We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Russia through Western & Chinese eyes: a Study in Contrasts

Click here to access article by Jeff J. Brown from A bird's eye view of the Vineyard.

Brown, as a guest American writer now living in China, writes about the parallel efforts by both Russian and Chinese governments to prevent Western funded NGOs to work their destabilization magic in their respective countries. In contrast to anti-Russian propaganda found in Western media, he reports on the growing positive relationship between Russia and China, and finally reinforces this theme with numerous illustrations from Chinese social media.