I was reading Bill Bonner’s recent post Zombies Born of Government Spending where he posits the notion of zombies in our economy. As Bill defines it: “In economic terms, a zombie is a parasite. He contributes less to the economy than he takes from it. He lives at the expense of others.” His argument is that social welfare programs as practised by most of the … Continue reading What kind of zombies have we created?
Jeff Jarvis sparked my thinking on this recently with his post on The Jobless Future. As Jeff so bluntly stated: “We’re not going to have a jobless recovery. We’re going to have a jobless future. Holding out blind hope for the magical appearance of new jobs and the reappearance of growth in the economy is a fool’s faith.” If that is the case in the … Continue reading How do we create and share value in a jobless economy?
There is a tendency to put the word social in front of many other words to day to describe some new use of technology. I remain uncomfortable with the way we have plonked the word ‘social’ in front of so many other things, for example; networking, media, computing, business, etc. One reason for this discomfort is that everything that human beings do is social in some way. … Continue reading Is ‘social’ the right term to use for everything online?
Want is a funny word. It can mean different things, such as: “absence or deficiency of something desirable or requisite” or “to be lacking or absent, as a part or thing necessary to completeness”, or “to feel a need or a desire for; wish for”, or “to wish, need, crave, demand, or desire” (Source Dictionary.com) The scenes in the UK of rioters and looting were … Continue reading Riots, desire, consumerism, community and values.
It seems strange watching the sad events unfolding in the United Kingdom from such a distance. With the spreading riots, looting, and mob violence it is apt to recall the words of Charles Dickens describing turbulent times past: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the … Continue reading London riots: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times
Over the weekend I listened to this moving talk from the Burmese pro-democracy leader and Nobel Peace Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, where she examines what drives people to dissent. Reflecting on the history of her own party, the National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, examines the meaning of opposition and dissident. She also explains her reasons for following the path of non-violence. … Continue reading Dissent and Securing Freedom – Aung San Suu Kyi shares her ideas
Over the past several years I have come to think that capitalism as practised in the western world is fundamentally broken. Even before the global financial crisis (GFC) this feeling was strong. But in the aftermath of the GFC my discomfort with modern capitalism has continued to grow. Nothing I have seen, read or heard has shifted my perception. I know and understand the world … Continue reading If capitalism is broken is social innovation a way to fix it?
I recently discovered that one of my ancestors was arrested by the British in 1828 as a pirate and sent to Australia as a convict. He had originally been sentenced to death, but he appealed to the King and his sentence was commuted to life as a convict in Australia. It was pretty cool to discover that my relative was both a pirate and a … Continue reading What’s in a name? Pirate, freedom fighter or terrorist
“Sometimes life happens and you can’t stop it. Now is that time. When it happens, you discover where true love lies, and where it never existed.” A good friend said this very recently in response to a significant life event. It got me thinking about how much time and energy I have wasted on things and people that have nothing to do with true love. … Continue reading What’s real and what’s not
Many people who were vaccinated as children do not realise that by the time we’re all grown up some of our protection no longer works. In the case of whooping cough, or pertussis, the protection can wane in as little as six to ten years. This means that many of us are wandering around at risk of catching whooping cough ourselves or asympomatically transmitting it … Continue reading Protecting babies: whooping cough vaccination boosters for adults
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