Welcome to the TZM newsletter for June 2013. With the violent floods in central Europe and the two devastating Hurricanes in Oklahoma in recent weeks, we have more evidence of extreme weather events way outside of norms. In the UK, a recent joint report by 25 environmental organisations shows that 60 percent of British wildlife species are in decline.

Despite these trends, British politicians recently voted against a ban on neonicotinoid pesticides, which are indicted by a substantial body of scientific evidence as a major factor behind the decline of bee populations. Fortunately for the bees at least, sanity prevailed in the EU parliament, and the ban was carried. Not so fortunately, George Osborne has offered generous tax breaks as an incentive for fracking companies so start exploiting shale gas reserves in The UK, despite dire warnings about the human health and environmental consequences, and the unsustainable demand it would make on our freshwater reserves (see last month’s newsletter). And Tim Yeo’s clean energy amendment aimed at intensifying our transition to renewables has been narrowly defeated by British MPs. Ask your local MPs how they voted.

Meanwhile, in the arena of geological era classification, our planet is no longer living in the Holocene (its last naturally occurring geological period) but in the human-induced Anthropocene. Many environmentalists live by a misguided mantra that says that we must leave nature to its own devices, and refrain from trying to interfere with its course – even when our intentions are to intervene for the benefit of declining ecosystems. Whether we like it or not, we are already intervening on many levels with the global environment and it is dangerously naïve to think we can carry on without taking full, deliberate and positive control of it if we are to avoid pushing it to collapse. While many still think of climate change purely in terms of the global warming debate, this is in fact only one of nine planetary boundaries being monitored scientifically today, and which we must respect if we are to avert catastrophe for future generations. This new level of responsibility is a vital factor in our evolution if we are to survive to complete our transition into a planetary civilisation – AKA a resource-based economy.

For more information about the planetary boundaries see: www.planetaryboundariesinitiative.org/about/what-are-planetary-boundaries/.

There is also an excellent book titled ‘The God species – how humans really can save the planet’ by Mark Lynas.

As a vital first step towards creating a greener and more sustainable economy, we need to consider beginning our move towards the creation of Vertical farms to meet the world population’s future food needs, and relieve the immense pressure being placed by today’s agricultural methods on planetary resources through such factors as land, fresh water and biodiversity depletion, and excessive release of reactive nitrogen into the world’s rivers. These in fact constitute another four of the aforementioned planetary boundaries, and most people do not realise the extent to which we already stretch natural ecosystems to meet our needs . Did you know for example that all the world’s naturally occurring reactive Nitrogen is only sufficient to nourish 3.5 billion people, with the other 3.5 billion being sustained by artificially manufactured nitrates? Professor Dickson Despommier, the principle pioneer of the Vertical farm concept has an illuminating talk on TED that shows how this technology can end many of humanity’s ecocidal practices:

Are you willing to give your support the development of a British network of vertical farms? Do you have any sustainability initiative ideas of your own you’d like to share? Let us know on our Facebook group for Urban farming.

Ed Miliband admits a Labour Government would be putting a cap on benefits, sharing David Cameron’s position that if the tax paying public have to keep making do with less value and more austerity for their money, then that’s just the way it must be. End of debate. So even the Labour party are now showing that propping up the existing economic system is a higher priority than the well-being of our ever more technically disenfranchised population. Perhaps now is a very good time to appeal to traditional labour voters (and Conservative/Libdem ones for that matter) to finally let go of their blind and dogmatic faith in these parties and their moribund institution and start looking outside of the box for solutions. Be sure to address your local parties on this issue. There will be a lot of disillusioned grass roots members in the main political parties now, and they’re waiting for you to show them the way off their sinking ships!

A dominant story of late in Britain has been the murder in London of British Army Drummer Lee Rigby, which has been the subject of massive levels of media coverage, political debate, and sectarian aggression involving such groups as the English defence league and their opposite numbers from the fringes of the Islamic community. But has any of this activity really served as a just memorial to Lee Rigby or benefited any community? Like all servicemen and women, he joined the military because he believed in striving to make the world a better, freer and safer place for the human family to live in. His loss can only be used to justify a strengthening of the system his killers were trying to hurt. It will not have been his intention to serve that system, but to be part of a problem-solving community whose greatest pride is in a job well done in building schools, bridges roads and irrigation systems for the betterment of those who would otherwise remain helpless and vulnerable. This same ethic is shared by all people of faith who actually live by the principles of wisdom upon which their faiths were originally founded. Surely the best way we can serve his memory is to look more deeply than ever before in identifying the true societal root causes of young men being induced – or striving to induce others – into being brutal killers. And then to redesign our culture so that those seeds of destruction are mathematically prevented from ever germinating in the first place. But such a shift in our societal structure is something that the politicians, corporations and media are not prepared to tolerate. So while this paradigm still breathes, the violence will inevitably go on, and so will the smug blame game and the lucrative industry it supports. As our friend Peter Joseph might say, just maybe this violent act and the manufactured public reaction to it are symptoms of a culture in decline.

Meanwhile, Turkey has become the latest country to experience civil unrest. Although the redevelopment plans for Gezi Park were the trigger for the protests, it is clear that there are deeper, economic resentments at work amongst the population. Heavy handed reactions to the protests by President Erdogan have prompted a non binding European resolution deploring his actions. And Britain and the USA are preparing to begin arming Syrian rebel forces, much to the disapproval of Russia. The plot thickens in this key political arena.

In business and finance, the latest fear amongst top ultra-high net worth investors around the world is that central banks may have to rein in QE, their bond-buying regime. Why? To drive down long-term interest rates as bond prices exhibit massive volatility not just in Tokyo but also in New York and London, amongst many other financial centres around the world, despite massive and perpetual QE. The central bankers’ confidence trick, like a well honed magic enchantment — based on faith, trust and pixie dust — is no longer persuading bond investors to hold on to their bonds. As a result, are we reaching that tipping point where continuous double and triple doses of QE insulin have stopped working and so the process has to be reversed to garner confidence.

There is much debate over whether the eventual financial collapse will come about through hyperinflation as happened with the Weimar republic, or a hyper-deflationary spiral as more and more people are no longer able or willing to take out new loans to keep the fractional reserve banking game in play.

What are your thoughts? We welcome readers’ comments to publish in next month’s newsletter. Drop us a line over to [email protected].

Facebook participation and Non Violent communication

Regrettably, we at TZM UK have noticed of late that not all of our active Social networking contributors seem to have grasped the spirit of TZM when making or responding to posts on our Main UK Facebook group, and those of some of the regional chapters. Perhaps understandably, some have become frustrated and disillusioned by the fact that we’re still stuck with the monetary-marketopithecine malaise as much as ever, and we don’t seem to be getting any closer to living out that iconic final scene from Zeitgeist: moving Forward. Some are resorting to taking out their frustration on other members and have descended into inflammatory, aggressive and egotistical language that is counter productive to the spirit what we are all here to kindle. If you’re one of these people, and you really can’t resit the temptation to carry on in this destructive and belligerent fashion, then please consider joining the facebook group of a mainstream political party instead, where you’ll be sure to feel much more at home!

On a positive note, this brings us to an appropriate juncture to introduce the work of organisation much respected by the Zeitgeist Movement: The Centre for Non-Violent communication.

The Centre for Non-violent Communication (www.CNVC.org) is a global organization whose vision is a world where all people are getting their needs met and resolving their conflicts peacefully. In this vision, people are using NVC to create and participate in networks of worldwide life-serving systems in economics, education, justice, healthcare and peace-keeping.

It links trainers, organisers and supporters working with people from all walks of life in 35 countries.

Marshall Rosenberg began developing his model of Non-violent Communication more than forty years ago in the US, in response to the physical, emotional and spiritual violence he witnessed in society. Like Jacque Fresco, he recognises that much of the conflict that blows up between people today is the result of the flawed and obsolete language structures we have been conditioned with. Since his first visit to the UK in 1993, enthusiasts here have developed a variety of approaches for making NVC accessible to others.

NVC begins by assuming that we are all compassionate by nature and that violent strategies—whether verbal or physical—are learned behaviours taught and supported by the prevailing culture. NVC also assumes that we all share the same, basic human needs, and that each of our actions are a strategy to meet one or more of these needs.

People who practice NVC have found greater authenticity in their communication, increased understanding, deepening connection and conflict resolution.

The NVC community is active in over 65 countries around the globe. Find out more about how NVC is changing the world and how you can get involved.

We thoroughly recommend you spend some time watching some of Marshall Rosenberg’s Videos for more insight into his work. Have a look at this playlist.

A message from get out of Debt free

A number of illuminating web sites have been developed to help the public increase their awareness of the unjust practices that abound in the jungle of the business and law today, and the ways they can protect themselves against some of them. They explore our inalienable rights under common law, and how those with power and influence are not as honest as they might be in informing us on where we really stand. Have you met your straw-man? Did you know he lives in your house? If not, be sure to watch this concise but revealing five-minute pearl of wisdom, released by campaign group TPUC: and help make it viral!!

Another group well deserving of a mention is Get out of debt free whose title is self-explanatory. Here is their most recent bulletin: - £1000 debt could lose you your home!In England and Wales, the government has recently imposed the Charging Order Regulations 2013, that allows their greedy friends in the fraudulent banking industry, to take your home for ‘debts’ as little as £1000, putting 700,000 households at risk. This is a U-turn for the government, who indicated in the coalition agreement that the threshold would be £25,000 and makes it glaringly obvious how banks are pulling the strings of the government and ensuring the banks and debt collectors have greater powers to steal our wealth!So what are we doing about it? We’re going to come back fighting!We’ve got plenty of new features for the GOODF site do come and have a browse on www.getoutofdebtfree.org

Please give your support to the moneyless voyage

Colin Turner, founder of The Free World Charter website is looking for some help with an idea he feels could greatly help the free world initiative and introduce its concepts to many more people.

Colin writes:

This August, my girlfriend and I are embarking on a slightly unusual journey: we’re going to begin travelling around the world without money! Yes, that’s right - not a cent!!

I want to show that it can be done using our amazing human network and the inherent good will of people - and to capture the experience in a video documentary along the way. I want to meet and talk to people, exchange ideas and visit some of the exciting new projects already ongoing, to learn from them and to showcase their work.

I can’t think of a better way to highlight the concept of a moneyless, borderless, more positive society than to get out there and live it, film it, and have great fun along the way! It’s an exciting and ambitious project, but we need support. Without using money, we are going to need food, accommodation and transport etc. Can you help us with this? Remember, we won’t be paying for or buying anything, but are to happy to work, help out, or even play and sing wherever we can! What do you think? Will you support us?

On August 1st, we’ll be leaving Dublin, Ireland, travelling North, on to Scotland then through England and into mainland Europe. After that, who knows? Your support, wherever you are in the world, will help us to plan and make possible this trip. If you can help us, that would be fantastic! We would love to come and meet you!

I think this is a great opportunity for us to make real world connections, promote our ideas, and, most importantly, to demonstrate the natural good will of people that will form the basis of our future free society. Capturing this adventure in a video documentary will, I believe, be a very powerful and positive message of hope during these transitional times.

If you’d like to help us, please register your support on our new networking site: http://www.freeworlder.org/ *Remember to include your location, an email and a telephone number so we can get in touch with you when we are close to your area. (Don’t worry, your contact details won’t be published on the site)

Thanks a million, and we hope to see you soon!

All the best,
Colin Turner
http://freeworldcharter.org