Performance Poets
Words Written to be Heard
Dozens of teams from across North America and Europe
converged on Madison, Wisconsin last month for the
2008 edition of National Poetry Slam, the genre’s flagship
event. Now, fans of the spoken word are gearing up to
attend this year’s Individual World Poetry Slam, held from
December 10 to 13 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Most major cities in the United States, plus many college
towns, regularly hold these competitions. According to Poetry
Slam Inc., a nonprofit that oversees the international coalition
of events, “Winning a poetry slam requires some measure of
skill and a huge dose of luck.” The judges’ tastes and audience
reactions, as well as the poets’ performances, shape the outcome.
Anyone can enter to qualify.
Find the official Slam Directory of events at
PoetrySlam.com. For more on the
world competition, see
IndividualWorldPoetrySlam.com.
Long Weekends
State’s Four-day Work Week Saves Energy
Utah has officially become the first state to experiment with
reducing energy costs and commuter gasoline expense by
switching 17,000 of 24,000 executive branch government
employees to a 40-hour, four-day work week. Governor Jon
Huntsman’s mandatory three-day weekend just may catch on.
Turning out the lights, heat and air conditioning on
Fridays in a third of Utah’s government buildings will save
the state an estimated $3 million a year, according to the
Utah Governor
governor’s office. Although total commuter fuel charges are
Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. (R)
still unknown, the Department of Environmental Quality estimates that during the
yearlong experiment, employees in six buildings alone will save $300,000 at the
pump.
In addition, “We feel like we can reduce the carbon dioxide [emissions] by
around 3,000 metric tons” says Kim Hood, executive director of the Department of
Administrative Services, which tenders another direct benefit by reducing local air
pollution.
Required Viewing
King Corn & Ethanol Exposé
Earth Cinema Circle’s documentary, King Corn,
reveals the politics behind the subsidized crop
that drives our fast-food nation. Just about every-
thing most Americans eat contains it: high-fruc-
tose corn syrup, corn-fed meat, and corn-based,
processed food.
“King Corn is one of the most important
films you can see to better understand govern-
ment policies behind the corn industry and the
ethanol movement,” says co-host Ed Begley, Jr.
It’s why drivers now pump this biofuel at the
gas station, even though ethanol requires more
energy to make than it delivers.
View more films that inform and inspire a positive
difference by joining
EarthCinemaCircle.com.
September 2008 21
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