With Despair, True Optimism Begins

“With despair, true optimism begins”, so said Sartre.

h/t Richard Hawkins

Link Loving 24.12.11

• Telling stories: the uses and misuses of communicating for change. Nicole Kenton.
• How Martin Luther went viral – before Facebook and twitter. The Economist.
• “Why bother going to a meeting if you’re not prepared to change your mind?” said Al Pittampalli. Seth Godin.
• Sustainable development in 2012: Learning the lessons of 1987. Jules Peck.
• A generation at last in ferment. Roula Khalaf.

10:10 Are Hiring

The good people at 10:10 are hiring – and the Community Engagement Manager looks like an especially interesting role for a campaigner who wants to build relationships.

1 x Community Engagement Manager

1 x Graphic Designer

3 x Web Developer

Link Loving 23.12.11

• Avivah Wittenberg-Cox on why women in positions of responsibility are leading Africa’s hopes.
• Julia Kirby explains how our economic system got to this sad state—and where to look for hope.
• The awesomest street art photos ever.
• This is how Big Oil runs astroturf campaigns. Connor Gibson.
• How large corporations have managed to lower the standards of what can be called ‘organic’. Barry Estabrook.
• The reality of US Presidential fundraising. It isn’t pretty. Tom Engelhardt.
• Eric Hobsbawm on 2011: ‘It reminds me of 1848…’ Andrew Whitehead.

Yes, We Know Its Christmas

This is my favourite Christmas story by a country mile.

After 28 years of silently tolerating it, a group of unemployed local musicians have joined forces to release a Christmas single, entitled ‘Yes we do,’  in response to the Bob Geldof inspired Band Aid song, ‘Do they know it’s Christmas?’.

Speaking at the launch of their song, the musicians praised Geldof’s relentless quest for an answer and said they hoped their collaboration would free the Irishman and his friends to start looking for solutions to new and more important questions.

“Like Do they know about climate change in America? Or did Kim Jong-il have time to write down the abort codes for the nukes before he died? Or perhaps he can revert to the time-honoured classic – ‘Tell me why I don’t like Mondays.”

Speaking at the launch of the single, whose proceeds will go towards teaching discipline, literacy and contraception at British schools, composer and singer Boomtown Gundane said that for years he had been irked by Geldof’s assumption that hungry Africans were also stupid.

“Or was he just saying that Africans were stupid? Of course we knew it was Christmas.”

He said despite the poverty and hunger that had inspired Geldof and his friends to create the song back in 1984 that Africans had developed their own ways to remember Christmas.

“Just because we don’t have Boney M or Christmas advertising in September doesn’t mean we are oblivious to it,” said Gundane who went on to suggest that Africans were a lot like the Irish.

“They made it through disasters like the potato blight and the invention of the Protestant church without forgetting Christmas – why did they think we would forget it?”

When asked why the ensemble of African musicians, who have called themselves Plaster Cast, had taken so long to come up with a response to the Band Aid song Gundane said it had taken a while for them to realise that it wasn’t actually an elaborate joke.

“We kept waiting for them to laugh,” he said, “But the punch-line never arrived.”

Gundane said he hoped that his involvement with the song would turn him into an expert on British politics and economics in the same way ‘Do they know it’s Christmas’ had turned Geldof and Bono into the world’s leading experts on Africa.

“If I’m not sharing a platform with the Queen and David Cameron by this time next year; or headlining at Glastonbury, then I will have done something very wrong,” said Gundane.

Wanted: Extraordinary Young Leaders

The World Economic Forum is searching for 18 inspirational Londoners to join the Global Shapers community.  This unique intake will consist of exceptionally-talented leaders or perceived future leaders from many different worlds, including business, entertainment, politics, technology, finance, faith and academia.  The Global Shapers community provides them with a global platform to shape the future, integrating the personal, communal and global dimensions.  Through the unparalleled convening power of the World Economic Forum, the Global Shapers community aims to be diverse across demographics, locations and sectors. However, it is united by a common desire to channel the members’ tremendous energy and enthusiasm into building a more peaceful and sustainable world.

To nominate a young leader, visit http://bit.ly/tG0SY2 (deadline January 30th).

Link Loving 22.12.11

• What do you mean conflict of interest? Whitehall awards public health campaign contract to Freud Communications, whose clients include Pepsi and KFC. Tom Clark and Dan Sabbagh.
• Turns out materialism ain’t genetic. Nurture not nature, baby. Justine Giddens, Julie Aitken Schermer and Philip Vernon.
• How small groups within big churches are helping congregations to live healthier lives. Tina Rosenburg.
• A fabulously rich resource for you to peruse at leisure. Occupy the Future.
• Tim Minchin is brilliant. And should be on the Jonathan Ross show.
• What caused the Eurozone crisis? Hooray for BBC infographics.

Tamsin Omond At TEDxThames

Two wonderful things together – the TEDxThames event organised by David Voxlin/UKYCC and Tamsin Omond rocking out.

 

Link Loving 21.12.11

• Thank you Anarchists. What progressives have learned and why it’s worked. Nathan Schneider.
• Mapping globalisation. McKinsey.
• Erin Brockovich on her novel, Occupy Wall Street, and saving the world. Claire Thompson.
• The top 10 green business stories from 2011. Andrew Winston.
• What a bunch of farmers can teach the Occupy movement about how to keep growing. Ash Anderson.
• Tax isn’t taxing when you’re Goldman Sachs. Alex Hern.
• Serious question – can we classify the USA as a failing state? Umair Haque.
• Who really has power in Burma/Myanmar? Thelma Young.

Hey Girl, Occupy

If you’re not familiar with the Hey Girl meme (I, II, III), this genius development is slightly lost on you – Hey Girl, Occupy.