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Sadly, extinction is no laughing matter

By February 25, 2013
The wise fool.

Quoting Carl Sagan, I begin some presentations with this line: It is far  better to grasp the universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring. Many people disagree with Sagan, choosing delusion over reality, believing we can have infinite growth on a finite planet with no consequences for people or other creatures, other life forms, other organisms. The people in this latter group seek hope, and many of them disparage me and my actions for inducing … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Spirit Tagged With: , , ,

Eros and economy

By December 4, 2012
Eros

Everybody loves a good story. Especially this time of year. In Plato’s Symposium, Diotima recounts the story of Eros. She tells us that on the day of Aphrodite’s birth, the gods had a banquet. Penia—that is, “Poverty”— came begging at the end of the meal. There she espied Poros — that is, “Wealth” — drunk on nectar and asleep in Zeus’ garden. As a way out of her destitution, Penia decided to have a child by Poros, so she lay with him while he slept, and conceived … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Economy Tagged With: , ,

Gratitude to trees

By November 9, 2012
Tree

Written as a guide to prepare students from two classes—“Place and Identity” and “Conservation Biology”--for a walk into the woods beyond Dominican University of California. Morning: Listening Trees transform, shield, shade and provide oxygen, fruit, and beauty. They offer many other gifts. Without trees, humans wouldn't survive. Through the magical process of photosynthesis, tree leaves and other green plants release oxygen by transforming carbon dioxide and water. As our human … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Arts Tagged With: , ,

Double, double, toil and trouble

By October 30, 2012
Devil on Wall Street

Hey anons, goblins, ghouls, ghosts and hallowed party-goers, Looks like on the eve of the election there’s going to be one hell of a party on Wall Street, one on Capitol Hill and hundreds more in front of banks and other prime locations all over the land. “We all just need a good night off, to relax and have fun.” Invite your friends, invite your enemies and bring back the spirit of all Hallows’ Eve by honoring the dead and giving those on Wall Street, Capitol Hill and our … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: , ,

The new existentialism

By October 26, 2012
A philosopher.

"As this planetary crisis invades our individual lives, unavoidably, neither the personal nor the collective misconception of who we are will remain tenable" -Charles Eisenstein, from Ascent of Humanity The state of humanity is at a crossroads between a dying culture of civilization and a new way of living in the world — a way of living that in symbiosis, in synchronicity with the Earth. Everything that had come about throughout the history of civilization — the way humans have existed, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Transition Tagged With: , ,

Getting my pilot’s license

By October 24, 2012
A Letterpress Bike

Ever since we first got together my husband and I have talked about how to respond to one of our key shared interests — peak oil. For us this means, first of all, a conservation-minded approach to life — using less energy, wasting less, and relying on reusable materials such as hankies and eco-cups, carrying our own grocery bags, and growing much of our own food and cooking it ourselves. But after we began to practice aggressive conservation approaches we also wondered what kinds of … [Read more...]

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Bear in mind

By October 3, 2012
bearlady

I love it that for the past few years woodland animals have been all the rage in DIY design circles. Some are nouveau-cutesy, others realistic, and almost always rendered in ways that instantly make you love the object — whether it's a stuffed animal, tee shirt, print, bedding, drinking glasses, wall mounted fake taxidermy or whatever. Very hip, very fun. Of course, from Lascaux to Frank Lloyd Wright, artists have always found a muse in nature. Drawing inspiration from nature But … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Spirit Tagged With: , , ,

After the drought: Will climate reporting take off?

By September 4, 2012
GMA Heat Advisory screen

After the release of a report on links between extreme weather and climate change, Americans may get what polls show 80 percent of us want: more environmental reporting in mainstream news. Environmentalists have been dismayed for years to see mainstream media in the United States, especially television news, failing to convey the reality of climate change and the urgency of an official response. But there may have been a breakthrough in broadcast television news halfway through this … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: , , ,

Not even a spoonful of sugar could help

By August 10, 2012
kill your tv

Television anchor Edward R. Murrow is credited with this expression: "Just because your voice reaches halfway around the world doesn't mean you are wiser than when it reached only to the end of the bar." Murrow understood the power of television to misinform the masses. This strategy has worked brilliantly on every front, but none more pronounced than the all-important issue of global climate change. Seeking "balance" on the idiot box has meant presenting two sides to a one-sided issue until … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Tagged With: , , , , ,

Junk food for Jesus

By August 6, 2012
Jesus at Chick-fil-A

I'm a Christian. But I wouldn't eat at Chick-fil-A even if the company's CEO were St. Francis of Assisi, Mother Theresa or Dietrich Bonhoeffer. And it's not really because I disagree with the views of the company's actual CEO about gay marriage. It's because I think that Chick-fil-A's whole business model is itself basically un-Christian, despoiling God's creation in all too many ways. All that Constitution stuff But first, let me go on the record that I support the U.S. Constitution. As to … [Read more...]

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