1.31.2009
low self-esteem & materialism go hand in hand...
researchers have found that low self-esteem and materialism are not just a correlation, but also a causal relationship where low self esteem increases materialism, and materialism can also create low self-esteem. the study also found that as self esteem increases, materialism decreases... by the time children reach early adolescence, and experience a decline in self-esteem, the stage is set for the use of material possessions as a coping strategy for feelings of low self-worth... the paradox that findings such as these bring up, is that consumerism is good for the economy but bad for the individual. in the short run, it’s good for the economy when young people believe they need to buy an entirely new wardrobe every year, for example. but the hidden cost is much higher than the dollar amount. there are costs in happiness when people believe that their value is extrinsic. there are also environmental costs associated with widespread materialism// rebecca sato, 01.30.09, the daily galaxy
...for a more detailed study of the subject, read the high price of materialism by tim kasser//
...dedicated to outfitting graffiti artists with open source technologies for urban communication//
G.R.L. ♥ Tokyo from fi5e on Vimeo.
1.28.2009
1.27.2009
truth cannot be spoken in america...
"president obama is legally obligated to prosecute former president george w. bush and former defense secretary donald rumsfeld... the bush regime was a lawless regime. this makes it difficult for the obama regime to be a lawful one. a torture inquiry would lead naturally into a war crimes inquiry. general taguba said that the bush regime committed war crimes. president obama was a war criminal by his third day in office when he ordered illegal cross-border drone attacks on pakistan that murdered 20 people, including 3 children. the bombing and strafing of homes and villages in afghanistan by u.s. forces and america’s n.a.t.o. puppets are also war crimes. obama cannot enforce the law, because he himself has already violated it..." // paul craig roberts, 01.26.09, information clearinghouse
the arrival of the obama administration will not fundamentally alter the course of military expansion accelerated during the bush era. the origins of these policies do not lie uniquely in neoconservative ideology. while the election of president obama may offer new opportunities for progressive forces to delimit the damage, their space for movement will ultimately be constrained by deep-seated structural pressures that will attempt to exploit obama to rehabilitate american imperial hegemony, rather than transform it...// nafeez mosaddeq ahmed, 01.26.09, information clearinghouse
1.25.2009
about IFEX...
"As violations of the right to free expression continue around the globe, the International Freedom of Expression eXchange (IFEX) has emerged as a strong force of opposition. IFEX is a dynamic network that monitors, promotes and defends freedom of expression worldwide. IFEX was born in 1992 in Montréal, Canada when leading free expression organisations came together to create a mechanism that would improve cooperation and allow for the rapid exchange of information on free expression issues. IFEX has over 80 member organisations operating in more than 50 countries, the majority in the developing world and countries in transition.
The right to freedom of expression, enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is widely recognised as a vital component of any functioning democracy. When journalists are killed, newspapers banned, radio stations closed and free expression advocates jailed, citizens are denied access to the information they need to participate in decisions affecting their lives and communities. Under these conditions, citizens are also denied the security of an environment that allows for the safe exercise of their human rights.
IFEX plays a key role in addressing threats to free expression by exposing violations and raising awareness of the dangers faced by individuals in many countries who report the news or criticise powerful figures.
IFEX works to help build the foundations of healthy democracies by protecting the rights of journalists, free expression advocates and others to hold those in power accountable."
The right to freedom of expression, enshrined under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is widely recognised as a vital component of any functioning democracy. When journalists are killed, newspapers banned, radio stations closed and free expression advocates jailed, citizens are denied access to the information they need to participate in decisions affecting their lives and communities. Under these conditions, citizens are also denied the security of an environment that allows for the safe exercise of their human rights.
IFEX plays a key role in addressing threats to free expression by exposing violations and raising awareness of the dangers faced by individuals in many countries who report the news or criticise powerful figures.
IFEX works to help build the foundations of healthy democracies by protecting the rights of journalists, free expression advocates and others to hold those in power accountable."
...i'll be interning w/ IFEX until the end of the term, where i'll be able to learn more about FOE issues and campaigning//
a blood-stained monster...
in this war, as in any modern war, propaganda plays a major role. the disparity between the forces, between the israeli army--with its airplanes, gunships, drones, warships, artillery and tanks--and the few thousand lightly armed hamas fighters, is one to a thousand, perhaps one to a million. in the political arena the gap between them is even wider. but in the propaganda war, the gap is almost infinite... // uri avnery, 01.24.09, alternet
...to read first-hand accounts and personal stories from palestinians, explore virtual gaza//
1.20.2009
the return of triangulation...
"The mosaic of Barack Obama's cabinet picks and top White House staff gives us an overview of what the new president sees as political symmetry for his administration. While it's too early to gauge specific policies of the Obama presidency, it's not too soon to understand that 'triangulation' is back.In the 1990s, Bill Clinton was adept at placing himself midway between the base of his own party and Republican leaders. As he triangulated from the Oval Office--often polarizing with liberal Democrats on such issues as 'free trade,' deregulation, 'welfare reform' and military spending--Clinton did well for himself. But not for his party.
During Clinton's presidency, with his repeated accommodations to corporate agendas, a progressive base became frustrated and demobilized. Democrats lost majorities in the House and Senate after just two years and didn't get them back. Along Pennsylvania Avenue, numerous left-leaning causes fell by the wayside--victims of a Democratic president's too-clever-by-half triangulation.
Now, looking at Obama's choices for key posts, many progressive activists who went all-out for months to get him elected are disappointed. The foreign-policy team, dominated by strong backers of the Iraq invasion, hardly seems oriented toward implementing Obama's 2008 campaign pledge to "end the mindset that got us into war." On the domestic side, big-business ties and Wall Street sensibilities are most of the baseline. Overall, it's hard to argue that the glass is half full when so much is missing..." // norman solomon, 01.19.09, the huffington post
gaza 2009...
on saturday december 27, the latest u.s.-israeli attack on helpless palestinians was launched. the attack had been meticulously planned, for over 6 months according to the Israeli press. the planning had two components: military and propaganda. it was based on the lessons of israel's 2006 invasion of lebanon, which was considered to be poorly planned and badly advertised. we may, therefore, be fairly confident that most of what has been done and said was pre-planned and intended.that surely includes the timing of the assault: shortly before noon, when children were returning from school and crowds were milling in the streets of densely populated gaza city. it took only a few minutes to kill over 225 people and wound 700, an auspicious opening to the mass slaughter of defenseless civilians trapped in a tiny cage with nowhere to flee... // chomsky, 01.20.09, znet
...so who 'started' it?
1.19.2009
a steady-state economy...
the growth economy is failing and we have to attempt a steady-state economy. the steady state answer is that the rich should reduce their throughput growth to free up resources and ecological space for use by the poor, while focusing their domestic efforts on development, technical and social improvements, that can be freely shared with poor countries... // herman daly, 12.17.08, adbusters
the evolution of religion...
humans, like all other living beings, are a product of four billion years of evolutionary processes. we have been shaped and pounded by the rhythms of our planet's geology and climate as well by the continual interplay among biological organisms. you exist because eons of your ancestors, from bacteria to primates, struggled and reproduced successfully. the genes that reside in each and every one of us are the ones that helped our ancestors not only to survive, but to out-reproduce their competitors. and as improbable as it might seem, you are here through the success of billions and billions of generations.
every living species on the planet--from cabbages to whales--has gone through this process, and evolved to fit a particular niche. our human niche just happens to have emphasized brains over brawn, which has given us language, creativity, curiosity, and the most complicated social system of any species. however, our incredibly powerful brain is locked in a continual battle between reason and ancestral fears. this conflict helps us understand why religion has held such a grip on humanity and why reason must still fight to be heard... // elizabeth cornwell, j. anderson thomson, 01.19.09, suicidegirls
every living species on the planet--from cabbages to whales--has gone through this process, and evolved to fit a particular niche. our human niche just happens to have emphasized brains over brawn, which has given us language, creativity, curiosity, and the most complicated social system of any species. however, our incredibly powerful brain is locked in a continual battle between reason and ancestral fears. this conflict helps us understand why religion has held such a grip on humanity and why reason must still fight to be heard... // elizabeth cornwell, j. anderson thomson, 01.19.09, suicidegirls
sadness is good for you...
scientists have warned that growing tendency to medicate against sadness like a disease stops us embracing our miserable side and removes the motivation to mature emotionally.
like the saying "what does not kill me, makes me stronger", being sad and melancholic can leave sufferers better able to cope with life's challenges, more resilient and spur them to greater achievements, it is claimed.
the researchers point out that today's society prizes personal happiness above all else and there is little tolerance for wallowing in despair after losing a job, the break-up of a relationship or the death of a loved one.
but a growing number of mental health experts fear the increasing tendency to take a pill to beat the blues could actually affect human evolution... // richard alleyne, 01.14.09, telegraph
like the saying "what does not kill me, makes me stronger", being sad and melancholic can leave sufferers better able to cope with life's challenges, more resilient and spur them to greater achievements, it is claimed.
the researchers point out that today's society prizes personal happiness above all else and there is little tolerance for wallowing in despair after losing a job, the break-up of a relationship or the death of a loved one.
but a growing number of mental health experts fear the increasing tendency to take a pill to beat the blues could actually affect human evolution... // richard alleyne, 01.14.09, telegraph
1.14.2009
...a truly democratic society?
economic democracy is a socioeconomic philosophy that suggests transfer of decision-making authority from a small minority of corporate shareholders to the larger majority of public stakeholders. while there is no single definition or approach, all theories and real-world examples of economic democracy are based on a core set of fundamental assumptions.
proponents generally agree that modern conditions of economic instability tend to hinder or prevent society from earning enough income to purchase its output production. centralized corporate monopoly of common resources typically forces conditions of artificial scarcity upon the greater majority, resulting in socio-economic imbalances that restrict workers from access to economic opportunity and diminish consumer purchasing power.
assuming full political rights cannot be won without full economic rights, economic democracy suggests a variety of models, theories, and real-world examples for solving problems of economic instability and deficiency of effective demand. overall, economic democracy promotes universal access to common resources that are typically privatized by corporate capitalism and centralized by state socialism... // wikipedia
proponents generally agree that modern conditions of economic instability tend to hinder or prevent society from earning enough income to purchase its output production. centralized corporate monopoly of common resources typically forces conditions of artificial scarcity upon the greater majority, resulting in socio-economic imbalances that restrict workers from access to economic opportunity and diminish consumer purchasing power.
assuming full political rights cannot be won without full economic rights, economic democracy suggests a variety of models, theories, and real-world examples for solving problems of economic instability and deficiency of effective demand. overall, economic democracy promotes universal access to common resources that are typically privatized by corporate capitalism and centralized by state socialism... // wikipedia
1.12.2009
america's shame...
"Why does Israel have a right to exist, but Palestine doesn’t?
This is the question of our time.
For sixty years Israelis have been stealing Palestine from Palestinians. There are maps available on the Internet and in Israeli publications showing the shrinkage over time of what was once Palestine into what Palestine is today--a small number of unconnected ghettos or bantustans.
Palestine became 'the occupied territory' from which Palestinians were ejected and Israeli settlements built for 'settlers.' Jordan, Syria and Lebanon are full of refugee camps in which Palestinians driven off their lands by Israeli force have been living for decades.
Driving people off their land is strictly illegal under international law, but Israel has been getting away with it for decades.
Gaza is a concentration camp of 1.5 million Palestinians who were driven from their homes and villages and collected in the Gaza Ghetto.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency was created 60 years ago in 1949 to administer refugee camps for Palestinians driven from their lands by Israel. As of 2002, the registered Palestinian refugee population was 3.9 million.
Caterpillar Tractor makes a special bulldozer for Israel that is designed to knock down Palestinian homes and to uproot their orchards. In 2003 an American protester, Rachel Corrie, stood in front of one of these Caterpillars and was run over and crushed.
Nothing happened. The Israelis can kill whomever they want whenever they want.
They have been doing so for 60 years, and they show no sign of stopping.
Currently they are murdering women and children in the ghetto that they have created for Palestinians in Gaza. The entire world knows this. The Red Cross protests it. But the Israelis brazenly claim that they are killing 'Hamas terrorists who are a threat to Israel’s existence.'
The American media knows that this is a lie, but does not say so..." // paul craig roberts, 01.08.09, information clearinghouse
This is the question of our time.
For sixty years Israelis have been stealing Palestine from Palestinians. There are maps available on the Internet and in Israeli publications showing the shrinkage over time of what was once Palestine into what Palestine is today--a small number of unconnected ghettos or bantustans.
Palestine became 'the occupied territory' from which Palestinians were ejected and Israeli settlements built for 'settlers.' Jordan, Syria and Lebanon are full of refugee camps in which Palestinians driven off their lands by Israeli force have been living for decades.
Driving people off their land is strictly illegal under international law, but Israel has been getting away with it for decades.
Gaza is a concentration camp of 1.5 million Palestinians who were driven from their homes and villages and collected in the Gaza Ghetto.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency was created 60 years ago in 1949 to administer refugee camps for Palestinians driven from their lands by Israel. As of 2002, the registered Palestinian refugee population was 3.9 million.
Caterpillar Tractor makes a special bulldozer for Israel that is designed to knock down Palestinian homes and to uproot their orchards. In 2003 an American protester, Rachel Corrie, stood in front of one of these Caterpillars and was run over and crushed.
Nothing happened. The Israelis can kill whomever they want whenever they want.
They have been doing so for 60 years, and they show no sign of stopping.
Currently they are murdering women and children in the ghetto that they have created for Palestinians in Gaza. The entire world knows this. The Red Cross protests it. But the Israelis brazenly claim that they are killing 'Hamas terrorists who are a threat to Israel’s existence.'
The American media knows that this is a lie, but does not say so..." // paul craig roberts, 01.08.09, information clearinghouse
israel seeks airwave supremacy...
"israel has been aiming for total air supremacy in more than one way in gaza--it wants to dominate the airwaves of the news organisations with its own narrative. to that end it has prevented foreign correspondents from entering gaza--so too, for its own reasons, has egypt from its border with gaza..." // paul reynolds, 01.12.09, bbc news
...despite attempts to conceal the terrorist state's latest atrocities, the israeli narrative has long dominated the majority of western, mainstream media coverage--including that of the bbc, sadly. this institutionalized bias is often reinforced by well-orchestrated propaganda campaigns //
...despite attempts to conceal the terrorist state's latest atrocities, the israeli narrative has long dominated the majority of western, mainstream media coverage--including that of the bbc, sadly. this institutionalized bias is often reinforced by well-orchestrated propaganda campaigns //
1.10.2009
spirituality, not religion, makes kids happy...
"...the study shows that children who feel that their lives have meaning and value and who develop deep, quality relationships—both measures of spirituality, the researchers claim—are happier.
personal aspects of spirituality (meaning and value in one's own life) and communal aspects (quality and depth of inter-personal relationships) were both strong predictors of children's happiness..." // 01.09.09, msnbc
personal aspects of spirituality (meaning and value in one's own life) and communal aspects (quality and depth of inter-personal relationships) were both strong predictors of children's happiness..." // 01.09.09, msnbc
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