"This gift of words is something which soothes the mind."

August 13, 2011 at 2:08 pm (By Amba)

Inscribed on a Sumerian clay tablet, circa 2500 BC.

Is the Stock Market Evil?

August 12, 2011 at 9:09 pm (By Amba)

Idle thought:  I'm just wondering whether the wealth-creation twist that the stock market adds to the straightforward transactions of the economy—folding a froth of gambling fever into solid value, like beaten egg whites into a soufflé—might not actually be the devil's work.  Whether someone writing a bible today might not ban it the way the original banned usury.

Join the "End of Work" Think Tank.

August 10, 2011 at 8:10 pm (By Amba)

Ron Fisher's new blog, on a topic he's been thinking about a lot lately.  The "job" model of human purpose and sustenance is dying a painful death—corporations now raise their profits and productivity by getting rid of people—but what will replace it??  There clearly won't be anywhere near enough "jobs" for the world's growing population, and Ron suspects we're in a third great transition, following those from hunting-gathering to agriculture and from agriculture to industry. But . . . to what?  We're all thinking about it, we need a place to talk about it.  Go on over and weigh in; throw some thoughts and links on the fire.

Melinda Bruno recently said on Facebook,

At the rate this country is going, the next generation is gonna have two career choices:

1. A Kardashian;

2. A cashier at Wal*Mart.

That oughtta get you started.

Where's Walden?

August 9, 2011 at 2:10 am (By Amba)

See if you can find me in this "entr'action" photo (by Caroline Tuchscherer from Montréal) from the weekend karate training camp (gasshuku) at Green Mountain Dojo in Stowe, Vermont, run by longtime friends of my heart and J's, Tom and Toni Flynn.

After the training, Monday morning I was entrusted with the keys to the official Green Mountain vehicle, drove one hour north to the Northeast Kingdom, and finally met our Karen, her splendid husband Allan, and their 47 milk cows!  (Plus two dogs, two neighbors, and more than a dozen chickens.)  A cow licked my hand, I held warm newly-laid eggs in said hand, and most of all I got to lay eyes on (and arms around) one of my best blogfriends and her good man.  New friends of my lonely heart.

As a bonus, I learned what a three-titter is!  (Spud, so sorry I missed you by a couple of hours.)

The most striking thing about Vermont per se is its luminous sky.  It's almost always full of dramatic, puffy white clouds, and the day seems lit not by the sun but by the silvery, icy light of these clouds, which makes the green land and blue sky look hyperreal.

it's not the sun but
the icy-white clouds that light
luminous Vermont

I'll post more pix as they come to light.