A new album merges global grooves with a meaningful mission:
overcoming the African AIDS epidemic.
August 2005 | Whole Life News
Beats with Benefits
Chemical cocktails aren’t the only way to combat the AIDS epidemic. LA-based nonprofit NextAid has teamed up with San Francisco’s Om Records to release reBOOT: Notes for the Next Generation, a collection of electronic recordings aimed at educating and uniting the children of South Africa against the disease ravaging their country.
The album, which hit the stands July 26, features donated, mostly unreleased exclusive tracks by such electronic mainstays as Thievery Corporation and aFRO-mYSTIK. While styles range from straight dancehouse electronic to jazz to reggae-beat electronic, all songs are united by an overlying theme of compassion. Standout tracks by Marques Wyatt featuring Gina Rene and Kaskade pinpoint the message NextAid and Om Records want the world to hear.
All net wholesale proceeds of the album will be donated to Youth With a Vision (YWAV), a South African youth group that uses music as its mouthpiece to teach AIDS awareness. YWAV plans to use the funds generated to build a youth center, which will also serve as a home for children orphaned by the epidemic.
For info on how to add the benefit album to your collection visit NextAid.org. —Jon Novak
Schwarzenegger Lets the Sunshine In
The sun may finally be shining on clean energy in California—with the help of the Million Solar Roofs Initiative, the most ambitious solar-energy bill ever proposed in the US.
If passed this month, Million Solar Roofs would establish a 10-year subsidy plan to encourage Californians to install photovoltaic panels on their homes and businesses. The new panels would multiply by thirty times California’s current solar capacity, adding a commanding 3,000 megawatts of solar power to the grid and taking the place of about 10 coal-fired power plants. With such an enormous boost, California would surge past Germany and Japan to become the world’s number one market for solar energy.
That’s an honor that appeals to Republicans and Democrats alike. In a shining example of bipartisan compromise, the bill is being pushed by an unlikely trio: Gov. Schwarzenegger, Sen. Kevin Murray (D), and infamously fiscally conservative Sen. John Campbell (R). So far, the across-the-aisle gesture has been fruitful; the bill breezed through the state Senate with a 30 to 5 vote on June 1. Unfortunately, the Assembly may be a tougher sell—House Democrats are not eager to tally a victory for the governor, despite their presumed support for cleaner energy.
Then again, it’s difficult for Democrats to argue with this gleaming fact: the program would make solar electricity equal to—or cheaper than—conventional energy in 10 years.
To learn how to help your legislators see the light, go to: environmentcalifornia.org. To study up on the many arguments for solar, visit: votesolar.org/tools_arguments.html —Andi McDaniel
Weed Whacked
As we anticipated (see WLT, “Cannabis Crusader,” May ’05), on June 6 the Supreme Court denied two California patients the right to use medical marijuana under federal law. By a vote of 6-3, the be-robed ones disagreed that the Commerce Clause of the Constitution—which delegates intrastate commerce to the states—protects seriously ill med-mar users.
Nonetheless, the court did not overturn the 10 state laws that allow those with AIDS, cancer et al to medicate with the dreaded weed. “Legitimate medical marijuana patients in California must know that state and federal laws are no different today than they were yesterday,” assured state Attorney General Bill Lockyer, even though state officials have suspended patient ID cards for fear they would make both the state and card holders targets for the Feds. And in the majority opinion, Justice John Paul Stevens wrote that “The case is made difficult by respondents’ strong arguments that they will suffer irreparable harm because, despite a congressional finding to the contrary, marijuana does have valid therapeutic purposes,” creating an opening for a medical necessity defense.
While the feds don’t have the resources—or the political chutzpah—to begin arresting individuals in wheelchairs, they’ll not tread as lightly with growers and distributors. According to the New York Times, in the weeks following the court’s decision, the Drug Enforcement Administration raided three San Francisco cannabis clubs, as well as a doctor from the small-town of Cool, California (we kid you not) who allegedly wrote a recommendation to an undercover DEA agent and is also charged with distribution and manufacture of over 100 plants. “We will not turn a blind eye to serious and flagrant disregard of federal law,” a DEA spokesperson announced.
If his eye were indeed found to be blind, it could potentially be treated with cannabis, which relieves intraocular pressure and has proven efficacious in the treatment of glaucoma. In the meantime, so-called justice continues to thrash about, its vision hindered by the redundant tragicomedy of reefer madness. —Michael Simmons
It’s Your Birthday, You Can Sue If You Want To
“Whaaaack!” That’s Disney, taking a big swing—at violators of Intellectual Property laws. And this time, the culprit is a gigantic, papier-mâché Mickey Mouse impersonator.
Sending a strident warning to petty copyright infringers everywhere, Disney and several other cartoon companies recently filed a lawsuit against several local vendors of “counterfeit” piñatas. Benjamin Santoyo, owner of a small produce shop in LA’s so-called “piñata district” along Olympic Boulevard and Central Avenue, makes a living selling the popular birthday centerpieces, which are often modeled in the likenesses of Disney cartoon characters. While pinateros, or piñata makers, also sell non-copyrighted piñata characters, the Disney versions are highest in demand, since kids are familiar with them from television and the silver screen.
The other companies complicit in the crackdown were Viacom International Inc., Hanna-Barbera Productions, Cartoon Network and Sanrio Co., all stakeholders in the business of character and brand integrity. In addition to Santoyo, the group also filed suit against Victor Saavedra, owner of Saavedra Produce, another piñata district shop. Critics maintain that the companies’ attack on the piñata district is over-the-top, since— unlike the mom-and-pop shops they’re targeting—the corporations have little to lose. But company spokespersons aren’t about to release their grasp on their hard-won intellectual property.
Santoyo settled outside of court for an undisclosed sum. And most likely, the pinateros will go back to piñata-business-as-usual, albeit a bit more apprehensively. As for the birthday kids, they probably won’t even notice—after all, it’s what happens when Mickey spills his guts that counts. —AM
Drive-by Activism
The newest billboard on Sepulveda Boulevard doesn’t aim to advertise. It’s Karen Fiorito’s latest guerrilla art installation, and it’s designed to challenge the way people think about mainstream media. A sharp jab at Fox News Station’s claims of objectivity, the billboard looks just enough like an actual advertisement to cause dangerous double takes on the busy street.
Needless to say, defenders of the network are not thrilled. But the subversive artist/activist was prepared for that. She strives to offer “an alternative narrative to the dominant culture,” and sometimes, that means upsetting some folks.
Fiorito isn’t the only local artist taking satire to the streets. Robbie Conal, another fed-up and fiery Angelino, shares his art and opinions through guerrilla posters, which are decidedly not your typical dorm room décor. Conal’s posters feature the usual cast of unsavory politicians, except this time in a uniquely unflattering—and incriminating—light.
Check out Conal’s work, or learn about guerrilla postering etiquette, on his website: robbieconal.com.
To get a better look at Fiorito’s billboard art (without holding up traffic), go to shoxnews.com. —AM
Demasculinization Generation
Some disturbing news on the environmental front may manifest in a future generation besieged by penis envy. Studies have discovered that phthalates—the chemical compounds used to make plastics soft and malleable—are causing baby boys to be born with underdeveloped penises and incomplete descent of the testicles. These pervasive plasticizers comprise a wide range of everyday goods, including cosmetics, toys and PVC medical devices. Aside from apparently reducing the size of young boys’ manhood, phthalates make lipstick creamier and children’s toys chew-proof.
Loopholes in Federal law currently allow manufacturers to forgo listing phthalates as an ingredient in cosmetics or a component in plastics—but change is on the horizon. Ever the trendsetter, California is the only state in the nation to address these concerns head on by introducing bills that would enforce stricter labeling standards on products containing the potentially harmful compounds and banning phthalates from toys for children age three and under.
Interestingly, the FDA has not banned the use of use of medical devices that contain phthalates, but it has recommended that hospitals limit their use. Kudos to Miller’s Children’s Hospital in Long Beach for being ahead of the curve—in 2002 they eliminated all IV and TPN (total parenteral nutrition) bags containing the hazardous substance and will eventually follow suit in all MemorialCare affiliates throughout the LA area.
Show California Legislature that you support the elimination of phthalates by contacting your congressperson. Find your local lawmakers at congress.org —JR
NATIONAL
Brainy Babies Eat Fish
Are you pregnant and resisting your tuna fish sandwich craving because you’re scared of mercury exposure? Have no fear; your baby will be smarter for your midnight urge—provided that you stick to canned light tuna. In a new Harvard study, doctors have addressed the trepidation of pregnant fish lovers, and the verdict is this: for mothers-to-be, the benefits of eating fish outweigh the dangers—as long as the fish in question isn’t tainted by too much mercury.
According to the study, a pregnant woman who eats fish a couple of times a week significantly boosts her baby’s IQ. The Omega 3 fatty acids in fish help an infant’s brain develop and protect against heart disease—as long as mercury, a neurotoxin that interferes with brain development, stays at a low concentration. But if mercury levels are high, babies’ intelligence scores drop.
So go ahead and send hubby running to the store for shrimp, sardines, herring or canned light tuna. Or use Omega 3 fatty acid supplements for the benefits without the risks. But avoid swordfish, shark or albacore tuna, the sea’s biggest mercury-offenders. A staggering 630,000 babies are born per year with mercury exposure that can reduce mental abilities, according to the EPA.
Go to www.cfsan.fda.gov for more recommendations on fish consumption. Your brilliant baby will thank you for it.—Jennifer Gay Summers
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