30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 20

Over the past decade, he internet has radically changed how people find, connect, communicate and collaborate with each other. The rapid rate of social movement awareness and adoption is directly attributable to the ability to instantaneously share information across town and around the world. Live video streams of protests and popular breakthrough film series like Zeitgeist would not be possible without the technological engineering feats of the infrastructure that is the world wide web. Social media sites and services, such as Twitter, Facebook and Google products, are increasingly vital to the rapid development and planning for these various causes, however, and that concentration of resources is causing them to become targets for the powerful and influential. Facebook, as a corporation, has recently gone public, opening themselves up to investor influence, pressuring them to further monetize their user-base, causing potential privacy issues with users of the site. Twitter recently altered their censorship policies to be in line with various governmental demands to censor undesirable information. Google's YouTube and search services have also been subject to government restrictions around the world, making it harder to share and find pertinent information. PayPal, the global payment processor that many organizations use to accept donations also has a long and growing history of abusing their powerful position by freezing assets, closing accounts and even refusing to accept donations on behalf of certain groups, like WikiLeaks, because of government pressure. Fortunately, all of these sites and services have alternatives, many of which are open source, non-corporate owned, and not adherent to arbitrary government opinion. The TZMNetwork is a social networking site for Zeitgeist Movement activists, and has recently undergone major renovation. Occupii is a similar site, mainly for Occupy Movement activists. The Diaspora* project is a general use social network that is based on an open source platform. Bitcoin is a digital currency that is not based on debt, not controlled by a government or corporate interest, and is open source, so anyone can use it. All of these, and more, are being continuously updated and improved upon by volunteers, who are working together for a better world for all people.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 19

Several months ago, the Zeitgeist Movement held the Zeitgeist Media Festival, a global artistic expression and live performance focused event that worked with local food banks and other charitable organizations. It served to both bring awareness to the movement, reach out to the local community via local food charities and to celebrate the arts and media that help support the cause of a better world for all people. The main site for the event hosts videos of many of the performances, and will be updated with more content as more such annual events are planned. The Rio Grande Valley is home to many local artists and performers, and we look forward to hosting such an event and being able to host this incredible local talent, while hopefully working with the RGV Food Bank as well as the local chapter of Food Not Bombs. Keep watching this space for more news!

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 18

Before there was a Rio Grande Valley Zeitgeist Movement, there was RGV No State, a group dedicated to informing people in the RGV about the false institutions of government, law and other abuses of the social and economic structures that have been the foundation of the major problems we face as a species. This organization, lead by Armando Lopez and composed of many different people from all over the Valley and other parts of Texas, has helped the RGVGZM in many ways since the beginning of the chapter. Not only have they hosted the audio recordings of our meetings, but also share many audio lectures of the Venus Project's director, Jacque Fresco. These lectures, while from many years ago, still hold valuable insight into the radical social changes we seek to implement, and are worth listening to if you would like to know more about such ideas. We are grateful for their past and ongoing support, and their desire to help make the world a better place for all people.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 17

Earlier this year, Peter Joseph engaged in a two and a half hour interview with media personality Joe Rogan. This wide ranging discussion goes over the integrated nature of social problems, various economic theories, transitional technologies and scenarios, the Occupy Wall Street Movement and many other topical issues. This is another example of the Zeitgeist Movement having a greater exposure to a wider audience, as the community that has grown around Rogan is large and growing. The social issues and discussions that Rogan has with his community is not like those had with traditional media personalities, and the message of a better world for all people is likely to resonate with them. The more people hear about the Zeitgeist Movement, it seems that more people are understanding and accepting the train of thought that is being offered.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 16

The Zeitgeist Media Project is the website devoted to hosting, sharing and discussing media produced by, for and about the Zeitgeist Movement. It currently hosts hundreds of pages of pictures, flyers, videos, songs and written expression, each advocating a better world for all people. Everyone is able to contribute something, as everything posted to the site is meant not only for individual appreciation, but for sharing and distributing, use in awareness advocacy and events and to inspire others to contribute their own creations. I can't mention this site without also pointing out two contributions from one of our own local RGVZGM members. Many people in our chapter, and in the movement in general are highly talented artists, and we recognize their powerful and motivational expressions as necessary and beneficial to our cause.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 15

The Zeitgeist Movement is a global movement, with chapters on every continent, and in many different countries around the world. One of the challenges we face as we continue to grow and reach new people, is translating the vast information resources produced from one language into many others. This is particularly a challenge with video content, which normally does not come with caption data when it is initially produced. Fortunately, there are many volunteers engaged in the effort to both transcribe original language audio and video, and translate that information to many other languages for all the world to access. One of the criticisms of social movements and information dissemination organizations receive is the lack of native language material for non-English speaking populations to consume and understand. The Zeitgeist Movement's Linguistic Team is responding to that concern and has been producing outstanding translations for many of the most important media pieces the movement creates. If you are interested in helping in this effort, please join the team as we would very much like to help spread the ideas of a better world for all people to as many different cultures as we can.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 14

Recently, the Venus Project was interviewed by Playboy Mexico. This is an exciting development for the Spanish speaking world, as the message and ideas of a better world for all people can now be accessed in their native language and in one of the more popular publications in the country. While many people claim to read Playboy for the articles, this is definitely one interview that should be read by everyone who can get a hold of it. Fortunately, the Venus Project has made the full article available on their website for download. A small excerpt from the article is quoted below.

Imagina que no llevas un peso encima y lo mejor de todo es que no importa. Tus hijos van a la Universidad del Proyecto Venus, donde estudian química, física, arte y ciencias sociales en un concierto multidisciplinario. Lo que hoy forma parte de tu realidad se imparte como la absurda historia del Siglo XXI: lo obsoleto que era utilizar dinero, sus clases sociales, sus leyes y líderes políticos. Imagina no tener que pagar absolutamente nada. Jacque Fresco, el gestor de semejantes ideas, parafrasearía a John Lennon: “Podrás decir que soy un soñador, pero no soy el único”.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 13

The Venus Project Magazine is a new website, developed by the Venus Project, that is intended to be the primary interface between the organization and those interested in learning more about them and even learn more about how they can help. It is divided into multiple sections, including News, Interviews, Events and Science and Technology news articles. There are even articles asking for volunteers to help the various TVP Teams in their endeavors. Currently, there is an interview with Andrew Buxton, an article about the massive internal software project, ALICE, that they're building, and information about their recent trip to Occupy Miami. This will be another useful information source for those who are interested in the Venus Project and want to keep up with their progress.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 12

The Greek chapter of the Zeitgeist Movement has issued a press release regarding the events of February 12th in Greece. The people's resentment, disgust and outrage of the imminent imposition of austerity measures to satisfy the international banker's whims regarding the amount of debt the country carries is yet another instance of society's immune system rejecting the disease of capitalism and the cancerous nature of the monetary system in general. In their statement, they encourage people to start questioning the current zeitgeist.

Should we start questioning the dominant values of blind individualism, over-consumption and unfailing tendency for wealth consolidation which constitute the guidance of our life, and consider to what extent are they truly sustainable in relation to our long-term survival on the planet?

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 11

The Texas Chapter of the Zeitgeist Movement is home to one of the most interesting and multifaceted city chapters of the movement. The Austin city chapter produces a live public access television show that streamed online called Zeitgeist LIVE, and has interviewed people from across the state and around the world, discussing different subjects important to social change, providing social commentary on major news events and keeping viewers up to date on local, national and global Movement news and updates. The show is only one of the many projects and initiatives that the chapter has taken on, and they will be highlighted in future entries of the 30 Days of Zeitgeist series!

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 10

For those interested in getting their Zeitgeist Movement news and information in audio format, there are several different radio shows and audio podcasts that are available to you. The most well known is the TZM Global Radio Show, which features several different guest hosts, including Peter Joseph, who regularly gives lectures and relays information about current and future projects. There are also interviews with prominent members of the movement, people associated with other popular movements such as the Occupy Wall Street movement, and other interesting personalities that are associated with or involved in helping to make the world a better place for all people.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 9

The Zeitgeist Movement Technology Team developed and runs one of the best sources for hard technology news and developments happening in the world today. It would be difficult for me to describe the site better than their developers have:

ZeitNews.org is a science-oriented website dedicated to technology news.  We operate as a branch of the Zeitgeist Movement's Technology Team as an information hub which aims to inform as many people as possible about the current advancements and capabilities of science and technology.  Technology is rapidly developing -- faster than many of us realize -- and with this website we aim to provide a clear picture of just how quickly this is happening through daily reporting of developments and breakthroughs around the world.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 8

The Reality of Me is a 13 hour documentary series that attempts to explore the entirety of human experience, covering everything from the beginnings of our universe, the development of human society and the major facets of our current dominant culture. It also explores some proposed solutions to the major technical problems facing us today, and discusses the possibilities of the future for the human race and planet we all share. It draws from many sources, ranging from leading scientific figures, researchers, activists and comedians, both past and present, using archival and cultural exploration videos, and even draws from the Zeitgeist film series and the Venus Project interviews. The site breaks down the major portions of the series and you can choose to view just the parts you're interested in or watch it in its entirety. It will definitely provide you with some enlightening viewing material this weekend.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 7

We highlighted the recent ZFEST World Peace Israel event a few days ago and promised to present the full video of the lecture and followup questions. Here now is the presentation by Zeitgeist Movement founder Peter Joseph, as he discusses the history of war and human behavior, the false ideologies and traditions that support them and are propagated by them, and a discussion about how the revolution of peace will come from the realization of the many that they are being manipulated by the few. This is one of the better presentations that Joseph has given, in my opinion, and it is well worth the watch if you are at all interested in the looming threat of Middle Eastern conflicts and the consequences thereof.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 6

Another one of the Zeitgeist Movement's more avid and notable lecturers is Douglas Mallette. He is a former aerospace engineer who worked with NASA space shuttle contractors, has written a book about the importance of space exploration, and is currently building the tools and technologies necessary to help feed the people of the world with his new business Cybernated Farm Systems. He recently traveled through northern Europe and gave a series of lectures about the apparent trends in our current economic system and the need to transition into a resource based economy. This is only one of several of his lectures on the tour. His Youtube channel also has many other enlightening videos that highlight our current technical capabilities, and is also part of the team that developed and runs the excellent ZeitNews website.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 5

In this entry, Peter Joseph discusses his film series, the beginning of the Zeitgeist Movement, the current problems in our economic and social structures, and how he deals with constant unfounded claims and accusations against the movement with "The Marker" Israeli television program. Also mentioned are the recent growth of the Occupy Movement. This is another example of the movement having an increasing influence in global media and a sign that the ideas are reaching more people worldwide.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 4

One of the more important aspects of the Zeitgeist Movement is that the basic understandings about the current social and economic models, their basic flaws and the obvious solutions to their associated problems is shared by all members. While Peter Joseph is one of the more prominent and popular lecture speakers associated with the movement, he is certainly not the only one. In fact, everyone is encouraged to engage others through awareness activism, posting online videos about the movement, and more significantly, giving well prepared and coherent lectures about the subject to a sizable audience. This is one such example of one of the Vancouver chapter members, Matt Berkowitz, giving such a lecture. This is a good overview of the basic understandings and proposals of the movement and is recommended viewing for those not familiar with what we are about.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 3

Another article from the Zeitgeist Blog highlights a unique effort by some passionate individuals to produce a film that depicts life in a Resource Based Economy. This is an open source film effort, meaning that anyone can contribute to the script, production and funding of the film. While this is similar to the ongoing efforts by the Venus Project to develop a major motion picture, this particular project is being produced on a smaller budget, is open to outside ideas and story development and being funded by Bitcoin, a novel, unique, open source and digital currency that is not based on debt. Progress is slow but ongoing, and everyone who is interested in contributing is encouraged to do so. I personally am looking forward to seeing what this effort produces and hope for its successful completion.

Waking Up: An Open Source Film About a Positive Resource Based Future

Waking Up forest scene from Harald Sandø on Vimeo.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 2

Following yesterday's video interview is this related Zeitgeist Blog post announcing the Israel event and discussing what the discussion will include. There are links to the Israeli Zeitgeist Movement chapter homepage which is in the Hebrew language. The finalized produced and subtitled video of the event will be available soon and will be a future entry in the 30 Days of Zeitgeist series.

"ZFEST" World Peace and Sustainability Event

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 1

The first entry in our 30 Days of Zeitgeist is the most recent news interview that Peter Joseph, creator of the Zeitgeist film series and founder of the Zeitgeist Movement, held with Russia Today. Joseph has recently traveled to Israel, and given a lecture to a multi-cultural audience about the current atmosphere of conflict in the region. This is Joseph's third appearance on the RT television station, which is broadcast globally, and indicates a growing influence of the movement as a whole.

30 Days of Zeitgeist - Day 0

In 30 days, on March 10th,  the Zeitgeist Movement will be holding it's annual global community event, Z-Day. The main event will be in Vancouver, Canada, and all regional, state and local chapters are encouraged to hold similar community education and outreach event. The Rio Grande Valley Zeitgeist Movement held it's own event last year at South Texas College. This year, we will once again be holding a similar event, and are hoping to attract even more socially conscious and aware people than ever before. The recent rise of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, as well as our relationship with the local Occupy McAllen movement and People for Peace and Justice, make this a crucial time to reach out and give people access to the information that they need in order to understand the forces we struggle against, and the solutions we propose.

To that end, and to make up for the recent disuse of this blog, I will be posting an article once a day, every day, for 30 days, linking to important Zeitgeist related articles, videos, news pieces and other media that highlight the current discussions going on in and about the Zeitgeist Global Movement, the Venus Project and the Occupy movement. I encourage you to engage with this media, to comment and discuss what it means to you, and to learn as much as you can about the world around you. The more relevant information we have access to, the better off we will all be, in a society that thrives on misinformation, deception and fraud. Thank you for your time, your attention and your efforts to help make the world a better place for all people.