The link above will take you directly to the page to watch it. (embedding has been disabled)
We are living in exceptional times. Scientists tell us that we have 10 years to change the way we live, avert the depletion of natural resources and the catastrophic evolution of the Earth’s climate.
Whether you agree with the above quote (Yann Arthus-Bertrand, Director) or no, please watch. Our planet is simply breath-taking.
Yet another new look. This is — I hope — the last time I fiddle with themes and looks and adjustments for my blog, so I can get back to focusing on blogging and writing, letting loose some creativity. My web site also carries this new look, a theme called Oulipo with my own background. The idea is to find an ideal appearance which is easy on the eyes, elegant and interesting. (How’s that for original wishful thinking? Seriously, though, the folks who create WP themes are a creative bunch — thank you to all of them.)
Recently I read a blog — The Scourge of the Internet. Leo Babauta wrote about the appearance and content of a blog. He stressed simplicity with a minimum, if any distractions so you, the visitor can focus on reading the blog, which is the whole point, isn’t it? The gist of the blog, in a nutshell, suggested leaving off advertising, links, tags, social buttons… well, you get the idea. He opens with this telling statement:
I love reading stuff online, and get a lot of inspiration from blogs. I can spend hours reading online. And thus, I’m annoyed for hours, because there are a ridiculous amount of things that bloggers and websites do that are incredibly anti-reader.
I agree, but I don’t at the same time. I have left a couple of items in the sidebar, a favourite text, a calendar (you do want to read my other blogs, don’t you?) and on this site, links to a couple of short stories I have published. I have a whole page devoted to them at my main site, riotthill, and hope to continue to add to publication numbers as time passes.
In the meantime, I am still reading several recently downloaded books, as per a recent blog post, and will comment on each as I finish it.
Here’s a YouTube video I watched last night. Sir Ken Robinson gave this talk way back in 2006, but his message of creativity and education are relevant today. It is very funny, too.
This dovetails neatly with several other sites and videos I’ve visited / watched recently: Everything is a Remix, and The Blank Sheet Project, both of which focus on creativity in a modern context. The videos and interviews are illuminating and inspirational.
Here is an email I received from my cousin recently. Now I understand how bailouts work, especially at the national level.
It is a slow day in a little Greek Village. The sun is beating down.
Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and everybody lives on credit.
A German tourist is driving through the village, he stops at the local hotel and lays a €100 note on the desk, telling the hotel owner he wants to inspect the rooms upstairs in order to spend the night.
The owner gives him some keys and, as soon as the visitor has walked upstairs, the hotelier grabs the €100 note and runs next door to pay his debt to the butcher.
The butcher takes the €100 note and runs down the street to repay his debt to the pig farmer.
The pig farmer takes the €100 note and heads off to pay his bill at the supplier of feed and fuel.
The guy at the Farmers’ Co-op takes the €100 note and runs to pay his drinks bill at the taverna.
The tavern owner slips the money along to the local prostitute drinking at the bar, who has also been facing hard times and has had to offer him “services” on credit.
She then rushes to the hotel and pays off her room bill to the hotel owner with the €100 note.
The hotel proprietor then places the €100 note back on the counter so the traveller will not suspect anything.
At that moment the German tourist comes down the stairs, states that the rooms are not satisfactory, picks up the €100 note, pockets the money, and leaves town.
No one produced anything.
No one earned anything.
However, the whole village is now out of debt and looking to the future with a lot more optimism.
And that, is how the bailout package in Europe will work…
We can only hope that the German tourist decides to visit Italy soon!
Right on the money, isn’t it? Pretty much says it all for us 99%-ers who live in the real world.
I ended up a little shy of the 17,000 word mark as posted on my site at National Novel Writing Month, but actually completed closer to 20,000 words. I did not upload more word count even though I had plenty of time to do so. ( my site )
I am an atheist, have been since my teen years. I am not a profound thinker, but I have some opinions based on my life’s experiences, education, and curiosity. I have been and will continue to be an avid reader of articles, books and blogs by both those who believe, and those who don’t.
The current debate creates a religious dilemma, don’t you think? Who is right? All kinds of what–if scenarios present themselves. There are fundamentalists, new atheists, apologists, agnostics, not to mention a myriad of religious world views and philosophies that encompass both gods and no gods, spiritual direction and scientific explanation.
