1. United States
2. Venezuela
3. Australia
4. Austria
5. South Africa
6. Canada
7. Chile
8. New Zealand
9. The Philippines
10. Israel

Source: National Opinion Research Center. National Pride in Cross-national and Temporal Perspective, 2006

Thanks to the generosity of the American taxpayer, Wall Street is back, bonuses and all. Main Street, not so much. How can that be?

In The Audacity of Greed, labor activist and New York senatorial contender Jonathan Tasini examines the reasons and exposes the people responsible for the looting of America, from the bankers who funded their lavish lifestyles at the public’s expense to the politicians who stood by and watched it happen. Tasini argues that we need a cultural and philosophical revolution that punctures the fable of market fundamentalism and values the contributions made by ordinary Americans throughout the economy. On the policy side, he lays out seven proposals for a fairer economy. Here’s a the short version:

1. Raise the Minimum Wage
Increase it immediately to $10 an hour, with additional increases over the next five years until it reaches $20 an hour, which would begin to return some level of justice to working

2. Enact Medicare For All
Pass H.R. 676, the so-called “Medicare for All Now” bill, in order to enact single-payer health care. Aside from the moral issue of covering every single American and making health care a right, not a privilege, the passage of H.R. 676 would also save the economy hundreds of billions of dollars and immediately make American-based businesses competitive around the world with companies that operate out of countries that provide national health care to their citizens.

3. Ensure a Stable and Secure Retirement for American Workers
Create a national guaranteed universal pension plan, backed by the government, so that people can be sure that their retirement years will not be threatened by the wild swings of Wall Street.

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In “The Pleasures of Eating,” included in Bringing it to the Table, a new collection of his essays, Wendell Berry writes that that we can only escape the trap of industrialism “by restoring one’s consciousness of what is involved in eating, by reclaiming responsibility for one’s own part in the food economy.”

He outlines what “city people” can do by eating more responsibly: “Eaters…must understand that eating takes place inescapably in the world, that it is inescapably an agricultural act, and that how we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used. This is a simple way of describing a relationship that is inexpressibly complex. To eat responsibly is to understand and enact, so far as one can, this complex relationship. What can one do? Here is a list, probably not definitive:”

1. “Participate in food production to the extent that you can. If you have a yard or even just a porch box or a pot in a sunny window, grow something to eat in it. Make a little compost of your kitchen scraps and use it for fertilizer. Only by growing some food for yourself can you become acquainted with the beautiful energy cycle that revolves from soil to seed to flower to fruit to food to offal to decay, and around again. You will be fully responsible for any food that you grow for yourself, and you will know all about it. You will appreciate it fully, having known it all its life.”
2. “Prepare your own food. This means reviving in your own mind and life the arts of kitchen and household. This should enable you to eat more cheaply, and it will give you a measure of “quality control”: You will have some reliable knowledge of what has been added to the food you eat.”
3. “Learn the origins of the food you buy, and buy the food that is produced closest to your home. The idea that every locality should be, as much as possible, the source of its own food makes several kinds of sense. The locally produced food supply is the most secure, the freshest, and the easiest for local consumers to know about and to influence.”
4. “Whenever possible, deal directly with a local farmer, gardener, or orchardist. All the reasons listed for the previous suggestion apply here. In addition, by such dealing you eliminate the whole pack of merchants, transporters, processors, packagers, and advertisers who thrive at the expense of both producers and consumers.”
5. “Learn, in self-defense, as much as you can of the economy and technology of industrial food production. What is added to food that is not food, and what do you pay for these additions?”
6. “Learn what is involved in the best farming and gardening.”
7. “Learn as much as you can, by direct observation and experience if possible, of the life histories of the food species.”

We’re close to the end of “Banned Books Week,” a national celebration sponsored by the American Library Association of works of literature that have been banned, censored or  legally challenged.

The ALA keeps track of attempts to have books removed from schools and libraries, and as the record shows, literary reputation is no defense. Of the “Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century,” 42 have been targets of formal challenges. We thought it would be fun to pick out some of our favorites.

“Catch-22,” by Joseph Heller: One of the most hilarious works to make the ranks of great American literature, Heller’s absurdist classic is a sprawling satire of the bureaucratic nature of modern society itself, razing religion, capitalism, the concept of justice ,and the military-industrial complex along its way to literary immortality. Acerbic to the last letter, the book has drawn fire for its profane language and callous treatment of death, rape, and prostitution and was once removed from schools in Strongsville, Ohio, before a U.S. District Court intervened. Complaints notwithstanding, the book’s critical reputation has only grown with passing generations and its title has secured a permanent spot in the public lexicon.

“The Grapes of Wrath,” by John Steinbeck: It’s been said that John Steinbeck came as close as anyone to writing the great American novel with The Grapes of Wrath. When it was published in 1939, many thought he was coming close to inciting rebellion. The heartbreakingly beautiful tale of a displaced Oklahoma family forced to endure the harsh realities of California’s migrant farms became an instant symbol for the populist fury raging at the time. It was thus challenged – perhaps more than any book in American history – not just for its grim imagery but for what some critics considered its communistic message. Seventy years and zero socialist revolutions later, it is required reading for many American schoolchildren. (For more on the banning of The Grapes of Wrath, see Rick Wartzman’s Obscene in the Extreme, available at Progressive Book Club.)

“Slaughterhouse-Five,” by Kurt Vonnegut: Vonnegut solidified his place as a counterculture icon with his postmodern, almost hypnotic fictionalization of the World War II bombing of Dresden, which he had witnessed as a young soldier. He also created one of the sharper literary controversies of recent times for his intentionally flippant approach to war and death. The book was banned in several libraries and schools and even burned in Drake, N.D., in 1973. Organizationally detached and bone-dry in tone, it reads by turns like a soldier’s confession, a sci-fi yarn and a left-wing suicide note. If it is not best anti-war book ever put to paper, it is probably the most imaginative.

“A Clockwork Orange,” by Anthony Burgess: Perhaps more famous for the film it inspired, Burgess’s story of a young sociopath who submits to behavioral rehabilitation by way of brainwashing was groundbreaking for its linguistic playfulness, with much of the dialogue written in invented, nuanced teenage slang. Not everyone got that, and the book drew complaints for crude language as well as its scenes of sex and intense violence. A bookstore owner in Utah was even arrested for selling the book and later forced to relocate to another state. Look past the handful of protests and you’ll find one of the best dystopian novels on this side of 1984.

“Lolita,” by Vladimir Nabokov: The controversy over Nabokov’s opus began before it even went public. The sometimes explicit love story of a middle-aged scholar and his 12-year-old nymphette at first couldn’t find a publisher in the United States. When it surfaced years later in Europe by way of an obscure French publisher, it was assailed as pornographic and banned in France, England, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa. Strangely, its eventual American publication in 1958 went off without any major problem, though it has endured sporadic complaints since. Written incredibly in Nabovok’s third language, it is exceptional for its lyrical prose style and biting social commentary.

See the ALA’s full list of 100 banned classics here.

In “Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth In a Sustainable Lifestyle,” author David Wann warns that a looming energy crunch will begin to affect our quality of life sooner than we might expect.

Wann points out that three-fourths of consumer goods today are made from fossil fuels. With the demand for these non-renewable resources quickly outpacing supply and prices rising in turn, people everywhere will very soon find themselves forced to make drastic lifestyle changes.

If a crisis is to be stemmed, consumers need to start rethinking their behavior now – specifically, how much energy they dispose of in their own homes. Wann, an environmentalist and proud do-it-yourselfer, offers suggestions on how individuals can cut their household energy use in half. Some of his tips are:

• Install a programmable thermostat for heating and cooling, and learn how to use it. Each degree below 68° F during colder weather saves 3 to 5 percent more heating energy. Conversely, keeping your thermostat at 78° during hot weather will also save you money.
• Set the refrigerator thermostat at between 37° and 40°, and clean the condenser coils twice a year to raise efficiency up to 30 percent.
• Wash clothes in warm or cold water instead of hot, and air-dry them rather than using an electric dryer. Same goes for dishes.
• Turn the water heater down to 120° and insulate the pipes that exit your tank.
• Bake in ceramic or glass pans that hold the heat more tightly and require 25° less heat. Better still, try to use a Crock-pot, toaster oven, microwave or stove before resorting to the oven.
• Don’t just turn off your appliances, but unplug them. Even electronics in off-mode may use “phantom power” when connected to an outlet.

[Posted by Sarah Silbert]

In The Infernal Machine, author Matthew Carr provides a history of terrorism throughout the world, ending with a look at the contemporary conflicts in Iraq and Palestine. Carr touches on many different guerilla and terrorist groups, many of which stand out for their influence on their countries and history in general. Here are some of the most notable groups, dating back to the anti-tsarist revolutionaries of 19th century Russia.

1. The People’s Will and the Social Revolutionaries-Russia

In 1881, this group of anti-tsarist radicals assassinated Tsar Alexander in St Petersburg. The People’s Will was inspired by the French Revolution, particularly the Jacobin terror tactics and violent purges. Members of the movement, including Sergei Nechaev and Sergei Kravchinksy, came mostly from the middle and upper classes and revolted against the elitism of tsarist Russia. They undertook a program of educating and providing medical care to small rural villages, where they believed the essence of true populist Russian values was to be found. Eventually, the actions of the People’s Will inspired a more violent, radical group know as the Social Revolutionaries. Members used bombs and other weapons to carry out assassination plots on Russian officials. Carr identifies the tactics of the Social Revolutionaries as the modern precedent to the other terrorist groups covered in his book.

2. IRA-Ireland

Founded by Michael Collins in 1918, the Irish Republican Army aimed to “make regular government impossible, and the cost of holding the country so great that the British would be compelled to withdraw.” This agenda involved ambushing British soldiers, policeman, and their families. The widespread violence in the name of Irish independence led to the partition in 1922, though the IRA further developed into factions and continued to be active.

3. FLN-Algeria

In 1954, in response to the French colonial presence in Algeria, Muslim Algerians created a group called the Front de Liberation Nationale (FLN) which undertook systematic attacks on French soldiers and their families. The FLN was known for the use of bombs set off in public places, such as cafes frequented by Europeans in Algeria. The French-Muslim conflict escalated and became known as the battle of Algiers, with FLN militants continuing attacks on French military personnel and the French army in turn torturing and killing thousands of Muslim suspects and FLN members. Read More

In Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth, David C. Korten offers a big-picture story of where we went wrong in the design of our economic institutions and what we can do about it. He argues that the problems with our economic and financial system go way deeper than the current crisis, and that efforts so far to “fix” them are so much tinkering at the margins. The larger issue, Korten argues, is that Wall Street has perfected the art of creating “wealth” without producing anything of real value. He calls this “phantom wealth.”

For Korten, hope lies not with Wall Street (one of the sections of the book is titled “The Case for Eliminating Wall Street”), but with Main Street, which creates real wealth from real resources to meet real needs. He outlines an agenda to create a new “real-wealth” economy—locally based, community oriented, and devoted to creating a better life for all, not simply increasing profits.

Citing the Happy Planet Index, a set of measures devised by NEF, a think tank, which “reveals the ecological efficiency with which human well-being is delivered,” Korten notes that the shift from a phantom wealth economy to a real wealth economy will necessarily entail increasing some things and decreasing others. Here are two lists from the book that detail exactly what we want more and less of.

What We Want to Increase:

• the percentage of food grown locally
• attendance at farmers’ markets
• school attendance and graduation rates
• voter participation rates
• the number of pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly streets
• the acreage of open space near urban villages
• youth involvement in community service
• the number of neighbors with whom people interact regularly
• the percentage of locally owned businesses
• the size of wild salmon runs

What We Want to Decrease:

• divorce rates
• the number of single parents
• the extent of soil erosion
• incarceration rates
• infant and child mortality rates
• rates of hospitalization for children with asthma
• the total area of impervious surfaces
• childhood obesity rates

Since the rise of Levittowns in the 1950s, American suburbs have been built with the illusion of community but the reality of fostering privacy and seclusion. Cookie-cutter subdivisions are built and marketed with so many conveniences – wide roads, garbage pickup, automated sprinkler systems – that those who live there can (and do) avoid completely the folks one yard away.

In “Simple Prosperity: Finding Real Wealth In a Sustainable Lifestyle,” author David Wann laments the community-building “factory” – zoning regulations, government incentives, industry development – that focuses on these amenities while failing to address people’s social needs.

The harm here is twofold: Americans live lonelier lives that fail to take advantage of the opportunities borne of living in close proximity; and they consume more resources in doing so by traveling long distances and spending large sums on shopping, recreation and entertainment.

An ideal neighborhood, Wann writes, is one that has “a sense of belonging and participation, a sense of security and safety; we need healthy food, connection with the no-worries feelings that nature bestows, and activities that we enjoy, just to name a few.”

Citing existing examples such as Larchmont, N.Y., and the Norwood-Quince neighborhood in Boulder, Colo., he lays out the assets he envisions for a more perfect local community:

• Slower streets: Lowering speed limits and constructing more stop signs and traffic circles have obvious safety benefits, but there are some documented social perks as well. Wann cites studies that show a correlation between the speed and volume of traffic in a neighborhood and the number of friends its residents claim, with citizens of slow-moving neighborhoods having about 10 more acquaintances on average.
• Residential continuity: One key to a great neighborhood is having neighbors who are in it for the long haul. When residents commit to living in one place for the better part of their lives rather than using it as a stepping stone to something larger or more luxurious, it cultivates a shared history among citizens and provides an incentive to invest in the community.
• Public spaces: The charm of neighborhood parks and plazas is apparent, but Wann takes things a step further, proposing neighborhoods buy out vacant residences to convert to community meeting, dining and office space. Creating shared gardens is also a direct way to embrace locally grown, healthy food.
• Communal resources: Residents can both simplify their lives and get to know one another better by making personal belongings and responsibilities the property of the community. Establishing community tool sheds, dog-walking co-ops and bulletin boards, just name a few examples, can greatly improve the quality of life.
• Free entertainment: Residents could very easily save money by organizing and participating in free concerts in the park, community book clubs, bike rides and other kinds of free, neighborly recreation options.

A year to the day since the dramatic implosion of Lehman Brothers brought the global financial system to the brink of total collapse, we’d like to point you to some of the books that best illuminate the most devastating financial crisis since the Great Depression — its origins, its trajectory, and the key lessons it offers.

Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World

By Liaquat Ahamed

With penetrating insights for today: a vital, immensely readable history of the world economic collapse of the late 1920s.

Agenda for a New Economy: From Phantom Wealth to Real Wealth

By David C Korten

An economic blueprint for the twenty-first century that puts Main Street—not Wall Street—at the center of our economy.

The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008

By Paul Krugman

How the 2008 financial crisis paralleled the events that caused the Great Depression—and what it will take to avoid another catastrophe in the future.

The New Paradigm for Financial Markets: The Credit Crisis of 2008 and What It Means

By George Soros

A way out of the financial mess—by one of the world’s leading investors.

The Trillion Dollar Meltdown: Easy Money, High Rollers and the Great Credit Crash

By Charles R. Morris

A clear, concise layperson’s guide to the financial crash — how it happened, how best to recover, and what comes next.

In his victory speech in Chicago’s Grant Park on November 4, 2008, the new president-elect Barack Obama said:

This victory alone is not the change we seek—it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

The quote appears at the beginning of 50 Ways You Can Help Obama Change America by Michael Huttner, a guide both practical and inspiring to how you–we–can “make that change.” The book explains what you can do from home, in your community, across our country, and around the world, to fulfill the vision of change that inspired so many of us during the presidential campaign.

Packed with stories from the front-lines, practical information, and tips for action — each one connected to something  President Obama advocated as part of his campaign for change or to something he said or did himself — 50 Ways is a book for everyone who wants to do more to advance the cause of change.

The 50 suggestions cover these seven broad themes.

1. Turn Obama’s Vision into Law.
This explains how you can help advance President Obama’s proposals for energy independence, universal health care, campaign finance reform, and more.

2. Become a Community Organizer.
Learn how to do what our community organizer-in-chief did as a young man and during his campaigns-and mobilize your community to support change.

3. Volunteer in Your Community.
Find out how to respond to President Obama’s call for community service in your area and around the world.

4. Be the Change.
Here are ways you can adjust your own life, at home or on a personal level, to reflect President Obama’s vision.

5. Amplify Your Voice for Change.
Agreeing with the folks around your kitchen table is fine, but here you can find out how to communicate to a wider audience to help make change a reality.

6. Harness the New Media.
Use Internet-based tactics on behalf of President Obama’s agenda and change in your community.

7. Act Now to Win Future Elections.
This section includes ideas for how to sustain change in America and nurture the success of Obama-like candidates at all levels.

Learn more about 50 Ways You Can Help Obama Change America here.