Light the Night Walk for Madeleine, Logan, Lou and all Leukemia Survivors

Below is a letter written by my brother Barry Roberts about his daughter, my niece, Madeleine Roberts, who is a childhood leukemia survivor. I actually have another niece, Logan Kato who also survived childhood leukemia. One of my favorite bands, Subzero, the lead singer, Lou, is a leukemia survivor.  If you have any extra resources, please consider giving to this cause. Donation links are below. Scroll down to watch a video of my nice Madeleine talking about her experience.

Thank you,

Brenda Kato

————

Dear friend,

I am proud to be a team leader for the Light the Night Walk.  I proud my
company, Garden City Group, supports this charity that is near and dear to
my heart.  Most of my friends know my daughter Madeleine is a Leukemia
cancer survivor, but I’m not sure anyone can appreciate how devastating this
cancer is to families when their loved ones are diagnosed.

I have included below a little bit about our  family experience, a story of
joy as we see Madeleine surviving and thriving.  Also included is a link to
a Youtube video that we did for Nemours Childrens Clinic that you may find
interesting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqWa9mFPi3o&feature=player_embedded

All-County girls basketball: Madeleine Roberts’ past made her stronger
Bartram player had to beat cancer before turning to basketball.

Madeleine Roberts

http://staugustine.com/sports/high-school/2010-04-17/making-her-stronger

Please use the link in this email to donate online quickly & securely.  You
will receive an email confirmation of your donation as soon as it is made. I
thank you in advance for your support which will make a difference in the
lives of thousands of patients battling blood cancers.

I really appreciate your generosity!!

http://pages.lightthenight.org/ncfl/Jacksonv11/brobert81b

Thank you,

Barry Roberts

P.S. Please forward this email to as many people as you can to encourage
them to donate as well!

——————————

———————-
The above reflects the opinion of the author and may not represent the views
of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. www.lls.org

Selling Fine Art Online

I have compiled a list of websites to Buy/Sell fine art. I did some research on compete.com and  listed them in the order of the most unique visitors or highest traffic. I currently use the first two sites, Fine Art America and Society6 and love them both. Society6 is free to join and sell, and Fine Art America cost $30 per year but has awesome social networking tools and other marketing tools built in.

fineartamerica.com – unique visitors 800,020, referring sites 924, tags: art-on-demand, art-prints, art-prints-on-demand, canvas-prints, fine-art

Society6.com – unique visitors 69,709, referring sites 185, search terms 35

20×200.com – unique visitors 40,850, referring sites 97, tags:0

artoftheprint.com – unique visitors 17,295, referring sites 23, search terms 106, tags:0

artstar.com – unique visitors 3,162, referring sites 7, search terms 0, tags: 0

zatista.com – unique visitors 3102, referring sites 8, search terms 3

tinyshowcase.com – unique visitors 2.978, referring sites 10, search terms 2

circuitgallery.com – unique visitors 1,067, referring sites 3, search terms 0, tags 0

eyestorm.com – unique visitors 991, referring sites 0, search terms 0, tags: 0

theworkingproof.com – unique visitors 687, referring sites 3, search terms 4

aceditions.com – unique visitors 363, referring sites 1, tags:none

exhibitiona.com- too low for comparison

Let me know which sites you like best and why please.

Go after the real terrorist and threat to humans and all living things, Monsanto.

I have an idea that will save taxpayers some money, bring home all the troops, put them to work in our airports to keep terrorist from coming over to the states. Put them on the Mexican and Canadian borders. Have them create local organic gardens in their communities so people can eat fresh food instead of processed GMO, toxic, cancer causing food.

Go after the real terrorist and threat to humans and all living things, Monsanto. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Read up on Aspartame, NutraSweet, Round Up, Genetically Modified Organisms, truth in labeling, radiated produce, Splenda, MSG, high fructose corn syrup aka corn sugar.  Watch Food Inc. on YouTube for free.

Have you ever tried to purchase individual health insurance?

Have you ever tried to purchase individual health insurance? Who’s fault is it that I was born with asthma? Although I did get my tubes tied so that I did not pass on my preexisting condition to another generation. In 2000 when I shopped for an individual policy, United Healthcare wanted 500 per month premium and it would not cover my asthma for 12 months. This is total BS and why I have been advocating on the part of consumers to have more competitive options. The fact is that our insurance companies and drug companies are out of control, corrupt and the consumers are being hustled.

In 2009 I shopped again I found a policy (not saying it is a good policy) for 250 per month. I believe the drop in premium was because of the threat of a single payer system. It’s funny how (R) people claim they are in favor of a free market except when their corporate tax code perks and big business welfare are taken away. Bailouts are OK for big banks, big oil, big insurance but fuck the people who can’t find jobs now that Wall Street and Uncle Scam screwed up the economy.

The only problem with starving the poor is that there are more poor than rich and those gated communities wont protect the rich forever. Especially as the middle class starts to become poor. What will happen when the middle class can’t afford the drugs that keep them sedated, apathetic and non voting?

Cowford Politics aka Jacksonville aka Dukes Of Hazard

What happened to Florida? It’s Jacksonville. The same old school, good ole boy, Dukes of Hazard, First Baptist Church, conservative politics as usual. Jacksonville has been a conservative stronghold my entire life. It’s a Rush Limbaugh loving, military base, country town. Mike Hogan has been a member of First Baptist Church for 40 + years. I grew up there and know all of them and how they think. It used to be that most city council and school board members attended FBC. Have you ever been to a Southside Business Mens meeting? or young Republicans meeting? Know who the Eagle Forum is?

Liberals caught a break in the 2000′s with the NFL coming to town. Progress has been made in the arts scene by very determined people but no liberal political power has been gained. Step outside of the small liberal bubble we have created for ourselves in Riverside and the arts scene the reality brick strikes hard as you travel back in time to the 50′s where conservatives live in their heads and in gated communities, country clubs and church groups. The liberals in this town fail to mount any alternative attack because why? I guess it comes down to money and leadership. You tell me. When do you want to mobilize to represent the working class, and the arts? When will we demand clean elections and retire pay to play politics? I’m  ready now.

Selling your art and designs online

The first merchandise site that I tried out was CafePress.com. It was great to upload my images and see them virtually as they would appear on a t-shirt, sweatshirt, messenger bag, coffee mug, buttons and more. I created a store and upload my art very sure that my friends and family would be so happy to buy my products. I also figured it would help me discover what designs were popular.

The downside to CafePress was that the base price for each item was so high, even charging 5 dollars over the base price for an item made it expensive. The base price is how much it cost for the single blank item without your design. I realize that one-offs are always more expensive to produce but I think they could lower their base prices. The second part I did not like was the quality of the t-shirt printing. This may have changed in the past few years but in 2008 they were using the iron-on printing for the graphics. This technique does not hold up in the wash, it fades and cracks and peals off.

I have recently joined and plan to order some products from some of the new places below to see if their quality is better. If you have ordered from any of theses sites pleas let me know what your experience is.

http://www.zazzle.com/ (not a member yet)

http://www.society6.com (new member, this site is free to join)

http://www.fineartamerica.com (love this site but it cost 30 per year to join)

The best place to sell handmade original items still remains Etsy.com and Fine Art America. Fine Art America cost much less than Etsy but has less traffic. Etsy has 6,992,268 unique visitors a month and Fine Art America has 530,395.

Groupon’s Tibet Super Bowl Ad: Directed By Christopher Guest

Hows about making one about how Monsanto is killing us with geneticall­y modified food which is making buying pesticide free, non GMO food very scarce and expensive and so with Groupon, you can buy tons of GMO, pesticide laden food dirt cheep!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The two party system is failing to represent “we the people”.

When your vote means nothing, you are not represented by your representatives, or have a democracy then it always breaks down to violence and who has the biggest gun. The two party system is failing to represent “we the people”. Corruption is at an all time high because it’s a pay to play system and not a representative or democratic system of government. Even if we have a few good apples in office they can not overcome the collective efforts of all the bad apples. Our only hope for non violent representation is to demand clean elections (removing private funds from the election process) and remove lobbyist and corporate control.

Jacksonville’s population consist of large groups of people who have zero interest in improving the culture or nightlife.

Have any of you been to a meeting with the Southside Business Mens Group, The Chamber of Commerce, Women Business Owners or the Young Republicans? I have and there is more at play than First Baptist Church. True, in the past, 70′s to 2000 FBC controlled the City Council, the School board, and the local news and they were all against bars, “nightlife” and the arts but they did loose some control when the Jaguars NFL team came to town.

Jacksonville’s problem is the same as any small rural town in America, young people with talent have to leave to find work.

Jacksonville’s population consist of large groups of people who have zero vested interest in improving the culture or nightlife of Jacksonville. Let me explain.

First are the “transients” in the Military and here for a few years. These people do not invest in property, attend PTA/school board meetings or bother with local politics because they know they will soon move. One good thing is that I have always been able to buy a washer and dryer for about 150 bucks when they leave. They don’t buy expensive furniture or invest in art because they don’t want to take it with them. If they came from a city with more culture they can’t wait to get back to it. If they came from a smaller town they think it’s too big and does not offer much more than their small town and they move home or out to the suburbs.

“Country locals”, the people born and raised here that have never traveled outside of Florida, I call them the “Don’t know that they don’t know and don’t care”,”Dukes of Hazard”, “Go Gators” types. These people cook great barb-q and are fun to tailgate with but have no knowledge or interest in the arts past music that is played on the radio. They love college football even though many never attended college. They are slow to adapt to technology and could care less about fashion.

“Church people”, not just FBC are not bad people. For the most part they are trying to raise their children with morals and values. Unfortunately, they do not value the arts beyond Christian Praise performance, church theater and family friendly content. These people have no interest in “night life” beyond a good restaurant and football celebration. Drinking in bars is discouraged. They are “Focused on the Family” and do what their church leaders tell them is the right thing. I believe this group has been completely misled by our politicians by claiming to be Christian and Pro Life. Having read the Bible, I do not understand how the teachings of Jesus and corporate greed, abuse of our natural and human resources became aligned. However, this group has bought the Republican Party line hook line and sinker, mostly sinker. They listen to Rush Limbaugh and the like.

“Country Club” people have some money that they spend on their large house, big cars/trucks, food, clothes, and sports. They may attend church but more for networking and have no issue with drinking when it comes to sports or sports bars. They are more adept to technology but follow the mainstream media’s or consumers reports guides to buying. They do purchase expensive homes and furnishings but tend to take art advise from showroom designers on what will match the couch.

Imagination Squared showed us again that we are overflowing with artistic talent. We have even more musical talent. How do we get our local population to support the arts?

How do we reach the “transients” the “country locals” the “church people” the “country clubers”? Teaching art in k-12 school would be a start. Having more cultural events like Art Walk, RAM, and our art museums. Maybe we need to go to their churches and do a presentation on local arts. Maybe we need to get the Jaguars to support the arts and mention our events during the game. Maybe we need to contact the bases and have our events added to their welcome packages. Maybe we have to come together and support the artist we know that are having shows. Maybe we need to create art exchange relationships with larger cities.

Our Food System is Broken

This is a movie, book and organization LIST curated by Brenda Kato I have compiled this list for you, my family and friends. The resources below will help you become aware of the problems with our current food system, eat more nutritious meals, and fight the corruption and greed that is harming all of us.   Consumers need to ask these questions.   Who produced my food? What chemicals and hormones did they use? Is my food a GMO genetically modified organism? Why has Monsanto fought hard against labeling GMO’s? Why is high-fructose corn syrup bad for you and why is it in most processed foods? How do farms treat their animals? Why is it now more important than ever to know about our food system?   You can eat safely but it takes awareness and homework to eat pesticide free, GMO free, and cruelty free food. You cannot only rely on reading labels, they are misleading. Our government does not protect consumers, they only protect shareholders profits. Our government does not care if the food you eat makes you sick or kills you, they profit from both.   Now is the time to educate yourself on what is currently going on with our food system so you can protect yourself, your family and join the fight for safe food. It would also be great if we treated our animals better.   Movies (all are on YouTube.com) Food Incorporated The Future Of Food Mad Cowboy Documentary Supersize Me   Books Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond (Paperback - Aug 16, 2010) Buy new: $14.99 $10.19   Thrive Fitness: The Vegan-Based Training Program for Maximum Strength, Health, and Fitness by Brendan Brazier (Paperback - Dec 8, 2009) Buy new: $15.95 $10.85   Meat Is For Pussies by John Joseph (Look past the title! A great resource for safe food) http://www.meatisforpussies.org/   Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness – Perfect Paperback (Apr. 7, 2010) by Robert Cheeke and Julia Abbott Buy new: $19.95   Vegan with a Vengeance : Over 150 Delicious, Cheap, Animal-Free Recipes That Rock by Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Paperback - Oct 28, 2005) Buy new: $17.95 $12.21   Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero (Hardcover - Nov 2, 2007) Buy new: $27.50 $17.40   Becoming Vegan: The Complete Guide to Adopting a Healthy Plant-Based Diet by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina (Paperback - Apr 10, 2000) Buy new: $19.95 $12.89   Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World: 75 Dairy-Free Recipes for Cupcakes that Rule by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, Terry Hope Romero, and Sara Quin (Paperback - Oct 17, 2006) Buy new: $15.95 $10.85   The Complete Vegan Kitchen: An Introduction to Vegan Cooking with More than 300 Delicious Recipes-from Easy to Elegant by Jannequin Bennett (Paperback - Jul 17, 2007) Buy new: $19.99 $13.59   Color Me Vegan: Maximize Your Nutrient Intake and Optimize Your Health by Eating Antioxidant-Rich, Fiber-Packed, Color-Intense Meals That Taste Great by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (Paperback - Nov 1, 2010) Buy new: $19.99 $12.90   The Joy of Vegan Baking: The Compassionate Cooks’ Traditional Treats and Sinful Sweets by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (Paperback - Oct 1, 2007) Buy new: $19.95 $13.57   Supermarket Vegan: 225 Meat-Free, Egg-Free, Dairy-Free Recipes for Real People in the Real World by Donna Klein (Paperback - Jan 5, 2010) Buy new: $18.95 $12.89   The 100 Best Vegan Baking Recipes: Amazing Cookies, Cakes, Muffins, Pies, Brownies and Breads by Kris Holechek (Paperback - Sep 8, 2009) Buy new: $12.95 $9.32   The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Vegan Living by Beverly Lynn Bennett and Ray Sammartano (Paperback - Dec 6, 2005) Buy new: $18.95 $12.89   1,000 Vegan Recipes by Robin Robertson (Hardcover - Oct 5, 2009) Buy new: $35.00 $23.10   Organizations Slow Food Movement Veteran’s Farms GirlyGirlArmy MercyForAnimals.org GoVeg.com PCRM.org PETA.org FishingHurts.com VegCooking.com VegSource.com   The Veggie Bin – Riverside Avondale organic produce delivery service.   Palmetto Organics – Jacksonville, Florida They deliver 100% certified organic produce to your door. Contact at 904 534 7027 or palmettoorganics.com   Info on Diabetes -  1-800-diabetes or www.diabetes.org   Take ACTION! Write Monsanto a letter and tell them what you think.  Send a copy to all of your representatives, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Be sure to tell Monsanto that they do NOT have permission to share your contact information with anyone. If you use the contact form on their website, they have the following privacy statement.  (aka will share your info with spam houses in retaliation)   “Monsanto is a world-wide company with offices in many countries. Consequently, it is possible that the information which you provide to us through this web site will be transferred outside the country in which you reside to another of Monsanto’s locations. For more details see the Privacy Policy for this site. To comply with current laws in various jurisdictions regarding transfer of personal information across country borders, Monsanto must obtain your consent to such transfer. Please indicate your consent by checking the box. Without your consent, we will be unable to process your request. If you are not willing to consent, do not complete this form.”   Monsanto Company 800 N. Lindbergh Blvd. St. Louis, MO 63167 General Inquiries: (314) 694-1000   U.S. Food and Drug Administration 10903 New Hampshire Ave. Silver Spring, MD 20993 1-888-INFO-FDA (1-888-463-6332) Environmental Protection Agency 633 3rd Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001