Civil Society – Page 123 – Public Intelligence Blog

2014/02/18

SchwartzReport: US Ranks 34th out of 35 for Child Poverty — Narrowly Beat Romania for the Utlimate Dishonor

01 Poverty, 06 Family, 07 Health, 07 Other Atrocities, 09 Justice, 11 Society, Civil Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Government

You can tell the health of a country and the potential of its future by the way it cares for its children. On that basis we are a very unhealthful country, and we don't have much of a future. This reports describes a truly shameful situation. That it receives hardly any attention in the media is yet another proof of our degradation. Click through to see the chart that accompanies this report, and you can download the report itself.

UNICEF Report: U.S. Ranks 34th Out of 35 in Childhood Poverty
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A sobering report released by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) found that out of the top 35 developed nations in the world, the United States comes 2nd to last in childhood poverty.

While many of the Scandinavian and Western European countries (i.e. countries with a robust social safety net) have very low rates of childhood poverty, America only just narrowly beat Romania for the worst. Poverty is a reality for at least 22 percent of American children (and considerably higher by other estimates).

2014/02/162014/02/16

Jean Lievens: Amsterdam enabled private rentals as non-businesses, encouraging the sharing economy

Civil Society, Commerce, Ethics, Government

Amsterdam adopts new private rental policy that benefits Airbnb hosts and the sharing economy

By Josh Ong,

The Next Web, Thursday, 13 Feb '14

The city of Amsterdam has approved a new set of rules that allows residents to rent out their homes on Airbnb with less red tape. Previously, Amsterdam required renters to secure permits in order to list on Airbnb, a move that wasn’t exactly a ban, but did serve as an obstacle to would-be hosts.

Under the new policy, citizens can classify their houses as “Private Rentals.” They’ll still have to pay taxes on the income, and renters that cross the line into running a business may be subject to investigation.

Airbnb’s Head of Global Public Policy David Hantman celebrated the rules as “great news” for the startup’s customers.

Continue reading “Jean Lievens: Amsterdam enabled private rentals as non-businesses, encouraging the sharing economy”

2014/02/152014/02/15

SchwartzReport: Four Ways Human Health is Destroyed by Unethical Corporations and the Governments they Bribe

01 Agriculture, 03 Economy, 07 Health, 11 Society, Civil Society, Commerce, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Earth Intelligence, Government

Democracy by design is a zero sum game. Elections are revolutions without the guns. Part of the problem faced by social progressives is that all too many of us have a gut rejection of reality when it is negative. In my view you can't fight a battle if you are unwilling to accurately assess the truth of the battlefield. Here is some truth.

Climate Disaster: Big Oil Is Winning the War for the Future
MICHAEL T. KLARE, Professor of Peace and World security Studies at Hampshire College – Salon

Yet another story are the corruption of our food system. I have begun to think of much of the food in the U.S. as a toxin to be avoided.

Five Messed-Up Things That Are in Your Food
MARTHA ROSENBERG – Truthout

1. Azodicarbonamide in Bread
2. Plastic Microbeads in Fish and Waterways
3. Brominated Vegetable Oil in Soft Drinks and Beverages
4. High Fructose Corn Syrup and Artificial Sweeteners in Soft Drinks
5. Transglutaminase Also Known as “Meat Glue”

Finally, it is becoming impossible to deny that the industrial chemicals that pollute every aspect of our lives are the source many illnesses. Everything shouts to us that we must make national wellness, from the individual to the planet our first priority. Whether we can hear these cries is not clear, at least to me.

Scientists Name 6 More Toxins Affecting Developing Brains
DELTHIA RICKS – Newsday

Where I live about half the women I know live on Gluten-free diets. Here is the back story. It is another tale of corners cut in the name of increased profit and decreased national wellness. Happily the story not only explains something, it provides a solution.

Could This Baker Solve the Gluten Mystery?
TOM PHILPOTT – Mother Jones

2014/02/142014/02/14

Berto Jongman: John Bell on Age of Dissent

Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics

The age of dissent

Why are people resorting to street politics across the globe?

John Bell

Al Jazeera, 11 February 2014

John Bell is Director of the Middle East Programme at the Toledo International Centre for Peace in Madrid.

In 2012, after the beginnings of the Arab revolutions, Paul Mason, editor at BBC's Newsnight programme, wrote a book called Why It's Kicking Off Everywhere – The New Global Revolutions. Mason pointed out that social neworks, a newfound sense of self-reliance, and a disjuncture between the young and an old political order are ushering in a new age of discontent.

He may well be right. Today, while the Arab world continues with its political somersaults, the street in Thailand, Ukraine, Brazil and Turkey and elsewhere is alive with protest. Foreign Policy magazine has put together a timeline highlighting that demonstrations have indeed significantly increased globally over the past 20 years.

Why are people going out on the street to address their woes? It's an act of courage and determination that can land you in jail, one far more difficult than simply casting a vote in the ballot box. What has changed?

Continue reading “Berto Jongman: John Bell on Age of Dissent”

2014/02/14

Noam Chmpsky on Education and Creativity (YouTube 29:46)

Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence

2014/02/14

Henry Jenkins: Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture – Media Education for the 21st Century

Academia, Civil Society, Ethics, Media

WHITE PAPER: 72 Pages

Executive Summary

According to a recent study from the Pew Internet & American Life project (Lenhardt & Madden, 2005), more than one-half of all teens have created media content, and roughly one-third of teens who use the Internet have shared content they produced. In many cases, these teens are actively involved in what we are calling participatory cultures.

A participatory culture is a culture with relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement, strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations, and some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices. A participatory culture is also
one in which members believe their contributions matter, and feel some degree of social connection with one another (at the least they care what other people think about what they have created). Forms of participatory culture include:

Continue reading “Henry Jenkins: Confronting the Challenges of Participatory Culture – Media Education for the 21st Century”

2014/02/112014/02/11

David Swanson: Convicting Protesters Instead of Pilots — So Similar to Convicting Occupy, Instead of Wall Street

Civil Society, Corruption, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Government

More Drone Protesters, Instead of Pilots, Convicted of a Crime

The following report comes in from Toby Blomé

Feb. 3, 2014: “Wheatland 4” Trial: Anti-Drone Protesters Convicted of Trespassing

Sentenced to 10 hours of Community Service and a $10 fee.Judge Claire warns of harsher consequences next time due to “ban & bar” orders served to them at the time of arrest.

Read full post.

Phi Beta Iota: Over 7,000 Occupy protesters jailed — no bankers even arrested. A revolution vastly greater than anything the USA has seen since 1776, is emergent. The two-party tyranny and Wall Street are a precise parallel to King George and the East India Company. ENOUGH!

See Also:

REVOLUTION Graphic & Refs