Obama 2.0

by William S. Becker

The second year of the Obama Era is young, but we may be seeing the emergence of Obama 2.0 – a president willing to do battle against the dark forces of stasis and negativity. Let’s hope so.

Obama 1.0 didn’t want to get ahead of Congress. Obama 2.0 appears ready to go head-to-head with Democrats who have the numbers to lead but lack the discipline, and Republicans whose only big idea is to make Democrats fail – a job that has turned out to be pretty easy so far.

Now the President seems open to strategy-change and he’s being flooded with fresh advice. In the Feb. 8 issue of TIME, for example, columnist Mark Halperin suggests that Obama “borrow from the playbook of Ronald Reagan” by becoming bigger than life, standing for a few big things and striking themes with which no self-respecting American patriot – Republican, Democrat or Tea Person -- can disagree.

Halperin is correct. Obama 1.0 worked at playing the Washington game; Obama 2.0 must prove he can change the game, as he promised in the campaign. He should lead us in a tectonic shift from the politics of fear to the politics of hope.

The Right claims we are losing the America we love. The Left tells us we are teetering on the brink of environmental collapse. Both tell us we should be very afraid. A little fear is good. It teaches us, metaphorically speaking, not to touch the hot pot on the stove. But fear without hope leads to the kind of persistent polarity, political paralysis and apocalypse fatigue that seems to be infecting the American spirit like a pandemic.  Continued...

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Part III: ON THE GREEN CARPET with Greg Reitman: SUNDANCE 2010

by Greg Reitman

Part III:  'ON THE GREEN CARPET with GREG REITMAN' reflects on the 2010 SUNDANCE film festival and those filmmakers making conscious films and conscious choices. GREG REITMAN, a green correspondent and 2008 SUNDANCE Audience award winner, 'FUEL', reaches out to artists and filmmakers, seeing how these individuals are using their talents and technological knowledge to express 'FREEDOM'.

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Part II: ON THE GREEN CARPET with Greg Reitman: SUNDANCE 2010

by Greg Reitman

Part II: 'ON THE GREEN CARPET with GREG REITMAN' returns to the 2010 SUNDANCE film festival. GREG REITMAN, a green correspondent and 2008 SUNDANCE Audience award winner, 'FUEL', takes a glimpse into artists and filmmakers own Health & Sustainability views and what they're doing to make a difference.

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ON THE GREEN CARPET with Greg Reitman: Sundance 2010

by Greg Reitman

'ON THE GREEN CARPET' ventures to Park City, Utah for the 2010 Sundance film festival. Greg Reitman, a green correspondent and 2008 Sundance Audience award winner, 'FUEL,' is returning to Sundance with his video blog, 'ON THE GREEN CARPET', which looks at how artists and filmmakers incorporate conscious based living into their art and daily lives.

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Interview with Seth Godin about Education and Change

by Barbara Bray

I was one of the lucky few who was given an advance copy of Seth Godin’s book: Linchpin: Are you Indispensible? His book hits home for me especially involving education.

To see all of the interviews, go to http://www.squidoo.com/the-Linchpin-Posts.

I asked him how his ideas fit with schools today and how we can better prepare for our students’ future:

Q. Since I work with educators, I am curious how you see teachers leading this change to more of a gift-giving and artist model? How do you see teacher education in the future as it relates to this model?

Seth: Teachers are the key to the whole deal. All successful people I know can name one or two or three teachers that had a huge impact on them. But why three? Why not thirty? Why is it that the rest of the teachers were competent at giving exams and getting us to do well at those exams, but didn’t teach us enough to change us? Continued....

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