Right to housing and its relation to democracy
The absence of a right to housing should be viewed as an act of violence, as yet another means of keeping people engaged in a passive consumerist lifestyle.
Society featured
Little Free Library’s Not-So-Little Commitment to Getting the Word Out
These miniature libraries might have an unimposing appearance but are a powerful means of boosting literacy rates, combating book bans, and promoting social justice. They are also referred to as “mini-town squares.”
The Solutions that can be Named are not the Solutions
In this week’s Frankly, Nate addresses the common desire for solutions to the human predicament – and why the championing of “solutions” is less clear-cut than we might perceive.
Facilitating a dangerous way of life – traffic engineers in a car culture
Traffic engineers will need to focus more on accessibility, and less on mobility. As Lewis Mumford wrote in 1963, in one of Marshall’s favourite quotes, “A good transportation system minimizes unnecessary transportation.”
Casey Camp-Horinek: “Indigenous Wisdom: Resilience, Adaptation, and Seeing Nature as Ourselves”
This week, Casey Camp-Horinek of the Ponca Nation joins Nate to recount her decades of work in Indigenous and environmental activism. Her stories shed light on the often-overlooked struggles and tragedies faced by Indigenous communities in their efforts to restore and safeguard their homelands.
MM #7: Ecological Nosedive
I stress again that we are not separate from, above, or transcendent beyond our extended living family. That seems to be the default and utterly foolish notion pervading our culture, based on a brief fireworks show of excessive and unsustainable inheritance-spending that is in the process of setting up catastrophic failure—and for more than just humans.
Can Humanity Repair Its Relationship With Nature? Weaving Earth Education Center Offers a Promising Path
This all-ages education center reminds us that “we are a part of this earth, not apart from it.”
The Reality Party
Following the attempted assassination of former United States President Donald J. Trump, Nate reflects on the dysfunctional social dynamics which have brought many of us to high levels of tribalism and mistrust toward others and divorced from the deeper challenges facing us in coming decades.
West Philly Porchfest: The Battle for Car-Free Streets and Community Celebration
I first found myself in West Philadelphia in 2019 during Porchfest, an annual music festival that exists because approximately two square miles of Philadelphians collectively decide it should. And so it does, whether the city grants the annually requested street closures or not.
Not with a bang but a whimper: Making our own pandemics
More and more it is becoming apparent that we humans are setting the stage for pandemics with our carelessness and unwillingness to take the necessary preventative actions that might hurt powerful economic interests.
The only antidote to election anxiety is training to confront Trump’s threat
No matter the outcome in November, we need training to transform despair into action and to build the kind of solidarity that offers protection.
MM #5: Our Biological Inheritance
All our senses and capabilities are inherited. We would be nothing without our older brothers and sisters on this planet.
