Education – The Many Shades of Green

The Spirit of Doves with Poet, Artist Attorney and Renaissance Woman Susan L. Pollet

We start off the TMSOG podcast with the song When Doves Cry, which was written by Prince for the film Purple Rain in 1984 and it was his first Billboard number 1 single. Prince used doves as a metaphor in that a dove in distress or crying represents the violent shattering of peace. Doves are a universal symbol of peace and Prince’s lyrics refer to his parents differences and not getting along. He states:

Maybe I’m just like my father, too bold

Maybe you’re just like my mother

She’s never satisfied

Why do we scream at each other

This is what it sounds like when doves cry

By using doves as a symbol, was Prince hoping that his parents could work things out?

We need connectedness and peace more than ever, as we live in a world which is teetering on the brink of moral and ethical collapse. Wars continue to be fought between countries and the environment is being decimated by human behavior. While I truly believe that most people want to do good things, it seems like the evil empire is holding us hostage, and we need to fight the powers that be who are bent on destroying the earth so they can rule the world. We don’t want war, we want peace, clean air, clean water, untainted food, good medical care, a living wage and a better life for our children. We need to take a stand and fight for our rights, and so we bring out our symbols to try to counter the madness. While those who resist and protest dress up as frogs or unicorns, the ultimate symbol of peace are doves. Doves are gentle, quiet, and non-aggressive. The nature of doves makes them a natural visual metaphor for harmony. Ancient Mediterranean cultures used harvested olive branches as an offering to signal peaceful intent to end hostilities. The white dove carrying an olive branch is a universal symbol of peace and renewal, deeply rooted in ancient traditions, biblical stories and modern art popularized by Pablo Picasso. With the world in dire need of peace, we are lucky to have poets, artists and musicians to help us get through tough times, and fill our need for joy. I am delighted to have Susan Pollet on this episode to talk about the relationship between poetry and art and how these two forms of creativity speak to each other, inspire each other, and connect in many ways. Susan is a poet, an artist, published author and an attorney. Her poetry and artwork have been featured in many publications, and she created the cover art for her latest poetry collection, Deep Diving. Other recent collections are Managerie of Musings, Palpable Ponderings and Susiku And More which was her first collection of poetry. In addition to writing poetry, Susan is an attorney who has practiced law for for over 40 years, primarily in the area of family law. She has published over 60 articles on a variety of legal topics. Susan is a published author, poet and artist, and truly is a Renaissance woman. So let’s read some poems and explore the mindset of my friend Susan Pollet. Check out her poem The Spirit of Doves and others by going to https://susanpollet.com/ and https://susanpollet.substack.com/

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org / www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/ and learn more about civics at https://civ.works/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps.#RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness.

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Fireflies, Lightening Bugs, Glow Worms with Victoria Alzapiedi

The song for this episode is Glow Worm by The Mills Brothers. “The Glow-Worm” is a lighthearted, romantic metaphor about love and guidance in the dark. Rather than a deep philosophical statement, the lyrics use the glowing bug as a friendly lantern that helps lovers find their path when the night is dark and “love’s sweet voice is calling.” The Glow-Worm is a song from Paul Lincke’s 1902 operetta Lysistrata, with German lyrics by Heinz Bolten-Backers. It was originally translated into English by Lilla Cayley Robinson, in the early 20th century, and was used in the 1907 Broadway musical The Girl Behind The Counter.

I remember as a kid, having shear delight in chasing fireflies. My childlike wonder rose up when they lit up near the trees in the early evening and the absolute joy that it brought. My friends and I would try to catch them and put them in jars, which in hindsight was not the best way to treat fireflies. In keeping with that childlike wonder, I look at my lawn and forest today and I do not see fireflies in the numbers I used to see them. Their population is dwindling, and I can’t help feeling saddened and mortified that we are killing off this amazing species. More people are using pesticides, which is a major factor in the dwindling population. Fireflies are beetles, not flies, and pesticides are designed to kill beetles and other insects. These pesticides can harm fireflies over time, or kill them outright. The chemicals are targeted towards snails, slugs, and worms which are all favored food sources of hungry baby fireflies. If you want to keep fireflies around, you’ll need to learn to live with their prey populations and eliminate use of herbicides which can damage fireflies, slugs, and snail habitat by killing the plants they use for shelter. Also, as I previously mentioned, I want to reiterate that while kids and adults playfully catch fireflies and put them in jars, that is actually detrimental to their wellbeing. If you see them, try to video them, and watch them skirt around the lawn and forest areas, and take joy in their bioluminescence. On this episode of TMSOG we talk about fireflies and ways to be more sustainable and proactive in growing your garden. Our resident gardener, conservationist, and activist Victoria Alzapiedi joins us and gives us great info on fireflies and other helpful tips as the summer winds down and we head to Fall. Victoria is a co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, and is the chair of the Town of New Castle Conservation Board, as well as a member of the Westchester Climate Smart Communities Task Force. She is also a member of Friends of Buttonhook, which is working to save a 20.3 acre forrest in the Town of New Castle. In addition, she is the co-founder of the New Castle Pollinator Pathways Coalition, and started the Facebook group “The Nature of Westchester” an active community of nature lovers which now has more than 5000 members. Victoria is also a Native plant gardening consultant and coach providing eco-friendly planting recommendations .https://www.mynativegardenoasis.com/. For more info go to https://action.nrdc.org/ https://www.xerces.org/ Check out Healthy Yards and The Nature of Westchester on Facebook.

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org / www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Who Can Sleep When the World is on Fire? With Yolanda Nava, Golda Valez, Jim Driscoll and George Polisner

Some People Sleep, by The Tokens

Sweet harmony amidst the chaos. Some people sleep to the sound of the waves on the shore, some people sleep to the sound of the falling bombs, and some people don’t sleep at all. A beautiful song written by my Token bro Mitch has a message that reverberates today as much as it did in the late 1960’s, when turmoil kept us awake. But within the turmoil there was harmony.

Some people sleep, some people don’t. Some people remain in their bubbles, others are proactive. Some people believe in lies, others want the truth. Some people believe in science, history, climate change and fair elections. Others prefer to believe in cult leaders and get joy out of other people’s suffering. Some people prefer to take coverage in the Trojan horse, while others take to the streets to protest and make good trouble. I believe that more of us want to do what’s right. We want to have clean air, clean water and clean land, and we want our children and grand children to live in a safe and beautiful world.

So the question arises, why can’t we sleep ? I think the answer is that we are hit by chaos in the news without stop, and the world is on fire. We are living in unprecedented times, and we seem more divided than ever. Yet the US along with Canada and Mexico, hosted the World Cup, and even as bombs dropped in wars around the planet, visitors from around the world experienced some joy. Our global visitors enjoyed the good nature of the majority of Americans being helpful and welcoming. Some even became NY Knick fans. People from around the world were expecting the worst, as they cited news reports of the USA being a total hellhole. I cannot dispute that we are living in uncertain and difficult times, but it seems that when the world leaders were mostly absent from the picture, the globe united for a few weeks. So on this episode of TMSOG podcast we talk about the divisions, past history, and what we need to do to take action to save our democracy. We must continue to protest, and perhaps strike. We must all come to the realization that climate change is not a hoax and renewable energy is more important than ever. There are things we can we learn from history of decades past, especially the 60s and 70s? We discuss these topics and more with friends of the show, Yolanda Nava, George Polisner, Golda Valez, and special guest Jim Driscoll. Jim is a decorated, combat Vietnam veteran with degrees from Harvard and Cornell, who taught at MIT. He is an activist who helped put together the Nuclear Weapons Freeze Campaign and the American Peace Test. Jim worked to Stop the Gulf War, and reached out to veterans to start Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Against the War, now named About Face. From 2012-2020 he focused on climate change, winning the first local resolution declaring a climate emergency in Montgomery County (MOCO). His accomplishments and resume is too long to list here, and I am honored to have had him on the podcast. For more info go to (NIPSPeerSupport.org), https://civ.works/ https://workers.vc/ and https://www.yolandanava.com/

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org/ https:/ /www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Stop Political Hobbyism: Use Civic Tech with Elisabeth Ashley, Founder of the civic engagement platform CivixThread and George Polisner, Founder of Civ.works

This week’s podcast opens with the Patti Smith tune People Have the Power which is a rock anthem about collective agency, human unity, and the power of ordinary people to create massive social and political change. Patti Smith Co-wrote the song with her late husband Fred “Sonic” Smith, and it serves as a timeless rallying cry for activism, hope, and justice. The central message is that true power rests not with governments or leaders, but in the hands of united citizens. The song urges people to overcome apathy, stand against war and injustice, and use their collective voice and collective will to reshape society.

People have the power, and we need that power more than ever to effect change and right wrongs. We must have conversations about what affects every issue we cover on The Many Shades of Green podcast—from climate change and clean energy to public health, education, politics and our local communities. We need to focus on what we must do to stop the current dismantling of democracy. We can start by being proactive, participating and doing our civic duty to get those in power to defend and uphold the constitution. Democracy isn’t just something that happens every two or four years at the ballot box, and we need to participate daily. It’s built on informed citizens, thoughtful conversations, and being proactive. Democracy doesn’t thrive on its own, as it must be cultivated, cared for, and continually renewed. On this episode of TMSOG we explore why educating, informing, and engaging society is essential if democracy is to remain meaningful and resilient. The power to take action is within us all, and we must use it, or we will lose it. Also be sure to check your voter registration and have a plan to vote!

To get some insight into the need to engage society into being more civic minded, we have two amazing guests on the program who give us great information. Elisabeth Ashley is the founder of CivixThread, a civic engagement platform focused on verified participation. Elisabeth holds a B.S. in Computer Science and is currently enrolled in Columbia University’s Al Engineering Executive Program. She has a full-stack background, with experience as an Application Developer, Database Developer, and is now a Software Engineer. We also have George Polisner on the program. George is the founder of Civ.works and he is our resident political analyst, environmentalist and favorite curmudgeon.

We delve into how we can work to create a more meaningful democracy, and we talk about the importance of civic responsibility and education. In addition we discuss the normalization of what is going on in plain sight. We are becoming numb to news of fires, floods, tariffs, war, ICE, the Epstein files and more, as we deal with chaos each day. The most recent health related chaos is lettuce tainted with cyclospora, and the news explaining how it can cause “explosive diarrhea.” That word usage is far from normal. So what we can do to be proactive in making good trouble? A meaningful democracy isn’t someone else’s responsibility, it belongs to all of us. For more information go to: https://civixthread.com/ and https://civ.works/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Caring for the Earth: Stories from Faith Communities with Reverend Carol Devine, Director of Blessed Tomorrow and Dayna Reggero, Founder of Climate Listening Project

This episode of TMSOG starts with the song What A Wonderful World sung by Louis Armstrong. The song was written in the turbulent late 1960s. The lyrics counter societal strife by celebrating the beauty of nature and human connection, encouraging listeners to pause, appreciate their surroundings, and find hope amidst adversity.

It is a wonderful world, yet many people don’t spend time to stop and smell the roses, or walk around in nature. Beauty surrounds us, but we all get stuck in our life bubbles and we don’t pay attention to what is most important. We are going through a difficult moment in time, but people are coming together to try and make things better. We have to protect the planet so that future generations will have clean air, land and water, and the message about climate needs to be prioritized. Climate change is a global environmental challenge that has profound ramifications for both human and non-human life across the planet. It is a crisis that raises deep questions of what constitutes responsible stewardship of the earth, and justice for all of its inhabitants. On this episode we discuss an important but sometimes overlooked part of the climate conversation—the role of faith communities. We delve into how congregations are responding to climate change, what motivates people of faith to become environmental leaders, and how communities can work together despite political differences. For millions of Americans, faith provides not only spiritual guidance, but also a framework for caring for one another and for the world we share. Many religious traditions teach stewardship, compassion, and responsibility for future generations—values that align naturally with environmental protection. Faith communities across the country are on the frontlines of climate action, leading with hope, compassion, and courage.

Our guests this TMSOG podcast are Dayna Reggero and Reverend Carol Devine. Reverend Devine is the Director of Blessed Tomorrow, a coalition of faith leaders working through EcoAmerica to inspire climate action grounded in shared values of hope and compassion. She is an ordained pastor in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and founded the creation care program, Green Chalice, for the denomination. Reverend Devine has pastored congregations in Kentucky, has been part of Disciples’ regional staff, and was Director of Admissions at Lexington Theological Seminary, where she earned her MDiv. Reverend Devin works with faith leaders and congregations across the country to help them engage thoughtfully and compassionately on climate change. Dayna Reggero, is a friend of the podcast and is the founder of the Climate Listening Project. Her documentaries focus on community conversations and personal storytelling. Dayna has helped people across the country share their experiences with climate change to help foster understanding rather than division.

For more information go to https://blessedtomorrow.org/get-the-film-series/ and blessedtomorrow.org and https://climatelisteningproject.org/

Go to https://civ.works/defend for more info about civic action, voting and more.

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

What Can WE Do? A Conversation with Dr. Kevin Danaher, Co-founder of Global Exchange and George Polisner, Founder of Civ.Works

The song of the week is California Reggae Debate-What Can I Do? By Mitch Margo

Brother Mitch wrote this in response to the endless wars, and the never changing bad news that continues to permeate society. But he saw hope, in that people have the power to make things better if they use their collective will and spirit. The chorus of the song is “You’ve got the power, I’ve seen you use it, you think you don’t have it, that’s how you lose it.“

We all need to use our power and contribute to society, and that means raising your voice, being civic minded, and yes, not putting up with the current dismantling of democracy. According to the Collins Dictionary, being civic-minded means having an active concern for the well-being and affairs of your community. It describes someone who prioritizes the common good and takes personal responsibility for improving society often demonstrated through active citizenship, volunteering, and public service. People have the power to use their public spirit to rise up when things go south, and they must twist and shout to help people in need. When we collectively consider the importance of social responsibility and participate in community engagement, we are impacting not only our local communities, but also the wider world. Democracy must focus on the WE, not just the Me, Me, Me! It is important to vote in all elections, from school boards to the presidency. Volunteering is also a very important component of social responsibility. We have the power, we just have to use it. We as humans can take action to change things and make life better. It has been quite the challenge of late, as right now, in the USA, we are seeing the downward spiraling of democracy before our eyes. I am constantly mortified by a mainstream media which is capitulating to what is being done on a daily basis to reduce our rights, freedoms and power. But there are moments when I think we can overcome the current chaos, as people are coming together in communities all over the country (No Kings rallies) on a local and national level to fight back. We have the power, and we must use it for good, as right now we have to raise our voices to counter the current attack on our civil rights. We need to move forward and educate the populace about civic responsibility and duty, as the choice is clear that the power is within us. In the infamous words of Civil Rights Leader and Congressman John Lewis, we need to make “good trouble!” If we don’t use our power, we will lose it.

Our guests on this episode of TMSOG are Dr. Kevin Danaher and George Polisner Founder of Civ.Works. Dr. Danaher is a co-founder of Global Exchange (1988), co-founder of Fair Trade USA (1997), founder and Executive Co-Producer of the Green Festivals (2001-2013), founder of the Green Guardians, and is a lifelong educator. His 1983 PhD in sociology from the University of California at Santa Cruz was based on his dissertation, “The Political Economy of U.S. Policy Toward South Africa.” He was very active in the anti-apartheid movement. Dr. Danaher has published numerous articles and is the author and/or editor of thirteen books, including: The Green Festival Reader: Fresh Ideas from Agents of Change; and Building the Green Economy: Success Stories from the Grassroots. He has also done many TED Talks and his most recent book, The Two Globalizations, is a free PDF download at https://www.kevindanaher.org/ He has an article, “On Becoming Solutionaries,” in the May 2020 issue of The Solutions Journal. https://thesolutionsjournal.com/becoming-solutionaries-first-global-revolution/

Go to https://civ.works/defend for more info about Civ.works.

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Let ’em Eat Pie! With George Polisner Founder of Civ.works

SONG OF THE WEEK IS BOSS OF ME (Malcolm in the MIddle TV theme song) by They Might Be Giants

Boss of Me by They Might Be Giants (Theme Song for Malcolm in the Middle)

According to the Cambridge Dictionary the phrase “boss of me” (often used in the idiom “you’re not the boss of me”) means that someone lacks the authority to command, control, or give orders to another person.
So, a US President walks into a meeting with G7 world leaders, an hour late, and purportedly joked as he entered, when he said “I’m the boss!” Was it really a joke as the press is saying, or was it just another delusional quip? The comment drew immediate laughter from world leaders in the room, but the public and media reactions were divided along international and party lines.

Who really gets the piece of the pie?
It seems that the current administration wants to consume all the pieces of the pie or cake, leaving the crumbs to the underclass. The phrase “Let ‘em eat cake” comes to mind, and while the quote has been attributed to Marie Antoinette, she never really said those words. The phrase was attached to her during the French Revolution, as people viewed Marie Antoinette as a symbol of immense financial mismanagement—earning her the nickname Madame Deficit. Historians attributed the quote to her, as it served as powerful political propaganda, highlighting the royal family’s profound disconnect from the severe starvation and economic hardships faced by the common people. Fast forward to 2026, and the economic divide has grown even larger, as the oligarch billionaires, along with a newly minted trillionaire Musk, control more wealth than ever before. The Biff character in the Back to The Future movies has now taken center stage, and bullies are ruling the working class. The middle class piece of the American pie has become so small, that it takes up little room on the plate.
That we remain pawns in the current regime is frightful, and unless we become more involved and take action to stop the madness, I fear the worst. Perhaps there is hope on the horizon, as the ‘No King’ rallies have brought millions of the people together to use their power. But we need to do more, we need to vote in numbers that are too large to be rigged, and hopefully we can replace the current stooges with sane people who have experience in running the government. On this weeks podcast we have George Polisner, Founder of Civ.works, who is our resident political analyst, environmentalist, and our favorite curmudgeon. We delve into the architecture of pie, islands in the stream, the desecration of many landmarks in Washington DC, the need to shift to renewable energy and more. Go to https://civ.works/defend for more info.

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/https://libertyjusticecenter.org/ and https://civ.works/defend

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!

Can We De-ICE the Desert? With Bennett Burke, Yolanda Nava and George Polisner

The Protest Song is the tune which opens this episode of TMSOG. It was written and performed by Beans on Toast, which is the stage name of British folk-punk singer Jay McAllister, who frequently writes topical, protest-style folk music. The song has an anti-capitalist and pro-social meaning. The track takes direct aim at corporate greed, corrupt politicians, and globalism, advocating instead for a “people over profit, love over greed” ethos. It’s a call to action as the tune concludes that if enough ordinary people unite, they actually have the power to stop the status quo and change the world.

ICE pepper sprayed a sitting US Senator… yes, a Senator! And they still want us to believe that this is “normal” and not a government spiraling into straight up lawlessness. Do not shut up about this. Protest. Call your representatives. Push your city to stop cooperating with ICE! That was from a post on Threads on May 26th 2026 which referred to the incident involving Senator Andy Kim who was trying to keep the peace at Delaney Hall, which is an immigration detention facility in Newark, New Jersey where the conditions are horrific. There are reports of inadequate medical care, food shortages and mistreatment of those being held there. Governor Mike Sherrill was denied entry into the facility as protests occurred outside. NJ Senator Andy Kim got caught in the middle when ICE began to pepper spray protestors, and they also sprayed an unknown chemical into the air. ICE fired rubber bullets into the crowd, hitting protesters. We have had many dark times in American history, but what we are going through now is nothing I could have ever imagined. Our country is now under authoritarian rule, and it is quickly diving into fascism. This is all happening in plain sight, and from within our own government. The rule of law has disappeared. As the post on Threads said, this is not normal, and we cannot shut up about it. While we need to go about our daily lives, we cannot continue to turn a blind eye to what is going on in front of our faces. We need to take action, we need to resist, we need to pay attention, we need to do our civic duty and we must use our power. I literally cannot sleep at night, as the chaos and anguish is taking its toll on not only me, but millions of Americans who see the daily dismantling of democracy. There is strength in numbers, it’s time to take our country back!

Joining us on this episode of TMSOG is Bennett Burke who is a Catholic Priest working with PRICE: Pima Resists ICE -a volunteer group working to keep the abuses and lawlessness of ICE out of Marana and Tucson, AZ. He is a life long Social Justice Activist and Co-Founder of Matthew 25:34, a mutual aid group feeding, clothing, and advocating for people experiencing homelessness. Matthew 25:34 welcomes volunteers of all faiths and philosophies uniting around service to the marginalized and vulnerable with this tag line: “We’re not a church, we’re a movement for the marginalized.” Also on the program is Yolanda Nava a Mexican American pioneer renowned for her contributions to media and civil rights. She is the creator and host of “Do You See What I See” on You Tube. She was the first Latina on KNBC/TV and is an Emmy Award-winning journalist. Yolanda shattered barriers and illuminates stories and her career is a testament to her unwavering commitment to justice and empowerment. George Polisner also joins us. He is the founder of Civ.Works and is our resident political analyst, environmental guru and curmudgeon.

For more info from George Polisner go to https://civ.works/defend and find his articles on Substack -Leadership Matters. Also please go to https://www.priceaz.org/ to help keep the detention center out of Marana AZ.

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/ Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social. Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps.#RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness.

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Liberty and Justice for Some: Can More Education on Civics=A more Proactive Society? Plus Saying Adieu to Stephen Colbert’s Late Show with George Polisner of civ.works

Liberty and Justice for Some (Mitch Margo, 2000)

Spin a little spin, stay the truth to win

Suddenly it’s become liberty and justice for some

Forget Election Day, it’s equal protection day

You don’t have to vote at all

The supreme Court will handle the call

Those wise old owls in their treehouse

changed the course of history

Though there’s a song for every bird

Some of them will not be heard

The Liberty Bell has lost it’s ring

my voice don’t mean a thing

It only takes a 5-4 swing

Liberty and Justice for some

How can I trust a man

who doesn’t seem understand

that there is something inherently dumb

about liberty and justice for some

The song was written by my brother Mitch in response to the Supreme Court decision In the landmark 2000 case Bush v. Gore. The U.S. Supreme Court effectively decided the presidential election. In a 5-4 decision, the Court halted Florida’s manual ballot recount, citing a violation of the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause and ruling that time had run out to establish a valid recount standard. Since that time, SCOTUS has gotten even more rogue in a 5-4 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and most recently, the court drastically weakened Section 2 the Voting Rights Act limiting how courts can order maps to be drawn.

To say the least, Americans feel frustrated, disconnected, and are very cynical about politics. Civic education and discourse are needed more than ever to create a proactive democracy. In this moment of time in the US of A, when it feels like we are living in the upside down world, can we find the a glimmer of light or hope that will take us through the darkness? People are realizing that we must get back to a place where civic duty is brought to the forefront. I guess when we reach our lowest point as citizens, the only thing that will save us, from us, is us! We need to take matters into our own hands, as the three branches of government are no longer working to protect and serve We The People. The American people are feeling a deep distrust of government, as the checks and balances are clearly not working. I remember taking a civics course in high school which was required back in the day, and we were taught our nation’s history, and the importance of voting was emphasized in class. There is a widening political divide in civics curriculum, states in blue and red states are reshaping what students learn in different ways, which will have an effect on the future of democracy. In recent years, civics education has become deeply politicized. Are schools preparing students to think critically, or simply reinforcing ideology? States including Florida, Texas, and Tennessee have passed laws limiting how race, gender, religion, and systemic inequality are discussed in classrooms. Other more purple states feel that students should learn why the Constitution matters, the importance of free speech, the dangers of authoritarian government, as well as the value of capitalism and personal liberty. States like California, New York, and Illinois often encourage classroom discussions about, structural racism, voting access, Climate justice, LGBTQ+ rights, protest movements, media literacy and misinformation. Educators in these states often emphasize “action civics” — encouraging students not just to understand democracy, but to actively participate in it. In this current moment in the US we have a “corrupt” Executive branch, a “do nothing Congress” and a Supreme Court which is “politicized” to such a high level, that it no longer protects American citizens. People don’t trust the government, even the Wall Street Journal editorial board had a blunt verdict on the proposed 1.7 billion so-called “anti-weaponization fund” a/k/a “slush fund” tied to Trump, they said, in a word, that it’s “Rotten.”

We are clearly in a warped political age. So what can we do? We need to educate people and push for better and more civic education in schools. We also need to stand up, resist and take action as exhibited with the millions of people who attended the No Kings rallies.

Civic education is a foundation to democracy, and we must use it in the right way to teach curriculum that includes understanding rights and responsibilities, critical thinking, media literacy, civil discourse, community engagement, the mechanics of voting, advocacy, and policymaking. Civics education when taught with facts, not fiction, teaches students how to participate, not just observe. It is clear that we must talk to each other, and try to listen to opposing views. On this episode of TMSOG George Polisner, our resident political analyst, environmentalist and curmudgeon, and founder of Civ.works joins us to discuss civics, saying farewell to Stephen Colbert’s Late Show, corruption of the US government in plain sight, the National Debt and the continued chaos that floods our newsfeeds each day. For more info from George Polisner go to https://civ.works/defend and find his articles on Substack -Leadership Matters

To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to: https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/ https://libertyjusticecenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

TMSOG Goes Bananas! Plus Food Waste, Banana Bacon Challenge and ‘Greenhushing’ with Charlotte Ghiorse

We start off the podcast with the song Yes, We Have No Bananas, covered by Louis Prima, which was recorded and released in 1949 on Mercury Records. The Song was originally published in 1923 and was written by Frank Silver and Irving Cohn. Frank Silver would stop on his way to a gig at a fruit stand owned by a Greek gentleman, who began every sentence with ‘Yes’. The jingle of his idiom haunted Silver and his friend Cohn. The man at the fruit stand who said “Yes! We Have No Bananas” and inspired the song, never gave a reason as to why he had no bananas, as he probably did not know why bananas were in short supply. But there was in fact a worldwide decline in the banana crop caused by Panama disease, which develops from a fungus that lives in the soil. So, I can see why the fruit vendor did not have bananas to sell, and yes, Yes, We Have No Bananas had an interesting back story.

We are almost halfway through 2026 and bananas are in the news making headlines for transforming agricultural waste into eco-friendly products, including biodegradable plastic alternatives, sustainable fashion textiles, and renewable energy. Researchers and companies are converting banana peel extracts and fibrous stems (pseudostems) into durable materials, aiming to replace petro-chemical plastics and reduce agricultural waste. Food waste is a growing problem. Food systems are responsible for one-third of all human-caused greenhouse gas emissions. Within that, food loss and waste alone account for an estimated 8-10% of global emissions which is roughly equal to the carbon footprint of the entire tourism industry. Agricultural and corporate food waste has a ripple effect within the populace. According to a recent article in earth.org, food waste from restaurants and business accounts for 28% of all the food wasted globally. Businesses that implement innovative solutions to reduce food waste can make a profit no ‘greenhushing’ needed. Companies can redirect excess food to communities that need it, which will save money and reduce their methane emissions simultaneously. Individuals also have to rethink their perception of food and change their habits. Eating smaller portions, composting scraps from veggies, fruits and bones and using leftovers can also make a difference. We are a throw away society, and as food gets over produced, it often winds up in land fills polluting the land, air and water. Educating the public about small changes in their habits can lead to both businesses and consumers monitoring their waste more closely, driving a more comprehensive and impactful change. In a world where food insecurity remains a daily reality for millions, the disposal of perfectly edible food is a profound moral failure. Consumer education and awareness about the food system and food waste is encouraged and necessary to reduce waste.

On this episode of TMSOG podcast we discuss how bananas can be used to reduce food waste and pollution. We chat with our resident eco activist, artist, astrologer, comic, marvelous mom and founder of House of Chochlet, Charlotte Ghiorse about Banana Bacon, ‘greenhushing’, Astrology and God’s Love We Deliver, a NYC non-profit that provides nutritious meals to people living with severe illnesses (https://www.glwd.org/). For more info about Charlotte, House of Choclet and Sexy Astrology go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com and Sexy Astrology on Facebook. It might be time to start a Banana Bacon Challenge!

For more information on civic action go to https://civ.works/ To help defend democracy please donate if you can to help lawyers defend our constitution by going to https://www.aclu.org/ https://www.brennancenter.org/

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Sedges Have Edges-Green Garden Tips with Victoria Alzapiedi

This episode of TMSOG starts with the song “Green Garden” by Laura Mvula. It was inspired by her joy of having a real garden when she moved into a house in her early years. The song symbolizes escape, familial warmth, and finding sanctuary in nature during childhood summers. The lyrics evoke a need to escape to a natural space, “taking shoes off” and stepping on a “green velvet” carpet (grass), representing a return to a grounded, peaceful state. It emphasizes a sense of community and the importance of nurturing relationships, as well as the need to adapt and grow in life.

It’s Spring time, and trees are coming to life, as they sprout leaves in many shades of green, making their entrance to Mother Nature’s grand show. I am truly in awe of the beauty of the cherry blossoms, ornamental pear and apple trees, and flowers of all colors, especially the tulips, lilacs, peonies, irises, violets and more. But, as Spring arrives, so do the landscapers who mow the lawns, blow the leaves and start their war on weeds, as they wipe out dandelions which bring a sprinkle of color to the manicured lawns, and are food for pollinators. Pesticides are generously applied, and while ticks are a problem, the chemicals kill essential insects, which include key pollinators such as bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, fireflies, and wasps. There are over 4,000 species of native bees which are the primary drivers of pollination. The use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizer also affects birds, wildlife, our pets and yes, humans. Yellow signs on lawns have replaced the yellow dandelions with the warning DO NOT ENTER FOR 24 HOURS, basically shouting at me to stay off my neighbor’s lawn. The most popular weed killer is Roundup, which is considered harmful primarily due to its active ingredient, glyphosate, being linked to cancer—specifically non-Hodgkin lymphoma. According to studies and findings (IARC) glyphosate is classified as a probable human carcinogen. It also poses risks to environmental health by polluting water, persisting in soil, and damaging essential soil microorganisms. Another problem chemical is found in rodenticides which kills rodents. Rodenticides contain anticoagulants, bromethalin and other chemicals which kill wildlife and pets. We need to educate people of the consequences of these pesticides, and they should be banned from sale in the US just as they are in the EU. Let’s all be proactive in creating lawns and gardens that are less toxic and more benficial to wildlife, pets and humans.

On this week’s podcast we have Victoria Alzapiedi, our resident garden, wildlife and healthy yards guru and we discuss Spring gardens, alternative lawns (sedges), reducing pesticides to create a chemical free habitats, and the problem with Roundup and rodenticides. Victoria is a co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, and is the chair of the Town of New Castle Conservation Board, as well as a member of the Westchester Climate Smart Communities Task Force. She is also a Native plant gardening consultant and coach providing eco-friendly planting recommendations . (mynativegardenoasis.com).

For more information go to New Castle Healthy Yards and The Nature of Westchester on Facebook. Check out the Audubon Society @ https://act.audubon.org and https://www.nwf.org/ National Wildlife Federation.

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/

Follow The Many Shades of Green on FB, Threads and Instagram @tmshadesofgreen and on Blue Sky @tmshadesofgreen.bsky.social.

Listen to TMSOG podcasts on all major podcast apps.#RaiseYourEco&SocialConsciousness.

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.

Are We Living In A Cartoon?

South Park Theme Song (Opens the program)

I’m goin’ down to South Park, gonna have myself a time.

Friendly faces everywhere, humble folks without temptation.

Goin’ down to South Park, gonna leave my woes behind.

Ample parking day or night, people spouting: “Howdy, neighbor!”

Headin’ on up to South Park gonna see if I can’t unwind.

Has any series ever had a more fitting theme song than “South Park”? The “South Park Theme” by funk metal group Primus, later reworked by projects led by Les Claypool, is a twanging, frenetic jingle that quite deliberately fails to convince the viewer that its monotone lyrics about the titular small town’s idyllic nature hit their mark. It’s a perfect way to set the stage for the absurdities that invariably follow. The whole thing was carefully planned out and arranged, but as “South Park” co-creator Matt Stone said back in 2010, “the whole thing took just one incredibly lucky cold call to pull off. “

So the question is, are we living in a cartoon?

In a cartoon, characters exaggerate everything: emotions, reactions, conflicts. Sometimes I feel that we are living in an episode of South Park which just keeps rotating day in and day out, sort of like the plot in the movie Groundhog Day. If you’ve ever watched South Park, you know the formula. Something ridiculous happens in the news. The characters react in completely over-the-top ways. Everyone argues, chaos spreads, hypocrisy gets exposed, and by the end of the episode you’re laughing… but also slightly uncomfortable because the satire feels a little too real. The creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, built their reputation on one simple idea: take the most outrageous thing happening in society and push it just a little further until the absurdity becomes obvious. At its core, animation is a form of storytelling, and stories are an essential part of the human experience. From the earliest days of human history, people have used stories to make sense of the world around them, pass on knowledge and wisdom, and connect with others.

Animation takes this storytelling to a new level, using visuals and sound to create a rich and immersive experience that can transport us to new places and introduce us to new characters.

In a cartoon, a character falls off a cliff and pops back up unharmed, in real life, when systems break, people get hurt. In the current moment in the United States, sometimes reality seems to be moving faster than the satire. It feels like we are living in an alternate universe and we are being governed by what resembles a reality show. Even if politics feels like a cartoon, the consequences are very real. Policies affect healthcare, schools, immigration, climate policy, and civil rights. Trust in elections are declining, environmental protections are being dismantled and economic inequality is widening. We are now at war with Iran, and we have not received a credible explanation as to why. Every day there is chaos and people are suffering and are stressed. Prices for oil, gas, food, rent and more are rising daily, and we the people are not being heard. When will the madness end? It’s no wonder that Americans are moving to Europe and other places globally, but we need to stay and we must continue to fight, protest, and bring our collective will together to fix this mess. Actions speak louder than words, and we need to take action, so in the words of Bob Marley, “Get up stand up, stand Up For Your Rights!“

On this episode of TMSOG podcast, Charlotte Ghiorse joins me as we delve into the question: are we living in a cartoon? Charlotte is our resident eco activist, artist, astrologer, comic, marvelous mom and founder of House of Choclet. We talk about the environmentally conscious ten your old fashion designer Max Alexander, and what he is doing to reduce fashion waste. We also touch on politics, astrology, eco and social issues and more. For more info about Charlotte, House of Choclet and Sexy Astrology go to https://www.houseofchoclet.com

To help protect the environment visit and please donate to https://earthjustice.org Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/

A Special shout out to Neil Richter for all of his help and engineering wizardry in getting TMSOG up and running each week.