Greetings!
This weekend the summit Facing the Media Crisis: Media Education for Reform, Justice and Democracy is taking place in Burlington, Vermont. Sessions include: What's Reality? Fake News, Real News and Weapons Of Mass Perception, Taking Critical News to Critical Mass: Strategies for Mainstreaming Muckraking, and Victories In The Struggle Against Commercialism!
Independent media works against formidable odds to keep these issues in the public eye, both in print and electronic publications. Independent journalists and reporters speak truth to power and strive to bridge the information gap that has our democracy gasping for air.
In this issue of the Buzz, meet the frontline work of The Center for Media and Democracy, frame and reframe your world through the insights of Thom Hartmann, read about the riveting films being screened at Bioneers 2006, and much more.
Bioneers 2006: Moving Image Festival (MIF) 
Democracy in Crisis: Our Stolen Elections 7:30 pm, Friday October 21st Showcase Theater, Marin Center, Bioneers Conference
Voter intimidation. Racial profiling. Easy-to-hack voting machines. Special-interest money. Gerrymandering. Thanks to a number of factors, our elections may be becoming increasingly undemocratic. This program features clips from a number of new documentaries, each of which explore problems within our one-person, one-vote system. Following the compilation, a panel discussion led by Thom Hartmann will examine the challenges we face in our upcoming national elections.
Avi Lewis, director of The Take and a Bioneers 2005 presenter, has said that the MIF is a "political film nirvana." The MIF is one of many amazing programs scheduled for Bioneers 2006.
CONFERENCE PASSES STILL AVAILABLE!
A very limited number amount of theatre access passes are available along with plenty of tent access passes. Register today – online or by phone. Bioneers members pay less.
Join Now! (CEU's are available for teachers and nurses)
Support the organizations supporting Bioneers 2006:
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These are some of the communities reaching far for local change. Satellite program highlights: There are 18 Beaming Bioneers sites, from Anchorage, Alaska to Flagstaff, Arizona to Bloomington, Indiana to Marion, Massachusetts -- combining a live broadcast of the national Bioneers Conference with locally produced workshops, tours, and activities tailored to the needs of specific bioregions.
Find a Bioneers satellite conference near you! »
Beaming Bioneers 2006
This is What Democracy Looks Like Now: The Latest E-Networking Tools for Citizens and Communities
Immigration in the 21st Century: Connecting the Global and the Local
Urban Gardening Tour – Tour of neighborhood efforts, including community gardens and Detroit's only CSA.
New Solutions for Alternative Healthcare
WHICH STORY? WHICH FUTURE? Stories shape the way we understand the world around us. Not only our own personal stories but also the stories of the dominant culture — the stories told by the politicians, the media and the history books. But there are other stories too — the stories of frontline communities, engaged youth and visionaries working for a better world.
Bioneers Youth Initiative
Vision and Strategy for the Next Generation
For Young Activists (18 to 30 year-olds)
Presented by smartMeme, Thursday, October 19th at Bioneers 2006
Beyond Framing: How Deep Neuro-Linguistic Programming Communicates An excerpt from Bioneers 2005 I remember way back 20 years ago or so, when I was first starting to study psychotherapy and psychology, and hooked up with Richard Bandler. We were in a room with a bunch of people, virtually all of them health care professionals, psychologists and psychiatrists for the large part. Bandler was talking about the importance of the stories that we tell ourselves, which is the theme that runs through most of my books. Without wandering off onto that, he was talking about the importance of the stories that we tell ourselves, and how we actually have internal dialogues, and we tell ourselves stories about what's going on.
Bioneers Voices: Thom Hartmann
The Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) exposes corporate and government propaganda campaigns, while promoting citizen journalism. CMD reports online daily at PRWatch, SourceWatch and Congresspedia. The Center is leading the fight against "fake news" by TV stations. CMD's books include The Best War Ever, Banana Republicans, Weapons of Mass Deception, Trust Us, We're Experts and Toxic Sludge Is Good For You. To receive CMD's weekly listserv visit PRWatch.org or call (608) 260-9713
Spotlight Extra! The Ideal Bite provides insight, inspiration, level-headed advice, and cool tools to take action for people like you -- who aspire to align their everyday actions with their personal values. Are You a Biter Yet? Natural Yoga Mats? Vegan Condoms? Organic Beer? Not your grandmother's environmentalism! Get free, short, sassy eco-living ideas delivered Monday through Friday. A bite a day keeps global warming at bay. (In other words, small changes add up.) See what everyone is biting about by visiting Ideal Bite. Jennifer Boulden, co-founder of Ideal Bite, will be presenting at the Beaming site in Bozeman, Montana.
Spotlight Resource: The Center for Media and Democracy
In Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class—And What We Can Do About It, author and Air America Radio talk show host Thom Hartmann argues that twenty-five years of hostile government policies have left the middle class on the brink of extinction. American democracy itself is under siege, as it cannot exist in any meaningful way without a vibrant middle class to support it. Hartmann shows that America's middle class is not the "natural" consequence of a free market-based economy, revealing, over the last twenty-five years, we've witnessed an undeclared war against the middle class waged by the "cons"—so-called "conservatives"—who have worked hard to overturn the economy that FDR, Truman, and Eisenhower built. The cons have not "freed" the market: instead they have created market rules and conditions that value corporations over people.
Publication of the Month: Screwed
Food, Knowledge and Activism at the Local Level An Interview with Neva Hassanein by Arty Mangan AM: You promote the idea of food democracy: people actively participating in shaping their food systems. Meanwhile entities like Monsanto, Coca Cola, Wal-Mart, McDonald's and others have a very clear vision of what they want and how they're going to make it happen. How can communities shape and implement their own vision for a healthy and just food system? Neva: An important first step is beginning to have the dialogue about who controls our food system and why, then helping people understand that we've lost control over it in many ways and that we need to rebuild it. One of the things that I've been very excited about in recent years is the advent of food policy councils...
Food and Farming News: Food, Knowledge and Activism
The Bioneers Store features DVDs, CDs, downloads and books on Independent Media: DVDs Beyond Framing: How Deep Neuro-Linguistic Programming Communicates – Thom Hartmann Downloads Independent Media – Amy Goodman Stay connected and connect others in your community to Bioneers by making a purchase from the Bioneers Store today.
Bioneers Store: Independent Media
October 7 October 19 October 19 October 24 October 28 - November 1 November 16-19 December 8-10 Make sure to visit the Bioneers Events Calendar to view and post events for 2006.
Community News & Events
The Zapatista Model of Autonomy & Resistance
Tesuque Pueblo, New Mexico
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Redefining Economic Development in California
Hollister, California
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REVEL: The Art of Activism
San Francisco, California
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Take Back Your Time Day
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Oil & Water: Can They Mix?
Western and Indigenous Approaches to Economy, Ecology & Community
La Fonda Hotel, Santa Fe, New Mexico
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Re-Imagining Ourselves: A Transformational Retreat for Women
Austin, Texas
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New Mexico Democracy School
Santa Fe, New Mexico
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