Two birds with one stone

Two of the main afflictions of modern society are widespread depression and environmental breakdown. A family in New York City does an experiment in simplified living and finds that both are conquered with one lifestyle change.

[W]ithout all the mod[ern] con[venience]s to distract us, we spend more time with each other, our friends and our neighbors and actually feel happier.

So what if, as a society, we worried less about a booming economy which drains the planet of its resources? If, as the positive psychologists suggest, having more stuff isn’t going to make us happier, shouldn’t we worry more about things like building a culture that emphasizes personal connection and community?

If the results of [my] experiment are anything to go by, not only is that an approach that would help cure our environmental crisis, but it would also help cure our unhappiness.

Here’s the story.

Going Car-Free

For a while now we’ve been toying with the idea of going car-free. Since we both take public transit to work, we only use our car on the weekends. Today I read an inspiring story of a family who did it and are much better off both financially and physically. From the article:

Within two months they paid off two credit cards. No car meant no car bills. It also meant no quick trips to Taco Bell. No morning jolt of Starbucks. No impulse buys of jeans or toys at Target.

Shopping on a bike, says Erick, prompts the question: “Do we really need an extra box of Crunch ‘n Munch?”

One day Jess had a strange complaint: too much money in her wallet and no place to put it. Erick figured out they were recouping more than a third of their income.

“It’s as if your boss came in,” he says, “and asked if you wanted a 35 percent raise.”

See here for the full article.

Don’t say you weren’t warned…

The bad news…

The Bank for International Settlements, the world’s most prestigious financial body, has warned that years of loose monetary policy has fuelled a dangerous credit bubble, leaving the global economy more vulnerable to another 1930s-style slump than generally understood.

The BIS, the ultimate bank of central bankers, pointed to a confluence a worrying signs, citing mass issuance of new-fangled credit instruments, soaring levels of household debt, extreme appetite for risk shown by investors, and entrenched imbalances in the world currency system.

See the full article here.

But wait, there’s more….

It is not a matter of “if” the dollar will collapse, but “when” it will collapse. At Gold Stock Bull, we think the dollar could fall below 80 cents before year end. Once that support gives, it is anyone’s guess how low it could drop. The U.S. dollar is facing imminent collapse in the face of an unsustainable debt.

At a UN Headquarters press conference, launching the 2007 World Economic Situation and Prospects Report, mid-year update, Rob Vos, the Director of the Development Policy and Analysis Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), told reporters that, “The United States debt, which has now deepened to well over $3 trillion, might turn out to be unsustainable in the rest of 2007 or next, putting further downward pressure on the United States dollar.” He also pointed out that since its peak in 2002, the dollar had depreciated vis-a -vis the major currencies by some 35 percent and by 25 percent against a broader range of other currencies.

See here for the whole story.

And finally:

The M3 data that shows how much money the Fed prints as well as how much is in circulation, etc, just last year, they announced, ‘No one is really interested in these numbers and they are too hard to compile.’ Like a drunken, gambling spouse declaring there is no need to balance the check books or look into the bank accounts, so it is here. Many people yelled about the M3 numbers being suppressed but to no avail, of course.

See here for more.

We’re raping our own mother

What’s the worst crime you can think of? Surely violently abusing the one who bore and nurtures us would be near the top. Well that is exactly what we are doing to our mother earth. Why are we doing this? How did we get to this state? What can we do to stop? Even if we did, how long would it take for the earth to recover? As is often the case, the answer is easy to state but more difficult to practise: “Live Lightly”:

  • Own less – Share more
  • Consume less – Enjoy more
  • Waste less – Recycle more

Let’s take better care of our mother before she can’t bear us anymore…

Laughter Yoga is no joke

Some time ago I saw this video on YouTube and thought it was a joke. Some time later I heard that a group at my work did a “Laughter Yoga” session and I became interested. Well last month I got a chance to go to one of these sessions myself and let me tell you, it was a blast! I had such a great time, I decided to set up a monthly Laughter Club (that’s what they’re called) at my workplace. This form of Yoga is very easy to do, good for you, and a lot of fun. I highly recommend you give it a try. Here are a few links about it: