Buy Nothing Day – Friday, Nov. 24th

On November 23, 2006 By Rick McIn economics, philosophy, product complaintsLeave a comment

Every November, for 24 hours, we remember that no one was born to shop. If you’ve never taken part in Buy Nothing Day, or if you’ve taken part in the past but haven’t really committed to doing it again, consider this: 2006 will go down as the year in which mainstream dialogue about global warming finally reached its critical mass. What better way to bring the Year of Global Warming to a close than to point in the direction of real alternatives to the unbridled consumption that has created this quagmire?

Buy Nothing Day – ADBUSTERS.ORG

Not sure about the tie-in with global warming, but I support Buy Nothing Day because of my philosophy of voluntary simplicity.

movie – Munich

On November 9, 2006 By Rick McIn books, government, Islam, movies, philosophyLeave a comment

Just saw the film Munich , the Hollywood version of the story of Israeli retaliation after the kidnapping and murder of 11 athletes at the 1972 Olympics.

Steven Spielberg directed and the quality is excellent.

I thought it was remarkably unbiased. Both the Palestinian terrorists and the amateur Israeli retaliation team are shown as people, not heroes or villains.

Spielberg focuses on “the cyclic nature of revenge and the moral price of violence”.

Everyone is a loser in this film.

I might have liked the movie better if I had not read the book on which it is based, Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by George Jonas.

Jonas attempted to document the true story of one of the Israelis, Yuval Aviv, who is played by Eric Bana in the movie.

In the book the assassinations of people on a list who may or may not be involved in Munich was much uglier than in the film.

Well … the movie is “inspired by the true story”. The book criticized as being inaccurate regarding the true story. The facts are muddled.

But one thing is clear to everyone. Assassination and counter-assassination do not work, long-term.

I recommend both film and book.

book – advice on escaping

On October 28, 2006 By Rick McIn books, philosophy, travelLeave a comment

Everyone is raving about Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel.

More a philosophy book than than travel guide, Rolf Potts urges that “anyone with an adventurous spirit can achieve the feat of taking extended time off from work to experience the world.”

(via World Hum)

the end of the world in your lifetime?

On October 25, 2006 By Rick McIn philosophyLeave a comment

Stephen Hawking is worried. He’s been asking around how mankind can survive another hundred years or more.

What’s your guestimate on our longevity as a species?

keep your voicemail message short

On October 23, 2006 By Rick McIn philosophyLeave a comment

“Giddy-up.”

That’s all you need. It worked for Cosmo Kramer and it will work for you.

Life is short.

Thanks Dana.

Dalai Lama defends Islam

On October 19, 2006 By Rick McIn Islam, philosophyLeave a comment

The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, has warned against portraying Islam as a religion of violence, saying Muslims have been wrongly demonized in the West since the Sept. 11 attacks.

Promoting religious tolerance, the world’s most influential Buddhist leader said Sunday that talk of “a clash of civilizations between the West and the Muslim world is wrong and dangerous.” Terrorist attacks have distorted people’s views of Islam, making them believe it is an extremist faith rather than one based on compassion, the Dalai Lama told a press conference in the Indian capital.

All religions have extremists and “it is wrong to generalize (about Muslims),” the 71-year-old spiritual leader said. “They (terrorists) cannot represent the whole system,” he said.

Muslims Have Been Wrongly Demonized in West: Dalai Lama

how to get things done

On October 10, 2006 By Rick McIn philosophy, product endorsementsLeave a comment

Life would be simple if you could list tasks by priority and check them off one-by-one. I admire those who try.

In reality, getting things done is more complicated:

1) Context – Where are you? What tools are available? What are the limits and possibilities unique to this moment?

2) Time available – Do you have, for example, 30 seconds, 30 minutes, or 30 hours available to you right now? What tasks could you accomplish given the time you have?

3) Energy available – Are you full of energy, is your ass dragging, or are you somewhere in between? Which of the tasks on your list could you finish, given that energy level?

4) Priority – If you had access to all the tools, opportunities, time, and energy you needed, what’s the most important or time-sensitive thing you could do right now?

Check the excellent 43 folders website: GTD: Priorities don’t exist in a vacuum

life’s too short for the wrong job

On October 8, 2006 By Rick McIn humour, philosophyLeave a comment

Preaching to my choir with this innovative ad campaign.

Thanks George.

book – Scream And Run Naked

On October 2, 2006 By Rick McIn books, philosophy, travel, travel IndiaLeave a comment

The perfect book for Rick McCharles?

An author friend strongly recommended Scream And Run Naked – Lessons from a Neurotic’s Journey to Nepal by Alison Arnold.

It’s on the top of my “to read” list.

missed Burning Man … again

On September 18, 2006 By Rick McIn humour, philosophy, travelLeave a comment

In 2005 I planned ahead to finally get to the world’s craziest festival.

But … maybe it’s too late to ride a bicycle nude as performance art. Everyone’s already done it.

My travel logistics to the middle of the desert were too challenging. And attending this anti-commercial spectacle is really expensive. I did not go.

But here are a few photos of 2006 for the armchair travellers like myself.

Burning Man Photo Results, Sort Of – Gadling