I should be working (1). Anyway, I am sure some of the readers (singular? plural?) of this blog will have had the experience of trying to explain that there are in fact limits - ecological, social, cognitive, physical, to someone who just denies it all and says, oh, you know the drill "limitless capacity for... Continue Reading →
Laughing at the end of the world… Earthdoom!!
You really do have to have a laugh. And this looks like it might provide some... Arrived today, via the wonders of abebooks
Reading headlines, and pushing back
Long before we scrolled, we skimmed. The headlines are supposed to give you the story "in a nutshell". That and the first sentence, that is there to tell you who did what when, where and 'why'. Except of course, it's always more complicated than that - but these are the myths journalists like to believe... Continue Reading →
Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, godlike technology – what could possibly go wrong?
The real problem of humanity is the following: We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions and godlike technology. And it is terrifically dangerous. E.O. Wilson Am so in love with this quote. Yes, yes, the dangers of mystifying class relations by harkening back to our hominid ancestry. Blah blah 'it's not the anthropocene, it's the capitolocene' blah blah.... Continue Reading →
Cortisol, long-term stress (versus “one and done”) and brain architecture
On Saturday, at a wedding, talking - as you do - about cortisol levels in people in long-term stressful situations and brain architecture. Pushback from a none-too-bright ideologue (no, seriously) who tried to evade questions about their position/experience (always a sign, that), and had some, ah, odd, ideas about how fear and negative stimuli work... Continue Reading →
“Cognitohazards”, fnords and things that would fry your brain… #Climatechange
Short post: should be working. Lunch yesterday with an old friend (my oldest in the UK?). Found myself ranting (cough, cough) about the lies we need to tell ourselves to get through the day/up the greasy poles etc. "If you woke up every morning saying to yourself 'I am a basically powerless individual living in... Continue Reading →
The kids are not alright, alright? I blame… the ‘adults’, and ‘the system’ (man)
Another on-the-fly post because I need to be working. Three immediate things Anxiety referrals through the roof for kids - Guardian reports NHS referrals for anxiety in children more than double pre-Covid levels ‘Jaw-dropping’ number of children in England with anxiety shocks even professionals Second - someone who tweets up a necessary storm about climate... Continue Reading →
“COP This!” – Climate activist publication from December 2000 abt COP-6 at The Hague
Just a nice bit of history, from a generation ago.... Can't say we didn't know...
Being 15 – sweet innocent and underprotected, or Evil Mastermind Who Deserves Damnation? #Adultification #WhiteSkinPrivilege
Short post, because should be working. Kirstie Allsop, who is some sort of television presenter (1) is being hauled over the coals because she let her 15 year old son go interrailing with his older brother (or someone older, I can't be bothered to read beyond the headlines) Some (e.g. Ally Fogg) are suggesting this... Continue Reading →
Metaphors for thinking about power: the tug of war
You can come up with all the elaborate diagrams and schema you like for thinking and talking about power. They'll definitely be read by reviewers one and two (it is always reviewer two, innit?). And once it's published in some paywalled journal it will be read by, ooh, a dozen or so other people. World-changing.... Continue Reading →