Spirit in the Village

Seth Godin - We are Living in the Industrial Revolution of our Time

Posted by Kevin Boon. Follow me on Twitter.

This is Part 2 - See Part 1 - Exploiting Chaos and Seizing Opportunity.

Part 2 - Seth Godin - Invisible or Remarkable

Last week I had the opportunity to hear Seth Godin at the Communitech Leadership Conference in Waterloo Ontario. His presentation called Invisible or Remarkable focused on the changes happening in our world from the way we interact to how we create wealth.

According to Seth we are living through the Industrial Revolution of our Time and this revolution will dwarf the one experienced by our ancestors in the 1700 and 1800's. Technology and new media provide us all with the tools for being part of this revolution and what's exciting is he invites us all to play an active role in what's coming.

The Old Paradigm - Interruption Marketing

He referred to the old paradigm for marketing as Interruption Marketing where companies found innovative ways to interrupt people with commercials, ads and by getting in their face.

Interruption Marketing was successful but at a cost: average products for average people. If you’re going to be successful and interrupt everyone, you better be average.

The formula for success in the old paradigm: buy ads > distract > sell more > make a profit. (And remember: be average)

This formula has fallen apart recently.

He says there is too much clutter in the old paradigm. Products are branded to death, too costly to promote and it’s getting harder for marketers to break the noise and get through to consumers. In the new paradigm customers don’t want our attention. They are not listening since they have been spammed too many times.

The question: How do you take your business above the noise?

(I like this photo)

The New Paradigm - We are in the business of spreading ideas.

The new paradigm is take something that is good enough and change it so everyone is talking about it. He uses the purple cow as an example and says nobody talks about cows, but if you create a purple cow, everybody starts talking and the spam goes away.

His Advice for Companies

You need to totally embrace new media for your business (by committing resources and time) or stay away from it completely.

Your message is too important to be left to the marketing department.

The race is for permission. The race is for tribes.

Permission Marketing

Permission Marketing is where you learn to turn strangers into friends and you earn the right to connect. He says Apple has earned this privilege and other companies are learning to do the same.

The revolution as Seth describes is direct communication with people who make and buy your services.

Tribes

Tribes are everywhere and have been around since the beginning of civilization. They are a natural part of our human desire to connect and can be found within religion, politics, corporations, everywhere... The opportunity is to build and lead tribes. It takes only 10 people to build a tribe and a person can make a great living with a committed tribe of 1000 people.

The Big Shift in Thinking

We are no longer creating Customers for Products but we are now tasked with creating Products for Customers.

Success before Commitment is now Commitment before Success.

The first point says to me that through the structure of technology and new media we now have the ability to hear what our customers want and make products and services specific for them. The second point says we need to take risks, try various approaches and commit until we succeed.

Final Thoughts & Observations

Seth Godin is an excellent presenter who provokes us with images and words to wake up and understand the real story of what’s happening in our world today. His blog is considered the most popular marketing blog in the world and with a little reading you can understand why he has earned that title.

As I personally speak to executives and business owners I am excited by how many are trying to absorb the message of new media and apply the methods to their business. The big questions today: Should I blog? Should I Twitter, use Facebook or YouTube? How do I take my product or service and rise above the noise?

Traditional business structures are changing. Marketing, PR, Sales, Product Development and overall organizational strategy are going through fundamental shifts. The next few years will require a leadership, fresh ideas and the courage to look at business in a new way.

The Industrial Revolution of our time is the Internet, new media and the infrastructure that technology provides. Adapting and thriving in this new paradigm will be our task.

Creating Work Life Balance - Part 1 - Global Balance

Posted by Kevin Boon. Follow me on Twitter.

There are a growing number of thinkers, leaders and visionaries who are looking for ways to improve the quality of life for people around the world. As the first in a series of articles on work life balance one might wonder why I put global balance at the beginning. My reason is simple; creating balance at a global level lets us see the bigger picture. If we see the bigger picture then our ability to create balance in other areas becomes easier.

Global Balance looks at issues that affect us on a planetary level from the environment, population growth, prosperity, trade & financial systems, poverty, education, healthcare as well as peace and security.

There are three main factors that make global balance a real possibility in the 21st century:

1. Leadership, Vision and People with a Desire to make a Difference

Without leadership and vision creating global balance is impossible.

Let me give you an example.

America: The Global Leader

American leadership over the last 50+ years has created the foundation for the worlds prosperity through open markets, technology and healthcare innovations, education, global communications as well as democracy and freedom. America’s leaders going as far back as Eisenhower and Roosevelt (Video) have historically held in high regard their responsibility to provide global leadership.

America: The Lost Years 2001-2008

George W. Bush broke that rule because after 9-11 he built an America that closed its doors and turned its back on the rest of world. America began a policy of bluntly putting American interests first and politely (or impolitely) told other nations that global cooperation was not important.

Many Americans soon realized George W. did not have their best interests in mind either and was not a leader (video). He treated wounded soldiers poorly, let social systems suffer, taxed everybody but the rich and deregulated business to a point where the system eventually collapsed. His focus was to improve the lives of the wealthy and use his political and military power to beat the world into submission.

George Bush lost sight of America’s role as a global leader and made America the enemy of progress and change.

George W. Bush: The Catalist of Change

In hindsight George W. Bush was the best thing for the world because other countries had become too negligent and reliant and expected America to do all the heavy lifting. More countries today want to be part of that larger global discussion and are more willing to step up to the plate with action.

With a new American administration many are relieved that Barack Obama not only has an American vision but a global vision to build and create more cooperation within the world.

2. Technology, Communication & Communities

Technology in the 21st century enables us to educate, organize, build awareness and find the financial and non-financial resources necessary to make changes at fundamental levels. There are tens of thousands of websites committed to making changes on major global issues like the environment, social justice, alleviating poverty and disease, creating peace, promoting religious understanding, improving trade, education and creating opportunities for people around the world.

Technology provides the infrastructure that allows us to create global balance.

3. Organization, Resources & Action

Leadership and technology enable us to communicate, educate, create the political will and come up with solutions necessary to improve lives. The next step is action. This is where nations, states, local governments, communities, organizations, NGOs and individuals provide boots on the ground and make the changes necessary to improve lives. I'll talk about how this being done in future posts.

I'll leave you with a video from Ted.com from Bjorn Lomborg on setting global priorities.

Food for Thought Friday - The Flat Earth, my Career Search and Gratitude

Posted by Kevin Boon. Follow me on Twitter.

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been putting some thought into a variety of topics. I’m in gathering mode trying to understand and put together some of the pieces of my life puzzle. Here are some of my insights from the past 2 weeks.

The World is Flat: A Brief History of the 21st Century

I’m reading Thomas Friedman’s book called, The World is Flat, a brief history of the 21st century. I have to admit I purchased the book a year ago but the 600 pages originally seemed a little daunting. The book was sitting on my shelf collecting dust but every now and then I could hear it calling my name, “Kevin…. Kevin….”

I’m glad I finally picked it up.

Technology & Globalization

Friedman talks about how technology and globalization are changing literally every aspect of our society and how nations, corporations and individuals are adapting or will adapt to that change. India, China, Eastern Europe, Russia and other developing nations are quickly emerging as dominant economies and the overall power structure within our world is changing.

He talks about outsourcing, increased competition, education, government policies and how we (meaning everybody) need to learn to think differently and plan ahead.

Did You Know Video

Here’s a great video that has been floating around on the Internet but that I recently found at Volker’s Blurb a blogger who talks about Life and Business.

How will we Adapt to the Coming Changes?

Make no mistake as the 21st century evolves China and India will become dominant economies, American and European influence will decline and world will establish a much more level playing field. Individually we need to understand these changes, adapt our lives and educate our children to prosper within this new economy.

Our changing reality is the main reason why I began talking about Meditation and the Life Balance Project but in future posts I want to discuss strategies on how we can adapt to the changes that are being thrust upon us by our changing world.

My Career Search

My career search has been a little slow partly because I’ve been balancing the process of wanting to find a job but also making sure that I find an opportunity that I want.

Cookie Cutters

Applying for jobs can be a daunting process because applicants are forced to put together a resume most of the time geared to a job description. Most companies still take a cookie cutter approach to recruitment and if you ever work with cookie cutters everything has to be cut the same way or it just doesn’t work. Sometimes it’s nice to just plop the dough on the tray and put the cookies in the oven. They usually taste better, especially if they’re chocolate chip.

Seriously though I recently took some advice from Chris Brogan and with insights from my World is Flat book and other sources and have updated my resume and Linkedin profile to showcase my talents.

Sales 2.0 and the Hybrid Salesperson

For years I have worked in software sales in the IT Industry and quite frankly I’ve found traditional selling techniques have become less effective in a Web 2.0 world. At one time in my career (from 1997-2004) I could make a call and send an email to a prospective customer and chances were good with a little persistence they would get back to me.

Today those same customers have more control and feel more empowered to do the research on their own but more importantly their time is limited often bombarded and overwhelmed with emails and the responsibilities of their jobs. Life has become significantly faster in the past 5 years and for salespeople there is less time to connect and make an impact. The best strategy is to become what I call a Hybrid Salesperson who is someone who manages sales, social media, marketing, customer service, relationships and helps customer find solutions - all in one package.

Here is an article from Hubspot that compares a traditional sales funnel with the modern sales funnel. (See pages 2 and 3 of the article)

You'll notice from the Hubspot article that sales used to be in control of the sales funnel but today that process at best is shared and sometimes the influence of sales is non-existant. The reality is the world of selling has changed and companies are finding they need to adapt.

Work Balance & Looking Outside the Box

As I seek out my next career or consulting project I’m looking for organizations that use cookie cutters more as a frame of reference rather than set in stone commandments. That’s part of the main reason why I’ve started the Work Balance Project because I'm interested in companies who look outside the box and have high standards for their business, customers and employees.

In a flat world I recognize that some day soon I may be working for a Chinese, Indian, European, American or Australian company. In fact location won’t even matter. That prospect is exciting!!

If you missed my Linkedin profile here is a list of my talents:

• Adaptable
• Teacher, Explainer, Story Teller
• Collaborator
• Team Player & People Skills
• Leadership & Mentoring
• Integration & Technology Proficient
• Ideas & Vision
• Flexibility

And one more: Fun!

Story Telling & Teaching

Of all these talents the one I relate to best is that of a story teller or teacher. For companies wanting to tell their story I’m great at getting a message across whether written, spoken or in person.

Gratitude

Earlier in the week I posted about gratitude and what I've learned is that gratitude is all their is. I feel an incredible appreciation for my life, my family, my health, living in the country that I do (Canada), the opportunities that exist out there in the world and the people that I meet both online and in person. The worlds is good and as much as the world has problems there's a lot more good going on than bad. This is good to remember.

The Weekend

The weekend is here. I’m looking forward to exploring the areas of work-life balance and finishing my World is Flat book. There are other books sitting on my table ready to be read. Maybe I’ll check out Twitter, do a little meditation, play my guitar and then go to the gym.

Maybe it's not too late to join the Flat Earth Society.

Have a great weekend.

Basic Principles: Meditation and the Law of Attraction

Subscribe to Spirit in the Village by Email

Over the past week I have shared some basic principles of Meditation that include developing an awareness of our thoughts, breath, emotions and our ego. Now I want to take some time to speak about Meditation and the Law of Attraction. For years I struggled integrating these two concepts.

Meditation as I understood was about silencing the mind, releasing thought and becoming the observer of our lives. My interpretation of silence was “let go of all thought”. Law of Attraction and books like Think and Grow Rich on the other hand said use your thoughts to focus on what you want. There was a conflict for me but I later found it was from my lack of understanding.

In 2008 I came back to the Law of Attraction, this time with a set of books by Jerry and Ester Hicks. What I learned is that our thoughts do create our reality and it is important to keep our thoughts and expectation positive. Our guidance system is our feelings and we can use our feelings or emotions to tell if we’re on track. The Hick’s teachings say, by moving toward positive feeling we can align with the natural flow of our lives. Law of Attraction I discovered is know what you want, keep your thoughts and emotions focused on the positive, and then allow yourself to get into the natural flow or rhythm of your life. When you learn these principles your wants and desires unfold naturally.

With this teaching I have come to understand that Law of Attraction fits perfectly within a meditation practice.

So how have I combined these two teachings?

First I had to recognize my error. Silencing the chatter within my mind was important but that doesn’t mean we eliminate thought. For many years I carried that image of spiritual guru withdrawing from the world and living in a cave for 20 years. Quietly I always wondered if that’s what I had to do. Fortunately I discovered that I can live a completely normal, productive life with a career, family and even technology, but I can use these principles to make my life more balanced, centered and happy.

Here is how I have incorporated Law of Attraction teachings into my life.

1. Start by writing down what you want This might include what you want for a career, health, weight loss, exercise, relationships, etc.. Jerry & Ester Hick’s books & DVDs are source information. On the web you can check out Good Vibe Coach. You don’t have to get it perfect. What you write down today will change as you develop your own understanding of what you really want. I have written and re-written my goals probably over a dozen times since I started this process.
2. Focus on the positive thought or feeling This aligns perfectly within my meditation practice because when a negative thought or emotion comes up I have learned to re-frame my thinking toward the positive or in the direction of the outcome that I want.
3. Allow your desires and let the flow of your life happen naturally This aligns with meditation because for each thought or desire I use my meditation practice to become aware of the thought, focus and then let the thought go. What I’ve found is my goals and desires start to unfold naturally.
4. Finally, develop the practice of Walking Meditation which will be my last and final post on the Basic Principles of Meditation.

3 Tips for Using Twitter and Walking my Blog

So it's been almost a month since I signed up for Twitter and started the re-design and new focus on my blog geared around the Meditation Project, Song Writing and Social Media. Currently it's a work in progress so not all the pieces are in place yet.

Being a part-time blogger part of my strategy is to determine how to best organize my time and use of technologies like Twitter. If unmanaged Twitter can become an incredible distraction and time waster, but if properly utilized it can increase your blog readership and allow to you to make valuable connections. In the last month I have seen my readership increase by 5 times what it was at Christmas.

Here are some tips for organization both for Blogging and Twittering:

3 Tips for Blogging

For Blogging my main criteria are writing, writing well, linking, networking and commenting. Meditation is what I use to keep my blogging and personal life organized, hence the Meditation Project.

1. Writing without distraction is critical so I find it's important to block off time to write with phones, cell phones, email and Internet all off. I try to give at least 30 minutes a day. Sometimes I have more time.
2. Linking, Networking and Commenting - This is an area where I'm learning the ropes, making some connections and setting time into my day to read other blogs, make comments and allow for links to go back to my site. Usually I try to spend a couple of hours per week and set goals to comment on at least 10 sites.
3. Writing with thought versus quick writing - this blog post is flowing for me so I there's no draft it will take me about 15 minutes to complete. Other posts usually take longer and might take a few days to get the ideas down, edit and then post. It's good to have a mix of short blog posts versus some that require more thought.

3 Tips for using Twittering

This is new for me so I'm still sorting out some of the details. For those that don't know Twitter is the new trend in the Social Media and gives participants the opportunity to network and connect with people from a variety of businesses and backgrounds all over the world. The only catch is you have to limit what you say to 140 characters or less. This is good for me to keep it short but it does take a little time to master.

Here's what I've Learned about Twitter and Promoting my Personal Brand.

1. Manage & Schedule your Time - It's easy to get sucked in and spend hours Twittering. You can waste a lot of time and work does not get done. My days vary but I'll typically commit between 30 minutes to an hour a day.
2. Be Yourself but Don't be Crude or Rude - There is an etiquette on Twitter and most people play nice. The reason being is that if you don't play nice people can easily remove you or block you out. People can read what you're saying so I try to keep it fun, informative and personal.
3. Use Google Alerts, Blogs and Comments from others are a great way to create conversation. My goal is to keep my message on focus around the topics that interest me from the Meditation Project, finding Life-Work balance, Social Media and Song Writing. I've set up Google Alerts to help me find outside content which is usually pretty good. Stumble Upon is another way of finding good content.

There's an analogy that came from the Edelman article posted by Guy Kawasaki earlier this week. They were describing a methodology for building a social media presence and refered to crawling, walking, running and flying... Well I see my blog as a place where I'm walking right now, still building the foundation... Sometime down the road it will be nice to run and then fly...

Barack Obama - Who Ever Thought & New Day - 2 New Songs

For the last 3 years Barack Obama has been visible on my world stage and like many who will witness in person his inauguration on Tuesday I connected to his message, his inspiration, honesty and what you can see (if you look closely) his desire to do what’s right for people and the world.

Over the next 48 hours Barack Obama will be swore in as the 44th President of the United States, bringing with him a real promise to make change not only within the ways of government but in the way America wields it’s influence around the world.

America needs this change.

After Obama won the Presidency in November I wrote a song that reflected my feelings about life and about the changes we go through as we face the unknown.

The song Who Ever Thought starts with a story of woman who decided one day that she no longer wanted to sit at the back of the bus. Her decision to sit at the front of the bus, a simple act for many of us today, resulted in riots and bloodshed and eventually a change (in the segregation laws). At the same time a preacher man came on to the world stage and through his ability to inspire helped to birth a nation into the recognition that all of its citizens are created equal.

Barack Obama is the manifestation of both Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King’s dream of a nation where all are equal. Yes it is true that still have racism, inequality and a society that serves the interests of some better than others, but if you look back on the last 40-50 years we have come a long way.

The challenge of the 21st century will be to take this same message of hope, freedom and equality to not only the citizens of America who still struggle, but to all the citizens of the world. Barack Obama is a good person to start that journey into a new phase of our growth as a global community.

Even with the chaos prevalent in the world today our planet is evolving. We’re growing step-by-step and beginning to recognize that something needs to be done. Something needs to be done about pollution and global warming; something needs to be done to create peace in the Middle East, something needs to be done to help to solve the problem of hiv/aids in Africa and other nations, something needs to be done about healthcare, job security and overall human rights.

Today, Martin Luther King day is the launch of my two new songs, New Day and Who Ever Thought.

These are two versions of the same song one with a more pop feel and the other my attempt at bluesy. The recording quality is not the greatest since I am neither a professional musician or recording artist... I used my home computer, a microphone and some recording software I bought from Best Buy.

• The Story behind the Songs - New Day and Who Ever Thought
• Writing, Recording & My Vision for the Songs
• Chords & Lyrics: (New Day) (Who Ever Thought)

Hope you enjoy…

Listen

Vote

My Brand New Design & Layout for 2009

Last week I had the opportunity to take some vacation time for planning, setting goals for 2009 and re-designing my blog. If you are viewing this post what you are seeing is the new format that includes a number of changes including a new design and layout that should make my blog easier to navigate. Also checkout:

• My New About Page - including a new photo.


• Featured Posts Tab - This will take you to some of my favourite posts.


• Song Writing & My Soundclick Link - my song writing initiatives (more to come)


• Easier ways to subscribe - via RSS or Email.


• Twitter & Contact Pages - giving you options for connecting.

Coming soon will be my new project for 2009 called, "20 Minutes a Day - The Meditation Project". I'm looking forward to sharing my experiences and connecting with those of you interested in bringing more balance into your lives.

Let me know if you like it...

Reflecting on the American Election

Now the American election is over (and there were no surprises) we’re all able to breathe a sigh of relief which will hopefully be about moving into a new phase of national and global leadership. President Obama as the world will get used to referring to him won the race with a focus, passion and an ability to inspire a population that I’ve never seen in a political candidate, at least in my lifetime.

On elections night like millions of other people around the world I watched CNN and followed the results state by state on my laptop. In my whole life I have never been as interested in the election of an American president. Why should I be? I’m Canadian. I don’t live in the US. For some reason I felt this one really counted. For the past 8 years we’ve seen the failed policies of George W. Bush and the reality that in our global village American policy affects us all.

With the Obama effect this election was a drastic change between the politics as usual, mudslinging and the apathy that normally occurs within an election. Obama changed the way a political campaign is run and challenged many of the traditional assumptions and strategies for winning elections. He built his campaign with grassroots support using the web and the power of online communities and brought the younger voter which is our next generation to the table. The younger generation is less concerned with race or gender than the older generations and will change the future face of our society.

While race was one aspect of interest for me as the campaign evolved this became less about race than it was about the man. Had Obama been a typical politician droning party line I would have probably stopped watching. However Obama held my attention throughout the campaign and when his opponents beat up on him it became personal.

On election night, as results were coming in we started to see an Obama victory in the making. It was not however until the west coast polls closed that the results from California, Oregon and Washington State would make it official. When Wolf Blitzer made the prediction, officially saying “President Elect Obama” this is when the emotion became real for me and the election of an African-American President was going to be a reality in my lifetime. That part of me wept with joy for what feel is a very important turning point in our history, not only for Americans but for the world.

When I look at my life I was born in England in the fall of 1964. Massive change was underway: the Beatle’s had just hit big time touring America, Dylan was playing Carnegie Hall and Newport, Kennedy had been assassinated a year before, Martin Luther King was in the middle of creating the case for freedom and equality in America and Gloria Steinem was doing the same for women and equality.

Over my lifetime much has changed. Racial & gender equality have come so far and Obama’s victory from a race perspective is a line that we had to cross to simply prove that we could. Now we have the ability to move forward to a time where race and gender will no longer be issues.

I’m hopeful the Obama experience will have an impact on people not only across America, but throughout the world. Maybe we can learn from Obama’s example that anything is possible? Maybe we can accept people for who they are and stop judging by skin colour or sexual orientation? Maybe we can put an end to religious conflicts? Maybe we can put an end to the need for war? Maybe we can stop hunger? Just maybe we can learn simply to respect each other?

Wishful thinking. Maybe. Maybe Not!

I’ll end with the quote from Obama’s acceptance speech on November 4th about Ann Nixon Cooper from Atlanta. You can see his whole transcript or video.

"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons -- because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.

Yes we can.

As America Votes a Little Reflection Time

We are moving toward a monumental time in both American and global history. I'm hopeful the events over the next week and over the next few years will change (in a positive way) the way the 21st century unfolds.

As I have watched Barack Obama give speeches, debate the issues and engage with people over the course of this election I have come to develop a great respect for this man. He stands for hope, change and an opportunity for the American people to not only re-build their economy, but he presents an opportunity for America to re-integrate into this world community as a global leader representing the values of peace, prosperity and freedom and democracy.

What would Martin Luther King think of this election campaign and the rise of Barack Obama? I tried to put myself back in that time. What was the hope? The hope was for all people to be treated with dignity and respect and have the fundamental right to live as equals in a society that provides freedom and opportunity for all. Since King's speech back in 1963 most people will agree the journey has been difficult with many ups and downs. Today I would say the hope is not that much different except I feel it goes well beyond race and gender. Today that hope embraces the equality of people within our communities, within our nations and across the planet. That hope also embraces our environment and our global community. Our test in the 21st century will be how we choose to take King's message to the next level.

Martin Luther King - I have a Dream - August 28 1963.

A friend of mine sent me the following photo and the quote.

Rosa sat so Martin could walk.

Martin walked so Obama could run.
Obama runs so our children can fly.

This says it all.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the Environment, George W. Bush & Change

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spoke at a recent conference in Waterloo sponsored by ReThink. Without really knowing much about this man (except for his famous father and uncle) I had no pre-conceived opinions and was simply interested in listening to his message.

Kennedy’s message was about the challenges of environmental politics, corporate & government corruption, education and the decline of the US media to provide an unbiased voice in guiding people to make informed decisions. While he presented these challenges he also proposed solutions and ideas that could revolutionize our ability to create energy from alternative sources and reduce our dependence on foreign oil.

American Democracy in Jeopardy
He said American Democracy is actually in jeopardy due to the actions of the past 8 years. He talked of the Bush Administration’s $100 million dollar PR campaign designed to create phony think tanks, suppress environmental initiatives, promote big oil and influence media to the extent that today most Americans believe the environment is really a "fringe" issue and those supporting the cause are alarmist or radical. The same PR campaign was used to convince people that Sadaam Hussein was somehow responsible for the 9-11 attacks. He said much effort has been put into this PR effort to creating doubt around global warming and that if we move too fast we will disrupt the economy or peoples livelihoods. (Note: For anyone not living under a rock I think we could agree that the current financial crisis has showed that the economy is a little disrupted. Maybe we have nothing to lose.)

Similarities between Global Warming and the Slave Trade
He compared today’s cautious approach to the global warming to that of the slave trade in Britain back in the 1800’s. Slavery back then accounted for 25% of the GNP and politicians and business leaders preached caution saying that if you stopped slavery the economy would suffer. The truth is that after years of debate, when slavery was eventually abolished there was an unprecidented economic boom that became the Modern Industrial Revolution. Kennedy says we would see the same type of boom today if we removed the government subsidization of oil companies and if politicians allowed the free market to foster development of environmental technologies. According to Kennedy the vested interests and government policy are holding us back from making real change with the environment.

Kennedy says there are over $1.3 trillion dollars in subsidies that go to the big oil companies and our reliance on foreign oil makes us the beggar to those nations that can and have been hostile to us. He says the Iraq war has cost $4.5 trillion dollars and he believes for the purpose it served the bill should be charged to big oil, not the US taxpayer.

He used examples of countries who have initiated clean environmental technologies making use of solar, geothermal, bio-fuels and other clean technologies. He referenced Iceland, Sweden, Brazil, and California which he said have created new prosperous economies and opportunities as a result of shifting to alternative energies. (Note: the speech was given before the global financial meltdown of which Iceland’s banking system has been devastated however the message demonstrates that many countries are putting effort into solving the problem).

Creating a Smart Power Grid
Kennedy says the Midwest of the US and Canada is the Saudia Arabia of wind power however to take full advantage of wind and other clean technologies the US will need to find a way to upgrade the power grid so that it is more centralized. Today the power grid in the US is decentralized (controled by each state) and is very difficult for new technologies like wind to connect to the grid and re-sell energy. Kennedy talks about re-building a smart grid where you could take your electric car, plug it in at night and then sell the excess power you generate to the grid. If you think of the possibilities a smart grid would give consumers the abilility to benefit and contribute to power creation.

By giving wind, solar, geothermal and other technologies the ability to evolve within a free market, Kennedy says innovation can evolve. Under George Bush oil subsidization has been the policy at the expense of free market innovation.

Media & Education
The press in the US has been “negligent” and have let down democracy, according to Kennedy. He says in America there is no such thing as a Liberal Media but it’s a label that has been applied to groups that don’t support the right wing message. He says Fox News is the major player dominating the right wing message and talk radio is 90% is controlled by Christian right. He says that ABC, NBC and CNN have no ideology except for their pocket book. He says the failure within the American media started around the time of Ronald Reagan when he abolished the “fairness doctrine” which said news had to be of public importance and if someone told an opinion they had to tell both sides. This is no longer the case. Rush Limbaugh came on the scene shortly after abolishment of the fairness doctrine. He said the fairness doctrine was important to create an independent press to avoid corporate consolidation which Kennedy said was a policy similar to what Hitler promoted in Nazi Germany. In the American media today (main stream) 5 guys control what you hear with the only obligation to their shareholders.

He says entertainment is now the cornerstone of American media and that Americans have become the “best entertained but least informed public”. He says Thomas Jefferson believed that a mandatory public education system would be the remedy to “not deprive the public of power” and that the only way to sustain the democracy was to have access to education “everywhere”. Unfortunately Americans are so poorly educated that polls (in 2004) said that 70% of the population believed that Sadaam Hussain bombed the world trade center.

Kennedy says “if you don’t have a functioning press you don’t have democracy”.

Kennedy says he is an advocate for the free market but there is no free market under the current administration. He says, “a true free market (for environmental technologies) would promote efficiency”. He says there is a huge difference between “free market capitalism” and what he calls, “Corporate Crony Capitalism” as is currently the reality under the current administration.

He says American respect in the world today has diminished. He told a story of when he travelled overseas with his father. People flocked to see Americans and wanted their values and freedoms. He said when Eisenhouer went to Kabul in the 1950’s over a million people came to see him. People are hungry for American freedoms. He said after 9-11 the French President said, “we’re all Americans now.” Much of that goodwill has been lost today.

Footnotes:
This presentation took place on October 6th and in those 3 weeks a lot has shifted. The Global Financial Crisis has impacted everybody and I think it has shocked the US and world into serious re-alignment of not only our financial systems but of our values. The US Presidential Election is getting closer and for the first time in decades offers a vision of hope for the future. Kennedy brought to light some of the challenges we face but he also outlined the opportunities that exist if we choose to change course.

Time will tell if we can put this together, however I think most of us agree we live in exciting times and there are massive changes ahead.
On the same day I finished this article the CBC ran an interview with Kennedy.
Here it is... The Hour