Link Loving 21.01.12

• What if Citizens United actually united citizens? Ilyse Hogue.
• Greenpeace launches it’s first Digital Mobilisation Skill Share. So awesome.
• Triangulation on immigration, welfare state and the deficit doesn’t work. Sunny Hundal.
• The Iron Lady’s failed mid-career transition. Herminia Ibarra.
• Google adds UK train routes to its Maps service. Jamie Andrews.
• A Republican legistlator is introducing a publicly-owned bank in the state of Virginia – turns out that Socialist ideas are thriving in rural red America. John Cranston.
• Greedy Lying Bastards. The film that does what it says on the tin and calls out the oil industry .
• NASA finds 2011 ninth-warmest year on record.

Thatcher: The Downing Street Years

Fascinating viewing.

New Organizing Institute – New Campaign Resources

If you’ve not used NOI’s Organizer Toolbox – you’re missing out. It contains just about every resource you might want for your organizing campaign. Now – it also has:

• Coaching 101
• Using Needs Assessment
• The Art of Being an Upfront Trainer
• The Art of Facilitating
• Online Theory of Change
• Intro to Online Organizing
• Tips for Email Writing

Nice work people, nice work.

People Power

Full story here.

Link Loving 20.01.12

• The London Stock Exchange is occupied by coal. Carbon Tracker.
• Today was the largest ‘Anonymous’ attack on corporate and government websites, including the FBI. Brian Hayes.
• Hate splitting bills after dinner? Here’s your solution.
• Sustainable Development Goals – a useful outcome from Rio+20? Alex Evans and David Steven.
• The Community Lover’s Guide to the Universe.

Link Loving 19.01.12

• The Rockwood Institute newsletters are my favourite. Read this wonderful update from Akaya Windwood.
• Morality is relative, but not subjective. Samantha Eliza Benten.
• Josh Kahn Russell celebrates a big victory for the US climate movement.
• 2012’s most idiotic punditry so far is spotted by Natalya Sverjensky.
• Are you following @Sweden yet? David Bosco explains why you should.
• What wise leaders always follow. Prasad Kaipa.
• Seth Godin has some fantastic leadership advice – learning how not to do it from Congress.

Inequality Within The G20

Cross-posted from Global Dashboard

As the Occupy movement gets ready to hit the slopes of Davos, a new Oxfam report reveals that inequality is growing in almost all G20 countries.

Russia, China, Japan and South Africa have seen the largest gaps between rich and poor emerge over the last 20 years, with only South Korea succeeding in reducing inequality amongst high-income countries. The figures suggest that by reducing inequality in Brazil and Mexico to levels seen in Indonesia (close to the G20 median), the number of people in poverty would fall by 90 per cent over the next decade.

The World Economic Forum last week listed stark inequality as top global risk.

The data also reveals that unlike the G20, in most low-income countries, inequality is falling, and levels of inequality are converging towards those of the G20. Perhaps time to revisit that idea of Millennium Consumption Goals? Or set up The Spirit Level reading groups in the Swiss mountains?

Link Loving 18.01.12

• Co-operative members massively outnumber shareholders, according to a Co-operative Group report. Now that could be interesting. Manchester Evening News.
• The campaign to get MLK Day recognised by the US government. Lindesay Irvine and Jim Powell.
• There are holograms at Luton airport and they freak me out a little. Ross Falconer.
• Morocco’s silent revolution. Valentina Bartolucci.
• An ardent plea to our better angels. Lew Feldstein.
• A student rejects Oxford saying ‘”It was while I was at interview that I finally noticed that subjecting myself to the judgement of an institution which I fundamentally disagreed with was bizarre.’

We Need Each Other

I spent this past Saturday with an amazing group of people, mostly women, leading transformational grassroots change in their community. It nourished me to be amongst such experience and wisdom, and to be in a creative, family-friendly space to learn.

As part of the reflection towards the end of the day, I felt the need to voice the need for connection amongst us and painted this banner.

Thanks to Shilpa, Anna and the whole Ayanna team.

Take A Pebble

“Don’t ask the mountain
To move, just take a pebble
Each time you visit.”

Haiku – Yangon, March 2003

h/t On Being