Oklahoma Declaring Independence?
Walter Williams points out that what we usually call “The Civil War” was not really that at all. In a civil war, two factions fight for control of a government. But the South wanted to get out of...
View ArticleSomethin’ Happenin’ Here
When the Bulls were winning NBA championships, you could step into any elevator in the city and feel the vibe, the anticipation, the density or pressure of everybody paying attention, focusing. Perfect...
View ArticleInviting Democracy
NYTimes reporting this week… Few Americans have heard of Gene Sharp. But for decades, his practical writings on nonviolent revolution — most notably From Dictatorship to Democracy, a 93-page guide to...
View ArticleRegional Economic Communities
My friend Tim Reeves, in Munich, has been working on something called Regional Economic Communities. I’m just starting to explore his ideas, but I’m intrigued because he (and co-author Anna-Lisa...
View ArticleEgyptian Youth in Open Space
In the turbulent times following the Egyptian uprising and Mubarek resignation, a group called the Egyptian Youth Federation has begun convening youth leadership forums in Open Space, around a theme of...
View Articlethe essence of invitation
“i’m going, because it matters. come with me. we need you.” this is, to me, the essence of invitation. harrison owen reported recently, via the OSLIST, on a conversation with a woman who was in the...
View ArticleOccupy and Commons
i’ve been thinking about the notion of “commons” and it’s popped up in a number of conversations lately. here’s a quick explanation lifted from “Commons Not Capitalism,” a day 20 report posted about a...
View Articlesilent night / newtown news
years ago, simon and garfunkel recorded a song called silent night/7 o’clock news. in one channel, they sang the old christmas song we all know. but in the other, they played news reports of the day,...
View ArticleThe Limits of the Microphone?
Friend and colleague Koos de Heer shared this video on Facebook today, and sparked a small chain reaction for me. First, at its climax, last 30 or 45 seconds, Chaplin cries: “let us fight…!” Yes, to...
View ArticleFree Speech, Free Listening
This is a remarkable little experiment with huge implications and potential. Lucas Cioffi took some dining room chairs down to the local pedestrian mall, put signs on the back offering “Free Speech,”...
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