There's lots of talk of localization or re-localization in the Transition movement and among environmentalists and economic justice advocates generally. And for good reason. Today's global economy where big corporations, with security provided by the United States military, ship plastic crap from Chinese sweatshops thousands of miles to consumers around the world who don't need … [Read more...]
American kids in the Age of Oil: ‘Economically worthless but emotionally priceless’
In colonial America, kids died young. No matter how unwelcome, Death was a frequent visitor at family firesides from Boston to Savannah, where parents could expect to lose, on average, up to half of their brood before they reached adulthood. According to 17th-century Puritan minister Cotton Mather, "a dead child [was] a sight no more surprising than a broken … [Read more...]
Farewell to empire
For one of America's smallest states, Vermont has a lot to teach the rest of the country about living locally. It's always had the local democracy of the New England town meeting. Now Vermont is getting attention for a thriving local food economy of small farms, great farmers markets and food entrepreneurs exporting everything from organic seeds to local tofu. And in the … [Read more...]
Emancipating slaves then and now
This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. It's a needed chance for Americans to talk about slavery that has helped us reexamine our history. For example, recent documentaries and museum exhibits on America's Founding Fathers regularly show that slavery played a big role in the lives of several heroes of the American Revolution. So, now we know … [Read more...]