From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It’ll teach you something, it’ll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.
Archive for December, 2007
The Story of Stuff
Posted by thefungus on December 31, 2007
Posted in Consumption/Consumerism, Environment, machine, Uncategorized | Tagged: consumption, corporation, Environment, government, happiness, health, production, sustainability, the machine, waste | 1 Comment »
Wreck Beach – Dec 15, 2007
Posted by thefungus on December 16, 2007
Posted in Art, Environment | 2 Comments »
Does nature experience love?
Posted by thefungus on December 15, 2007
I think it does…. a few of us went down to the beach today when the rain stopped and the clouds kind of cleared, and we brought along a camera. As we started taking some sweet shots of the sunshine breaking through the dark clouds and reflecting off of the wet sand, we noticed a seagull that was just chillin. It was standing in a shallow pool and his (her?) body remained completely still for at least 5 minutes. Was he merely taking a moment’s break in his ongoing quest for safety, security, and satisfying his basic needs? Or was he pondering, perhaps contemplating the meaning of life? Perhaps he was as awestruck as we were at the amazing symmetry found in nature. As we stared out into the water, we noticed a family of ducks just chillin out in the water. They were bobbing up and down, back and forth, completely in rhythm to the lull of the ocean. Completely at peace….
The pace of life of nature is wonderful. How different our lives are…. perpetually rushing through the hyperactive business culture lifestyle that we feel is natural, yet in reality is completely out of touch with nature.
The incredible beauty found in nature and in life is anything but ‘simple’… but the ‘simple’ life (as our society loves to derogatorily call it) is so much more vibrant, gentle, compassionate, organic, and fulfilling than a life clung to material desires.
Peace and Love,
Posted in Consumption/Consumerism, Environment, love, The Goodness | Tagged: climate change, fulfillment, global warming, happiness, love, peace, simple life, soul, spirituality, unity | Leave a Comment »
Immortal Technique – Failla
Posted by thefungus on December 15, 2007
BIO:
Felipe Coronel (born February 19, 1978), better known as Immortal Technique, is a hip hop MC and political activist. He is of Afro-Peruvian descent and was raised in Harlem, New York. Most of his lyrics focus on socio-political issues. The views expressed in his lyrics are largely a mixture of commentary on issues such as poverty, religion, and racism. He also focuses on the harsh resulting realities of criminality in the housing projects of New York City‘s slums.
Although he has been offered a deal with at least one major record label,[1][2] he has never signed to any. Immortal Technique has voiced a desire to keep control over his production, and has made statements in his music that he is very aware that it is record companies, not the artists themselves, who profit the most from mass production and marketing of music.
He releases his music through, and is also the president of, Viper Records. However, to reach wider audiences, Immortal Technique’s next projects will be distributed by Babygrande Records.
Posted in Art, empire, machine, poetry, resistance | Tagged: empire, machine, Resistence | 1 Comment »
Driving….
Posted by thefungus on December 13, 2007
I’ve had an epiphany… and this one centres around the way I drive my car. I know I shouldn’t be driving, but unfortunately my job and my life require the odd trip in what my mother refers to as the “gear shifting junker”, or something to that effect. Those of you who know me and have driven with me can attest that I love to drive, and the old ’88 lude still handles and performs as well as almost any other (poor man’s) sports car on the road. But I think this driving attitude has come to an end. No longer am I going to 1) waste gas 2) harm the environment 3) get stressed out – by driving fast… i’ve decided to slow right down, and in doing so i kinda hope to slow down other people too… maybe it’ll make them appreciate the scenery, or perhaps focus on the song that’s playing on the radio, or get them to relax a little more… or at least save money on gas.
I think it’s more rebellious to drive slow now than it is to drive fast…. if we’re gonna slow the machine down a little, why not start on the road?!
Posted in Consumption/Consumerism, empire, Environment, fungus, machine, The Goodness | Tagged: , driving, machine | Leave a Comment »
Aldous Huxley
Posted by thefungus on December 13, 2007
Aldous Huxley is an intellect of the highest order… I thought I’d re-read some “Doors of Perception” after watching the huxley interview posted. Here’s an excerpt from that book:
“The sum of evil, Pascal remarked, would be much diminished if men could only learn to sit quietly in their rooms. The contemplative whose perception has been cleansed does not have to stay in his room. He can go about his business, so completely satisfied to see and be a part of the divine Order of Things that he will never even be tempted to indulge in what Traherne called “the dirty Devices of the world.” When we feel ourselves to be sole heirs of the universe, when “the sea flows in our veins… and the stars are our jewels,” when all things are perceived as infinite and holy, what motive can we have for covetousness or self-assertation, for the pursuit of power or the drearier forms of pleasure? Contemplatives are not likely to become gamblers, or procurers, or drunkards; they do not as a rule preach intolerance, or make war; do not find it necessary to rob, swindle or grind the faces of the poor… The arhat and the quietist may not practice contemplation in its fullness; but if they practice it at all, they may bring back enlightening reports of another, a transcendent country of the mind; and if they practice it in height, they will become conduits through which some beneficent influence can flow out of that other country into a world of darkened selves, chronically dying for lack of it”. (The Doors of Perception, p.44)
Posted in love, poetry, quotes, The Goodness | Tagged: , aldous huxley, contemplatives, love, perception, spirituality | 1 Comment »
The 9 phases of interspirituality as explained by wayne teasdale
Posted by thefungus on December 13, 2007
A universal spirituality is eminently practical in nine ways and, through these ways, becomes immensely transformative of the individual, the community, and the world. Interspirituality finds these nine elements in the mature expressions of spirituality in every tradition – that is, in their saints or mystics. These include 1. an actualized moral capacity; 2. a sense of solidarity and interdependence with all beings; 3. deep nonviolence; 4. humility of heart; 5. a spiritual practice; 6. mature self-knowledge; 7. simplicity of life; 8. love in action, or compassionate service; and 9. prophetic voice, or witness, and action. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Articles, fungus, love, quotes, The Goodness | Tagged: interspirituality, love, peace, wayne teasdale | 1 Comment »
Aldous Huxley Interview
Posted by thefungus on December 12, 2007
Posted in Uncategorized, Video | Tagged: ecology, education, evolution, human potential, Huxley, progress, psychology, visionary | Leave a Comment »
The Low Road
Posted by thefungus on December 11, 2007
What can they do
to you? Whatever they want.
They can set you up, they can
bust you, they can break
your fingers, they can
burn your brain with electricity,
blur you with drugs till you
can’t walk, can’t remember, they can
take your child, wall up
your lover. They can do anything
you can’t stop them
from doing. How can you stop
them? Alone, you can fight,
you can refuse, you can
take what revenge you can
but they roll over you.
But two people fighting
back to back can cut through
a mob, a snake-dancing file
can break a cordon, an army
can meet an army.
Posted in poetry, Uncategorized | Tagged: community, hope, love, Resistence, the machine | Leave a Comment »
Sign an email petition to tell Harper to shape up in Bali UN Summit on climate change
Posted by thefungus on December 11, 2007
Dear friends,
Right now, a major UN summit in Bali has just a few days left to hammer out an agreement on stopping catastrophic climate change. But instead of helping out, Canada is actually sabotaging the UN talks! On Saturday, experts gave us the global “fossil” award for being the worst country in the world on climate change.
There’s still a few days left to save Canada’s reputation — and the climate — but we need a massive democratic roar to remind our Prime Minister what Canada is all about, and stop him from blocking the world at Bali. Click below to sign the petition and we’ll advertize the number of signatures we get in an ad campaign across Canada this week. Our goal is to get 25,000 people to sign in just 3 days before the ads run. Click below, then forward this email to all your friends and family right away:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/another_canadian_climate_crime/4.php
Enough is enough. Prime Minister Harper’s short-sighted, undemocratic and big oil-driven policy on climate change is damaging the world and destroying our image as a good country. We’re supposed to be the nice guys, who try to do the right thing in the world.
The vast majority of Canadians are hopping mad on this issue — we can win this. We just need to show Harper how serious we are that he change course. Sign up now and forward this email to everyone you know – we’ve got just 3 days to hit 25,000 signatures!
With much respect and hope,
Ricken Patel,
Avaaz.org
PS – Here are links to some more info on this:
David Suzuki (the Nature of Things) calls the government’s spin on climate change “humiliating” and “ludicrous”
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/283829
The former editor-in-chief of CBC news discusses the damage done by Canada’s climate policy to our international reputation:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/viewpoint/vp_burman/2007/12/canada_flounders_on_issue_of_c.html
The Fossil of the Day Award site:
http://www.avaaz.org/fossils
Posted in Actions, empire, Environment | Tagged: , bali, canada, climate change, Environment, global warming, Harper, UN summit | Leave a Comment »
Seek that one Thread
Posted by thefungus on December 10, 2007
Seek that one thread which connects us all, from the smallest cell, to the furthest star.
Follow it through this physical facade to the realm of mystery and infinite awe.
To where answers are questions to questions that answer to answers we’ll never know.
And when peace of mind is a moment in time when everything exists as a whole.
~Nims
Posted in poetry, Uncategorized | Tagged: existence, hope, infinity, love, mystery | 1 Comment »
LOVE truly is the answer my friends
Posted by thefungus on December 8, 2007
This is an article I wrote. The ‘beautiful game’ refers to soccer:
If the majority of scientists and economists are correct in their analysis of global warming trends, the planet is facing a significant environmental and socio-economic crisis in the years to come. If what we are told is true, we have a very short window of opportunity (scientists estimate 10 – 20 years) in which to eliminate our bad habits in order to save the planet. We have a purpose; we are, and I say this very humbly, the most important generation to walk the planet. Think of ten years over the course of human history: It is merely a momentary blip; a blink of an eye over the course of a cosmic millennium. And you and I, for whatever reason, are alive and breathing during this most precious and scary and exhilarating of times. The way our generation conducts business as well as the way our generation conducts our own individual lives is integral to the success or the demise of the planet. Still don’t think you have a purpose? Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Articles, buy nothing day, Consumption/Consumerism, empire, Environment, Human Rights, love, machine, racism, resistance, Sessions-Reflections, terrorism, The Goodness, USA 2008 election | Tagged: change, climate change, cooperation, football, future, global warming, love, peace, soccer, solutions, spirituality, unity | 1 Comment »
What Is Progress?
Posted by thefungus on December 8, 2007
Tell people something they know already and they will thank you for it.
Tell them something new and they will hate you for it.
The numbers show that this should be the real question at the Bali talks.
By George Monbiot. Published in the Guardian 4th December 2007
When you warn people about the dangers of climate change, they call you a saint. When you explain what needs to be done to stop it, they call you a communist. Let me show you why.
There is now a broad scientific consensus that we need to prevent temperatures from rising by more than 2°C above their pre-industrial level. Beyond that point, the Greenland ice sheet could go into irreversible meltdown, some ecosystems collapse, billions suffer from water stress, droughts could start to threaten global food supplies(1,2).
The government proposes to cut the UK’s carbon emissions by 60% by 2050. This target is based on a report published in 2000(3). That report was based on an assessment published in 1995, which drew on scientific papers published a few years earlier. The UK’s policy, in other words, is based on papers some 15 years old. Our target, which is one of the toughest on earth, bears no relation to current science.
Over the past fortnight, both Gordon Brown and his adviser Sir Nicholas Stern have proposed raising the cut to 80%(4,5). Where did this figure come from? The last G8 summit adopted the aim of a global cut of 50% by 2050, which means that 80% would be roughly the UK’s fair share. But the G8’s target isn’t based on current science either.
In the new summary published by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), you will find a table which links different cuts to likely temperatures(6). To prevent global warming from eventually exceeding 2°, it suggests, by 2050 the world needs to cut its emissions to roughly 15% of the volume in 2000.
I looked up the global figures for carbon dioxide production in 2000(7) and divided it by the current population(8). This gives a baseline figure of 3.58 tonnes of CO2 per person. An 85% cut means that (if the population remains constant) the global output per head should be reduced to 0.537t by 2050. The UK currently produces 9.6 tonnes per head and the US 23.6t(9,10). Reducing these figures to 0.537t means a 94.4% cut in the UK and a 97.7% cut in the US. But the world population will rise in the same period. If we assume a population of 9bn in 2050(11), the cuts rise to 95.9% in the UK and 98.3% in the US.
The IPCC figures might also be out of date. In a footnote beneath the table, the panel admits that “emission reductions … might be underestimated due to missing carbon cycle feedbacks”. What this means is that the impact of the biosphere’s response to global warming has not been fully considered. As seawater warms, for example, it releases carbon dioxide. As soil bacteria heat up, they respire more, generating more CO2. As temperatures rise, tropical forests die back, releasing the carbon they contain. These are examples of positive feedbacks. A recent paper (all the references are on my website) estimates that feedbacks account for about 18% of global warming(12). They are likely to intensify.
A paper in Geophysical Research Letters finds that even with a 90% global cut by 2050, the 2° threshold “is eventually broken”(13). To stabilise temperatures at 1.5° above the pre-industrial level requires a global cut of 100%. The diplomats who started talks in Bali yesterday should be discussing the complete decarbonisation of the global economy.
It is not impossible. In a previous article I showed how by switching the whole economy over to the use of electricity and by deploying the latest thinking on regional supergrids, grid balancing and energy storage, you could run almost the entire energy system on renewable power(14). The major exception is flying (don’t expect to see battery-powered jetliners) which suggests that we should be closing rather than opening runways.
Posted in Articles, Consumption/Consumerism, Environment | Tagged: , bali, climate change, Environment, g8, intergovernmental panel on climate change, kyoto protocol, monbiot, uk | Leave a Comment »
10 steps to fascism… PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE watch (45mins.)
Posted by thefungus on December 7, 2007
A lecture by Naomie Wolf, author of “End of America, A letter of Warning for a Young Patriot” at the University of Washington. She has carefully studied the political and social environments that led to the ‘installment’ of totalitarian regimes in the 20th Century (Stalin, Mussollini, Polpot, Hitler and numerous other ‘smaller’ dictators) and concludes that there is a blue print of 10 characteristics that each of these regimes has followed. All 10 of these characteristics were present in the lead up to all of the totalitarian regimes, and all 10 are currently present in America right now… YOU are NEEDED to save democracy in America. Action needs to be taken immediately.
Posted in Actions, empire, Human Rights, love, machine, terrorism, Uncategorized, USA 2008 election, Video | Tagged: , constitution, democracy, empire, end of america, fascism, freedom, George Bush, imperialism, letter of warning for a young patriot, naomie wolf, peace, rights, United States, war | Leave a Comment »
senate bill 1959: this shit is unbelievable…
Posted by thefungus on December 7, 2007
The end of Free Speech in America has arrived at our doorstep. It’s a new law called the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act, and it is worded in a clever way that could allow the U.S. government to arrest and incarcerate any individual who speaks out against the Bush Administration, the war on Iraq, the Department of Homeland Security or any government agency (including the FDA). The law has already passed the House on a traitorous vote of 405 to 6, and it is now being considered in the Senate where a vote is imminent. All over the internet, intelligent people who care about freedom are speaking out against this extremely dangerous law: Philip Giraldi at the Huffington Post, Declan McCullagh at CNET’s News.com, Kathryn Smith at OpEdNews.com, and of course Alex Jones at PrisonPlanet.com Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Actions, empire, Human Rights, machine, Sessions-Reflections, terrorism, Uncategorized, USA 2008 election | Tagged: , 2008 election, fascism, freedom of speech, homegrown terrorism prevention, ron paul, senate bill 1959, violent radicalization, w bush | Leave a Comment »
McDonald’s video game…
Posted by thefungus on December 7, 2007
Making money in a corporation like McDonald’s is not simple at all! Behind every sandwich there is a complex process you must learn to manaage: from the creation of pastures to the slaughter, from the restaurant management to the branding. You’ll discover all the dirty secrets that made us one of the biggest companies in the world. A great game for educational purposes…
“For decades McDonald’s corporation has been heavily criticized for its negative impact on society and the environment. There are inevitably some glitches in our activity: rainforest destruction, livelihood losses in the third world, desertification, precarization of working conditions, food poisoning and so on…
Denying all these well founded accusations would be impossible so we decided to create an online game to explain to young people that this is the price to pay in order to preserve our lifestyle.
We’ll continue on our way, with our well-known determination. Join us and have fun with us!”
-Ronny Mc-Dick
Posted in Consumption/Consumerism, empire, Environment, Uncategorized | Tagged: corporation, corruption, deforestation, fast food, genetically modified food, health, machine, mcdonalds | Leave a Comment »
Explanation on recent spiritual posts
Posted by thefungus on December 6, 2007
As more and more of you read this blog, I felt it necessary to explain my decision to post spiritual material. First of all, for all intensive purposes, I am a ‘recovering Catholic’. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in fungus, love, Sessions-Reflections, The Goodness | Tagged: , enlightenment, happiness, hope, interspiritual, love, peace, spirituality | Leave a Comment »
Wayne on the spiritual perspectives of America’s role as sole superpower
Posted by thefungus on December 6, 2007
Hear the brotha speak….
http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/audio_library/ram/wv/wv_030512b.ram
Posted in empire, Human Rights, love, quotes, The Goodness | Tagged: , empire, imperialism, spirituality, wayne teasdale | Leave a Comment »
A monk’s perspective on the joys and value of FRIENDSHIP
Posted by thefungus on December 5, 2007
A long read, but if you’ve got time this is a well written excerpt from “A Monk in the World: Cultivating a Spiritual Life” by Wayne Teasdale.
All of us realize, I think, that friendship is one of the greatest, most fulfilling human joys. Each of us has, or should have, many friendships, and each of us can probably look back to a particularly important friendship in our childhood, a friendship that greatly nourished us in our need for companionship and acceptance, a friendship with someone with whom we could share our secrets and our dreams. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Articles, love, Sessions-Reflections, The Goodness | Tagged: , friendship, happiness, love, spirituality | 2 Comments »
Liberty Vs. Security
Posted by thefungus on December 4, 2007
“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”
– Benjamin Franklin
Posted in 9/11, machine, quotes, terrorism, USA 2008 election | Tagged: , benjamin franklin, bill 1959, liberty, security, terrorism | Leave a Comment »
This guy is great!!
Posted by thefungus on December 3, 2007
Posted in Actions, machine, Uncategorized, USA 2008 election, Video | Tagged: , anti-war, civil disobedience, davis fleetwood, peace, protest | Leave a Comment »
The Infinite End
Posted by thefungus on December 3, 2007
If one pursues anything within the realm of Evil as an end in and of itself they will be damned in the emptiness of infinity; however, if one uses the Evil and its devices as a means to the greater end they will be rewarded with the fulfillment of infinity. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in The Goodness, Uncategorized | Tagged: consequences, evil, infinity, nature, The Goodness, the machine | Leave a Comment »
Students: A challenge for you
Posted by thefungus on December 3, 2007
This guy is dead on…
Posted in Actions | Tagged: , davis fleetwood, peace, protest, students, war | Leave a Comment »