Collaborative processes and approaches for social benefit. Networking. Politics.
Submitted by procreative-admin on Mon, 09/04/2012 - 8:03am
"The name sabbath (the seventh day) is a reference to the biblical injunction - mainly honoured in the breach - that the Jews practice ''jubilee''. Every 50th year (the year following the passing of seven times seven years), slaves were to be freed, people were to be released from their debts and land returned to its original owners.
So sabbath economics involves an ''ethic of regular and systematic wealth and power redistribution''. You can see why this is an uncomfortable topic (for me as much as anyone else).
Submitted by procreative-admin on Wed, 22/02/2012 - 6:37am
Ross Gittins (SMH):
ASK economists who is the father of economics and almost all of them will say Adam Smith. But a new book makes the amazing claim the true father is Charles Darwin. And if you ask economists the question in 100 years' time, that's what they'll say.
and
''His observations persuaded him that the interests of individual animals were often profoundly in conflict with the broader interests of their own species,'' (Robert) Frank says.
Submitted by procreative-admin on Fri, 02/09/2011 - 10:08am
A healthy social life may be as good for your long-term health as avoiding cigarettes, according to a massive research review released Tuesday by the journal PLoS Medicine.
...
those with poor social connections had on average 50% higher odds of death in the study's follow-up period (an average of 7.5 years) than people with more robust social ties.
...
The immune systems of people with lots of friends simply worked better, fighting off the cold virus often without symptoms.
Submitted by procreative-admin on Wed, 22/06/2011 - 11:07am
Interesting article, particularly the range of comments at the bottom.
"There is an inverse correlation between the availability of pornography and rape: the more porn that's available, the less rape," said Ogas, adding extreme pornography was a rare indulgence and did not spill over into the viewer's real life.
"Almost all fears about the negative or corrupting influence of pornography are misguided, and usually applied to other people's sexual interests."
Submitted by procreative-admin on Fri, 11/03/2011 - 2:15pm
A wonderful interpretation of farmyard life by an Carla Carlisle (London Telegraph).
Scientists have discovered that hens can feel empathy. They don't know the half of it, says Carla Carlisle.
...
The story White never wrote was one that I reckon he deemed too hard for young readers to take: the story of a tame hen who wilfully tore a chick to pieces and then, crazed with remorse, went into the cellar and committed suicide by eating mothballs.
Submitted by procreative-admin on Wed, 08/09/2010 - 4:54am
It is often said that "money doesn't buy you happiness" but some certainly helps relieve unhappiness.
And from decades of research we now know that poverty, or low social status is definitely correlated with poor health and early mortality.
Stanford researches quantify what is the threshold in income to be 'happy' (at least in the USA).
Submitted by procreative-admin on Sun, 08/08/2010 - 12:05pm
An interesting article by Fiona Smith (Sydney Morning Herald) on the reliance of people on the context and circumstances giving them 'confidence'.
Which means what is seen as 'confidence' is often surface-layer, reliant on external structures, not on internal values or personal strength -- what we might call a 'fair-weather confidence'.
From the article:
