Pedalling for Papua in NYC August 22, 2013

Pedalling for Papua
Thursday, August 22, 2013, 7:00pm
Maryhouse, 55 E Third St, New York City (Lower East Side)

for more information contact: etan@etan.org or call 917-690-4391

RSVP on Facebook

Pedalling for Papua is coming to New York City! A 12,000 kilometer international bicycling and performance tour, Pedalling for Papua aims to raise awareness of the 50 year old human rights and environmental abuse in the underreported region of West Papua.

As home to the bird of paradise, the second largest jungle remaining in the world, and our planet’s most bio-diverse marine zone, this beautiful region has been subject to what many observers have dubbed a slow-motion genocide. Tens of thousands of indigenous West Papuans have died as a result of the military presence and lack of development in their homeland.

This story needs to be told, and it will be. Over six months, Jeremy Bally will tour a multimedia performance on his bicycle through seven countries.

The show takes recorded conversations with West Papuan exiles, refugees and activists live on stage through an original animation. 

This is projected beside Jeremy as he narrates with original spoken word poetry and ukulele based hip-hop music.

Entry is by donation. See you there!

About the Performance
In January and February 2013, Jeremy Bally conducted a series of interviews with members of the West Papuan diaspora. Among those he spoke with were musicians, students, activists, and former political prisoners. All of them identified as either refugees or exiles themselves, or having been born to refugees.

Those interviews were recorded with permission, and have been transformed into a story of West Papua by West Papuans. Now set to original animation, their story is narrated on stage through ukulele based hip hop and spoken word.

We believe that stories, when told well, have the power to change the world. Our vision for this performance is that audiences are at once engaged, educated and inspired to participate in building a peaceful future for West Papua.

Pedalling for Papua on Facebook, Twitter

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Free Papua Political Prisoners
Support the Appeal of Filep Karma's Daughter Sign the petition today!

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see also

• Read the monthly West Papua Report
• Indonesia and West Papua Struggles

Can Bisbee mine tours be kept open?

Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold is working with local officials on ways to keep the Queen Mine in Bisbee open for public tours.  The company recently announced plans to not renew a lease on the mine due to concerns over radon levels and stability of the underground tunnels.  But the mine is a significant tourism attraction in the area, drawing an estimated 40,000 visitors a year.  [Right, photo credit, "Vision and Enterprise: Exploring the History of Phelps Dodge Corporation," by Carlos A. Schwantes.   Posted on Arizona Experience]


The radon levels reported do not appear to be a problem for occasional visitors, but tour guides and  other staff who spend extensive time in the mine could be at risk. However, the usual solution to increased radon levels is to provide greater ventilation and dilute any radon-bearing air.

Some of the news coverage of the story:

http://azstarnet.com/news/local/bisbee-mine-tour-to-end-under-lease-termination/article_ca67636b-83a7-5a5b-97b4-6c5f0e876975.html

http://www.myfoxphoenix.com/story/23117152/2013/08/12/bisbee-underground-mine-tour-may-close

http://www.kvoa.com/news/bisbee-s-copper-queen-mine-tours-in-danger-of-shutting-down/#_

http://www.tucsonnewsnow.com/story/23119296/city-of-bisbee-takes-measures-to-keep-mine-tour-guides-safe

 http://www.willcoxrangenews.com/news/article_210793f8-0467-11e3-b832-001a4bcf887a.html

Our role in digitizing the Earth

The cover for the September issue of EARTH magazine proclaims "Geoscience Embraces BIG DATA" with a feature article inside on "Digitizing Earth" [right].

AZGS is showcased for our roles in the DOE-funded National Geothermal Data System ("One of the most successful programs to date...") and the NSF EarthCube initiative.

We are managing the largest of the four NGDS projects on behalf of the Association of American State Geologists, where we have set up distributed data nodes in most of the Geological Surveys across the country with data coming into this federated system from all 50 states.   We have over 5 million records online currently and expect that number to increase dramatically by year end.

The EarthCube program is envisioned as transforming the way geosciences are practiced,  using computer and information sciences to create a cyber-infrastructure.   AZGS is managing the EarthCube Governance Framework, the website, and leading the community engagement effort.

We just held a two-day workshop here in Tucson at the wonderful Hacienda del Sol resort, where about 30 leaders in the geosciences (Earth, atmosphere, oceans, and polar) and computer sciences gathered to share results of workshops they have organized over the past  9 months in their disciplines to consider their needs and requirements in cyberinfrastructure.

My conclusion is that there is broad consensus on what the different scientific communities want, and a lot of commonalities about the design concepts and functionalities.  This augurs well for the plans we are formulating to organize the communities and seek consensus on governance and system architecture.