We focus on Health Literacy, Education-at-every-level and on Civic Engagement. We are about enriching our communities on every level. We profile organizations; we engage students positively, and we provide constructive information. Join us in these efforts. Find “21st Century Conversations” on your PEG access station in CT. Watch as retired school principal, Marc Palmieri, discuss team-building with parents and teachers from various school districts. When you visit our site visit each section; browse our very informative and educational video programs. Watch clips from student participants. Join us as we seek to engage residents in positive ways; learn about their issues of concern and the things they want to see changed in this the 21st century.  Meet students from Hamden, New Haven, West Haven and North Haven.

Learn what are the educational concerns parents in Bpt, NH, Hamden and WH have; they are the same concerns you have.  OneWorld is about building a more positive community from infancy to old age.   Let us stand together so we can ALL be stronger.  Join us.  Please send us an email;  go to the Contact Us page.  Peace & grace.

There are those in our communities who have gotten away with carrying out all kinds of atrocities against the less powerful because they could count on the fact that the rest of us would sit by and let it happen.  They count on our silent collusion against the oppressed.  “ALL IT TAKES FOR EVIL TO THRIVE IS FOR PEOPLE OF GOODWILL TO DO NOTHING.” 

Liars get away with telling lies because no one calls them on it.   Sometimes, in trying to keep the peace we facilitate the perpetuation of lies and deceit.  Democracy is about standing up for what we believe in, and for the principles to which we subscribe as individuals, as communities,  and as a society. 

A democracy only functions as such when everyone can have a reasonable expectation of fairness, and when there are rules adhered to that ensure that such fairness is practiced.

Some of those given a little power abuse it a little and get away with it; when they abuse it more siginificantly and are not challenged, they go on to becoming despots.  There are too many despots in our communities.

Politicians get away with deceptious behavior because they are often not challenged.  Interestingly, some of the things the media invest time in (such as what is going on in people’s private lives and that do not affect their public performance) are not the things that voters/ citizens who need help care about.  Journalism has become too gossipy.  Too much time is being invested in Mel Gibson’s private life.  If the tapes being broadcast repeatedly are authentic, Mr. Gibson clearly has a problem; however, whether his career is over or not is not going to affect the price we pay at the pump, or whether the Republicans regain control of the House.  Those are the real issues that will affect the pocketbooks and lives of average Americans.

In the 8 years during which president Bush and the Republicans ran the American economy into the ground, I did not see the majority of the media asking detailed questions.  Recently we learned that the economy needs 22 mil jobs.  Republican leaders are condemning President Obama for not fixing in 18 months what they destroyed in 8 years.  These 22 million jobs were not lost in the 18 months since President Obama took office!  Where were the media pundits then?  It seems that in the second term of the Bush presidency much of the media became their partners rather than the servant of the people providing accurate information.

Republicans held up the unemployment extended benefts for weeks, and they are now concerned about economic issues so that they will be able to use it as a weapon in the mid-term elections!  That is shear hypocrisy and blatant lying.  Where were John Boehner, Kevin Brady and Mitch Mcconnell when Mr. Bush and his cronies were destroying the economy and while their very rich friends got richer? How many of us were paying attention?  Where were the investigative journalists then?  What about the tax cuts for the rich?  Why did those keep going even when average Americans were in dire economic stress? What did the Republicans do for the average American?

Do not be impressed by the noisy,  hysterical politics, media Obama-bashing wagon.  Get informed; ask questions of your political representatives and don’t accept the media’s word.  Except on PBS, The Nation and a few other outlets with integrity, the news is all about ratings and advertising dollars.  Real democracy is about all of us citizens trying to get the facts and holding our representatives accountable.  Local, state, and national politicians, and all those who claim positions of leadership are to be held accountable to we the people.  Real Democracy Is About Citizen Participation.  The politicians are supposed to be working for the people

Remember to VOTE in the primary elections in August and in the mid-term elections this November.  Think about who you are voting for and why.  Do NOT be influenced by endorsements made by popular leaders or politicians; most such endorsements are about bargains made and deals cut. Invest the time to learn about each person for whom you vote.  Look at someone’s track record.  The fact that someone was a successful business person does not make him or her a successful political leader.  

How many of us remember and voted for Lowell Weicker?  Thanks to him, we have a state  income tax in CT.  What do we have to show for it?  How many of us believed that Lowell Weicker was a different kind of Republican politician?  Real Democracy Is About Citizen Participation. Please remember to VOTE during the primaries and at the mid-term.

Dear People of Conscience and Goodwill:
The state of Tennessee is scheduled to execute Gaile Owens on September 28th, 2010 unless we can convince Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen to commute her death sentence to life in prison.  PLEASE Take a few minutes to read the information below.   We NEED to SEND A MESSAGE that District Attorneys should NOT be allowed to play fast and loose with people’s lives because they have made an uninformed judgement about someone’s behavior.

Gaile Owens is in prison for hiring a man to kill her abusive husband in 1985. She was offered a plea to life in prison — and she accepted that plea — but the D.A. rescinded their offer when her co-defendant refused to accept the plea.   Gaile should NOT be punished for the behavior of her co-defendant.  The attorneys working on her case believe that no other prisoner on death row in the U.S. has received a death sentence after accepting the offer of a guilty plea in exchange for a life sentence.

Below is more information about Ms. Owens’ case.  The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women has been working with Ms. Owens’ attorneys since last summer to block her execution.

Gaile Owens NEEDS more support – and needs it now. At a minimum, please sign the petition AND forward this message to all of your coworkers, colleagues, friends, and family.  Time is short.  We need to act NOW.

Please ACT NOW to STOP this Horrific Injustice to an Abused Woman Who is Set to BE EXECUTED.  Gaile Owens, a 54-year-old woman from Tennessee, whose life was filled with abuse, and whose legal case has been dominated by an appalling series of grave injustices, is scheduled to be executed on September 28.

 Please ACT NOW to STOP THIS EXECUTION.  Ms. Owens is seeking to have her death sentence commuted to a sentence of life in prison and only Governor Bredesen has the power to do this.  The National Clearing House for Battered Women needs your help in urging Governor Bredesen to commute Gaile Owens’ death sentence to life in prison.

What are asking you to: 

•  Sign the on-line petition in support of clemency for Ms. Owens.  As of May 2, the petition had almost 5,000 signatures.  We want to double that amount and get over 10,000 signatures.  We can only do this with your help.
• We need you to sign the petition now.  It will take less than a minute of your time.  Go to the Friends of Gaile website and sign the petition at:
  http://www.friendsofgaile.com/phpPETITION/index.php
• Abused Woman Set To Be Executed.  PLEASE send a letter to Governor Bredesen in Tennessee urging them to spare Gaile Owens’ life by commuting her sentence.
• We believe that letters sent via US mail will be the most persuasive. Please take a CIVIC STAND by sending a letter to the Governor and to his legal counsel. The  address is:
• The Honorable Phil Bredesen
  Governor’s Office
  Tennessee State Capitol
  Nashville, TN 37243-0001

 If you can’t send a letter via US mail, please send a message to the Governor via e-mail.   Phil.Bredesen@tn.gov .

PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY! 

CALL the Governor’s office; write a letter to the editor; submit an editorial, and/or join as a Friend of Gaile Owens on Facebook. For more information about these ideas, see the Friends of Gaile website under the “Learn More” tab by visiting this link below; share this info. http://www.friendsofgaile.com/about.htm

We thank Andrew for his wise comment.  We would appreciaite hearing what you think.  Please go to The Kids Get Their Say  BY ZAK STONE | APR 28, 2010, at the NHI site at the link below.  Click onto Schools and scroll until you see the title.   Then go to the other story    http://www.newhavenindependent.org See Schools

titled:  ”Police: Girl Stole School Bus, Hit Cop Car.”   Please read Andrew’s comment.

“Hey all—I can’t help but notice an unfortunate disparity. On one hand, you get this great forum w/some excellent public school students taken on tough issues and making a lot of sense. One of the students, Jamarr Daniels, is from the much-maligned Wilbur Cross High School. My comment will be the 13th one on this story.

On the other hand, the May 3rd issue of the Independent has a story about another Wilbur Cross student who goes for a destructive “joy ride” on a bus. THAT story attracts 29 comments.

6 kids making us proud - 13 comments.

1 kid being impulsive and stupid – 29 comments (and counting).

Jamarr, Caitlin, Eric, Brandon, Khadijah and Linette – please keep making sense and doing what you’re doing. This reader and community member wishes you the very best.”  Our question is — What do we value?  How do we communicate that to our children?

Byllye Y. Avery.pdf    Here is a page of information.  Please copy and share it with everyone you can reach.  This is important.  President Obama had great difficulty getting a public option in the bill he worked so HARD to pass in Congress.  That was with a 60 count “supposed to be majority.”  He could not get what he wanted from some Democrats, and the Republicans are more committed to him failing as our president than to what is best for Americans who are in need.   There are those Democrats and Republicans who wanted to hold the National Budget  hostage to get what they want rather than to do what is best for the majority of the people; those who elected the president.  Today that 60 count “socalled” majority no longer exists.  A Republican has taken over Senator Ted Kennedy’s seat in MA!!!!  We- the people- need to let Congress hear our voices.  We NEED to let Governor Rell hear from us.  We NEED Health Care that works for ALL  people, and certainly for ALL WOMEN.  Don’t allow Republicans & ultra-conservative Democrats to sabotage the lives of millions.

Come to First & Summerfield Methodist Church on Jan. 26, at 6PM.  Get information from someone who has been on the ground advocating for health care that works for women before we heard of Roe Vs Wade.  Byllye Avery is the founder of the National Black Women’s Project. She was also the co-founder (in 1974) of the Gainsville Women’s Health Center in Florida.

What proactive steps have you taken this year to let your Congressional Rep. know what it is that you want? Our elected officials are supposed to work for us- we the people- who elected them to office.  They are NOT hearing enough from us, so they are listening to the lobbyists who are paid by the insurance and big business conglomerates, and by the drug companies.  These big companies want to protect their 700% + mark-ups; this means profits.  This means BIG bonuses to the wealthiest in our nation!  Right here in America  people are dying for lack of access to health care!  This is an outrage.  Poor women are the worst off! 

There are many of us who have NO HEALTH CARE coverage at all.  Some are faced with the decision of paying the mortgage or paying for COBRA.  Since we do not want to become homeless, we pay the mortgage and go without health care.  The State of CT will put a lien on your property if you do not have money to pay taxes they claim you owe.  The poor and near poor are caught between a ROCK and a HARD place. Many who have jobs and health care coverage believe that those of us who don’t are irresponsible people. That is totally FALSE.  When you have very limited resources and the choice is between feeding your children or paying for health coverage, every good parent feeds the children.

Come and get the real facts from Byllye Avery on Tues. Jan. 26, 6-8PM at First & Summerfield United Methodist Church, 425 College Street, NH

 The church is located on the corner near Elm & College Streets.  Form a car pool; save on gas.  Be there; bring a note pad.  Watch “21st Century Conversations” on your local access TV station to learn more about health literacy. Visit our web site at: www.oneworldpi.org Become positively involved in your community.  A healthy community is a stronger community.  An informed community is a more powerful community.  GET INFORMED!  BECOME EMPOWERED! 

The politicians and pundits get away with too much because they know that we are too busy trying to stay afloat, so they say and do things that are detrimental to the most vulnerable.  PLEASE do not let it continue to happen.  STAND UP & SPEAK OUT. DEMAND SENSIBLE HEALTH CARE REFORM THAT BENEFITS ALL. WOMEN NEED ACCESS TO AFFORDABLE AND APPLICABLE CARE.