Here is a practical innovation to help convert vehicles from oil to electricity: https://www.ecowatch.com/electric-vehicles-recharge-road-sweden-2559608067.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=8c80f76e57-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-8c80f76e57-85369701
Some ancient Chinese philosophers — especially the Taoists, but others too — emphasized the need for moderation, harmony, etc., rather than greed or arrogance or violence. My readings of Taoism show how far the U.S. is away from “the good life” of peace and harmony and public well-being. I’ve been reading books about ancient Chinese philosophy. Just now I read that in about the 3rd or 4th century BC, some Chinese philosophers I the “Grand Norm” school of thought identified what are referred to as “various indications.” The book I’m reading (citation below) says: “These are rain, sunshine, heat, cold, […]
Here is a creative nonviolent way to protest: Women are marrying trees in Mexico. This takes the “tree-hugger” image to a whole new level. They are concerned about illegal logging and deforestation in the state of Oaxaca, so they are doing this to raise public awareness. See the article at this link: https://www.treehugger.com/conservation/why-are-women-marrying-trees-mexico.html
The May 2018 episode of “Glen’s Parallax Perspectives” interviews two very knowledgeable guests who have been working to protect the broad public interest in matters affecting our local community. Typically, local communities assume that they are supposed to grow in population. Local population growth is promoted as good for us, but the promoters avoid disclosing the real costs – the hidden costs – of local population growth. This interview explores the costs of such growth. Although some of our examples come from the greater Olympia area, the principles pertain elsewhere too. The City of Olympia expects 20,000 more people here […]
A huge number of scientists wrote a powerful statement in 2017 explaining how “Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course.” They strengthened the statement in 2018 and now 20,000 scientists signed on to this “Warning to Humanity.” This is yet one more reason why we need honest science to drive public policy. Read the “Warning to Humanity” article at https://www.ecowatch.com/warning-to-humanity-scientists-2544973158.html?utm_source=EcoWatch+List&utm_campaign=aaad04f9dd-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_49c7d43dc9-aaad04f9dd-85369701 Republicans’ partisan bias against science and reality: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/3/29/1752981/-Lies-have-a-conservative-bias-Republicans-up-their-war-on-science?detail=emaildkre The government needs good, honest science in order to devise smart public policy. However, the agencies under Trump have been slashing the numbers of competent scientists, failing to consider […]
11:00 a.m. at Washington State Capitol steps. Hear a few brief speakers. 11:45 Proceed down Capitol Way, turn left (decision pending on whether to turn left on Legion Way or 5th Ave), and enter Heritage Park. Visit informational booths until 2:00 p.m.. • Stop the denialism and corruption that interfere with honest science and good public policy. • Demand that public officials respect honest science and enact evidence-based public policies. • Human beings and our natural environment need this! Background and more information: • The head of the U.S.’s Environmental Protection Agency does not “believe” in climate change and works […]
Use your computer (the December 2017 episode of the “TV Programs” part of www.olympiafor.org or any of several relevant topic links on this blog, www.parallaxperspectives.org) to watch Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s December 2017 TV interview about Solutionary Rail, a fascinating and attractive “win-win-win-win” for fuel efficiency, the climate, local communities, workers, and more. This interview is online now and forever. Also, you can read a thorough summary of what we said during the interview. “Solutionary Rail” Olympia FOR’s December 2017 interview program explores a remedy for several of our nation’s problems that is both creative and exciting. This remedy would […]
Powerful interests run their agenda on two tracks: 1. For public consumption, they say nice propaganda, platitudes, etc., and they also put out a carnival of entertainment, scandal, eye candy, etc. 2. Meanwhile, apart from public view they do horrible things. So, for example, while LBJ and Nixon kept saying they wanted peace in Vietnam, they actually were escalating the war. Trump promised jobs, promised to “drain the swamp,” etc., but he has been doing the opposite. Both parties do this, and so does big business with “greenwashing” advertising campaigns while they hurt the environment. We must pay attention to […]
by Glen Anderson We need to keep protesting against the cruelty, corruption, injustice and violence that continually assault us. But if we spend most of our time and efforts fighting the bad stuff, the oppressors will continue to have the upper hand because they can keep throwing bad stuff at us and we will always be on the defensive. We need to spend most of our time and efforts taking the initiative to organize for the positive goals that we want instead. We need to be proactive, envision the future we want instead of the current mess, and organize to […]
by Glen Anderson Trump wants to massively increase oil drilling, coal mining, nuclear power, and nuclear weapons. All of these would massively increase the amounts of sludge and wastes from those nuclear and fossil fuel operations. The wastes will need to go somewhere. Since Trump is so enthusiastic about those, I’m proposing a gigantic toxic waste dump right next door to his Mar-a-Lago luxury resort in Florida. Before the Trump era, the Environmental Protection Agency would have prevented such a project. But Trump and Scott Pruitt, his appointed EPA Administrator, have been eliminating environmental protections and converting that agency into […]
Overwhelming public opinion supports having a public park instead of privately owned high-rise condominiums on the isthmus that connects downtown Olympia and West Olympia. This much beloved strip of land at the southernmost tip of Puget Sound has a great view of the Capitol Building and the Olympic Mountains. The isthmus is in the heart of an area where people love to hang out. The community struggle to protect this land for public enjoyment turned more positive in July 2011, when Thurston County Commissioners Karen Valenzuela, Sandra Romero, and Cathy Wolfe unanimously offered financial support for the Olympia Capitol Park […]
The climate crisis is increasingly serious, even though most politicians don’t want to deal with it, and mainstream media fail to report on it adequately. But while politicians and mainstream media negligently fail to act, the problems get worse. The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s February 2012 TV program brings us up to date and explores strategies for making progress. Our guests – Doug Howell from the Sierra Club and KC Golden from Climate Solutions – are exceptionally well informed. Doug and KC help us understand what the climate crisis is and the scientific causes. They debunk the claims of the […]
How many people actually pay much attention to local governments’ detailed decisions about zoning, funding streets and sewers, and so forth? Hardly anyone pays attention – except those who have a direct financial stake in those decisions, such as real estate developers and other persons who have direct financial interests in local governments’ decisions. So what happens as a result? The “special interests” are able to exploit local governments to serve their narrow economic profits, while the rest of us never know that we are being ripped off. For example, the local elites that run many local governments and media […]
Increasingly, people are getting savvier about how to deal with food. In our local community, more and more people are interested in sustainability, are growing good food locally, and are helping other people grow food. The Olympia Fellowship of Reconciliation’s May 2013 TV program is all about “Creating a Sustainable Local Food System.” Three knowledgeable guests with interesting first-hand experience teach us a lot during this program: • TJ Johnson is a former Olympia City Council member, organizer of the October 2011 Food Summit, and a vigorous participant in the local food movement. The Food Summit attracted so many pre-registrants […]
The U.S. is suffering its most serious existential crisis ever! The .pdf document at the link below helps us understand Trumpism and take positive actions to stop it. How We Got into Our Current Crisis – And How to Get Out — THOROUGH article
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