brave new world

Joan Martinez-Alier, writing in 2025:

Instead of counting in money, it was more sensible to count sometimes in calories and sometimes in hours of work, and sometimes not to count at all. Instead of working for the market, it was better to work for family, friends, neighbours and communities. Reciprocity and redistribution were preferable, socially and ecologically, to the unlimited expansion of the generalized market system. Was it Herman Daly or Leonardo Boff who in the bad old times reminded us: 'Our blessings cannot be counted in money'?

research from my last paper of this term (yay). 2025 sounds like a good time (but i'm not sure how counting in calories would work exactly. very intriguing though).

the spirit of giving

those of you looking for gifts during the holiday season (or at any time in fact) may like to check out this site http://www.changingthepresent.org/

as gifts to your friends and family, you can buy toys for sick children, hire lawyers to free prisoners, provide micro-loans to women or counselling to cancer patients. what a great concept: 'changing the present, one gift at a time'. it is, indeed, the thought that counts.

closer to home: http://www.changingthepresent.org/nonprofits/show/204

please spread the word.

new projects

so i started working on a new lesson at work yesterday--about constitutionalism, with particular reference to thailand; its 1997 constitution and the recent military coup. i am excited, i know very little about constitutionalism, and am ready to immerse myself in a v dicey, federalist papers and more.

elaborating on the theme of constitutionalism and the rule of law, i will also be working on a research project covering other asian countries until mid january.

another topic that is fascinating me at present is the idea of green taxes (check out this link for more info). in fact, i'm thinking this could be what i want to write my thesis on..

all in all, i have some great food for thought. i just have to finish up with boring exams and assignments before i can jump into all this!

(i have to add however, that it is always the ideas and research part that interests me more than the actual working on stuff ; )

alone

despite the fact that i live with my family (five/six other people to be exact), i feel increasingly alone. in fact, i feel more alone when i'm with them than when i'm not. linked to this is a sense of alienation as well..

this can't be normal.

birthday again

today i went in to work, where i got gifts, a cake and more wishes.

work makes me feel spoilt; it is where i have professional standing, where i feel loved, and where i have the freedom to work (in terms of both content and logistics) largely as i please.

in many ways, i started grad school to get away from work, to try something new. and yet, i enjoy my work more now than before. i look forward to that one day in the week when i will be at the office.

life is strange. in a good way.