkers and leaders, through a network that promotes the exchange of knowledge and generates cooperation in an innovative, inspiring, and rewarding atmosphere.

ventureleaders: This year will be the 11th edition of Venture Leaders, an entrepreneurial "bootcamp" that will bring to the Boston area 20 entrepreneurs from Switzerland to visit local high tech companies, attend courses with Babson College professors, interact with experts and most importantly network with local entrepreneurs, investors and other members of the high-tech community. The program is a collaboration between CTI (Swiss innovation agency), venturelab (Swiss entrepreneurship training platform) and swissnex Boston, Consulate of Switzerland

http://pitchfest2011.eventbrite.com/

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Lemelson-MIT Program fifth annual EurekaFest to celebrate the inventive spirit!

EurekaFest is a multi-day celebration designed to empower a legacy of inventors through activities that inspire youth, honor role models, and encourage creativity and problem solving.

Thursday, June 16


6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
InvenTeams Showcase
Stata Student Street (Bldg. 32, 1st floor)
MIT Stata Center

The 2011 InvenTeams will exhibit their invention prototypes.

7:30 pm – 8:15 pm
Presentation by the 2011 $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability Winner
Kirsch Auditorium (Bldg. 32-123)
MIT Stata Center

For more information about the event, please contactEurekaFest@mit.edu.

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Showing Thursday, June 16, in Cambridge:

The War You Don't See

By John Pilger, world renowned filmmaker & journalist, whose previous films include /The War on Democracy/, /Stealing a Nation/, and /Breaking the Silence/ -- among many others.

/*The War You Don't See*/, Pilger's latest film asks 'What is the role of the media in rapacious wars like Iraq and Afghanistan, and how are the crimes of war reported and justified when they're /our/ crimes?'

Modern 'democracies' don't leave marks. Elites do not want the public to know what they're doing. The public is a threat that needs to be countered.

The lives of countless men, women and children depend on the truth. This film is about your right to know.

Turn on the lights.
*When/where*
6:30 pm, doors open for refreshments, extra
*NOTE: early bird short film at 6:40pm*

*7pm, film starts promptly*

243 Broadway, Cambridge - corner of Broadway and Windsor, entrance on Windsor

*rule19.org/videos *

/"Never has so much official energy been expended in ensuring journalists collude with the makers of rapacious wars that they say are now 'perpetual'. They plan a state of permanent conflict wholly dependent on keeping at bay an enemy whose name they dare not speak: the public/." ~John Pilger

/"We had a secret weapon/," he boasted. "/We had the media, especially TV. You got to have the media./" Venezuelan general who, with CIA backing, led a coup against the democratic government of Venezuela in 2002.

Please join us for a stimulating night out; bring your friends!free film, free refreshments, & free door prizes. [donations are accepted]

"/You can't legislate good will - that comes through education./" ~ Malcolm X

For further information, including rain date updates (rain date is Sunday, June 12), go to http://www charlesriverconservancy.org, http://www.riversideboatclub.com, or contact Cathie Zusy at cathzusy@gmail.com or 617-868-0489

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Computer Society and GBC/ACM
7:00 PM, Thursday, 16 June
Rethinking user research for the social web
Dana Chisnell

While the Web has evolved from flat documents to being fluidly ambient, we’re using the same user research and usability testing methods and techniques we were using in 1994. We know that conducting usability tests can tell us where people get frustrated. What will testing reveal about frustrations with interactions people have with other people online? When interaction is protean, how do you derive a task scenario? What are the success criteria? When you have large-scale social, individual workarounds turn into functionality and social norms. Etiquette evolves organically. What’s that test look like? In this session, Dana will boil these questions down to 5 major issues UXers working in the social Web are grappling with and share experiences from SxD pioneering researchers.

Dana Chisnell has helped thousands of people learn how to make better design decisions by giving them the skills they need to gain knowledge about users. She has observed hundreds of study participants for dozens of clients to learn about design issues in software, hardware, web sites, online services, games, and ballots, helping these organizations perform usability tests and user research to inform design decisions for products and services. These days, her pet topics are election design, usable security, and researching social interactions mediated by technology. She’s the co-author, with Jeff Rubin, of Handbook of Usability Testing Second Edition (Wiley, 2008).
Meeting is being held at The IBM Innovation Center < http://www-304.ibm.com/isv/spc/waltham.htm> is located at 404 Wyman Street, Waltham. There is free parking in the garage at the north end of the building. To reach the meeting room, walk out the front of the garage and around to your right to the front door of the building. Directions to the room will be available when you sign in at the front desk.

We will be taking Dana to dinner at the Green Papaya after the talk at about 9pm.
Up-to-date information about this and other talks is available online at http://ewh.ieee.org/r1/boston/computer/. You can sign up to receive updated status information about this talk and informational emails about future talks athttp://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/ieee-cs, our self-administered mailing list.
For more information contact Peter Mager (p.mager at computer.org)

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Food Literacy Project Film Series: Tupperware!
WHEN Fri., June 17, 2011, 12 – 1 p.m.
WHERE Dana Palmer House, Room 102, 16 Quincy Street
GAZETTE CLASSIFICATION Film
ORGANIZATION/SPONSOR HUHDS Food Literacy Project
CONTACT INFO dara_olmsted@harvard.edu
NOTE Bring your lunch. Drinks and snacks provided.
LINK http://www.dining.harvard.edu/flp/calendar.html

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Friday, June 17, 2011

Discussion with Mr. Etienne Tshisekedi, Congo presidential candidate

Speaker: Etienne Tshisekedi

Time: 3:00p–5:00p

Location: 4-370

One of Congo's presidential candidates, Mr. Etienne Tshisekedi, who was also the former Prime Minister of Congo, is coming to speak.

On February 15, 1982 he co-founded the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), which he continues to lead. The party remains popular with its main goal being a non-violent change to democratic rule.

At a UPDS congress in April 2009, delegates unanimously affirmed that the party would participate in the 2011 election and that Tshisekedi would be its presidential candidate.

The next presidential election is tentatively set for November 28, 2011, so make sure to keep up to date on the presidential platforms as much as possible.
Dinner will be provided.
Web site: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=213435395343977
Open to: the general public
Sponsor(s): Amnesty International, UA Funding Board

For more information, contact:
Cory Hernandez
mitai-exec@mit.edu
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Friday, June 17, 2011

The Green Movement and Nonviolent Struggle for Democratic Iran

Time: 4:00p–5:30p

Location: 66-110

Guest Speaker:
Dr. Adeshir Amirarjomand
Mousavi Representative, Green Movement

Moderator:
Dr. John Tirman, Executive Director and Principal Research Scientist,
MIT Center for International Studies

Special Guest:
Dr. Farzin Vahdat, Founding Member
Nonviolent Initiative for Democracy

About the speaker:
Dr. Ardeshir Amirarjomand was born in 1957 in Tehran. He studied law in Melli University of Iran and in 1978 he received his doctoral degree (Doctorat d'Etat) in international law and diploma in comparative law from the Strasbourg University in France. From 1990, Dr. Amirarjomand was a law professor at Shahid Beheshti University and lectured in PublicLaw,International Law and Human Rights. Dr. Amirarjomand hasinitiated new department and courses of law in Shahid Beheshti University including Human Rights, environmental law and Bioethics law. Dr. Amirarjomand has been a member of Several Scientific and legal Institutes and has focused on promoting citizen rights and humanrights in Iran. Dr. Amirarjomand has been UNESCO chair holder for Human Rights, Democracy and Peace for ten years and also the Founder and director of the Center for Human Rights, Peace and Democracy in Iran. From to 2005 to 2009 Dr. Amirarjomand partnered with of the United Nations Development Programme to promote human rights in Iran. During the reformist government between 1997 to 2004 Dr. Amirarjomand drafted
Open to: the general public

Sponsor(s): Center for International Studies, The Nonviolent Initiative for Democracy Inc

For more information, contact:
starrforum@mit.edu
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Lemelson-MIT Program fifth annual EurekaFest to celebrate the inventive spirit!

EurekaFest is a multi-day celebration designed to empower a legacy of inventors through activities that inspire youth, honor role models, and encourage creativity and problem solving.


Friday, June 17
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
InvenTeams Showcase
Stata Student Street (Bldg. 32, 1st Floor)
MIT Stata Center

The 2011 InvenTeams will exhibit their invention prototypes.

6:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Lemelson-MIT Awards Ceremony
Kirsch Auditorium (Bldg. 32-123)
MIT Stata Center

This public ceremony will honor the work of inventors improving our world. The 2011 Lemelson-MIT Award Winners will be recognized, including a special presentation by the 2011 $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize Winner.

For more information about the event, please contactEurekaFest@mit.edu.

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Lemelson-MIT Program fifth annual EurekaFest to celebrate the inventive spirit!

EurekaFest is a multi-day celebration designed to empower a legacy of inventors through activities that inspire youth, honor role models, and encourage creativity and problem solving.


Saturday, June 18
10:00 am – 5:00 pm
EurekaFest at the Museum of Science
Supported by Continuum
Main Exhibit Halls
Museum of Science, Boston

Cheer on over 200 high school students in an all-day design challenge that explores the invention process. The Museum of Science will offer hands-on learning activities for inventors of all ages. Families are encouraged to join the fun!

For more information about the event, please contactEurekaFest@mit.edu.



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Upcoming

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Taking Risks: The Journey from Blackjack to Big Blue - a talk with Yuchun Lee
Monday, June 20, 2011 from 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM (ET)

IBM Center for Social Software
1 Rogers Street
Cambridge, MA 02142

http://yuchun-lee.eventbrite.com/?ref=enivte?amp;utm_source=eb_email&utm_media=email&utm_compaign=invitenew&utm_term=readmore

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Climate Change Adaptation Workshop

Consensus Building Institute
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions
The Trustees of Reservations' Putnam Conservation Institute

present

Local Communities Adapting to Climate Change: Managing Risk in Decision Making
Monday, June 20, 2011
9am-4:30pm
Leominster, MA

This one-day course will introduce municipal and community leaders, and planning professionals to the tools they need to better assess and manage the risks associated with climate change. Our approach helps community leaders to consider how they can alter everyday decision making to better prepare for the risks that may lie ahead. This course is tailored specifically for the needs of suburban and rural communities. The key concepts introduced will be "scenario planning" and collaborative approaches to decision-making.

Presenters/Facilitators:

Patrick Field
is Managing Director of North American Programs at the Consensus Building Institute and Associate Director of the MIT-Harvard Public Disputes Program. Patrick has helped thousands of stakeholders reach agreement on natural resource, land use, water, and air issues across the United States and Canada.

Steve Aldrich
is the founder and President of Bio Economic Research Associates LLC, an independent research and consulting firm specializing in complex issue analysis at the intersection of our emerging knowledge of biology and the economy. Steve studied evolutionary biology and has more than 25 years of experience working in various industries, including energy planning.

Workshop Fee: $45*

For More Information or to Register:
Pre-register online
www.thetrustees.org/things-to-do/central-ma/adapting-climate-change-jun20.html
Or contact
Miriam Scagnetti
978.840.4446 x1935
mscagnetti@ttor.org

* Members of The Trustees of Reservations or the MA Association of Conservation Commissions may register for this workshop for $30 - New members welcome!

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Panel Discussion

swissnex Boston
420 Broadway
Cambridge

Tuesday,
June 21, 2011
6 - 9 pm

If you would like to attend this event, we kindly ask you to
RSVP here.
Please feel free to forward this invitation to friends and colleagues who are interested in this topic.

One of the major challenges of the 21st century will be to create an economy that can at the same time provide livelihoods for an increasing number of people and not degrade natural resources or spur climate change. This is also one of the major challenges that the Biovision Foundation encounters in its pilot projects in East Africa and its political work within the Rio+20 process.

A “Green Economy” in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication is one of the main themes of the upcoming 2012 UNCSD Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro. Within the preparatory process the question what green economy actually is and what it should look like is a heatedly debated issue. UNEP’s roadmap to Rio + 20, the Green Economy Report (published February 2011) sees the challenge of agriculture in feeding the world’s growing population without damaging ecosystems and human health and without undermining the sector’s natural resource base. Drawing upon UNEP’s Green Economy Report, experts will debate on what sustainable agriculture could look like and how it could fit within the new Green Economy framework.

Speakers and panelists:
Hans Herren, President Millenium Institute and Biovision Foundation, Author of the Agriculture chapter of the UNEP's Green Economy Report
Katherine Di Matteo, President of the Board of IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements)
Eric Chivian, Founder and Director of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School.

Moderator:
Samuel Fromartz, Journalist, Washington D.C.

TECHNOLOGY AND MICRO FINANCE
• Date: 6/23/2011
• Location: Microsoft New England R&D Center, One Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02142
• Time: 6:00pm - 9:00pm
• Audience: general public
• Description: This event hosted by the MFC (Micro Finance Club) of Boston will focus on the influence technology has recently had on micro finance organizations including Grameen, KIVA, WOKAI, and ACCION. Technology has played an important role in shaping micro finance in developing countries in a variety of ways. Technology has allowed farmers in rural areas better access to information about agriculture and through technology pregnant women have been able to receive medical updates without leaving their villages. This informative presentation will aim to bring together people in the community to discuss the future of technology and ways in which individuals can help locally, whether that be donating old cellphones or volunteering their time.

http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/TechnologyandMicroFinance/tabid/754/Default.aspx

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GreenPort Forum

Film and Discussion: The Economics of Happiness
Tuesday, June 21 at 7:00pm
Cambridgeport Baptist Church, 459 Putnam Ave

A powerful new film by Helena Norberg-Hodge, Steven Gorelick & John Page

'Going local' is a powerful strategy to help repair our fractured world – our ecosystems, our societies and our selves. Far from the old institutions of power, people are starting to forge a very different future. The thinkers and activists interviewed for the film come from every continent, and represent the interests of the great majority of people on the planet today. Their message is unambiguous: in order to respect and revitalize diversity, both cultural and biological, we need to localize economic activity.

Featuring voices from six continents, including: Vandana Shiva, Bill McKibben, David Korten, Michael Shuman, Juliet Schor, Richard Heinberg, Rob Hopkins, Andrew Simms, Zac Goldsmith, Samdhong Rinpoche

http://www.theeconomicsofhappiness.org

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Tuesday, June 21 at 7pm
Cambridgeport Baptist Church
459 Putnam Av, Cambridge
(corner of Magazine St. and Putnam Ave)

GreenPort envisions and encourages a just and sustainable Cambridgeport neighborhood

For more information, contact Steve Wineman at swineman@gis.net

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*Recess for Justice - Saturday, June 25 - 11am-1pm*
Southwest Corridor across from Stony Brook T station in JP
Bring your favorite outdoor game or check out the assortment of fun we'll have on hand: Frisbees, kickball & chalk (for 4-square!), jump rope, basketball, softball (bring a glove) and whatever other randomness we can think of. If it's hot we can run through the fountain sprinkler to cool off. Around 1pm, we'll likely get out of the heat by going to Ula Cafe for lunch. So look no further if you want to cross-promote your events and campaigns while perfecting your Frisbee forehand, you're seeking like-minded progressives to hang out with in Boston, or are new to the area and looking for groups to get involved in.
*RSVP:* http://www.sojust.org/events/17521346/ *Newcomers always welcomed!*

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Home Energy Efficiency Team (HEET)
June 25 Barnraising

1000 watt light bulbs!?!
Join us Saturday, June 25th from 12:30 to 5 pm at St. Bartholomew's Church, 239 Harvard St.

There will be lots of great skills to learn including caulking, replacing bulbs, lowering water bills with faucet aerators and toilet banks, correctly program a thermostat and more.

It is also a great opportunity to see something you may never have witnessed before: 1,000 watt light bulbs. That's not a decimal error, these bulbs use 1,000 watts.

Find out how adding insulation helped this church reduce its heating bill by $8,000 per year.

RSVP by signing up here: http://bit.ly/je1BCw

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We cordially invite you and your family to our annual Strawberry Fete!

A fundraiser to benefit Boston Area Gleaners at historic Gore Place in Waltham, MA

Thursday, June 20, 201, 6-9 pm Rain or Shine

Where: Gore Place, Carriage House

52 Gore Street

Waltham, MA 02453

Please join us for a relaxed summer evening of faun at the Gore Place Carriage House for Local Treats

Local Strawberries

Shortcake and Refreshments

Cheese Tasting

Shelburne Farms (VT) Cheddat

And short film "Sun to Cheese"

with the producer, Catie Camp

Historic Gore Garden Tour

with Estate Manager Scott Clarke

Live music

Old Time Country with the Whitford Franzosa Trio

Art Show

Sculpture and Paintings by local artist Dave Tree

Open Space

Enjoy the evening, throw a frisbee, wall the grounds

Please register at https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?llr=o5o4pudab&oeidk=a07e3zfpc824605a661&oseq=a001g9ln9kkn

Please consider making a donation at http://www.communityroom.net/ even if you are unable to attend.
Tickets are $25 per adult, $10 students, under 13 free

This fundraiser will effectively kick-off the 2011 gleaning season and your contribution will help us get the extras to those who need it most.

You may reply directly to this e-mail for questions, and additional contact info is below.
Laurie "Duck" Caldwell
Oakes Plimpton
Boston Area Gleaners
duck@bostonareagleaners.org
781-894-3212

Editorial Comment: Oakes Plimpton has been a developing local agriculture systems for over thirty years. Boston Area Gleaners is only one recent project among many.

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Fundraiser for Water for Niger, Africa
When: Sunday, June 25 from 8 pm to 11 pm
Where: 239 Arlington Street, Acton MA 01720
What: African drummers will perform and afterwards a dance party.
Why: To raise funds to help build wells for villages that have been put at risk by the many droughts in the region.
Donation: We are asking people to make reservations with a $25 donation.

Make checks payable to Bokai Inc, 239 Arlington Street, Acton. MA 01720

Bokai Inc: Established by a former Peace Corps volnteer with a direct relationship with town officials in Guidan Roumji. It is a 501 C-3 charitable organization. The towns of Action and Guidan Roumji have become Sister Cities. High School students have exchanged letters. Money has been sent for business micro-loans, farming and tree planting. All money will go towards the well building project.

For more details, contact Michael Klinger #978 263-7925, mklinger@anzuglobal.com

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NO NUKES PARTY

JUNE 25, 1-8PM
WENDELL, MA, TOWN HALL, Common
POTLUCK***CELEBRATE***RE-CONNECT*** SINGING
(And discuss non-violent action plans 3-5:30pm)

Sponsored by: Wendell Conservation Commission
Co-sponsors: Clamshell Legacy and Antinuclear Mobilization (info@clamshellalliance.org)
Citizens Awareness Network (nukebusters.org), Safe & Green (safeandgreencampaign.org)
Green Mtn. Post Films (gmpfilms.com); W. MA AFSC (westernmassafsc.org);

Traprock Center for Peace and Justice (traprock.info); Solar Rollers

More information, contact info@clamshellalliance.org

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Every year, the International Co-operative Alliance, based in Geneva, and the United Nations co-sponsor the International Day for Co-operatives on the first Saturday in July, which is July 2nd in 2011.

This year, Harvest Cooperatives has agreed to sponsor a Co-op Faire, featuring Boston-area cooperatives and their supporters. We will come together in the parking lot adjacent to Harvest from 10 AM to 2 PM and set up tables / canopies / booths with banners and signs, to pass out flyers to the public, talk with interested potential members, share an afternoon with coop-minded people, and celebrate the joy of building the co-op movement. Add a bit of food for the gatherers to share, maybe some acoustical music, possibly a skit or other performance and a demonstration project or two and we will have a marvelous time supporting co-ops and connecting with co-ops around the world.

History shows that the periods of greatest co-op growth are when the economy is coming out of a recession. As people get back on their feet, they work to organize different ways of building economic organizations that will not replicate the previous business disasters. That time is now. As we come out of the "Great Recession", we are already seeing a boom in co-op organizing and now is the time to point the way to a better future -- co-operatively.

If your co-op or supporting organization would be interested in reserving a table space for the Faire, please contact Wayne Clark at rwayneclark@irg.org or 603-512-8015 (cell) or 617-467-4113 (home). You can complete the registration form and prepare to participate.

Hopefully, the 2011 International Day for Co-operatives, Mass Bay Co-op Faire will begin an annual event where co-ops in our area can promote the benefits of co-operatives and develop our organizations and their members.

Come share the wisdom in the nearly 200 years of the co-op movement.

I hope to see you there, R. Wayne Archer-Clark (rwayneclark@igc.org)

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Opportunity

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Free Solar Panels for Houses of Worship

From a recent Mass Interfaith Power & Light (http://mipandl.org/) email
"We've recently been talking with DCS Energy (http://www.dcsenergy.com/) who has an unbeatable offer: if your site qualifies, they design and install the panels at no cost, don't charge you for any electricity, and donate the system to your house of worship after five years. Your only costs will be for a building permit, possibly a structural engineer to verify that your roof can support their weight, and any preparatory work such as roof work or tree removal. If solar panels are so expensive how can anyone give them away for free? First, there is a federal grant program that is only available until November that pays for 30% of the cost of the system. Then there is an accelerated depreciation option that gives certain kinds of investors another tax advantage. Finally, the state awards a special allowance called a "Solar Renewal Energy Credit" (SRECs) to owners of solar electricity systems which are sold at auctions to utilities who buy them to meet their requirements under the Massachusetts' renewable portfolio standard. DCS is betting that the price of these SRECs will remain high. Jim Nail, president of MA IP&L, has talked to DCS Energy and is currently having them prepare a proposal for his church, St. Dunstan's Episcopal in Dover. Jim says, "The references I've talked to have been quite positive about the program and the company has been very responsive. "If you think your site might qualify, contact Peter Carli, pete@dcsenergy.com, with the address of your house of worship and your contact information. He'll take a preliminary look at your site and advise you if it meets their criteria."

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From John Bolduc, Environmental Planner, Community Development Department, Cambridge, MA:

"Finally, I wanted to let folks on the list know, if you are interested, that I will be going, on a personal basis, on a study tour of cities in Germany and Holland taking a look at climate change adaptation and mitigation initiatives. The tour is organized by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability. We will visit Freiburg, Dresden, Bonn, and Rotterdam. We will also participate in the ICLEI Climate Resilient Cities Conference in Bonn. I am leaving today for 2 weeks and I plan to blog along the way as a way to share information. If you are interested, please visit the Energy 2.0 blog hosted by the Cambridge Energy Alliance. You can visit the site athttp://energytwodotzero.org/. You can also subscribe to the blog to be informed of updates. I plan to post 4 or 5 times with photos. So join me for the trip."

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The Medford Farmers Market is looking for organizations, individuals, chefs, nutritionists, educators, musicians, physical activity specialists, gardeners, and other fun people who would like to do educational activities on market days.

We are looking for activities that are interactive and enjoyed by all ages. Demos, how-tos and games are encouraged. Should be somehow related to sustainable living, health, nutrition, farming, gardening, physical activity, sustainability, learning and development, music, art, creativity. Most importantly it should be entertaining for people at the market.

We are looking to fill 1, 2, 3 or 4 hour time slots. The Medford Farmers Market is a great place for you to gain experience and exposure - there are over 20 vendors signed up for the season including local wine, meat, vegetables, honey, bread, art.....Your activity/demo/gig will be well publicized via social media, as well as local newspapers and newsletters sent to hundreds of people.

The market goes from June 16- Oct 13 at the Whole Foods Market Parking Lot, 2151 Mystic Valley Parkway (Rt 16), Medford, MA 02155. Plenty of parking and restrooms are available.

Please contact me if you are interested. Please feel free to forward this e-mail to people who you think may be interested. Thanks so much, have a great weekend!

For more info, please see the following:
website: www.medfordfarmersmarket.org
e-mail: medfordfarmersmarket@gmail.com
twitter: MedfordFarmMkt
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Medford-Farmers-Market/135452753138491
Address: Whole Foods Market Parking Lot, 2151 Mystic Valley Parkway (Rt 16)

Editorial Comment: I have taken some of my solar displays to farmers' markets from time to time and have advocated doing so as a way to change US energy attitudes, policies, and realities as the people who go to farmers' markets are a core constituency for renewable energy. More at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/5/27/870257/-How-to-Change-US-Energy-in-One-Growing-Season

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Resource

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Massachusetts Attitudes About Climate Change – An opinion survey of Massachusetts residents conducted by MassINC and sponsored by the Barr Foundation found that 77% of respondents believe that global warming has “probably been happening” and 59% of all respondents see see it as being at least partially caused by human pollution. Only 42% of the state’s residents say global warming will have very serious consequences for Massachusetts if left unaddressed. The 18 to 29 age group is more likely to believe global warming is appearing and caused by humans compared to the 60+ age group. African-American (56%) and Latino residents (69%) are more likely than white residents (40%) to believe global warming will be a very serious problem if left unaddressed. The MassINC report, titled The 80 Percent Challenge: What Massachusetts must do to meet targets and make headway on climate change (http://www.massinc.org/Research/The-80-percent-challenge.aspx), contains many other findings. MassINC will hold a forum about the report on May 19, 5:00 to 6:30 pm at the City Year Headquarters, 287 Columbus Avenue, Boston. To register, click here. [MetroWest Daily News, 4/14/11]

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The presentations from the recent Affordable Comfort National Home Performance Conference are available online at
http://2011.acinational.org/downloadable_resources

Lots of good information from what some call the best energy conference in the USA on Deep Energy Retrofits to Community Energy Challenges with details on insulation, heat flow, energy metering, ducting, hot water, and many, many other topics. If you are a practical energy wonk, this should make your eyes light up.

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Free Monthly Energy Analysis

CarbonSalon is a free service that every month can automatically track your energy use and compare it to your past energy use (while controlling for how cold the weather is). You get a short friendly email that lets you know how you’re doing in your work to save energy.

https://www.carbonsalon.com/

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Boston Food System

"The Boston Food System [listserv] provides a forum to post announcements of events, employment opportunities, internships, programs, lectures, and other activities as well as related articles or other publications of a non-commercial nature covering the area's food system - food, nutrition, farming, education, etc. - that take place or focus on or around Greater Boston (broadly delineated)."

The Boston area is one of the most active nationwide in terms of food system activities - projects, services, and events connected to food, farming, nutrition - and often connected to education, public health, environment, arts, social services and other arenas. Hundreds of organizations and enterprises cover our area, but what is going on week-to-week is not always well publicized.

Hence, the new Boston Food System listserv, as the place to let everyone know about these activities. Specifically:
Use of the BFS list will begin soon, once we get a decent base of subscribers. Clarification of what is appropriate to announce and other posting guidelines will be provided as well.

It's easy to subscribe right now at https://elist.tufts.edu/wws/subscribe/bfs

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Artisan Asylum http://artisansasylum.com/

Sprout & Co: Community Driven Investigations http://thesprouts.org/studios

Greater Boston Solidarity Economy Mapping Project http://www.transformationcentral.org/solidarity/mapping/mapping.html
a project by Wellesley College students that invites participation, contact jmatthaei@wellesley.edu

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Links to events at 60 colleges and universities at Hubevents http://hubevents.blogspot.com

Thanks to

Fred Hapgood's Selected Lectures on Science and Engineering in the
Boston Area http://fhapgood.fastmail.fm/site02.html

Boston Area Computer User Groups http://www.bugc.org/

http://www.mitenergyclub.org/calendar/mit_events_template

http://sustainability.mit.edu/

http://www.environment.harvard.edu/events/calendar/

http://green.harvard.edu/events

http://microsoftcambridge.com/Events/tabid/57/Default.aspx

http://pechakuchaboston.org/blog/

http://boston.nerdnite.com/

http://www.meetup.com/

http://www.eventbrite.com/

*UPandOUT film series - see rule19.org/videos *

Why should YOU care? It's YOUR money that pays for US/Israeli wars - on Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, Palestine, So America, etc etc - for billionaire bailouts, for ever more ubiquitous US prisons, for the loss of liberty and civil rights...

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