Eric Barker sums up how to be happy all the time

Eric Barker distills LOTS of good advice, providing ample links for more details. I have taken much of what he has provided in his blog, Barking Up the Wrong Tree, and practiced it. This is not hyperbole - I have found his information/advice to be among the most useful I have encountered anywhere. His latest post is titled, "4 Rituals To Keep You Happy All The Time," and I'm a believer (though I'm not actually happy ALL the time!). Here's how he sums things up:

  • Write down three good things that happened to you that day before you go to bed.
  • Imagine something meaningful to you never happened. Then appreciate how lucky you are to have it.
  • Think about something bad that happened to you — and how it made you feel lucky to have gotten past it and how you have grown.
  • Do a gratitude visit. Write a letter of gratitude to someone who has done something for you and read it out loud to them in person.
Enjoy!   Literally.

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Lee Camp Compares Elections in the U.K. and the U.S.

Once a person can clearly state the problems, the solutions becomes clear. With regard to the corrupt bread and circus elections in the United States, Lee Camp makes the problems crystal clear. Note, especially the short campaign season in the U.K. (a matter of weeks) and the fact that in the U.K. TV and radio political ads are banned.

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How to get richer by squeezing money out of the poor: invest in trailer parks

Here's where free market fundamentalism leads us: dulled consciences and oppression of those on the brink of homelessness. From the U.K. Guardian:

Some of the richest people in the US, including billionaires Warren Buffett and Sam Zell, have made millions from trailer parks at the expense of the country's poorest people. Seeing their success, ordinary people from across the country are now trying to follow in their footsteps and become trailer park millionaires. The Guardian went to Orlando to learn the tricks of the trade from Frank Rolfe, the self-appointed dean of Mobile Home University, as he led would-be investors around a trailer park for sex offenders.

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The Plan of Represent.US to wipe out legalized political corruption

Josh Silver of Represent.US presents the plan: Here is more. The plan boils down to this:

We are protecting our communities and our country from corruption by passing city, state and federal Anti-Corruption Acts. Problem = Corruption. Solution = Anti-Corruption Act. The American Anti-Corruption Act sets a standard for city, state and federal laws that break money’s grip on politics:
  • Stop political bribery by making it illegal for elected officials to raise money from interests they regulate.
  • End secret money by mandating full transparency of all political spending.
  • Empower voters with an opt-in, individual tax rebate for small political donations.

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