Polarized Americans and what we can do in our neighborhoods, cities and towns.

I read this recent depressing article by Don Hazen, editor of AlterNet for 20 years but was inspired by comments he made at the end of the piece.

On page 7 he notes he was struck by the statistics showing steady polarization going on in our country today that seems to be paralyzing our government.

We..."are not prepared for a future where politics is even more dicey and dangerous than it is now. So we have to stop going through the motions of not producing change and get down to the basics where and when we can make a difference." 

"Let's do more political action with friends and colleagues. Let's agree that a higher level of popular political education and self-reflection is necessary. Let's build up ways in our neighborhoods, cities and towns, where progress can be made...."

In Boise, Idaho organizations, neighborhoods and the city provide opportunities for discussions of this type that we can participate in.  Below are just a few examples:
Vistaboise Nextdoor Network
Vista Neighborhood Association Public Facebook Group
City of Boise Energize our Neighborhoods
Boise River Enhancement Network

Kimi, Our Alaskan Malamute, wears a GoPro Camera

We were canoeing on a lake near Yellowstone National Park and put a GoPro camera on one of the dogs, Kimi our Alaskan Malamute. The dogs ran through the brush and swam out to the canoe a few times. A second GoPro camera was used to shoot some underwater shots of the dog swimming.  We also used an iPhone to capture the dogs swimming alongside the canoe.

This first video has been edited with several cuts pieced together and a background music track added.  It is about 3 minutes 23 seconds in length.  Posted to YouTube.


This second video is about 8 minutes and 45 seconds long and has not been edited.  It shows Kimi's movements with the GoPro camera connected to a a Fetch harness running through the brush , swimming out to the canoe and greeting us back at the takeout point at the end.  The GoPro is enclosed in a waterproof case and the sound is generally muffled.  But the sounds of the brush and rain hitting the camera and Kimi whining when she sees the canoe are interesting.    Posted to YouTube.