People talking about the environment focus on climate and carbon. Only talk about climate, carbon, and greenhouse emissions if you want to disregard all other environmental problems because doing so will augment them. The problems result from our behavior, which results from our culture. Don’t change our culture and we’ll keep lowering Earth’s ability to sustain life. Focus only on one symptom and like whack-a-mole, or a stream flowing around[…] Keep reading →

This week I read and watched: The Great Dance, directed by Craig and Damon Foster: I re-watched this documentary helped open my eyes and mind to the sophistication and complexity of people and cultures we call indigenous. I grew up to see them as stuck in the Stone Age and to fear the possibility of regressing to be like them if we don’t keep progressing. Learning some anthropology from The[…] Keep reading →

This week I read Pro-slavery thought in the old South, by William Sumner Jenkins: You and I live in an economic system that hurts and kills people near and far, now and in the future, for our wants and needs. We feel we are good people, yet we do things we believe are wrong; we buy fast fashion, fly, drive SUVs, and so on. To maintain our positive self-perceptions and[…] Keep reading →

I read and watched this week: The Sorrow and the Pity, by Marcel Ophuls: I started watching this four-and-a-half hour documentary months ago. I’d been meaning to watch it for years, as I think it’s regarded as one of the great movies of all time. It interviews French, British, and Germans who lived in a French city under Nazi occupation, about 1940 to 1944, or worked with them. It doesn’t[…] Keep reading →

This week I read and watched: The Death of Ivan Ilyich, by Leo Tolstoy: I loved the movie Ikiru, which I watched a month or two ago. It was was inspired by this novella. The friend who recommended Ikiru also recommended this book. It’s one of the best I’ve read. It’s thoughtful, funny with biting satire, and a joy to read or listen to. It’s also in the public domain[…] Keep reading →

I read this week: The Fate Of Empires And Search For Survival, by Sir John Glubb: I started this book expecting irrelevance. The preface describes the author as a British veteran of World War One. The book is twenty-five pages, talking about imperialism. What could he know? I figured, of course he’s viewing the world as an imperialist, likely racist and unsophisticated. Early on, he lists some empires and how[…] Keep reading →

Among what I read and watched this week: The Life You Can Save, by Peter Singer: I confess I hadn’t read the book before recording our podcast episode (not yet edited, but will update when posted), but I wrote about his drowning child analogy recently. This book blew me away. I expected dry philosophy I would argue against, but found it compelling. I will donate more to charity with enthusiasm.[…] Keep reading →

Among what I read and watched this week: John Perkins The Secret History of the American Empire: The Truth About Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and How to Change the World: John was a podcast guest after his most recent book, Touching the Jaguar. Then a mutual friend mentioned his name. I decided to email him and before I did decided to browse The Secret History. I couldn’t stop. I was[…] Keep reading →

I read and watched this week: Atomic Habits by James Clear: I had done my burpee-based calisthenics, blog posting, cold showers, and other habits sometimes for nearly a decade without missing a day when the book came out so took a while to read it. I consider myself skilled at starting and keeping up habits. I found the book engaging. I don’t think I learned much about starting and keeping[…] Keep reading →