more atheists shout it from the rooftops...

more than ever, america’s atheists are linking up and speaking out... despite changing attitudes, polls continue to show that atheists are ranked lower than any other minority or religious group when americans are asked whether they would vote for or approve of their child marrying a member of that group. // laurie goodstein, 04.26.09, new york times

news flash: populism is popular...

...admittedly, contradiction is everywhere: republican rallies bewail deficits the GOP manufactured, and democrats lament deregulatory schemes they originally crafted. but no matter how hypocritical the response is, it is a response, and that represents change from decades of aloof government. it suggests a democratic renewal whereby populism--i.e., advocating what the public wants--isn't merely one popular brand of politics, but is politics itself. // david sirota, 04.25.09, alternet

bunny/iceland/burn...

( caught this quick, little fur ball in my living room... eventually )

( spook 'n ma watching 'heima' )

( always wear sunscreen... or not )

( performances by beirut )

the idea of a self-adjusting market implies a stark utopia. such an institution cannot exist for any length of time without annihilating the human and natural substance of society; it physically destroys man and transforms his surroundings into a wilderness // karl polanyi

...can we all govern?

( us now )

...an interesting co. & op.

MASS LBP. reinventing public consultation. //

a lexicon of disappointment...

all is not well in obamafanland. it's not clear exactly what accounts for the change of mood. maybe it was the rancid smell emanating from treasury's latest bank bailout. or the news that the president's chief economic adviser, larry summers, earned millions from the very wall street banks and hedge funds he is protecting from reregulation now. or perhaps it began earlier, with obama's silence during israel's gaza attack. whatever the last straw, a growing number of obama enthusiasts are starting to entertain the possibility that their man is not, in fact, going to save the world if we all just hope really hard. this is a good thing. if the superfan culture that brought obama to power is going to transform itself into an independent political movement, one fierce enough to produce programs capable of meeting the current crises, we are all going to have to stop hoping and start demanding. the first stage, however, is to understand fully the awkward in-between space in which many US progressive movements find themselves. to do that, we need a new language, one specific to the obama moment. here is a start... // naomi klein, 04.15.09, the nation

captain planet v. der führer...

beautiful city billboard free...

an initiative to place a charge on billboard advertisers through an annual license-fee. the revenue generated from these fees would go towards bylaw enforcement and art in the public sphere. a priority would be put towards marginalized communities and youth arts. sign the petition. //

agustín escobar...

( 1922 - 2009 )

the people speak...

new city in florida to run on solar power...

a florida developer announced an ambitious plan for a 19,500-home city with energy-efficient buildings that will be "the first city on earth powered by zero-emission solar energy.'' the new city, babcock ranch, will be developed by kitson & partners on 17,000 acres northeast of fort myers. it will include the world's largest photovoltaic power plant. buildings will be certified green and surrounded by thousands of acres of open space. "we're out to prove that it works economically,'' developer syd kitson told the miami herald. "and it's the right thing to do for the long-term solutions in this country.'' // john dorschner, 04.10.09, miami herald

pagan origins of easter...

many, perhaps most, pagan religions in the mediterranean area had a major seasonal day of religious celebration at or following the spring equinox. cybele, the phrygian fertility goddess, had a fictional consort who was believed to have been born via a virgin birth. he was attis, who was believed to have died and been resurrected each year during the period MAR-22 to MAR-25. he was a god of ever-reviving vegetation. born of a virgin, he died and was reborn annually. the festival began as a day of blood on black friday and culminated after three days in a day of rejoicing over the resurrection.

wherever christian worship of jesus and pagan worship of attis were active in the same geographical area in ancient times, christians "used to celebrate the death and resurrection of jesus on the same date; and pagans and christians used to quarrel bitterly about which of their gods was the true prototype and which the imitation."

many religious historians believe that the death and resurrection legends were first associated with attis, many centuries before the birth of jesus. they were simply grafted onto stories of jesus' life in order to make christian theology more acceptable to pagans. others suggest that many of the events in jesus' life that were recorded in the gospels were lifted from the life of krishna, the second person of the hindu trinity. ancient christians had an alternative explanation; they claimed that satan had created counterfeit deities in advance of the coming of christ in order to confuse humanity. // b.a. robinson, 04.11.07, religious tolerance

...on a lighter note:

supernews, 04.03.09...

c.i.a. shuts down its secret prisons...

the US has stopped running its global network of secret prisons, CIA director leon panetta has announced. "CIA no longer operates detention facilities or black sites," mr. panetta said in a letter to staff. remaining sites would be decommissioned, he said. the "black sites" were used to detain terrorism suspects, some of whom were subjected to interrogation methods described by many as torture. president obama vowed to shut down the facilities shortly after taking office. // 04.09.09, bbc news

pixação...

dr. doom on the hour...

( george interviews nouriel roubini, economist )

message placement...

the bill and melinda gates foundation, brimming with billions of dollars from mr. gates and warren buffett, is well known for its myriad projects around the world to promote health and education. it is less well known as a behind-the-scenes influencer of public attitudes toward these issues by helping to shape story lines and insert messages into popular entertainment like the television shows “ER,” “law & order: SVU” and “private practice.” the foundation’s messages on HIV prevention, surgical safety and the spread of infectious diseases have found their way into these shows.

now the foundation is set to expand its involvement and spend more money on influencing popular culture through a deal with viacom, the parent company of MTV and its sister networks VH1, nickelodeon and BET. It could be called “message placement”: the social or philanthropic corollary to product placement deals in which marketers pay to feature products in shows and movies. instead of selling coca-cola or GM cars, they promote education and healthy living. // tim arango & brian stelter, 04.01.09, new york times

change how the world works? yes, we can...

in the times last week hugo rifkind threw down the gauntlet to demonstrators protesting at the G20 summit to “formulate a coherent argument” and “propose some sort of feasible alternative to the world economy instead of just bitching about it and blowing your bloody whistles.”

humorous disciples of neoliberalism too often delight in ridiculing critics through caricature. so i welcome this opportunity to point out that we not only offered cogent reasons why capital and trade liberalisation aggravate global inequality, but predicted that they would prove destabilising as well. we not only argued that stock market and property bubbles were no substitutes for productive investment, but predicted that these bubbles would pop, leaving wreckage in their wake. and we predicted that, whatever one might say about markets in general, free-market finance and free-market environmentalism were accidents waiting to happen.

yet rifkind and others are right to ask what we want instead. our answer is simple: we want to empower people to protect themselves and the natural environment from the damage caused by neoliberal capitalism. but we also want to replace the economics of competition and greed with the economics of equitable cooperation so we are not forever fighting defensive battles to mitigate environmental destruction and economic injustice, and so we need not fear that a crisis such as this will happen again...// robin hahnel, 04.01.09, the times

bill moyers interviews william k. black...

doctors urge end to corporate ties...

a group of prominent physicians and researchers on wednesday urged professional medical groups to “wean” themselves from industry support and move toward a complete ban on corporate money for things like souvenir pens, tote bags and the sponsorships of committees that develop clinically important guidelines and training programs... the authors acknowledged that while it would be difficult, even painful, to carry out the reforms, they were essential if physician associations are to maintain their scientific integrity and the trust of their patients. // roni caryn rabin, 04.01.09, new york times