Rethos.com - gmcheeseman's Global Feed

Disability and Life on the Street

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:01:30 -0400

Life on the Street

I've been putting off writing this entry because I thought it would be best to provide you with images of these hard-working people so that you can see what I am talking about. But every time I went out and I saw a good photo opportunity, I felt embarrassed and guilty for just wanting to take their photo. I can't talk to them because I don't speak Bangla. I can't explain to them that I am advocating for their rights, nor can I convince myself that my motivation is just. If I could only shake o...

Simple Fall 08 Ads

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:56:39 -0400

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Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:56:01 -0400

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Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:54:34 -0400

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Fri, 29 Aug 2008 16:48:15 -0400

Our Photo Gallery

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 11:33:20 -0400

Check out our new photo gallery!

Click HERE to see our projects and volunteers in action.

~ The Mountain Fund

"Small Projects - Big Results"

Paul Hawken (if you need a little inspiration)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:18:49 -0400

This is an inspiring presentation re: the topic of Paul Hawken's most recent book, "Blessed Unrest".

His clear thinking - visionary, yet practical - is exactly what is needed in a world embarking on a global social revolution. Read his books and give them as gifts to everyone you know. Seriously.

Help the Children of Nepal

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:03:57 -0400

The Social Development Centre Nepal has been in effect since 2006. It's a small home for orphans, and half-orphans (single parent invalid or not capable of caring for the child), located in the Kathmandu neighborhood of Khusibu near Naya Bazaar. Here, these children receive nourishment, shelter, education and medical attention.

At the time of this blog, there are currently 12 children at the centre, and one more will arrive within the ...

Common Good Finance's Progress

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:52:10 -0400

Common Food Finance, which was set up to create Common Good Banks, strives to be as transparent, open, and honest as humanly possible. We wholeheartedly believe that an honest society is a fair one, and that without honesty there can be no democracy. So, we are letting you know how the project is going and getting you up to speed.

The project has been going on some form or another for six years now and we're prepared to work as long as it takes to get the bank off the ground. We recognize that most of the social problems we have today, poverty, education underfunding, war, etc., ...

PERU 2008

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 00:30:33 -0400

Join us in PERU ! Aug 9-22, 2008. www.trek4good.org

Your trip fee will help support The Mountain Fund and it's programs in Peru.

The mission of The Mountain Fund is to organize grassroots non-profit and non-governmental organizations from a diversity of disciplines, and to support and coordinate these organizations' efforts to eliminate poverty, its causes and symptoms, in developing mountain communiti...

Easy Ways You Can Help Conserve Rainforests

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:54:33 -0400

1Choose foods grown on farms certified by the Rainforest Alliance

Buy coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate, bananas, orange juice, g...

New comment! - Five Years of Hell in Iraq: May this be the last

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 09:46:56 -0400

There is a new documentary coming out called "Body of War", highlighting the journey of one soldier who was wounded in Iraq, his family, and just what is wrong with *this* picture ie the government, the broken VA system, the dismal reality of life for Iraqis and soldiers coming home... Powerful... Everyone should see it. Co-directed by Phil Donohue, promoted by Bill Moyers. The soldier who is profiled has gone on to produce an album by the same name, to raise awareness of the plight of our wounded and the absurdity of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq. Included in the film are the nam...

Ally Request - Alternative Channel TV

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 07:35:40 -0400

New comment! - Five Years of Hell in Iraq: May this be the last

Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:14:19 -0400

Amen Gina. Thank you for continuing to remind the rethos community that THERE IS A WAR GOING ON OUTSIDE. For people interested in hearing the powerful testimony from US soldiers returned from Iraq, visit Iraq Veterans Against the War at http://ivaw.org/

New comment! - The So-Called Gains in Iraq

Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:55:43 -0500

Gina, A well written survey of the "so-called" gains of the surge. Great sleuthing...you paint a stark but necessary picture of a country destroyed by war.

New comment! - Impeachment: The Dreaded â€˜Iâ€™ Word

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 10:34:09 -0500

First off, thank you for your piece. Itâ€™s a very important issue, and seems to be the most easily avoided by the media. Recently, Senator John Conyers was down in Miami, and I managed to get down there to see him at an ACLU sponsored event. Itâ€™s was a small bunch, maybe forty people, and held in a small auditorium. I am pretty sure that Mr. Conyers would have had to have been totally deaf in order to not hear the uproarious crowd yell for impeachment at every chance they got. And yet, he still managed to skirt the question until the end, where we basically decided that he wasnâ€...

New comment! - Impeachment: The Dreaded â€˜Iâ€™ Word

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:26:33 -0500

Great piece. I wonder what it would actually take to effect the mass media discourse about impeachment so that the discussion isn't centered around: "well he's leaving in a few months."

New comment - Social Change and Food

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:27:07 -0500

Actually, David, for vegans our attitude toward nonhuman animals and our attitude toward human animals are connected already. We begin with nonviolence toward the individual. Respect for the individual's right to live their life free of my interference. Just as I wouldn't breed humans to drag me around on a sled, I wouldn't breed dogs to drag me around on a sled. Just as I wouldn't dominate and control people and use them against their will for my own gain, I wouldn't do so to animals. Slavery in the developed world is history for a reason--it was wrong. The Holocaust and other instan...

New comment - Social Change and Food

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 18:15:43 -0500

Great post. There is a more centrist, less ideological waypoint on some kind of road to Damascus. And that's for us to realize and come to terms with the fact that our attitude towards animals and food is addled with inconsistencies and irrational moralities. In one breath, we are slaves to the idea of local, seasonal and authentic food cultures. But then we count as uncivilized other versions of local, seasonal and authentic food culture: such as Asian cultures' devotion to eating dogmeat, African love for (at times unclean) offal and the gastro hill tribes we try to forget, such as the Pi...

New comment - Social Change and Food

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 07:17:12 -0500

I like me some faux meat that crumbles into red sauce and gives it some chew. The meat-eaters love it, too. As for helping people, Fast Food Nation is a great primer for just how hideously many slaughterhouse workers are treated. For those who love their cheese, just remember that dairy cows are probably the worst treated animals on the menus, and they die horrible deaths. Also, the rennet in cheese comes from calves (as in, VEAL), so cheese has the unique distinction of being one of the most cruelly-produced items you can consume. I hate to be the buzzkill, but if you eat cheese you ...

New comment - Social Change and Food

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 01:35:10 -0500

Hi Mary Some excellent points and although I don't subscribe to a full Vegan fare. (Love my cheese, milk & free range eggs) Maybe if we pushed Alex suggestion a little harder - school training- we might not only stop or reverse: (your quote) "Though we used nonhuman animals for virtually whatever purpose we wanted before then, the Industrial Revolution led to the dominance, control, exploitation, mutilation and slaughter of nonhuman animals as an industry. And as an industry that is part of a capitalist system, its main objective is profit." We might even make some progress to stop ...

New comment! - Impeachment: The Dreaded â€˜Iâ€™ Word

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 21:18:06 -0500

The following letter appeared in my local paper, proving Fresno, CA has more than rednecks, rubes and Republicans: Impeach Bush Fresno Bee 02/19/08 17:18:12 http://www.fresnobee.com/277/story/408025.html The White House has finally admitted that the CIA has waterboarded prisoners in our custody and that President Bush could authorize further use of this tactic in the future. Waterboarding is clearly against international law running contrary to the United Nations Convention Against Torture and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There is also a history of the United States...

Ally Request - Kelly

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:27:53 -0500

Ally Request - Andrew Eastwick

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:20:53 -0500

New comment - Nonviolence: Practical or Practically a Fantasy?

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:46:41 -0500

After posting a comment to this thread I ran into an interesting passage from a biography about Albert Schweitzer by George Seaver:

"[T]here is another another more difficult problem to be solved. All life at the expense of other life: this is an obvious law of the natural world;and man--an ethical and spiritual being---is forced by the selfsame horrible and incomprehensible law to prey on other life, whether animal or vegetable, in order to maintain his own. No one has yet found the thought that will give the answer to this dark and inscrutable riddle of existence; but at least...

New comment! - Giving Up Meat to Help the Environment

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:23:30 -0500

This is precisely why I became a vegan. I miss it, but it just wasn't worth it for me anymore. I guess its just a matter of what you put first. The entire world, or your favorite dinner?

Focus the Nation hiring Organizers for FTN 2009

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:33:13 -0500

National Organizer, Focus the Nation 2009

Description:

In January 2008, Focus the Nation events reached close to one million people in a day of education and civic engagement on global warming solutions taking place at 1,900 locations in all 50 states. 64 members of Congress and 15 Governors’ offices participated in the events along with hundre...

Clif Mojo Project Slingshot: 3 $10k grants for Global Warming Solutions

Thu, 14 Feb 2008 13:47:03 -0500

Are you an outdoor fanatic? An artist? An innovator?

How will you protect the places you love and play, inspire your community, or challenge our expectations?

Clif Mojo and

Ally Request - Darren Ortiz

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 23:04:39 -0500

New comment - Nonviolence: Practical or Practically a Fantasy?

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:08:03 -0500

Oh, and this as well: Ishmael: "To differentiate the violence from the violent man, the sin from the sinner, is indeed often impossible. It has been my experience that after being beaten there is nothing left of the evil that possessed the guy, and all there is now is a poor soul wondering how it came to this. So may be we have to beat the devil out of the guy and stop beating the guywhen the devil has left him. The two are difficult as many have trouble beating anyone, and on the other hand many have trouble to stop beating every one."

New comment - Nonviolence: Practical or Practically a Fantasy?

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:04:38 -0500

Here are a few responses from friends of mine outside of rethos: Mariano: "Kill the f--k-r twice if possible. and don't look back... the attacker got himself in a situation I call "instant karma". -oh yeah- With love." Ishmael: "As soon as fear enters the mind, for personal protection or protection of another, then the reaction can only be violent, against the aggressor, against the other or even against one self. If fear is absent, not overcome or conquered as the military trains its men, because it is still present just subdued and waiting to rise again, as proven times and aga...

New comment - Nonviolence: Practical or Practically a Fantasy?

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:21:57 -0500

Bill, As a student of a nonviolence, this is a question I continue to struggle with on a daily basis. I have come to no conclusions, but I think you are right to doubt whether nonviolence is always the most effective method. As I see it right now, the extent to which a person is willing to forgo violence in the face of aggression is contingent on his/her spiritual beliefs (whether there is a god of judgment, for example) and/or his/her ability to respond with violence. I don't know where I stand - I think I would have to fight back to the best of my ability if forced to confront the "rape ...

New comment - Social Change and Food

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:44:34 -0500

Mary, Wonderful post as usual. These are precisely the philosophical arguments I struggled with in becoming a vegetarian. I hope this sparks good discussion on rethos. The idea that humans have ultimate control over all other sentient creatures is an idea that needs to be reconsidered. Best, Eli

Internship Opportunity - Tour Liaisons

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:51:37 -0500

Internship Opportunity—Tour Liaison
Otesha Cycling and Performing Tours
www.otesha.ca

The Otesha Project is seeking 14 dedicated, organized, fun-loving individuals, aged 18 to 30, to serve as Tour Liaisons for its 2008 cycling and performing tours. As part of a team of 15 to 20 performers, you will take care of all administrative and on-the-road logistics for the tour. Successful candidates will support team members as individuals, foster a positive team environment, support teams in achieving tour object...

Think Democracy's Sexy? Volunteer with AisB!

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:02:17 -0500

As always, if you’re interested in volunteering, get in touch. We need people who can:
- graphic design - research, blog, and write - web design - do some mindless data entry (if you’re in the mood for some tedium, but we try to keep it to a minimum!) - develop website content - translate (English – French) - help out at events (hand out surveys, talk up Apathy, take pictures, sell gear) and a plethora of other things.

Are you looking to get involved in the fight against poverty?

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 13:50:50 -0500

Are you someone whoâ€™s passionate about development? What to get involved in the fight against poverty? Well, this is a message to help you in this quest!!

Iâ€™m sure youâ€™ve encountered multiple messages, similar to this one, that ask you to join the fight against global poverty. But, doesnâ€™t it seem like such a daunting task? In my experience, Iâ€™ve always had a hard time getting involved in poverty reduction and equality without addressing the issues that I see locally, everyday , here in Toronto. So, how can all these considerations be reconciled, and translated i...

Be a Solution Pioneer - the Sustainability Symbol Anniversary February 1, 2008

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 17:49:16 -0500

Almost one year ago we introduced the 3 Finger Sustainability Symbol (Peace Plus One) to the HK Environmental Protection Association. http://www.dragonpreneur.com/images/3fingerPhotos/EPA_0228.jpg http://www.dragonpreneur.com/images/3fingerPhotos/EPAgrp_0256.jpg

Since that time, the Peace Plus One Sustainability Symbol, representing a balanced THINKING considering SOCIETY, ENVIRONMENT and ECONOMY has been shared by hundreds (maybe thousands) of people around the world.

DragonTHINK – h...

Biola ONE Campaign Leader

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 04:54:11 -0400

We need somebody who wants to get a dedicated group of people together to go after the ONE Campaign and get Biola on the map in their Campus Challenge!

It doesn’t take exceptional leadership or skill to get a group going; all it takes is someone willing to do the work. You’ll work with the SJM leaders and meet with them as the group progresses.

Rock on. Josh Penman SJM

Write for Celsias - Climate Change Site

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 22:35:25 -0400

Celsias is rapidly becoming the â€œgo toâ€ online destination for emerging and seasoned writers to showcase their passion for the environment, sustainability and global warming.

Get published alongside world’s climate change thought leaders
Develop an online following
Become a recognized authority online
Be read in over 120 nations
Get paid
Save the world

ONE Campaign's Campus Drive

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 00:50:33 -0400

The ONE Campaign has started a PR drive that focuses around college campuses. It should be lots of fun. It is kind of a contest to see which school can accumulate the most points by engaging in publicity for the ONE Campaign. The school teams win prizes. The ONE Campaign wins more public visibility.

So go ahead. Locate your alma mater (or favorite school) and sign in to help them rack up points and spread an awareness about the ONE Campaign.