All posts by susanna

On Tuesday 11/27/12, Americans should have a day of reflection, in sympathy with clothing factory workers in Bangladesh

Shopping makes us part of a circle with the people who make our goods, and with the system that profits from our money.

In Bangladesh, over 100 factory workers died in an unsafe clothing factory over the weekend. On Monday, there was another apparel factory fire, thankfully, with no deaths.

These factories exist to make the clothes that we purchase here in America. One of the factories made clothes which were ultimately sold to Walmart (through a complicated supply chain)[ADN]. Other factories in Bangladesh make clothing for brands such as Tesco, JC Penney, H&M, Marks & Spencer, Kohl’s and Carrefour [CNN]. Many of these factories have unsafe conditions. We should support reforms for the workers in Bangladesh, and try to purchase clothing that is Fair Trade or union made.

We can also add our concern, thoughts, and prayers to the people of Bangladesh tomorrow, Tuesday, 27th, when there will be a national day of mourning. CNN notes: Continue reading On Tuesday 11/27/12, Americans should have a day of reflection, in sympathy with clothing factory workers in Bangladesh

Peace and the Election: Quick Reflections

Peace is our focus here at Peace Couple. So, we like to think about how various events affect our Peace Index.

With elections happening in the USA today, we have been wondering about the effect the campaigns, the focus on national priorities, and the energy of election season might have on the DPCIUS (Daily Peace Culture Index for the United States). Continue reading Peace and the Election: Quick Reflections

Friday, Nov 2nd: Long Island peace community meets for music and pre-election networking

(Canceled due to Hurricane Sandy aftermath. Next Coffeehouse in December)

PeaceSmiths November 2012 Coffeehouse will feature:
The door at PeaceSmiths

  • Musician: George Mann
  • Singer/Songwriter: Rorie Kelly
  • A tribute to Miriam Goodman and…
  • Your favorite campaign lit and discussion

PeaceSmiths Coffeehouse
Friday, November 2, 2012
8pm-11pm Continue reading Friday, Nov 2nd: Long Island peace community meets for music and pre-election networking

Peace News: Key indicator for PAXi peace index makes huge jump on 10/13/2012

Surprise! There should be a big jump in the Daily Peace Index today!

(Update: The PAXi Peace Index number for today, Oct. 13, 2012 is, in fact, “754”. A new high, and a giant leap from yesterday!)

One of the key indicators is a search for “peace” at Google News.

Today, the Google News number is over 60 million! Compare that to the past few days: 10/10 was 4,020,000; 10/11 was 3,790,000; 10/12 was 4,040,000. Also, the highest day yet for the PAXi/Daily Peace Index was on September 11, 2012. On that day, the Google New/peace figure was 20,100,000 and PAXi came out to 337. When we do the figures later today, we will probably have that beat! (Come back to the front page this evening to check on today’s PAXi number!)

In searching for causes of the jump, I reviewed what the top Google News stories about peace were this morning. I think the main story pushing this jump is the Nobel Peace Prize being given to the EU/European Union. Though, I was also happy to see a third party candidate shaking up the peace discourse: On the first page of the Google News results, Roseanne Barr for President on the “Peace and Freedom Party” line shows up!

Google News Peace: A PAXi Daily Peace Index indicator
Above: A Google News search for “peace” on the morning of October 13, 2012

Garlic Festival: Spontaneous, local, shopping

Organic Garlic: Three different kinds
Organic Garlic: Three kinds

Garlic Festival at Garden of Eve Organic Farm and Market in Riverhead, Long Island, New York.
2012: Saturday, Sept 29th and Sunday, Sept 30th

Our photos at Flickr: here.

Yesterday, we were driving on the Eastern End of Long Island, and stumbled upon a Garlic Festival at a local, organic farm. It is good for the earth and for our health to buy things in season, and to be creative with local bounty.

We bought three of the many different varieties of organic garlic available. Pictured are: Polish garlic, German garlic, and Elephant garlic (The Elephant Garlic is the biggest one. It doesn’t even fit in my ceramic garlic keeper!). Continue reading Garlic Festival: Spontaneous, local, shopping

Peace Index climbs on September 11th

Peace is difficult to quantify. Though, we have been trying to measure it somewhat with our PAXi Index, the Daily Peace Culture Index for the United States.

PAXi began on July 15th. The PAXi for that day was 131, the lowest PAXi has been in its two month history. In the last few weeks, PAXI has hovered at the 140’s and 150’s. The highest number so far has been 158. Until today…

Today, on the anniversary of the September 11th tragedy, PAXi has jumped up to 337. Continue reading Peace Index climbs on September 11th

US Daily Peace Index reaches new high on 8/29/2012

The PAXi — The Daily Peace Culture Index of the United States — recently achieved the 150 level for the first time. PAXi was 150 on August 8th. And, today, Wednesday, August 29, 2012, DPCIUS/PAXi reached another new high of 153.

In trying to uncover why PAXi is so high on certain days, there is some guesswork involved. Though, we can also search the same indicators that got us to the PAXi score, and see what some of the stories and/or content is about.

So, here are some goings on in the universe of peace and nonviolence, which may have led to today’s impressive amount of discussion about peace, nonviolence, and antiwar sentiment: Continue reading US Daily Peace Index reaches new high on 8/29/2012