What I'm Grateful For (November 28, 2013) In the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are a few things I'm grateful for: 1. Dirt 2. Rain 3. Our home garden (not yet illegal except if you want to grow food in your front yard)
4. Frugality
5. Pirate movies
6. Bicycles
7. Friends
8. Homemade cookies
9. Sunsets (photo taken from Julia Pfeiffer Burns State park campsite)
10. BBQs
11. Golden Gate Bridge
12. Wu-shu
13. Leonardo Da Vinci (my brother at Da Vinci's tomb in France)
14. Hawaii
15. Camping in national parks (Glacier National Park, during our recent camping trip)
16. Photos that remind us that youth is wasted on the young (me at 21, Laie, Hawaii, photo by Ian Lind)
17. Parodies
18. My fellow bloggers and writers 19. My readers, correspondents, subscribers and financial supporters 20. "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."
The Nearly Free University and The Emerging Economy: The Revolution in Higher Education Reconnecting higher education, livelihoods and the economy With the soaring cost of higher education, has the value a college degree been turned upside down? College tuition and fees are up 1000% since 1980. Half of all recent college graduates are jobless or underemployed, revealing a deep disconnect between higher education and the job market.
It is no surprise everyone is asking: Where is the return on investment? Is the assumption that higher education returns greater prosperity no longer true? And if this is the case, how does this impact you, your children and grandchildren?
The Nearly Free University and the Emerging Economy clearly describes the underlying dynamics at work - and, more importantly, lays out a new low-cost model for higher education: how digital technology is enabling a revolution in higher education that dramatically lowers costs while expanding the opportunities for students of all ages. The Nearly Free University and the Emerging Economy provides clarity and optimism in a period of the greatest change our educational systems and society have seen, and offers everyone the tools needed to prosper in the Emerging Economy.
Read the Foreword, first section and the Table of Contents.
Things are falling apart--that is obvious. But why are they falling apart? The reasons are complex and global. Our economy and society have structural problems that cannot be solved by adding debt to debt. We are becoming poorer, not just from financial over-reach, but from fundamental forces that are not easy to identify. We will cover the five core reasons why things are falling apart: 1. Debt and financialization 2. Crony capitalism 3. Diminishing returns 4. Centralization 5. Technological, financial and demographic changes in our economy Complex systems weakened by diminishing returns collapse under their own weight and are replaced by systems that are simpler, faster and affordable. If we cling to the old ways, our system will disintegrate. If we want sustainable prosperity rather than collapse, we must embrace a new model that is Decentralized, Adaptive, Transparent and Accountable (DATA). We are not powerless. Once we accept responsibility, we become powerful.
Kindle: $9.95
print: $24
"This guy is THE leading visionary on reality.
He routinely discusses things which no one else has talked about, yet,
turn out to be quite relevant months later."
Subscribers ($5/mo) and contributors of $50 or more
this year will receive a
weekly email of exclusive (though not necessarily coherent) musings and amusings.
At readers' request, there is also a $10/month option.
What subscribers are saying about the Musings
(Musings samples here):
The "unsubscribe" link is for when you find the usual drivel here
insufferable.
All content, HTML coding, format design, design elements and images copyright © 2013 Charles Hugh Smith, All rights reserved in all media, unless otherwise credited or noted. I am honored if you link to this essay, or print a copy for your own use.
Terms of Service:
|
Add oftwominds.com |