GlobalPatriot

While kudos are due to the many millions of global citizens who loudly protested the proposed SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) legislation, which resulted in the bills being shelved, it is likely that similar bills, with similar restrictions on our freedom to communicate, will come to light after the presidential elections. “Congressional leaders on Friday indefinitely shelved two antipiracy bills that had rallied the Internet and rocked Capitol Hill, dealing a major... Read Full Story

I often ask people just how long we’ve know about climate change / global warming. Those folks who have been following the topic have an answer that’s in the ballpark, but at least half of those questioned reply along the lines of, “Probably 7 or 8 years.” “ Current human activities – such as the widespread burning of fossil fuels to run power plants and vehicles – are releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere (gases so named because they trap heat much as the... Read Full Story

It’s become a common practice at the beginning of a new year to re-evaluate where we’ve been and set our sights on the upcoming twelve months.  My forward focus is always the same, how to make the world a better place, but as the saying goes, the devil is in the details, and that means evaluating just who we are on the inside, what makes us tick, or tock, and think about how we might change our behaviour. Beyond my own soul searching (damn I need to be far more focused and productive!) I... Read Full Story

A close friend once said, “To be human, is to have ailments.”  This wasn’t meant to be a depressing statement, but rather a simple reminder that the human body has a tendency to break down over time.  Some of us don’t give the matter much thought, choosing to live a life of indulgence, only to live out our later years paying the price.  Many others spend considerable effort attempting to mitigate the process by eating only organic foods, consuming the latest supplements or adopting very... Read Full Story

For generations, the expression, “Tis better to give than to receive” has resonated with most of us, regardless of our nationality, ethnicity or religion.  Not because we were told to think that way, or because we read it in a holy scripture, but because the selfless act of helping others nourishes our soul in such a fundamental way. Within Giving 2.0: Transform Your Giving and Our World , Laura Arrillaga-Andreessen provides an update on the nature of giving, and the art and science of... Read Full Story

It’s not often that we get to spend an entire day immersed in intelligence, inspiration and insights, but that pretty much sums up the comments I heard during Saturday’s 2011 TEDx San Diego .  Billed as The World In Our Grasp , 26 esteemed speakers took the audience down a winding path of discovery, from Self, to Community, then Global viewpoints before wrapping up with Seeds of Change – how we can all get involved. No Shortage of Incredible Ideas There’s no can’t, just will or won’t The... Read Full Story

I’m in London at the moment and paid a visit this morning to the Occupy London encampment outside St Paul’s Cathedral .  Since the Occupy Wall Street protest began, and subsequently spread to dozens of other cities around the world, I’ve tried to get my mind around the intent, purpose, idea, and end game of it all. That hasn’t been an easy task for anyone,  as this groundswell phenomenon occured without any leader, organization, or defined manfesto.  It’s really been about venting anger and... Read Full Story

The Story of Stuff Project is legendary, and once again, Annie Leonard and the folks at Free Range Studios are about to share some insights on our tough financial crisis.  It’s just one point of view, and as such I encourage all of you to seek out additional information on a critical topic affecting millions of Americans, but Annie does present some interesting views on the current state of this country’s dire monetary situation. Click here to view the embedded video. What are your thoughts... Read Full Story

In a previous post Mark Goodkin talked about why We Need a Conversational Shift  - explaining how our society has, to a large extent devolved into an ‘us against them’ situation instead of both sides working together in order to solve critical problems.  In this followup article, Mark discusses the notion of creating solutions that bring together the best ideas from both sides – similar to how a symphony is created by utilizing the unique attributes of all the instruments at hand. We Need... Read Full Story

While counting the world’s population is an extremely difficult thing to accomplish, and various organizations publish different numbers, according to estimates coming from the United Nations, the world reached the 7 billion mark on October 31, 2011. How we got to this lofty number, and what the future holds, is an interesting tale. 1 Billion by 1800 (250,000 years) 2 Billion by 1930 (130 years) 3 Billion by 1960 (30 years) 4 Billion by 1974 (14 years) 5 Billion by 1987 (13 years) 6 Billion... Read Full Story