Blogging 'Round the Globe

I'm touting a few blogs here, including a couple of my own "underground" blogs. ;-)  But no pushy-pushy expectations here or anything! ;-)

First stop: Give us This Day (our daily painting) is a blog, my blog, where I post a wide range of oil paintings and occasional watercolors by well and lesser-known painters, from ancient art to ultra-contemporary. A particular emphasis is placed on women painters. The posts are organized simply with the painter's name, dates and if known, the title of the work; as well as the genre or school or movement. I'm sure I'm not as correct as a real art historian in regard to the latter, but my three readers are welcome to correct me. I hope that if you like an image you see on This Day, you will do a little research on the artist and enjoy an art history moment on your own.

Give Us This Day is brought to you from Western Massachusetts, which makes it likely you will see photographs I've taken myself at favorite local museums. When photography is allowed, that is. I want to thank Linda of Vulture Peak Muse and Jerry of Grown Up Backwards for leaving their comments there on a regular basis. And a thanks to Jeff of Open Museum and toliwaga for following the blog and setting me straight on a recent error.

The other new blog I've been keeping sort of hidden is Chiseled. It is much newer than This Day, though similar in format. The differences are that, as its name implies, it is about sculpture. I also often post two or three images of a particular work or different works by a given artist, as I don't post there daily. I think I'm devoting about one post a week to it.

Second stop is at Forever Under Construction, authored by my Iranian blog and email pal,Homeyra. There is a lot to sink your teeth into there about peace, freedom, art and humanity.

I recently received this link from Homeyra, for a post on the work of Mona Shomali, an Iranian artist working in the U.S. I love her style - reminds me of Kirshner and Matisse all at once, but with an obvious female touch.

Mona Shomali

To Ben Heine in Belgium, I send a heartfelt congratulations on his engagement. Visit the Ben Heine site for lots of wonderful graphic art, painting, cartoons and photographs.

There is gentleman who comments here by the name of imac who blogs fantastic original photographs from his home in Lincolnshire, UK and from his travels with his lovely wife. And as he puts it "occasional insanity thrown in". Mac is a fun, happy person and a talented photographer.

Please trot on over and say hello! The world is smaller than you think!

Just A Little Green

UPDATE ON AMIR, MISSING IRANIAN BLOGGER: home safe, please check the blog Tehran24


photo by Pagan Sphinx
click for better viewing size

Inch by Inch, Row by Row (Cornfield in early Summer)
Southern New Hampshire

The struggle for freedom in Iran is one that can go forward if people around the world unite around the cause of human rights and speak out against theocracies and dictatorships. Let's not just leave it up to the governments. We have a unique opportunity, through the lightning speed of the internet, to wage support for non-violent struggles all over the world.

Support Freedom in Iran & Gene Sharp

Green is the symbolic color of Islam and the color that the pro-
Mousavi movement has adopted

A fellow blogger from Portugal who runs the blog Oeiras and Environs Daily and occasionally comments here, alerted me to a blog movement tomorrow on behalf of the people of Iran whose struggle for freedom has caught the world's attention. It seems that a member of the international blogging community is missing and many are concerned about this individual's whereabouts and safety. Here is the URL for that blog: http://tehranlive.org/, which JM has recently left in blog comments.

In solidarity with the people of Iran: I support you in your fight for democracy, freedom and human rights. Fight on.

Here you can read an article about a man named Gene Sharp, whom you may never have heard of, but whose book "From Dictatorship to Democracy" is rumored to have helped topple several dictatorships, including that of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, through its almost 200 hundred non-violent strategies; some of which have already been adopted by the student movement in Iran. If you're interested in non-violent protest, you'll really like reading this article.

There is some lively political discussion of the situation in Iran at the site of my Iranian blog bud Homeyra. You can read her at Forever Under Construction.

From PDA: Here's Something You Can Do

Join the Pressure Campaign!

Our grassroots pressure on Congress is working! Thanks to your help, PDA and a coalition of other groups have STALLED H. Con. Res. 362, the Iran Blockade Bill! PDA alone sent over 13,000 emails to Congress in July. But our Hill sources expect similar anti-Iran bills to be introduced when Congress comes back from recess September 8. We need to lead with a preemptive pressure campaign against similar extreme bills and in favor of a more effective diplomatic approach.

Package to Congress:
PDA and The Council for the National Interest will be hand delivering a package of materials supporting diplomacy to EVERY Senator and Member of the House during the week of September 8 – 12. This is a landmark diplomacy package signed by seven prestigious former ambassadors and deputy ambassadors that could change the direction of debate in Congress and America as to how we relate to the rest of the world. Click here to learn more and review the package contents.

Call-In Week:
In support of the package delivery, we need to keep the pressure on with telephone call-ins and emails beginning this week (September 8 – 12). The basic messages are:

1. Please work for a return to diplomacy first and military force as our last resort, as the primary principles of US foreign policy.
2. Specifically, co-sponsor H. Con. Res. 321, calling for a comprehensive diplomatic initiative in the Middle East that could defuse the Iran tensions and aid our responsible withdrawal from Iraq.Do not support the Iran Blockade Bills, H. Con. Res. 362 in the House, or S. Res. 580 in the Senate, or any similar extreme bills that might be introduced.

Here’s the Action:

• Call the Capitol switchboard at 202 224-3121 and ask for your Representative or Senator.
• Or click this link to send an email to your Representative and Senators.
• If you are really “gung ho”, you can also call the chairs of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Howard Berman at (202) 225-5021 and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Sen. Joe Biden (202) 224-4651.

Phone calls are especially effective because they create a buzz in the office. Ask to speak to the legislative aid who handles Iraq and Iran. If their Member is already in accord with our positions thank them and urge them to convince their colleagues to vote the same. As always, be polite and respectful, but be firm, as this is a crucial time.

Thank you!

Howard Jennings for the Out of Iraq IOT

Write or Call Your Rep. & A Hello From Me

Iran: Stop the Next War Now!

221 representatives in Congress are on record supporting a U.S. partial land, sea, and air blockade of Iran. A blockade, even a partial one, is an act of war.


It's happening folks. And I don't have to tell you that we need to do everything we can to stop it. We need to organize large-scale demonstrations in major cities to voice our opposition. If anyone knows of anything happening that I can get involved with at a local level, please let me know. I have limited time in the next few weeks to look into this and I need resources.

On the home-front, things are going well; though we all wish this bloody humidity spell would break. We don't believe in AC but I have been using it in the car when my mother is with me; the heat and humidity are flattening her.

I will keep you posted when I'm not so busy.

Peace,
Pagan

Amb. Pickering on Iran Talks and Multinational Enrichment

Former Ambassador Thomas Pickering calls for talks without preconditions and advocates a plan for a multinational uranium enrichment consortium in Iran. Iran has proposed a similar plan to the UN Security Council. Why aren't we considering this proposal?

Demand Real Diplomacy with Iran. Go to: Just Foreign Policy.

The Folly of Attacking Iran: Lessons from History

Back to U.S. misguided foreign policy and the hell it inflicts worldwide. Sigh.

My thanks to Homeyra, an Iranian blogger and all-around great woman ;-) (I hope I got it right this time), for posting this video with a link to Just Foreign Policy.