Dave Pollard's environmental philosophy, creative works, business papers and essays.
In search of a better way to live and make a living, and a better understanding of how the world really works.

	February 18, 2007

Sunday Open Thread - February 18, 2007 Serenity, by Finnish photographer Solkku on DeviantArt What I'm planning on writing about soon: Finding & Working With Others to Save the World: Ways to enable billions to sync with us, on their own terms, in their own context, developing their own plan of action, and then to connect and collaborate in powerful ways, in experiments and in creating and refining working models in their own self-selected Earth-stewarding intentional communities, so that they no longer need the systems that are destroying our world. What a Fair Tax System Might Look Like: Taxing bads (to discourage socially and environmentally destructive behaviour) and excess wealth (to remedy the dire consequences of gross inequality): A tax system with a purpose other than funding war and corporatist handouts. Seismic Shifts of Worldview: The collective change of mind that seems to be spreading everywhere, even among conservatives and those afflicted by anomie. There's something happening here. The Fourth Turning: The coming era of repression and violent reactionary tyranny? The New Agenda: Kunstler's proposal that we begin thinking of entirely new and sustainable ways of living, and of doing everything differently, starting right now. More on Workarounds: The only way anything important actually gets done? Religion as a Form of Slavery: And technophilia as the fastest growing religion of them all. What I would be doing 10-15 hours per week if I wasn't blogging (and why, despite that, I'm still blogging) What I'm thinking about: My much-neglected, written and re-written novel, The Only Life We Know, and why it's still so far from being finished. How much longer readers are going to put up with me not responding to comments and e-mails on a timely basis. What's keeping you awake? 3:19:48 PM  trackback []  comment []

Saturday Links for the Week - February 17, 2007 What It All Means This Week: Globalization's Deadly Toll: Vandana Shiva, in a stunning speech to the Soil Association, explains how the disappointments and gross market distortions of globalization are causing a mass suicide of Indian farmers. Thanks to Avi Solomon for the link. And when you've read the speech, check out more of the great stuff at Transition Culture. US Housing Collapse Could Precipitate Depression: The overextended US economy is staggering from the collapse of the housing market in several areas, which is leading to a credit crunch, a spike in foreclosures and mortgage defaults. When the principal asset of most Americans loses much of its over-secured value, the whole economy is threatened. Wealth = Health; Poverty = Death: A rash of health and finance stories stresses this grim equation of inequality:  As Bush cuts health budgets, some states strive for universality against the neocon tide. Struggling nations object to giving affluent countries flu samples free so they can develop vaccines that the struggling nations won't get and can't afford. A new study proves that global overprescription of antibiotics is producing superbugs that are completely resistant. Vulture Funds in affluent countries are buying up struggling nations' unrepayable debt and then holding them for ransom. (Thanks to Dale Asberry for the link) Kaiser Permanente insurance is underwriting a huge long-term study of the causes of skyrocketing chronic diseases in affluent nations. If they prove that environmental toxins are the cause, then what? And far too many citizens are so clued out they have no idea what's going on. Thanks to Craig De Ruisseau for the link. A Prescription for the US Health System: A scathing review of what is needed to really reform the corrupt, bureaucratic, ineffective, profit-and-greed driven US health care system is offered by Mike Adams (Thanks to Mike Yarmolinsky for the link): End patent protection for genes, seeds and medicines Ban aspartame, water fluoridation and mercury fillings End FDA corruption and radically reform this criminal agency Require open source publication of all clinical trials, even the negative results Ban direct-to-consumer drug advertising Stop junk food and soda advertising to children Overhaul national dietary guidelines to benefit consumers, not Big Business Ban the use of known cancer-causing additives in the food supply End censorship for nutritional supplement manufacturers Require food manufacturers to list acrylamides, pesticides and heavy metals content on the label Outlaw cancer-causing chemicals and fragrances in personal care products Launch public service ad campaigns that teach consumers how to tell the difference between healthy vs. unhealthy food and grocery products End Big Pharma's FDA-enforced drug monopoly Thought for the week (courtesy of Siona Van Dijk): love is a place & through this place of love move (with brightness of peace) all places yes is a world & in this world of yes live (skilfully curled) all worlds     - e.e. cummings 1:43:32 PM  trackback []  comment []

© Copyright 2007 Dave Pollard. Last update: 01/03/2007; 7:23:00 PM.