[Oe List ...] [Dialogue] identifying trends

Diann McCabe dm14 at txstate.edu
Thu Apr 10 14:47:46 EDT 2008 

Terry & I had the pleasure and wonder of visiting the Santa Fe Institute
last month.  Check out what they are doing at http://www.santafe.edu/about/

Very interesting resource.

Diann McCabe

On 4/10/08 12:32 PM, "Janice Ulangca" <aulangca at stny.rr.com> wrote:

> Thanks George, Diann, Jack and all.  Identifying trends then contradictions is
> a critical need.  Otherwise good things we're doing are just dealing with
> pieces, with no big picture context. We know there's something better!  Others
> are hungry for it too.
>  
> Abe and I met the Institutes and Order after the year of reading 1,000 books
> (1971?) and getting that wisdom into the social process triangles.  It may be
> time for that kind of comprehensiveness again.  This time the future of the
> planet is obviously at stake - not just the future of the church.  A great web
> site seems just the way to do it, with a facilitation team.  If $ are in the
> way, I can help with a few hundred.  Can we take up a collection?
>  
> Janice Ulangca
>>  
>> ----- Original Message -----
>>  
>> From:  Jack Gilles <mailto:icabombay at igc.org>
>>  
>> To: Order Ecumenical Community <mailto:oe at wedgeblade.net>
>>  
>> Cc: Colleague Dialogue <mailto:dialogue at wedgeblade.net>
>>  
>> Sent: Thursday, April 10, 2008 12:32  PM
>>  
>> Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] [Dialogue]  Wal-Mart and the weapons of
>> massdestruction
>>  
>> 
>> Dear Colleagues,
>> 
>>  
>> This question of a friendly web site for in-depth dialogue and research  on
>> issues and contradictions is one we discussed at the Denver Springboard
>> meeting.  We are presently working on such a web page design.  Since  it will
>> be more complicated, or should I say sophisticated, than our present
>> repository page it will take some amount of time and work as well as a bigger
>> server to accomplish.  We are presently looking at how to raise the money  to
>> do this and would appreciate anyone's help in this regard.
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> Jack Gilles
>>  
>> on behalf of the Springboard Venture group
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> 
>>  
>> On Apr 10, 2008, at 10:19 AM, Diann McCabe wrote:
>>  
>>>  
>>> I second your request, George.  Spent 3 hours  last night planning for the
>>> next few meetings of Democracy for Texas (Hays  County) and we kept getting
>>> sidetracked by very complicated issues that came  up, from where we buy our
>>> light bulbs to Carter¹s ideas on Palestine,  realizing that all things
>>> really do connect.   I confess that our  method last night was one of
>>> sitting around a table with lists in front of  us.  Our inability (on the
>>> part of all of us) to gain ³insight into the  trends² is frustrating.
>>> Technology to do a brainstorm website, etc.,  might be a first start.
>>> Again, I second the motion but don¹t have a  suggestion for now.--Diann
>>> McCabe
>>> 
>>> 
>>> On 4/10/08 9:03 AM, "George  Holcombe" <geowanda at earthlink.net>  wrote:
>>> 
>>>  
>>>> This string  of responses makes me wonder if any one of us out there has
>>>> the technology  to do a brainstorm website that could lead to a gestalted
>>>> chart, so we may  have some insight into the trends?
>>>> 
>>>> The more I think about  our concerns with Wal Mart, it seems to stretch out
>>>> to the world.  I  am reminded of Rod Wilson's point, repeatedly made, that
>>>> rail is the  cheapest most efficient form of transportation, yet, this
>>>> nation chose  shipping by truck, neither cheaper or efficient, has had
>>>> impact not only  on the climate, and our roadways (taxes, repairs, etc.),
>>>> but now plays a  big part in increasing prices, especially for the 1,000
>>>> mile salad greens,  and presents a threat to continuing the whole system of
>>>> supply.  The  very well planned "Disaster Capitalism" which is so
>>>> entrenched in our  thinking, life style and politics, threatens to become a
>>>> house of cards.   With Chinese and other Asian workers beginning to strike
>>>> for higher  wages, the source of cheap goods sold in the West may be
>>>> running its  course.  The 300% rise in grains is threatening both the food
>>>> supply  and economies of many countries, creating what is being termed the
>>>> "World  Food Crises."  The faltering middle class, not only in the U.S. (I
>>>> understand it is disappearing in other parts of the world) and the hugh
>>>> gains among the super wealthy, present an imbalance not seen before in
>>>> history.  The very interesting proposal in the U.S. congress to begin  a
>>>> World-wide Marshall plan like that after WWII is a new direction in
>>>> thinking of American politics.  The growth and speed of the internet,
>>>> which is building many new consciousnesses and connectivities, is shifting
>>>> the way we think and do things.  The list goes on, and the thing that
>>>> keeps hitting me is that this is not the gradual change of  "business  as
>>>> usual," but more like the falling into the sea of the polar bears,
>>>> something very radical is taking place.  There are lots of books  seemingly
>>>> about this, but on reflection, I feel like they are written by  several of
>>>> the blind reporting on the part of the elephant they're  touching.  I also
>>>> notice that sometimes I have a hard time deciding  if this is economic,
>>>> cultural or political.
>>>> 
>>>>  Any thoughts?   Even better any ways to gather the input of this bunch
>>>> into a trends  analysis?
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> George  Holcombe
>>>> 14900 Yellowleaf Tr.
>>>> Austin, TX 78728
>>>> Home:  512/252-2756
>>>> Mobile 512/294-5952
>>>> geowanda at earthlink.net
>>>> 
>>>>  
>>>> 
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>>>>  
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