Links of the Week – Nov.19/05

Survey Reveals Most Businesses are ‘Unhealthy’: A new survey by Strategy + Business magazine finds that two thirds of all businesses are ‘unhealthy’ — basically incapable of responding effectively to economic events and changing customers needs and wants. The main syndromes of the unhealthy majority: Passive-aggressive behaviour, Inadequate resources, Over-management, and Fits-and-starts behaviour. European companies rated much healthier than North American, UK, Australian and Japanese companies.

Blogs as Conversations: I recently discovered the unique Muse to Muse blog, a two-person ‘group’ blog whose authors, Frida and Georgia, ‘talk’ to each other about their daily posts on the blog, so that instead of being a reader, you are a listener to their conversation. Good for stretching your thinking about what a blog could be.

Learning the Ground-Rules of Political Activism: The New Progressive Coalition‘s site aims to inform and teach progressives and new progressive organizations all the tips and traps of political activism, and to allow them to coordinate, connect and learn from each other ‘best practices’ in fundraising, investing and organization.

Self-Diagnosis and Self-Treatment: Many people aren’t aware that until the early part of this century, when lawyers got into liability suits and learned helplessness became a global disease, it was legal and socially acceptable to sell any drug, and to self-prescribe any drug, on a buyer-beware basis — people were assumed to be able to take responsibility for their own health and well-being. What a concept, eh? Well, now some young people disenchanted with the crumbling health care system are skirting the law to accept this responsibility again. The NYT’s Amy Harmon reports.

Why Agricultural Subsidies Promote Poor Health: An article by Scott Fields in EHP explains how agricultural subsidies not only distort the market and allow giant agribusiness to become wealthy while farmers suffer, they also produce poor public health by making the least healthy foods the most affordable. Thanks to Dale Asberry for the link.

Small Retailers Bring Online Shopping Across the Digital Divide: Some savvy small retailers are hooking up with online specialty stores to bring into their own shops unique, customized, and sometimes even local, well-made, socially and environmentally responsible products, so they can be made available to the 80% of the population that have no access to, or ability to effectively use, the web. The NYT’s Keith Schneider reports.

Sony Chokes On Its Own Security Technology: Sony/BMG music has been forced to recall millions of CDs with despicable ‘digital-rights’ technology, when the technology was found to expose buyers’ computers to crippling viruses. The NYT’s Tom Zeller reports.

Simple, Inspiring Animation: The image above comes from a charming little animation by two students at Canada’s Sheridan College, Jon Klassen and Dan Rodrigues. Thanks to Creative Generalist for the link.

Found Poetry: There’s a meme going around the blogosphere on ‘found poetry‘ — prose writing that, with a little reformatting, becomes exquisite poetic work. The best example I’ve found so far is this piece from fellow Salon blogger Bonnie Willow. One does not need any imagination to feel the poetry in this delightful bit of writing. Anyone else discovered great ‘found poetry’?