Rethos.com - essbeetee's Global Feed

Greed Based Society: A Rebuttal

Sat, 26 Jul 2008 21:28:09 -0400

I consider myself a scientific person, encouraged by empirical evidence; so, at the surface Friedman’s argument for capitalism is compelling. Several problems arise, however, upon a more mindful take of his words. His examples are flawed, his history skewed, his definitions conflated.

First, the indigenous tribes of the world may object to his “crystal-clear” account of history, stating that only societies that exploit self-interest have escaped grinding poverty; although that is a fairly minor point. More surprising is ...

Carbon-Free Does NOT Require Nuclear

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:29:18 -0400

Many prominent science magazines argue that solving the environmental crisis requires that we use substantially more nuclear energy.

If this was true I'd be all for ignoring the many health risks (including intentional and unintentional explosion) and centralization aspect for the sake of the climate.

But, I discovered from talking to some folks at the Sustainable Energy Summit at Amherst, that it certainly is not true. And this article explains how we can reach a carbon-free and nuclear-free society in scientific yet understandable terms.

McCain can take his 45 n...

Real democracy - Richard Treadwell

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:53:16 -0400

Hi all, Lately, I've become increasingly involved with the common good bank project. I was inspired by some discussions (with lynx in particular) here on rethos to educate myself enough to create some revolutionary financial institution - then I discovered it was already in progress. Please check out the page, http://www.rethos.com/commongoodfinance. We need everyone's help for this thing to get off the ground. Having people sign up increases investor and state regulator confidence. A signature really helps, and if you want to help in other ways that can be arranged as well. Tha...

Selling the Fire Ball: George Bush and Iran

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:26:59 -0400

Great post from a Great site. It's an exchange between Media Lens participants and NY Times workers showing how the media is once again deceiving the public to allow another invasion.

Also Includes GUEST MEDIA ALERT: DAVID PETERSON RESPONDS TO OLIVER KAMM below

When George Bush arrived in Britain last week as part of his "farewell tour", the real reasons for the visit were buried well out of sight. The tour was not, as the Guardian suggested, a mere "continental au revoir". The purpose was to coerce Gordon B...

Cage Free Eggs: Behind the Myth

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:03:34 -0400

From HumaneMyth.org, which was created by award-winning filmmakers James LaVeck and Jenny Stein and launched this week.

Oprah Tries Veganism as a"Cleanse"

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:43:44 -0400

Pictured are Delectable

Vegan Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Baked by Yours Truly

Kathy Freston has a new book, Quantum Wellness, wherein she writes of the importance of "Conscious Eating," which sounds very much like part of I thought I'd let you all know about a project I was working on, to see whether or not it was something you (and/or someone you know) would be interested in supporting with a donation.

The project, I’m Vegan, is a series of short documentary profiles featuring vegans from all walks of life, produced with an eye toward addressing preconceived notions about vegans and veganism (and, yes, I do intend to seek out potential subjects from here on these very forums). ...

On Alliance Politics

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:11:45 -0400

Animal Rights Africa (ARA) was launched last month in South Africa, with the One Struggle conference, "ushering in a brand new era of strengthened activism for animals. ARA is committed to the promotion of inclusive justice, showing compassion across species and building a better future through campaigns, research and analysis." Dr. Steve Best was invited to deliver the Keynote, as he has ...

Cooperative Based Society

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 05:48:07 -0400

"Bright and early for the daily races, going nowhere, going nowhere"

Capitalism, as many of us realize, is an exploitative system at its roots, predicated on money-making money. However, if someone is sitting around watching their money grow, someone else is not getting due compensation for their day's labor. Capitalism is such a malfunctioning system it undermines itself; there should be some price that clears the market, that removes scarity and surplus, but incentives lie in artificially manipulating prices, spending on advertising, extorting labor as much as possible. It is a...

On Anarchism

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:27:09 -0400

I received the following email in my box today and figured I’d share it and my response with ya’ll:

Hi,
I tried to contact you on Rethos, but could figure out how.

I wanted to ask you to recommend a few seminal books on anarchy, with which to inform myself.

I will be quite honest, granting my ignorance on the subject, I nevertheless do not see how the anarchist program is feasible beyond a small group of like-minded people – communism works excellently in the monastery or convent, but not so much ...

Is "Compassionate Carnivore" an Oxymoron?

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 18:05:43 -0400

Is Compassionate Carnivore an Oxymoron?

It's become fashionable to call yourself a compassionate carnivore if you aren't going to stop eating animals and their secretions (milk) and menstrual excretions (eggs), but you don't want to appear barbaric and you want people to know that you don't agree with the atrocities committed in the name of factory farming.

I don't personally know anyone in 2008 who thinks factory farming is anything but cruel. But I do know a lot of people--and I read about similar people every...

Correction of the web address! - Philip McMaster

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 01:22:17 -0500

Sorry, CORRECTION... the web address is: http://www.sustainabilitysymbol.COM hope to see you online February 1st --- Don't forget to invite 3 people to share a 3 finger Photo!

You're invited to Celebrate the One Year Anniversary of 3 Finger "Peace Plus One" - Philip McMaster

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 00:40:27 -0500

Hello Sustainability Symbol Friends around the WORLD (Especially in Beijing) - IT'S A PARTY / CELEBRATION of the ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY of the 3 Finger Sustainability Symbol... and we're having a WEB-CAM World Party connecting YOUR town with Beijing China, site of the 2008 Olympics. You are most welcome to attend our party celebration for the One Year Anniversary of the 3 Finger "Peace Plus One" Sustainability Symbol on February 1st at 7pm - 9pm Friday, Feb 1st The Bookworm Building 4, Nan sanlitun Road Chao Yang District, Beijing Tel: 65869507 www.chinabookworm.com Plea...

New comment - Is Rethos, Inc. a Socially Responsible Corporation?

Tue, 15 Jan 2008 16:24:02 -0500

Akeeba,

I recently posted a response to your questions about Rethos as a comment to the following article:

http://www.rethos.com/news/view/760-Businesses-Corporations-and-Companies-in-the-Rethos-Community I hope it’s helpful. Please share comments, reactions or further questions at will.

Thanks.

Important Article - Akeeba

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:52:03 -0500

Hello Allies, I recently wrote an article concerning a corporation that might be closing it's doors to 300 people in the city where I live. This will have a major impact on these people's lives and on the economic stability of our city. The article is here. Please take a look at this article if you haven't done so already and give it a rating if you can. Also, if you can send a message like this to your allies asking them to do the same, that would be great. We really need your input....

New comment - Is Rethos, Inc. a Socially Responsible Corporation?

Wed, 02 Jan 2008 23:41:43 -0500

“Well, itâ€™s been a full month since your last post on that threadâ€¦any new news thatâ€™s not been publicly posted?”

None that I know of. All I want are answers to my questions. Surely, the folks at Rethos, Inc. could spare a few minutes to answer some easy questions.

I don’t think leaving the company I work for is the answer. Those of you who feel this is only happening in my workplace might not realize that it happens in many other workplaces as well. Because I have a close connection to the management where I work, I am able to provide an &#...

Company Closes, City in Trouble, We Need Your Help!

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 10:11:49 -0500

Recently, a company in the city I live in announced that it will be closing in January. This closing will cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax income and at least 300 jobs will be lost. That’s at least 6% of the elibigle workers in my city who will be newly unemployed and at least 8% of the city’s total tax income. This is a huge hit to the local economy, to say the least. And why are they closing?

One of the stated reasons is the current downward spiral of the housing market. The company is in the housing industry and if no new homes are bein...

New comment - Is Rethos, Inc. a Socially Responsible Corporation?

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 02:59:14 -0500

Akeeba, after reading your story, I think that the company you work for will not be around for very much longer. If they exploit their employees, they surely will not be able to retain any talent. I also think that the company you work for does not deserve you. The best thing you can do is leave and bring all your associates with you.

I also agree with you; hireachy sucks. Not only does it create the problems in which you describe, it stifles any type of passion and creativity that could be had in a business. Do you wake up excited to go to work? Of course not! How could you in...

Baby Girl

Wed, 26 Dec 2007 12:02:39 -0500

You wear Brother’s clothes
Sensible and warm
You hear kind words of
Acceptance and love

You don’t know
About the dresses
The chemicals people will want you to wear
On your nails
On your face
On your hair.

Already the separation
Brother and sister
Dresses and bows
In the dead of winter.

Alliance Accepted! - Akeeba

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:34:24 -0500

New comment! - Future Communications

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:23:52 -0500

I appreciate this post because it is so important to remember human-to-human interaction. I think one of the ways current power-holders maintain and increase their control is by closing down access to public spaces or making public spaces into private spaces and encouraging people to use the Internet, cell phones, etc… for their main source of human interaction.

This way, like steve writes, “when those in power and in control wish to stifle the flow of information, technology will be the first to experience restrictions.” And it’s likely that few will ...

Opportunity for Webmasters and Bloggers! FREE USE OF WEBSITES

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 18:32:14 -0500

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

My gift to you this season are some of the valuable Sustainability-related domains I’ve collected over the years.

All I ask in return is that you design a really cool site that gets people involved, spreads the Sustainability Symbol around the world and brings attention to at least one of the Climate Change related projects we’re working on (Like “STOP the GLOFs”) The rest will be up to you.

Almost one year ago we introduced the 3 Finger Sustainability Symbol (Peace Plus One) to the HK Environ...

Ally Request - Aid to Artisans

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 16:22:59 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Aid to Artisans

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:33:52 -0500

Job Opportunity: Director, Afghan Womenâ€™s Design Center

Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:54:25 -0500

Description Aid to Artisans and the Afghan Womenâ€™s Business Federation is seeking a Director of the Afghan Womenâ€™s Design Center in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Afghan Womenâ€™s Business Federation (AWBF) is a federation of women business associations that promotes direct economic opportunities for women. Aid to Artisans (ATA), a US-based NGO with over 30 years of experience in the artisan development sector, has been contracted to implement the Afghan Womenâ€™s Design Center (AWDC) as part of the AWBF.

The A...

Alliance Accepted! - Richard Treadwell

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:33:47 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - kiadso

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 13:47:58 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - DragonTHINK

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:23:18 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Peace Plus One

Thu, 08 Nov 2007 09:23:13 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Philip McMaster

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 19:27:44 -0500

Ally Request - James Redden

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:44:11 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Potemkin

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 20:13:47 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - lynx

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 06:56:44 -0500

Ally Request - Daniel Garcia

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 15:43:17 -0400

Alliance Accepted! - Hannah

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 00:37:41 -0500

Alliance Accepted! - Fishey Waters

Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:53:54 -0400

Are you a great designer, or translator?

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 17:15:45 -0400

We are in the process of translating the word/concepts/phrase of

1. SOCIETY

2. ENVIRONMENT

3. ECONOMY

... into the languages of the world, and adapting the different ways of writing to the three fingered hand symbol.

You can see a sample of the Sustainability Symbol in Chinese script on this message.

Your name will be forever associated with the chosen modification of the symbol that represents “Society, Environment, Economy” in your lingui...

Convert website into something attractive

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 16:51:00 -0400

The three finger Sustainability Symbol is beginning to attract attention on and off the internet. This is a double-edged sword.

On one hand, more and more people are learning about the campaign (personally passing it along from one individual to another),

on the other hand, our website stinks.

It’s homemade, and as you will see, I’m no web designer!

If there are any talented web designers out there in the Rethosarian community, please have a look at www.DragonTHINK.com and make a suggestion of how we could use some of the existing conte...

Correspondent Researcher / Trainer

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 20:51:09 -0400

The McMaster Institute of Sustainable Commerce is a young research and development entity headquartered in Hong Kong China. Our highly innovative programs include Dragonpreneur, DragonTHINK, PlanetPenPal, STOP/START, and DragonMENTOR.

Our mission and objectives include researching attitudes toward sustainable commerce, training young entrepreneurs in ethical business practices, and certifying and listing businesses that conform to the principles of the Institute.

Our associates combat global warming, climate change and the sources of pollutio...

Make Friends, Have Fun and Make Money Saving the Earth

Wed, 12 Sep 2007 14:55:33 -0400

Are you Part of the Problem… or the SOLUTION?

Be the first in your community to start the transformation process to sustainability.

+Become a Black Belt Dragonpreneur, Trainer / DragonMentor + (Seminar / Workshop Presenter – CSR Business Consultant – Private Tutor – Sustainable Lifestyle Coach)

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS: - Excellent Communications and Interpersonal Skills - Unlimited Positive Enthusiasm & Entrepreneur THinking - Assertive Development of you...