There is a blame game being perpetrated all around us - it goes like this:

•“It’s all Bush’s fault.”
•“It’s those liberal Democrats with no values.”
•“It’s those fundamentalists (of any denomination) threatening our liberties and lives.”
•“It’s those corporations who are polluting the earth and stealing from the disenfranchised for their own selfish gains.”
•“It’s the United Nations’ fault for not helping the people in Darfur.”
•“It’s those greedy HMO’s who are maiming and killing people by refusing to provide health care to individuals in need.”
•“It’s the sensational and superficial media coverage which is keeping people ignorant and anesthetized.”
•“It’s the traffic that caused my lateness.”
•“It’s my boss’ fault that I didn’t get the job done.”
•"It’s my parents’ fault that I have low self-esteem.”
•“It’s my wife’s frigidity that caused me to cheat on her.”
•“It’s my husband’s obsession with his work and ignoring my needs which led to my depression.”
•“It’s my son’s ADHD which is causing his poor performance in school.”
•“It's my busy life which prevents me from taking time for myself, read with my child, have dinner with my family, volunteer for a cause, help a stranger on the street… ”

From global to personal issues, the constant choir of blame is endless.  read more »

Yesterday, the Democrats caved again. I don’t need to specify which issue, since I’m sure that phrase will apply whenever you are reading this. I can’t even begin to explain how frustrating these last few years have been, and not just because of the predictable self serving Bush administration. This country was founded on the principal of checks and balances, and it hasn’t been just the White House that has screwed it up so badly.  read more »

What would it be like if politics was founded upon empathy? it would mean a revolution in how we choose our politicians and how our politicians think and behave. Can we give such an alternative political process a chance? Imagine politicians who are good listeners, who ask questions of others instead of make assumptions. We would instead have politicians who can place themselves in "the oppositions" point of view, and who can be flexible over where the dialogue might lead. Instead of seeking to control and dominate, our politicians would be seeking to support, enable, and care.  read more »

My hope is that we can finally put a nail in the coffin of the idea that you can’t produce enough food through organic agriculture -- co-author Ivette Perfecto

A three year study from the University of Michigan concluded that organic farming could yield as much as three times as much food for developing countries without putting additional farmland into production.

This finding refutes the widely held belief that organic practices would be detrimental to farming in developing nations. Organic farming would not only be more profitable and productive, but also more cost-effective, sustainable, and more ecologically friendly.  read more »

Researchers have confirmed that human activities have affected the distribution of global rain patterns resulting in the drying of areas such as India and sub-Saharan Africa while Canada, parts of Russia and parts of Europe have seen an increase in rainfall. The results will be published in the journal Nature on Thursday.

There have been suggestions and debate regarding the nature of changes in weather patterns and whether or not human activity is to blame. Natural factors as well as the consumption of fossil fuels and other other human activities are know to influence the atmosphere. Proponents argue the changes are part of the planet's continually shifting climate patterns.  read more »