Yesh.com :: Brian Russell

Check out this cool documentary about clothing called Secondhand (Pepe). Its by Hanna Rose Shell and Vanessa Bertozzi.

Secondhand (Pepe) is a 24min tri-lingual documentary about the role of used clothing in diaspora cultures. Filmmakers Shell & Bertozzi weave two narratives into a visual and sonic journey. The historical memoir of a Jewish immigrant rag picker intertwines with the present-day story of “pepe” – secondhand clothing that flows from the United States to Haiti. Secondhand (Pepe) animates the materiality of recycled clothes: their secret afterlives and the unspoken connections among people in an era of globalization.

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Another informative blog post from Tree Hugger. This one about the movie Garbage Warrior. WATCH this trailer.

What do beer cans, car tires and water bottles have in common? Not much unless you’re renegade architect Michael Reynolds, in which case they are tools of choice for producing thermal mass and energy-independent housing. For 30 years New Mexico-based Reynolds and his green disciples have devoted their time to advancing the art of “Earthship Biotecture” by building self-sufficient, off-the-grid communities where design and function converge in eco-harmony. However, these experimental structures that defy state standards create conflict between Reynolds and the authorities, who are backed by big business. Frustrated by antiquated legislation, Reynolds lobbies for the right to create a sustainable living test site. While politicians hum and ha, Mother Nature strikes, leaving communities devastated by tsunamis and hurricanes. Reynolds and his crew seize the opportunity to lend their pioneering skills to those who need it most. Shot over three years and in four countries, Garbage Warrior is a timely portrait of a determined visionary, a hero of the 21st century.

Earthship n. 1. passive solar home made of natural and recycled materials 2. thermal mass construction for temperature stabilization. 3. renewable energy & integrated water systems make the Earthship an off-grid home with little to no utility bills.

Biotecture n. 1. the profession of designing buildings and environments with consideration for their sustainability. 2. A combination of biology and architecture.

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Just saw Larry Sparks and the Lonesome Ramblers perform this song on the Tee Vee. Wondering why I’ve never heard of it. I figure some people in Virginia didn’t take kindly to it.

Blue Virginia Blues

Have you ever been to Richmond in November
When the cold Virginia rain is coming down
Friends I’m here to tell you it’s no pleasure
When you’re all alone and a stranger to this town.

Don’t take me wrong I do like East Virginia
And Richmond’s full of hospitality
Except for one Virginia girl I know of
Who made a perfect love wreck out of me.

Blue blue Virginia blue
There’s no blue like blue Virginia blue
No other girls in the whole wide world
Will break your heart like Virginia girls
There’s no blue like blue Virginia blue

She called me up in St Paul Minnesota
Said I need you here in Richmond right away
Take the bus I’ll meet you at the station
Bring your clothes ’cause I want you to stay.

My bus pulled in the station late this evening
And there’s no one around this place but me
She must have changed her mind or she’s forgotten
And her name’s not in the phone directory.

I wish I had the money for a taxi
And a warm and cozy place to go lie down
Instead of standin’ all alone in Richmond
While the cold Virginia rain is comin’ down.

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This week Ruby and I went to two conferences in Minneapolis. The first one done in Open Space / Unconference style was New Pamphleteers/New Reporters:Convening Entrepreneurs Who Combine Journalism, Democracy, Place and Blogs at the University of Minnesota. (What a long name huh?)

One of the best ideas I heard this week was Spot.us.

“Spot Us” is a nonprofit that allows an individual or group to take control of news in their community by sharing the cost (crowdfunding) to commission freelance journalists to write important, or uncovered news stories.

Dave Cohn is behind this idea and he explained it to us via Skype. I was amazed at how few people where in this mini-session. Because it feels like a real innovation that could answer the burning question on every corporate journalist and CEOs mind, “How do we make money making journalism so we can get it done?”.

But the big difference between this idea, as I see it, and how media CEOs do is that this is about direct funding to individual journalist not organizations or corporations. Yet another middle man removed from the process of making media and protecting our democracy. But I don’t think the corporate media folks at this conference had thought about this that much. There were just too many competing sessions. Their loss.

I’ll be paying close attention to how Spot.us progresses. Dave plans to roll this service out to the Bay Area first then other communities one at a time. Sounds like a good plan. It worked for Graig’s List.

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YouTube just announced their Citizen News “channel”. Its supposed to demo some of the best citizen journalism on their site. In this intro video they featured The “Bad Ass” Uptake! with a small amount of my video! Go 1 minute and 26 seconds into the vid and you’ll see Kirk Ross of The Carrboro Citizen. Its part of my video of the Obama/Super Chunk/Arcade Fire rally I shot and edited for The Uptake!

Gota say I’m jazzed to be small time Internet famous if only for a few seconds. To me this is MUCH bigger than being on TV. (thanks to @podcastmama for sharing this news with me via Twitter.)

I remain skeptical about the future of citizen journalism. Now that its mainstream like ReadWriteWeb is blogging about… when will it be co-opted? Has it already? Remember underground music called Indy Rock? When it was co-opted by record labels they destroyed its cool in record time.

Much more is at stake here than cool. The past seven years have told us what happens when journalistic integrity and good values get bought by war mongers more interested in profit than human life.

Sorry to harsh yer mellow. I’m still excited that creative people like me can share our labor of love with the world. All without the expense that broadcast corporations shoulder. Citizen content is king!

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