Month: October 2020

RAJ PATEL ~ THE VALUE OF NOTHING ~ 2009

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~ TPOSDMIVAA ~ The Price Of Something Doesn’t Measure Its Value At All

~ TMSKB-IARRAOF-AITAGDOIAPW ~ That Markets Should Know Best – Is A Relatively Recent Article Of Faith – And It Took A Great Deal Of Ideological And Political Work

~ TPW-TEMH-IT-IDW ~ The Problem With – The Efficient Markets Hypothesis – Is That – It Doesn’t Work

~ D-AEE-TS-IWF-TIOEMRRTG ~ Despite – Ample Economic Evidence – To Suggest – It Was False – The Idea Of Efficient Markets Ran Riot Through Governments

~ TRO-‘FM’-CA-TAAMAA ~ The Rhetoric Of – “Free Markets” – Camouflages Activities – That Aren’t About Markets At All

~ ACWDSBWT-TSBWSATG-IAI ~ Anyone Concerned With Democracy Should Be Worried That – The Seam Between Wall Street And The Government – Is Almost Invisible

~ THOS-SNOTTSOTAIMCC-BA-TDEWBIMCBR-IOW-TINNABASTFPAAMTDTV ~ The History Of Slavery – Shows Not Only That The Set Of Things Allowed Into Markets Can Change – But Also – That Decrees Establishing What Belong In Markets Can Be Revoked – In Other Words – There Is Nothing Natural About Buying And Selling Things For Profit And Allowing Markets To Determine Their Value

~ BCCBBAS-THTB-OTPTCBBOS-MOTTTWBASWACITWWUTT ~ Before Commodities Can Be Bought And Sold – They Have To Become Objects That People Think Can Be Bought Or Sold – Most Of The Things That We Buy And Sell Weren’t Always Commodities In The Way We Understand Them Today

~ TMHADOS-TLOLFANASB ~ The Market Has Always Depended On Society – The Logic Of Laissez-Faire Always Needs A Social Base

~ HC-DO-EE-ETWLEITD ~ Human Civilization – Depends On – Earth’s Ecology – Even Though We’re Literally Exploiting It To Death

~ T-PQFEG-HT-H-I-AAOE-T-TSUOTESTKOEA ~ The – Perpetual Quest For Economic Growth – Has Turned – Humankind – Into – An Agent Of Extinction – Through – The Systematic Undervaluing Of The Ecosystemic Services That Keep Our Earth Alive

~ CEG-H-UIFTW-AHB-I-W-IHB-ABG ~ Current Economic Growth – Has – Uncoupled Itself From The World – And – Has Become – Irrelevant – Worse – It Has Become – A Blind Guide

~ STWTMHGUIT ~ Seeing The World Through Markets Has Got Us In Trouble

~ SFHBAM-C-C-BUTTDCBUADOPC ~ Seeing Fellow Human Beings As Mere – Co-Consumers – Blinds Us To The Deeper Connections Between Us – And – Distorts Our Political Choices

~ IIPITTTTBWFSTFITLMSP-AT-TBWFMTFIWMI ~ It Is Pure Ideology To Think That The Best Way For Society To Function Is To Let Markets Seek Profit – And That – The Best Way For Markets To Function Is With Minimal Interference

~ TTOWMOASBTP-OTITHLTH ~ The Terms On Which Markets Operate Are Set By The Powerful – Our Tragedy Is To Have Let This Happen

~ TBOTFMRAGDOV-PFB ~ The Birth Of The Free Market Required A Great Deal Of Violence – People Fought Back

~ GIACOHE ~ Gratitude Isn’t A Characteristic Of Homo Economicus

~ ‘IA’ ~ “Inequity Aversion”

~ PWBIASFBGAH ~ Psychological Well-Being – Is A Source For Both – Generosity And Happiness

~ T-OB-FNASTPE-IWPT-‘F’-I-FM ~ This – Ongoing Bailout – From Nature And Society To Private Enterprise – Is What Puts The – “Free” – In – Free Market

~ ‘E’-TC-TSSTTNO-P ~ “Externalities” – The Costs – That Somehow Slip Through The Net Of – Prices

~ AF-T-REC-IA-TB-B-WDNKETL-TECOWTCMBTFG-O-TI-CSOAMS-A-TNFMCTLLTAS ~ Accounting For – The – Real Environmental Costs – Is A – Tricky Business – Because – We Do Not Know Either The Long-Term Environmental Consequences Or What The Cost Might Be To Future Generations – Otherwise – This Is – Corporate Subsidy On A Massive Scale – And – There’s Nothing Free Marketers Claim To Like Less Than A Subsidy

~ CC-HYTPTICOWTKOS ~ Corporate Capitalism – Has Yet To Prove That It Can Operate Without These Kinds Of Subsidies

~ TR-W-RMTMB:IALPO:C-R/F/C/H/E/S/D-A-TCOT-A-P-TMFM-W-TMTO-WWITH ~ To Reproduce – Workers – Requires More Than Making Babies: It’s A Long Process Of: Child-Rearing / Feeding / Clothing / Housing / Educating / Socializing / Disciplining – And – The Costs Of This – Are – Perhaps – The Most Fundamental Misvaluation – Worldwide – The Market’s Treatment Of – Women’s Work In The Home

~ TTIOTWSDGTWOINA ~ That The Interests Of The Wealthy Should Dominate Governments The World Over Is No Accident

~ WDTP ~ We’re Destroying The Planet

~ GAC-AS-E-F-F-A-AL-B-A-T-IP-OTL-AIO-MIFTCG-O-B-TIPSDC ~ Governments And Corporations – Are Still – Enclosing – Forests – Fisheries – And – Agricultural Land – Because – Allegedly – The – Indigenous People – On The Land – Are Incapable Of – Managing It For The Common Good – Or – Because – The Indigenous People Simply Don’t Count

~ CSABSITTFC-TBD ~ Commons Systems Aren’t Being Supported In The Twenty-First Century – They’re Being Dismantled

~ T-WLFP-ADT-TA-TCTBWF ~ The – World’s Least Free People – Are Discovering That – They Are – The Change They’ve Been Waiting For

~ U-C-M-I-TRTHR ~ Under – Capitalism – Money– Is – The Right To Have Rights

~ TEOP ~ The Empire Of Prices

~ TMDFCTTWCAT ~ The Market Delivers Few Choices To Those Who Cannot Afford Them

~ ATO-TAWO-GR-ISB-A-CA-RT-A-PO ~ All Too Often – The Abundant Will Of – Government Representatives – Is Shaped By – A – Corporate Agenda – Rather Than – A – Popular One

~ EIAC-B-INSWGTMT ~ Economics Is About Choices – But – It’s Never Said Who Gets To Make Them

~ OA ~ Owning Air

~ C-N-RAR-A-TOTHMEAOTTMOPHHAHID ~ Commons – Need – Rules And Regulations – And – The Ones That Have Most Effect Are Ones That The Majority Of People Have Had A Hand In Devising

~ TM-EWN-A-SAN-CAS-PBTI ~ The Market – Exists Within Nature – And – Society And Nature – Can And Should – Provide Boundaries To It

~ WBTTE-NTOWA ~ We Belong To The Earth – Not The Other Way Around

JULIA ANGWIN ~ DRAGNET NATION ~ 2014

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~ DN ~ Dragnet Nation

~ AQF-P-S-A-F-IAWORS ~ A Quest For – Privacy – Security – And – Freedom – In A World Of Relentless Surveillance

~ WALIADN ~ We Are Living In A Dragnet Nation

~ AWOIT ~ A World Of Indiscriminate Tracking

~ CARPFLCD ~ Companies Are Rarely Penalized For Losing Customer Data

~ PL-DTATPTTEAAS ~ Police Lineup – Dragnets That Allow The Police To Treat Everyone As A Suspect

~ IUPQ ~ Innocent Until Proven Guilty

~ IWTTBRI-TDW-FLSWHW ~ I Want There To Be Room In – The Digital World For – Letters Sealed With Hot Wax

~ DWWTLIAWWWAAAROBH? ~ Do We Want To Live In A World Where We Are Always At Risk Of Being Hacked?

~ PS ~ Public Space

~ TPD ~ Third-Party Doctrine

~ MD ~ MetaData

~ ATT-ISLA-UEM ~ At The Time – It Seemed Like An – Understandable Emergency Measure

~ SD-HB-TNN ~ Suspicionless Dragnets – Had Become – The New Normal

~ F-SVHABM:T ~ Finally – Silicon Valley Had A Business Model: Tracking

~ ‘DDC’ ~ “Dark Data Circle”

~ TGRCTCD-AT-SITCE-WLTDASIBTTG ~ The Government Requires Citizens To Create Data – And Then – Sells It To Commercial Entities – Which Launder The Data And Sell It Back To The Government

~ TRITCAGDAIL;NCEWTO ~ The Reality Is That Corporate And Government Dragnets Are Inextricably Linked; Neither Can Exist Without The Other

~ PCWSAMBCTBATIA ~ People Cope With Surveillance As Much By Changing Their Behavior As Through Increased Anxiety

~ FOA ~ Freedom Of Association

~ CPBTAIAFTORR ~ Categorizing People By Their Associations Is A Favorite Tactic Of Repressive Regimes

~ PSNB-PFJG-O-A-CIJG ~ People Should Not Be – Prevented From Joining Groups – Or – Alternatively – Coerced Into Joining Groups

~ ITW-ECWMAUW-AP-AP-O-AI ~ In Today’s World – Every Choice We Make Associates Us With – A Person – A Place – Or – An Idea

~ DTAIQLPIDD? ~ Does The Activity In Question Limit Participation In Democratic Debate?

~ TM ~ Threat Model

~ TROIT ~ The Rise Of Indiscriminate Tracking

~ IT-CETCOA-TSS ~ Indiscriminate Tracking – Could Enable The Creation Of A – Totalitarian Surveillance State

~ SV ~ Surveillance Vegan

~ LB ~ Lookup Business

~ TOIWTOOTNTTSQWETC ~ Turns Out I Wasn’t The Only One To Notice That The Security Questions Were Easy To Circumvent

~ PNR ~ Passenger Name Records

~ N-VIP ~ NOT – VIP

~ BIHACTLM-PP-IWH ~ Before I Had A Chance To Launch My – Privacy Project – I Was Hacked

~ ‘PUITW’ ~ “Password Use In The Wild”

~ ATGGO ~ Appealing The Government’s Gag Order

~ U-TQITSAFAD-WTDBAE? ~ Ultimately – The Question Is The Same As For All Dragnets – Will The Data Be Abused Eventually?

~ IWCTTAJFM ~ It Was Clearly Too Technical A Job For Me

~ UAU-CIMA ~ Unloved And Untrendy – Cash It Mostly Anonymous

~ WWHIEOIYSL? ~ What Would Happen If Every One In Your Situation Lied?

~ TA ~ “Traffic Analysis”

~ PIKTOOP ~ “Pseudonymity Is Key To Our Online Privacy”

~ THOM ~ The Hall Of Mirrors

~ TICBATCIED ~ The Information Collected By Ad-Tracking Companies Is Extremely Detailed

~’PC’~ “Perceived Control”

~ DARBAC ~ Data About Readers Became A Commodity

~ IAAKEAYEYN-DTNRM? ~ If An Advertiser Knows Everything About You Except Your Name – Does The Name Really Matter?

~ ‘THYD-HT-W-LT’ ~ “That’s How You Defeat – High-Tech – With – Low-Tech”

~ AUD ~ An Unfairness Doctrine

~ “SousVeillance”

~ OWT-ETPF-WBFETBI-TSB-‘SV’-CMTGFB-AAA-TGMTFA ~ One Way To – Even The Playing Field – Would Be For Everyone To Be In – The Surveillance Business – “SousVeillance” – Citizens Monitor The Government From Below – As Aggressively As – The Government Monitors Them From Above

~ NAC ~ New Asset Class

~ PLTGPTRTSTDTIUAT-SLAGI ~ Privacy Laws That Give People The Right To See The Data That Is Used Against Them – Seem Like A Good Idea

~ GDMNBC-TMBSBEALBOAC ~ Government Dragnets Must Not Be Covert – They Must Be Scrutinized By Either A Legislative Body Or A Court

~ O-SLIU-TQ-HUIA? ~ Okay – So Life Is Unfair – The Question – How Unfair Is Acceptable?

~ D-TD-PIWLRT-A-C-A-D-TD? ~ Does – The Dragnet – Provide Individuals With Legal Right To – Access – Correct – And – Dispute The Data?

~ ATDOHAFTWTDAU? ~ Are The Dragnet Operators Held Accountable For The Way The Data Are Used?

~ I-TD-TIFIP?-DIBS?-CIWPS? ~ Is – The Dragnet – Too Intrusive For Its Purpose? – Does It Benefit Society? – Can It Withstand Public Scrutiny?

LI PARISER ~ THE FILTER BUBBLE ~ 2011

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~ FB ~ Filter Bubble

~ D-RCTSTFOAPOV-B-I-WMAMEI-OOB ~ Democracy – Requires Citizens To See Things From One Another’s Point Of View – But – Instead – We’re More And More Enclosed In – Our Own Bubbles

~ T-NI-DJKYAD;IKYBAWTSYABOPK ~ The – New Internet – Doesn’t Just Know You’re A Dog; It Knows Your Breed And Wants To Sell You A Bowl Of Premium Kibble

~ I-P-ITA-ICPUFCICW-T-M-B-P-S-E-A-I-TCHWTATWAO ~ If – Personalization – Is Too Acute – It Could Prevent Us From Coming Into Contact With – The – Mind-Blowing – Preconception-Shattering – Experiences – And – Ideas – That Change How We Think About The World And Ourselves

~ T-U-I-T-C ~ The – User – Is – The – Content

~ WHATTB-T-TWIAIATB ~ We Have A Tendency To Believe – That – The World Is As It Appears To Be

~ LAL-T-FB-ITTWWE-BC-WWSADS ~ Like A Lens – The – Filter Bubble – Invisibly Transforms The World We Experience – By Controlling – What We See And Don’t See

~ IWWTKWTWRLL-WHTUHFSASOVOI ~ If We Want To Know What The World Really Looks Like – We Have To Understand How Filters Shape And Skew Our View Of It

~ PF-CU-CB-B-SOEIAANO-F-TFB-SUWIWWWAF(AAA)-MUOIOMF-S-IRFOESOTKPTMUWTL ~ Personalized Filters – Can Upset – Cognitive Balance – Between – Strengthening Our Existing Ideas And Acquiring New Ones – First – The Filter Bubble – Surrounds Us With Ideas With Which We’re Already Familiar (And Already Agree) – Making Us Overconfident In Our Mental Frameworks – Second – It Removes From Our Environment Some Of The Key Prompts That Make Us Want To Learn

~ E-HALIITTTDTETW-A-AAFYOWOT-TTTSTE ~ Experts – Have A Lot Invested In The Theories They’ve Developed To Explain The World – And – After A Few Years Of Working On Them – They Tend To See Them Everywhere

~ TFB-TT-DA-CB-CITCTOIOTWIEAP;CITCUTTINWOQOAIFAD ~ The Filter Bubble – Tends To – Dramatically Amplify – Confirmation Bias – Consuming Information That Conforms To Our Ideas Of The World Is Easy And Pleasurable; Consuming Information That Challenges Us To Think In New Ways Or Question Our Assumptions Is Frustrating And Difficult

~ ITB-TPOCTVWYKGWU ~ In The Bubble – The Proportion Of Content That Validates What You Know Goes Way Up

~ SOTMICB-ASB-TIOTERITFADTRO ~ Some Of The Most Important Creative Breakthroughs – Are Spurred By – The Introduction Of The Entirely Random Ideas That Filters Are Designed To Rule Out

~ ITFB-TLD-YDSTTTDIYAA-YNELATTAMEAIYM ~ In The Filter Bubble – Things Look Different – You Don’t See The Things That Don’t Interest You At All – You’re Not Even Latently Aware That There Are Major Events And Ideas You’re Missing

~ ABTOY ~ A Bad Theory of You

~ HWB-IABAB-OFAPS ~ How We Behave – Is A Balancing Act Between – Our Future And Present Selves

~ WIAWF-WAWWC ~ With Information As With Food – We Are What We Consume

~ TIAYL ~ Trapped In A You Loop

~ SWHWTITYD? ~ So What Happens When The Internet Thinks Your Dumb?

~ RT-DP-AIEPP-ISW-TI-I-CI ~ Rather Than – Decentralizing Power – As Its Early Proponents Predicted – In Some Ways – The Internet – Is – Concentrating It

~ LOTC ~ Lords Of The Cloud

~ PD-S-ITC-I-MEFTGTS-T-IOAHC ~ Personal Data – Stored – In The Cloud – Is – Much Easier For The Government To Search – Than – Information On A Home Computer

~ I-KIP-T-AIKAAIP ~ If – Knowledge Is Power – Then – Asymmetries In Knowledge Are Asymmetries In Power

~ FWS-TFBWOBOTTIOSTAIBCOU ~ Friendly World Syndrome – The Filter Bubble Will Often Block Out The Things In Our Society That Are Important But Complex Or Unpleasant

~ IIBTH-SBFT-TNAA ~ It Is Better To Have – Some Bar For Truthfulness – Than None At All

~ WWCLSOOSP-TDLSOU ~ While We Can Lose Sight Of Our Shared Problems – They Don’t Lose Sight Of Us

~ U-DW-OI-WCACOTBONS-I ~ Ultimately – Democracy Works – Only If – We Citizens Are Capable Of Thinking Beyond Our Narrow Self-Interest

~ ‘CIL’ ~ “Code Is Law”

~ MOTT-E-RTITTWH-MOPC-AA ~ Much Of The Time – Engineers – Resist The Idea That Their Work Has – Moral Or Political Consequences – At All

~ $50BSC ~ $50 Billion Sand Castle

~ I-P-ROI-CT-TNFCB-SAMP-TMOUWI ~ If – Personalization – Remains On Its – Current Trajectory – The Near Future Could Be – Stranger And More Problematic – Than Many Of Us Would Imagine

~ A-A-VB-WA-CP ~ Advertar – A – Virtual Being – With A – Commercial Purpose

~ NSTA-AFVL ~ No Such Thing As – A Free Virtual Lunch

~ ‘AFM’ ~ “Advertiser-Funded Media”

~ A-T-GBABADOA-WNTWC-WIIDOAT ~ As – Technology – Gets Better And Better At Directing Our Attention – We Need To Watch Closely – What It Is Directing Our Attention Toward

~ SIASTJ ~ Serendipity Is A Shortcut To Joy

~ TNF-CSB-MT-FS-M-T-TTP-STIPTHADAHTETRITFP ~ The New Filterers – Can Start By – Making Their – Filtering Systems – More – Transparent – To The Public – So That It’s Possible To Have A Discussion About How They’re Exercising Their Responsibilities In The First Place

~ YSKWHYPD-WDTH-A-HIU ~ You Should Know Who Has Your Personal Data – What Data They Have – And – How It’s Used

~ YSBATPICAYFOPFBUFO ~ You Should Be Able To Prevent Information Collected About You For One Purpose From Being Used For Others

~ YSBATCIIAY ~ You Should Be Able To Correct Inaccurate Information About You

~ YDSBS ~ Your Data Should Be Secure

JIM LOEHR + TONY SCHWARTZ ~ THE POWER OF POSITIVE RITUALS ~ THE POWER OF FULL ENGAGEMENT ~ 2013

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~ ICT-WAD-WIPOTA-AW-DR-PU-WFSWIWDDI ~ In Contrast To – Will And Discipline – Which Imply Pushing Ourselves To Action – A Well-Defined Ritual – Pulls Us – We Feel Somehow Worse If We Don’t Do It

~ IWWTBIOL-NBTL-WCSMETST-TSTITWHTCFVFCAOS-CIAD-TSAPORAMIMLTWWBATPTUP ~ If We Want To Build Into Our Lives – New Behaviors That Last – We Can’t Spend Much Energy To Sustain Them – The Sobering Truth Is That We Have The Capacity For Very Few Conscious Acts Of Self-Control In A Day – The Specificity And Precision Of Rituals Also Makes It More Likely That We Will Be Able To Produce Them Under Pressure

JIM LOEHR + TONY SCHWARTZ ~ THE POWER OF FULL ENGAGEMENT ~ 2013

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~ E-N-T-I-TFCOHP ~ Energy – Not – Time – Is – The Fundamental Currency Of High Performance

~ P-H-A-H-AGI-TSMOE ~ Performance – Health – And – Happiness – Are Grounded In – The Skillful Management Of Energy

TMWTRFTEWBTTW-TMEAPWB-TMWBOOEC-TMNACOEILTB ~ The More We Take Responsibility For The Energy We Bring To The World – The More Empowered And Productive We Become – The More We Blame Others Or Eternal Circumstances – The More Negative And Compromised Our Energy Is Likely To Be

~ L-A-TSO-OE-T-IOD-OF-BHETMTOE-AN-BHWT-M-F-I-A-R-TCEOTTL ~ Leaders – Are – The Stewards Of – Organizational Energy – They – Inspire Or Demoralize – Others First – By How Effectively They Manage Their Own Energy – And Next – By How Well They – Mobilize – Focus — Interest – And – Renew – The Collective Energy Of Those They Lead

~ TSMOE-IAO-MP-FE ~ The Skillful Management Of Energy – Individually And Organizationally – Makes Possible – Full Engagement

~ FE-RDOFSBRSOE:P-E-M-A-S-AFDAC-NISBI-A-EPITO ~ Full Engagement – Requires Drawing On Four Separate But Related Sources Of Energy: Physical – Emotional – Mental – And – Spiritual – All Four Dynamics Are Critical – None Is Sufficient By Itself – And – Each Profoundly Influences The Others

~ B-ECD-BWOAWU-WMB-EE-W-IER ~ Because – Energy Capacity Diminishes – Both With Overuse And With Underuse – We Must Balance – Energy Expenditure – With – Intermittent Energy Renewal

~ TMABAO ~ The Mind And Body Are One

~ EF-RTCTMFAAAAWPOERTRROD ~ Emotional Flexibility – Reflects The Capacity To Move Freely And Appropriately Along A Wide Spectrum Of Emotions Rather Than Responding Rigidly Or Defensively

~ ER-ITATBBF-EO-D-F-A-E-L ~ Emotional Resilience – Is The Ability To Bounce Back From – Experiences Of – Disappointment – Frustration – And – Even – Loss

~ PER-HSRFME-ATKT-FE-A-SHP ~ Positive Energy Rituals – Highly Specific Routines For Managing Energy – Are The Key To – Full Engagement – And – Sustained High Performance

~ A-PR-IABTB-A-OT-FB-SDHV ~ A – Positive Ritual – Is A Behavior That Becomes – Automatic – Over Time – Fueled By – Some Deeply Held Value

~ TPORITTITWUALCEAPWIINAN-LUFT-SF-TEATU-I-C-E-W ~ The Power Of Rituals Is That They Insure That We Use As Little Conscious Energy As Possible Where It Is Not Absolutely Necessary – Leaving Us Free To – Strategically Focus – The Energy Available To Us – In – Creative – Enriching – Ways

~ TFSIOCPIT-DP-ITFOOHBAOITP-TSQ-WNITMCIOL ~ The First Step In Our Change Process Is To – Define Purpose – In The Face Of Our Habitual Behaviors And Our Instinct To Preserve – The Status Quo – We Need Inspiration To Make Changes In Our Lives

~ ‘HSISMEIAWTICWMDV?’ ~ “How Should I Spend My Energy In A Way That Is Consistent With My Deepest Values?”

~ IIITCACOC-U-YAATLHAWYAT-‘HAYSYEN?’ ~ It Is Impossible To Chart A Course Of Change – Until You Are Able To Look Honestly At Who You Are Today – “How Are You Spending Your Energy Now?”

TO-WVOLT-R-C-G-POAV-O-SDTOT-TCWAMAHACIO-T-Q-F-A-F-OO-E ~ Too Often – We View Our Lives Through – Rose-Colored Glasses – Painting Ourselves As Victims – Or – Simply Denying To Ourselves That – The Choices We Are Making Are Having A Consequential Impact On – The – Quantity – Force – And – Focus – Of Our – Energy

~ FTT-BW-GCD ~ Facing The Truth – Begins With – Gathering Credible Data

~ PIF ~ Physical Is Fundamental

~ E-IS-TCTDW-OMFNAHBI-TSARE-WA-OB-IA-OU-RIOI ~ Energy – Is Simply – The Capacity To Do Work – Our Most Fundamental Need As Human Beings Is – To Spend And Recover Energy – We Are – Oscillatory Beings – In An – Oscillatory Universe – Rhythmicity Is Our Inheritance

~ WCOPSHFSLWBDABO ~ We Can Only Push So Hard For So Long Without Breaking Down And Burning Out

~ WMLTE-SP-IOD-IT-WWSOTT-CPI-A-SOAFATR ~ We Must Learn To Establish – Stopping Points – In Our Days – Inviolable Times – When We Step Off The Track – Cease Processing Information – And – Shift Our Attention From Achievement To Restoration

~ SA ~ Stress Addiction

~ DFO ~ Death From Overwork

~ WGAAL-B-EEBONL-A-T-R ~ We Grow At All Levels – By – Expending Energy Beyond Our Normal Limits – And – Then – Recovering

~ EC-R-AWTE-S-TD-ITSO-L-TR ~ Expanding Capacity – Requires – A Willingness To Endure – Short-Term Discomfort – In The Service Of – Long-Term Reward

~ OMFNAHBITSARE-O ~ Our Most Fundamental Need As Human Beings Is To Spend And Recover Energy – Oscillation

~ WB-E-M-A-S-C-WMSEOT-SBONL-FB-AR ~ We Build – Emotional – Mental – And – Spiritual – Capacity – We Must Systematically Expose Ourselves To – Stress Beyond Our Normal Limits – Followed By – Adequate Recovery

~ D-S-A-R-B-I-SASO-E-A-A-F-AWAO-R-S-A-Q-TU-HP ~ Deep – Smooth – And – Rhythmic – Breathing – Is – Simultaneously A Source Of – Energy – Alertness – And – Focus – As Well As Of – Relaxation – Stillness – And – Quiet – The Ultimate – Healthy Pulse

~ OT-E-A-B-S-I-TMISO-R-IOL ~ Other Than – Eating – And – Breathing – Sleeping – Is – The Most Important Source Of – Recovery – In Our Lives

~ B-S-A-C-T-HAPIO-H-O-EL-A-O-P ~ Both – Strength – And – Cardiovascular – Training – Have A Powerful Impact On – Health – On – Energy Levels – And – On – Performance

~ EAR ~ Enjoyment And Renewal

~ HITBP ~ Healing In The Broken Places

~ NE-SS-B-TAVCAEIITCOP ~ Negative Emotions – Serve Survival – But – They Are Very Costly And Energy Inefficient In The Context Of Performance

~ TAT-SPEDPOIS-LATHO-EL ~ The Ability To – Summon Positive Emotions During Periods Of Intense Stress – Lies At The Heart Of – Effective Leadership

~ TPOTB ~ The Plasticity Of The Brain

~ B-T-MAB-AS-IC-EMPECICC-IDSMSBDMBAOTTB-EIABTSMPOAC-B-D-NT-WHRBCAPFD ~ Because – The – Mind And Body – Are So – Inextricably Connected – Even Moderate Physical Exercise Can Increase Cognitive Capacity – It Does So Most Simply By Driving More Blood And Oxygen To The Brain – Exercise Is Also Believed To Stimulate More Production Of A Chemical-Brain-Derived – Neurotrophic Factor – Which Helps Repair Brain Cells And Prevent Further Damage

~ TO-WDOTTATDAOM-DOERITP ~ Too Often – We Devote Our Time To Activities That Don’t Advanced Our Mission – Depleting Our Energy Reserves In The Process

~ T-ME-TBS-FE-I-RO-STWAII-B-AWPTA-DO ~ The – Mental Energy – That Best Serves – Full Engagement – Is – Realistic Optimism – Seeing The World As It Is – But – Always Working Positively Towards A – Desired Outcome

~ MMC-IDF-ABBEAR-ME ~ Maximum Mental Capacity – Is Derived From – A Balance Between Expending And Recovering – Mental Energy

~ CTCTBSAAPAA-RMD ~ Continuing To Challenge The Brain Serves As A Protection Against Age-Related Mental Decline

~ SE:AWTL ~ Spiritual Energy: A Why To Live

~ TKMTF-SE-I-C-TCACTLBOV-EWDSRPSAH-SSM-I-P-C-I-A-H ~ The Key Muscle That Fuels – Spiritual Energy – Is – Character – The Courage And Conviction To Live By Our Values – Even When Doing So Requires Personal Sacrifice And Hardship – Supportive Spiritual Muscles – Include – Passion – Commitment – Integrity – And – Honesty

~ SE-ISB-BACTAPBO-W-AS-C ~ Spiritual Energy – Is Sustained By – Balancing A Commitment To A Purpose Beyond Ourselves – With – Adequate Self-Care

~ SW-CBDARATST ~ Spiritual Work – Can Be Demanding And Renewing At The Same Time

~ PCAD ~ Purposes Creates A Destination

~ T-S-AE-R-ITWFTBTSFM ~ The – Simple – Almost Embarrassing – Reality – Is That We Feel Too Busy To Search For Meaning

~ CPT-T-Q-U-T-WISTMOUFWSDNH-WAFRFOOTTNWALSOD ~ Clarifying Purpose Takes – Time – Quiet – Uninterrupted – Time – Which Is Something That Many Of Us Feel We Simply Do Not Have – We Are Forever Rushing From One Obligation To The Next Without Any Larger Sense Of Direction

~ W-O-SI-WYLTSOY-T-TWCWYRWIYL? ~ What – One-Sentence Inscription – Would You Like To See On Your – Tombstone – That Would Capture Who You Really Were In Your Life?

~ WWLASSOP-WAEBBLIS ~ When We Lack A Strong Sense Of Purpose – We Are Easily Buffeted By Life’s Inevitable Storms

~ FTT:HAYMYEN? ~ Face The Truth: How Are You Managing Your Energy Now?

~ I-IAMOAAT-C-WEII-E ~ Intellectualizing – Is A Means Of Acknowledging A Truth – Cognitively – Without Experiencing Its Impact – Emotionally

~ HWAPAYIYE? ~ How Wisely And Productivity Are You Investing Your Energy?

~ ‘ICBW’ ~ “I Could Be Wrong”

~ CETBWWFDAAR ~ Confident Enough To Be Wrong Without Feeling Diminished As A Result

MIHALY CSIKSZENTMIHALYI ~ FLOW ~ 1991

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~ H-IF-IACTMBPF-C-A-D-PBEP ~ Happiness – In Fact – Is A Condition That Must Be Prepared For – Cultivated – And – Defended – Privately By Each Person

PWLTCIEWBATDTQOTL-WIACAAOUCCTBH ~ People Who Learn To Control Inner Experience Will Be Able To Determine The Quality Of Their Lives – Which Is As Close As Any Of Us Can Come To Being Happy

~ IIBBFIWEDOOL-W-GOB-TWFH-NBTTLFID ~ It Is By Being Fully Involved With Every Detail Of Our Lives – Whether – Good Or Bad – That We Find Happiness – Not By Trying To Look For It Directly

~ F:TSIWPASIIAATNESTM;TEIISETPWDIEAGC-FTSSODI ~ Flow: The State In Which People Are So Involved In An Activity That Nothing Else Seems To Matter; The Experience Itself Is So Enjoyable That People Will Do It Even At Great Cost – For The Sheer Sake Of Doing It

~ IIHPRTSTDWTWPFMOBM ~ It Is How People Respond To Stress That Determines Whether They Will Profit From Misfortune Or Be Miserable

~ HWFAO-TJWGFL-UDDOHTMFAIEE-WWAHDOIH-NOTCWAATEOTGFOTU ~ How We Feel About Ourselves – The Joy We Get From Living – Ultimately Depend Directly On How The Mind Filters And Interprets Everyday Experiences – Whether We Are Happy Depends On Inner Harmony – Not On The Controls We Are Able To Exert Over The Great Forces Of The Universe

~ TOTAADOCL-IMBIOTSETTDTTNLREITOIRAP-TATFEAPROEC-IR-DAP ~ To Overcome The Anxieties And Depressions Of Contemporary Life – Individuals Must Become Independent Of The Social Environment To The Degree That They No Longer Respond Exclusively In Terms Of Its Rewards And Punishments – The Ability To Find Enjoyment And Purpose Regardless Of External Circumstances – It Requires – Discipline And Perseverance

~ TMISIEOFSCITATFRITEOEM-ITPOLI–PRTTPWRANLRTOF-IOFSFTTPDJOOR-OBTHTGROL ~ The Most Important Step In Emancipating Oneself From Social Controls Is The Ability To Find Rewards In The Events Of Each Moment – In The Process Of Living Itself – Power Returns To The Person When Rewards Are No Longer Relegated To Outside Forces – Instead Of Forever Straining For The Tantalizing Prize Dangled Just Out Of Reach – One Begins To Harvest The Genuine Rewards Of Living

~ TST-T-TCOCDTQOL-HBKFALT-IF-FALAHRE ~ This Simple Truth – That – The Control Of Consciousness Determines The Quality Of Life – Has Been Known For A Long Time – In Fact – For As Long As Human Records Exist

~ C-IOI-TETADBPOIAMFTTLO ~ Consciousness – Intentionally Ordered Information – The Experiences That Actually Do Become Part Of It Are Much Fewer Than Those Left Out

~ EOUH-F-TCOSR ~ Each Of Us Has – Freedom – To Control Our Subjective Reality

~ TIWAICBEI;II-IF-WDTCATQOL ~ The Information We Allow Into Consciousness Becomes Extremely Important; It Is – In Fact – What Determines The Content And The Quality Of Life

~ TSACOLDOHAHBU-EDRWEDOWIII ~ The Shape And Content Of Life Depend On How Attention Has Been Used – Entirely Different Realities Will Emerge Depending On How It Is Invested

~ ACBIIIW-WTCMLE-R-O-M ~ Attention Can Be Invested In Innumerable Ways – Ways That Can Make Life Either – Rich – Or – Miserable

~ B-A-DWWOWNAIC-AB-IIUTTOIA-PE ~ Because – Attention – Determines What Will Or Will Not Appear In Consciousness – And Because – It Is Useful To Think Of It As – Psychic Energy

~ AILE-IT-WINWCBD-A-IDWIID-WCOBHWITE-H-AIOMIT-ITTOITQOE ~ Attention Is Like Energy – In That – Without It No Work Can Be Done – And – In Doing Work It Is Dissipated – We Create Ourselves By How We Invest This Energy – Hence – Attention Is Our Most Important Tool – In The Task Of Improving The Quality Of Experience

~ A-STS-AIIT-SBI ~ Attention – Shapes The Self – And Is In Turn – Shaped By It

~ OOTMFTACAI-PD-TI-ITCWEI-O-DUFCTO-WGTCMN-DOHWEI:P/F/R/A/J ~ One Of The Main Forces That Affects Consciousness Adversely Is – Psychic Disorder – That Is – Information That Conflicts With Existing Intentions – Or – Distracts Us From Carrying Them Out – We Give This Condition Many Names – Depending On How We Experience It: Pain / Fear / Rage / Anxiety / Jealously

~ OIC:F ~ Order In Consciousness: Flow

~ TOO-PE-N ~ The Opposite Of – Psychic Entropy – Negentropy

~ WWCAGAIOIITTLOOC-WWDWBE-A-OWHTTJ-WWROETTIA ~ When We Choose A Goal And Invest Ourselves In It To The Limits Of Our Concentration – Whatever We Do Will Be Enjoyable – And – Once We Have Tasted This Joy – We Will Redouble Our Efforts To Taste It Again

~ TA-TMS-WCAT-ITQOL-TFITTMECMOG-TSITCHWEECTMTFOGB ~ There Are – Two Main Strategies – We Can Adopt To – Improve The Quality Of Life – The First Is To Try Making External Conditions Match Our Goals – The Second Is To Change How We Experience External Conditions To Make Them Fit Our Goals Better

~ OOTMFMDOTFEIT-WIL-OIATFATUAOL ~ One Of The Most Frequently Mentioned Dimensions Of The Flow Experience Is That – While It Lasts – One Is Able To Forget All The Unpleasant Aspects Of Life

~ TFE-ITDAI-ASOC-O-MP-A-LTSOWALC ~ The Flow Experience – Is Typically Descried As Involving – A Sense Of Control – Or – More Precisely – As – Lacking The Sense Of Worry About Losing Control

~ T-KE-OA-OE-IT-IIAEII-EIIUFOR-TATCUB-IR-‘A’-S-CA ~ The – Key Element – Of An – Optimal Experience – Is That – It Is An End In Itself – Even If Initially Undertaken For Other Reasons – The Activity That Consumes Us Becomes – Intrinsically Rewarding – “Autotelic” – Self-Contained Activity

~ NHACBTA-TFW-WMCRWWD-LHAPWBUTNP ~ No Human Achievement Can Be Taken As – The Final Word – We Must Constantly Reevaluate What We Do – Lest Habits And Past Wisdom Blind Us To New Possibilities

~ TTITLHTEELWDOPCTET ~ The Task Is To Learn How To Enjoy Everyday Life Without Diminishing Other People’s Chances To Enjoy Theirs

~ FA ~ Flow Activities

~ W-ASAUOTBAOCI-Y-WCBA-CFA-A-AAF ~ Walking – As Simple A Use Of The Body As One Can Imagine – Yet – Which Can Become A – Complex Flow Activity – Almost – An Art Form

~ TJOM ~ The Joys Of Movement

~ FTTS ~ Flow Through The Senses

~ RINTWTV-OT-FCD-CLBE ~ Repression Is Not The Way To Virtue – Only Through – Freely Chosen Discipline – Can Life Be Enjoyed

~ TFOT ~ The Flow Of Thought

~ SOTM-EE-WU-A-GITM-TBITCOATT ~ Some Of The Most – Exhilarating Experiences – We Undergo – Are – Generated Inside The Mind – Triggered By Information That Challenges Our Ability To Think

~ PWIIEE ~ Playing With Ideas Is Extremely Exhilarating

~ ‘AP’ ~ “Autotelic Personality”

~ AE-EA-T-L-I-PI;TTBLCITQACOE ~ An Exclusively – Economic Approach – To – Life – Is – Profoundly Irrational; The True Bottom Line Consists In The Quality And Complexity Of Experience

~ NSCCCAUTCOIICF ~ No – Social Change – Can Come About Until – The Consciousness Of Individuals Is Changed First

~ PWFTLM-UHAGTICETTUATE-AGTCGSTTL-P ~ People Who Find Their Lives Meaningful – Usually Have A Goal That Is Challenging Enough To Take Up All Their Energies – A Goal That Can Give Significance To Their Lives – Purpose

~ IC-ITRO-CCOA ~ Inner Conflict – Is The Result Of – Competing Claims On Attention

~ LT ~ Life Theme

~ TFPIS-OM-I-IAA-PC ~ To Find Purpose In Suffering – One Must – Interpret – It – As A – Possible Challenge

~ IIETDTLMS-IOIB-D/P/O ~ It Is Easier To Doubt That Life Makes Sense – If One Is Born – Deformed / Poor / Oppressed

MARK BLYTH ~ AUSTERITY ~ 2013

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~ A-IAFO-VD-IWTEATT-R-O-W-P-A-PS-TR-C-WI(S)BAB-CTS-B-D-A-D-DS-IAB-WI-‘BC’ ~ Austerity – Is A Form Of – Voluntary Deflation – In Which The Economy Adjusts Through The – Reduction – Of – Wages – Prices – And – Public Spending – To Restore – Competitiveness – Which Is (Supposedly) Best Achieved By – Cutting The State’s – Budget – Debts – And – Deficits – Doing So – Its Advocates Believe – Will Inspire – “Business Confidence”

~ TPOA-IMOTN-ETWTTD-PBIPTVOYATTA ~ The Policy Of Austerity – Is More Often Than Not – Exactly The Wrong Thing To Do – Precisely Because It Produces The Very Outcomes You Are Trying To Avoid

~ IWITTP-WSIPTB? ~ I Wasn’t Invited To The Party – Why Should I Pay The Bill?

~ T-ADW-I-TFRIADI ~ That – Austerity Doesn’t Work – Is – The First Reason It’s A Dangerous Idea

~ TWCIA-‘SDC’-SAVIPO-‘BAS’-AP ~ That We Call It A – “Sovereign Debt Crisis” – Suggests A Very Interesting Politics Of – “Bait And Switch” – At Play

~ TCO-STGBS-HEUO-TBSOG-ATATCO-TB-WIWWMCT-A-SDC-WIFIIQ-TAWC-BC ~ The Cost Of – Saving The Global Banking System – Has Ended Up On – The Balance Sheets Of Governments – As They Absorb The Costs Of – The Bust – Which Is Why We Mistakenly Call This – A – Sovereign Debt Crisis – When In Fact It Is A – Transmuted And Well Camouflaged – Banking Crisis

~ ‘TBTF’-‘TBTB’ ~ “Too Big To Fail” – “Too Big To Bail”

~ ISAA-STB-TWN-OOGS-TGUT ~ It’s Still All About – Saving The Banks – There Was No – Orgy Of Government Spending – To Get Us There

~ AINJ-TPOSTB-T-TPTTBWSETP ~ Austerity Is Not Just – The Price Of Saving The Banks – It’s – The Price That The Banks Want Someone Else To Pay

~ S-A-I-ITT-YCCDWMD-I-TBATPTDECATDSOPTPABUAD-T-APSWNW ~ So – Although – If – Its True That – You Cannot Cure Debt With More Debt – If – Those Being Asked To Pay The Debt Either Cannot Afford To Do So Or Perceive Their Payments As Being Unfair And Disproportionate – Then – Austerity Policies Simply Will Not Work

~ EITWND-DHLIAMEF-‘ZE’~ Economic Ideas That Will Not Die – Despite Huge Logical Inconsistencies And Massive Empirical Failures – “Zombie Economics”

~ FOUWITTP-B-WAABATPTB ~ Few Of Us Were Invited To The Party – But – We Are All Being Asked To Pay The Bill

~ A-IFAFA-PPOD-A-NAEPOA ~ Austerity – Is First And Foremost A – Political Problem Of Distribution – And – Not An Economic Problem Of Accountancy

~ F-ND-AGI ~ Facts – Never Disconfirm – A Good Ideology

~ ACFWTCFHWT-NOCHSIC-SCAN ~ A Common Refrain When The Crisis First Hit Was That – No One Could Have Seen It Coming – Such Claims Are Nonsense

~ BS-ALP(GTSAAD)-A-(V)H-I-E ~ Black Swan – A Low Probability (Given The Sample And Assumed Distribution) – And – (Very) High-Impact – Event

~ TTOAGOETWOESMAGATSAB-TMUW-WTI ~ The Theories Of A Generation Of Economic Thinkers Who Only Ever Saw Markets As Good And The State As Bad – The Models Used Were – Worse Than Inaccurate

~ NOAHNOTHATDW-TSSH-O-IM ~ Note Once Again How None Of This Has Anything To Do With – The State’s Spending Habits – Or – Individual Morality

~ TPPOFI ~ The Political Power Of Financial Ideas

~ TWCWTTSTS? ~ The World Changes While The Theory Stays The Same?

~ DET-E-A-D-D-PAEC ~ Different Economic Theories – Empower – And – Disempower – Different – Political And Economic Constituencies

~ TPWPT-TB-DH-SITG ~ The Problem Was Precisely That – The Banks – Didn’t Have – Skin In The Game

~ Systemic Risk – The Risk – That You Cannot – Diversify Away

~ TS-PAGASAFC-IDN-DAFDTPS ~ The State – Plugged A Gap And Stopped A Financial Collapse – It Did Not – Dig A Fiscal Ditch Through Profligate Spending

~ TBMHMTL-B-TCWPFT ~ The Banks May Have Made The Losses – But – The Citizenry Will Pay For Them

~ R-WSTB-C-B-FDAR-MT-B-I-TTST-AAS-RT-RAC-TRITS ~ Risks – Were Supposed To Be – Controlled – By – Financial Derivatives And Risk-Management Tools – But – Instead – These Technologies Seemed To – Amplify And Spread – Rather Than – Reduce And Control – The Risk In The System

~ TINNAM-TPIWL-STPOOL-E-ICAPIMF-AA-DPP-TI-C-R-E-B-A-ATR ~ There Is Nothing Natural About Markets – Turning People Into Wage Laborers – Securing The Private Ownership Of Land – Even – Inventing Capital And Preserving Its Monetary Form – Are All – Deeply Political Projects – That Involve – Courts – Regulation – Enforcement – Bureaucracy – And – All The Rest

~ TS:CLWI/CLWI/DWTPFI ~ The State: Can’t Live With It / Can’t Live Without It / Don’t Want To Pay For It

~ A-R-AI-IT-FABER ~ Austerity – Remains – An Ideology – Immune To – Facts And Basic Empirical Refutation

~ ADW-P-IATFRCAFCOWLL-‘EFC’-TCAEDBFOTWTAPM-O-TPSGTCW-IHIBU-CP-R-PI-MRTLD-A-A-W-IHNO-‘DWISOTT’ ~ Austerity Doesn’t Work – Period – Insofar As The Fossil Record Contains A Few Cases Of What Look Like – “Expansionary Fiscal Consolidations” – These Cases Are Either Driven By Factors Other Than What The Austerity Proponents Maintain – Or – Those Proponents Simply Get The Cases Wrong – It Has Instead Brought Us – Class Politics – Riots – Political Instability – More Rather Than Less Debt – Assassinations – And – War – It Has Never Once – “Done What It Says On The Tin”

~ A-IGIPB-TIOS-TAO-AEDOTTB ~ Austerity – Is Generated In Part By – The Inability Of Societies – To Agree On – An Equitable Distribution Of The Tax Burden

~ H-PAD-EACOTP-F-MHEIOGM ~ Having – Pumped And Dumped – Every Asset Class On The Planet – Finance – May Have Exhausted Its Own Growth Model

~ TIHWAGTDWOD-T-T-AN-A-NBAIU-WII-NBTAMDTC-WTA-A-NBDHAIB-WID-B-B-ASDW ~ This Is How We Are Going To Deal With Our Debts – Through – Taxes – And Not – Austerity – Not Because Austerity Is Unfair – Which It Is – Not Because There Are More Debtors Than Creditors – Which There Are – And – Not Because Democracy Has An Inflationary Bias – Which It Doesn’t – But – Because – Austerity Simply Doesn’t Work