tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49200398976285513672012-02-16T17:17:18.627-05:00a home for dreamersDiane Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01134079095789524153noreply@blogger.comBlogger111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920039897628551367.post-8844494138913573162007-03-09T20:00:00.000-05:002008-12-09T17:08:13.859-05:00

By Erin SolaroDumbing down newspapers is a self-defeating strategy.Until very recently, much human technological development was driven by people instinctively seeking quality, not just in their own lives, but in their work, because fine craftsmanship in any field is a statement about the human dignity and the worth of manager, worker, and customer.Our lives are made of time; work is often what

Diane Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01134079095789524153noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920039897628551367.post-50815551506724518122007-03-08T10:47:00.000-05:002007-03-08T11:03:59.987-05:00

By Erin SolaroI've recently had several conversations about the fact that I am trying to go into journalism at a time when many papers are shedding readers (see the New York Times article on the subject).Then I received a virtual suicide note from an editor: "Thank you for your interest in [my paper]. Your letter arrived at just about the worst time in recent memory to be looking for a newspaper

Diane Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01134079095789524153noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920039897628551367.post-7839556575283819962007-03-08T10:23:00.000-05:002008-12-09T17:08:14.167-05:00

By Diane SilverI am pleased to welcome Erin Solaro, author of Women in the Line of Fire, to Becoming The Change. She will be guest blogging over here for a bit. First up are her thoughts about the news media and the death of newspapers.The news media are an important topic for this blog. We can't promote progressive change in society without having a free, open and functioning media. If

Diane Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01134079095789524153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920039897628551367.post-20293385768778619712007-02-19T11:35:00.000-05:002007-02-19T11:50:14.415-05:00

By Diane SilverOne thing I've noticed as I've looked at the news media from a changemaker's point of view is that the biggest truths are often buried within a piece.Today New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, I think, got it right in his entire piece about the need for politicians to learn to admit mistakes. However, what struck me the most about his column was a paragraph in the middle. It

Diane Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01134079095789524153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920039897628551367.post-66548321354517264662007-02-19T11:23:00.000-05:002008-12-09T17:08:14.363-05:00

By Diane SilverThat's the sun peeping over the horizon of Lake Ontario as a new day dawns on the Great Lakes.And yes, although I grew up on the lakes, I now live on the Prairie. However, I wanted to mark today with what for me is a beautiful image of a new dawn. That is because this Monday is a new dawn for me personally and for this blog.Today marks my return to full-time writing and activism,

Diane Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01134079095789524153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920039897628551367.post-87595330747353569882007-02-06T20:46:00.000-05:002008-12-09T17:08:14.467-05:00

By Diane SilverWell, I have to admit that I neglected this tiny, but important blog. We started with a flurry, posted nicely for a week and then walked away. Many apologies to anyone who started reading us and then wondered if we'd all gotten hit by a bus.I've got some good news. "Becoming The Change" will see its own change on Feb. 19 when we will get back to regular posting. This little blog

Diane Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01134079095789524153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920039897628551367.post-72494959230231725532007-01-19T20:39:00.000-05:002007-01-20T15:00:09.596-05:00

By Nancy Jane MooreThis morning I had a massage. I lay on a warm table in a darkened room while a strong but gentle woman kneaded all the aches and tensions from my body.A massage can be very good for you, but in many ways it is also the ultimate indulgence. You lie there, passively, while another person focuses all of her attention on you. Her purpose is solely to relieve your pain, your

Nancy Jane Moorenoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920039897628551367.post-31160532467001053382007-01-17T17:52:00.000-05:002008-12-09T17:08:14.712-05:00

By Pamela K. Taylor[An In This Moment blogger, Taylor shares her insight and a link to an essay]Last year I wrote an essay for the NPR Program, This I Believe, about the challenges of acting on deeply held, but very controversial beliefs. In my case, it was giving the sermon and leading the prayers for a mixed-gender congregation in a mosque.The essay describes some of my decision-making process,

Diane Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01134079095789524153noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920039897628551367.post-37212715168817764412007-01-17T07:26:00.000-05:002008-12-09T17:08:14.839-05:00

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama has taken the first step toward running for president, and I am left wondering if he is for real.Is he truly a changemaker? Can he help us break out of politics as usual? On the surface, he certainly sounds like he a true seeker after change. He knows the right things to say. For example, in yesterday's announcement that he is forming a committee to explore running for

Diane Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01134079095789524153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920039897628551367.post-69305676933198741922007-01-16T18:06:00.000-05:002008-12-09T17:08:14.965-05:00

In my first post, I talked about how one of the regular chores of this blog will be to look at the news from a changemaker's perspective.The next thought that popped into my head, of course, was: So, what the heck IS a changemaker's perspective?There are several answers to that question.1. Honestly, I have no frigging idea. You do realize, don't you, that I'm making this up as I go along.2.

Diane Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01134079095789524153noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4920039897628551367.post-40687381898208459942007-01-16T17:59:00.000-05:002008-12-09T17:08:15.455-05:00

We are all fish.Some of us are little fish, darting past the lumbering giants known as corporations, the government, the military. Sometimes we attach ourselves to one of those giants in the hope of nibbling enough off of them to survive. Sometimes we fend for ourselves, flitting here and there to glean what we can.But some of us are the giants. We are the political leaders, the CEOs, the vice

Diane Silverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01134079095789524153noreply@blogger.com0