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In September 2010, 17 trekkers, many affiliated with Kosmos Journal, hiked to the Forbidden Kingdom of Mustang in Nepal.Their stories and photos will appear in the Fall/Winter 2010 issue of Kosmos. |
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| | | | Greetings from Nancy
Dear Readers,
We are going to press this week with the Fall/Winter issue of Kosmos Journal. We have a long relationship with Snyder Printer in Troy, NY, assuring us of quality recycled paper and special treatment of our stunning photographs. This issue has 150 images - more than ever. The impact of our authors' words is greatly enhanced with evocative imagery and our galleries of carefully chosen photographs stand alone as journalism without words.
People Power|The Global Commons, our new issue, will hit the bookstores the first week in November. We continue following the social trailblazing of those people who are defining their own destiny and cooperating with others to form a new economy of the 'People.' This inspiring movement is the global commons approach, where people claim their inherent rights to the natural and social resources that are gradually being enclosed by the private sector and governments. For example, natural resources in Africa that are needed for food production are being privatized while 1 in 7 people on this planet do not have enough to eat. A whole new economics is growing beyond markets and government putting people in charge.
In our new issue, economist James Quilligan, one of the leaders of the global commons movement and a member of the Kosmos Board of Directors, offers an exclusive on the strangling hold of exponential interest rates and why we must go beyond green technologies to solve the climate crisis. Leo Burke, who is bringing the commons framework to university curricula, spells out why we must all become commoners in a clearly written introductory article that is perfect for readers who are new to the commons. Jay Walljasper shares a chapter from his forthcoming book, What We Share: A Field Guide to the Commons. Shadia Fayne Wood, a talented global justice photographer, provides our cover image and a compelling collage of people power. Susan Witt rounds out this section with her experience on local economies and the transition of the Schumacher Society into the New Economics Institute, right here in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, where Kosmos is also located. Michael Vlahos, a noted war historian and former member of the CIA, writes a compelling article on America's Forever War and how most Americans are unaware of the cost to our lives, our worldwide reputation and our future trajectory. Why is the US population not up in arms about the 1 trillion dollars we have spent in the last decade killing people and destroying cultures, while our own economy, education, and infrastructure are collapsing? One of our favorite advisory board members, Alfredo Sfeir-Younis, writes about 11 important values of the new emerging civilization from his experience traveling to dozens of countries giving mass meditations and private consultations. Roberta Baskin, a seasoned investigative reporter, tells us about her own experiences in the field, revealing the unfortunate decline of investigative reporting and what this means for our democracy. Bert Parlee, a long time integral practitioner, offers a timely article on a unique integral perspective on optimism - not one most of us have considered in these transformational times. And our favorite journalist from Europe, Farah Lenser, takes us to the opening of the Palestine Cultural Center in the heart of embattled Jenin and shows us how some Palestinians are resisting through culture rather than violence. Beautiful photos of the Kosmos-sponsored trip to the Forbidden Kingdom of Mustang in Nepal by our webmaster Sander Feinberg accompany the story by fellow trekker and Kosmos Assistant Editor Stephanie Shorter about this physically challenging and culturally expanding 11-day journey. The determined work of Kosmos board member and UN representative Tara Stuart made the trip to this ancient land of preserved Tibetan Buddhist culture possible.
Our art galleries present the award-winning photographs for the UN Millennium Development Goals and exquisite photos of nature by Remi Benali, an award-winning international photographer known for his highly publicized photos of the first cloned sheep, Dolly. These and other images bring Kosmos stories to life with a sensitivity that feels the pain and joy of living in these times. Our greatest hope is that you will be motivated to join us in creating the new world rising.
Warm wishes, Nancy Nancy Roof, Ph.D. Founder | Editor | Art Director 2009 Images and Voices of Hope Award for Excellence in Print Journalism Co-Founder Values Caucus and Spiritual Caucus, at the UN, Co-Founder New Civilization Initiative
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Kosmos News
October 24 - United Nations Day Kosmos has been active at the United Nations since 1987, founding the Values and Spiritual Caucuses to elevate consciousness of the whole of humanity to this international body. The United Nations has not had the kind of positive press in the United States that most other countries do , yet it is the only international organization we have that serves the whole through the governments of most countries.
We aspire to a democratic UN, one where the people, through the global commons, have equal representation with governments and corporations at this unique institution.We invite you to join us in support of the UN on this special day. For more information, visit http://www.un.org/en/events/unday/2009/. October 24 - Global Oneness Days Humanity's Team has initiated a campaign to institutionalize October 24th as a worldwide Global Oneness Day. Kosmos has been involved peripherally from the beginning of the project and fully supports the effort to legitimatize the day through a UN declaration. Please sign the petition and help us celebrate our Oneness. www.humanitysteam.org/onenessdaypetition. Global Transition Synergizer
The first dynamic meeting of the Synergizers took place in September at the IONS retreat center. It is one of the important gatherings of 'People Power' with a goal of bringing the various activities of 65 global groups together to create a more powerful impact on world culture and events. Nancy continues to meet weekly with the group to vision the narrative for this era with Barbara Marx Hubbard, Duane Elgin, Terry Patten, Steve Farrell and others who are committed to a transformational paradigm for humanity and all life. You can find more about the group on Facebook.
Kosmos is also closely following the work of the Widening Circle Group: An Alliance to Advance the Global Citizens Movement, spearheaded by Paul Raskin of the Tellus Institute with Pachamama Alliance and 24 other groups. We'll keep you posted!
Global Commons Course Leo Burke and team are teaching another course on the Global Commons specifically geared towards the COY6 (Conference of Youth) on November 2-4 in Cancun, Mexico. Follow the discussion at World Citizens for the Global Commons, a website we highly recommend for learning more about the global commons. www.worldcitizenpanels.org.
Nancy Invited to Judge International Peace Pals Art Awards. Thousands of art drawings were submitted by children from 35 countries for the Thirteenth Annual International Peace Pals Art Awards sponsored by The Goi Peace Foundation of Tokyo, Japan one of our partners in the New Civilization Initiative. Nancy served as a judge of the contest for the second year in a row. Each art piece was a masterpiece in itself, expressed in colors and imaginative stories that live in the hearts of each child. Winners were announced on September 25, The International Day of Peace, at the World Peace Sanctuary. Learn about children's hopes for peace by viewing the winning art at www.wppspeacepals.org. Nancy Invited to Judge EthicMark Awards for Advertising that Raises the Human Spirit. Kosmos' beloved advisory board member, Hazel Henderson, initiated the EthicMark awards for ethics in advertising, which is now sponsored by the Mendoza School of Business at Notre Dame. Nancy was invited for the second year in a row to be a judge of these uplifting advertising campaigns. It is an honor to support the mission of the awards which aim to: - Adhere to the highest ethical standards e.g. integrity, accountability, trustworthiness, transparency, and fairness
- Respect consumers as human beings (avoid exaggeration, manipulation, exploitation, discrimination or degradation of human beings and animals)
- Uphold the diversity of cultural and religious values
- Portray and reinforce healthy lifestyles and behavior that promote social responsibility and/or environmental stewardship
- Uplift the human spirit and society
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