Debt Relief in Africa: What's Love Got to do with It?

Just as we thought folks might run out of ways to harness the vast commercializing apparatus of Valentine's Day for love, here's this:

When they found that the conference to discuss the foreign debt of the West African country of Liberia would be held on February 14th, a consortium of orgs decided to launch a campaign and got over 9000 people to send pink and red construction paper hearts with the message, Dear Secretary Paulson, Have a heart for Liberia, Cancel the Debt Now." (Check out the Foreign Policy in Focus article.)

Hoorah for the Love Squad!

Further Activist Love Notes & Romantic Interventions

As the capitalist machine cranks out its various pink and red commodities, two notes of consequence mentioned in today's Women's e-newsletter (sign up, it's free!) include:

1) The American Bar Association geared up for V-day with this toolkit for the second annual National Teen Dating Violence Awareness Week (commencing Feb. 4), and

2) Dr. Galician will name these and 26 other 2006 "Realistic Romance" award winners today:

“Failure to Launch”
will receive the "Stupidist Cupid Award" for reinforcing the most damaging romantic myths and stereotypes.

“Date Movie”
will win the Realistic Romance Grand Prize" for effectively spoofing on these myths.

Hopefully their site-links will be updated sometime day.

And if you want some fodder for rumination on how US consumption on Valentine's day impacts folks, check out this article on the global flower industry. (I'll be picking flowers from my garden. Apologies to those barried under a foot of snow today.)

It's a Nice Day for a Green Wedding

As I've been reading quite prolifically these days at the intersection of enivronmental and social justice efforts, I am heartened, rather than roused to cynicism, by the mainstreaming of organics and green commodities. As this NYT article demonstrates nicely, the "green wedding" trend is allowing an increasing number of folks to celebrate, raise consciousness, and include all one's extended loved ones in an event that truly takes loving the earth and all of its inhabitants as the big point of departure. (What a nice intervention.)