The ravaging of the homelands and attacks on the Indigenous Peoples of Colombia and Honduras (and why people might leave their home countries to come here . . . ) About attacks on indigenous communities that are fighting against the encroachments of international interests and assassination of indigenous peoples and their leaders . Dot #1: Colombia: The FOR Peace Presence in … [Read more...] about Out of Left Field: On the unsustainable path in Latin America
Out Of Left Field
Martin’s blog.
‘A Re-Imagining of Passover’s Four Questions’
I’d written “A Re-Imagining of Passover’s Four Questions” and wanted to post it here, but I decided to check first with some of my Jewish friends about whether they thought it was offensive. It was supposed to be generally thought-provoking, but it might be misconstrued. So I sent the piece out, asking for reactions and also if I should provide links in it to “Passover’s Four … [Read more...] about ‘A Re-Imagining of Passover’s Four Questions’
Martin Boksenbaum: ‘Bonding with the Land’
"Conservation is a state of harmony between men and land", said Aldo Leopold in his classic A Sand County Almanac: With Essays on Conservation from Round River (1966: 189). But land is not just the land. At least not according to Aldo Leopold. He continued, "By land is meant all of the things on, over, or in the earth" (1966: 189). On page 190, he elaborated, "The outstanding … [Read more...] about Martin Boksenbaum: ‘Bonding with the Land’
Martin Boksenbaum: ‘Bonding With the Beauty of the Here and Now’
A major component of the Transition Movement's approach to bringing us away "from oil dependency to local resilience" is through "the heart", the title of Part Two of the Transition Handbook. How do we get an emotional buy-in to the changes needed? Well, Part Two is subtitled "Why Having a Positive Vision is Crucial." Rob Hopkins writes: "It is one thing to campaign against … [Read more...] about Martin Boksenbaum: ‘Bonding With the Beauty of the Here and Now’
Martin Boksenbaum: ‘Climatezilla meets Pogo and Charlie Brown on Earth Day’
Earth Day. Mother Earth Day. Well, Earth begat us. We exist on it. We are of it, shaped by it. It nurtures us, provides for our needs, sustains us. It would be a flight of fancy to think we could exist without it and its bounty. Ah, Mother Earth, indeed! But enter Climatezilla to threaten us and life on planet Earth with climate change running amok. Ice caps melting, sea … [Read more...] about Martin Boksenbaum: ‘Climatezilla meets Pogo and Charlie Brown on Earth Day’
Climate-System Crisis: Taking Action
Isn't it time us folks in the sustainability movement here in the Lehigh Valley were getting our heads -- and our act -- together on bringing about the needed actions to address the Climate-System Crisis head on? You are hereby invited to help get the ball rolling by helping to plan, sponsor, shape, put on a Community Dialogue (Series?) on the climate crisis, focusing on what … [Read more...] about Climate-System Crisis: Taking Action
Knock, knock!
Who's that knocking at my door on January 4, 2014, this day of perihelion 2014? Whipping around the Sun so fast on this old Earth of ours it should knock our socks off. 67,800 mph, about. But it doesn't knock our socks off, does it? What else is happening that we're not aware of because we're just being carried along, just part of the inertial system? And how in blazes are … [Read more...] about Knock, knock!
Boksenbaum: ‘The Electoral Tsunami vs Third Parties Options’
With the media-hyped Obama-Romney presidential tsunami washing away everything in its path, it's hard to know that there are other presidential candidates (there are) whose platforms address vital issues and perspectives, missing from the blitz, that serve well the various constituencies making up the 99% and even, in some basic ways, the 1%. In his recent op-ed piece in The … [Read more...] about Boksenbaum: ‘The Electoral Tsunami vs Third Parties Options’
Food and Routes to Sustainability
These comments about food, food-producing systems, and routes to sustainability are made in the spirit of direct and open dialogue Food and food-producing systems are core matters for planning routes to sustainability. There are, however, a number of sticky issues to deal with if we are to present a united front for change. I think it important to get some clarity on these … [Read more...] about Food and Routes to Sustainability
Strategies for Change
Three recent newsletters discuss their organization's perspectives on how to bring about change. One talks about nonviolent direct action, another about securing rights via home rule charters and constitutions, and the third about achieving change goals via the development of organizational strength and resilience. But you don't have to worry about which strategy is right -- … [Read more...] about Strategies for Change