Welcome back.

Two smart, well spoken people of good will. Thanks for a very nice discussion. But...well... deep breathe. I share leadership of a family of four. There's a 4 and a 6 year old and my wife who was layed off about a year ago. We're struggling. Lots of other people are struggling who, like us, are not used to struggling. We're the newly struggling. There are millions! I love BH. It always revives my mind and usually my political spirit. But this Diavlog, for some reason, rubs me the wrong way. Maybe it was the day I had trying to install a mailbox post in front of our rented house, or maybe it was the harrowing talk I had with my wife, trying to figure out where our frighteningly brilliant four year old can go to a decent preschool that we can afford (all we want is for a school that reads a tiny bit of the literature about early childhood, or even one where somebody reads something.) (There's a crisis in early childhood education and beyond, by the way. A bona fide fucking crisis) And there's a depression happening right now -- in every respect that matters even if not in name. The

And this was super timely for me, because I'll be reporting from the Summit all week and haven't covered these issues in some time. Thanks, BHTV!

Ditto on the congrats to Mark. I'm happy to see UN Plaza back. I was getting worried there. When you're covering the Millennium Promise, Preppy, I hope you'll also have a look at the 10th anniversary of the Earth Charter.. We have an Earth Charter event every year in our community; it provides another way for ordinary folks to get involved in "building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century."

Quoting Wonderment: Ditto on the congrats to Mark. I'm happy to see UN Plaza back. I was getting worried there.

When you're covering the Millennium Promise, Preppy, I hope you'll also have a look at the 10th anniversary of the Earth Charter.. We have an Earth Charter event every year in our community; it provides another way for ordinary folks to get involved in "building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century."

Thanks, Wonderment, that's a useful resource. I did actually get a note at some point about the EC-10 meetings in The Hague over the summer, but it didn't quite match up with stuff I needed to do post-Asia. Note: I'm not writing about the Promise per se, but the MDG meetings, and hopefully gonna do some Q&A type reports on the personalities--governmental and non-governmental--who are there and the causes they are pushing. The Promise folks are one of many organizations hovering around this event with a set of projects that align with the official MDG agenda, most of whom are hoping to get attention and/or funding out of the week's events.

I haven't watched this diavlog yet. But I want to respond to your comment. Our country is going through a difficult time, and many people who had never had to figure out how to make ends meet, have to do so now. It's very understandable that in that context you will have to establish priorities. There will be plenty of time in the future to get involved with other causes. It looks like right now you need to take care of your own family and you shouldn't feel guilty about that. We all go through difficult times when we just don't have emotional or material resources left to help others. But, you also should consider that this country is very resourceful. There have been worse times and it has come out successfully. I believe the same will happen this time. When Obama was elected, for a number of different reasons -- including some that had nothing to do with him but rather with what had been incubating in the years that preceded his election -- some old structures in this country were shaken. It is natural and to be expected

You may need to make some adjustments but remember that keeping your hope and optimism is more important for your children's future welfare than finding a better preschool program.

Yes!

Quoting Ocean: However, the true direction that the country will take will be coming from the younger crowd, who by every measure has a much more progressive leaning.

"If you are 20 and not a liberal, you have no heart. If you are 40 and not a conservative, you have no brain." This article from The Daily Kos explains that while the youth of America may be progressive, they have no idea why.

And the progressive response? Well, it's been weak to say the least. Especially bad have been our efforts to "fight fire with fire." Glad as I am that Air America gave us Rachel Maddow, the idea that we would fight the conservative movement machinery by adopting their tools has proven foolish. Whether it is the leftward shift of MSNBC, or the financial failings of Air America, the perception of those whom we are trying to persuade is that we are conceding the right-wing machinery as the norm. We are providing left-wing propaganda, clearly, but rarely do I find my neighbors perceiving their favorite afternoon talker, or late night news, in that fashion.

We look like the kid in gym class that follows around the star athlete

Sorry, this one helluva sideband discussion but . . . Thanks for your thoughts, Ocean. I surely do appreciate it. And, Wonderment and Ocean, I'm curious, do you have young kids? It's not a matter of a better school, it's a matter of an acceptable one. School and schoolmates are an extremely potent force.

Quoting rubbernecking: And, Wonderment and Ocean, I'm curious, do you have young kids? It's not a matter of a better school, it's a matter of an acceptable one. School and schoolmates are an extremely potent force.

My have two teenagers and a 20 year old. Schools and preschools, of course, will vary greatly from one town (and state) to the other. Schools and schoolmates are very important, but the kids' emotional health depends heavily on what's going on at home and that will be directly related with their future wellbeing. In my opinion, that's more important than their academic success.