I'm reading an article in Scientific American's magazine "Earth 3.0" about some airlines testing new, greener jet fuels. But I'm here in Entebbe, Uganda airport, about to fly with very ordinary Jet A Kerosene on Kenya Airways to Nairobi. Surreally, an old Star Trek movie is on the television. Of course, I spent most of … Continue reading My Earth Day in Africa
An Old Song Rises Up Again Now
In The ISIS Agreement, I write about the first time I used songs and songwriting in the context of giving a keynote speech. One of the songs from that time has come strongly into my mind these last days. Why? Frankly, it's not one of my best songs, as I would judge it now. The … Continue reading An Old Song Rises Up Again Now
Exponential Growth Rocks On
At the closing banquet of the EARCOS teachers conference (I had been the opening keynote speaker) in Kota Kinabalu, one of the bands called me up on the stage to do an improvisational, rock version of my song "Exponential Growth." Linda Sills, Assoc. Dir. of EARCOS, captured the call-and-response moment on her phone camera ...
The Asian Brown Cloud Up Close and Personal
On a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu, 24 March 2009, I caught a direct visual impression of the Asian Brown Cloud -- brown haze below, blue sky above. I immediately used the resulting images in the keynote speech I gave there, in two slides, as part of a section on the need for … Continue reading The Asian Brown Cloud Up Close and Personal
Return to Pusat Pertolongan
"Pusat Pertolongan" means "Help Center" in Malay, and it was a drug addiction rehabilitation center in Malaysia. Founded by a former German Catholic priest who converted to Islam, it operated out of a former home for victims of leprosy or TB (I am not sure which) in the town of Batu Gajah, near the city … Continue reading Return to Pusat Pertolongan
Facebook Frenzy
As anybody actually watching me digitally will already know, I recently got more caught up with Facebook. Clicked through a bunch of friend requests. I still have over a hundred outstanding requests -- for causes, games, you-name-it -- but those I just have to ignore. Here's a note I drafted to try to explain why … Continue reading Facebook Frenzy
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Climate Change Adaptation: from Big Taboo to Business Opportunity
Read my recent article on climate change adaptation generated a surprising amount of response. I will be focusing more and more on climate change adaptation issues in times ahead, both because I believe we all need to be paying more attention to it, and because my professional work with clients like the Nile Basin Initiative … Continue reading Climate Change Adaptation: from Big Taboo to Business Opportunity
What is the GDP, Anyway?
As the world spins deeper into economic recession (is anyone formally using the word "depression" yet?), it seems appropriate to take a look at the number by which we measure such things: the Gross Domestic Product, or GDP. This mega-statistic is the indicator used by countries since WWII to measure their growth, and is by … Continue reading What is the GDP, Anyway?
Food, Fuel and Fiber? The Challenge of Using the Earth to Grow Energy
This article was commissioned by the Japanese energy magazine "Global Edge," and reprinted also at Worldchanging.com. * * * In May of 2008, while visiting Jakarta, I came across a newspaper story about a protest there. Hundreds of people had gathered in front of the gates of a charitable NGO whose mission was to feed … Continue reading Food, Fuel and Fiber? The Challenge of Using the Earth to Grow Energy
Alan AtKisson 