The title to this post is a teaser, of course. After a certain point, having more stuff does not make people happier.
In his new book, Deep Economy: the Wealth of Communities and a Durable Future (2007), Bill McKibben asks why having more stuff usually doesn’t make us happier. He considers several reasons.
You could [...]
Amnesty International is encouraging people to participate in their a holiday card action. I’ve never done this before, it’s my first time, others I know do it more regularly, so don’t hesitate to join, too! I bought some greeting cards like two, three weeks ago, but started procrastinating when I realized that the deadline was [...]
The “Unicef Photo of the Year 2007” is this picture by American photographer Stephanie Sinclair of an 11-year old Afghan girl sitting next to her 40-year old soon-to-be-husband.
Photo caption:
Portrait of soon to be wed Faiz Mohammed, 40, and Ghulam Haider, 11, at her home in a rural village of Damarda in Ghor [...]
Remember when you were a college student who had just decided to attend journalism school “to make a difference?” You wanted to change the world in a big way back then and the reasons were many. You wanted to become a proud member of the Fourth Estate. You understood that The Media had the power [...]
For me, a car is a means of getting me from A to B. I just don’t “get” the idea of spending money for a “luxury” car. But many people aren’t like me, and rental car companies know this.
Two days ago, I rented a car through Expedia. I reserved the cheapest car available at Enterprise. It [...]
This sign is posted on the door of a local grocery store. Could it be that they are afraid of . . . shoplifting?
Today, the following Associated Press article was run on page-19 of my local newspaper (the St. Louis Post-Dispatch):
An epic drought in Georgia threatens the water supply for millions. Florida doesn’t have nearly enough water for its expected population boom. The Great Lakes are shrinking. Upstate New York’s reservoirs have dropped to record lows. And in [...]
I bristled yesterday as I read yet another faux-controversy concocting article in my misguided home town paper, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. You see, Body Worlds is coming to my town and the morality “experts” are getting restless. The “concern” is that maybe we shouldn’t be staring at dead bodies. The morality experts quoted by the article are suggesting that the [...]
I am cynical about the day called Father’s Day. For most of my life, I have seen it as yet another store-sponsored holiday. America traditionally “celebrates” Father’s Day by buying trinkets from a store. I can’t think of a better way to degrade any occasion.
Father’s Day has become something much more meaningful to me since [...]
Bill Clinton’s Commencement Speech at Harvard - June 6, 2007
The former President explained much societal dysfunction when he asked a simple question: Should we focus on what human beings have in common or should we obsess about their minor differences?
The outcome of this simple choice determines innumerable personal and political agendas. To the extent that we [...]
