Earth Hour Around the Globe - pics via The Big Picture

Started in Sydney, Australia in 2007, Earth Hour quickly grew into a global observance. More than 1,000 cities in over 80 countries observed Earth Hour 2009 on Saturday March 28th, as homes, office towers and landmarks turned off their lights for an hour starting at 8.30 pm local time to raise awareness about climate change and the threat from rising greenhouse gas emissions. Check out the pictures in javascript of cities and monuments going black via Alan Taylor's The Big Picture.

In Venice, Florida, I did my part and sat in the dark with the light of a candle and a smiley-faced crescent moon to light my journal as I wrote a stream of consciousness for 45 minutes of the hour. The last fifteen minutes I blew out the candle and meditated on global peace, harmony and wellness from the micro to the macro, from the core of the earth to the highest realms of spirit.

Note from the future: Ten years later and I'm still doing this every year. In 2019, 188 countries participated to inspire urgent action for the environment. Join us next year on Saturday, March 28, 2020 8:30pm local time.

Thank you to PetSmart

clipped from finance.yahoo.com PHOENIX, AZ--(MARKET WIRE)--Mar 27, 2009 -- As flood waters rise and evacuations continue in Fargo, N.D., PetSmart Charities is sending an Emergency Relief Waggin'® trailer stocked with at least 16 tons of much-needed pet food and supplies, as well as a back-up trailer loaded with essential care items for pets and their rescuers, to the affected areas.

Not a waste of time - Learn, baby, learn

To place this post in context, I'm at the age where I'm excited to be getting my social security checks starting in 2 months. Hah. I can remember when telephone answering machines were on the leading edge of technology. According to recording-history.org: "In 1878, shortly after inventing his phonograph, Thomas Edison created a "top ten list" of uses of the phonograph. Number ten read: connection with the telephone ...." -

In the 1980s when the answering machine became popular for home and office, I remember hearing a resistance to change from a segment of the population (usually older, but not exclusively so) and was fascinated by people who adamantly refused ("I won't use those new-fangled machines") to make their life easier and more effective by using modern tools invented for that purpose.

I hear similar comments today in reference to the web ("I don't have a computer" "I don't do e-mail" "I don't use the internet"). It amazes me, and I wonder if these people now have an answering machine or voicemail. I wonder if the resistance goes beyond the web itself and applies to anything new across the board (new food, new restaurants, new fashion) or just to new inventions in the world of technology (cell phones, computers, internet and now .... new media, which includes social networking, blogging and the like).

It's okay these people exist. They have a right to their resistance. But oh my, what a different world this is becoming around them. Einstein said, “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.” Although I'm not a proponent of "shoulds," I count my lucky stars I am rarely resistant to change. I embrace it, flow with it and choose to focus on the joy of discovery rather than the loss of the comfortable. Helen Keller said, "When one door closes, another opens."

I'm so very grateful to be alive at this time of global awareness and marvel at the speed of light with which we are coming together to make this a better world. I watch our new president, Barack Obama, blasting forward with one new thing after another and I hear (mostly older) people cry out, "He's doing too much, he's moving to fast ..." No people, he's a man of action, a man of integrity and he's a Web 2.0 kind of guy. He's showing us what a new thing looks like, not just talking about it. He's on the leading edge and we get to come along for the ride. I don't know where all the changes will lead us as a world community, but make no mistake about it, things are changing. Fast.

If you hear a new term, a new idea, or talk of a new technology, you can always start by asking Google, the wizard of the web. One link leads to another and suddenly you're in the know. Then you can decide where to go from there and if you want to know more.

A few years ago my parents were visiting me in San Franciso from Miami. My parents are self-employed and have an export company selling building products (Florida International Trading of Miami). My mom used my computer to check her e-mail and noticed an inquiry from a customer in the Caribbean which sounded big. My dad (who doesn't do much online except play bridge and read the VMB611 WWII veterans webpage) felt anxious about the fact that he wouldn't be back in Miami for two weeks and therefore he assumed he would lose the sale. I took a look at the e-mail, found a few words I could search on, did my Google search and voila! found the page in a suppliers catalog that was the exact thing he would have used in his home office to gather the information for the quote. This took all of five minutes. He was amazed and relieved. He put the quote together which my mom then e-mailed to the client and the sale was a done deal.

The internet makes things easier, saves time, and is FOR you, not against you. One of my spiritual teachers (John-Roger) has said for years and years, "If it works for you, use it. If it doesn't, let it go." However, if you never try it you can't find out if it's going to work for you or not.

-Raphaella Vaisseau, www.heartfulart.com

Grass Roots Activisim - Earth Hour 8:30-9:30pm Saturday, March 28th, 2009

I'm thinking I'll use this hour to visualize and meditate on life, from my personal relationship here on Earth to the big global picture. I'll keep a journal at hand (I'm good at writing in the dark). Are you in?

clipped from www.voteearth2009.org THIS IS THE WORLD’S FIRST GLOBAL ELECTION, BETWEEN EARTH AND GLOBAL WARMING. On March 28 you can VOTE EARTH by switching off your lights for one hour. Or you can vote global warming by leaving your lights on. The results of the election are being presented at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen 2009. We want one billion votes for Earth, to tell world leaders that we have to take action against global warming.

Obama is breaking new ground again

I love this guy. He is on the leading edge and we all get to come along for the ride.

clipped from www.whitehouse.gov Open for Questions: President Obama to Answer Your Questions on Thursday Today, the President invited everyone to use a new feature on WhiteHouse.gov called "Open for Questions" to ask a question about the economy and rate other questions up or down.  Then, on Thursday morning, the President will conduct a special online town hall on the economy and answer some of the most popular questions and the event will be streamed on WhiteHouse.gov.

SFWOW - San Francisco Women on the Web

I joined San Francisco Women on the Web in 1999 when I still lived in Ashland, Oregon. Being hooked up to SFWOW made me feel that I was on the leading edge and I craved that connection as I read threads and participated in conversations with other members. At that time, I had just secured a domain for my company - www.heartfulart.com (then a one-page collage of my multifaceted artistic creations). A year later I moved to Marin County, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. Connecting with tech-savvy women who were exploring and crafting this new world of the web was exciting and educational. I attended a few meetings for web design and marketing and my mind expanded exponentially. The San Francisco Bay Area is a big, spread out place and I had an old, beat up car so driving to Silicon Valley, Oakland and Berkeley from Marin by myself at night to have coffee and chat with tech women didn't happen very often. Then, when I opened my Heartful Art Gallery in Sausalito in 2001, I put all my eggs in that one basket and drifted away from the SFWOW network. Eight years later, I now live and create art on the central gulf coast of Florida. Still, my love of technology and my fascination with the web continues. Thinking today of my commitment to blog on Ada Lovelace Day to honor women in technology, I remembered the women of SFWOW. I honor and thank them for being. The SFWOW nonprofit now has over 1,300 members. Bravo!

Caroline Harrison's Dinosaur Song for Preschoolers

The "Dinosaur Beat" song. Preschool Songs by Caroline of Miss Caroline's Music Class. Caroline is a friend (and former roommate), singer, songwriter and teacher. Sounds like there is a whole cd in the works. Stay tuned.

Ada Lovelace Day - Pledge to Honor Women in Technology on March 24, 2009

I took the pledge along with 1,500 other people as of now. More information here. Join us.

clipped from anitaborg.org Ada Lovelace Day is the brainchild of Suw Charman-Anderson, a London-based social media consultant and digital rights activist. Recognizing that women’s contributions often go unacknowledged, she issued a challenge: “I will publish a blog post on Tuesday 24th March about a woman in technology whom I admire but only if 1,000 other people will do the same.” — Suw Charman-Anderson

Three Tabby Kittens Up For Adoption in Venice, Florida

Three month old brothers with all their shots (& neutered) are looking for their family. They are playful, adorable and would be great for any family, even with children. I've been fostering them for five weeks and want them to be adopted soon so their new family can get to know them as kittens. Click here to see a slideshow of their journey with me. Call 941.993.7001 for more information. Prescreening required. Adoption fee $50-$75 if approved.

Hypnosis Venice Grand Opening was Indeed Grand!

Theresa Foley's Hypnosis Venice (et. al.) relocated to 517 E. Venice Avenue a few months ago. The Grand Opening celebration was held March 20th in honor of the Spring Equinox. The evening featured music of Elaine Silver, artists Kim Northrop and yours truly, Raphaella Vaisseau, jewelry creations of Susan Caron, a darling (but very shy) kitty for adoption, chair massage by Robin Renee, amazing vegan Thai food by Thai Bistro, eggplant Parmesan by Ophelia's, wine, water, and the best cake ever made (vegan coconut raspberry) ... plus drummers and friends. What a night!

See more pictures here.

Heartful Art at the Sarasota Folk Festival - March 14-15 2009

FF-Heartful Art,
originally uploaded by heartfulart.

It was fun to be back in the woods at an outside Folk Festival with my art under the trees on my old Pro Panels. I haven't used them since I moved from Ashland, Oregon in 2000 but they worked great. Positioned between the Main Stage and the Small Stage, we heard wonderful acoustic music from one or the other along with the wind through the trees and meeting lots of new people wandering around. The Key West Cat Society booth offered free Vegan samples of Thai food and vegan cake. Yum, yum. Of course the kitties were a big hit with everyone. And hanging out with friends in nature with music made for an all-around great weekend.

A Reminder from Abraham

A reminder to myself to notice where my attention is focused, to look at what I want more of, and to always choose the path of least resistance - feeling good.

clipped from www.abraham-hicks.com We are all Vibrational Beings. You're like a receiving mechanism that when you set your tuner to the station, you're going to hear what's playing. Whatever you are focused upon is the way you set your tuner, and when you focus there for as little as 17 seconds, you activate that vibration within you. Once you activate a vibration within you, Law of Attraction begins responding to that vibration, and you're off and running--whether it's something wanted or unwanted --- Abraham Excerpted from the workshop in North Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, August 18th, 2002

Seven Heart Paintings by Raphaella Vaisseau used as Licensed Art on CDs and for Musical Production

For someone who loves color, words and music created to inspire and uplift, Bob Falstein's new cd "Take Heart" is a delight, both visually and musically. Color heals. That's my belief, my knowing. It lifts the spirit as music can.

Bob's joyful heart spills forth in his vocals and in the music and lyrics created together with Rev. Bonnie Rowsell. The cd is on itunes so you can take a listen.

This is the third time my painted hearts have been licensed for musical packaging. First was Resurrected Heart licensed by IMAGINE Consulting & Production Group, LLC for a S.F. rock musical, "Sacredly Immortal" in 2000. Second was Heart of Glacier used for Karen Drucker's beautiful "The Heart of Healing" featuring healing and affirmational music sung by Karen at her Mother's bedside in her Mother's final days in this world. One of my favorite meditative cds, it never fails to bless me and uplift.

Bob Falstein licenced five of my heart paintings for his cd: Great Heart (on the cover), Heart of a Butterfly, Heart of Life, Heart of God, and Heart of an Angel's Wing. The graphic designer, Sharon Turney, who visually put it all together did a masterful job of preserving the vividness of my original art with the text, photos and background of the whole cd package.

I love music. I believe it's one of the highest forms of communication on the planet. What an honor to have my art adorn these projects in this way.


Please contact Heartful Art if you have a licensing project of your own.

-RV