Go Ahead, Live the Good Life

We all want a comfortable life and why not? Many people see the good life as a consumerist dream, but there’s no need for that. Here’s a nice article exploring ways to make the most of the world.

On waking

With less time spent working, the choice is yours — sleep in, go for a run, read a novel. Having rediscovered the real meaning of a good life, previously overconsuming rich countries have now cured most cases of work addiction. In this “downshifted” world the phrase “rush hour” has become a half-remembered curio. Our society has begun to get the hang of how computing and IT can make for smart work, rather than generate slave work.

Those choosing the early morning run enjoy fresh air and clear paths as dramatic reductions in traffic have transformed city air and streets.

100 Things We Didn’t Know Until 2007

bbc logo100 things we didn’t know last year is a year-end list put together by the BBC, and it’s a fun list. I read all 100!

Some selections from the list:

1. Coach travel is the safest form of road transport in the country.
6. Dishcloths are purged of 99% of their bacteria during two minutes in a microwave.
26. Harvesting rhubarb in candlelight helps preserve its flavour.
35. Denmark is the happiest country in Europe; Italy the unhappiest. (The UK was 9th out of 15.)
54. The Australian town of Eucla has its own time zone.
74. Sheffield FC is the world’s oldest football club.
91. In Iceland, 96% of women go to university.

Movies That Make Life Feel Good

CNN has a neat list of the top 10 life-affirming movie moments. The list is not focused on just cheesy feel-good movies, it also lists movies that have appeal separate from the feel-goodery. From It’s a Wonderful Life to Blade Runner.

From heartwarming classics to instant blockbusters, these are the on-screen scenes that never fail to fill you with joie de vivre.

Help Save the Planet in 10 Ways

There are so many ways to save the planet that people get overwhelmed, for those of you who are lost in the goodness please keep reading. HowStuffWorks has posted a basic list of ten things you can do to save the planet.

The list is rather simple as it includes things like recycling (who doesn’t?) and not buying bottled water.

It’s good to remind ourselves that there are simple everyday things we can do to protect the planet.

Now for the Good News

Steve tells us about how The Reason has an article about how life has improved for the majority of people around the world. Despite the nay-sayers, things are good!

These improvements haven’t been restricted to the United States. It’s a global phenomenon. Worldwide, life expectancy has more than doubled, from 31 years in 1900 to 67 years today. India’s and China’s infant mortalities exceeded 190 per 1,000 births in the early 1950s; today they are 62 and 26, respectively. In the developing world, the proportion of the population suffering from chronic hunger declined from 37 percent to 17 percent between 1970 and 2001 despite a 83 percent increase in population. Globally average annual incomes in real dollars have tripled since 1950. Consequently, the proportion of the planet’s developing-world population living in absolute poverty has halved since 1981, from 40 percent to 20 percent. Child labor in low income countries declined from 30 percent to 18 percent between 1960 and 2003.

(On a personal note I find it ironic that the article teaser says “mankind.” This is saying that only half of the world’s population has improved. Apparently women have been left behind.)

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