I think this is the forgotten essence of the “free market”. Unfortunately, what usually passes for the “free market” is really the “corporate market”. Here we have the “people’s market”. We all contacted these companies and told them that we would shop elsewhere if they continued to advertise with Rush Limbaugh. Key words… $hop elsewhere. Due to the new powers of social media, it’s working, and it’s working fast.

EXCLUSIVE: 140 Companies Drop Advertising From Rush Limbaugh [Update: 142]

I find it interesting that some of the reactionary (regressive, Republican) commentary on the news sites lately has been things like, “Well, I guess I’ll just cancel my order for my new Honda (one of the many companies withholding their advertising). So there!”

As if that were some sort of payback. No- that’s doing the right thing. If you don’t like what Honda does or doesn’t do, don’t buy their product. Of course…. that’s the whole point. There’s no “payback” involved, no “so there”. This is Democracy at it’s finest, and it’s ironic that some of the players don’t see that.

If enough people don’t buy Honda’s because they’re withholding their advertising from Limbaugh’s show, well, then, Honda might need to reconsider…. however, I have a strong feeling that WAY more people were offended by Rush than support him in this.

Some of the other recent victories for Social Media Activism… Susan G. Komen’s dissing and withholding of funds for Planned Parenthood and subsequent retraction, stopping the SOPA. And now, the travesty and tragedy of Trayvon Martin’s murder- it’s gone international in a very short time, and I would be very surprised if there isn’t a reconsideration of those sick Shoot First and Ask Questions Later laws. We’re just not standing for the bullshit any more, and now we have the means to do the right thing.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE is beginning to have real meaning.

It all involves eye contact, or at least the attempt (I know, we’re all walking so fast that sometimes aiming for the other pair of eyes can be difficult- but we try).

Or- I try. I’m amazed at how many people pretend they don’t care, pretend they’re busy (busy walking, that is…). The put on the angry face, the sad face, the “I don’t even see you” face.

I live in a very mixed neighborhood. There are BMW’s and old beaten up pickup trucks on blocks. Nice houses with native plant gardens in their front yards, and other houses with the perpetual broken couch on the curb in front. Broken glass and dog shit, and manicured front lawns. I haven’t seen any pattern regarding which ethnicity lives which way, and I don’t think I would find anything if I looked.

But the resignation in some people’s demeanor! Again, there seems to be no correlation with the quality of their clothes, their age or the color of their skin. A well-dressed older man with his head down so far he can hardly see where he’s walking. A young girl with her headphones on who can’t be bothered to glance to the side to see the person walking past. Then there’s the couple walking by looking perpetually like they’ve just had an argument.

It makes me sad at first, but in the long run, I’m encouraged. Because…

… When I do catch their eyes, they’re grateful, they become happy. They remember that they’re part of a community of other humans. Sometimes the old lady who’s trying as hard as she can to avoid eye contact, looking sad and beaten by life… when I say “hi”, she brightens up, comes to life, stands taller and walks on happy. And the kids under their ipods pretending they don’t care are relieved they don’t have to pretend anymore.

I’m incorrigible. I say hello to everyone, smile at everyone. People in elevators probably hate me… for a second. Then we talk and are friends for a moment.

In the bookstore the other day, an elderly lady thanked me for “waking her up.” What was so special about what I did? I asked for some book recommendations…

Homeless people- wow, all of a sudden they want to talk. I rarely have any money to give, but I have my willingness to connect, and for some people that’s worth everything. In fact, when I do have money to contribute, while I’m sure it’s appreciated, it’s really just an excuse to engage and offer a smile and kind word. Sometimes we have great conversations, and that person becomes energized and ready to take on the world again.

IMPORTANT! This isn’t me. This is can be all of us.

You can engage! Look at people. Talk to people. Those of you that know me know that I’m “shy”, but so what! That should stop me? Who cares if you’re shy or embarrassed! You are a gift and you make a difference. Give a word, a smile, a nod even. Most of all make eye contact. People are dying to make eye contact and sometimes they are too frightened to do so. You don’t have to be.

Be a hero for a moment. One smile or kind word begets another. Maybe two or three.

Case in point… Hard boiled eggs. They take exactly 3 minutes. How could that have happened by accident? Pure luck that here and now, after billions of years, all of these factors converge? I don’t think so. The average chicken egg, the boiling point of water, how long a minute is…

And rice- it cooks best when you use precisely twice as much water as rice. Any more or less, and it’s too wet or dry. How is this possible?

I tell you, it’s the hand of God.

People who eat canned soup should be aware that a chemical used to line the tin can leach into the food and end up in the body, say scientists.

via BBC News – Eating canned soup ‘poses a chemical risk’.

“The results show us that there is something about watching Fox News that leads people to do worse on these questions than those who don’t watch any news at all,” said Dan Cassino, a political science professor at Fairleigh Dickinson.

via Fox News viewers less informed about current events, poll shows – latimes.com.

Ten Ways the Occupy Movement Changes Everything

(Photo: Robert Stolarik / The New York Times)

Before the Occupy Wall Street movement, there was little discussion of the outsized power of Wall Street and the diminishing fortunes of the middle class.

The media blackout was especially remarkable given that issues like jobs and corporate influence on elections topped the list of concerns for most Americans.

Occupy Wall Street changed that. In fact, it may represent the best hope in years that “we the people” will step up to take on the critical challenges of our time. Here’s how the Occupy movement is already changing everything:

1. It names the source of the crisis.
Political insiders have avoided this simple reality: The problems of the 99% are caused in large part by Wall Street greed, perverse financial incentives, and a corporate takeover of the political system. Now that this is understood, the genie is out of the bottle and it can’t be put back in.

2. It provides a clear vision of the world we want.
We can create a world that works for everyone, not just the wealthiest 1%. And we, the 99%, are using the spaces opened up by the Occupy movement to conduct a dialogue about the world we want.

3. It sets a new standard for public debate.
Those advocating policies and proposals must now demonstrate that their ideas will benefit the 99%. Serving only the 1% will not suffice, nor will claims that the subsidies and policies that benefit the 1% will eventually “trickle down.”

4. It presents a new narrative.
The solution is not to starve government or impose harsh austerity measures that further harm middle-class and poor people already reeling from a bad economy. Instead, the solution is to free society and government from corporate dominance. A functioning democracy is our best shot at addressing critical social, environmental, and economic crises.

5. It creates a big tent.
We, the 99%, are people of all ages, races, occupations, and political beliefs. We will resist being divided or marginalized. We are learning to work together with respect.

6. It offers everyone a chance to create change.
No one is in charge; no organization or political party calls the shots. Anyone can get involved, offer proposals, support the occupations, and build the movement. Because leadership is everywhere and new supporters keep turning up, there is a flowering of creativity and a resilience that makes the movement nearly impossible to shut down.

7. It is a movement, not a list of demands.
The call for deep change—not temporary fixes and single-issue reforms—is the movement’s sustaining power. The movement is sometimes criticized for failing to issue a list of demands, but doing so could keep it tied to status quo power relationships and policy options. The occupiers and their supporters will not be boxed in.

8. It combines the local and the global.
People in cities and towns around the world are setting their own local agendas, tactics, and aims. What they share in common is a critique of corporate power and an identification with the 99%, creating an extraordinary wave of global solidarity.

9. It offers an ethic and practice of deep democracy and community.
Slow, patient decision-making in which every voice is heard translates into wisdom, common commitment, and power. Occupy sites are set up as communities in which anyone can discuss grievances, hopes, and dreams, and where all can experiment with living in a space built around mutual support.

10. We have reclaimed our power.
Instead of looking to politicians and leaders to bring about change, we can see now that the power rests with us. Instead of being victims to the forces upending our lives, we are claiming our sovereign right to remake the world.

Like all human endeavors, Occupy Wall Street and its thousands of variations and spin-offs will be imperfect. There have already been setbacks and divisions, hardships and injury. But as our world faces extraordinary challenges—from climate change to soaring inequality—our best hope is the ordinary people, gathered in imperfect democracies, who are finding ways to fix a broken world.

Ten Ways the Occupy Movement Changes Everything | Truthout.

I’ve never seen anything quite like the Occupy movement in scale and character, here and worldwide. The Occupy outposts are trying to create cooperative communities that just might be the basis for the kinds of lasting organizations necessary to overcome the barriers ahead and the backlash that’s already coming.

That the Occupy movement is unprecedented seems appropriate because this is an unprecedented era, not just at this moment but since the 1970s.

via Occupy The Future — In These Times.

I’m very excited about this movement. We’ve been out on the street corners of sleepy Sherman Oaks, Ca. Flashing peace signs and smiles at the cars driving by, holding our signs with their pithy slogans. I mean, it’s kind of quaint here in the Valley, but we are representing this world-wide, transformative movement. As one great sign I saw in the news said, “The Beginning is Near!”

Class Warfare My Ass

Finally, someone telling it like it is!!