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Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions         December 2010    Executive Editor Sarah van Gelder’s review of the year 10 Most Hopeful Stories of 2010 It was a tough year. The economy continued its so-called jobless recovery with Wall Street anticipating another year of record bonuses while most Americans struggle to get work and hold on to their homes. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continued, and spilled over into Pakistan and Yemen, and more American soldiers died by suicide than fighting in Afghanistan. And it was a year of big disasters, some of them indicators of the growing climate crisis. Nonetheless, events from 2010 also contain the seeds of transformation. None of the following stories is enough on its own to change the momentum. But if we the people build and strengthen social movements, each of of these stories points to a piece of the solution. READ MORE … :: SHARE WITH YOUR NETWORKS   Your support makes our “Hopeful Stories” possible… DONATE TO YES! We’re grateful for any amount, large or small. Give by 6 pm PST on Dec 31 for a 2010 tax deduction.   “Your website has become my daily check-in for the uplifting hope you provide over and over again.” —Karen F., subscriber     Highlights from the Winter 2011 issue of YES! Magazine…   The Good Life? It’s Close to Home Rebuilding families and neighborhoods around the gifts each of us offers… John McKnight and Peter Block demonstrate that supporting a family really does take a village—and illustrate how to build one in your community.   MORE …   “Creating a more community-based way to live and find satisfaction, even when surrounded by a consumer culture, requires only that we act as if each of us has what we need.”   :: This is My Family 8 personal essays on what family is today. 5 Questions to Awaken Your Functional Family The path to restoring function to the family in a citizen society, not a consumer society, is quite simple. It begins with five questions: 1. What functions can we put back into the hands of young people? 2. What does each person do to support the household economy? 3. How does this family care for those who are vulnerable? 4. How can we begin to entertain ourselves? 5. What do we do to protect the environment and our health? LEARN MORE … Humanity, in Photos A celebration of friendship, family, love, and laughter in this YES! Photo Essay.   What’s New Online…   Kicking the Habit: Air Travel in the Time of Climate Change Air travel is neither just nor sustainable. So how can environmental justice activists make a global difference? Seeding Small Business: 5 Ideas from Detroit Detroit entrepreneurs are learning to rely on each other, finding the seeds of a new economy in resources discarded by corporate America. All That We Share Welcome to a new kind of movement—one that reshapes how we think about ownership and cooperation. Get the YES! ‘Commons’ Poster Yes, There is An Alternative More and more people, communities, and nations are taking steps to reduce their vulnerability to a volatile global economy.   Finding Peace…   Shifting Sands: Jewish Women Confront the Israeli Occupation 14 women find their voice in Shifting Sands, a collection of essays that goes to the heart of the issues around peace in the Middle East, with true stories that stress human rights over political expedience.   The Third Side of Conflict is Peace   Walking from “No” to “Yes” The secret to peace—within your family or the Middle East—could be as simple as taking a walk. WATCH THIS TED TALK   People We Love   JACOB ISOM Skateboarding for Tolerance LYNN NOTTAGE Drama of War, Assault, and Survival   Go behind the scenes   of Lynn’s Ruined OMAR TELLO Restoring a Forest Habitat for Orchids JORDAN HOWARD Organizing a Green Prom   Rewriting Education   for the Real World   Did you miss…   Highlights from the last newsletter: :: Humanity, in Photos   A celebration of friendship, family, love, and laughter. :: Relearning the Skills of Community   How members of Common Security Clubs help each other relearn how to live in community. :: Homemade Prosperity    Radical Homemaker Shannon Hayes discovered that producing what she needs at home lets her live on a fraction of what she thought she needed.   How to Get More YES!  IT’S NOT TOO LATE GIVE THE GIFT OF YES! … and download our gift card announcement to print and personalize. Give a one-year YES! gift subscription at $20 and your second gift is FREE. $15 SUBSCRIPTION Get a year of YES! Magazine for just $15. + A BONUS ISSUE :: 54% OFF NON-PROFIT. INDEPENDENT. SUBSCRIBER-SUPPORTED. DAVID KORTEN’S AGENDA… 3 ways to get David Korten’s latest book.   YES! Picks…  :: Our holiday guide    to thoughtful gifts Green Gift Ideas This year, celebrate the holidays for what they truly mean to you. It’s easy for consumerism to take over the holiday season, so the YES! staff (and some crafty readers) made a list of our all-time favorite gifts and experiences. From our family to yours, Happy Holidays! :: How to Make the YES!    Greenest Gift Bow   Fixing the Future …  VIDEO Community Pioneers PBS’s new series, Fixing the Future, profiles people creating the new economy and sustainable ways of living from the ground up. Learn more about their stories and watch video of these local pioneers in action. The Tiny House Movement David Brancaccio learns about extreme downsizing with residents of tiny houses. Swapping Ditch-Digging for Legal Services David spends some time at Hour Exchange Portland, a time bank in Maine that allows people to swap their goods and services equally. Good Jobs, Locally Grown David visits with members of BALLE and Sustainable Connections, organizations that are working to keep the Bellingham economy thriving.   Start the New Year Right  Why Sign Up for No Impact Week? A veteran reflects on how the one-week carbon cleanse taught him to be happier—and how it could teach you, too :: LEARN MORE

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