Millennium Project's Arts & Media Node Report

[Ed Lantz]

If you read the forum post below about the Millennnium Project and c3's Arts and Media Node, then check out the attached reports.  Otherwise, read on:

The Millennium Project's State of the Future Report is a sobering 7,000 page report
on solutions to 15 global challenges - anything from water issues to
women's rights. The focus is on global challenges that will require
globally coordinated solutions. http://www.millennium-project.org/millennium/sof-2010.html

Some of these solutions involve technology. I personally do not
believe that returning to the lifestyle of ancient, indigenous peoples
will save us at this point. I do believe that adopting the heartsong
(and resulting attitude) of our wise, indigenous elders will save us -
love and deepest respect for our Earth and all upon it. As we apply this
wisdom (or realization) to all we do - our technologies, our political
systems, even to our interactions here in this forum - we will change
the world.

c3: Center for Conscious Creativity's VisionLAB just held a downtown Los
Angeles symposium in to explore how arts, media and entertainment can
assist in global change: www.c3so.com. They will post videos from the conference soon, but there's already a lot of content from the event on their website.The conference essentially focused on how to use arts and media to shift hearts and change the world.

The c3 was recently invited by the Millennium Project to be one of 35 futurist
"nodes" that feed information into the State of the Future report. See
the report recently given to the Millennium Project in Boston, MA in the
Discussion Forum above. Basically, c3 has been asked to look at future
trends in arts, media and entertainment and how they can impact global
change. c3 was also tasked with helping to package and disseminate
global solutions for the 15 Global Challenges - compiled by the
Millennium Project - into various media and entertainment channels.
Basically - c3's job is to help get the word out about the many global
solutions via every channel possible: film, television, print, web,
mobile, virtual, social network, etc.

Living up to this challenge requires the c3 to build a database of
advisers, fellows, and organizational partners such as
Producers/Writers/Directors guilds worldwide. A tall order. This past
year I joined the Board of c3 to help.

Want to join us? Join www.consciouscreatives.net
and the Millennium Project Arts and Media Node group then ping Kate
McCallum and her tribe. c3 is seeking help from grant writing to
researching future trends to tracking transformational programming to
serious crowdsource website design...

The Millennium Project recently held their annual symposium in Boston, MA.  I attended this meeting with Kate McCallum.  Our Arts & Media Node progress report is attached as well as our closing suggestions for the Millennium Project including potential Arts & Media projects.

[Ed Lantz]

Download the Millennium Project 2010 Arts & Media Node Report below.

[mary rose]

In reviewing the Millenium Report and the 15 main challenges with which we are faced, i see nothing with regard to ensuring a food supply. Already millions of people world wide are food challenged and this include growing numbers of people in the U.S. As the price of gasoline in the U.S. continues to rise, since the average distance food is shipped today is about 1500 miles with the majority of it coming from far away places such as Israel, Peru, China and Mexico, there will come a point when the trucks are not going to be able to roll into the outlets and store shelves will become empty. This presents a real crisis since U.S. citizens have forgotten how to grow their own food. An effort made by the White House to get people to engage in creating kitchen gardens by planting one on the White House lawn has largely failed to inspire people to act.

One of the reasons for food shortages in developing countries is due to the practice here in the U.S. of subsidizing farmers. This, in turn, allows companies like Cargill to become the world's largest grain dealer, acquire its own fleet of ships, and then sell grain in developing countries at a price less than what local farmers can grow it and sell it. This has resulted in thousands of farmers committing suicide as they are put out of business by policies in the U.S. which undermine the ability of other countries to maintain viable businesses.

While agriculture use to support millions of people, today an eight thousand acre commercial farm can be handled by as few as six to eight farm hands due to advances in technology that makes human labor obsolete.

Another angle on this is that much of the food we eat now in the U.S. is processed and made toxic by the additives it contains, one of those being fructose which causes obesity while at the same time, the individual may be undernourished. I just read a report today showing that fructose is also now known to be an addictive substance with mice, when fed foods containing it, refusing to eat healthy foods that did not contain it.

Is there anything planned to address issues like these related to food?