_un_

_anyone interested in Middle East Peace should read this_

last week i wrote about "encounter point" which was screened here in pittsburgh.... another event which was hosted last week by the middle east peace forum of pittsburgh ,during the anniversary week for the six day war which occured 40 years ago, was a talk and discussion with the two key writers of the geneva initiative.... daniel levy (israeli negotiator), and ghaith al-omari (palestinian negotiator)... both have been involved as aides to their respective government leaders and met while acting as official negotiators for the taba (oslo II) accords... the geneva initiative is a guiding light to what i see as a possible pathway to a peaceful solution... although it isn't 100% appealing to either side it presents a realistic view of what needs to happen for peace to be achieved... hearing both daniel and ghaith speak i was blown away by their knowledge and practical peace perspectives... i left feeling that there is still great hope for peace if two leaders like these can continue to push their respective peoples to see the end "which has always been known"... and begin moving, as soon as possible, towards a two-state solution... for more information about the geneva initiative ... go to the MEPFP website to view streaming video of the talk (trust me it is worth your time) ....

_encountering peace_

yesterday i had the privilege of being involved in bringing the film "encounter point" and its director julia bacha to pittsburgh for a screening. encounter point documents the lives of a few palestinian and israeli people who are working with what resources they have to create a grassroots non-violent movement towards peace. i was blown away by the commitment these individuals have to work through pain and hardship to remain committed to a non-violent goal. this movie really gave me hope that people can make a difference in this world. i highly recommend checking out the encounter point website and either seeing it at a screening or renting it when it comes out on dvd june 26th. i don't think you will be disappointed even if you don't find the middle east issue stimulating it has impact on many other situations in the world.

i also have to say how much i enjoyed meeting the director julia bacha. a 2003 graduate from columbia university this is the second film she worked on, the first being the acclaimed control room. her humanistic approach to life and directing is very evident, definitely stay aware of any movies that come out with her name on them.

_adventure_

__________________art of war__________________

the graph below is one i created for the town hall meeting... click here for two more about the war and its effect on human services

part of the work i have been doing has been to help prepare a "town hall meeting on the cost of the iraq war at home"... this has taken a lot of energy and time to put together... gaining the endorsment of over 30 organizations from around pittsburgh, securing a venue, and helping to contact speakers and representatives to attend the meeting... after all said and done the event happened and was amazing... i have never really been involved in a political "meeting" of sorts... we attempted to get all the western pa legislators to attend but again due to politics had only Congressman Doyle there to speak and had aide's from casey, specter, and murphy's offices.... as much as i lost respect for the others for not coming rep. doyle gained a ton of respect in my book... he is a person who stands behind what he believes and was the only pa representative democrat or republican to vote against the recent "blank check" which the democrats handed president bush... i know that he not only gained respect from me but also from many of the 250+ people who attended... it does still amaze me though for everything good he does everything is politics and it makes me sad to think that peoples lives are worse because of all the money we are spending for this illegal war... i hope the representatives finally learn they need to stop just playing "the game" and finally stand up for something..