http://www.ncreview.com/ 3269-1306 http://www.ncreview.com/sustainability/in-tune-with-the-moon-2013-the-complete-day-by-day-moon-planner-for-growing-and-living-in-2013 In our modern, busy lives we tend to forget about the lunar orb that travels throughout our days with us. Indeed, many of us hardly notice it in the sky, and are unaware of the powerful effects it has on our physical world—not just the oceans and tides, but also on our soil and most plants. This slim, annual volume is packed with detailed, relevant lunar charts and straightforward tips for gardening in harmony with the moon: planting, treating, and harvesting, insecticides and fungicides, crop rotation, and composting. The best timing for beekeeping, wine growing, animal husbandry, and forestry is also noted, along with other more personal activities such as cutting your hair, skincare, and detoxing. A color coded daily diary in the back of the book lets you keep track of your organic gardening schedule. The astronomical research that has obviously gone into this book is impressive: a reminder that the practice of planting “in tune” with the moon is both a science and an art, and one that successfully guided many generations before us. ]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 16:36:40 -0700 3079-1298 http://www.ncreview.com/conscious-business/balance-the-business-life-connection James A. Cusumano has had an interesting, diverse, and lucrative work/career life: he says that he is now in the midst of his “fifth professional life.” In his teens he was a rock star, then a scientist and corporate research executive with Exxon, then co-founder and chairman of a (very successful) Silicon-Valley-based company, then founder, CEO, and executive producer of a feature film company, and currently he and his wife have purchased and renovated a castle in Prague, which has become an internationally recognized castle hotel and spa. As he says, he has learned some things along the way, and in this book he shares “the fruits of his journey.” Although his expertise is in business, it seems that throughout he has stayed true to himself, and managed to balance meaning, fulfillment, and success in both this personal and business life. The first part of “Balance,” naturally, is autobiographical, from childhood to today, written with a lively and self-aware style. He gives just enough background for readers to get to know him, without being self-serving. This intriguing journey alone makes the book worth picking up. Part II offers a “formula” for creating a fulfilling life: addressing the critical issue of how to achieve balance in both personal and professional life. This is the heart of the book, and James is both a great role model and dynamic cheerleader for uncovering profound principles for living what he calls our “Essence.” Drawing from his own experiences—the cross-roads he encountered, learning how to listen to the wise counsel of others, honoring his own inner essence compass—he provides a step-by-step formula for identifying and capturing your own essence. Finally, in the third part of the book, he explains how to build a successful business while achieving balance in professional and personal life. Each step is based on “Inspirational Leadership” (also sometimes called Conscious Leadership) and he shows in detail what this entails and how it leads to an organization that is personally rewarding, commercially advantageous, and socially responsive. Cusumano is by no means typical, and as each of his business successes built upon the other, doorways opened for him that would not be available to most of us in the non-business world (really, how many of us could afford to buy a castle?). However, his life is his message, and he has succeeded in large part because of his own initiative and unwavering commitment to business and personal excellence. Passion and purpose drive him, and by all accounts he seems to embody unlimited energy and joyous enthusiasm for making the word a better place. "Balance" seems to be the latest in a long line of flourishing enterprises that do just that. ]]> Mon, 06 May 2013 05:04:22 -0700 2898-1287 http://www.ncreview.com/activisism/diet-for-a-new-america-25th-anniversay-edition When DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA was originally published, readers were horrified and disgusted by the truths it exposed about America’s factory farm system. Now the 25th anniversary edition of John Robbins’ classic reminds us that, despite pockets of resistance, we are still largely ignorant of the origin of the food we eat. In fact, we remain oblivious not only to the suffering of ‘food animals,’ but also to the irreparable damage to our health that results from the plethora of hormones, steroids, and antibiotics used to increase profits for the meat industry. “You don’t have to forgo animal products to derive great benefit from this book,” Robbins writes, and he asserts that he is not trying to turn everyone into vegetarians. We all have to take responsibility for our own health, however, and the first step toward building healthy bodies is learning all we can about nutritional needs and sources. In the first part of DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA, Robbins gives us a no-holds-barred look at the system that disposes of animals efficiently and ‘humanely’ for eventual human consumption. The torture these animals endure before being dispatched is not easy to read about. In fact, the least disturbing method of slaughter applies only to the male chicks who are useless for manufacturing eggs: “They are, literally, thrown away…. ‘We put them in a bag and let them suffocate.’” Readers who choose to skip that section of the book will find even more horrific information in the second section, which uses data and case studies to reveal the negative effects of meat and dairy products on human health. Most of us have been trained to believe in the food pyramid and the magic of protein consumption. DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA’s greatest eye-opener may be the truth behind the myth that we need meat or dairy products to get our quota of protein. “If we ate nothing but cabbage … we’d have over double the maximum [protein] we might need.” If you’re thinking that you need those dairy products in order to prevent osteoporosis, think again. “Osteoporosis is, in fact, a disease caused by a number of things, the most important of which is excess dietary protein.” You’ll find here the results of numerous studies that validate this claim, with full citation in case you want to do your own research. The current state of the food industry does not affect only animals and humans, however. Our food choices have a global effect, and section three of DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA spells out the danger. Pesticides used on plant crops do not simply disappear once they’ve killed the insects; these poisons stick around and are ingested by animals where they remain in the fatty tissue. “With each inevitable step up the food chain, animals become ever more concentrated carriers of the most deadly chemicals ever known. Man, of course, sits at the very top of the chain whenever he east fish, meats, eggs, or dairy products.” DIET FOR A NEW AMERICA should be required reading in every classroom and every household. For those who want to make wise choices about food and lifestyle, it is absolutely invaluable. ]]> Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:00:15 -0700 3181-1282 http://www.ncreview.com/activisism/detroit-an-american-autopsy This is not just a portrait of one American city on the skids; the same downward spiral caused by the collapse of the local economy, flight of the middle class, crime, corruption,fear, greed, cynical indifference and incompetence is playing out in too many cities across the country. LeDuff says that only a holistic approach has any hope of turning the tide, and that the citizens deserve no less. ]]> Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:17:56 -0700 2659-1274 http://www.ncreview.com/activisism/a-big-strategy Recycling a few bottles and turning out a light now and then isn’t nearly enough. If we’re going to provide any quality of life for ourselves and future generations, we must come together and transform our way of viewing and interacting with the world. A BIG STRATEGY attempts to draw a roadmap to this new way of life with guidelines to help responsible individuals establish the foundation for sustainable models based upon local matrices. Authors Hughes and Monica build the big strategy from three concepts: “Plaza, a web of lifestyle centres that creates a social regeneration strata; Ecotithe, a financial consumer mechanism that forms a business strata [;] and Local Global Immune System, a web-based environmental solution network.” The strategy is built around local facilities where members of the community can engage in “environment-friendly living, co-ordinating and promoting wholesale greening methods through entertainment,” and the sale of products arranged “in a way that enables companies to adapt to new higher standards that factor in the environment.” The strategy is built entirely around a foundation of community cohesion, altruism, and ethical consumerism. Drawing on all the sciences as well as traditional methods and philosophies, A BIG STRATEGY is presented as the beginning of a new way of life, and encourages individuals and groups to contribute their own innovative ideas to the collective. It’s a big task, and the authors freely admit that it’s more than a handful. The enormity of what they propose is impossible to capsulize, so readers must be prepared to make leaps in logic and even in intuition. Nevertheless, A BIG STRATEGY does a fine job of spelling out the history of our environmental downfall and the giant steps required to convince the world that we must rebuild from the center out. An outside editor could have given the book a tighter focus, but the ideas and the intent of this book make it an inspiring and motivating read. ]]> Fri, 29 Mar 2013 14:31:20 -0700 2562-1250 http://www.ncreview.com/activisism/the-media-ecosystem-what-ecology-can-teach-us-about-responsible-media-practice-manifesto-series Like earth, air, and water, the media is everywhere, and significantly affects the development of our culture. The state of our physical environment has long been exploited by corporations without regard to the consequences to either the planet or its inhabitants. So, too, has media in all its forms been conscripted by commercial interests. Radio, television, billboards, smartphones, tee shirts, websites, blogs, social media – information bombards us at every turn. The Internet, in particular, holds the potential for grassroots organizing and allows small groups of activists the ability to effect tremendous change. Alas, it has also become the world’s leading source of propaganda, ‘colonized,’ according to author Antonio Lopez, and transformed into a ‘buyosphere’ for the purpose of harvesting that most valuable of resources – human consciousness. Marketing is as old as the first business endeavor. Over time, marketing techniques have grown more and more sophisticated but humans, in general, have not. Persuasive marketing, in fact, is so neatly packaged that we are largely unaware that we are being targeted and we are nearly incapable of cutting through the illusion presented. How often have we purchased the ‘green’ products that, advertisers assure us, are good for the planet? And how often do we question those commercialized assertions and realize that purchasing such products contributes to toxic production processes, material consumption, and waste? More importantly, if we attempted to research the claims that some ‘green’ product is good for the environment, where would we go for the facts? Where can we find a source of reliable information that is neither owned by global corporate interests nor supported by self-proclaimed environmentally-friendly commercial endeavors? THE MEDIA ECOSYSTEM makes a clear and coherent comparison of environmental destruction for profit and media-channeled efforts to convince us that we not only accept but are happy to PAY FOR that destruction. By bringing our attention to the subtle and insidious propaganda machine, Lopez makes it possible for us to recognize what really motivates us as individuals and as cultures. His well-crafted argument is followed by simple and sensible actions for bringing media to the people FROM the people: be subversive where it counts, think within your landscape, and become aware of how your attention is hooked. THE MEDIA ECOSYSTEM is an important book with the potential to cause a paradigm shift--a la Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. ]]> Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:00:28 -0800 2100-1235 http://www.ncreview.com/activisism/living-nonviolent-communication-practical-tools-to-connect-and-communicate-skillfully-in-every-situation Living Nonviolent Communication is a great book that helps us to understand where communication can go wrong and what we can do to improve it. Its author, Marshall Rosenberg, is the founder of the Center for Nonviolent Communication and his work has taken him across the globe to initiate peace programs in war-torn countries. He uses the skills that he has gained to share with readers ways in which they can improve their lives with nonviolent communication. Rosenberg's book looks at five key areas of communication; conflict resolution, healing and reconciliation, anger, loving relationships, raising children, and spiritual practice. He uses dialogue, role plays, and scenarios to give examples of communication and where it can be improved. Each chapter gives the reader simple tools and effective techniques to benefit their own relationships and interactions. One core belief in Rosenberg's book is that we need to communicate our needs and listen to the needs of others rather than making judgements or refusing to really listen. Too often we don't hear what someone is trying to tell us or find it difficult to see what needs they are trying to defend. This book illuminates the process of communication, where it can go wrong and what you can do about it. Written with an informal style and easy-to-follow techniques, Rosenberg has produced a book that can really make a difference to the way in which people communicate. As he says, "I hope it strengthens your awareness of the precious flow of communication that allows conflicts to be resolved so that everyone's needs are fulfilled." ]]> Thu, 17 Jan 2013 09:35:36 -0800 2181-1213 http://www.ncreview.com/sustainability/abundance-the-future-is-better-than-you-think “At a moment when our world faces multiple crises and is awash in pessimism, Abundance redirects the conversation, spotlighting scientific innovators working to improve people's lives around the world. The result is more than a portrait of brilliant minds - it's a reminder of the infinite possibilities for doing good when we tap into our own empathy and wisdom.”—Arianna Huffington, CEO, Huffington Post “This brilliant must-read book provides the key to the coming era of abundance replacing eons of scarcity, a powerful antidote to today’s malaise and pessimism.”—Ray Kurzweil, inventor, author and futurist, author of The Singularity is Near "Now that human beings communicate so easily, I suspect that nothing can stop the inevitable torrent of new technologies, new ideas and new arrangements that will transform the lives of our children. Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler give us a blinding glimpse of the innovations that are coming our way — and that they are helping to create. This is a vital book."—Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist “Diamandis and Kotler challenge us all to solve humanity’s grand challenges. Innovative small teams are now empowered to accomplish what only governments and large corporations could once achieve. The result is nothing less than the most transformative and thrilling period in human history.”––Timothy Ferriss, #1 NY Times bestselling author of The 4-Hour Workweek “Today, philanthropists, innovators and passionate entrepreneurs are more empowered than ever before to solve humanity’s grand challenges. Abundance chronicles many of these stories and the emerging tools driving us towards an age of abundance. This is an audacious and powerful read!”—Jeff Skoll “Abundance provides proof that the proper combination of technology, people and capital can meet any grand challenge.”—Sir Richard Branson, Chairman of the Virgin Group "Our future depends on optimists like Diamandis...even the most skeptical readers will come away from Abundance feeling less gloomy." --New York Times Book Review "A manifesto for the future that is grounded in practical solutions addressing the world's most pressing concerns: overpopulation, food, water, energy, education, health care and freedom. " --The Wall Street Journal "A breezy case for optimism... Abundance: The Future is Better Than You Think...[is] a godsend for those who suffer from Armageddon fatigue." --The Economist “In Abundance: Why the Future is Better Than You Think, Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler offer a vision of the future that’s truly awesome in both the most traditional and modern understandings of the word; it’s as big as it as awe inspiring.” –The Futurist ]]> Tue, 04 Dec 2012 22:32:41 -0800 2863-1200 http://www.ncreview.com/activisism/the-righteous-mind-why-good-people-are-divided-by-politics-and-religion Why Moral Psychology Just Might Change the World Jonathan Haidt's book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion contains powerful insights that just might change the world. Haidt is a moral psychologist who gains insights into people's moral priorities by traveling to different countries and regions and asking intentionally disturbing questions in order to comprehend otherwise inexplicable matters--such as why in certain cultures it is considered horrible for a widow to eat fish. One of the biggest ideas presented in Haidt's book has to do with the way logic follows intuition in all humans, rather than the other way around. While people frequently assume we are being reasonable and behaving rationally, research studies show that humans actually lean in the direction of our emotional gut feelings from our subconscious first... and once we start leaning one way or another, our rational minds busy themselves to come up with explanations why our preferred particular direction makes so much sense. This wouldn't be much of a problem if we all tended to lean the same direction as one another, thus tending to generally agree, but it can present difficulties when individuals or groups of individuals all start emotionally leaning one way or another and then disagreeing regarding rational reasons for why that direction is better than others. Haidt outlines something called Moral Foundations Theory in his book, in such a way that shows how people from different cultures around the world identify to varying degrees with several basic foundations of morality. These are a bit like tastes, so just as some people might have a "sweet tooth" and others prefer salty or sour, people also show preferences and varying degrees of identifying with the six basic foundational pillars of morality: Care/Harm, Fairness/Cheating, Liberty/Oppression, Loyalty/Betrayal, Authority/Subversion, and Sanctity/Degradation. I've been thinking about these pillars of morality ever since reading the book, noticing when I run across them as they are utilized in emotional arguments with friends, family, and in the media. Intriguingly, these moral foundations illuminate similarities in viewpoints of members of groups who share concern about Care/Harm and Fairness/Cheating (Liberals)... and the study of moral psychology thus illuminates reasons great rifts can sometimes occur between Liberals who presume Conservatives do not share their same concerns with regard to Care/Harm and Fairness/Cheating, when studies show Conservatives do care about these things... in addition to all the other elements of moral foundation, and perhaps a bit less than some. What a revelation this is! When we understand that some people respond more quickly and passionately to certain moral appeals than others, with everyone coming up with perfectly rational explanations for why they are correct, it's no small wonder we have such rifts between differing religious and political groups everywhere. So how does a better knowledge of moral psychology help in healing social rifts, such as those we may find around the holiday dinner table this year? Haidt explains that learning how people have initial intuitive leanings and viewpoints about things as being good or bad so they subsequently create logical support for them can be extremely important, in order that we can better respect that feelings are the primary driving force. Jonathan Haidt recommends that when we really want to understand someone from a different viewpoint or culture, we do well to listen with open hearts, following a sense of sacredness. This is excellent advice for deep listening in general, as deep listening truly is the best way to show respect to others, and bridge gaps between ourselves and others. Highly recommended for any student of psychology, philosophy, political science, political history, logic, communications, journalism, religious studies and religious history... and every single citizen who votes. ]]> Fri, 16 Nov 2012 22:24:24 -0800 2808-1180 http://www.ncreview.com/activisism/the-one-world-schoolhouse-education-reimagined "Since its founding in 2006, Sal Khan's project-the Khan academy-has revolutionized our thinking on the potential and promise of unfettered, open-access online education. In his new book The One World Schoolhouse, Khan presents his vision and blueprint for how online technology can, and should, play an integral role in educating communities across the globe, closing the opportunity gap and providing high-quality education for all." (Al Gore ) "In this book, Salman Khan sheds light on how our current education system leaves a gap in every student's core knowledge. He found ways to fill this gap by encouraging differentness, fresh thinking and implementing creativity in the learning process. I strongly believe that all human beings have unlimited creative power. The role of education is to unleash that power. The way he relates the proper goal of education and the natural bent of the child is fascinating. He refers "natural bent" as the particular mix of talents and perspectives that makes each mind unique, and allows minds to be strikingly original. The way Khan portrays the concept of education and the mechanism of learning is revolutionary. This book is a must-read for those providing real education to our children in this new age of technology." (Muhammed Yunus, the founder of Grameen Bank, and the 2006 recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize ) "Sal Khan's passion and innovation is transforming learning for millions of students worldwide. The One World School is a must-read for all who are committed to improving education so students everywhere can gain the skills and knowledge to be successful in school, careers and life." (George Lucas, Filmmaker and Founder of The George Lucas Educational Foundation, publisher of Edutopia ) "I discovered Sal Khan and Khan Academy like most other people - by using these incredible tools with my own kids. Sal Khan's vision and energy for how technology could fundamentally transform education is contagious. He's a true pioneer in integrating technology and learning. I'm happy that, through this book, even more people will be introduced to this ground-breaking innovator." (Bill Gates, co-founder & Chairman, Microsoft ) "The world dreams of education reform, and Sal Khan is delivering. His pioneering video lessons have brought the thrill of learning to millions. In this compelling book, he tells the remarkable story of Khan Academy, and explains the potential in students learning at their own pace and achieving true subject mastery." (Chris Anderson, TED Curator ) "Sal Khan makes a powerful argument for fundamentally rethinking the way we teach and learn. THE ONE WORLD SCHOOLHOUSE illuminates the tremendous potential for online, universaleducation to enable any child, anywhere in the world, to succeed-not only in school, but in shaping our future." (Eric Schmidt, Executive Chairman of Google ) "Sal Khan is changing what we believe is possible in education. Through humor, charm, contagious enthusiasm and quiet brilliance, Sal Khan has made his lessons irresistible. Now, he brings those same gifts to explaining the revolutionary ideas behind Khan Academy. You'll adore this book because it's just like his lessons-approachable, good-hearted, smart, and ultimately profound. The story Sal tells is quite simply the story of what education will become... and indeed IS becoming, thanks to his example and to a generation of inspired teachers and intrepid education entrepreneurs." (Ted Mitchell, President and CEO, NewSchools Venture Fund ) "When you read this book, you will understand how the dignity of each student is addressed by education's visionary, Sal Khan." (Ann Doerr ) "Sal Khan has developed the best and most cost-efficient way to use technology to bring high quality education, creativity and innovation to all countries, including the poorest." (Carlos Slim Helu ) ]]> Sun, 28 Oct 2012 03:52:42 -0700