Living With Less. A Lot Less.

Information isn't knowledge. And information that is fast and cheap, like fast, cheap food, isn't nourishing. But it is hyper-stimulating. And so it is, really, terrifying.The bottom line seems to be that we know too much, understand too little and we are way too scared of what we might be missing.

Intuitively, we know that the best stuff in life isn’t stuff at all, and that relationships, experiences and meaningful work are the staples of a happy life.

I like material things as much as anyone. I studied product design in school. I’m into gadgets, clothing and all kinds of things. But my experiences show that after a certain point, material objects have a tendency to crowd out the emotional needs they are meant to support.

I wouldn’t trade a second spent wandering the streets of Bangkok with Olga for anything I’ve owned. Often, material objects take up mental as well as physical space.

TOPIC: Political Neutrality

The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints issued the following statement Tuesday:

We congratulate President Obama on winning a second term as President of the United States.

After a long campaign, this is now a time for Americans to come together. It is a long tradition among Latter-day Saints to pray for our national leaders in our personal prayers and in our congregations. We invite Americans everywhere, whatever their political persuasion, to pray for the President, for his administration and the new Congress as they lead us through difficult and turbulent times. May our national leaders reflect the best in wisdom and judgment as they fulfill the great trust afforded to them by the American people.

We also commend Governor Romney for engaging at the highest level of our democratic process, which, by its nature, demands so much of those who offer themselves for public service. We wish him and his family every success in their future endeavors.

Green Peace.

"What happens when ideas interact and procreate?

The initial inkling of ideas become a fully formed work of art."

In so far as the learner was in Error, and now receives the Truth and with it the condition for understanding it, a change takes place within him like the change from non-being to being

Cliches that are true.

Thanks Amy Wiseman.

Jack Kerouac- Over active plot.

“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one

falling star to another until I drop.

I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.”

Container ships collide off the coast of Shenzhen, next to Hong Kong.

So this is what it looks like when two 10,000-ton vessels smush into each other. Last Saturday two cargo ships collided near the port of Shenzhen, most likely as a result of heavy fog. This particular collision luckily resulted in no casualties or oil leakage, just some nasty-looking hull damage.

Eventually Everything Connects

"There is no conflict between a belief in true science and a belief in the true God.

If there is an apparent conflict, then science is wrong;

the concept of God is wrong; or both are wrong or are incomplete.

Truth cannot be incompatible with truth."

Stephen Hawking and the experience of God: Article

Separate emotion from reality.

Natural Step Progressions

Trust the order. I like the order of Enjoy.

Glitter Bomb-age.

An unidentified gay rights activist glitter bombed Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney today during a campaign rally in Eagan, Minnesota. As Mitt took the stage at a warehouse bash, the activist tossed a cup of joyous glitter on the former Massachusetts governor. "The glitter poured over his hair, stuck to his face and shimmered from his navy blazer," breathlessly reports The Washington Post. For those not in the know, glitter bombing is a spectacular tactic used by gay rights and same-sex marriage advocates against.

(I THINK IT'S PRETTY DAMN FUNNY!)

The way we look at things.

(same waters, different boats.)

Some people complain that books are too expensive. Well, you have to see what you're comparing it to. Chinese books cost about 30RMB on the average -- that's a pack of average quality cigarettes, a cup of coffee, a set meal, a cab ride, half of a cinema ticket, or a third of a pizza. Some people can afford to smoke, drink coffee, go to the cinema, but say they're too poor to read. It only goes to show they don't like reading enough.

India overtakes China, it now has world's most polluted air.

India's overall EPI ranking is worse than China's, with the world's biggest democracy coming in at 125th out of 132 while China fares are a little better at 116th. In a narrative all too similar to the situation in China, The New York Times' India Ink blog reports that the pollution is affecting smaller cities in addition to major urban centers, with the growing number of vehicles being the main cause of the worsening air quality. And as with China, India's continued reliance on coal as an energy source is also cited as a major contributor to India having the worst air pollution in the world.