At only nine years old, she founded the Environmental Children’s Organization with her friends. Three years later, at age 12, Severn Suzuki stood at a podium and delivered one of the most memorable speeches at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. This particular United Nations conference marked the beginning of the Kyoto Protocol and Suzuki’s speech has received more than a million views on YouTube today. Years later, in 2002, Severn co-founded The Skyfish Project (which subsequently disbanded in 2004), a discussion-based website established in the hopes of promoting environmental awareness. 
Originally born in Canada, to parents Tara Elizabeth Cullis, an established writer, and David Suzuki, a geneticist and environmental activist, Severn graduated from Yale in 2002. Before graduating, she had already arranged to attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa as a member of Kofi Annan’s Special Advisory Panel. In anticipation of this event, The Skyfish Project drafted the Recognition of Responsibility, a letter that said, “Today I recognize that I am part of one of the most powerful countries in the world. My population is only a fraction of the globe’s population, yet we use far more resources. So today, I pledge to take responsibility for me lifestyle.” The main motivation behind this letter was Bush’ decision to abstain from attending the World Summit. In a 2003 interview, Severn said,
We were upset because George Bush wasn’t going to go–he was just starting to show the world that he didn’t care to be part of international negotiations. We wanted to show that he didn’t represent all Americans, and we came up with this idea of the Recognition of Responsibility.
Five years later, as Americans look forward to the coming Bush-less years, Severn’s words remain intact, and even more necessary. Today, she travels the globe as an activist, speaker and author, continuing to promote sustainability and environmental activism.
Check out the YouTube video and you’ll see Severn’s revolutionary ideals in action.
Halloween, Alaska is yet another recent indie-type discovery from Minnesota (my first Minnesota discovery was Cloud Cult). This band, formed only five years ago and with a mere two albums under their belt, will be releasing their latest album sometime this year. Their website feels like a grassroots effort, but their sound is far from common. You can hear the Peter Gabriel influence, particularly in “All the Arms Around You” and “Des Moines,” two tracks from their debut, self-titled album. They’ve covered two popular songs, 
Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper” and LL Cool J’s “I Can’t Live Without My Radio,” putting an electro-pop feel on songs you’d never expect to be electro-pop. James Diers is the wacky frontman who alludes to Cylons and Storm Troopers while describing the band’s sound in a 2005 interview.
Check out their MySpace page to give them a listen.
Apparently Google has a more energy-efficient counterpart known as Blackle. Created by Heap Media, this black search engine site boasts a decrease in energy usage due to the simple fact that it isn’t white:
Image displayed is primarily a function of the user’s color settings and desktop graphics, as well as the color and size of open application windows; a given monitor requires more power to display a white (or light) screen than a black (or dark) screen.
The inspiration to create Blackle came from a blog post at ecoIron which claimed that “the shift to a black background…will save a total of 15 (74-59) watts. That turns into a global savings of…$75,000, a goodly amount of energy and dollars for changing a few color codes.”
Despite skepticism, and the obvious fact that this “green” search engine has not yet surged in popularity, Heap Media continues to seek improvements for Blackle and encourages every user to make the switch. In addition, they display an Energy Saving Tips page to help promote this environmentally-friendly consciousness.
I was only recently told about Blackle’s creation and I’m eager to see how user-friendly this search engine really is. Critics state the clarity provided on a white Google page is lost on Blackle’s black background.
What do you think? Experiment with Blackle here.
Redbelt directed by David Mamet – Chiwetel Ejiofor steals every frame of this film as Mike Terry, a jujitsu teacher struggling to pay the bills and maintain his sense of honor. When an unexpected event takes place within his own studio (involving Emily Mortimor), Terry is forced to make a difficult decision — enter a fighting tournament with the hopes of winning a sizable prize or give up his life of jujitsu instruction (I’m simplifying).
You’re probably familiar with Ejiofor, whether or not you realize it — he’s been in a series of memorable movies, none of which display his acting talent like Redbelt: Amistad, Love Actually, She Hate Me, Children of Men, American Gangster, Serenity. I remember seeing his face, but could never have placed him. Redbelt, however, deserves recognition mainly for Ejiofor’s performance. The character of Mike Terry represents the struggle of humankind, a decision which every adult faces — get a job and make a living or pursue a passion and, quite probably, struggle.
The best moments of this film take place at the end, which I will refrain from spoiling. 
Let me just say, if the Karate Kid ever inspired a tear to fall from your eye, then Redbelt is not only worth a view, but even two or three. The philosophy behind jujitsu is given proper attention, as a running theme throughout Terry’s personal struggles. It’s not to say the film doesn’t have its loose ends. Mamet’s story includes many strings which I expected to tie together throughout the climax. It was mildly disappointing to find the Tim Allen story line left out in the cold, with no true ending. Peter Travers, of Rolling Stone, put it perfectly in his review:
At the center of this quiet storm of a movie, beautifully shot by There Will Be Blood Oscar winner Robert Elswit, Ejiofor confirms his status as one of the best actors anywhere. Born in London to Nigerian parents, Ejiofor can do film drama (Dirty Pretty Things) and comedy (Kinky Boots) and win raves onstage (as Othello). The resonant stillness he brings to Redbelt pulls you in. Even allowing for a few slips in pacing and judgment, Mamet is on his game, and that is a sight to see. No con.
