Introducing Nonviolent Revolutionaries.com!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Infamous Network/CSM 2011 Success Award Acceptance Speech
On March 22, 2011 we were honored with the Arizona Small Business Development Center's Success Award. The ceremony was held on the lawn of the State Capital in Phoenix.
Even though mine is the name most often mentioned, it has been a team effort the whole way! Success never happens in a vacuum and I would like to again offer sincere gratitude to everyone who has helped, supported, and believed in us over the past 15 years.
I chose to highlight our 'Education Is National Security' sticker at the end of the speech because the children of Arizona clearly don't have much of a voice at the Arizona State Capital. Less than a week before the award ceremony on March 17th, Arizona Senate Republicans passed a budget with the 'steepest cuts' delegated to public education:
"The steepest cuts are to education. Universities are targeted to lose 26 percent of their state funding; K-12 education faces reductions of about 7 percent, even as money from a temporary sales tax is being collected in the name of preventing deep cuts to K-12 education."
Seriously?
Trying to solve the problems of today by short changing our childrens' chance of a better tomorrow is folly! We need the generations coming up to be fully educated, engaged, critical thinking individuals prepared to face the steep challenges that await them! This is the least we can do for them... and the true definition of 'National Security'.
- Jeff
www.neverbetter.com
www.customstickermakers.com
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Friday, June 4, 2010
We stand behind the students and faculty of Miller Valley School and our friends the Mural Mice! Miller Valley School is in the same neighborhood as the Infamous Network HQ... the children of this school DO represent our community!
Below is the text of the original article published in the Courier:
6/2/2010 10:04:00 PM
Art Attack: Elementary school mural getting a 'lighter' facelift
By CINDY BARKS and PAULA RHODEN
The Daily Courier
PRESCOTT - A new mural at Miller Valley Elementary School that depicts children of several races using "green" transportation methods appears to have struck a nerve among some Prescott residents.
Since the late-May unveiling of the "Go on Green" mural, dozens of local residents have expressed their views - both pro and con - about the painting that covers two exterior walls at the school at Prescott's Four-Points intersection.
An article about the unveiling on The Daily Courier's website generated about 60 online reader comments, while Prescott Unified School District and Prescott City Hall reported getting calls.
Although many of the comments on the Courier's website offer unqualified admiration for the mural, others are harshly critical, using words such as "tacky," "ugly" and "ghetto."
The subtext in some of the comments: race.
R.E. Wall, director of the Prescott Downtown Mural Project, described weeks of tense working conditions for the "Mural Mice," the group of artists responsible for the Miller Valley mural and several others around town.
As the Miller Valley mural took shape, Wall said, he and the other artists working at the site heard regular racial slurs from the passengers of cars driving by.
Wall reports hearing comments such as "You're desecrating our school," "Get the ni----- off the wall," and "Get the sp-- off the wall."
"The pressure stayed up consistently," Wall said. "We had two months of cars shouting at us."
He attributes the start of the racial controversy to recent comments that Prescott City Councilman Steve Blair made on his KYCA radio talk show about the mural.
On his May 21 show, for instance, Blair said, "I am not a racist individual, but I will tell you depicting a black guy in the middle of that mural, based upon who's president of the United States today and based upon the history of this community when I grew up, we had four black families - who I have been very good friends with for years - to depict the biggest picture on that building as a black person, I would have to ask the question, 'Why?'"
On Wednesday, Blair again emphasized that "I'm not a racist by any stretch of the imagination, but whenever people start talking about diversity, it's a word I can't stand."
Blair questions whether the mural is representative of Prescott, noting, "The focus doesn't need to be on what's different; the focus doesn't need to be on the minority all the time."
Blair said he has received a number of calls from long-time Prescott residents who ask, "Who authorized that graffiti on the wall?" He added: "What these people don't like is somebody forcing diversity down their throats."
Wall said that the "pressure" reached such a level this past week that his group has been asked to lighten the faces of the mural's main subject, as well as the other children in the mural.
"They want us to lighten up the forehead and the cheeks (of the boy in the center), and make him look like he is coming into the light," Wall said, adding that school officials asked to have all of the children's faces appear more "radiant and happy."
That work began this past Sunday, when Wall and co-artist Pamela Smith began lightening up a portion of the boy's forehead. The work will continue during the next several days.
Blair said that even though he believes the Mural Mice are "truly artists," and that their other murals have been successful, "Art is in the eye of the beholder, but I say (the Miller Valley mural) looks like graffiti in L.A."
He also questions the choice of location for the mural. "From my standpoint, it's the most visible intersection in the City of Prescott, and one of the most historic buildings, and they're painting a mural on it?"
In addition, Blair suggested that the mural creators might not have made a good enough case in their storytelling for the mural. "I don't see anything that ties the community into that mural," he said.
Wall and representatives of the Prescott Alternative Transportation organization, which paid for the mural with money it receives through the Arizona Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School program, emphasize the mural design was the result of extensive participation by Miller Valley Elementary School faculty and students.
And Paul Katan, the Safe Routes to School program coordinator, pointed out that the artists based the mural's subjects on several Miller Valley School students, who posed for a photo. The boy in the center is of Mexican descent, Katan added.
"I was very surprised to hear Councilman Blair on his radio show target the ethnic differences of the students who modeled for this mural as a problem," Katan said. "I see the students in the murals as a cross-section of the school's population."
Katan added, "The theme of the mural comes down to keeping kids healthy and safe in what can sometimes be a dangerous world."
Miller Valley Principal Jeff Lane explained that the mural artists showed six designs to the school's students. The students voted on their favorite and sent the top three designs to the teachers. The teachers selected the final design for the new mural.
"The teachers selected this design because it focused on children and their role in the environment," Lane said.
The Miller Valley Mural Committee met with the mural officials May 28 to talk about some changes before the mural was completed. Lane said the school committee, which included him and two teachers, asked the artists to work on the children's faces.
According to Lane, the committee wanted the artists to "make them look happier and more excited, fix the scale of the faces and remove some shadowing that made the faces darker than they are. We also wanted some changes to the banner."
The goal, the principal said, is to have the changes completed in two weeks.
Lane and Prescott Unified School District Superintendent Kevin Kapp confirmed that they have received calls about the new mural. While some of the calls were negative, the school officials said most of the comments were positive.
Kapp said some people were bothered that the artists painted the mural over "old red brick."
Other people, he said, did not understand the mural.
The mural celebrates the environment and Miller Valley as a green school. "It celebrates the diversity at Miller Valley," Kapp said.
Lane has also received "a few negative comments, but quite a few were positive. But the comments have slowed down. I think I only received one this past week."
Wall allows that some of the suggestions have been "constructive criticism," which he said the artists would use to make the mural more accurately depict the photos of the Miller Valley School models.
Below is the text of the original article published in the Courier:
6/2/2010 10:04:00 PM
Art Attack: Elementary school mural getting a 'lighter' facelift
By CINDY BARKS and PAULA RHODEN
The Daily Courier
PRESCOTT - A new mural at Miller Valley Elementary School that depicts children of several races using "green" transportation methods appears to have struck a nerve among some Prescott residents.
Since the late-May unveiling of the "Go on Green" mural, dozens of local residents have expressed their views - both pro and con - about the painting that covers two exterior walls at the school at Prescott's Four-Points intersection.
An article about the unveiling on The Daily Courier's website generated about 60 online reader comments, while Prescott Unified School District and Prescott City Hall reported getting calls.
Although many of the comments on the Courier's website offer unqualified admiration for the mural, others are harshly critical, using words such as "tacky," "ugly" and "ghetto."
The subtext in some of the comments: race.
R.E. Wall, director of the Prescott Downtown Mural Project, described weeks of tense working conditions for the "Mural Mice," the group of artists responsible for the Miller Valley mural and several others around town.
As the Miller Valley mural took shape, Wall said, he and the other artists working at the site heard regular racial slurs from the passengers of cars driving by.
Wall reports hearing comments such as "You're desecrating our school," "Get the ni----- off the wall," and "Get the sp-- off the wall."
"The pressure stayed up consistently," Wall said. "We had two months of cars shouting at us."
He attributes the start of the racial controversy to recent comments that Prescott City Councilman Steve Blair made on his KYCA radio talk show about the mural.
On his May 21 show, for instance, Blair said, "I am not a racist individual, but I will tell you depicting a black guy in the middle of that mural, based upon who's president of the United States today and based upon the history of this community when I grew up, we had four black families - who I have been very good friends with for years - to depict the biggest picture on that building as a black person, I would have to ask the question, 'Why?'"
On Wednesday, Blair again emphasized that "I'm not a racist by any stretch of the imagination, but whenever people start talking about diversity, it's a word I can't stand."
Blair questions whether the mural is representative of Prescott, noting, "The focus doesn't need to be on what's different; the focus doesn't need to be on the minority all the time."
Blair said he has received a number of calls from long-time Prescott residents who ask, "Who authorized that graffiti on the wall?" He added: "What these people don't like is somebody forcing diversity down their throats."
Wall said that the "pressure" reached such a level this past week that his group has been asked to lighten the faces of the mural's main subject, as well as the other children in the mural.
"They want us to lighten up the forehead and the cheeks (of the boy in the center), and make him look like he is coming into the light," Wall said, adding that school officials asked to have all of the children's faces appear more "radiant and happy."
That work began this past Sunday, when Wall and co-artist Pamela Smith began lightening up a portion of the boy's forehead. The work will continue during the next several days.
Blair said that even though he believes the Mural Mice are "truly artists," and that their other murals have been successful, "Art is in the eye of the beholder, but I say (the Miller Valley mural) looks like graffiti in L.A."
He also questions the choice of location for the mural. "From my standpoint, it's the most visible intersection in the City of Prescott, and one of the most historic buildings, and they're painting a mural on it?"
In addition, Blair suggested that the mural creators might not have made a good enough case in their storytelling for the mural. "I don't see anything that ties the community into that mural," he said.
Wall and representatives of the Prescott Alternative Transportation organization, which paid for the mural with money it receives through the Arizona Department of Transportation's Safe Routes to School program, emphasize the mural design was the result of extensive participation by Miller Valley Elementary School faculty and students.
And Paul Katan, the Safe Routes to School program coordinator, pointed out that the artists based the mural's subjects on several Miller Valley School students, who posed for a photo. The boy in the center is of Mexican descent, Katan added.
"I was very surprised to hear Councilman Blair on his radio show target the ethnic differences of the students who modeled for this mural as a problem," Katan said. "I see the students in the murals as a cross-section of the school's population."
Katan added, "The theme of the mural comes down to keeping kids healthy and safe in what can sometimes be a dangerous world."
Miller Valley Principal Jeff Lane explained that the mural artists showed six designs to the school's students. The students voted on their favorite and sent the top three designs to the teachers. The teachers selected the final design for the new mural.
"The teachers selected this design because it focused on children and their role in the environment," Lane said.
The Miller Valley Mural Committee met with the mural officials May 28 to talk about some changes before the mural was completed. Lane said the school committee, which included him and two teachers, asked the artists to work on the children's faces.
According to Lane, the committee wanted the artists to "make them look happier and more excited, fix the scale of the faces and remove some shadowing that made the faces darker than they are. We also wanted some changes to the banner."
The goal, the principal said, is to have the changes completed in two weeks.
Lane and Prescott Unified School District Superintendent Kevin Kapp confirmed that they have received calls about the new mural. While some of the calls were negative, the school officials said most of the comments were positive.
Kapp said some people were bothered that the artists painted the mural over "old red brick."
Other people, he said, did not understand the mural.
The mural celebrates the environment and Miller Valley as a green school. "It celebrates the diversity at Miller Valley," Kapp said.
Lane has also received "a few negative comments, but quite a few were positive. But the comments have slowed down. I think I only received one this past week."
Wall allows that some of the suggestions have been "constructive criticism," which he said the artists would use to make the mural more accurately depict the photos of the Miller Valley School models.
Friday, May 14, 2010
New Sticker! Repeal Arizona SB 1070
Get the sticker here.
On April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer Signed Senate Bill 1070 into law. Considered the toughest Immigration Bill in the United States, Arizona SB 1070 give law enforcement the authority to question anyone they reasonably suspect of being in the country illegally and detain them if they fail to show proof of citizenship.
Needless to say, there has been a lot of resistance to SB 1070, with many believing the Immigration Bill will lead to racial profiling and humiliation of many American citizens, especially those who happen to have brown skin or speak a different language.
As long time Arizona residents, we thought it especially important to lend our voice in opposition to this unAmerican, unconstitutional law. Our opposition to Arizona SB 1070 comes primarily from the belief that every day this law is enforced the human rights of individuals living in this country will be violated. We believe this law allows law enforcement and those who support it to look at human beings (even if they are 'illegals') in a disconnecting, dehumanizing way. Arizona SB 1070 will not actually solve any of the looming problems of immigration, but instead will open up the potential for many new problems regarding civil and human rights.
We certainly agree that the problem of illegal immigration is a large and complicated one that needs to be addressed by the federal government, but the most important thing when considering how to solve this issue is to be mindful of how we as human beings treat each other, no matter where we are from.
You can read the full text of the bill here.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Curing Healthcare: The Great Debate
From town-hall astro-turfing to socialized medicine and insurance company profits, healthcare has taken up a lot of space in the headlines recently. And while there’s no doubt that the number of uninsured in this country calls out for some serious healthcare reform—a.k.a., the public option—there’s also an important part of the equation no one seems to be talking about, and that’s personal responsibility.
Most of us know by now that diet and lifestyle have a huge effect on our overall health. In fact, recent studies indicate that these are the two most important factors in predicting how healthy we stay over the course of our lives.
If living a healthy lifestyle costs the taxpayers and the insurance companies less, then why aren’t there incentives, as far as personal responsibilities go, in healthcare? Wouldn’t it make sense, for instance, to offer a break on insurance for individuals who exercise regularly and don’t smoke?
Since insurance premiums are created to cover the costs of large numbers of people, this is one area where our personal choices really do affect the whole!
This post goes out to all the natural food stores and co-ops across the country that carry our stickers, and all the members of the Neverbetter Nation who rock stickers like “Health Nut,” “Sugar, the Gateway Drug,” “Vegetarian for Life,” “Eat Organic,” “Read the Ingredients,” “Fast Food is Junk,” “Eat Well Feel Well” and “Cure Healthcare.” Your personal decisions really do make a difference.
Check out:
Root Concepts Healthy Living Sticker Packs
(pictured)
Monday, October 5, 2009
Namaste: The Ancient Definition of Spirituality
‘Namaste’ is an ancient Sanskrit greeting commonly used to begin and/or end a yoga session. It’s also Infamous Networks most popular best-selling Root Concepts sticker. So what’s up with all the buzz around the Namaste sticker?
A common misconception is that ‘namaste’ means ‘peace’ in Sanskrit. This is not true—although another word you will often hear in the course of a yoga class or workshop is ‘shanti’, which does.
Another myth is that the word is simply a greeting, like ‘hello.’ This is an easy mistake to make, because ‘namaste’—accompanied by this beautiful gesture
—is the standard greeting in Nepal. Even little kids do it!
The literal meaning of ‘namaste’ is “I bow to you.” In conjunction with the gesture, however (palms of the hands pressed together, over the heart) it represents the deeper spiritual understanding that there is a divine spark within all of us. By bowing to another person and saying ‘namaste,’ you are acknowledging the divine within them, and within yourself as well.
Namaste is a common way to end a yoga session because it’s a way of acknowledging the relationship between teacher and student, and the gratitude that each feels to the other. It’s also a way of reminding us that this special ‘I Thou’ relationship doesn’t end when we step foot off our mat and into the rest of our lives.
As more and more people discover the spirituality of yoga, more and more people are looking for ways to anchor their practice in their day-to-day life. Which helps to explain why the Namaste sticker is the number one bestselling sticker of all our Root Concepts.
The Namaste sticker is our tribute to the divine spark within everyone, and to all the conscious people striving to live each day in a mindful way.
Check out:
http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/822
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcgNJ7cgDVs
A common misconception is that ‘namaste’ means ‘peace’ in Sanskrit. This is not true—although another word you will often hear in the course of a yoga class or workshop is ‘shanti’, which does.
Another myth is that the word is simply a greeting, like ‘hello.’ This is an easy mistake to make, because ‘namaste’—accompanied by this beautiful gesture
—is the standard greeting in Nepal. Even little kids do it!
The literal meaning of ‘namaste’ is “I bow to you.” In conjunction with the gesture, however (palms of the hands pressed together, over the heart) it represents the deeper spiritual understanding that there is a divine spark within all of us. By bowing to another person and saying ‘namaste,’ you are acknowledging the divine within them, and within yourself as well.
Namaste is a common way to end a yoga session because it’s a way of acknowledging the relationship between teacher and student, and the gratitude that each feels to the other. It’s also a way of reminding us that this special ‘I Thou’ relationship doesn’t end when we step foot off our mat and into the rest of our lives.
As more and more people discover the spirituality of yoga, more and more people are looking for ways to anchor their practice in their day-to-day life. Which helps to explain why the Namaste sticker is the number one bestselling sticker of all our Root Concepts.
The Namaste sticker is our tribute to the divine spark within everyone, and to all the conscious people striving to live each day in a mindful way.
Check out:
http://www.yogajournal.com/basics/822
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcgNJ7cgDVs
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Infamous Network
For over a dozen years the artists of Infamous Network have worked to create top quality, unique, inspiring artwork.... ROOT CONCEPTS are positive, progressive, uplifting ideas produced, stuck and worn to promote freedom of expression, healthy living, a political voice, the beauty of nature, love, spirituality and the eternally present moment....
Infamous Network started making stickers in the spring of 1996 as Infamous Illustrious.
Neverbetter.com
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