Michael Herman's Blog (2003-2016)
Inviting Agility in Challenging Environments
Originally posted to sCNN – the smallChangeNewsNetwork Tom Munnecke has posted his ideas on Micro Philanthropy at Omidyar.net, to get “more and more people discovering their own power to make good things happen” for several years. Notice that sCNN is already embodying what Tom is proposing. Here are some goals: Involving many more people in …
Originally posted to sCNN – the smallChangeNewsNetwork Thanks to those who’ve emailed me in these intervening six or seven weeks. There has been much happening, but mostly in face-to-face conversation. Internet connections and blocks of time for dedicated buildout have been scarce. We have, however, built node and project blogs for Nepal AI National Network, …
Originally posted to sCNN – the smallChangeNewsNetwork The short answer is a lot, even though I’m half a world away from home, working and retreating in Boudhanath, outside of Kathmandu, Nepal. Finally the dust (and connection issues) are settling enough to catch you up on the Small Change News news. Here is what we now …
I’m traveling and working in Nepal with Jonathan Schell’s The Unconquerable World. Early on he says, What were the causes of this democratic revolution? Almost anything you cared to mention, according to it’s most profound expositor, Tocqueville. “The various occurrences of national existence have everywhere turned to the advantage of democracy,” he wrote; “all men …
Originally posted to sCNN – the smallChangeNewsNetwork A good place to learn web design, lots of free tools and good ideas. Mostly that resources section is for BIG tools that bring people together, but this is best place I’ve seen for making your blog look cool without busting too many brain cells. And great design …
I talked with Phil Cubeta yesterday about the GivingMarket in what turned out to be a great lesson in blogging. I came to blogging as a writing practice, and certainly it can be that. What I am slowly coming to understand, or to understand how to practice, is blogging as listening and linking. He reminded …
I’m reading again from Sherry Marshall’s Devotion, a beautiful collection of stories about westerners who have become senior students of some of Tibet’s most famous teachers. I pulled it out because I remembered that one of those students is in London, where I hope to look him up later this year. This from the opening …
Things here moving very quickly now. I feel lucky to be working with some fantastic people, on what seem like important issues for all of us. Here are some of the peaks rising now on the horizon… The GivingConference gathering momentum, as a remarkable group of people are committing to join us that event in …
Weaving Our WorldAt Bliss Browne’s Christmas party the other night, she introduces me to Davis Fisher as an OpenSpaceTech practitioner. His first words to me are… “You know John Engle?” Which sure enough I do. John’s a good friend and colleague — but he lives and works in Haiti! At the same party someone asks …
Practicing in Nepal – TravelBlog Tomorrow I fly out of Chicago for a quick, friendly visit to Paris on the way to Kathmandu, Nepal, where I’ll spend the rest of October. The agenda includes working with the ImagineNepal program in OpenSpaceTech, some days of practice retreat with JulieHenderson at BairolingMonastery, and a bit of time …
coming homewell, yesterday i took a van to a boat to the airport, for two flights to a train and a bus. bowen island to chicago, via phoenix. many thanks to everyone on bowen island and in vancouver who made this last two months so full. special thanks to chris corrigan for yesterday’s posting in …
sweet home globalchicago chris corrigan posted recently a bit about bucky fuller and marshall mcluhan, specifically their urging us to look at the world as one place rather than a sea of sovereign parts. i recognize this as what i’ve been working on since 9/11, or perhaps even earlier — learning to pay attention to …
Beyond WordsThis just in from my friend Sabine who has just arrived from Berlin at the Bairo Ling Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal. Liam, her son, is five years old and is there to see about becoming a monk. Sabine writes… Liam is strolling around with the smaller monks and has made friends already. The monks …
The Monks at Bairoling Monastery …near Kathmandu, Nepal.