Monthly Archives: May 2006

A Long Way Down: What’s Holding You Back?

Image: Suicide by Scandinavian artist Joakim Back.Caveat: Some possible book ‘spoilers’ here. But not really, unless you’re already part way through the book.Nick Hornby’s newest book A Long Way Down is, on the surface, about suicide. Its four protagonists, who … Continue reading

Posted in Our Culture / Ourselves | 10 Comments

Links for the Week – May 20/06

image from jade at UToronto’s dynamic graphics project Lots of politics this week: Mega-Polluters and Government Corporatists Turn Up Propaganda Machine: The term Orwellian, and the neocon creed “tell people something often enough they’ll believe it” have been bandied around … Continue reading

Posted in How the World Really Works | Comments Off on Links for the Week – May 20/06

Self-Experimentation: For More Than Just Diets

Seth Roberts, the Shangri-La Diet guy, originally discovered his diet idea through scientifically rigorous self-experimentation*. Over years, he tried many different methods to lose weight and to cure his acne and insomnia, changing one variable at a time and measuring … Continue reading

Posted in Our Culture / Ourselves | 9 Comments

Is Idealism Good for Society?

My recent review of the 1929-39 Great Depression opened my eyes to the dangers of idealism, which manifested itself in ideologies that aggravated and prolonged the misery of millions. And while it was neocon ideology (either the populist or privileged … Continue reading

Posted in Collapse Watch | 7 Comments

Time for the Progressive Party in the US?

Bucky Fuller said: ìYou never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsoleteÖI look for what needs to be done. After all, that’s how the universe designs itself.” … Continue reading

Posted in How the World Really Works | 14 Comments

More Thoughts on Finding Your Purpose and Your Genius

I‘ve written before about Dick Richards’ book Is Your Genius at Work?, and amplified his model somewhat (as shown in the graphic above) by breaking what he calls Genius into two components: Your Gift (What you’re uniquely good at), and your … Continue reading

Posted in Working Smarter | 5 Comments

What to Expect When the Dollar Collapses — Part Two of Two

Yesterday I contrasted the attitudes of people in 1929 with their attitudes today, on the precipice of another Great Depression. I said that I believe racism, religious hatred and the distrust between economic classes was more pronounced and more overt … Continue reading

Posted in Collapse Watch | 22 Comments

What to Expect When the Dollar Collapses — Part One of Two

Just as in 1929, we now live in an economy that is living wildly beyond its means, depending on greater and greater fools to keep bidding up governments’, corporations’ and citizens’ paper wealth. Just as in 1929, everyone is borrowing … Continue reading

Posted in How the World Really Works | 5 Comments

Links for the Week – May 13/06

Cartoon from Hugh Macleod. Environment Plan B 2.0 for Earth: They’re coming fast and furious these days. This plan is from Lester Brown, and is available entirely on-line. Like Amory Lovins’, this book is extremely optimistic and fails to appreciate … Continue reading

Posted in Using Weblogs and Technology | 2 Comments

Sympathy

It’s hard to cope with the insanity of living at the start of the 21st century, perhaps civilization’s last century, knowing what lies ahead. Like everyone but fools and fanatics, I worry a lot about the future: The coming Great … Continue reading

Posted in Our Culture / Ourselves | 1 Comment