Fieldhands Abroad

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Comment by Celia on November 27, 2008 at 8:13am

hello all.
Im British and live in Leeds, UK. I have joined this site because they are universal issues being addressed, and I wanted to see how Fieldhands website worked in facilitating change.

celia

Comment by Mr Harrison on June 23, 2008 at 3:36am

Hi everyone -
Field Hands is a particularly wonderful new turn of events in the life cycle of this extraordinary election.

I've been following The Field for a while now (Al is very very good) and following the election very closely - wanting to become involved more.

Here is a hello from sunny Devon, in the south west of the UK, to all out there.

The next 5 months should be a lot of fun -
Pete x

Comment by electric.sheep on June 21, 2008 at 11:10pm

Hello all from Tokyo. New here but have been reading The Field since New Hampshire.

Comment by Christie (Christine Covelli) on June 18, 2008 at 12:31pm

Yep. I'm on the page with Simeon.

Comment by Simeon Kohlman Rabbani on June 18, 2008 at 8:33am

I'm not sure the name needs to be changed, but I do think Hands Around the World is interesting because it contains a clever double meaning. But I've got no problem keeping Abroad since it does reflect the USA-centric nature of the election, which is where this whole thing started. Now, if there is interest in broadening this group after November to organizing for global causes not specifically related to the elections in the US, it might be good to use a more globally resonating name.

Comment by Christie (Christine Covelli) on June 18, 2008 at 7:11am

Like Joel, I also prefer Internationale . I was playing with Mains sans Frontières and Hands Without Borders and Fields Without Fences. I like names I can picture. That's why I like Fieldhands Abroad and Hands Around the World. The latter would appeal to children, too.

Comment by BondiBeachViews on June 17, 2008 at 10:46pm

Claus I see where you are coming from, however, I believe Mr Obama's election as President of the United States is going to have a profound global impact and this New Politics is already gaining ground worldwide. An article on the latest Pew survey I read on the weekend said that while Obama is on par with McCain in the US, globally Mr Obama is at about 80%. ("In Australia, 80% of participants said they had confidence in Senator Obama, against 40% for McCain. Similar results were reported from Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Japan and Tanzania." Sydney Morning Herald June 14-15, 2008)

The challenges that currently face humanity are going to require global grassroot participation.

Comment by BondiBeachViews on June 17, 2008 at 10:34pm

Liz can you weigh in here and give us your opinion?

Comment by BondiBeachViews on June 17, 2008 at 10:31pm

Here are some comments I received from Christie and Nancy in BC on my wall:

Nancy:

“. . . About your idea for a new name for Fieldhands, I got your email and tried emailing you back but sent it via the "reply" function which sent it into a place from which it will not return! How did you get our emails? I would have sent you another but Patrick said I'd have to be a group leader to have them, or ask mine (Liz) to provide them. Was then away, glad you brought the subject up again. I agree that Fieldhands Abroad does have a US-centric sense, and another name like Fieldhands International or Fieldhands Worldwide or the suggestions you have made would avoid this. On the other hand, so far The Field has been about blogging the US presidential election. Does that mean that that's all it will ever be? Will this community dissipate after the election, or do we have a larger and longer-term life and purpose? I'm hoping that it's the latter for a couple of reasons: the election is only a warm-up for many more testing times ahead which will require the participation of the mass of supporters that put Obama into the Presidency (!) And the learning and community found on this blog and The Field cannot be found anywhere else!

So, since this movement has longterm and worldwide potential, another name than Fieldhands Abroad could really be helpful in reminding us of that...”

Christie:
“I've been waiting to hear from Liz because she's the one who started the group and gave it its name. I love the name and wouldn't want to lose it.

I personally think of the word "abroad" as having the meaning of "out and about" -- on an adventure. But the word generally means away from home, and in this case, home would be the USA. We are part of a contemporaneous grassroots movement, as evidenced by the change in leadership in Australia and South America, and soon in the US.

If we want to sustain a long-term international movement, then I agree that our name needs to reflect our membership. I teach in an international distance-ed school that originally had only US students and a curriculum that referenced "our country."

As a dual citizen (US/Italy), I'm happy to be a member of two groups... one of expats and one of global citizens (which would include Americans, of course) who want to "build bonds and bridges"* around the world. I'm thinking of a new group Hands Around the World, which would give us a good visual logo.

I like these things to arise organically, so we wouldn't have to rush into a name until we all felt good about the choice.

What do you think?


Oops. I forgot to include the footnote for 'bonds and bridges.' It's 'bridges and bonds.' Italics mine. Barack:

"What if a politician were to see his job as that of an organizer," he wondered, "as part teacher and part advocate, one who does not sell voters short but who educates them about the real choices before them? As an elected public official, for instance, I could bring church and community leaders together easier than I could as a community organizer or lawyer. We would come together to form concrete economic development strategies, take advantage of existing laws and structures, and create bridges and bonds within all sectors of the community. We must form grass-root structures that would hold me and other elected officials more accountable for their actions.

Chicago Reader, "What Makes Obama Run?" by Hank De Zutter
December 8, 1995

Me:
I love Hands Around the World.

Comment by Joel Wiens on June 17, 2008 at 7:41pm

I personally favour (and love that my spell check underlines "favour") Field Hands Internationale, as a Canayjun (mais, oui!). I am also fine with Abroad, as it makes me feel like I am travelling even when at home :)

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