Organic Gardening, Awareness, and Activism
Gardening is a hobby for me.
I believe it is very important to be aware of
what is happening around the world. This is something that requires some
effort. Most mass media newscasts seem not to provide much in-depth (or any) information
about a wide range of world affairs. I have listed a few sites here that
might make your search for information easier.
My search for media and information sites has
led me to some interesting sites that provide information about activism
and organizations that work for a better more just world. I hope you have
fun here and find something to increase your awareness. And, I hope your
increased awareness leads to more fun.
NEW Content
War Never Again
3 Reasons Not to Go to War with Iraq,
Southern New England Indigenous Music Links
Evolving page of links to music calenders, venues, and artists in southern New England and New York, focusing on acoustic and eclectic styles.
topics of interest
Gardening
resources
Recreation
and Personal Growth
Alternative Media: Links to information that is not
easily available through commercial news media
Media
sites with streaming audio content
Other
media sites with information and commentary that is not easily available
through mainstream news sources
Awareness will ultimately lead to
action, here are links to some organizations and tools
Activism:
links to effectiveness and organizations that can help you affect positive change, including a new section on protecting rivers and water quality
I do not believe that indiscriminately spraying toxic chemicals on food crops is a wise and ethical practice.
Since GATT and other trade agreements overruled many of the protections
that our food supply enjoyed, I have noticed that an alarming amount of
supermarket produce tastes or smells strongly of pesticides and or fungicides.
I suggest writing your legislators and demanding that provisions be added
to GATT to protect consumers from pesticide residues on food. Demand that
funding must be increased for the "Pesticide Data Program" to determine
safe levels of pesticide residues permittable on foods.
I also feel that the mass marketing of herbicides
and pesticides to homeowners should be regulated strictly. Use of
these dangerous chemicals can have serious short and long term negative
consequences. Too much is unknown. Supposedly inert ingredients like carriers and wetting agents may do as much damage as the more carefully regulated active ingredients. Herbicides and pesticides simply should not be marketed for profit to uninformed
consumers. Too many homeowners think that if a little is effective, a lot is more effective. This is not the case.
There is no reason to kill the dandelions in our lawns and poison
our environment in the process. If we can learn to enjoy the beauty of
bio-diversity, our children's health will benefit.
My Favorite Garden crops include:
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Melons: I prefer small red and yellow watermelons to larger varieties. Yellow Doll and Mickylee are good home varieties. Mickylee is sold by Ferry Morse and others. Charentais canteloupe varieties like Charmel taste the best, but don't last very long at the peak ripeness stage. Try Sweetie Butterscotch melon in short season areas.
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Peppers: Ultraset from Stokes is my favorite red sweet pepper. Lipstick from Johnny's is another good choice if you have a short season and like red peppers. Early Sunsation is a good green pepper that ripens yellow and Antohi Romanian is a prolific sweet wax pepper that ripens red. If you like big blocky bells try LaBamba from Harris Seeds. Arledge is my favorite
hot pepper. In the last few years I have grown many varieties of hot peppers.
I have saved seeds from cross pollinated pepper plants and found the results
to be very good. I have one that is a cross (Arledge x Lipstick) x Hungarian
Wax that is outstanding. I have saved the best seeds from that cross
now for 5 years.
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Tomatoes: I have been frustrated with tomatoes due
to diseases including fusarium. My favorites include Sun Sugar, Rose Quartz, Prudens Purple, Yellow Brandywine,
Whippersnapper, Rose, Sandul Moldovan, and a large pointed paste type called Manny (which
I got from Hockanum Greenhouse in Storrs, CT.) Manny is my favorite tomato overall
for flavor, as well as vigor and meatiness. If you like grape tomatoes try Jolly. It's large pink and very sweet when fully ripe.
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Garlic, Onions, Companion Plants and Herbs: I have grown ten types of stiffneck garlic including German Extra Hardy, Leningrad, Premium Northern White, Music, Purple Stripe, Chesnok Red, Brown Tempest, Metechi, Bogatyr, Aces Rocambole from a local source. I have grown many onion varieties
form seed including Ailsa Craig. I plant nasturtiums with squash, blue hyssop
with broccoli, flowering coriander with tomatoes and flowering radishes
and raab with cucumbers to help provide insect protection. Bean Beetles have been
my most difficult insect problem. I haven't tried releasing the specfic type of parasitic wasps that prey on them.
Flea beetles are a difficult pest for me as well. Floating row covers are necessary in spring to grow mustard family crops and eggplant.
Gardening
resources
Tomato Pepper and Other Agronomy Pages
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The On-line
Tomato Vine
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This collection of tomato pages is without equal.
An authoritative WWW source for info on Tomatoes.
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Tomato Mailing List Information
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If you need still more info on tomatoes
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Firegirl's Chile
page
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Includes a seed exchange.
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ChileHeads
page
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Chile Lovers unite.
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Chile
Varieties database
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Graeme Caselton's database is astonishing
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Vegetable
information
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Texas A&M site; if you have problems with or
want information about specific vegetables this is a good place to start.
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A Multi-state Extension Materials Database: Requires
no password, user fee, or registration
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NewCrop
Purdue
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The Web site of the Indiana Center for New Crops
& Plant Products, at Purdue University. NewCROP provides windows to
new and specialty crop profiles
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Links to every state agricultural institution, also
Federal and International links
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National Agricultural
Library
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links to lots of academic information including AGNIC.
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The
Plant Pathology Internet Guide Book
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A subject oriented internet resource guide for plant
pathology, applied entomology, and all related fields.
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AgFind
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WWW search engine specifically geared to help users
find agricultural products and services on the internet.
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Agriculture
Online
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Lots of info on farming
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Garlic Seed Foundation
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Links to resources for East Coast garlic Growers
Botany and Plant Information
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The
Plants Photo Gallery
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United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources
Conservation Service provides photographic images of native plants.
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Plants
for a Future- A Resource and Information Centre for Edible and other useful
plants
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Plants for a Future seeks to gather together and
disseminate information on the many useful properties of plants, particularly
those plants which are less common in todays society. One major project
has been the construction of a database of useful plants which contains
over 7000 species, which is now available online.
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Connecticut
College Arboretum
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Local for me, great info source and lots of good
links too.
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Southwest-School-of-Botanical-Medicine
Plant Images by Genus
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A thorough listing of medicinal plant images
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American
Herbalist Guild Member Pages
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Links to Herbal Sites of Interest
Organic Gardening Sites
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Northeast
Organic Farming Association
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The Northeast Organic Farming Association is an affiliation
of seven state chapters: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.
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Don't
Panic Eat Organic
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This is an especially good organic growing page.
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Biological
Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America
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Cornell University Web site provides photographs
and descriptions of major biological control (or biocontrol) agents of
major insect, disease and weed pests in North America.
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Sustainable
agriculture Papers
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A Collection of writings on sustainable agriculture
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Arizona Biological
Control Inc.
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SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL ALTERNATIVES FOR GROWERS!
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Organic1's
page
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Organic1 is the organizer behind Undernet #gardening,
his page that has lots of links to organic growing information.
Seed sources: I've had excellent results with all
these
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Johnny's Selected
Seeds
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The best all around selection I know of for seeds
and supplies for gardeners. Their peppers are the best for the north. Valencia
tomato is a winner too.
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Cook's Garden
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Some interesting salad greens and heirloom vegetables
can be found here.
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Seeds
of Change
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Unusual heirloom seeds from culturally diverse sources.
They have changed since they were bought out a large corporation known
for candy.
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Renee's Garden Seeds
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Choice varieties for home gardeners
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White Flower Farm
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Flowering Plants and Bulbs
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Peaceful Valley
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One of the best sources I've seen for organic growing
supplies.
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Southern
Exposure Seed Exchange
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Very good tomato selection, lots of good heirlooms
peaked my interest here.
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Stokes
Seeds
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Big selection, great prices.
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Thompson
and Morgan
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Excellent flower seed selection,
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Parks Seed
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Big selection, and lots of info on the web site too.
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Tomato
Grower's Supply
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This is the best Source I have seen for tomato seeds
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Logee's Greenhouses,
Ltd.
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141 North Street, Danielson, CT, 06239, 860-774-8038,
everything you can grow indoors (plus great herbs) in 2" pots
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Fedco Seeds
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An excellent
co-operative source for non-treated hybrid and heirloom seeds. Great prices
too and quantity discounts. Order deadline March 15.
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Richter's Herbs
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This is the best source I have seen for herb seeds and plants
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Nourse Farms
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A source for high quality, virus-indexed, small fruit plants: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, currants and gooseberries, as well as asparagus, rhubarb, and horseradish.
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Filaree Farm
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My favorite garlic website. This is the place to find unusual garlic with lots of information too.
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Territorial
Seeds
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Great selection of seeds for short cool growing seasons including some real nice garlic varieties.
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Nichol's Garden Nursery
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Herbs, rare seeds and plants including garlic.
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Gourmet Garlic Gardens
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Another garlic source.
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Recreation
and Personal Growth
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American Canoe
Association
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Canoe Poling is one of my hobbies. The ACA Sanctions
races and other events
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2005
ACA Canoe Poling Schedule
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Here is a schedule of Canoe Poling races and events
for 2006. This list is more comprehensive and updated more often than the
ACA Page. Look for more poling info here soon.
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Northeast Paddler's Message Board
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An information and communication resource for paddlers in the Northeast Region.
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Yang Style Tai Chi
Chuan
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Headquartered in Boston, MA. A Connecticut school
is located in Westerly R.I: classes in Push Hands, Chi Kung, and Tai Chi.
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Southern New England Indigenous Music Links
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NEW CONTENT: evolving original page of links to music calenders, venues, and artists in southern New England and New York.
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Alternative news media and information that is not
easily available through commercial media
Political Disclaimer: It is very easy to identify
the problems in our society. Enacting positive change, however requires
AWARENESS, WORK, and VIGILANCE. Many Americans believe that we live in
a nation which automatically guarantees freedom and democracy. I fear that
this has never been the case, we must work hard to maintain and revive
democracy, justice, and truth in the media. This starts with AWARENESS.
Government and news media dominated by money may work to enhance our material
wealth. Too many Americans equate materialism with freedom and justice. These sites
below may help to raise our awareness; they cannot necessarily provide
us with solutions to the problems they identify. That is the challenge
that is before every citizen. Start by talking with your friends and neighbors, don't
be afraid. Believe that your voice can make a difference. Write to your legislators, BE HEARD! and ACT!
Media
sites with audio content
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World Radio
Network
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Shortwave Radio broadcasting through Real Audio.
You will find international news broadcasts from Australia, China, New Zealand, Russia, Sweden, Turkey and many others here.
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Freespeech Radio News
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A daily news program.
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Radio
Netherlands
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Radio Netherlands provides information in a very listener friendly format.
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Radio
France International
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Radio France International provides informative and
thorough coverage of world affairs
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Deutsche
Welle
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Deutsche Welle, the German broadcast service is available
in English on real audio
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Radio
Canada International
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Radio Canada International
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BBC
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The BBC is always thorough.
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OutfarPress Shortwave
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Highly recommended: one half hour per week, clips from international short wave news broadcasts
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Radio For Peace International
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RFPI based in Costa Rica has some very interesting programming about Central and South America. The audio quality is poor.
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Voice of Russia
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For another perspective
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Democracy Now
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Another nightly newscast
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Radio Nation
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From the Nation Magazine
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CounterSpin
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From FAIR, media watchdogs
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Your Call
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Laura Flanders show on KALW
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Flashpoints
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INVESTIGATIVE News Radio Weekdays from KPFA
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Glen Hauser's World of Radio
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Glen monitors and summarizes diverse world radio sources
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ENN Radio
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Environmental News Network
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Jim Hightower
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Commentary from a lone voice from Texas
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National Radio Project
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Attempting to build a sustainable model of independent news programming. Utilizing voices and perspectives rarely heard in media, Making Contact focuses on the human realities of politics, the connections between local and global events, and creative possibilities for people to engage in hopeful democratic change.
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Mike's
Radio World
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A thorough listing of Shortwave Radio stations including
many that broadcast on the internet
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MIT
List of Radio on the Internet
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This list of radio stations on the internet is very
complete
Other
DIVERSE media sites
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The Nation
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Thorough journalism which addresses topics ignored
or covered up by other media.
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Z magazine
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News and stimulating commentary. Links to Noam Chomsky
Archive are especially valuable.
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Left
Business Observer
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Stimulating information and commentary about our
economy, and how it functions.
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FAIR
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Fairness and Accuracy in Media, thank you FAIR for
speaking truth to power. FAIR also has a great audio segment called Counter
Spin.
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Mother Jones Magazine
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Thought provoking information and commentary on social
justice.
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Utne Reader
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Sometimes interesting, you be the judge.
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Columbia Journalism
Review
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CJR critiques the media, and reports what the others
wont.
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Boston
Globe's Latest World News
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This is one of the better commercial news pages on
the web.
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Corporate Watch
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We are committed to exposing corporate greed by documenting
the social, political, economic and environmental impacts of these transnational
giants. We also aim to do something about it!
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Michael Moore's
Page
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Comedy or Commentary? Michael Moore is good at what
he does, exposing the soft underbelly of corporate greed. Producer of "Roger
& Me," "TV Nation," The Awful Truth," and "Downsize This"
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Opensecrets.org / The Center for Responsive Politics
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Politicians may not be "For Sale" in the USA, but there seem to be many who are "For Rent." The Center for Responsive Politics is a non-partisan, non-profit research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics, and its effect on elections and public policy. You can learn here who got how much from who. The Center’s work is aimed at creating a more educated voter, an involved citizenry, and a more responsive government.
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Essential Information
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Founded in 1982 by Ralph Nader, Essential Information is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization that is involved in a variety of projects to encourage citizens to become active and engaged in their communities. They provide provocative information to the public on important topics neglected by the mass media and policy makers.
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Truthout
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Truthout scans various media sources
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Economic Democracy
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Towards a democratic economic system and media
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Project Censored
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Compiles an annual list of 25 news stories that have been overlooked, under-reported or self-censored by the country's major national news media.
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CounterPunch
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CounterPunch is the bi-weekly muckraking newsletter edited by Alexander Cockburn and Jeffrey St. Clair. Twice a month they bring readers the stories that the corporate press never prints.
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AlterNet
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Stimulating and value-driven information we need to create change and good policies.
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Consortium News
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Committed to honestly informing the American people about important events, no matter what the political and economic pressures.
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In These Times
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Dedicated to informing and analyzing popular movements for social, environmental and economic justice
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Information Clearinghouse
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A source of unreported (or under reported) news from around the globe.
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AlJazeerah
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An Arab and Islamic world perspective
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Arab News
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From Saudi Arabia
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Al-Ahram
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From Egypt
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Tikkun
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From Israel
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Dahr Jamail's Iraq Dispatches
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From Iraq
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Angry Arab New Service
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A source on politics, war, the Middle East, Arabic poetry, and art.
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Colorado Campaign for Middle East Peace
-
Stated goal: Working to end the U.S.-led sanctions and bombings against Iraq, and ending U.S. support for Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and its oppression of the Palestinian people, in accordance with international law.
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Grist Magazine
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Grist tackles environmental topics with irreverence, intelligence, and a fresh perspective with the goal to inform, entertain, provoke, and encourage creative thinking about environmental problems and solutions.
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ENN: Environmental News Network
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Environmental News Network has been working to educate the world about environmental issues facing our Earth
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Links
to Organizations and Tools to Affect Positive Change
United for Peace
Best place to find anti-war related events in your area
War Resistor's League
"There is no way to peace — peace is the way."
A.J. Muste
American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
A Quaker organization that includes people of various faiths who are committed to social justice, peace, and humanitarian service
Veterans for Common Sense
VfCS seeks to inject the element of Common Sense into debates over war and national security. In an age when the majority of public servants have never served in uniform, the perspective of war veterans must play a key role in the public debate over national security issues in order to preserve the liberty veterans have fought and died preserving.
Not in Our Name
NiON believes that as people living in the United States it is our
responsibility to resist the injustices done by our government, in our names
Peace Pledge
Publicly register your opposition to war on Iraq and join a coordinated national campaign to prevent a war with Iraq. Join the Iraq Pledge of Resistance, a nationally coordinated campaign of nonviolent civil disobedience.
International A.N.S.W.E.R.
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism
Public Citizen
Founded by Ralph Nader in 1971, Public Citizen is the consumer's eyes and ears in Washington. They fight for safer drugs and medical devices, cleaner and safer energy sources, a cleaner environment, fair trade, and a more open and democratic government.
Pesticide Action
Network
For 16 years, the Pesticide Action Network has campaigned
to replace pesticide use with ecologically sound alternatives.
Thomas
U.S. Congressional Legislative Information on the
Internet
Physicians
for Social Responsibility
A community of conscience committed to eliminating
weapons of mass destruction, preserving a sustainable environment, addressing
public health reform and reducing violence and its causes.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Union of Concerned
Scientists
Working for a cleaner environment and a safer world.
Worldwatch Institute
Worldwatch is dedicated to fostering the evolution
of an environmentally sustainable society, one in which human needs are
met in ways that do not threaten the health of the natural environment
or the prospects of future generations.
Human Rights Watch
We stand with victims and activists to prevent discrimination,
to uphold political freedom, to protect people from inhumane conduct in
wartime, and to bring offenders to justice. Helsinki Watch is a part of
this organization.
American Civil Liberties
Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is the nation's
foremost advocate of individual rights -- litigating, legislating, and
educating the public on a broad array of issues affecting individual freedom
in the United States.
Common Cause
Common Cause is a nonprofit, nonpartisan citizen's
lobbying organization promoting open, honest and accountable government.
Common Cause represents the unified voice of the people against corruption
in government and big money special interests.
Greenpeace
"Greenpeace continues to believe that determined
individuals can alter the actions and purposes of even the most powerful
by "bearing witness", that is, by drawing attention to an abuse of the
environment through their unwavering presence at the scene, whatever the
risk.
Citizens for Tax Justice
Citizens for Tax Justice, founded in 1979, is a 501 (c)(4) public interest research and advocacy organization focusing on federal, state and local tax policies and their impact upon our nation. CTJ's mission is to give ordinary people a greater voice
in the development of tax laws. Against the armies of special interest lobbyists for corporations and the wealthy
United for a Fair Economy
UFE's work is grounded in the belief that the USA would be a far more democratic, prosperous, and caring community if we narrowed the vast gap between the very wealthy and everyone else. They envision an economy where the distinction between “labor” and “capital” is blurred — where everyone contributes to society with their labor and everyone benefits from society’s financial growth. They envision a society in which values, not profits alone, guide economic decisions.
We the People
We the People page, Jerry Brown's organization is
working to educate people to take back power from the corporate plutocracy.
He is hard hitting and factual. We the People exposes the weaknesses in
both liberal and conservative political thought.
Protecting and Restoring our Rivers and Water Quality
American Rivers
A nonprofit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring rivers nationwide.
Clean Water Network
The Clean Water Network is an alliance of over 1,100 organizations that recognize the need for strong clean water safeguards in order to protect public health and the environment.
Center for Watershed Protection
The Center for Watershed Protection provides local governments, activists, and watershed organizations around the country with the technical tools for protecting some of the nation's most precious natural resources: our streams, lakes and rivers.
Stormwater Manager's Resource Center
Created and maintained by the Center for Watershed Protection, the SMRC has everything you need to know about stormwater pollution.
The Nature Conservancy
TNC works to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.
Conservation Law Foundation
CLF's advocates use law, economics, and science to design and implement strategies that conserve natural resources, protect public health, and promote vital communities in our region.
Trust for Public Land
The Trust for Public Land helps conserve land for recreation and spiritual nourishment and to improve the health and quality of life of American communities.
River Network
River Network's Mission is to help people understand, protect and restore rivers and their watersheds.
H2ouse Water Saver Home
Technology to reduce water use
International Rivers
Network
"IRN supports local communities working to protect
their rivers and watersheds. We work to halt destructive river development
projects, and to encourage equitable and sustainable methods of meeting
needs for water, energy and flood management.
Snowball Earth
Another Twist on Global Climate Change.... Perhaps the issue du jour may not be all its hyped up to be.
The Daily Motivator
Last but not least. This isnt about coffee or psyllium seed, its about keeping on track with a few short words of wisdom updated daily.
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Christopher P. Malik
dontspamcmalik@sbcglobal.net
Revised -- 5/13/05
URL: http://www.oocities.org/polecanoe/