Thriving too

The Best of British Pluck

2009-12-16T05:43:00+00:00

I bought this book in Wales. Who could resist a cover like this? It was published in 1976 and includes extracts from all The Boys Own Papers (B.O.P). After 1939 it went into a slow decline. The motto of the B.O.P. was, translated from its original Latin, was 'Whatever boys do makes up the mixture in this little book.' Articles on lions and how to play cricket.... create an imperialistic feel to it, completely in keeping with its times - wholesome... in a sort of High School Musical way ....

Big Picture Inspiration on How They Design Their Amazing Schools

2009-12-13T11:30:59+00:00

Tessy

How Unemployment Hurt us All

2009-12-12T22:13:47+00:00

In an article in USA Today, Thomas Sander and Robert Putnam have been highlighting some of the important key findings of new research, published by Chaeyoon Lim of the University of Wisconsin and others, into the effects of unemployment.

The findings include:

+ Unemployment badly frays a person's ties with his community, sometimes permanently.

+ Unemployed Americans are significantly less involved in their communities than their employed demographic twins.

+ The jobless are less likely to vote, petition, march, write letters to editors, or even volunteer.

+ They attend fewer meetings and serve less frequently as leaders in local organizations.

+ Sociologist Cristobal Young's research finds that the unemployed spend most of their increased free time alone.

+ High unemployment rates reduce the social and civic involvement even of those still employed.

+ Americans with jobs who live in states with high unemployment are less civically engaged than workers elsewhere. In fact, most of the civic decay in hard-hit communities is likely due not to the jobless dropping out, but to their still-employed neighbors dropping out.

+ Beyond civic disengagement, places with higher joblessness have more pervasive violence and crimes against property.

+ They have more fragile families with harsher parenting, and higher rates of mental disorder and psychological distress among both the unemployed and the employed.

+ The jobless shun socializing, shamed that their work was deemed expendable. Economic depression breeds psychological depression.

+ Above all, in afflicted communities, the contagion of psychic depression and social isolation spreads more rapidly than joblessness itself.

With unemployment in the US just toping 10% for the first time in a quarter century these findings are serious.

My life is fueled by relationships based on trust

2009-12-11T22:12:24+00:00

Andrew Zuckerman is one of my favourite artists. His latest piece on Trust is on the Anthropologist site. His book Wisdom is a treasure.

I trust my elders. I trust the Ladd Brothers. I trust my Italian grocer. I trust my tailor. I trust Locanda Vini e Olii. I trust Claire Oswalt. I trust Chiara Clemente. I trust my butcher. I trust Bill Withers. I trust short film. I trust my jewelers. I trust my architect.

My life is fueled by relationships based on trust. I need to trust the work that I make, the space I inhabit, the food I eat, the clothing I wear, the art I experience, and most importantly my collaborators in these pursuits.

Trust has never been a more valuable commodity than it is today. As transparency becomes pervasive in our lives, we are growing more and more accustomed to requiring a level of integrity and strength in our partners and what we endorse.

10 Best Jobs for Over-Forty Women

2009-12-09T11:12:00+00:00

More Magazine conducted a survey to ask women what they wanted from their jobs. They wanted autonomy and meaning.

"In a nationwide survey, we asked midlife women to define the most important elements of a great job. In addition to a good salary and benefits, you told us you want a profession with a bright future, a high level of control and a flexible schedule."

No1 - Community Service Manager

No 2 - Personal Financial Advisor

No 3 - Environmental Scientist

No 4 - Registered Nurse

No 5 - Computer Systems Manager

A Place For Change

2009-12-08T06:58:00+00:00

Promotional piece designed and written for Martha's Place, a women's drug rehab center in west Baltimore.

Teachers

2009-12-07T06:18:00+00:00

Via: Bunchberry and Fern Via: Roberto Greco Via: David Barrie

Going Outside and Doing Stuff is Good for Learning

2009-12-06T05:45:00+00:00

Institute for Applied Aesthetics has just produced a new Research Brief entitled Going Outside and Doing Stuff is Good for Learning. I love it!

Hopenhagen

2009-12-06T05:08:00+00:00

We blogged about Hopenhagen in June. Their site now has nearly 450,000 sign ups. COP15 starts in a couple of days... Fingers crossed!

Phone Box Library

2009-12-05T04:15:00+00:00

When the mobile library stopped visiting, it was a blow for the villagers of Westbury-sub-Mendip. And when they found out they could lose their beloved red phone box, there was something of an outcry.

Happily a bright spark in the Somerset village (population 800) hatched a clever plan to tackle both difficulties. Why not buy the phone box and use it to set up a mini-library?

The small but perfectly formed Westbury book box is doing a brisk trade. Adults were bringing in thrillers, romances and true-crime books, leaving them on the four wooden shelves and choosing another to take home.

Making Openness Work

2009-12-04T11:18:37+00:00

The 'Open100' competition is a celebration of the power of openness and mass collaboration. You can be part of the competition by nominating the company you think is the best open innovator. The competition will be open until 12^th February while the winners will be announced on 24^thFebruary. The winners are those who will be included in the list of the world's top 100 open companies.

The 'Open100' is brought to you by 100% Open and powered by the UK's National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA).

Don't Stop Me Now

2009-12-04T09:12:59+00:00

A documentary film by Kaspar Astrup Schroder about movement in urban space. Via: Roberto Greco

David Bailey: Portraits of The Artists

2009-12-03T09:42:43+00:00

David Bailey's portrait of Andy Warhole, from his new book Eye. For more artist portraits click on the slide show on Times Online.

Ommwriter

2009-12-02T23:48:33+00:00

Try this new writing environment software in beta.

This Emotional Life

2009-12-02T14:29:13+00:00

This Emotional Life is a three-part series that explores improving our social relationships, learning to cope with depression and anxiety, and becoming more positive, resilient individuals.

Harvard psychologist and best-selling author of Stumbling on Happiness, Professor Daniel Gilbert, talks with experts about the latest science on what makes us “tick” and how we can find support for the emotional issues we all face.

Premiering on PBS on January 4th 2010. Looks brilliant!

Their website also has some really interesting blogs.

(My) Police

2009-12-02T09:02:49+00:00

Keeping an eye on the fantastic progress being made by MyPolice.

MyPolice is an online feedback tool that enables the public and the police to have a conversation. It fosters constructive, collaborative communication between people and the Police forces which serve them.

MyPolice helps communities identify weaknesses and opportunities in Police services. In providing analysis and data for the Police to act on, MyPolice challenges policy decisions that are made and ensuring that service users have an active part in changing the Police for the better.

An Imaginative Fellow

2009-12-02T07:42:33+00:00

This is my gorgeous friend Anab Jain. I took this photo of her at the Power of 8 Open Weekend and shortly afterwards Anab was made a TEDIndia Fellow. Anab is an amazing designer, and an inspiring collaborator and I have loved working with her and all the other lovely people on the Power of 8 Project.

Here's wishing it a long and fruitful life!

Daniel Pink on Motivation

2009-12-02T07:30:00+00:00

Daniel Pink's new book is available to pre-order. Really looking forward to reading it!

"Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does—and how that affects every aspect of life. He demonstrates that while carrots and sticks worked successfully in the twentieth century, that’s precisely the wrong way to motivate people for today’s challenges. In Drive he examines the three elements of true motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose—and offers smart and surprising techniques for putting these into action. Along the way, he takes us to companies that are enlisting new approaches to motivation and introduces us to the scientists and entrepreneurs who are pointing a bold way forward."

Thank you again Dan for putting the Thriving Too link on your blog!