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Four Horsemen

Not a film that sees conspiracies, mongers fears nor blames bankers or politicians.  It's a film that questions the systems we've created and suggest ways to reform them.  An interesting documentary that questions the economic systems and belief systems at large.  There is a lot to take in, and if you're like me, it may take more than one viewing to comprehend the viewpoints presented.

FOUR HORSEMEN is an award winning independent feature documentary which lifts the lid on how the world really works. As we will never return to 'business as usual' 23 international thinkers, government advisors and Wall Street money-men break their silence and explain how to establish a moral and just society.

Russell Brand - Awakened Man

Enjoy this montage of Russell Brand extrapolating on higher levels of consciousness and a move to healthier systems to guide humanity's growth.

What a privilege it was to edit the words of one of the greatest men of our generation. Having said that this video is not about Russell Brand at all it is about the message and that message has never been more simple, its LOVE.

All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace →

This is the second in a series of documentaries from the creator of Century Of Self, Adam Curtis that challenges the idea of seeing the world in terms of systems.

This is the story of how our modern scientific idea of nature, the self-regulating ecosystem, is actually a machine fantasy. It has little to do with the real complexity of nature. It is based on cybernetic ideas that were projected on to nature in the 1950s by ambitious scientists. A static machine theory of order that sees humans, and everything else on the planet, as components – cogs – in a system.

Strangely this documentary is presented through the lens of a mechanistic point of view and does not make mention of our current understanding of the world from an energy based perspective.  Enjoy!

This film is the second part of a series of three documentaries by Adam Curtis: All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace This is the story of how our modern scientific idea of nature, the self-regulating ecosystem, is actually a machine fantasy. It has little to do with the real complexity of nature. It is based on cybernetic ideas that were projected on to nature in the 1950s by ambitious scientists. A static machine theory of order that sees humans, and everything else on the planet, as components – cogs – in a system.

Gary Snyder - Mountains And Rivers Without End

The Beat Generation's zen poet, Gary Snyder in discussion with Michael Krasny on KQED's Forum.  They talk about the latest release of his epic poem Mountains and Rivers Without End as well other topics including ecology, zen, native american mythology, and man's relationship with nature.

 

Gary Snyder was the real life person behind the character, Japhy Ryder,  in Jack Kerouac's 1958 novel, The Dharma Bums.  In the book there is a passage that not only reveals Snyder's intent to write his opus poem, Mountains and Rivers Without End, but inspired Systems Mural Project.

 

"I'll do a new long poem called "Rivers and Mountains Without End". And just write it on and on, on a scroll, and unfold on and on with new surprises and always what went before forgotten. See, like a river or like one of them real long Chinese silk paintings that shows two little men hiking in an endless landscape of gnarled old trees and mountains so high they merge with the fog in the upper silk void. I'll spend three thousand years writing it. It'll be packed full of information on soil conservation, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Astronomy, Geology, Chuang Tzu's travels, Chinese painting theory, reforestation, oceanic ecology, and food chains."

-Japhy Ryder from Jack Kerouac's THE DHARMA BUMS

To Understand the Shutdown You Have to Grasp the Mindset of the GOP Base

Read Joshua Holland's piece that helps us understand the attitudes and belief systems of the conservative factions that have brought the US government to a shutdown. (click on text)

His article draws from a Democracy Corps study based on a series of focus groups they conducted with loyal Republican voters.   It says,

"Evangelicals represent the largest group, followed by Republicans who identify with the tea party movement. “Moderates,” the third group, make up about a quarter of the party’s base, according to the pollsters.

Fear of a changing society is one thing that unites all three factions. The battle over Obamacare, write the study’s authors, “goes to the heart of Republican base thinking about the essential political battle."

Full study can be read here. 

 

The Story of Solutions with Annie Leonard

GAME CHANGER

The Story of Solutions, released in October 2013, explores how we can move our economy in a more sustainable and just direction, starting with orienting ourselves toward a new goal. In the current ‘Game of More’, we’re told to cheer a growing economy – more roads, more malls, more Stuff! – even though our health indicators are worsening, income inequality is growing and polar icecaps are melting. But what if we changed the point of the game? What if the goal of our economy wasn’t more, but better – better health, better jobs and a better chance to survive on the planet? Shouldn’t that be what winning means?

 

Bill McDonough: 'Upcycling' and Sustainable Design

Listen to Bill McDonough in conversation with Michael Krasny discussing the design of sustainable systems.

KQED says "A decade ago, William McDonough co-wrote "Cradle to Cradle," a manifesto advocating the design of products with many lifecycles, such as bottles made solely from biodegradable materials. His new book "The Upcycle" expands on these ideas by applying design solutions to global environmental challenges like food scarcity, clean water and climate change. McDonough urges us to think beyond simply minimizing our impact and to envision a world in which everything we do actually improves the environment."

​KQED Forum with Michael Krasny

Moyers & Co. • Big Banks' Greed and Impunity

We post a lot of Bill Moyers here because it seems like he is one of the best (if not only) one in the media asking the tough questions that get at the heart of the matter.​  

This time Bill discusses the economic system with Sheila Bair "about American banks’ continuing risky and manipulative practices, their seeming immunity from prosecution, and growing anger from Congress and the public."  
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Visit the Moyers and Company site for more information.​

Bill Moyers with Joseph Campbell • The Power of Myth turns 25

25 years ago Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell discussed our systems of belief in this classic series of interviews from PBS.

In dialogues that span millennia of history and far-flung geography, the two men discuss myths as metaphors for human experience and the path to transcendence, touching on topics including world religion, heroic figures, and pop culture. This series demonstrates that, despite superficial differences between cultures, all stories are humanity’s story. (from Bill Moyers' website)

Set your TV to record.  It airs locally in San Francisco on KQEDplus Sunday March 3 at 9:30 am.  Buy the program online, watch it on netflix or listen to it here.​

Overview • a film from Planetary Collective

‘Overview’ is a short film that explores the experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet through interviews with five astronauts who have experienced the Overview Effect. The film also features insights from commentators and thinkers on the wider implications and importance of this understanding for society, and our relationship to the environment.

Click to visit Planetary Collective's website for more information.

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The Super Supercapacitor • Brian Golden Davis

Ric Kaner set out to find a new way to make graphene, the thinnest and strongest material on earth. What he found was a new way to power the world.  This system is a new way to generate electrical charge that is carbon based so the waste has much less impact on the environment.

THE SUPER SUPERCAPACITOR is a Finalist in the $200,000 GE FOCUS FORWARD Filmmaker Competition. Learn more about the Competition and FOCUS FORWARD at focusforwardfilms.com

THE SUPER SUPERCAPACITOR is a Finalist in the $200,000 GE FOCUS FORWARD Filmmaker Competition. Learn more about the Competition and FOCUS FORWARD at focusforwardfilms.com Ric Kaner set out to find a new way to make graphene, the thinnest and strongest material on earth. What he found was a new way to power the world. FULL CREDITS Director: Brian Golden Davis Producers: David Paul Meyer, Laura Lee, Brian Golden Davis Directors of Photography: Brian Golden Davis, David Paul Meyer Sound: David Paul Meyer Music Performed by: Falling Fall, Snow Flake Symphony - Benjamin Vella & Barney Freeman Mice Music - Ben Stone & John Trudeau Special Thanks: Ric Kaner, Maher El-Kady, Charles Lee