New Film: The Crisis Of Civilisation

Looks like a potentially interesting watch –

The Crisis of Civilisation

Link Loving 04.01.12

• Does wealth mean power? Apparently the data says no. Tyler Cowen.
• Guy Aitchison‘s top 10 political books of 2011.
• How valuing nature can transform agriculture. Tess Croner.
• You only need 10 percent: The science behind tipping points and their impact on climate activism. Bryan Farrell.
• Is Coca-Cola propping up Swaziland’s dictator? David Smith.
• Rethinking the growth imperative – from a professor at Harvard. Kenneth Rogoff.
• A happy, flourishing city with no advertising. Cord Jefferson.
• When was the last time you were truly quiet? Pico Iyer. h/t Daniel Vockins.

Avaaz Is Hiring. Big Time. (Part II)

My former colleagues at Avaaz are building on an extraordinary year by hiring 40 new positions, based all over the world. All details are here – or below.

There’s some nice little videos from team members like Antonia, here, explaining why they love working at Avaaz.

 

Link Loving 03.01.12

• Suicide rates in Greece are up 40%. Child helplines are flooded. Economic crisis in action. Helena Smith.
• Building to win – reaching beyond the international anti-capitalist elite. Adam Ramsay.
• China is serious about it’s space mission. Edward Wong and Kenneth Chang.
• The network = survival. Deborah Mills-Scofield.
• Developing mindful leaders. Polly LaBarre.
• Gays and class: some misconceptions and surprising facts. Owen Jones.
• Make sure to vote in the annual ‘Dick of the Year’ awards hosted by Bright Green.

What Are The Meaningful Actions?

“So – what can I do?”

This may be the most frightening question we campaigners get asked.

One exchange this week typifies how it plays out. Glyn Jones asked tax-avoidance expert Richard Murphy on twitter;

@wipcrackaway: As an average Joe what does one do?
@richardjmurphy: Talk, write, occupy, protest and join in for change.

Imagine you are Glyn Jones – does this help? He probably feels as if he doesn’t know enough to talk or write about the issue, and what does ‘occupy’ even mean to those new to the movement? I’m picking unfairly on Richard – an absolute hero – but this exchange captured so well what we change-makers struggle with: enabling meaningful action.

Watching the biopic Gandhi this week, it struck me how careful the man was in choosing what he asked fellow activists to do. In South Africa, the burning of identity passes, in India, the collecting of salt on the beaches and boycott of British-made clothes. He didn’t want to belittle the commitment he was asking for, and he didn’t want to waste people’s time.

Each of the meaningful actions were:

• Practically useful – what I’m doing has a real (if nominal) impact
• Symbolic – it tells a story
• Public – others can see what I’m doing
• Communal – I don’t do it on my own, I do it with others
• Clearly messaged – if I’m telling my friends what happened, I can do it in one sentence

Other successful examples are everywhere – refusing sugar when drinking tea, burning bras, picket lines, blocking of petrol stations by angry truckers. So surely we can come up with some good actions for the campaigns and movements we’re working in?

Though I’m pretty sure it’s gotta be better than these:

• change your bank account or energy provider
• install clean energy solutions on your house (unless it’s done like this)
• become a vegetarian on your own
• run a marathon and raise some money wearing fancy dress

There are thousands of people asking campaigners everyday ‘what can I do?’. It’s time we came up with some better answers.

Gandhi in Durban, 1914, inciting the burning of identity passes

A New Year’s Poem From #Occupy

Tony Walsh in full flow –

h/t Gavin Thomson

UPDATE: Here’s the text of the poem.

What Are We Recovering From?

“The wealth that was lost in the crash of 2008 never actually existed. That’s why the crash fundamentally doesn’t matter.

The U.S. isn’t recovering from the bust, it’s recovering from the boom. Fear-mongers and ponzi-schemers joined forces to distract a nation for a debilitating decade.

Remember the Black Friday financial panic of 1869? Happened the same year the Transcontinental Railroad was completed. Which do we remember? There’s a reason.”

Philip Auerswald

Link Loving 31.12.11

• Sick of terrible press coverage? Alex Randall has put together this lovely little website.

The Lady – The Story Of Aung San Suu Kyi

If you’ve been losing the fire in your belly – watch the recently-released film about the life of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Like me, you may only know bits and bobs about her life and Burma’s struggle. Her Reith Lectures earlier this year made an impression – as will this wonderful film.

The Burma Campaign.

Link Loving 30.12.11

• The new law that makes activists terrorists. Wendy Kaminer.
• Will we be all right in the end? David Runciman. (£)
• The story of the rise of a new elite. Chrystia Freeland.
• How two films released this year have shifted the debate on immigration in the USA. Alyssa Rosenberg.
• Two roads intersect, and now we confront an unavoidable choice. Do we carry on as we always have—or do we, with courage and imagination and verve, make a dramatic course correction? Ken Butigan.
• If A Tree Falls – the story of the Earth Liberation Front. Looks like this will provoke some discussion in the activist world…