Forum Post: Critical Issues and Proposed Solutions
Posted 10 years ago on Aug. 2, 2013, 1:52 p.m. EST by Kavatz
(464)
from Edmonton, AB
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Recommended resources to increase our understanding of the world's most critical issues as well as proposed solutions we can collectively understand.
This is just a quick start to be edited in the future:
Critical Issues (*You'll notice things are getting shuffled down as new posts are created)
.
I'm checking these out now, deciding where stuff belongs:
sprword.com
filmsforaction.org
topdocumentaryfilms.com
trueactivist.com/category/documentaries/
http://www.occupycooperative.com/
Join!
OK It's HERE, under the Initiatives heading, for now.
I was sure I put that on the board already, but thanks for reminding! I know I already lost a few things while editing.
It is on another post. I figure you can't list it too many places or too many times.
Right, I just found it under the Financial Intelligence. Belongs there too, for now. This project is going to take a while, and the initial design/structure will not be complete for probably 50 more posts. But fun so far!
It is exciting to see so many groups have grown out of OWS that are focused on given aspects of the global situation. The insistence on no leadership was perfect -- without an OWS hierarchy developing, the ideas grew into multiple actions by multiple groups.
"without an OWS hierarchy developing, the ideas grew into multiple actions by multiple groups." Ding...ding...ding, exactly.
I don't think many of us are now doing what we thought we would be doing in our struggle when we first joined, but we have learned to adapt and to put aside our differences for the greater good, and we have also for the most part learned to leave our egos behind. Now it's all about networking and building COMMUNITY...increasing RESISTANCE...and REACHING OUT to the yet unaware
~Odin~
Right. I keep reminding myself that two years ago, absolutely nothing was being said about income inequality, police brutality on a national scale, income from wages compared to ceo's income -- none of it. In less than two years, I know I have learned more about different ways of doing things, the need to do things differently, and some ways to start the process than would ever have been the case without OWS. This movement shows that farsightedness is not a common affliction among most politicians and infotainment media. They have been prattling and babbling while many things are afoot within the ranks that are farsighted in nature. But first we had to unlearn practically everything we were told. OWS spawned that awareness.
Very true, Phannya. I've mentioned a number of times that I've learned more about the realities of the world in the time I've been on this website than I learned in the previous 10 years, at least. It's been an eye-opening experience.
Only 10 years for you, eh g?...lol
~Odin~
Well, . . . . maybe just a little longer, heheh.
I didn't want to date myself too bad, lol.
No, no one can be particularly happy about being 90! But it is better than the alternative...lol
I'm just ragging on you to toughen you up for doing battle on here. That's all ;-)
*~Odin~"
Heheheh. I deserved that after my crack last night about your "advanced age."
Touché, my friend. Touché, heheh.
We are all learning and growing as we go, and we are feeding off each other's energy.
Few of us knew so much two years ago, nor did most of us know that we were not alone in the detrimental ways neoliberalism is playing out on us and our loved ones
Or did we realize that this corrupt agenda is something that we don't have to accept as inevitable, hence something we all have to adapt to. It isn't and we won't.
And still fewer of us were born with a manual on organizing and a how to run a rev in our hands, but once again, we are learning
This revolution will proceed whether the corrupt elite like it or not. The cat has not only gotten out of the bag, but she is having babies!...lol
On a side note, you didn't mean to have the "not" when talking about politicians "farsightedness", did you?
~Odin~
I meant they are not farsighted; hell, they don't even have 20/20 hindsight!
I thought so
~Odin~
Replace your "about Monsanto" bullet point with my post. Not trying to toot my own horn because it's been a collaborative project, and it has more links than any single web site I've seen with more to come shortly.
Exactly what I was thinking. I think I have a moment coming up to edit some things.
I like the collaborative effort you guys have accomplished here
~Odin~
Thanks for noticing! I'm hoping a shipload of others post links and people comment. We should be able to sort them based on quality. Mostly hoping for video/audio, short articles. Another thing is solutions and initiatives, real news channels and subscriptions. Which reminds me, better throw Anonymous and The Occupy Money Cooperative up there.
Good job Kavatz. As i have said before one of the things that Occupy must do is reach out to people who have suffered the corrosive effects of neoliberalism for far longer, and to a far greater degree than most of us have
So again I'll put this link up;
http://www.centerfornuleadership.org/
"If you give me a fish you have fed me for a day. If you teach me how to fish then you fed me until the river is contaminated and the shoreline seized for development. But if you teach me how to organize, then whatever the challenge I can join together with my peers and we will fashion our own solution. Anonymous
As far as I can see, the art of organizing was near dead until Occupy resuscitated it. Now it's time to strengthen it
Solidarity Kavatz...~Odin~
Hehe, I was just reading that before falling asleep a little while ago. Needed a computer to see Background. Thanks for bumping it up though.
Hey, Odin.
That's what it's all about, eh?
That's it exactly g...collaborating with others, and leaving your egos behind
Hopefully this forum can be used more in such a manner. Wouldn't that be great?
I see this type of thing a lot in the streets, as it is not all protests and demonstrations
I just mentioned to shadz that I told a young lady in NY who was eager to learn more about Occupy to look for his (shadz) comments and threads on here. Errr...i forgot about you g...dang!...lol She is also working on some sort of project concerning the PIC, and i suggested she read The Real War On Crime. Although it was written in 1996 i believe, much is applicable today, and in some ways it's kind of a neat way to see how things have panned out since that time. She wrote all this down too.
I did forget to tell her about a guy named, Dr Divine Pryor who speaks all over the country, and who i met at Columbia Uni... over the winter on that community symposium which was basically about the effects of incarceration on inner-city neighborhoods. He offered to do an OTS event if we had one in Brooklyn where his group, Center For Nuleadership On Urban Solutions is based, and it is also the same neighborhood where this young lady lives.
Anyway, i will probably see her again when I go to NY Sunday for #1984Day, and I will give her his card then
"If you want to go quickly, go alone; if you want to go further, go together." ....African Proverb
http://www.centerfornuleadership.org/
~Odin~
If you had to name one person that has been the most informative on this site, it'd be shadz hands down. Did you tell her the details about how to do a search of the archives?
That would be interesting to see how much has changed between 1996 and now in regards to the PIC. How long ago was it when you last read it? I imagine it would be eye-opening. The raw statistics alone are shocking.
Good quote also. And I'll have a look at that link as well. I do remember you mentioning going to that symposium over the winter.
I've often thought, that shadz' stellar & extraordinary work here, warranted having a "Shadz Library" at the top of the page.
That's an interesting thought. Of course, an archive search would bring up all his posts, too.
Oh, hello, by the way. What brings you on at such a late hour, my dear?
I'm actually too tired to write much, but I couldn't resist when I saw all the familiar faces.
Well, glad to see you make a rare appearance. I'm sure some of the forum misses you, heheh.
But we should also apologize to Kavatz for usurping his post for idle, off-topic chit-chat, I think.
Sorry, Kavatz.
Not a problem at all.
Ah, you are still here. Thought you might have logged off.
And we can always delete these comments tomorrow if you want us to. But I imagine what's important to you are the links you're putting at the top. Good idea, by the way. We did have an old post somewhere that had a nice list of important documentaries but I don't know who posted it originally. It would go well on here.
And a long time ago Matt had a post where he kept all the posts organized for quick and easy searches, but when I did an archive search earlier tonight I didn't see it.
Someone went stinkle crazy. As of it matters anymore.
Ya, hard for me to get a solid block of time on here.
Let's keep the posts.
Sounds good. We'll leave the thread as it is then.
LOL> Stinkle crazy.
Looks like illusionman lives.
Someone new has taken up the mantle. But I won't go into details as to who.
But he has taken on a new form
~Odin~
Yes shadz is not only informative, he understands fully what our struggle is about, and what we need to do to achieve our goals
He is also one classy dude
I have not reread that book in its entirety, but I have used it often for research, and i keep it handy
Truly as i mentioned in a recent comment, in many ways that book was a game changer for me, as for the first time I realized that things weren't as they seemed, and it opened my eyes, and forced me to challenge a whole array of my preconceived notions on a lot of issues. It made me ready for Occupy...;-)
Errr...thanks g for holding down the fort when i was out frollicing on my bike. BTW, I'm down 2 mph on my average since when I was riding on a regular basis...and i thought i was going to die on my 7 mi ride!...lol
~Odin~
Yeah, shadz is an admirable chap. ;-) He definitely has a grasp of the bigger picture. It's interesting that he seems to know more about the real situation here than most Americans. But then, it's not only a 'forest-trees' thing, but he hasn't been subjected to the relentless programming and dumbing-down we Americans have. It probably also helps a bit that his parents were well-educated. That's always a plus when you're growing up.
Hey, i don't want to hear that "I thought I was gonna die" crap, you hear? You're still healthy as a horse, man.
But one of these days in the distant future, you'll start to feel all those years, heheh.
Another thing g, I also wonder how the British people were taken in by neoliberalism too. I suspect that they went through a similar conditioning to what we did. It did all start mostly with Thatcher and Reagan, andI think in particular it all started with the coal miner's strikes, and progressed, or rather regressed from there. We should ask him. Ya think it would be OK to wake him?. ;-)
~Odin~
Should we wake him? Absolutely. What is it in the UK right now? 6:00 AM, I think? Yeah, he's had enough sleep. ;-)
I've wondered about the connections between the US and UK for a long time now. I realize we're 'allies' and all, but I wonder how deep it really goes. And their post-WWII situation was a lot different over there than here, from what little I know about it. There were periods where they were struggling economically while we were thriving, I think.
We did seem to get pretty cozy during the Reagan-Thatcher years, though. But at that time I wasn't paying a lot of attention to politics so there's a lot I probably missed.
I'd definitely like to hear his take on this. I'm sure I'd learn quite a bit from it.
Yep, it's 6:11 am now. Agreed he's slept long enough! This is important too.
It goes back to at least Churchill's time who knew that Britain' well-being is tied directly to their strong relationship with us. We dictate for the most part I believe, and no doubt we both answer to a more invisible power...$. I remember reading how shitty Rob Emanuel (when he was Obama's right hand man) treated Tony Blair while at the White House.
~Odin~
I definitely would like to hear shadz take on the relationship of our countries. And read his ICH links about it, heheh.
Yep, definitely it went back to at least Churchill. I don't remember the details because I only saw it once, but I thought I heard the British kind of 'persuaded' us into WWI as well. Churchill coercing us into WWII is pretty well-known, but I don't think the WWI connection is that well-known. Wish I could remember the details, though. It was on a documentary I watched years ago. I'm sure it's on-line somewhere, though, if I wanted to dig for it.
I don't know the details of World War I, but in World War II Churchill was pleading with Roosevelt to get into it before Britain was lost
I've always like that movie that took place in Montanna where the 3 sons go off to fight in WWI after the old man who fought in the Indian Wars tried to pursuade them not to because he knew wars were just fought for money
Good Night g
~Odin~
"Chap"? Yeah i guess he has had an affect on you too! Builder is another one of them there foreigners who's trying to teach us Yanks' what is going on. I got a kick out of his use of that word, 'trying', as i think he said that he was 'trying' at times lol*. My ex used to say that about me too....hmmm?. ;-)
Having a good education is a wonderful thing, but you do not have to necessarily attend a school to be educated, and shadz is proof-positive of that fact,
Many children of the privileged..$..are pampered, and cannot handle life nor do they have the drive of children of blue collar workers. They have seen their parents struggle and work hard, and that is the impetus and encouragement that they need to do the same in either their job or in university. Unfortunately today as you know a college education is becoming an elitist thing as the cost has sky-rocketed, and the lack of jobs commensurate with their education is a huge problem as they cannot afford to pay for their loans off working at WalMart. The only good thing, I think, is these young people are now, and will continue to be what propels this movement more than anything else...and they have tons of energy
Thanks for the heads-up on getting old...AH! lol! One of my mottos has been, if you're going dish it, you have to be able to take it....;-)
~Odin~
I remember that 'trying' comment from Builder not too long ago. That was a good double entendre.
That's true, of course, about the educated. I might be wrong, but I thought I shadz said at least one of his parents was an educator, maybe a college prof. But like you say, that's doesn't guarantee the kid will grow up to be any smarter or more well-adjusted. So, in his case, a healthy dose of DNA surely comes into play. What do they say? You're the result of 50% environment and 50% genetics. Not everyone is lucky enough to have both working in their favor (Lord knows I can attest to that, lol). And he's blessed with that inquisitive mind that never tires of learning. That's one of the keys, definitely. I've known a number of people growing up that stopped reading after high school.
And that crack about getting old? Hell, I tried, but couldn't resist. When you told me how you got that recent hernia, I thought "Damn, I couldn't do that in my prime let alone at your advanced age."
Ouch! I'll stop now, heheh. And if we ever meet in public, you have every right to put this youngin' in his place. ;-)
I don't know about shadz parents, but he does not have a formal education which amazed me as he is such a smart dude. My mom was very intelligent (my dad was no dummy either), but not a lot of women went onto college back then. She did go to a business school for only a year though.I have never had such a yearning to learn as I do now
I have mentioned on here, my daughter who is a PD is the only one of her peers that are from a blue collar family, and that to a degree I think is an advantage as she can relate to her clients who are mostly from blue collar backgrounds. I like to tease her, saying that I could have really used her services 40 or so years ago...lol
~Odin~
Hey, I could've used your daughter's services about 40 years ago, too, heheheh. But I agree about coming from a blue-collar background helping her have a better perspective. On a related note, I think most, if not all, rich people should've been poor at some time in their life. Think about how many of them might have turned out more altruistic. The world would be a far better place now, I think.
OK, so we would have been in the same boat or paddy wagon back then seeking her services...;-)
I don't want to be a contrarian for the sake of being one but I'm not sure if that's true, that when you go come from being poor to being rich, that you are more likely to be empathetic to those who aren't. There is an old saying that has some truth from my experiences in life, and that is, 'Old money is usually cool money,' as they know how to handle it, but that's a huge generalization and it does fly in the face of the corrupt elite who have perpetuated the greed today. Those guys are in a different stratosphere
We lived in one of the richest towns in Vermont, Dorset (only because we bought at the right time)... and i knew many of those people including a descendant of JP Morgan, and as far meeting and conversing with them, most of them were quite amicable. The way many of their family obtained their money tho.., that's a different story. I guess in some cases, you could say it was cleansed over generations
Good Night g
~Odin~
Yeah, I guess it isn't a good thing to generalize too much about human nature. We're complicated beasts and each one of us is unique, for better or worse.
Good night, Odin. See you tomorrow.
Replying here; From ~Odin~
(Quote)We were talking about you Builder being a bit 'trying'....lol Are you 'pissed'? That word has a different meaning in Oz too
Both that word and 'doddery' ....which you helped me spell correcty (Thanks) were words my Kiwi wife used, so i was not surprised with your affinity to both of them
Good Night ~Odin~ (unquote)
I once had a thread on a forum that was all about acronyms and mischief. It also topped the googly search for "vocabulary improvement" for nine months straight.
And yes, for sure, I can be very trying. But sometimes informative. I mostly come here to find out the latest that arrives here via various sources.
Good Morning B. I would like to see that thread some day. And you're not trying......well maybe a little, but no more than me. ;-) For all the forum's faults, this has always been a wonderful place to learn
~Odin~
Interesting conversation, people.
Do carry on.
"I never wished evil upon the VQ. Just some honesty, occasionally."
I agree. I think he and I butted heads far more than anyone on here that I can think of. It got quite heated there a few times. I'll admit, he's the only forum member that ever seriously got my blood boilin'.
But I never wished him harm either. He was one of us, for better or worse.
The VQ. Heheheh.
Viktor he may have been.
It's life, but not as we know it.
"Funny that I can't even think of one his many other handles."
You know, I have wondered what ever happened to VQkag, VQkag2, inclusionman, Imagine40, and repubsRtheProb?
Hmmm, I probably left one or two out.
I'm thinking something tragic, because there's no way that man would've left on his own. He liked the attention too much. And if he was still around, he would've let his guard down by now and started showing his oh-so familiar 'tells.'
But as dead as this place has become, I'm almost beginning to miss him.
Heheheh, not really.
LOL. I know what you're saying.
And as much as we clashed, I seriously hope that he/she's okay.
I never wished evil upon the VQ. Just some honesty, occasionally.
"Seems like we're watching the embers glowing a little."
Ah, I see you've been watching, heheheh.
Funny you mention that "familiarity" quote again. That's a coincidence because I was just mentioning that very thing to someone not too long ago.
We were taiking about you Builder being a bit 'trying'....lol Are you 'pissed'? That word has a different meaning in Oz too
Both that word and 'doddery' ....which you helped me spell correcty (Thanks) were words my Kiwi wife used, so i was not surprised with your affinity to both of them
Good Night ~Odin~
It's simply human nature, when we're covering the same ground over and over again. I'm pretty sure that the trolls and paid hacks (yes, we know you're here) bend and twist conversations back to old ground for that very reason.
Nice to see some people of similar vintage to myself steering this ship back into calmer waters.
"Nice to see you are supporting our friend Shadz, and keeping this place operational."
Well, we could always use the extra hand but it sounds like you have a pretty full plate right now. Maybe things will slow down in a month or two and you'll be around a bit more.
And what the hell? It's 2:50 on the east coast and someone actually downvoted you already. Oh well, let's not spoil a good convo by going there.
We spoke about how forums can hit these flat spots, where regulars start taking potshots at eachother, and familiarity can breed contempt. Call me chicken, but that's generally when I sit back and wait for the flames to burn low again.
Seems like we're watching the embers glowing a little.
Hey B!
"Nice to see some people of similar vintage to myself steering this ship back into calmer waters."
Yep, it's a good thing we have a few 'cooler heads' around here. I can't really take any credit for that, seeing as I had a three-day head-butting session last weekend with someone. But I will give a 'wee' bit of credit to shadz (again) for reminding me of the bigger picture. Sometimes it gets a bit fuzzy from my perspective. ;-)
It sure does. Shadz pulled me up a few times as well.
Was wondering just the other day what happened to Delusionman.
Funny that I can't even think of one his many other handles.
Well, hey, B. Haven't seen your face for a while.
How is every fracking thing?
Hmmm, good question, Gno.
Hey Kavatz. Keep up the good work with the alternate system/s.
I drop in for a read, once in a while. Got local things happening here that are taking my time. Community garden in the planning stages, getting the constitution happening. Didn't want to go that path, but I'm only one cog in the wheel.
Work is also needing to be done, because like it or not, cash is still required to exist in this plastic world.
Nice to see you are supporting our friend Shadz, and keeping this place operational.
http://occupywallst.org/forum/how-do-we-defeat-the-new-world-order-and-globalism/
http://occupywallst.org/forum/equishift-resources-democracy-and-politics/
Good list, thanks!
i thought so.