Bill McKibben is one of the most effective and widely-respected writers on environmental issues today. Starting with The End of Nature in 1989, he’s written and published a long line of powerful works that make complex environmental issues accessible to a general audience.

As I walked down to Zuccotti Park/Liberty Square in the predawn hours of October 14, I could hear “the people’s mic” and the people’s resounding cheers over three blocks away. . . but the biggest cheer came soon after I wedged my way into the park. . . .

Occupy Los Angeles takes to the street beginning with a rally and march through the financial district before returning to the Occupy camp at City Hall This is part of a global protest and paradigm shift as people everywhere proactively move for financial reform, government accountability, liberty equality and fraternity.

CREDO, the progressive organization, has had enough. They noticed that the DCCC, the campaign arm for Democrats in the House, which solicited fundraising right after the vote on the Let Women Die Act saying that Democrats had to be elected to “protect the health of women,” listed three of the Democrats above as “Frontline” candidates, meaning they will be at the front of the line for that cash (the three are Matheson, Mark Critz and Mike McIntyre). So they have begun a campaign to get the DCCC to stop funding candidates who sell out women.

Maybe I should begin by explaining why I am the 99%. After all, my husband and I are both viably employed. We can afford extras. We live a comfortable, happy, middle-class existence. We are aware of our good fortune, which is why I spend a great many hours every week volunteering. Helping others is important to us — I don’t judge the man on the street for his decisions because I don’t know his circumstances. The man on the street might just as well be me.

Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Finn has been indicted on charges of failing to report child abuse by one on his priests.

I’m a Lutheran pastor, and I’ve taught clergy and lay leaders in a variety of denominations — including Roman Catholics — about child abuse and the need to file a report when you have reason to believe that abuse has taken place. When a bishop or any other church official fails to report suspicions of abuse, that’s a crime.

It’s about time a bishop faced a judge for failing to report allegations of child abuse.

No, let me restate that. It’s *well past time* for a bishop to be indicted for trying to sweep things under the ecclesiastical carpet and pretend there’s no problem here. Even so, this indictment is better late than never.

The world is engaged in mass protest today. Actions for today have been in the works for at least a month, however, the success of Occupy Wall Street spurred the organization of worldwide “occupy” actions. Just like the young people inspired by the uprisings in Egypt, Tunisia, Greece and Spain, etc, countries around the world are seeing Americans finally rise up in mass protest and they are showing solidarity.

I guess Leon Panetta’s admonition against reducing the US military presence had some foreknowledge. The President, in a letter to Congress, just acknowledged that he deployed approximately 100 combat forces to central Africa to assist in the fight against the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) there.

This protest began at the Hibiya community center in Hibiya park. The park is located near the Imperial Place in Tokyo’s Chiyoda ward which is home to the Financial District , Diet and Central Government offices.

A reminder to us all to obey the Golden Rule. Be like the cops in Cleveland, not the cops in NYC — and especially not like the white-shirted NYC cops, who have a habit of violence, it would seem.