Gift From The Taliban

The very worst things that happen to us may well hold the keys to our destiny. Life is often a difficult teacher. The pain of our crises might feel unbearable, especially if we are wronged and see ourselves as victims of injustice. Of course the pain of recognizing our own responsibility in our personal dramas can be devastating too. Yet an unflinc ...

Looking to Biology for Good Ideas

  Here’s a thought.  Let’s look at the miracles around us–the functional biological system–for ideas on how to organize energy use, economies, and other–dare I say it?–living systems we are imbeded in.   00   

Reason for Hope?

Thank you, Tara Lohan for some reasons to hope.  Heaven knows we need them.     00   

Taking Back Our Delusional Democracy: part 2

So I finally finished Joel Hirschhorn’s Delusional Democracy a few weeks ago. Been trying to synthesize it. Essentially his plan for returning democracy to the United States involves launching a third party into existence—with a platform of returning government to the people. This, in his view, has the potential of uniting the underreprese ...

The True Cost of Minimum Wages: $49/year?

You know the argument that if big companies like Wal Mart paid good wages or paid taxes that everyone would suffer rising prices and there would be inevitable job losses?  A new study shows this argument is crap.     00   

Can you light your tap water on fire? Gasland, the movie.

  Not long ago, a friend asked me if I had seen Gasland by Josh Fox—wondered what I thought of it. So I watched it. Amazing—beautiful film. Disturbing, of course. It is a documentary about the natural gas ind ustry and what happens when they take the gas out of the ground. The process is called hydraulic fracture, or fracking. Basically ...

UK Uncut Provides Model for Action

Well.  This might be a good model for “open source protest”.  We need some kind of map. UK Uncut Article on Alternet.org 00   

Raise. Taxes. Dammit.

Thank you Grey–this, exactly is what we need to be saying.  Over and over and over. http://handthatfeedsyou.blogspot.com/2011/04/raise-taxes-dammit.html 00   

The Mortgage Crisis Dwarfs Almost Everything

Just in case you had forgotten this, or have become distracted by wars and nuclear accidents and such, this is still really happening.  And we are framing it THE WRONG WAY.  Wake up, people.  The GOP is NOT being fiscally responsible.  They are stealing.  From us.  Big.   http://www.ourfuture.org/blog-entry/2011031331/time-you-read-why-mortgag ...

When Facts Are Not Enough–Treating Mass Psychosis

Useful thoughts on the limited value of facts when trying to persuade or inspire…. http://www.tikkun.org/nextgen/when-facts-are-not-enough-treating-mass-psychosis 00