Mosquito welcomes Mac to the Blog

This is a delayed introduction but we have another blogger joining the Mosquito Blog. Many of you in Hampton Roads know him...Mac is an active member of the Gaia Circle and the Tidewater Peace Alliance.

He's been published in alternative and the mainstream press. Mac has also been featured online at OpEd News website

He's already posted one article and he will be posting periodically "as the mood strikes him" and/or as time and life permits.

Here at Mosquito Blog we are proud to welcome Mac to the Virginia Blogosphere.

Net Neutrality is still on the block....

The telecommunications industry continues to pressure Congress to eliminate Net Neutrality. Senator Stevens, at this time, does NOT have the 60 votes needed to prevent a filibuster. If he can't muster the 60 votes net neutrality will be safe until the new congress reconvenes. IF that new Congress has a democratic majority in the Senate, Net Neutrality will probably be safe....but don't count on anything.

Here's a list of the Senators. Generally, an unknown is someone who is not declaring to their constituents their stance. This issue is not new....I find it hard to believe that the Senators have not researched and studied the issue, especially since so many bills were supposed to make it to the floor on this issue.

So check the list and please contact these people...The telecommunications keep the pressure on daily. We've been able to fend off the big money interest but it's only been through dilegence and perseverance. If you haven't discussed net neutrality with your Senators or representatvie pleace so do in the near future.

Alexander, Lamar (R-TN) 202-224-4944 Unknown
Allard, Wayne (R-CO) 202-224-5941 Unknown
Baucus, Max (D-MT) 202-224-2651 Unknown
Bennett, Robert F. (R-UT) 202-224-5444 Unknown
Bond, Christopher S. (R-MO) 202-224-5721 Unknown
Bunning, Jim (R-KY) 202-224-4343 Unknown
Burr, Richard (R-NC) 202 224-3154 Unknown
Byrd, Robert C. (D-WV) 202-224-3954 Unknown
Carper, Thomas (D-DE) 202-224-2441 Unknown
Chafee, Lincoln D. (R-RI) 202-224-2921 Unknown
Chambliss, Saxby (R-GA) 202-224-3521 Unknown
Coburn, Tom (R-OK) 202 224-5754 Unknown
Cochran, Thad (R-MS) 202-224-5054 Unknown
Coleman, Norm (R-MN) 202-224-5641 Unknown
Collins, Susan (R-ME) 202-224-2523 Unknown
Conrad, Kent (D-ND) 202-224-2043 Unknown
Cornyn, John (R-TX) 202-224-2934 Unknown
Crapo, Mike (R-ID) 202-224-6142 Unknown
DeWine, Mike (R-OH) 202-224-2315 Unknown
Dole, Elizabeth (R-NC) 202-224-6342 Unknown
Domenici, Pete V. (R-NM) 202-224-6621 Unknown
Durbin, Richard J. (D-IL) 202-224-2152 Unknown
Enzi, Michael (R-WY) 202-224-3424 Unknown
Frist, William H. (R-TN) 202-224-3344 Unknown
Graham, Lindsey (R-SC) 202-224-5972 Unknown
Grassley, Charles E. (R-IA) 202-224-3744 Unknown
Gregg, Judd (R-NH) 202-224-3324 Unknown
Hagel, Chuck (R-NE) 202-224-4224 Unknown
Hatch, Orrin G. (R-UT) 202-224-5251 Unknown
Inhofe, James M. (R-OK) 202-224-4721 Unknown
Isakson, Johnny (R-GA) 202 224-3643 Unknown
Johnson, Tim (D-SD) 202-224-5842 Unknown
Kohl, Herb (D-WI) 202-224-5653 Unknown
Kyl, Jon (R-AZ) 202-224-4521 Unknown
Landrieu, Mary (D-LA) 202-224-5824 Unknown
Levin, Carl (D-MI) 202-224-6221 Unknown
Lincoln, Blanche Lambert (D-AR) 202-224-4843 Unknown
Lugar, Richard G. (R-IN) 202-224-4814 Unknown
McConnell, Mitch (R-KY) 202-224-2541 Unknown
Menendez, Robert (D-NJ) 202-224-4744 Unknown
Murkowski, Lisa (R-AK) 202-224-6665 Unknown
Murray, Patty (D-WA) 202-224-2621 Unknown
Reed, Jack (D-RI) 202-224-4642 Unknown
Roberts, Pat (R-KS) 202-224-4774 Unknown
Salazar, Ken (D-CO) 202 224-5852 Unknown
Santorum, Rick (R-PA) 202-224-6324 Unknown
Sarbanes, Paul S. (D-MD) 202-224-4524 Unknown
Sessions, Jeff (R-AL) 202-224-4124 Unknown
Shelby, Richard C. (R-AL) 202-224-5744 Unknown
Stabenow, Debbie A. (D-MI) 202-224-4822 Unknown
Talent, Jim (R-MO) 202-224-6154 Unknown
Thune, John (R-SD) 202 224-2321 Unknown
Voinovich, George (R-OH) 202-224-3353 Unknown
Warner, John W. (R-VA) 202-224-2023 Unknown
Dorgan, Byron L. (D-ND) 202-224-2551 For
Snowe, Olympia (R-ME) 202-224-5344 For
Wyden, Ron (D-OR) 202-224-5244 For
Akaka, Daniel K. (D-HI) 202-224-6361 For
Bayh, Evan (D-IN) 202-224-5623 For
Biden, Jr., Joseph R. (D-DE) 202-224-5042 For
Bingaman, Jeff (D-NM) 202-224-5521 For
Boxer, Barbara (D-CA) 202-224-3553 For
Cantwell, Maria (D-WA) 202-224-3441 For
Clinton, Hillary Rodham (D-NY) 202-224-4451 For
Dayton, Mark (D-MN) 202-224-3244 For
Dodd, Christopher J. (D-CT) 202-224-2823 For
Feingold, Russell D. (D-WI) 202-224-5323 For
Feinstein, Dianne (D-CA) 202-224-3841 For
Harkin, Tom (D-IA) 202-224-3254 For
Inouye, Daniel K. (D-HI) 202-224-3934 For
Jeffords, James M. (I-VT) 202-224-5141 For
Kennedy, Edward M. (D-MA) 202-224-4543 For
Kerry, John F. (D-MA) 202-224-2742 For
Lautenberg, Frank (D-NJ) 202-224-3224 For
Leahy, Patrick J. (D-VT) 202-224-4242 For
Nelson, Bill (D-FL) 202-224-5274 For
Nelson, Ben (D-NE) 202-224-6551 For
Obama, Barack (D-IL) 202 224-2854 For
Pryor, Mark (D-AR) 202-224-2353 For
Reid, Harry (D-NV) 202-224-3542 For
Rockefeller, IV, John D. (D-WV) 202-224-6472 For
Schumer, Charles (D-NY) 202-224-6542 For
Allen, George (R-VA) 202-224-4024 Against
Brownback, Sam (R-KS) 202-224-6521 Against
Burns, Conrad R. (R-MT) 202-224-2644 Against
Craig, Larry E. (R-ID) 202-224-2752 Against
DeMint, Jim (R-SC) 202 224-6121 Against
Ensign, John (R-NV) 202-224-6244 Against
Hutchison, Kay Bailey (R-TX) 202-224-5922 Against
Lott, Trent (R-MS) 202-224-6253 Against
McCain, John (R-AZ) 202-224-2235 Against
Smith, Gordon (R-OR) 202-224-3753 Against
Stevens, Ted (R-AK) 202-224-3004 Against
Sununu, John (R-NH) 202-224-2841 Against
Thomas, Craig (R-WY) 202-224-6441 Against
Vitter, David (R-LA) 202 224-4623 Against
Lieberman, Joesph I. (D-CT) 202-224-4041 Waffling
Martinez, Mel (R-FL) 202 224-3041 Waffling
Mikulski, Barbara A. (D-MD) 202-224-4654 Waffling
Specter, Arlen (R-PA) 202-224-4254 Waffling

Hampton Roads Green Screen Film Festival

4th Annual Green Screen Film Festival
Friday, Sept 22 through Wednesday, October 4
NARO CINEMA in the Ghent area of Norfolk


"World War III will be a guerrilla information war, with no division between military and civilian participation."
-- Marshall McLuhan, The Medium is the Massage (1967)

Thursday, September 21 from 6:00 to 8:30pm
United Nations International Day of Peace An inter-faith peace service and candlelight vigil will be held at the Unitarian Church on the Hague, 739 Yarmouth St in Norfolk.

Friday, Sept 22
Opening night reception at Elliot's Fair Grounds Coffee House at corner of Colley Ave and Baldwin Ave (one block south of Naro) following the screening of Black Gold until 9:00pm. Free samples of a selection of Ethiopian coffees and food. Everyone welcome!

Saturday, Sept 30
Green Screen Reception Preceding Al Franken: God Spoke at Azars Mediterranean Foods on Colley Ave and 20th St (3 blocks north of Naro) between 5:30 and 7:00pm. Cash bar and hors d'oeuvres. Everyone welcome!


13 Film Premieres and 3 Revivals
With presenters and after-film discussion

Film admission is $8. Discount ticket books are accepted. Call for more info about a Green Screen Festival Discount Pass. 625-6275

Friday, Sept 22 at 5:00pm
BLACK GOLD: Wake Up and Smell the Coffee Multinational coffee companies dominate the most valuable trading commodity in the world after oil. But while we continue to pay premium prices for lattes and cappuccinos, the low price paid to Ethiopian coffee farmers in the birthplace of coffee has forced many to abandon their fields. Tadesse Meskela is one man on a mission to travel the world and establish fair trade practices for the 75,000 struggling Ethiopian coffee farmers. (78 mins)

Friday, Sept 22 at 9:05pm
U.S. VERSUS JOHN LENNON Lennon's transformation from the Beatles rock star to anti-war activist to iconic inspiration for peace is documented by biographers David Leaf and John Scheinfeld. They reveal the U.S. Government's attempt to silence Lennon, showing that this was not just an isolated episode in American history but that the issues and struggles of that era remain relevant today. Featuring appearances by Noam Chomsky, Walter Cronkite, Mario Cuomo, Angela Davis, John Dean, Ron Kovic, G. Gordon Liddy, George McGovern, Bobby Seale, Tommy Smothers, Gore Vidal, Yoko Ono and others. (99mins)

Sat & Sun, Sept 23 & 24 at 3:00pm; Mon, Sept 25 at 7:30pm
WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR? Writer/director Chris Paine chronicles the life and mysterious death of the EV-1, examining the cultural and economic ripple effects caused by its conception and how they reverberated through the halls of government and big business. Interviews with automakers, legislators, engineers, consumers, celebrities, and car enthusiasts piece the complex puzzle together. (PG, 91 mins)

Saturday, Sept 23 at 5:00
THE GROUND TRUTH Patricia Foulkrod's powerful new film depicts with ferocious honesty the terrible conflict in Iraq, a prelude to the even more challenging battles fought by soldiers when they return home to personal demons, an uncomprehending public, and an indifferent government. (72 mins)

Sat, Sept 23 at 9:15 and Sat, Sept 30 at 9:30
PEEL: The Peru Project In the newest film from the family that made surf film history (The Endless Summer), filmmaker Wes Brown travels to the beautiful waters of Peru to find the perfect wave. His trek includes an enchanted visit to the ancient Incan village of Machu Picchu. The electrifying surf footage features world-class surfers Mark Healey, Jamie Sterling, and Sofia Mulanovich. Sponsored by our local chapter of Surfriders Foundation. (80 mins)

Sunday, Sept 24 at 7:30
IRAQ FOR SALE: The War Profiteers This is the story of what happens to everyday Americans when corporations go to war. Acclaimed director Robert Greenwald (Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Outfoxed) takes you inside the lives of Americans and Iraqis who have been changed forever as a result of profiteering in the reconstruction of Iraq. Blackwater, the private military contractor in Moyock, NC is featured as just one of many corporations making a killing in Iraq. (75 mins)

Tues, Sept 26 at 7:30 and Tues, Oct 3 at 7:30
LOOSE CHANGE Three young filmmakers spent many years and little money to make the most successful web-download feature film ever made. This newest updated version covers over 300 points connecting the attacks of 9/11 with forces within the US government. Evidence is derived from news footage, scientific analysis, and personal accounts. A discussion about the biggest conspiracy phenomenon since the assassination of President Kennedy will follow the screening. (80 mins)

Wed, Sept 27 at 7:15 as part of seminar at Studio for Healing Arts
HOW CUBA SURVIVED PEAK OIL After the fall of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, Cuba lost access to oil and had to suddenly transition from a fossil fuel agricultural export economy dependent on petrol-chemical fertilizers to a culture of intensive organic farming to keep its citizens from starving. As the world approaches peak oil, Cuba provides a valuable example of the cooperation, conservation, and community that will be needed to continue civil society in a low-energy world. (53 mins)

Wed, & Thurs, Sept 27 & 28 at 7:30
INCONVENIENT TRUTH After the 2000 election, Al Gore reset his course to focus on an all-out effort to help save the planet from irrevocable change. In this eye-opening portrait of his "traveling global warming show," he is funny, engaging, open, and downright on fire about getting the truth out before it's too late. Political proponents take note. (PG, 100 mins)

Friday, Sept 29 at 7:00
GOD AND GAYS What is it like to be gay and Christian in America? Filmmakers Luane Beck and Kim Clark explore the struggle that Christians have reconciling sexuality and spirituality. With Rev. Mel White, co-founder of SoulForce, Rev. Deborah L. Johnson of Santa Cruz, Jason Stuart, an out Jewish comic and actor in Los Angeles, (90mins)

Mel White, author of the new "Religion Gone Bad" will be in attendance along with filmmakers Luane Beck and Kim Clark.

Friday, Sept 29 at 9:30
WAKE UP SCREAMING "One man, 48 cities, 100 bands - what could possibly go wrong?" Independent filmmakers David Bergthold and Laban Pheidios team up with local PETA staff member and activist Jason Bayless as he travels across the country during the Vans Warped Tour. You'll meet rock stars, skaters, groupies, and animal rights activists unplugged in this PETA production. (80 mins)

Sat, Sept 30 at 1:00 and Sun, Oct 1 at 2:00
LASSIE Do we really need a new Lassie movie? When it's as good as this, yes! On the eve of World War II, a poor British family is forced to sell Lassie, their beloved dog, to the Duke of Rudling (Peter O'Toole) and Lassie is transported 500 miles away to the Duke's remote castle on the northern coast of Scotland. Lassie must face dangers great and small to get back to the home and family she loves. (PG, 100 mins)

Sat, Sept 30 at 5:00 and Sun, Oct 1 at 6:00
THE WAY OF THE PEACEFUL WARRIOR Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz) is a talented college gymnast with Olympic dreams. Then Dan's world is turned upside down when he meets a mysterious stranger he calls Socrates (Nick Nolte), who holds the power to tap into new worlds of strength and understanding. Directed by Victor Salva (Powder), based on Dan Millman's autobiographical novel Way of the Peaceful Warrior. (PG13, 120 mins)

Saturday, Sept 30
Green Screen Reception Preceding Al Franken: God Spoke at Azars Mediterranean Foods on Colley Ave and 20th St (3 blocks north of Naro) between 5:30 and 7:00pm. Cash bar and hors d'oeuvres.

Sat, Sept 30 at 7:15
AL FRANKEN: God Spoke The makers of The War Room turn their cameras on the best-selling author, Air America host, and political satirist - highlighting his highly publicized feud with Bill O'Reilly over Franken's blockbuster "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them" and his relentless campaign against Rush Limbaugh, George Bush and the right wing in the 2004 election, and beyond to his own run for the Wisconsin senate seat in 2008. Featuring beltway insiders Ann Coulter, Michael Moore, Al Gore, Robert Kennedy Jr., Sean Hannity, William Safire, Karen Hughes and Henry Kissinger. (90mins)

Sunday, Oct 1 at 8:15
AMERICAN BLACKOUT Ian Inaba's new film, awarded Best Documentary at Sundance Film Festival, documents the disenfranchisement of black voters in the Florida 2000 and Ohio 2004 presidential elections and the political career of U.S. Rep Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), who not only took an active role in investigating these election debacles but also found herself in the middle of one after publicly questioning the Bush Administration about the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Music by DJ Shadow, Soulsavers and Thievery Corporation, (72 mins)

Monday, Oct 2 at 7:30
DARK WATER RISING: The Truth About Hurricane Katrina Animal Rescuers Award winning filmmaker Mike Shiley (Inside Iraq) tells the story of the volunteers from across America who traveled to New Orleans to try and save some of the tens of thousands of family dogs and cats that were forcibly left behind by draconian FEMA policies. Braving toxic floodwaters and breaking down doors to save starving animals who had been imprisoned in their houses, these courageous animal activists exhibit a love and resolve that will leave you emotionally drained. (79 mins)
Part of the ticket price will be donated to the Norfolk SPCA.


Video Seminars at Studio for Healing Arts
Located at 1611 Colley Ave (2nd floor) one block north of Naro

Wed, Sept 27 at 7:15
Green Dream: A Gaian Future A screening of How Cuba Survived Peak Oil (56 mins) will be followed by a Power Point presentation of "A Gaian Future" by Tom Ellis, Ph.D. and a discussion of The Earth Charter.

Wed, Oct 4 at 7:15
Green Politics: Culture Jamming the Parties A community discussion led by local organizers and activists and film clips from Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? and So Goes the Nation. More information will be available at the festival or website. Sponsored by Chesapeake Climate Action Network (CCAN).

Hampton Roads IndyMedia Coalition

I know we like to fuss about the MSM. They've done such a poor job of reporting issues of importance.

A free, independent press is crucial in a democracy. A group of Hampton Roads citizens took matters into their own hands and created the Hampton Roads Indy Media Coalition.This group is affiliated with the global Indymedia network.

Now, Hampton Roads is no longer dependent on the MSM press--Va Pilot and Daily Press--or the MSM televeision news.This group is affiliated with the worldwide Indymedia network. Gloabalization activists created Indymedia to allow accurate coverage of what activists are doing. They realized the corporate controlled media was not covering the globalization movement. If the media "did" cover the globalization efforts it was always provided with a corporate slant.

For those of you with Dish Network you are already getting some great indymedia coverage on the linktv and free speech tv--FSTV--channels.

Now you can read news from local citizens on local, regional, and national issues and events at HRIMC.ORG

There's also a calendar where folks can post meetings and local happenings.

Check it out and participate. The IndyMedia has provided the platform so that local progressives can get their news out....

If Hampton Roads citizens get active and participate then this could become a force in Hampton Roads media and it is NOT corporate controlled.

You can participate by simply using the platforms provided....the website for publishing news....broadcast is coming soon....radio, video/tv, are coming soon. There's also a newspaper so your articles on the website might even end up in the local indy paper.

If you are interested in joining HRIMC and assisting with providing the media platforms you can work in the broadcast areas (website, radio and/or video podcasting....or the local paper).

The monthly meetings happen on the third Thursday evenings of each month at 7:30 pm. They meet in the comfy group meeting room of the Hershee Bar at 6117 Sewells Point Road, Norfolk, Virginia.