Zeitgeist – Moving Forward

I know it’s a cliché, but the new Zeitgeist movie does look really, really good. Lots of systems thinking, lots of thinking around the money system – which should encourage you to check out the Positive Money campaign. They’ve organised more than 300 screenings around the world (Limehouse Town Hall anyone?), and it has been translated into 20+ languages. Not bad for a bunch of volunteers.

Link Loving 18.01.11

• Time for Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development, to turn rhetoric into reality and stop the World Bank investing in polluting power stations.
• David Cameron promised not to cut the EMA allowance. *Awkward*.
• Jon Alexander wants to play the games his grandparents played
• Meet Maurice Glasman, you’ll be glad you did.
• Nathan Schneider surprises us with President Eisenhower’s speech attacking the military-industrial complex.
• Micah Sifry explores who organised the Tunisia protests.
• Grist ponders why gays are greener. Nothing to do with being more fabulous.
• Natalya Sverjensky reminds us of the horrors of the Bush presidency with one simple photo.
• And as if it needed proving, the Economist explains why Americans just don’t get British humour.
• Daniel Elton explains how young people are paying for the Conservative-led government.
• Paul Sagar lists the large number of U-turns made so far by the government.

The Story Of Wikipedia

The story of Wikipedia in three-and-a-half minutes – amazing to think that this daily internet friend has only been around for a decade

Interesting to note the future challenges of making the info-source as relevant for the South as it has been for the North.

Youth Fight For Jobs

Between February 2008 and February 09, youth unemployment increased by 70%. Now around one in five youth are unemployed. No wonder they’re getting angry.

Youth Fight For Jobs has organised a protest on 29th January in Manchester. It’s very encouraging to see the Trade Union movement supporting efforts like this by young people, and to build solidarity amongst those who are unemployed or facing job insecurity with the burgeoning student movement. Added to this, the fact that the protest is not in London reflects the fact that the areas worst effected by the economic crisis has been outside of the South East.

Link Loving 17.01.11

• A group of lawyers, academics and campaigners has been deciding how to shake up our legal landscape to make the future safer for our environment.
• Guy Shrubsole wants us to restore the biosphere to its former glory.
• The rise and fall of the TV journalist.
• New campaign to stop the UK govt from persuading human rights abusers to buy weapons from UK – This Is Not OK.
• Demos report reveals that inflexible and stressful work is harming families.
• JP Morgan Chase reported a 47% jump in fourth-quarter net income – profits for 2010 were $17.4bn. What banking crisis?
• Adam Ramsay just can’t get excited about the AV vote in May.
• The story of Larry Summers and the collusion between US economists and the finance sector, and the associated degrading of economics as a profession. (h/t Ann Pettifor)
• The horrific stories of people putting themselves on fire to protest – Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt and Mauritania.

MLK’s Favourite Song

Today is Martin Luther King Day in the USA. He remains one of the most inspiring people for those who seek justice, and his words carry as much weight today as they did half a century ago.

“I am convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we must undergo a radical revolution of values. We must rapidly begin the shift from a thing-oriented society to a person-oriented society. When machines, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, materialism, and militarism are incapable of being conquered.”

At his funeral, Mahalia Jackson sang the same song, ‘Precious Lord, Take My Hand’ that she had sung in front of 250,000 people on the same platform where MLK Jr gave his I have a dream speech. It’s pretty easy to understand why he said that this was his favourite song.

The Strict Immigrant Parent Model

Amy Chua, author of Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, spoke on the Today Programme this morning about raising children with the ‘strict immigrant parent’ approach. It reminded me of Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers and my own studies, where I’m working through a nine-month Open University maths course. I’m doing my best to find the joy in logarithms and the beginnings of calculus, even though I had always labelled myself one of those people who ‘can’t do maths’. Perhaps I should give Amy a call!

Listen to the five minute segment here.

Should You Work For Free?

Full joy to be found here: www.shouldiworkforfree.com

Link Loving 16.01.11

• How the global political dynamics are changing on climate (h/t Duncan Green)
• An animated history of Africa
• Jonathon Porritt examines the first report from the Environment Audit Committee and cracks a few jokes too
• Northern Ireland political party websites hacked by Irish language activist
• Building peace the Jody Williams way and the Ann Jones way
• The Daily Mail takes on legal tax-dodging footballers
• Arab activism in Tunisia: brought to you by a white man
• The next environmental heroes who will enter the courtroom

A Reminder

“First they ignore you

Then they ridicule you

Then they fight you

Then you win.”

I’m looking forward to linking that final line.