Following is a quote from an article by George Monbiot in The Guardian. What happens happens? t.a. “I understand that, in a sentimental nation, bromides like Biden’s might be considered necessary. But I fear he believes what he says. When he spoke to wealthy donors at the Carlyle hotel in Manhattan last year, he told them not only that “no one’s standard of living will change, nothing would fundamentally change”, but also that “you have to be able to reach consensus under our system”. In this context, consensus looks like appeasement. Obama’s attempt to reconcile irreconcilable forces, to paper over Read More
Courage and Trust
What about trust and UN leadership? While the publication says plenty about courage, trust, on the other hand, is far less cited. When it is, it is mainly in conventional terms of building and creating trust, between parties or within a team. Similarly, many references speak to a second trust dimension, defined as “being trustworthy”, with people trusting you to do the right thing, to exercise courage, and so forth. The emphasis on creating or building trust ignores a third and equally fundamental dimension of trust: the trust in others, and in them doing what is right. This dimension is harder Read More
Kanthari – Sabriye Tenberken: Giraffe Heroe and her Giraffe Incubator
It is amazing what Sabriye & Paul have got together and it is fascinating to listen to Sabriye talking about how it came all to happen. The perfect match for the Giraffe-Heroes-Project. Convince yourself: ‘”The biggest danger is not to dream big and fail but to dream small and succeed.” In case you have no Spotify access you may listen on our website directly: kanthari-empowering-the-marginalised/
who dares knowing
In any case, this close relation between knowing and doing can help us to interpret one cause of the fear of knowing as deeply a fear of doing, a fear of the consequences that flow from knowing, a fear of its dangerous responsibilities. Often it is better not to know, because if you did know, then you would have to act and stick your neck out. (Abraham H. Maslow, Toward a Philosophy of Being, 1962; reprint Wilder Publications, 2011, p. 58f)
‘No Blue no Green’….. Aki Allagholi
No Fires, no Flood only Sunshine and Rain…
The Scandinavian summer came along this year in such exceptional but unassuming beauty as not seen for many. It was, so to speak, utterly normal. Swedish society at large also successfully refused to succumb to a virus predicament, which gripped societies around the globe and triggered the advance of a brave new world – steadfastly wearing its mask in face of unprecedented disaster. In this new world, everyone seems to be more occupied than usually, primarily with precautions regarding personal safety – hygienically and financially. The poor are suffering more than ever…. The overall scenario seems to bode ill for Read More
… a friend from almost 50 years ago just joined us…
Sept. 25th, 2020, …. Anselm now lives and works in Bourgogne, so the links to a Tedx-Talk and two videos below are all in French….. Friends on the Blog: Over the last couple of days I got in touch with a friend – well, the last time I saw him he was not even 10 years old, I guess – who went through a Giraffe-type career: business consultant and entrepreneur in the middle east, then turning to activism there, as result being barred entry in those lands of his first, previous choice and then – well, then apparently turning to Read More
Who do you think this is!
by Robert Friedland Who do you think this is? He has: “A keen appreciation of the value of slogans, catchwords, dramatic phrases, and happy epigrams in penetrating the deeper levels of the psyche.” He has said: “ There is only so much room in a brain, so much wall space, as it were, and if you furnish it with your slogans, the opposition has no place to put up pictures later on, because the apartment of the brain is really crowded with your furniture” “He is a master of the art of propaganda…. He has a matchless instinct for taking Read More
Giraffe for Ecology & Climate Adaptation
Giraffe-Hero Hendrik Haers: Hendrik is doing an outstanding job: the PHD veterinary doctor turned savior for the environment, specifically bees and trees in his local Bassevelde, Belgium. Listen to his own words here:
A Really Bad Rhyme
by John Grahan and Ann Medlock, Founders of the Giraffe Heroes Project, Sept. 17th, 2020 …. We write this piece as seasoned political observers whose politics are just left of center; we are not far-left radicals. And what we’re observing is that, with just weeks left until what could be the most important election in US history, the evidence from Donald Trump’s four years in office is now incontrovertible: He is set on destroying this constitutional republic and replacing it with a fascist state with himself as its head. His moves are a clear and present danger to this nation, Read More