Tim Roust's Blog (4)

R.I.P. U. Utah Phillips, 1935-2008 It has been a long time since I've written in here, or written anywhere. I am struggling to get back in the habit of writing, even when I'm not in the mood. But I am sick of broadcasting my thoughts. The age of broadcast media is ending, and the age of participatory media is emerging. There are many movements underway that will fundementally change how we view media. The Open Source Software movement is one important example, and the… Continue

I have been back in New Orleans for exactly one week, after spending three weeks visiting my family in Boston. I want to force myself to write a progress report here once a week, to document my attempts to find a peace movement in New Orleans.

It is Friday morning, I woke up at 8 a.m. with the same anxiety I feel every morning. Not knowing where to go or what to do with myself, I took my laptop to an internet cafe and watched Democracy Now...as usual, it is the only thing I can do in t… Continue

I have spent the summer here in New Orleans trying to build the foundation for a new home for myself. Now summer is over, and I'm getting ready to leave town for two weeks to see my family in Boston. I feel very heavy hearted right now...it is a struggle to write, but I know it is necessary.

I have been reading Thich Naht Hahn books every day still. He describes engaged buddhism not as a religion, but as a set of tools. He says that there is no point in owning a tool if you are not int… Continue

Okay, time to start writing. It has been hard knowing where to start. I learned about Ning.com through the New Orleans Voices For Peace network (neworleansvfp.ning.com), which I discovered in July. Since then, I have been encouraging different community groups in New Orleans to create ning pages for their groups, in hopes of getting New Orleans activists to see Ning.com as a valuable grassroots organizing tool. I have started a Ning page for my Freeskool Songbook Project, and I have created one… Continue