It wasn’t so much a cop as a system that killed Oscar Grant. Above, police in riot gear defend that system during July 8, 2010, protests in Oakland, California, about the “involuntary manslaughter” verdict received by Johannes Mehserle, the police officer who shot Grant. More

Our education system is linked to how we learn about the environment and our relationship to it. More

Jeff Zimmerman ( jazim.com ) It’s time to remake the child welfare system around a central ethic of care. To do so, we need to renew our sense of hope in all children’s ability to flourish, even amid difficult circumstances. In this Memphis-based mural by Jeff Zimmerman, A Note of Hope , children More

Belief in any value system can only be based on faith, since it is impossible to know what is good or evil, or why we should be good and not evil. Creative Commons More

Their mouths and gills form a strong sucking system which can suck their prey in from a considerable distance Creative Commons More

The systems created by Kautilya (above), the ruthless technocratic economist, were mitigated by Ashoka, the compassionate Buddhist. More

Trade deregulation has let transnational corporations run wild. Community gardens and farmers markets offer a glimpse of an alternative system. Will Occupy open new paths to economic localization? More

Restorative Circles ( restorativecircles.org ) In a growing number of favelas in Brazil, like this one in Guaruja, Sao Paolo, systems have been set up so residents can bring their conflicts to Restorative Circles. More

Caitlin Ng ( caitlinng.com ) Taken alone, debts are individual problems. But when lumped together, they are a systemic threat. The threat of mass debt refusal could usher in a contemporary Jubilee. Illustration by Caitlin Ng. More

Creative Commons/Pieter Lastman “The story of Uriah can serve both to illuminate the veteran perspective for pacifists and to illustrate the oppression of the imperial system,” the author writes. In this painting by Pieter Lastman, King David hands a letter to Uriah with an order that will bring More

George E. Miller II ( gemartstudio.com ) What would it take to build a foster care system that not only maintains children’s physical well-being but also nurtures their interests in art, science, sports, music, drama, and more? Art Class by George E. Miller II. More

Creative Commons/National Economic and Social Rights Initiative After many demonstrations like this one, Vermont’s government passed a statewide single-payer health care initiative in May 2011. State and municipal reforms can pave the way for more systemic transformation at the national level. More

The misinterpretation of the Gospel of Mark stems from the conflation of two entirely different systems of rules: kosher dietary laws, which forbid Jews from eating foods such as these creamy bacon cupcakes, and purity laws. Carrion (like the putrefying chicken above) is the only food that can More