For those who still use libraries

Sometimes you just cant find the piece of information you want on the internet...frankly much of the important literature on a variety of subjects is still locked in books...old fashioned tomes they might be....but useful as well.
Recently trying to find The Future of Money: Beyond Greed and Scarcity (Bernard Lietaer, Naropa University) I found that it costs upwards of $200 dollars on Amazon.com....amazing. The book focuses on positive solutions to a predicted international money meltdown caused by speculative markets and inflation based banking. It is one of special interest to me in my explorations of Complimentary Currency (local alternative currencies, another idea championed by Lietaer).

Because of my continued interest in the subject, hurried by recent tingles in the global economic system (perhaps symptoms of impending heart problems) I persevered in finding the book. Low and behold I came across a Gem of an information gathering tool: www.worldcat.org .

World Cat allows an internet user to track down any book in print (as well as CDs, DVDs, Videos and other library resources through international library systems and show the location closest to you IP address that has the book.

A great way to get important information...without paying $200






Technorati Tags: Complimentary Currency, Library Search

Powered by ScribeFire.

Online Petitions for social change

I have recently been receiving requests from friends and colleagues active in social and environmental justice to sign online petitions at petition portals such gopetition.com.
I was curious about their effectiveness so i did a bit of research. My search for info brought me to several sites, the most informational was at truthorfiction.com.
They laid out some good basic guide lines, and reiterated the always inportant wisdom for online research CHECK THE SOURCES. All ways read the disclaimers and the about statements. Gopetition seems like a pretty legit petition sight, it does not require an email address to sign the petition (instead tracking your IP and the corresponding name. Gopetition is endoresed by google (for what ever that is worth), and has a good privacy policy. All in all I would say I feel comfortable with using sights like gopetition (that aren't just trying to generate spam lists) but are providing a non-partisan service for social action. The time and effort required to sign an online petition to have your voice (even potential) heard seems worth it to me.

Here are a few of the petitions I signed and why



Say “No” To India’s Crops Being Genetically Engineered
This petition is asking for Indian governmental controls on outdoor testing on GMO crops. This is essential to maintain the possibility of food independence form trans national corporations. The story goes: A genetically engineered crop (most likely stolen form ancient seed stocks maintained by generations of traditional wisdom) contaminates all neighboring crops (hybridization via cross pollination) creating the nightmare scenario where all the food crops in a region are either infertile and produce no food, or are actually proprietary, patented property controlled by a transnational corporation. The slight possibility of someone in power hearing the public outcry against allowing GMOs in to be tested in India could help protect the food security of millions of people.

Save the LA Eco-Village Neighborhood from LAUSD bulldozers!
See: South Central Farm take two. A fixture of LA's Social and Environmental Justice community is battling to keep its integrety in the face of eminent domain.

Maintain the Integrity of Our Raw Almonds
Who likes raw foods?
Why are almond producers being forced to pasteurize their almonds due to a closed door decision based on no real evidence of danger to the public? My yogi friend smiles and says: "because they don't want us eating healthy live food...then we might wake up"

Illuminatus

The Illuminatus trilogy is an IN_sane romp through the world of conspiracies. At the juicy intersection between science and religion, magick and yoga and poking fun at just about everything with the wisdom and grace of the old trickster Coyote. Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea provide an expansive map of resources for “programing the programing”. The wisdom about metaprograming, the act of deconstructing the learned social patterns that hinder us from our deepest potential and keep us wallowing in fear, is even more pertinent now than it was in the 70s when this book was written.
An entertaining and immanently relevant read, sure to prompt any reader (who can hack through the tangle of feints, pun and practical jokes...half the fun of the book anyway) at least one step closer to a path of synchronicity and enlightenment.