September 2008 Blog Posts (8)

ruralnet|online 2.0 launched

To coincide with day 1 of the ruralnet|uk / AMT conference we have launched ruralnet|online 2.0. It's free AND you get free access to our full Experts Online Service until 10/1/09!

Read all about here and note the comments received so far including:

"Absolutely inspiring stuff - my warmest congratulations to all - you are a step ahead of us all and I salute you for sticking to your word :)

Good work all!"

If… Continue

Added by Simon Berry on September 30, 2008 at 11:16 — 1 Comment

Healthcare in bioregions

Following an inspiring conversation with Nick last week, I met a Professor of Medicine at the weekend who has refused most standard medical treatments for her recently diagnosed breast cancer. Her reasons are that having built up expertise in the science of wellbeing, she wanted to put this into practice in her own life. Needless to say, she looked radiant and her story was less one of fight, but more one of transformation. Also, needless to say, she is having some difficulty talking to… Continue

Added by Margaret Hannah on September 23, 2008 at 15:04 — 2 Comments

Letter from Martin Large, Stroud Commonwealth (CoP member) in The Guardian (19.9.08)

Where do we go from here?

Capitalism is imploding with the credit crunch, just as communism fell with the Berlin Wall in 1989, with both systems morally bankrupt. Successive British governments have sold off public assets and utilities at knockdown prices, leaving us defenceless against massive energy price increases. Politicians have engineered a disastrous housing boom and bust, with parliament allowing Blair-Brown and Bush their murderous $5tn Iraq war. And now… Continue

Added by Nick Wilding on September 20, 2008 at 9:32 — No Comments

Introducing 'CarrotMobbing'

Check this out - one of the best innovations using internet technology to harness consumer power I've seen in ages:

"Meet the CarrotMob
Forget negative campaigning, why not reward green businesses instead - with a group spending spree? Tanis Taylor joins their first UK event"

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/sep/18/activists.carrotmobbing

Added by Nick Wilding on September 20, 2008 at 9:30 — No Comments

Congratulations Philomena!

CoP member, Philomena de Lima, has some news....

This from `Rural Gateway'

Internationally-renowned sociologist Philomena de Lima has been

appointed the new director of Inverness-based research centre

UHI PolicyWeb, taking over from Professor John Bryden on his

retirement.

PolicyWeb was established to improve the ‘evidence

base’ and level of debate around policy issues affecting

rural and island regions. It brings together… Continue

Added by Nick Wilding on September 17, 2008 at 11:30 — No Comments

Chester Chronicle: first-hand witness to hurricanes and peoples' resilience

I have a 'google alert' set for the keyword 'resilience'. At Carnegie, we are actively asking what we understand by resilience, and how to cultivate resilience in communities and wider social systems in the face of oil price rises, climate change and other coming disruptions. I hope to share some of our early thinking around these questions with the wider fieryspirits group soon, and invite collaborators around these questions at that point.

In the meantime, the google alert turned… Continue

Added by Nick Wilding on September 15, 2008 at 14:00 — No Comments

Great rural debate on future of rural schools

In Scotland, Rural Gateway are currently putting together a Great Rural Debate on schools to tie in with the current consultation on a presumption against rural schools closures. In their Great Rural Debate series they ask for two contributions as a springboard for further debate. Members can vote in a poll and add comments giving their views on the issue.

Inspired by a recent discussion with our resident 'Ambassador for Place Based Learning' - Will Coleman from Cornwall, I have made… Continue

Added by Kate Braithwaite on September 5, 2008 at 13:18 — No Comments

Swedish researchers confirm Siberian seabed methane leak

The possibility that existing climate change may trigger more climate change is becoming more certain. One of the 'out-takes' of Al Gore's film showed the catastrophic impact of methane if it is released from Siberian thermafrost (as this begins to melt due to existing warming). Methane is more than 20 times more efficient than carbon dioxide in trapping solar heat. The latest local evidence (from Sweden, below) is that this has begun.

My purpose in sharing this news here on… Continue

Added by Nick Wilding on September 5, 2008 at 13:17 — No Comments