Wes Brain, from the Brain Labor Report, interviews Tom Sepe on June 3rd, 2008
The Brain Labor Report is live every morning M thru F for 1/2 hour at 7:00 a.m. through the awesome community services of KSKQ, lpfm radio in Southern Oregon. They can be listened to each morning on the internet, via streaming radio is.
We’ve had another epic couple of days. We have been so blessed.
Here’s some news:
1) Yesterday we interviewed Mr. Urgen Tenzin, the Executive Director
of the Tibetan Center for Human Rights And Democracy http://www.tchrd.org/
2) Today we filmed students singing and playing music at TIPA - the Tibetan Institute for Performing
Arts…
3) AND the big news is that we had an exclusive interview with Sondhum Rinpoche, the head of the Tibetan Governement in Exile! http://www.tibet.com/
The breaking news is that the Chinese Govt. as agreed to meet with the
Tibetan Parliament!
I’ve posted a bunch of photos on my flickr page:
On a more personal note - I shaved my head in solidarity:
Tom Sepe
Things are going incredibly well. We are getting some great interviews! We just interviewed Dr. John Powers - checkout his book “History as Propaganda: Tibetan Exiles versus the People’s Republic of China”
We also interviewed Mary Gendler, who has been doing non-violent training here in India with the Tibetans for over 15 years! She was also close with the King family and involved with the March on Selma.
A few nights ago we did an audio-only interview with 6 ex-political prisoners - Tibetan Monks that had all been tortured and imprisoned by the Chinese Government. They did not want their faces to be shown for fear that the Chinese Governement will persecute their families back in occupied Tibet.
In addition we have been befriended by a wonderful couple here - Ronny and Rebecca Novick. Rebecca works for KPFK radio in Los Angeles, and Ronny does video documentary work. They have a fantastic website: http://thetibetconnection.org
Together with Ronny and Rebecca we are going to create a website “tibetin49seconds.org” where we will have a youtube video contest for people to submit their 49 second videos on the subject of Tibet. Stay tuned on that one…
I’m excited to start the editing process. We are starting to review some of our tapes while here…. its been such a whirlwind!
We are planning a couple of screenings here this week to share some of the footage from San Francisco - I think the Tibetans will get a kick out of seeing the thousands of protesters in SF as well as hearing the inspirational words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu. (see video below)
Anyhow that’s the update… We are still planning more interviews and some trips to some monasteries… stay tuned!
Tom
Hello Friends!
(For further updates, I’ve set up a mailing list. Please visit this page: sepeblog.com/free-tibet/ to sign up.)
Just a quick update to let you know that I have arrived safely and without hassle in McLeod Gange, the small town above Dharamsala, India this morning!
WOW.
Hard to believe that a couple weeks ago I was asking for assitance, and now the help of my community has sent me to the heart of the Tibetan exile community. Its thrilling and unbelieveable!
Andrea and I just had a fantastic brainstorming lunch and are developing and clarifying our vision for the project.
Before leaving I was able to get some great footage of the Olympic Torch Protests in SF, as well as the Tibetan Fredom Torch Candle light Vigil where Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Richard Gere as well as many other incredible people spoke… not to mention the GG bridge action and the March To Tibet event in SF at 1015 Folsom. I’ve also already done about 10 interviews before I even got here! Its amazing how this is all unfolding! Big shoutout to Heather Hill for assisting with filming and for Caylee Sitz for rockstar support.
I’ve posted a couple things on my youtube page:
Laurel Sutherlin Speaks @ 1015
www.youtube.com/watch
Karsh Kale Interview with Wasfia Nazreen
youtube.com/watch
So again I send my thanks! YOU are all making this possible and I encourage all of you to find out more about the Tibetan’s situation, to spread the word, and to take actions of solidarity so that this non-violent movement for freedom can suceed. For the sake of the Tibetan’s and for the sake of all people who care about peace and justice.
Namaste!
Tom
http://studentsforafreetibet.org/
Dear Friends,
I writing to you to ask for your assistance. I am going to Dharamasala to collaborate with Andrea Vecchione, on a video documentary of recent events involving the Tibetan struggle for independence. Our goal is to document current events as they unfold by connecting with first-person accounts. Andrea is already there laying the groundwork. I am hoping to leave as soon as possible. I am standing up in solidarity with the people of Tibet against the cultural genocide enacted by the Chinese Government.
I have received partial funding to travel to India, however I am in need of funds for equipment and expenses. Therefore I am calling out to my community, to raise about $2000 for a prosumer HDDV camera, extra batteries, etc as well as part of my plane ticket.
Any Donation will assist in this endeavor. Every bit counts and will add up in the end. What’s 20 bucks?
Please, if you are able to assist me, the cause of the Tibetan people, and the struggle for truth and peace worldwide, know that my work is in service to this. Contributions can be sent to me via PayPal: thomas@tomsepe.com or by check and snailmail:
Thomas Sepe
430 Ashland St
Ashland, Or 97520
Thank you for your time and attention
Namaste,
Tom Sepe
Tomorrow I will mark 37 years around the Sun….
And I feel as if I may as well be turning 40. A mid-life moment. Not gonna say crisis, cause in a way that word is too small and too immediate. My whole life has been a crisis of sorts - always shifting, always questioning, always trying something new…” a time of intense difficulty, trouble or danger” as well as a time of intense joy, ease and safety. Life has felt very full.
And now I seek roots. I seek land. I seek connection to a place. My visionary image is that of a very old and beautiful tree - planted, rooted, majestic, life giving, and weathering what comes - being committed to a place.
And though I feel this massive Oak tree inside me, I am still but a tiny acorn rolling willy-nilly down the hill.. bouncing on the rocks, avoiding the squirrels, looking for that most fertile of places in which to hunkerdown, but mostly feeling cast by fate into the river of time… floating in spirals of possibility and watching the sky continuously change from grey to white to blue to orange to red to black….
My friends, for my birthday as ask for a simple gift from you. A magical gift of manifestation & connection.
I ask you to hold a vision in your hearts of a beautiful magical rural home - a place where many of you can come to gather in the summer time, retreat to in the winter time, a place that is vibrant and life giving, with clean water and fresh air and bountiful trees. A space to build things, a space to grow things, a space to learn. Good. Now imagine a string of hands reaching out to me… maybe one hand is yours, maybe in your other hand is a friend’s, maybe she reaches to another, and another, until that circle comes back around and a new hand reaches mine. And within that circle of friends there is a place called home. And I ask spirit to reveal this place to me through this circle - a real place of soil and rock, leaf and flower, house and shed. And may we someday soon stand in a real circle in that place and join hands and reside in the hearth of community. So mote it be.
Thank you!
I will be in Portland March 2nd - 4th, and dropping into the Bay Area Fri Mar 7th - Sun Mar 9th I hope to see some of my friends!
As this video shows, we can continue to waste time debating if global warming is true or false, or we can make a wise choice to act….
check it out:
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