Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Boost the Eggplant, er Bass...

The official site for A Place at the Table shared this video on its Facebook page the other day. The video was originally posted via the site Take Part. This remarkable composition by J.Viewz utilzes music-tech tool MaKey MaKey, which makes it possible to turn any object into a synth controller, to construct a music studio out of a bag of groceries. Sliced eggplants operate as bass and kick drums; a carrot strapped to a turntable keeps the steady, spinning beat of the hi-hat.



"It’s a joy to watch him squeeze and prod the edibles to build the trip-hop classic—although we would love to know what prized vegetable variety had the pleasure of controlling Fraser’s haunting voice," said  Take Part's food editor Willy Blackmore.

And perhaps the tunes might find somewhat familiar to you.  Blackmore tells you why:

You may recognize the harpsichord strain as the music that plays over the title credits to the TV show House. Or you may remember it as a dream collaboration between Massive Attack and the Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Fraser (that is, if Bristol was the musical capital of the world for you in the 1990s). But no matter your point of reference to the song “Teardrop,” you probably don’t recall it as being played on fruits and vegetables.

You're wondering if there is a message behind the creative endeavor, and you're right.  Food Waste Has to Stop.   According to the World Food Programme, there are 870 million undernourished people worldwide, and yet Americans throw out almost 50% of their food.   How can you get involved?  Go to the site of the video and scroll down to the Take Action button.

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Welcome the Stranger

For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your ancestors for ever and ever.
- Jeremiah 7:5-7

Photo: Bread for the World
The Bread for the World Institute has studied immigration-related issues for several years now.  The effort has focused on examining the economic and political structural problems in the home countries (Central America and Mexico) of would-be immigrants that contribute to their need to come to the U.S. for a better life.

Andrew Wainer, an immigration specialist, has written several pieces for the Institute, The Huffington Post and other publications   For example, here are links to some great pieces: a policy paper on Farm Workers and Immigration,  a policy paper on Remittances and Repatriation in Central America an article on Remittances and Immigration, and a piece on The Agricultural 99 Percent

The Institute, which also publishes our annual hunger reports, is the equivalent of Bread for the World's think tank/ The research provides valuable background and analysis to advocates, academics and policymakers.

But immigration and poverty are often related, and we are determining how best to address this with our advocacy efforts within Bread for the World.  Stay tuned.

Faith Coalition Sponsors Event in Albuquerque
There is a strong effort by the faith community in Albuquerque, via the The New Mexico Faith Coalition for Immigrant Justice, to advocate for the rights of immigrants (undocumented and documented) in our communities.  The coalition extends you an invitation to attend a great program:

Welcome the Stranger: Recovering Core Values Around Immigration

A presentation by the Green Valley/Sahuarita, AZ Samaritans

Tuesday, March 5, 6:30 p.m.
 First Congregational Church (corner of Girard and Lomas)

The featured presenters are Shura Wallin & Rev. Dr. Randy Mayer, co-founders of the Green Valley/Sahuarita, AZ Samaritans

The Samaritans Mission is to save lives in the desert. They search the desert for migrants; offer water, food and first aid to those found suffering; collect trash and possessions left behind; educate about migrant issues; and assist in providing humanitarian aid to returnees to Mexico.

Here's what the coalition wants you to ponder:
Consider the alarming statistics of border deaths, the emphasis on border security and the deportation of 400,000 people last year. The ongoing focus of the administration to strengthen border security as the first requirement of immigration reform is of great concern to immigrant and allied communities. We need to put a human face on immigration and work towards comprehensive immigration policy that is just and humane.

Small group discussions will follow the presentation, and lead to action.

For more information, contact: Pedro Ramos Goycolea at 510-289-3346

Monday, February 25, 2013

Information for A Place at the Table Screenings in Santa Fe

Remember how I urged you to wait until Tuesday to get the official time for the screenings of A Place at the Table at the CCA's Cinemathique in Santa Fe?

You no longer have to to wait until Tuesday.

Sherry Hooper from The Food Depot in Santa Fe received an e-mail from the CCA with the times when the movie will be showing.

"We'll be playing a powerful film about hunger in America, A Place at the Table, March 1-7, and we wanted to let those working on food security issues know," Cinemathique director Jason Silverman wrote in the e-mail.
 
There will be one showing daily on those dates.

Friday, March 1, 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, March 2, 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 3, 5:00 p.m.
Monday, March 4, 2:45 p.m.
Tuesday, March 5, 2:45 p.m.
Wednesday, March 6 (The screening had originally been scheduled on this date, but it has since been replaced by another movie).

Thursday, March 7, 2:45 p.m.

We don't have any special events planned around the showings, but please make plans to catch the movie on one of those days.  And be sure to bring members of your congregation, and your family, friends and neighbors.  As you know, this documentary is the anchor for Bread for the World's 2013 Offering of Letters.

The Cinemathique is located at 
1050 Old Pecos Trail 
Santa Fe, NM  

Oxfam Hunger Banquet @2013 IMPACT Conference

On Saturday, February 23, the New Mexico Oxfam Action Corps and Oxfam America hosted a Hunger Banquet as part of the 2013 IMPACT Conference, held at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building. New Mexico FoodCorps was a cosponsor of the event.

The more than 100 participants--comprised of college students from all over the U.S.--were divided into three categories. The 15 percent in the high-income tier were served a sumptuous meal (pasta shells and salad) and sat at tables with nice tablecloths. The 35 percent in the middle-income section sat on chairs and a simple meal of rice and beans.  And the 50 percent in the low-income tier sat on the floor and helped themselves to small portions of rice and water.  Here is the full Hunger Banquet script from Oxfam.

There was very good discussion from all three groups.  But as one person from the lower-income group noted, all the students in the room came from a middle-class bacground, so it was difficult to really get the big picture.  I still feel privileged eating this rice because I didn't have to work for it.

One participant in the middle-income group noted that despite the protein from the beans, he group was not getting a well-rounded nutritious meal.  A meal of rice and beans still leaves people at the edge.  There were no fruits or vegetables.

And there was the expected reaction from the upper income group.  This is a very humiliating experience, said one person.  Another noted,  I tried giving some salad to one of my friends in the lower-income group, and she didn't feel right taking it.

The participants then heard from me on how to follow up on their experience, mainly through advocacy. I told them about Bread for the World and other groups engaged in advocacy.  One of my props, a t-shirt from ONE, was very popular.  It reads: Actions Speak Louder.

Here are more photographs from the event.
Lowest income group sits on the floor
Middle income sits on chairs
High income sits at table

Amelia Pedini from  New MexicoFoodCorps was co-moderator
Jasmine McBeath from NM Oxfam Action Corps was also an MC
Adam Casados from NM FoodCorps

Sunday, February 24, 2013

And the Winner Is...

On the day when the Oscars are going to be awarded, it is appropriate to talk about cinema. So here is my category: Movie Theaters. The nominees are: Belcourt Theatre (Nashville), Oriental Theatre (Milwaukee), Varsity Theatre (Seattle), Mayan Theatre (Denver) and The Loft Cinema (Tucson).







And the winner is....(Opening the Envelope...)

They're all winners!  

These five theaters will be among the nearly three dozen cinemas where A Place at the Table  will premiere on Friday, March 1. That documentary is the anchor for Bread for the World's 2013 Offering of Letters.  Several other theaters around the country have scheduled showings for March and April. Is a theater in your city among them?  See complete list from Magnolia Pictures.

Another winner in New Mexico.... 
And of course, you know that the Cinemathique theatre in Santa Fe is also among the 32 theaters that will show the documentary on March 1. The Cinemathique is a unit of the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe.

"What are the show times?" you ask.

Well, the folks at Cinemathique are still working on that, and they promise they will have them posted on Tuesday, February 26.

But just in case you want to engage in a bit of guessing, here is what I determined,  based on the movies that were scheduled for the weekend of Friday, February 22 through Sunday, February 24.

Movie A: 12:00p, 2:30p, 5:15p, 8:00p
Movie B:  12:15p, 3:00p
Movie C: 6:00 p.m.
Movie D:  8:30

A Place at the Table and another movie, Harvest of Empire, are the only two movies showing on Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2.  On Sunday, a third movie will be shown at 4:00 p.m. only.

If the Cinemathique keeps this schedule, this means that A Place at the Table will show at either of these times on Friday and Saturday (and possibly on Sunday):

12:00 p.m. or 12:15 p.m.
2:30 p.m. or 3:00 p.m.
5:15 p.m. or 6:00 p.m.
8:00 p.m. or 8:30 p.m.

(Monday-Tuesday showings could be 12:15, 12:30p; 2:00 p. 3:00p, 4:00p, 5:30p, 8:00p, 8:30p)

But this is ONLY a Guess.  This message will self-destruct when the official times are posted on Tuesday.

And one more thing.  The person who answered the phone at CCA said "the movie will keep showing as long as people keep coming." So please try to make it there on Friday through at least Tuesday so that it can keep showing.  As of now, no new movie is on the schedule until Wednesday.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Second Week in Lent: Feeding the Children

Lenten Prayers for Hungry People
Readings, prayers, and actions to help you and your family observe Lent in 2013—prepared by Bread for the World

 
Second Week in Lent February 24-March 2
Jesus Announces His Plan to Go to Jerusalem

Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18
Psalm 27
Philippians 3:17– 4:1 

Luke 13:31-35 or Luke 9:28-43

[Jesus said,] “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed outside of Jerusalem.”
—Luke 13:32b-33

Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud, be gracious to me and answer me!
—Psalm 27:7

PRAYER
O Christ, you willingly set your course to Jerusalem and faced death on the cross so that we might live. Grant us faith to use this gift of new life to do your work of healing the sick and feeding the hungry.   Amen.

ACTION
One in five children in the United States now faces the threat of hunger. Too many kids in America aren’t getting the nutrition they need to grow and learn. In 2013, Bread for the World is urging Congress to protect funding for programs that enable families in our country to feed their children. Call 1-800-822-7323 or visit the Bread for the World Web site to find out how you can take part in this advocacy campaign.

Links to scripture are from New Revised Standard Version
Woodcuts were created by Helen Siegl, a longtime Bread for the World member

Friday, February 22, 2013

Everyone on a Pilgrimage

"Not all pilgrims are pioneers. Most who commit themselves to the Christian faith are, like the first followers of Jesus, ordinary people going about their unspectacular lives but with their hearts set on the Land of Promise.

In God's economy when new leaders are called out, some followers risk hazardous journeys while others stay at home to take care of the necessary tasks and responsibilities of the community.

Yet all are on pilgrimage because they are responding to the invitation to be where God has called them. All are members of the pilgrim community."

An excerpt from A Table of Delight: Feasting with God in the Wilderness, by Elizabeth J. Canham (Nashville: Upper Room Books, 2005) , 38

Quote can also be found in Weavings magazine, February 2013 issue

Thursday, February 21, 2013

The 100th Blessing

Gratefulness.org. invites you to participate in its 99 Blessings Contest: What is the 100th blessing? (February 6 through March 20, 2013) The contest is inspired by the book 99 Blessings, authored by Bro. David Steindl-Rast.

"Blessing is the spiritual bloodstream that flows through the universe," writes Bro David. "When we bless something, we return what we received to its source. That is like the blood coming from the heart and going back to the heart. That blood keeps on flowing. If we tune in to the bloodstream of blessing, the world comes alive."

Here are the first and second blessings in the book 99 Blessings:

Source of all blessings, you bless us with wind. Gentle or fierce, warm and humid or icy or hot and dry, may it caress my skin and make it tingle, refresh my spirit and make it wide awake so that i might pass on lightheartedness to everyone I meet.

Source of all blessings, you bless us with breath. In and out, in and out, ever renewing us, ever anew making us one with all who breathe the same air, may this blessing overflow into a shared gratefulness, so that with one breath I may praise and celebrate life.

And here's how you can participate:

How would you complete this phrase? What would your 100th blessing be?
Source of all blessings, you bless us with the blessing of...

Please share with your blessing in 50-100 words.   Gratefulness.org will  12 blessings to share on its Web site.   Send submissions to 99BlessingsContest@gmail.com

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Matthew 2, Albert Einstein and Christian Piatt

From Sojourners Verse and Voice for February 13

Verse of the Day
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt. -Matthew 2:13-14

Voice of the day
In matters of truth and justice, there is no difference between large and small problems, for issues concerning the treatment of people are all the same.   -Albert Eintsein

Prayer of the Day
Eternal light, I do not ask you to dispel the darkness, but rather to guide me through it as my companion, my hope and my strength. - From Christian Piatt's Lenten Reflection 'The Only Way Out is Through'

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

'You Give Them Something to Eat'

By Sister Jane Remson, O.Carm

The story of the loaves and fishes in Mark’s gospel is a good example of the challenges we face in providing food for the hungry.

You know the story. Thousands of people were listening to Jesus preach and it was getting late. The disciples encouraged Jesus to dismiss the crowd saying, “let them go to their homes so they can get something to eat.” Instead of dismissing the crowd Jesus said to his disciples “You give them something to eat.” The disciples were astonished by his words and said to Jesus, “With what? We’d have to work for months to earn enough money to buy food for all these people.” Jesus was quiet and let the disciple figure out what to do to provide enough food for the crowd. The same is true for us. We were also told “You give them something to eat.”

It’s our turn to figure out how to meet the challenges and our responsibility to provide food for the hungry. In the end Jesus multiplied the efforts of the disciples so that all had enough to eat and several baskets of food were left over.

We can expect the same for our efforts. We can provide more than enough food for hungry people by creating a “circle of protection” around our nation’s basic food programs that provide food for the hungry in the USA and around the world. We know that 95% of the cost of providing food is from government sources and only 5% is from other sources, such as Catholic Relief Services, Save the Children, etc. We must contribute to the missionary work of our churches and support our local food banks, but we cannot neglect our responsibility as citizens to lobby our nation’s decision makers for our government’s role to feed the hungry.

You Give Them Something To Eat.” – Mark 6:34-44

Let your members of Congress know You expect government to honor its responsibility to fund basic programs that provide food for hungry people at home and abroad. Sequestration is not the way to – “give them something to eat.” In addition to the 1 million jobs lost and cuts to vital programs, the sequester – scheduled to begin on March 1, 2013 - would cut 600,000 women, infants and children from WIC and 70,000 children from Head Start.

 (From Volume 2, #7 (2013) of the Bread for the World New Orleans newsletter.  Sister Jane Remson is director of New Orleans Bread for the World)

New Orleans Hunger Walk
Bread for the World New Orleans will hold its 32nd Annual Hunger Walk on Saturday, March 2. 2013.  The 4-mile Walk begins at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church yard, 4640 Canal St. and proceeds up Canal St. to Claiborne Ave. The Walk turns on Claiborne Ave. and continues down Canal St. returning to St. Anthony of Padua Church yard. 

Registration begins at 8:00 am
Prayer at 9:00 am
Walk at 9:30 am
Adult - $15 ~ Student - $12 ~ Child - $7 (7 and under)
Fee includes your t-shirt

If you want to participate or donate money, contact Sister Jane Remson,  jfremson@loyno.edu, (504) 458-3029  

Monday, February 18, 2013

How Much Does Religious Affiliation Matter in Congress?

The Circle of Protection has become a central theme of Bread for the World's advocacy efforts over the last couple of years.  Bread members and supporters of allied organizations are motivated by our faith to act on behalf of hungry and poor people in our country and around the world.  "As Christians, we believe the moral measure of the debate is how the most poor and vulnerable people fare. We look at every budget proposal from the bottom up—how it treats those Jesus called "the least of these" (Matthew 25:45), said a statement from a broad group of Christian leaders who signed the Circle of Protection declaration in April 2011.  They do not have powerful lobbies, but they have the most compelling claim on our consciences and common resources."

I will admit that not all people of faith are on the same page regarding our approach to end hunger, but there is at least some common recognition that our Judeo-Christian (and other) scriptures require that we take some sort of action to reduce hunger and poverty.

Note this quote from Religion Link. "While religious people across the political spectrum agree that Scripture clearly urges care and compassion for the poor, there are complex and sometimes fierce debates — particularly among Christians and Jews across the conservative-liberal divide — about how best to do that. Tensions remain over how best to address poverty — what actually works and what the responsibility of people of faith, or the government, is. Some debates focus on the moral responsibility of the haves toward the have-nots; others on the moral responsibility of those who are poor."

Which brings us to the question: Does religious affiliation have an impact on how you go about your business in Washington?  The other related question is: Is party affiliation or religious affiliation more important?  There could be members of the same denomination from different parties who vote in totally different ways.  Sometimes floor speeches reflect the values of the legislators, but voting records are also important.

This post does not attempt to answer those questions, but offers a glimpse into the religious affiliations of the House and the Senate during the 113th Congress.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life gives us an interesting perspective on the current Congress in a study entitled, Faith on the Hill: The Religious Composition of the 113th Congress, published on Jan. 2, 2013.

 "Of the 533 members of the new Congress, 299 are Protestant, which is about the same percentage (56%) as in the 112th Congress (57%) and higher than the share of Protestants in the U.S. adult population (48%). But the proportion of Protestants in Congress has been in gradual decline for decades, and the number in the 113th Congress is lower than the number in the previous Congress (307), even if the difference in percentage terms is slight."

"Looking at the partisan breakdown of the various religious groups, Lutherans are almost evenly divided between the parties (52% Democrats and 48% Republicans). The other sizable Protestant groups (Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians and Episcopalians) – as well as Protestants as a whole – have more Republicans than Democrats. The same is true for Mormons; 12 of the 15 Mormon members of the new Congress are Republicans. 

Catholics are slightly tilted toward the Democrats (57%-43%). Jewish members are mostly Democratic (97%); in fact, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor is the only Jewish Republican in Congress. The other non-Christian groups (Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and Unitarians) are comprised exclusively of Democrats. All the members of Congress who did not specify a religion are also Democrats."   

The New Mexico Congressional Delegation
In case you're wondering about the New Mexico Congressional delegation, we have one Baptist (Rep. Steve Pearce),  two Roman Catholics (Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham and Rep. Ben Ray Lujan), a Mormon (Sen Tom Udall) and a Lutheran (Sen Martin Heinrich).

There has also been some diversity among the members of Congress who represented our state since I moved to New Mexico in 1992. Three were Roman Catholics (Sen. Pete Domenici, Rep. Bill Richardson, and Rep. Joe Skeen), two United Methodists (Sen. Jeff Bingaman and Rep. Heather Wilson), one member of the Jewish faith (Rep. Steve Schiff), one Baptist (Rep. Harry Teague), and one non-denominational Christian (Rep. Bill Redmond).  Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich served in the House before their election to the Senate.

Here are a few more interesting notes from the Pew study:
  • The 85 members to be seated for the first time in 2013 are less Protestant than the 112 first-time members who entered in 2011. In the 112th Congress, about six-in-ten members of the congressional freshman class were Protestant (59%), but that figure dipped to less than 50% in the 113th Congress. The percentage of freshman members who are Baptist and Presbyterian also decreased (from 16% to 9% for Baptists and from 8% to 4% for Presbyterians).
  • Catholics comprise a higher percentage of first-time members (37%) than of incumbent members (30%). Likewise, unspecified Protestants make up a greater percentage of freshman members (19%) than of incumbents (9%).
  • In many ways, the changes in the religious makeup of Congress during the last half-century mirror broader changes in American society. Congress, like the nation as a whole, has become much less Protestant and more religiously diverse. The number of Protestants in Congress has dropped from three-quarters (75%) in 1961 to 56% today, which roughly tracks with broader religious demographic trends during this period. 
  • Due in part to electoral gains in recent years, Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus now are represented in Congress in closer proportion to their numbers in the U.S. adult population. But some small religious groups, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, are not represented at all in Congress.
  • Perhaps the greatest disparity, however, is between the percentage of U.S. adults and the percentage of members of Congress who do not identify with any particular religion. About one-in-five U.S. adults describe themselves as atheist, agnostic or “nothing in particular” – a group sometimes collectively called the “nones.” But only one member of the new Congress, Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), is religiously unaffiliated, according to information gathered by CQ Roll Call.