Talk politics.

The official alternatives, no. Those parties are on the fringes of political action for a reason. Still, there is the unofficial alternative that might grow.

I've been reading lately about alternative currencies, and was going to throw this nugget (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17680904) into the post on same, but here is as good a place as any.

A few months ago, an alternative currency was introduced in the Greek port city of Volos. It was a grass-roots initiative that has since grown into a network of more than 800 members, in a community struggling to afford items in euros during a deepening financial crisis.

The part that struck me: in the article, the author refers to this system as a "barter" system. It really isn't, according to David Graeber. It is more akin to a credit/debt system on a small scale, the kind that small communities used to enjoy quite a bit. A clue that this is the case can even be found within the article:

"We can buy bread or meat in exchange for our products, or the girls can go to the hairdresser," says Peri Mantzafleri, who runs the co-operative.

"I grew up in a village - this was how it used to work in the old days, before money became involved. So this could be a chance to start again."

(I emphasized.)

This was even more common during the Middle Ages after the Roman Empire pulled back, and in pre-Roman conquest Egypt. Simple exchange/pricing systems can be put in place easily, whether or not there is an official money in circulation.

Ah, but I'm rambling a bit. More later.