Damhnait Doyle and Lighthouse Webcast Live TONIGHT 8pm

Hello World Family,

While you are avoiding swine flu, we thought you might enjoy some free live music tonight. Live from the Rose Theatre in Brampton, Ontario, Canada there will be a wonderful show at 8pm. Go to:

www.orchardtv.com

Also check out their excerpts from previous shows. Have some fun on a Monday evening for free and enjoy some good music!
Peace,
Falcon and Dove

p.s. Don't forget the Strung-Out Troubadours TODAY at 1:20pm!

You can listen and watch on the Web!

www.classical963fm.com

Troubadours on Monday; Victorian Tea in May, New Movies

Hello World Family,
Falcon, here. It's the weekend! It should be good weather here in the Northeast of the U.S., and we hope everything is well wherever you are.

We want to sent out props to the hard working emergency workers in Myrtle Beach, SC. We hope the wildfire will be brought under control soon. Our prayers are with families who lost their homes. Keep your heads up!

Now...this weekend's movies: see Earth from Disney (believe it or not) and see The Soloist, the first really great movie of 2009! The cast is incredible and the cinematography is wonderful!

On Monday, April 27 the Strung-Out Troubadours (aka Rik Emmett and David Dunlop) will perform LIVE on 96.3FM Classical in Toronto at 1:20pm EST. You can listen or watch on the Internet here:
visit www.classical963fm.com
Then, click on TURN ME ON

LISTEN: tune in to 96.3FM or listen from your computer at www.classical963fm.com

A Springtime Victorian Tea in Historic Harmony

At Harmony's Museum's Stewart Hall

Saturday, May 16, 2009, seating 12:30pm, price is $20, and must be paid in advance

Call 724-452-6220; checks should be made out to HBA (Harmony Business Association)

Falcon and Dove attended the Spring Tea last year and it was absolutely wonderful!

We will post many other upcoming events, and the beginning of the Summer Movie Season soon!

Have a glorious weekend, Family!
Peace,
Falcon and Dove

Free Concert: Soihadto at UMBC tonight!

Hey Brothers and Sisters,
Falcon, here. I have had a busy week so far; just came back from Washington, D.C., visiting with our representatives concerning climate change. I will have a major post on that shortly. In the meantime, we just got notice on this one, and we wanted to pass it along! Are you in the Baltimore area? Check this out!
Peace,
Falcon and Dove

Soihadto playing a Free Concert tonight at UMBC

Soihadto (Duff from Ace of Cakes band) is playing tonight at the University of Maryland Baltimore Campus along with Telesma and The Flying Eyes. This concert is free, so get there early. Check out My Space at Soihadto's page for more information. These guys are fierce, so if you are in the area, this would be a rare opportunity to see them live for free!

Have fun!

EPA Declares Global Warming a Danger to Public

Dove here! I received this in my email this morning and all I can say is 'It's about time!' Read on!

National Wildlife Federation Says Most Significant Federal Action to Date

Washington, DC (April 17, 2009) – Today the Environmental Protection Agency announced its finding that global warming pollution constitutes a threat to public health and welfare under the Clean Air Act. The announcement signals that EPA will take action to limit greenhouse gas emissions.


Joe Mendelson, global warming policy director at the National Wildlife Federation, said:

“The EPA decision is historic and a game-changer for climate policy that will have political and policy repercussions domestically and abroad.



“With this decision, the Obama administration has made crystal clear its firm commitment to fight global warming. It also demonstrates a firm commitment to sound science and clean energy solutions that will bury the notion that we won't make historic progress confronting climate change this year. This is the single largest step the federal government has taken to fight climate change.



Immediate Release: April 17, 2009



Contacts:

Christine Dorsey, National Wildlife Federation, 202-797-6615, dorsey@nwf.org

Miles Grant, National Wildlife Federation, 202-797-6855, grantm@nwf.org

A New Hope to End Genocide

Hello! Dove here! Today, I read an article that I feel everyone in the United States should read. It's by Andrew Slack, head of the Harry Potter Alliance, an organization that tackles the world's most difficult issues and acts proactively on them. I am proud to be a part of this charismatic organization. One of their recent fights has been to end the genocide in Sudan, a cause that is near to my heart. Andrew recently wrote an article on the genocide, which was published in the Huffington Post. I have reposted here, because I feel this is extremely important for people to be aware of.

There are very simple things each and every one of you can do to help. Read on to find out and please check out www.thehpalliance.org.

This issue goes beyond political lines, so I encourage all of you to approach this article with an open mind and heart.



Andrew Slack is Executive Director of the Harry Potter Alliance, which takes a creative approach to activism by mobilizing thousands of kids [and adults] to spread love and fight for justice in the spirit of the Harry Potter novels. The HP Alliance has been featured in over 200 US publications including Time Magazine, the LA Times, and the front covers of both the Chicago Tribune Business Section and Politico Newspaper.

In the 1977 classic Star Wars: A New Hope, Obi Wan Kenobi shudders just moments after Darth Vader destroys the planet of Alderaan. When Luke asks his mentor what's wrong, Obi Wan replies, "I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened."

A real world disturbance happened in the 1994 Rwandan genocide that claimed the lives of over 800,000 innocent people. In the last week we have reached the fifteenth anniversary of this horror when Bill Clinton and his administration did hear those "millions of voices crying out in terror" and allowed them to be silenced.

These calculated decisions by our leaders in Washington coupled by a media obsessed with OJ Simpson led to the perverse reality that a good friend of mine from Rwanda lived through. At the time, her one source of news for what was happening in her country was phone calls from family members saying goodbye and asking why the international community had abandoned them. Some of them were murdered while they were on the phone with her.

While 1994 was the summer after Schindler's List won best movie, the Clinton administration and our allies showed great disregard to the memory of those killed in the Holocaust by failing to protect the millions at dire risk and the more than 800,000 that were killed in Rwanda.

On this fifteenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, will the Obama administration show similar disregard to those killed in Rwanda by failing to protect the millions at imminent risk in Darfur? In short, does the Obama administration plan to commemorate the Rwandan genocide by letting another innocent 1,000,000 Africans die?

When I read the testimony of Rwandan survivorsat this site, such as the story of a young Rwandan woman who was infected with HIV after being gang raped at the age of five, of young men who as children laid next to their parents' corpses pretending to be dead, I am reminded that none of these people are mere statistics. Their tales of horror and their ongoing courage to rebuild their nation is a humbling reminder to prevent these stories of brutality from continuing in Darfur while honoring these brave survivors of genocide in Rwanda.

In order to show Rwandans the world over that the international community of young people will not forget what happened while sharing their hope for their nations future,
the Harry Potter Alliance partnered with a pretty interesting group called the Nerdfighters, and in one week our members made over 300 videos in which they lit a "candle of hope" for Rwanda. Through Candles For Rwanda, these videos will be shown alongside a video of celebrities, world leaders, and leading activists (their video can be seen here) lighting candles of hope as well. Rwandans the world over will see these videos and the best of them will be shown on July 16, during the closing ceremony of the fifteenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide in Rwanda's capital of Kigali.

Through these videos and thousands of book donations meant for a youth village in Rwanda I have seen first hand young people across our world taking the small steps within their power to commemorate the genocide in Rwanda and support the survivors. President Obama can do much more. Putting forward a comprehensive plan to work with our allies to apprehend the killers from the genocide who are hiding in the US, UK, France, and who continue their killing spree in Congo with plans to return to Rwanda to 'finish what they started' is an essential step. But another essential step is that the President authenticate his April 7 statement on the fifteen year anniversary of the Rwandan genocide where he says "the memory of these events also deepens our commitment to act when faced with genocide and to work with partners around the world to prevent future atrocities." As of now, John Prendergast and Jim Wallis have noted that the US policy towards Darfur leaves a great deal to be desired:

What has been missing is America's leadership in forging a coalition that can both negotiate with and pressure Sudan to seek peace in Darfur as well as implement the existing peace agreement for the South. Building this coalition for peace should be Mr. Obama's objective.

In the last month, the genocide in Darfur has shifted to a new phase of horror for the Darfuri people. Over 13 aid groups have been evacuated and over 1,000,0000 lives hang in the balance. Further, as Sudan's President, Omar al-Bashir continues his current attempt at mass murder, he is once more rallying the support of radical terrorists, meaning that Sudan could easily become a hotbed of terrorist recruitment as it housed Osama bin Laden in the nineties. So to those isolationists who can stomach watching innocent children die under the pretense that we need to care about our own country first, acting now on Darfur is not only a moral imperative, it is a strategic one as well.

But as we look to the fifteenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide, there is also a historical imperative. To his credit, President Obama has acknowledged activists for their work on Darfur, finally appointed a special envoy to Sudan, and now Senator John Kerry has arrived in Darfur. But with the exception of Kerry, these were all steps that George Bush took for years. An occasional statement here and there about how "Darfur is in a crisis" is not going to get them out of this new stage of genocide with 1,000,000 lives in imminent danger. The people of Darfur need the US to not forget them as they had Rwandans. In the face of this fifteenth anniversary, the US needs to show what we have learned by leading a coalition of allies to do whatever it takes to get the aid workers back into Darfur and find a point of leverage for peace in all of Sudan. As Prendergast and Wallis note, while this is a moment of potential horror, it is also a moment of great opportunity should the President decide to show that he cares enough, not just to talk, but to act.

The Harry Potter Alliance is working to wake up the President to ending the genocide in Darfur the way Dumbledore's Army woke the world up to Voldemort's return in the Harry Potter novels. Thankfully we are part of a growing worldwide movement. You can join this movement by signing up with us, with the Genocide Intervention Network, and the Save Darfur Coalition. Hopefully the actions of these groups will influence action from advocacy organizations like MoveOn.org as well as attention from the blogosphere -- it's time that some of this country's most politically engaged public health activists and intellectuals start prodding our President to take leadership on a public health crisis of over one 1,000,000 innocent people.

Here are some more simple steps that you can take toward showing our president that he has the political capital to take necessary leadership on this matter of great urgency:

1- Call 1-800-GENOCIDE

2- Text 90822 to send a message about Darfur to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton! Create your own message or text "Take immediate action to restore aid to Darfur!" Send a text every day.

Further, each of us today can help Rwandan survivors with their homes and medical expenses by donating at candlesforrwanda.org where you can also upload a video of yourself lighting a candle of hope.

In order to honor these heroic individuals who survived the Rwandan genocide and that part of humanity itself that was lost as we watched yet another genocide and did nothing to counter it, it is time for us to find appropriate ways to commemorate the fifteen year anniversary of the Rwandan genocide by allowing "the millions of voices [that had] suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced" to finally be heard.

I imagine that if we continued to listen to the whispers of those voices that were silenced in 1994, we may be reminded that people's spirit and love cannot be done away with by machete or starvation -- and that we will allow their spirits to guide us in love toward working towards a world where each of us is revered, not forgotten and left to die needlessly.

As Prendergast and Wallis say:

"When the dust clears and the bodies are buried, burned or left to rot in forsaken camps, the world will mourn for what it did not do. What Darfur needs is not a future apology, but steps today that offer hope."

Hope, a New Hope, is what Obama promised our country and our world. He has until July 16 to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of the Rwandan genocide by showing the world that there will no longer be millions of voices suddenly crying out in terror and then suddenly silenced. The "force" of our world must be restored by listening deeply and acting for the millions of voices crying out in Darfuri refugee camps.

While "Change We Can Believe" includes Obama's wish to change humanity's twentieth century style relationship with the environment and nuclear weapons, it must include changing the twentieth century's pattern of inaction toward the mass murder of civilians and toward a reverence of life and love that speaks to all of our most deeply held values.

Time is of the essence Mr. President. Despite all the problems at home and abroad that you and the leaders of both parties are grappling with, now is the time to look to the people of Rwanda and the people of Darfur and say, Yes We Can. Yes We Can Honor the memory and rebuilding of Rwanda. Yes We Can End Genocide in Darfur.


Spread the news! Thank you so much!

BROTHER: Drastic for a Good Cause

Hello World Family,
This is an extremely important event. Please read the message Falcon and Dove received from our dear Brother Hamish of the Celtic Tribal Rock band, BROTHER.

Peace,
Falcon and Dove

BROTHER: Drastic for a Cause

Hamish, a founding member of BROTHER, is set to lose 7 years of dreadlocks in Australia this weekend to raise money for cancer research. If you haven't yet, please check out "Drastic For A Cause" at BROTHERmusic.com and help make sure the cutting is well and truly worth it ...

Hamish speaks: G'day lovelies. It's been a while now since i've caught up with most of you but i still delight in the many, many faces and characters that roll like an old home movie through my mind whenever i think of all the touring, all the shows, all the different places over all those evolving BROTHER years.

Anyway... i'm putting my dreadlocks on the chopping block to raise some funds for cancer research. Annie Robinson - an old college friend - inspired me to do my bit. She has rewritten the medical record books, having bounced back from metastatic cancer again and again over the last 10 years. Annie died just over a week ago.

The dreads have been my companions for the last 7 years and they will be missed - i'd really appreciate everyone's help in ensuring it's all worth it. Not long to go now so anything you can do to help spread the word and fill the bucket would be appreciated. $10,000 is the goal - how close can we get?

Forward it on, share it round.

love love love h

From anywhere in the world, purchase "Drastic For A Cause" coupons from BROshop @ http://www.brothermusic.com/

Rik Emmett/Dave Dunlop CD PUSH and PULL Available May 2

Hi World Family,
Well, Falcon knows after the concert webcast Monday night that many of you wanted to know when the CD for PUSH AND PULL would be available. Well, May 2, in Toronto, IF you are attending the show at Hugh's Room. There will be advance copies available, autographed at that show.

UPDATE:
The CD for PUSH AND PULL will be available May 26 from Maple Music:
www.maplemusic.com

MP3 version available at:
www.maplemusic.ca

For more information go to

www.rikemmett.com

REVIEW
Push and Pull harkens like their debut project of Strung-Out Troubadours, and has a similar mix of instrumental and vocalized pieces. One tune, “A Deeper Kind of Blue” appears both as a dueling guitar instrumental and as a p.s. version with Rik’s emotional tenor conclusion. Most of this project is fun stuff, with extremely impressive pieces like “52 Pick Up” and “Red Hot” burning up the axes like only Emmett can. Dave gets a more balanced presentation and the load seems more evenly split on this project, including his surprising lead vocals on “Only Time Will Tell” (original, not an Asia cover; I only mention this because three people have already asked me that question).

“Way, Way Kooler (a nod to Way Cool from the late 1990’s Swing Shift) actually is, and “Declaration” seems to be an anthem-like affirmation of daily renewal. “Miracle of Love” is a nice piece that would make a good mainstream rock single, although Falcon has to admit that the version done with Orchard Studios live from Brampton on the Internet broadcast with just Rik and Dave is more favored that the retro background vocals on the studio recording.

The first single from this project, “Why, Baby” had been out since December, and it is now joined by these and one more masterpiece, “And The River Still Runs” which thematically has its origins in the same vein as “Dos Arroyos” from the debut Troubs (“Two Streams”, although this piece flows like water or consciousness, depending on your mood) which also brought about the construction of “State of Grace”, from the same project- which was one of the most elegantly constructed songs Emmett has written in his solo career. Overall, Push and Pull should be added to your collection.


Peace,
Falcon and Dove

Nemacolin WOOFlands Grand Opening-Free!

Hello World Family,
Events for May and June are already pouring in, and we have been trying to figure out which ones to post and when. This one concerns pets, and should be a great fun family day (evening event for ages 21 and over), so we wanted to make sure that we let you know right away. Nemacolin Woodlands, the five star resort located in Farmington, PA is opening a new pet spa!

Nemacolin Wooflands Grand Opening Celebration

Grand Opening - Saturday, May 9, 2009... Nemacolin Wooflands, the region’s premier pet resort & spa. Located just off of Route 40 adjacent to Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, PA, Nemacolin Wooflands will feature hydrotherapy, a state-of-the-art grooming salon, outside exercise areas, massage therapies, and more! It’s the best way to treat your Golden Retriever like gold, make your Beagle feel regal or let your feline know she’s fabulous.

Join us for the Grand Opening Celebration... Pets Welcome!
Saturday, May 9

Events listed below will take place at Nemacolin Woofland and are complimentary, unless otherwise noted.

10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. Dr. Doggy - First Aid for Dogs

10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Bob the Juggler

10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Fishing Derby

10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Dog / Owner Look Alike Contest

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Facility Tours

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. DJ Entertainment (TBD)

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Carnival Games

10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Tailgate Party
Complimentary: Hot Dogs, Mini Sandwiches
Bagged Snacks, Cookies & Non-Alcoholic Beverages

11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Personal Appearance by Jim Krenn (WDVE)
and his dog, Gizmo!

11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. "Photos with your Pet"

12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Stilt Walker

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Personal Appearance by Jim Quinn (WPGB)
and his dog!

2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Unicyclist / Juggler

4:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Dog / Owner Look Alike Contest Awards Ceremony

8:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m. Cocktails for Canines - Flying Dog Promotion
Tavern - A la Carte
Reserved for guest 21 years and older

World Premieres: Rik, Dave, Chaka, and Bo

Hello Brothers and Sisters,
So...how many of you watched and listened to the World Premiere of Rik Emmett and Dave Dunlop at the Rose Theatre on the Internet last night? Lots, by the emails, social networking and phone calls and text messages Falcon and Dove received. What a show!!! Too short, but awesome, just the same. So, let's review:

El Cuento del Gadjo, the only song in the group already released, and this was a modified version of the piece that Rik has performed for the last dozen years. It is a really strong, vibrant, challenging song, and the troubadours performed it smartly with Dave dressed in a Cabernet shirt and black jacket and Rik looking luscious in a black suit with a pure white button down shirt. They immediately went into the already released as a single, "Why, Baby?" that has had strong iTunes sales. I wondered what this was going to sound like as a guitar duet, since the studio recording is a well produced piece with a full band. I have to say, I like the duet better.

A new instrumental, "Red Hot"is just that; South American influenced meets Yes' syncopation in duality between Rik and Dave's guitar licks on steroids. A fierce song that will make the biggest guitar aficionados weep. It's sooooo good!

Unless you were at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia last winter, you never heard this one before, and it has had some final modifications before its final form on the new album Push and Pull, a line from this brand new piece, "A Deeper Kind of Blue" a melancholy lament to opportunities lost when life gets in the way.

One extremely fun piece was the tremendously impressive instrumental, "52 Pick-Up", which according to Mr. Emmett, can refer to the number of notes in the first few bars, or the card drop, or a vintage truck. Anyone with a musical ear and an appreciation for the impossible will be impressed by this force of nature; funky, progressive, and grabs at your heels a bit and makes you wanna dance.

The final song of the evening was a thoughtful piece, "Miracle", which has the trademark Rik and Dave harmonies, strong verse structure and articulate composition. It was introduced as a piece that lyrically transformed in its development, starting with a cynical, disbelieving character who, through the power of love, realizes he is more sacred and deserving of that love than he every imagined.

Rik Emmett has written some of the most inspirational anthems over his four decades of making music; some personal, some intimate, some universal, but all have had something for every listener. It may not be the same something, but it is something that can cause a change in perception if one is paying close attention.

For photos from last night's concert, and more information on the new album release, please go to:
www.myspace.com/rikemmettnetwork
www.rikemmett.com

NOTE: Rose Theatre and Orchard Studios do archive their concerts. Please see this link:
http://webcasts.myrosetheatre.ca/
www.orchardtv.com
Last night's concert is posted!

COMMUNITY PARTNERS CONCERT

For anyone in the Pittsburgh area June 25, 2009 at 8pm, Falcon and Dove are inviting you to a very unique opportunity. The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra is holding a most special event! With Lawrence Loh at the baton, the PSO will hold a Community Partners concert with R&B sensation, Chaka Khan! Lynn Swann (yes, the Steelers wide receiver from the 1970's Super Bowl years) will help host the evening, and the beneficiaries will be 50 community organizations. ALL proceeds will go to these tremendous organizations that do so much for so many during the year. Need ticket and information on how to support your favorite?

www.pittsburghsymphony.org
412-392-4900 or 800-743-8560

THE FIRST PUPPY
Well, the news and photos were leaked over the weekend, but Falcon and Dove held off on the big announcement until it was made official by the White House yesterday. Yes, the First Puppy has been chosen: a Porchie, that is, a Portuguese Water Dog, gifted by Senator Edward Kennedy (who has a soccer team of them), and his name is Bo. Bo is 3 months old, black curly hair and dark eyes, with a small white goatee, a white chest, and white sock style front paws. Just Google the words The First Puppy, and an article with a picture from the plethora of media that have covered this story will appear. Bo is adorable, dressed in a rainbow lei, and I hope the First Daughters enjoy their new little brother...and the responsibility that comes with him. Porchies need a lot of exercise...hehe.

Rik Emmett Live Performance Webcast Monday, April 13

Hello World Family,
Falcon, here. Our family Brother Rik Emmett sent this out and asked for Falcon and Dove to pass this on. Check it out; it should be big fun!

LIVE WEBCAST - MONDAY APRIL 13TH @ 8:00 PM!

Rik Emmett & Dave Dunlop (aka STRUNG-OUT TROUBADOURS) will be performing live on the internet this Monday, April 13th 2009 at 8:00 PM EST -- A SHOW NOT TO BE MISSED!



***Featuring the WORLD PREMIERE of new songs from their upcoming CD and digital release PUSH & PULL***



***This webcast is FREE***



Watch online at: http://webcasts.myrosetheatre.ca



If you are in the Toronto GTA area, you can buy tickets and attend this performance in person at the Rose Theatre. Tickets are available at the Rose Theatre's website: www.myrosetheatre.ca. Tickets are $10 in advance and $17.50 at the door.

Thank You

Hello World Family,

It has been an extremely busy time as you all know, but I wanted to pause and thank all of you who have sent prayers and condolences via email, phone calls, text messages, etc. concerning Pittsburgh's tremendous loss this week of three dedicated police officers.



As some of you know, Paul Scuillo II was a graduate of Central Catholic and a golf team member. While at Bayer, Dove won the Viewer's Choice Award from the BAYER Cause Challenge, a student environmental film festival/contest, he was a golf volunteer at Schenley (now the Bob O’Conner Golf Course)where my daughter was an active student participant and instructor for 8 years. Officer Kelly is a fixture in the East End and a wonderful dedicated husband and father of young women.

I am still trying to come to grips with the incident that caused this loss, and its senselessness, but your comforting expressions of support for their families, our community and acknowledgement our personal sorrow has been tremendous. This is one of the upsides of networks like this: it enables us to touch each other even when our arms cannot reach.


Expressions of condolence and prayer have arrived from around the country, and some from around the world. I especially want to acknowledge our Canadian Brothers and Sisters, who have traveled here just to offer their support. From law enforcement to public officials to wonderful friends, thank you for making the journey here to be with us during this trial of emotion. I will never be able to properly put into words how grateful I am for your support. It is good to see you, and comforting hear from you.

As our Brother Steve Carpenter, a member of the Toronto Police Service said today, " No boundaries here." He is so right.

We are Family.
They are simple words, but I hope they convey what is in my heart:
Thank you, bless you, I love you.

Peace,
Falcon

Victory in the Allegheny National Forest

Hello World Family,
Falcon here; I wanted to give this to you all right away. This is excellent news!
Peace,
Falcon and Dove

April 9, 2009

Contact: Andy Stahl, Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics: (541) 484-2692
Ryan Talbott, Allegheny Defense Project: (814) 221-1408
David Sublette, Sierra Club Pennsylvania Chapter: (814) 397- 4121

Forest Service Agrees to Conduct Environmental Review of Oil and Gas Drilling in Allegheny

Conservation Groups Hail Agreement

ERIE, PA (4/9/09) – The U.S. Forest Service has agreed to conduct environmental review and allow the public to weigh in on all oil and gas development in the Allegheny National Forest, following pressure from conservation groups concerned that drilling will pollute water and destroy habitat for wildlife like the northern flying squirrel, eastern box turtle, northern goshawk, and timber
rattlesnake.

The Forest Service reached a settlement today with Allegheny Defense Project, Sierra Club, and Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics, who filed suit in November after the agency failed to subject 34 proposed oil and gas projects to adequate review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Today's agreement ensures the public's right to weigh in on all
future drilling in the forest before the Forest Service gives it a green light.

The settlement will ensure that citizens have the opportunity to weigh in on drilling projects in the Allegheny National Forest. Over the past 10 years, thousands of oil and gas wells have been drilled in the Allegheny without environmental analysis and public comments. As a result of drilling, more
than 2,000 miles of roads have been built, damaging important wildlife habitat.

“With this settlement the Forest Service is making a commitment to disclose to people living near the Allegheny National Forest what impact oil and gas drilling will have on water quality, recreational opportunities, and the other benefits they expect from the national forest in their backyard.” said Andy Stahl, executive director of Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics. "The Forest Service certainly has the duty to set conditions to prevent damage to the surface
land it owns and protect wildlife on that land."

The settlement agreement stipulates that no oil and gas drilling can occur within Wilderness Study Areas, National Recreation Areas, Inventoried Roadless Areas, the Tionesta Scenic and Research Natural Areas, and the Morrison Run Area west to the Rimrock Overlook without environmental analysis and public comment and appeal opportunities.

"These areas contain some of the most remote wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities on the Allegheny National Forest," said Ryan Talbott, forest watch coordinator for the Allegheny Defense Project.
"Because of this settlement, places like Minister Valley, Tracy Ridge, and Rimrock are now protected from unregulated oil and gas drilling. Additionally, the settlement agreement unequivocally states that 'the Forest Service has legal authority to establish reasonable conditions and mitigation measures to protect federal surface resources' from oil and gas drilling. This important acknowledgment signals a new direction for regulating oil and gas drilling on the Allegheny that will better protect water and air quality, wildlife habitat and recreation
opportunities."

The settlement agreement creates an orderly transition allowing the drilling of approximately 585 oil and gas wells since these projects were already submitted to the Forest Service for approval at the time the lawsuit was filed. The Forest Service will postpone approval of approximately 440 other oil and gas wells that were submitted to the Forest Service before the lawsuit was filed, but
were considered “incomplete applications” by the Forest Service. Those proposed oil and gas wells, in addition to all future oil and gas drilling proposals, will be subject to NEPA analysis and public comment.

"This is a victory for everyone who enjoys the natural beauty of the Allegheny National Forest. This agreement will shed daylight on a process that has been hidden from public view for far too long.” said Sierra Club representative David Sublette. “Oil and gas development threatens to destroy the
sensitive wildlife habitat and spectacular wilderness that draw thousands of visitors to the Allegheny each year. The public should at least have an opportunity to weigh in before oil and gas companies are allowed to build roads and drill wells in this pristine area. This agreement represents a significant policy shift for the Allegheny National Forest.”

Pittsburgh: Schedule and Closings for Police Officers' Ceremony

Hello World Family,
Falcon is reporting with a heavy heart on the arrangements for the fallen Pittsburgh Police officers gunned down on Saturday, April 4 in a domestic incident. Since so many of you are coming to Pittsburgh from all over the world, I wanted to provide this information to you, and to thank you for the many calls, letters, and conveyance of sympathy that you have sent to us. It is appreciated more than words will ever be able to say.

Falcon and Dove would like to personally offer our condolences to all the family and friends of the fallen officers, and well wishes to the hero officers who survived, and wish them a speedy recovery. Falcon has visited at the funeral homes and offers prayers to you always. We cannot express our grief at your loss strongly enough. We send you our love and our prayers for healing.

FALLEN HEROES CEREMONY
Officers Scuillo, Kelly, and Mayhle are lying in state at the City-County Building on Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh, and will be there from now until 10:30 am tomorrow, Thursday, April 9. Yes, the City-County Building will be open all night to accommodate visitors.

TRAFFIC RESTRICTIONS

No parking on Grant Street, and traffic is now one lane in each direction on that street

Curb lanes are reserved for police officers

No parking on the Blvd. of the Allies from Grant St. to Commonwealth Place

No parking on Second Ave. from Ross Street to the 10th Street Bridge

During the procession from the City County Building to the Petersen Event Center on the University of Pittsburgh campus in Oakland, roads on the processional route will be closed. The route will follow Grant St. to the train station at the East Busway entrance. From there, it will go along the busway to Oakland and exit at Fifth Ave. and DeSoto, go up the hill and arrive at the Pete. This is a public ceremony and anyone who wants to may attend. It will begin at 1pm.

There may be updates to this post as the evening progresses. Please check back if you need further information, and as always, check the news websites:
www.thepittsburghchannel.com
www.kdka.com
www.wpxi.com

Birth, Death, Love, and Rachmaninoff

Hi World Family,
Falcon, here. This is one of the more challenging blog posts I have ever written. It has happiness, death, and music… and all of these must be included in the events of this weekend past. Let’s start with the good stuff.

Angus of the Tribal Rock group BROTHER along with his lovely wife welcome the arrival of their son, Asa to the breathing world. He is fantastic and all is well. Falcon and Dove are thrilled that there is another tribal rocker in the world and wish them and all the members of the band well. We hope to see them this summer on the road, and we thank them for sharing their joyous news with our family. We are all One. It is nice to hear of more beautiful voices gracing our world. It is what makes reporting the next few things more focused, but not any easier.

By now, any of you who have paid any even remote attention to the television, radio or Internet news know what happened here in Pittsburgh yesterday morning. There was yet another mass shooting (yes, there is now a category for this, any time more than three individuals are shot in a single incident) in this country, and this time, in Falcon and Dove’s own proverbial back yard. This involved the injury and death of 5 police officers: 3 dead, 2 injured. A young man believed that his life no longer had any importance and meaning, and texted his friend telling him that he ‘would die today’. He didn’t, but three other fine men did. Two officers, answering a domestic call were shot in the head by the frustrated and fearful young man, and when a third officer, off the clock and on his way home in the very same neighborhood, heard the call on the radio and arrived to help, only to suffer the same fate. There were 100 shots at a time at three points during the morning ordeal, and it was so severe some neighbors were evacuated while the SWAT teams moved in to secure the perimeter so that the officers injured and killed could be attended to by EMS. It was that bad. As this awful story played out live on television, my thoughts went to the families and friends of these officers and how devastated they would be when the names were revealed. Everyone was on pins and needles for much of the day, and then at three, the young Mayor Luke Ravenstal had the sad duty of revealing to the world who was lost, who survived, and the particulars of what had happened. Pittsburgh Police Chief Nate Harper gave a detailed report of what occurred. It just saddened us all.

Their names are as follows: Eric Kelly, a 14-year veteran of the force; Stephen Mayhle and Paul Sciullo III, both of the Pittsburgh Police since 2007. These men take on the responsibility along with others in police, fire, EMS, etc. of protecting our communities every day. They know a day may come when they are required to make the ultimate sacrifice for their communities, and yet, they still go to work every day. Yesterday, April 4, a lovely spring day in Pittsburgh was the last morning these three men got to say hello to their friends and families, talk about the Pirates spring training coming to an end, and discuss the Pens chances for the playoffs. They will not get to hug one more friend or their children; no more kisses in the kitchen or at the front door. We expect that there are many scenarios that may take the life of a police officer, fire fighter, or other public servant on any given day. The following scenario was completely unnecessary and could have been avoided. A clearly disturbed young man who had a history of violent incidents and unbalanced behavior had a house full of loaded guns with his mom hiding in the basement, believed that his guns might be taken away, and planned to go out with a show of force. These men did nothing but show up at the door on a domestic call, and got shot in the head.

This young guy had a machine gun for ‘recreational purposes’. He committed his crimes with an AK-47, a rifle, a handgun, and more. Although he was injured, he did survive…but his life is over. He will be in jail forever.

Falcon feels the need to vent about this: Since Venus Retrograde (check our previous post warning that this period, according to our Native calendar could pose difficulty for those on the brink of poor decision making), there have been nearly 100 people killed in mass shootings. Reasons vary from loss of job to loss of lucidity. One thing must be mentioned: they all involve guns.

Let’s be clear; we know guns don’t shoot themselves off, and the practical approach is to address the problems being faced by those on the edge of reason and make sure that they have the proper counseling and treatment. That is clearly not being done, and one reason may be that many of these challenged individuals are in family and friend structures completely incapable of recognizing that those in question are not well. The family structure is not well, and that didn’t start yesterday. These are long term unrecognized or denied problems and this must change. One more thing, though: I don’t hunt with an automatic weapon. Needing one to sneak up on a deer seems completely unnecessary to me. My bow and arrow have never accidentally ‘gone off’ and hurt or killed somebody.
I like the idea of being defended, and my best defense is between my ears. Weapons are the first choice of the desperate and the depraved. Sensible, reasonable people try to reason before they resort to violence. Automatic weapons in the hands of the disturbed seems to happen all too frequently.

Okay, so Falcon always tried to present solutions. Here are a couple of suggestions. First of all, physicians, clergy, teachers, professors, social club members, organizations, friends and family members MUST get involved with getting these people the help they need. If you see a problem, say SOMETHING to SOMEBODY! Yes, your observation may be the important one that gets this person the help they need. Don’t allow fear to be your ‘mind killer’ as Herbert Frank would have said.

One more thing: where is the love? What has happened to ‘love they neighbor, as thyself?!” As thy self…love your self! LOVE FIRST! Give your friends and neighbors a hug, or if you can’t, just let them know that they are not alone. A kind word may be the difference between a smile and more receptivity to their own self worth, or despair and an unfocused spiral into the depths of the unrecoverable.

Just for the record: you are not your job. It’s a job. You can get another one. Volunteer somewhere until you do get another job. Who knows? You may meet someone with a job for you out there while you are giving to others. A job doesn’t define your self worth. It never did, it never will. You are so much more than what you do. You are worthy of love even if you don’t have a job to identify yourself by. You are loved, even if you don’t hear people say so. You would be missed if you were gone. You have made significant contributions to the world in every small act of kindness that you do. Do not despair. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and no, that is not an oncoming train. It is the light of love and understanding. It is the light of your own heart, shining back at you. Just look up; you’ll see it.

Yes, and Rachmaninoff. Falcon attended the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra’s performance this weekend, and it was magnificent. Serge’s Symphony Number One was performed here this weekend for the first time, ever by the PSO. The performance on Saturday night was dedicated to the police officers who were injured or killed in the incident in the Stanton Heights area of the city.

Rach was WAY ahead of his time. He knew that maybe all of his works wouldn’t be accepted right away, and this particular piece wasn’t well received initially, but now it is clear that his influences were nearly intuitive to what was to come not only in classical music, but it the forms of music that as of yet had no name. Here’s my point: he would probably be surprised that his first symphony was dedicated to some local heroes who lost their lives in the course of their noble occupations. He would be humbled, I would think. Imagine if he had never written that piece? How different would today be? It’s the same with each of you.

Value who you are and what you bring to the proverbial table each day. You never know what will leave a lasting impression of inspiration and innovation to future co-workers, friends, children, family members, and the community at large. Never doubt that you are sacred. Love yourself most fiercely. Never doubt that you are loved. Need inspiration? Pull out this blog any time you want. Better yet…write your own.

With much love,
Peace Brothers and Sisters,
Falcon and Dove