neil cox's Page
Gifts Received
neil cox has not received any gifts yet
Profile Information
- Are you interested in becoming an organizer in your area?
- Maybe--But Not Sure What to Organize
- Tell us about your experience with alternative energy:
- Alternate energy is one of many interests. I've helped a frend with a bare bones photovoltaic system. Several experiments with lead acid batteries
- What excites you about this campaign?
- T. Boone Picken is willing to put his own fortune at risk to do a large scale pilot plan
- What do you want to do to help?
- I'll be giving my opinion on various forums such as www.space.com www.spacesolarpower.wordpress.com
I'm age 77 in a few weeks, so I'm taking about 3 naps per day, but otherwise in good health. I got 2/3 of an EE in electronics back in the 50s, and worked and hobby in most of the sciences until about 1990. I got to retire at about 55 years old and have learned a lot of details since, mostly from forums such as Pickens plan. Trying to teach someone else often lets me combine ideas that would not otherwise come together. Neil
Featured Action
Twitter Feed
© 2009 Created by PickensPlan
Badges | Community Guidelines | Report an Issue | Privacy | Terms of Service
Comment Wall (16 comments)
You need to be a member of PickensPlan to add comments!
Join this social network
now that brings an interesting format, shall we talk in different terms?
you have come up with a great observation and detail about the battery, enjoyed your post,
a artist .I seem to take the path seldomed walked, And further more have a nice weekend.
Message sent to the following recipients:
Representative Herger
Senator Boxer
Senator Feinstein
Message text follows:
jeffrey paganini
1482 Vallombrosa Ave
Chico, CA 95926-2952
September 10, 2009
[recipient address was inserted here]
Dear [recipient name was inserted here],
While the price per barrel of oil has fallen from the last summer highs,
it's beginning to rise again. What hasn't changed is the percentage of
oil we import every day: over the past 12 months we have continued to
import nearly two-thirds of the oil we use.
Most of the oil we import is used as a transportation fuel - cars, trucks,
aircraft, boats and trains. About one barrel out of every five is used as
diesel fuel to power heavy trucks - 18-wheelers.
I am all for developing battery and fuel cell technology - or some other
technology which is still in the laboratory stage. But neither batteries
nor hydrogen are ready for widespread distribution to our national fleet
of approximately 250 million cars and light trucks. A battery also won't
push an 18-wheeler. The only fuel which is available to reduce our
dependence on foreign oil is domestic natural gas.
Due to recent advances in technology, we now have the ability to recover
natural gas from the enormous deposits in Texas, Louisiana and Appalachia
in the lower 48 states. In fact, a recent study Potential Gas Committee
estimates that natural gas reserves have surged by 35 percent. The 2,074
trillion cubic feet of domestic natural gas reserves cited in the study is
the equivalent of nearly 350 billion barrels of oil, about the same as
Saudi Arabia's oil reserves.
Natural gas is cheaper than diesel fuel. Natural gas is cleaner than
diesel. It's abundant. And it's ours.
The time to act is now and the NAT GAS Act is the best tool we've had in
decades to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.
The NAT GAS Act of 2009 is a bi-partisan bill in both the U.S. House of
Representatives (H.R. 1835) and the Senate (S. 1408). In the House,
Congressmen Boren (D-OK), Larson (D-CT) and Sullivan (R-OK) introduced it
April 1 and it already has nearly 80 bi-partisan cosponsors. In the
Senate, Senators Menendez (D-NJ) and Hatch (R-UT) were joined by Senate
Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) to introduce it on July 8.
The NAT GAS Act provides industry with the incentives to replace older
diesel trucks with newer natural gas vehicles - it's a great step in the
right direction. It will provide the momentum for engine manufacturers,
natural gas producers and natural gas distributors to ramp up and make a
real difference in our dependence on foreign oil.
I hope you will sign up as a cosponsor to support this important
legislation. I will be watching your press and floor remarks for
statements of support.
Sincerely,
jeffrey paganini
530-809-0165
Author, Lecturer, Engaged Citizen
Home
The Great Turning
Bullet Point Overview
Story Power
Earth Balance
Fair Share
Living Democracy
New Economy Agenda
Personal Journey
Affiliations
Biography
Defining Themes
Establishment Credentials
Searching Upstream
Turning Points
Publications/Talks
Books
Articles
Presentations
Reflections
Main Street over Wall Street
An Indigenous Perspective
Homelessness in America
Waking Up
World We Want Commentary
Glossary
Calendar
Calendar Archive
Contact
Join Our Email List
First Name:
Last Name:
Zip Code:
Email Address:*
User login
Username: *
Password: *
Create new account
Request new password
Affiliated Websites
Great Turning
PCDForum
YES! Magazine
BALLE
IFG
Welcome to DavidKorten.org
What's New? Harvard Business Review on-line blog on the need for business schools to teach outside the box.
Presentation to Veterans for Peace on conversion to a peace economy
New Book
Subscribe to YES! & get Agenda at a discount!
The remarkable story behind Agenda
Call for the end of Wall Street launched at historic Wall Street Trinity Church
Raffi celebrates launch of Agenda for a New Economy with "No Wall Too Tall."
Democracy Now interview by Amy Goodman & Juan Gonzalez on Agenda for a New Economy
PBS NOW interview by David Brancaccio on Agenda for a New Economy
Design for a New Economy
NEWS FLASH!!
Korten receives Global Justice Award
We humans are Creation's most daring experiment with reflective consciousness. This gift is the source of our distinctive capacity to choose our future as an intentional collective act. For some 5,000 years, we have demonstrated our ability to use this capacity foolishly at an enormous cost to ourselves and to other living beings. We must now take the step to a new level of species maturity and demonstrate our ability to act with collective wisdom and foresight.
This weblog is my place to share my ongoing reflections on the nature of this challenge and report on my own attempts to contribute to its realization in my role as an active citizen.
The Path to a New Economy
New Economy perspectives
on current news & commentary
Homelessness and economic failure in America
Obama on real wealth
3/17/2009
Too big to fail, is too big. 3/15/2009
NPR perpetuates phantom wealth fallacy 3/15/2009
For much of my adult life I have been embarked on a quest to understand the institutional sources of human dysfunction and map a pathway to positie change.
Beginning with the launch of When Corporations Rule the World in 1995, my most widely read books have addressed the dysfunctions of a global economic system that values money more than life. For all the tragic pain created by the recent financial collapse, it is in the larger view a blessing as it demonstrates so conclusively that the economy we came to collectively worship as an engine of perpetual wealth creation was nothing more than an illusion based on massive fraud and self-deception. My most recent book, Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth exposes the truth and maps a path to a new real wealth economy.
The Great Turning
The framework I find most useful in understanding the nature of the challenge before us is summarized in my article "The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community" in the Summer 2006 issue of YES! and in my book of the same name. See also my web essay "The Great Turning: Epic Passage." .
We can change the human course by changing the framing stories of our dominant culture. The prevailing Empire stories celebrate the individualism, violence and greed that express the pathologies of our collective human immaturity, while denying the potentials for community, love, and nurturing service that define our more mature human nature. The turning from Empire to Earth Community depends on changing these stories through conversations that make public the transformative inner wisdom we posses as individuals. Institutional change will follow naturally.
The companion website, Navigating the Great Turning, offers a rich source of ideas and resources for Great Turning Navigators who are working to turn the culture by changing its framing stories.
Featured Items
An Indigenous Perspective
Conversation
with Puanani Burgess Finding Our Power in the Great Turning
Joanna Macy
and David
Korten in a
public conversation Smart Security &
the End of War
The case for
economic
conversion
Author Information
You can find all the usual author information on this website, including my calendar of speaking events, books currently in print, video links, recent articles and talks, biographical information, and organizational affiliations. My base organization is the People-Centered Development Forum, which is the legal home of the Great Turning Initiative. Personal Journey tells the story of the intellectual journey that informs my current work as author, lecturer, and engaged citizen.
Tools
If you are looking for tools to organize a Great Turning event, facilitate a Great Turning discussion or workshop , or want to know what others are doing to spread the Great Turning message you will likely find what you are looking for on the Great Turning website. For a broad range of tools and resources for getting involved in most any aspect of living Earth Community into being see the YES! magazine Action Resource Center.
If you are interested in a particular term take a look in the Glossary where you will find my decoding of key Empire words and some of the contributions of the Great Turning Initiative to developing a vocabulary for those who are charting a human course to a world that works for all. I regret that I cannot respond to individual questions, but you may find answers to your question in “Frequently Asked Questions”
Using This Site
This site is under continuing development. Use the syndication button on the left sidebar to receive notices when I post new content.
Most pages on this site invite your substantive comments. All constructive points of view are welcome. Spam and abusive comments will be removed. The site requires registration to comment solely to avoid abuse by automated spammers. Unless you choose to sign up for our periodic Great Turning Newsletter, your information will not be used for any purpose other than your access to this site and in no event will your e-mail address be shared without your express permission.
I hope you will find ideas and content on this website useful in advancing your work and understanding. Content that is not specifically attributed to someone else, is probably mine and you have my permission to reproduce and share it with proper attribution as you like. I believe that ideas are the common heritage of the species and should be freely shared in the ongoing process of deepening our collective knowledge and capacity as a species. My work builds on the work of countless others, as I hope your work may build on mine.
My thanks to Sam Rose and socialsynergyweb.com for technical support in creating this website and to Kevin Audleman for technical support in maintaining it..Login or register to post comments
Comments
May 14 2009 bornwithnoallegiancetoempire
Born With No Allegiance To Empire
You helped opened my heart and my mind, for that David I am forever grateful.
Love
A new generation
Login or register to post comments May 8 2009 FortKnight
I agree with you that economics isn't complicated. Some additional ideas:
www.mises.org
www.fee.org
Login or register to post comments April 30 2009 hadashi
Yesterday I attended a talk by Bill McKibben. Today I picked up David Korten's 'The Postgraduate World'. There's evolution for you! I look forward to reading more with a positive spin. We're not here for the money, true. Neither are we here simply to monitor CO2 levels. I think I've come to the right place.
Hadashi
The you in me says Hi to the me in you
Login or register to post comments February 25 2009 tbushman
I need more listening material. I'm a good listener. Reader...not so much. Thanks! I've needed this kind of hope.
Login or register to post comments February 22 2009 tx2346
My first time here. I found you via YES magazine article by Ellen Brown
("Web of debt" http://www.yesmagazine.org/article.asp?id=3162) ...
who as it happens, has published alot of ideas that i had come to independently.
So, very glad to finally find people of like mind.
Please David (& readers), if you have time,
I'd love to have your feedback about some key ideas on my blog:
http://bright-ideas-thomas.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-is-money-why-we-nee...
Especially, there are aspects which harmonize some ideas from both the traditional american conservative 'right' and liberal 'left' that would help build consensus (example: the 'e-Dollar' as gold-substitute for fiscal restraint, without the ecological damage and social strictures of gold as 'hard money').
Feel free to use, improve, and publish anything there that has merit.
Thank you, Thomas (the "Global Village Idiot") tx@2346.net
Login or register to post comments February 18 2009 legacyshooter
Your 1995 work, When Corportations... should have been enough for us to start doing something about the demise of the American dream. For some of us it was, for most, it was... not.
I am glad you are here, as glad as you were there. I fervently hope this time more will read, ponder and listen.
I just found you again after losing you ten years or more ago and immediately sent word of my discovery to who I know will listen. Just think, we have replaced the hopelessness of the last 8 years with the possibility that there will be repairs made and I have found an old voice that has been and can be a major impact in the renewal process.
We Americans are an especial people. The last years have proved it is something we need to work at not take for granted.
Terry Gabriel
Raleigh, NC
If a million people believe a foolish thing,
it is still a foolish thing.
---Anatole France
Login or register to post comments February 3 2009 amacd
Beginners Sailing Lessons (and philosophy):
for the idiots fighting at the helm of our crashing Cigarette boat economy.
Being an inveterate cruising sailor, in a sport where even the supposedly aggressive racing sailors sail slower and more carefully than a grade-schooler on his bike, I am amazed at this group of macho, and incompetent power-boat drivers (of the economy) grasping for the throttles and thrashing the wheel back and forth on this flaming Cigarette boat of an economy as it heads toward the rocks.
David Korten in his “Why Wall Street Can’t Be Fixed and How to Replace It: Agenda For a New Economy”, Ralph Nader, William Greider, and many others, like Ron Paul, are all getting to the heart of the problem that all the politicians, economist, and Wall Streeters are missing: that the issue is one of sensitive, and human scale application of natural touch, careful adjustment of controls, and being in tune with nature --- both human nature and nature more broadly, which none of the above mentioned experts in applying power, thrust, and force understands in the least --- regardless of whether they are left or right, DEM or REPUB, or any variety of elite ideology.
The supposed experts are all part of the ruling-elite, and the financial/corporatist/political empire, even if they have not yet been totally co-opted by the system --- and this system is a system of controlling things (including the economy) BY POWER, and not by sensitive feel and careful application of a light adjustments and trimming of control surfaces.
The best analogy I can think of is the difference between how a sailor and a power-boater deal with the wind and the seas in a crisis.
The very act and philosophy of sailing to windward in rough seas requires a sailor to understand the environment and nature of what he is involved with, and to make careful, sensitive, and subtle adjustments to all of the control lines, sail trim, and tack of his sailboat in relation to the much more powerful forces of winds and waves that nature has dealt him in any given strom. In sharp contrast, the power-boater is fighting nature by trying to apply the gross power of his engines, and the few rough controls of forward throttle force, and slamming the wheel left or right as his only means to confront and overcome nature, instead of using the force of nature's winds, currents, and seas to help his progress.
Our entire problem with the political economy, with the human economy, and with our entire environmentally dependent economic system of survival, is that we have a shipload of idiot power-boaters arguing about who’s best to be at the helm of this flaming Cigarette boat caught in high seas and gale force winds, and they are all only capable of the gross (and rather stupid) over-powering controls of 'pedal to the metal' or of wrenching the wheel left and right in a vain attempt to keep the floundering power-boat from crashing on the rocks. They simply have no experience in using the sailor's skill of fine adjustments to sail trim, and tack with respect to the power of the winds and the seas in order to turn the power of nature to their advantage.
Our economy is now in the hands of arguing power-boat dummies, wearing gold chains and pendants, and beating their chests about who's more macho in pouring on the throttle power (ie. the money) to force their vessel against nature and against the winds of the storm to escape the crash --- and like real power-boaters in a crisis, their fuel filters have just clogged, they don't have the slightest idea of how to get out of the fix through good seamanship, and they simply don't have enough power (money) left in their engines to do anything but flounder and await helplessly to be fully thrown onto the rocks.
The economic storm that we are now facing is far greater and more fundamental than we have ever faced, and we need to very carefully, and sensitively adjust the rigging, sails and helm of our sailing ship of state such that we use, rather than abuse and confront, the natural elements of human nature, the nature of the seas and the winds, and the overall nature of our entire environment to skillfully turn these powerful elements to our advantage, and be able to save our ship, by sailing carefully to windward and escaping the rocks to the lee shore.
There are ways to harness the energies of nature, wind and seas to do this and survive as a species, --- BUT the idiot power-boat megalomaniacs who only know how to pour on the gas (money) to save their own bacon are going to destroy our vessel and our selves, because this time. like never before, just putting the pedal to the metal and hold the wheel hard to port or starboard (or as these idiots say left or right) economic ideologies is not going to result in anything more than a titanic crash, that will make the real 'Titanic' look like a Sunday school picnic. Power alone, even infinite power and infinite money-power is not going to save the ship in the hands of lousy seamanship and an arrogant confrontation against nature.
The answer to our existential crisis is, as David Korten says, to change the entire nature of how we work with the force of our human economy, and to make the careful 'sailors' adjustments to an entirely new way of working with the forces of nature --- rather than trying to arrogantly, and with insane hubris, forcefully power against it into seas that now can not be overcome with pitiful power of money alone.
Instead of the corrupt big banks, that were too big (and powerful) to fail, but are now floundering in a sea of red ink, being provided with more money-power to supposedly power against the seas of this economic storm, or instead of the supposedly all-powerful government using the power of its money printing presses in an ultimately futile push to ‘power-against’ the winds of economic reality (at the cost of hyper-inflation for our grandkids crews), all of these hopeless, incompetent, arrogant, and macho would–be power-boat skippers to whom the ‘money-power’ throttle is the only control at their mindless helm, should be summarily dismissed from the cockpit, and a new crew of real sailors, who know how to use careful control lines, sail trim and helm adjustments that work with, rather than against natural economics need to right our ship by adjusting the mainsheet of human capital, by reefing the genoa of debt, checking velocity made good to the way point and adjusting tack.
A far better, more human centered, more humane, effective and efficient natural economy can be easily developed today, by simply taking account of the economic ‘sailing trim’ which uses fine adjustments and rules of seamanship to insure that all the forces of the economy, like ‘externality-cost’ forces (which have been ignored or worse, ‘gamed’ by greedy power-boaters) are fully understood and articulated into the whole course of our economy.
We don’t need to pour more money-power at the economy, but rather insure, through subtle control adjustments, that the real natural power of the economy’s rules and rewards are being honestly incorporated into our course settings, sail plans, and helm corrections. For example this two year old course adjustment for our economy, which may have been uninteresting before the storm, could be more carefully reconsidered at our chart table, now that the winds and seas have turned against the current over-powered and poorly charted course that power-boating fools like Alan Greenspan and his like have blindly set:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_alan_mac_070324__22with_their_ow...
I wish fair winds and gentle seas to all on this exciting but arduous cruise. Our success and safety in the voyage is in our own hands once we fire the incompetent power-boat fools and their power-hungry crews, and re=plot our true course.
Alan MacDonald
Login or register to post comments January 28 2009 Kurth
David: Loved The Great Turning and look forward to reading your new book, which I learned of recently on Democracy Now! You clearly point out how upside down much, if not most, of human society and economy is today. You certainly have the credentials to back it up. And your recommendations for resolving this complex state of affairs are hopeful and laudable.
But there is a gap that needs to be addressed. It's the same gap that always exists between the way things are when they are "bad" and the "good" way things should be. This gap is in the minds of human beings and is currently occupied by an imaginary person: the egoic fiction of an autonomous individual, separate from all else, called "me." Caught in the trance of this belief since early childhood, when conceptual symbols or language started to dominate reality, "the person" feels compelled to act in its own interest, to control outcomes in one's favor, to look out for #1. This trance turns life inside out. Out of balance with the whole, the ego fragments life into me and everything else, some of which I can get, manipulate and control, or reject, avoid and destroy. All of our troubles are rooted in this.
Seeing this clearly operating in one's mind is the beginning of the end of the trance. Seeing this completely and continuously in one's consciousness is the shift from thought/mind/ego dominance to awareness/heart/being dominance. This shift is quiet and subtle, yet major in the fullest sense. After all, all experience, i.e. what we know as living, is based in consciousness and has no reality without consciousness. Consciousness is common to every living thing. We are one in this. Ego is merely an experienced concept in consciousness. It is available to any and all, when one is ready to first face one's own BS, the story of "me." Without this shift, human ideals will remain hopeful yet unrealized, while self-interest continues to corrupt everything. Reading and hearing the news media these days is proof enough of this. Then look into one's own life to see the same behaviors operating.
So I recommend to all readers of The Great Turning that they check out another book, a companion piece if you will. It is A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. His message is all about this gap now occupied by a mistaken identity, and the tragic, sometimes comical, havoc it wreaks, and how to address and correct the situation. If deeply and simply understood, this book's message will naturally lead to a great turning away from phantom wealth to real wealth, first and most importantly in one's own life.
Thank you for the opportunity to post this comment - Richard Kurth
Login or register to post comments
February 3 2009 freegoddess
http://thevenusproject.com/
I found out about this through the movie Zeitgeist. Jacque Fresco proposes some excellent progressive ideas about reengineering our society along the same lines as you're proposing. I haven't read your book yet, but I just purchased it and look forward to learning more about you and about your ideas.
Thanks for giving us hope for our future.
Login or register to post comments
January 27 2009 turkeyfeast0100
Hey David,
I just wanted to let you know that I saw your interview on democracynow.org and I wanted to compliment you on the necessary steps towards getting back to a society in which values family and honesty.
There are many possibilities and opportunities to return back to a modernized society that mimics the agricultural society because of the potential we can use our technology. One thing I would like to expand on is the idea of condensing people. You mentioned that people must get closer together, but the practicality of that is a structural flaw that our society fails to see. I am talking about the idea of mass condensing to the point where entire cities and apartments can be condensed into a few massive buildings. As a direct result of doing this, there is immediately more land available and we should then use that land to reinstate farming principals. One major contributor to global warming is not CO2 or the amount of pollution we make, its the land we take up and cover with cement. The major problem in global warming is the lack and destruction of trees or vegetation for that matter. We have expanded our cities, towns and villages by simply cementing over the earth and destroying any signs of green life. The idea of condensing people on a massive scale would prove to work for both the worlds of more communication and an increase in farming that would decrease the speed of global warming.
I am interested to hear what you think of my plan, I also have many other practical ideas that wouldn't take too much remodeling such as this plan. Let me know!
Mike
Login or register to post comments December 29 2008 sv133
David,
Just finished reading your article published in Tikkun magazine. Excellent, as always. I'm particularly glad to see that you have begun writing about the need for monetary reform. I have only recently become aware of this issue through Ellen Brown's writings.
I thought you might be interested in this blog entry from the Preservation Institute's Blog, which suggests that Obama is aware of economic sustainability issues: http://preservenet.blogspot.com/2008/08/obama-calls-for-paradigm-shift-i... This gives me some hope that perhaps radical reform is coming.
Keep up the great work!
Joe
Login or register to post comments December 2 2008 clintoncallahan
Dear David,
Tonight I will read the final pages of The Great Turning - savoring them slowly. I am so grateful that you invested your time and intelligence to bring this book into existence (with Fran's loving support, I am sure). The clarity of your ideas legitimizes a foundation upon which many of us can stand to do our life's work of service facilitating the Great Turning.
While reading I noticed a repeated omission that I consider to be quite serious, and I want to offer one possible solution we can think about together, opening the door to further distinctions, if you like.
The omission is: How can I, as a person committed to The Great Turning, learn the specific relationship and communication soft skills and thoughtware needed for Earth Community when they have been systematically exterminated for 5000 years by Patriarchal Empire (e.g. in witch hunts, book burnings, and inquisitions, for example)? Where do I find them now? How do I get authentic support during the often painful process of recognizing and unlearning old habits while lowering my numbness bar, learning to feel, and bringing new listening and communication skills into my life?
In The Great Turning you fiercely and repeatedly explained to us the necessity of learning whole new ways of relationship:
Learning to relate to other humans is thus foundational both to ensuring our survival and to actualizing the possibilities of our humanity. Pg. 42
Creating a mature society, however, requires leadership by people of a mature consciousness. Pg. 48
Taking the step to maturity requires that we accept individual and collective responsibility of the shadow side of our human nature and set about to create a mutual support system, rather like a global Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that provides the emotional support required to move beyond our psychological dependence on domination and violence. Pg. 55
Relationships, not money, are the true measure of well-being. What matters most is our connection to and participation in the life of community. Pg. 300
The deeper and more mutually affirming our relationships, the richer and more distinctively human we become. Pg. 301
Responsible citizenship, cooperation, and nonviolent conflict resolution come naturally to emotionally and morally mature adults. Pg. 306
The goal, however, is not to swing to the extreme of domination by females, but rather to achieve a synthesis that brings the feminine and masculine tendencies into a healthy dynamic balance. Pg. 324
Again, relationships are the key [to Earth Community]. Pg. 307
The Great Turning happens through many individuals successfully implementing the thoughtware and soft skills of mature adult and archetypal relationship. This learning cannot be legislated! That is why I propose that you expand your support to make suggestions as to where and how such things can be learned.
This is the reason I sent you a copy of my book Radiant Joy Brilliant Love www.radiant-joy.com. It is a handbook based on over 30 years of research and experimenting with creating the adult relationships of Earth Community.
I propose that you share such resources with readers of The Great Turning so that when they are ready for taking their next educational step they have a further place to continue.
I also ask for your support of certain high-integrity responsibility seminars such as www.ExpandTheBox.com that are “bringing the perspective of the higher orders of human consciousness to bear as they create new cultural spaces that give people the freedom to experiment with cooperative relationships.” Pg 302
With support like these available, continuing the Great Turning adventure can be really fun!
All the best to you,
Clinton Callahan
www.callahan-academy.com
www.just-stop.org
www.radiant-joy.com
Login or register to post comments November 18 2008 rodr
I am glad to find another enlightened and interlectural person with real alternatives. To further refine some of your proposed programs may I suggest that the transfer tax be universal to include all money transactions, legal or illigal. Also to encourage sound use of non-renewable resources, energy coupons could be used whereby the government decides how much non-renewable energy is needed for the year and each citizen is given their share and each transaction requiring that energy must be paid in dollars and coupons - very similar to WW11. This system would alleviate food stamps since the poor would get the same number of coupons and could sell their excess to people who require a lot of energy. All imports would be assessed the energy coupons. Another idea is to designate railways to be one way toll whereby any rolling stock can pay the toll and go non-stop between states. Thanks, Rod Rylander
Login or register to post comments November 10 2008 Sundiii
You say "I believe that ideas are the common heritage of the species and should be freely shared in the ongoing process of deepening our collective knowledge and capacity as a species."
Then where are my comments from 11/8/08 saying that to save the earth all Nations need to build only Tower cities connected to Trains?
Login or register to post comments
November 14 2008 davidkorten
Sundiii: Your comments are on the page where I presume you originally posted them. Click on The Great Turning Menu link. David Korten
Login or register to post comments
October 27 2008 Johannes Ait
Hi! Do you think 9/11 was an inside job?
Login or register to post comments July 31 2008 AnnaGomez
Dear David:
I find your writing very interesting. I am most interested in your own inner and outer process through the 'establishment'. I am curious when you realized that your values and beliefs were incongruent with the institutions you represented? From that point I am curious how you managed to navigate yourself in these institutions, how long you continued serving them and how (and if) you stay in partnership with them today.
I ask as someone who is recovering from the inherent mass propaganda and cultural brain wash I was born into, going from confusion, to enlightenment and then back to brain washed. Currently I am not enlightened nor confused but partnering with anyone who is interested in learning the tools of Self As Instrument. It seems my goals and destiny are to be in the stream of our modern world, trying to wake up and help others wake up. I believe that your personal journey would be valueable for both learning and role modeling. Thank you in advance for sharing your story.
Sincerely,
Dr. Anna Gomez
Login or register to post comments July 25 2008 arvind.patil
Arvind Patil
I see that David is going to be in Henderson, NC on April 17 - 19, 2009. I want to explore the possibility of his coming to Charlotte, NC after that for a speaking engagement on behlf of Piedmont Liberal Forum. We are a non-profit organization that seeks to bring well known speakers on socio-economic, spiritual , cultural and scientific topics to Charlotte area. So far we have organized talks by Bill Schultz of Amnesty International, Eugenie Scott, Sister Prejean and Father Coyne, to name the few.
What are the chances of having David come here after his engagement in Henderson NC? We are only 3-4 hours drive from there. How much will it cost us? Who is the contact person that we can get in touch with to continue further discussions on this topic?.
Look forward to hearing from you.
Arvind Patil, Ph.D.
VP-Technology
Ricura Corporation
11515 Vanstory Dr., Suite 135
Huntersville, NC 28078
Ph-704-875-0366 X 102
arvind.patil@ricura.com
Login or register to post comments July 8 2008 Proactive Peace Productions
Hello David Korten,
My name is andrew lord. I wrote a song for the great turning, as well as a recorded a video message to you, explaining my story about the biomimetics of the great turning, a story I call the Science of Proactive Peace Production. I hope you can find the time to watch. You can find both the song and your message on youtube. The message is called dear david korten, and the song is called the great turning.
Have a beautiful day!
a-
Login or register to post comments
July 21 2008 davidkorten
Andrew: I took a look at the video. Have you recorded the song for the Great Turning? I didn't see any reference to it in the video.
David Korten
Login or register to post comments
April 19 2009 Proactive Peace Productions
thanks
Login or register to post comments
July 6 2008 beeber
Dear David
I work for the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz California, a local peace and justice center. We frequetly bring in speakers. Could you give me an estimate of your speaking fee. I notice you will be in the Bay Area from time to time and maybe 2009 would be a good time for you to visit. I look forward to your reply.
Sincerely,
Barbara Hayes
barbara@greybird.com
Resource Center for Nonviolence
515 Broadway, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
831-423-1626
Login or register to post comments
July 10 2008 Kat Gjovik
Hello Barbara,
I coordinate David's calendar and speaking engagements, and would be happy provide information. I will contact you shortly.
Kat
Login or register to post comments
July 6 2008
David K. - It was a true pleasure to have met you at the BALLE conference in Boston last month. I appreciate that we had a chance to talk for a bit and I have continued to wrestle with the ideas we discussed. From our discussion, I followed your suggestion that I read "The Great Turning." I am about half-way through and I have a question for you regarding the relationship between equity and sustainability.
In TGT, you write near the end of Chapter 3, ". . . equity becomes an essential condition of a healthy, sustainable society in a full world . . ." I agree intuitively (and on principle) to that statement. But I am hoping you can refer me to some materials that flesh out the logic that leads one to our shared conclusion. I am also interested in the extent to which that statement applies to one or both of the following: that equity is a condition needed to make the Great Turning itself, and/or if equity is a condition that, as an outcome, will inform us that Great Turning efforts are succeeding.
And finally, if we take equity to mean "economic equity," I am also curious to know your opinion on the extent to which the purpose of seeking equity is to ensure, as you write on the same page, that "all persons have an adequate and meaningful means of making a living for themselves and their families," and/or that through the achievement of equity (however measured/defined), there will simply be less of a chance for too much wealth to be under the control of too few.
Thanks in advance for your time and any documents you may send me in responding to my questions.
All the best to you,
-- Jonathan Kevles
Login or register to post comments
July 21 2008 davidkorten
Jonathan: Good question. I plan to do a Frequent Questions piece on it when I find the time. Beyond issues of justice, there are a number of reasons why equity is essential. Basically In a world in which we are already consuming well beyond what the planet will sustain, equity is essential to meeting everyone's needs. Extreme inequality without hope for redress results in social breakdown and violence --- exactly as we are experiencing. There is also a growing body of evidence that the societies that are highest on both health and happiness indicators are those that are most egalitarian. I just returned from a conference in Australia on this specific subject. I'll try to do something more on this with references in the near future as it is a fascinating subject that goes to the core of the necessary agenda for the turning.
David Korten
Login or register to post comments
August 8 2008 jkevles
David - Thank you for your reply. I look forward to your FAQ on the topic and/or any existing materials out there that I can look to in the meanwhile.
Thank you, and kind regards,
- Jonathan
Login or register to post comments
June 29 2008 eb
Michael Kinsley has posted a piece on the Huffington Post (6/26/08) asking for input and new ideas for new economic systems. Wanted to inform you in case you're interested. His article/blog provides details.
E
Login or register to post comments
July 21 2008 davidkorten
Thanks for the heads up. I'll take a look. My ideas for a new economic system are pretty well covered in my books and YES! magazine articles. More current reflections are pretty well covered on this website. David Korten
Login or register to post comments
May 17 2008 Sabine.McNeill
Dear David
I have long admired you and your work that relates so fundamentally to the Forum for Stable Currencies that I've been organising at the House of Lords in London.
Once upon a time, I even put one of your fundamental articles "The ABC of Financial Capitalism" on my old website www.monies.cc
http://www.monies.cc/forum/actions/submission/the_abc.htm
As I'm gathering blog speed, I've also learned to edit Wikipedia pages and am now in conversation with an editor of "Wikisource" who needs reassurance that any documents are free of copyright restrictions.
Can you possibly let me have an email to the effect that you're ok with my efforts to publicise our thinking and analysis?
With many thanks in advance,
yours in the spirit of citizen engagement,
Sabine
Organiser, Forum for Stable Currencies
http://forumnews.wordpress.com
Login or register to post comments
June 18 2008 davidkorten
Sabine: Thanks for your note. You can assure your editor that nothing on this site has copyright restrictions unless specifically noted.
David Korten
Login or register to post comments Home | The Great Turning | New Economy Agenda | Personal Journey | Publications/Talks | Reflections | Glossary | Calendar | Contact | LOG IN
27FEB09
Honorable Speaker of the House Congresswoman Pelosi,
I am an Electronic Technician Chief in the US Navy with 27 years service stationed overseas. I’m outlying an idea to assist and work with current plans for achieving energy independence. I urge you, as speaker of the house and the driving force to form the select committee on energy independence and global warming, consider for discussion and introduction into the house US Treasury Savings Bonds for Energy Independance.
In WWII America sold war bonds supporting the war effort. When young, my mother told me her primary school raised enough money through bonds to build a tank to support troops. I am impressed with the patriotism and purpose of our greatest generation that accomplished so much.
Selling energy bonds for RE (Renewable Energy) development would lower foreign oil imports and assist with the complex problem of funding. Bonds sold as “Energy S” could support new solar trough plants, “Energy W” to support wind farms, Energy “H” to support hydroelectric plants, Energy “T” to support RE transportation such as electric bullet train routes powered by RE, Energy "C" COOPS for small communities only needing a small quantity of turbines, and Energy “I” for needed infrastructure high voltage power lines to the RE site. Bonds will have the project name and include an artist’s perspective of the project and an American flag. President Obama had great success with the internet during his campaign. In a similar manner, using the internet, energy bonds could have a website listing current projects and an “electronic checkout” could purchase a bond $25 or higher. Simpler methods of payment such as “PAYPAL” and credit cards would be available and after an electronic purchase is complete a color print out of the bond is available with a follow up of the bond in the mail. The website would limit quantity of projects for each category until funding is complete. After a project becomes funded, a new project will be available. A tab on the site will show history and status of previous projects. Purchasers may take great pride in “collecting” and displaying bonds of various RE projects and participating at different levels of financial support. Solar trough plants in the multi-hundred MW size capacity with molten salt energy storage in California, Arizona, and West Texas can provide a major portion of electric needs. North Dakota has potential to support 1/3 of our nations electric needs in it’s class 4 wind zone areas. There are plenty of suitable proposed wind turbine farms now around the nation to significantly increase our RE if funded. Mid sized hydro-electric has not been used in America to it’s full potential. Following the example of our neighbor, Canada, it would provide a significant increase in percentage of electric production. Developing all three we could provide the majority of our electric and heating needs through renewable energy in a "New New Deal" fashion allowing natural gas for transportation as T. Boone Pickens is working for. Bullet train routes have proven a viable alternative to commercial domestic air service and when powered by electricity provided by RE suppliers America would be in the forefront of world technology. Example, I heard of discussion for a commuter train from Denver to Colorado Springs. Such a route built as a renewable energy project with charter requirement legally requiring to only purchase electricity from available renewable energy sources would be a model example. There are many train routes, city bus systems, and government vehicles that can be converted to run from alternative energy sources and fuels. Jobs created would bolster the economy, lower trade deficit, and strengthen national security. I would take great pride in print outs of bonds with graphics of each project I supported and many other Americans would also. The energy bonds could have tax breaks. BLM lands may be a viable place to start for some projects.
I contacted the US treasury department and was told that the marketing department for savings bonds closed several years ago. I was told there would be problems because savings bonds are at the federal level while the projects will be at the state and local level. I disagree and believe that these can easily be figured out in the way of grants to the state and local level using money from the bonds for those specific projects. I was told to check out auctions on the www.treasurydirect.gov website and found them to not apply to citizens wanting to buy savings bonds to support a cause such as energy independance. I was told by the treasury department to look into CREB (Clean Renewable Energy Bonds). I found CREB to be large scale funding that a citizen would not be able to participate in as a US Treasury Energy Independance Bond would provide. If given the tools to participate directly, the power of the citizens of the United States to help achieve energy independance could not be denied. Americans mean well and the Energy Independance Savings bond program will give citizens the power at their level to make it happen. If marketed through a web page, commercials, and to federal employees the word would get out and participation would spread like wildfire.
Mr. Paul Gipe, a resident of Bakersfield CA, an author of several books about wind energy, and recipient of multiple awards as a pioneer in the industry since the 1970's has put a letter I wrote to Senator Dorgan on this subject as well as an older letter I wrote on wind COOP in JAN07. These websites are:
http://www.wind-works.org/coopwind/RenewableEnergyBondsforEnergyIndependence.html
and
http://www.wind-works.org/articles/AmericanEnergyIndependencethroughCooperativeInvestmentinWindEnergy.html
Sincerely and very respectfully,
ETC(SW/AW) Mike Kendall USN
Mailing address: PSC 476, Box 879, FPO AP, 96322 USA
Telephone (803) 265-4756, Email: ke6cvh@yahoo.com
Regards, ADR
View All Comments