I have been traveling again, and noticing the individualism inherent in the US. It hits very hard after reading The Spirit Level by Wilkinson and Pickett, which shows over and over how societies (in different parts of the world) with greater inequality have greater public problems: from crime to obesity, poorer …
I have been getting ready to analyze data for some social research. Although it sounds boring, entering the data is actually an opportunity to see an overview of the responses to questions. And comments sometimes strike me as amazing. One example is the large number of people who report making …
Watching an announcement on the news today of a lowering in interest rates, the relief is palpable. ‘Back to normal.’ We can forget the crisis, people think, the worst is over, now back to regular life. But it is not so. ‘Regular life’ involves chewing up and breaking down – …
I recently had an opportunity to take a journey for which I had time to walk. It was a pleasure, although my legs disagreed about the pleasure for about three of the 20+ kilometers I walked. The walk took me five hours, in a soft rain and stopping to take …
I haven’t posted in some time, even though my travels have continued (through northern Europe now). I haven’t really stopped, although I do know I will be settling in a new city, in a few months’ time. so, I am still traveling, but with a different feeling as I am …