Dave Pollard's environmental philosophy, creative works, business papers and essays.
In search of a better way to live and make a living, and a better understanding of how the world really works.

	Saturday, May 2, 2009

Links for the Week: May 2, 2009 Two weeks' worth of links to catch up with, so descriptions are shorter than usual, and some of the links I'm saving for next week. Surf image by Clark Little -- thanks to Tree for the link The Best Business Model: Umair explains that you should ignore all the consultant/guru blather about how to remake your organization as an innovation leader, and just make something insanely great. In other words, as my book explains, produce something that people really need (even if they may not know it) that no one else comes close to providing. Thanks to several twitterers for pointing me to this. Education Prevents Finding Your Sweet Spot: In his new book, Ken Robinson is also restating my book's 'sweet spot' hypothesis. He refers to "That place where the things you love to do [what I call your Passions] and the things that you are good at [what I call your Gifts] come together." My book refers to the 'sweet spot' as the intersection where your Gifts, Passions and Purpose (what people really need) intersect. Robinson argues that our education system prevents people from ever finding this sweet spot. Thanks to twitterer GlobalNomadInOz for pointing me to this. Can We Afford to Eat Ethically?: Salon compares the cost of local/organic food with the processed crap most of the world consumes, and concludes that once you get a little self-education on how to do it, it's not expensive at all to eat well. And there's a bonus link to Rebecca Blood's story on learning to eat ethically and affordably, with some great healthy recipes. The Death of Knowledge: "The death of knowledge occurs when evidence of learning becomes more important than learning itself." An interesting article by Richard Berlach on the scourge of "outcomes-based education". Thanks to Bee for the link. Bringing Up Kids Successfully Where It's Cool to Fail: What do you do in inner cities and rural areas where anti-intellectualism is so rampant that being informed, knowledgeable, successful and intelligent is just un-cool? Australia Desecrates Art for Oil: It's a story of a kind familiar in the rest of the world, but it's sad to see it in Australia, too: Aboriginal artworks 30,000 years old destroyed to make room for a gas production plant. What Intentional Community is About: Great, substantial article on Intentional Community, profiling Tryon Life Community on the outskirts of Portland Oregon. Thanks to Tree for the link. And bonus links to another article on an IC in New Mexico, Sunflower River. Learning About Permaculture: Maya Mountain Demonstration Farm permaculture training centre in Belize (thanks to Eric Lilius for the link). Learning About the Transition Movement: The NYT has a lengthy explanation of the transition movement. Thanks to Tom Atlee for the link. Could the US Meet and Even Beat Its Kyoto Targets?: The UCS' newest study says yes: "The United States could reduce energy demand by a third through improved efficiency in buildings, industry and transportation systems. More than half of the emissions reductions, meanwhile, would come from cuts [through use of non-carbon sources] in the electric generation sector." Well, yes, but that would require coordinated effort, and lots of tough laws with teeth. So, no. Wall Street Bonuses Soaring Again: Krugman makes a great argument that banks add no value to our society and need to be nationalized and made into public utilities with fixed, modest salaries for managers. The banking elite still doesn't get it, and we're let them get away with it, again. Mainstream Media Suppress News of Pulitzer-Winning Expose of Mainstream Media: No surprise that the cooption and corruption of the mainstream media would never be acknowledged by those who perpetrated it. No, no, that's not news. You Just Can't Win in Afghanistan: When will Obama and the US realize that the Afghan War is unwinnable, even with a re-emphasis on non-military activities. You cannot impose democracy on a country, especially one that is clearly not ready for it, and may never be. Even if you do have more than two people in the country that can actually speak the national language. Does the Moon Affect the Taste of Wine?: There's enough evidence that major vintners are timing their wine tastings to correspond to the moon's cycles. Thanks to Tree for the link. Now We're Cooking Without Gas: A $6 solar cooker that uses no non-renewable fuel has won an environmental award. Thanks to Andrew for the link. So You Want to Be a Blogging Millionaire?: Clay Shirky refutes a preposterous WSJ article suggesting hundreds of thousands of people are making a decent living blogging. Thanks to emj in Victoria for the link. Just for Fun: NYT explains no-knead bread from scratch that even a 6-year-old can make. Music to meditate by, from Gemini Sun records, a great new age music stream. Thoughts for the Week: From Orion (subscription only): Civilization's Barbaric Heart: Curtis White explains the basic principles that have driven human economic activity worldwide since the dawn of our civilization (and which need to be replaced with an ethos with the opposite principles): Prosperity is dependent on violence We are motivated most by the self-interested Ego, the pursuit of the personal There is no need or place in our culture for self-examination, or regret for or rectification of ill-conceived behaviour; a society can never be punished for its excesses or learn from its mistakes From Derrick Jensen (also in this month's Orion, by subscription only): Blaming global warming for the melting ice caps is like blaming the lead projectile for the death of someone who got shot...What if, instead of asking the question "If the world is really looking down the barrel of environmental catastrophe, how should I live my life right now?" people were to ask the land where they live, the land that supports them, "What can and must I do to become your ally and help protect you from this culture? What can we do together to stop this culture from killing you?" Then the only real question is: Are you willing to do it? 10:29:35 PM  trackback []  comment []

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