Saturday, November 01, 2008

Shared Items - 11/1/08

Some things I found interesting today and bookmarked.
"Edited reproduction of an article by Franz Schäfer which appeared in the Keimform blog. 1.) Unequal Distribution of Income Excluding other people form access to immaterial goods does not create any wealth. What it does is it allows the people who create and those distribute these goods to demand some compensation for it. So the system of IPR is essentially a system for distributing income amongst people."

"As you can see I tend to regard the religious aspects of contemporary Buddhism as rather dogmatic and unhealthy. While declining slightly in many parts of Asia, Buddhism is on the rise in the West - in some regions eg. Australia, Scotland and South-West England census data suggests that it is the fastest growing religion ('Jedi' doesn't count as an officially recognised religion, sorry :)). The two most popular sects are Tibetan and Zen. I'd suggest that many people drawn to Buddhism are are attracted by its anti-dogmatic traits compared with Christianity which has been on a slow decline in these areas for many years. Buddhism is in a process of adaptation for the west and I'd suggest that this is a good opportunity to cast off some of the dogmatic and religious baggage it has aquired on its travels."

"So there wasn't a World Series in Chicago, and Studs missed the 2008 Presidential election. Other than that, Louis (Studs) Terkel did everything possible in 96 years. Was he the greatest Chicagoan? I cannot think of another. For me, he represented the joyous, scrappy, liberal, generous, wise-cracking heart of this city."

"Next time you are tempted to pick your own chamomile or echinacea, give a thought to sustainable plant populations. Many medicines and herbal remedies are based on traditional approaches. But as the human population continues to grow, demand for plant products intensifies. And that means a lot of pressure on sometimes fragile plants and ecosystems."

"October 31 marked the second year since the founding of Worldchanging Canada! This excellent blog has flourished under the direction of editor Mark Tovey, and has set the bar high for our other local iterations. Even non-Canadians would do well to learn from the leading innovators in the world's second-largest country. In honor of the blog's second anniversary, we're offering you a handpicked sampling of some of their best, and most uniquely Canadian, work to date. Enjoy!"

Wildlife photographer of the year: The winners
"No lion in its right mind would dare to attack a grown giraffe: a well-placed kick from one of those long legs could be fatal. Yet as Catriona and assembled gemsbok watched one evening near a waterhole at Hobatere Lodge in Damaraland, Namibia, this young male lion repeatedly harassed the thirsty giraffe."

No comments: