Videos of note

When ideas have sex. Matt Ridley on Ted talks. Explains the huge growth in prosperity in relation to the propensity of human beings to exchange things. Such trade allows for specialisation which facilitates increased productivity. [I would focus more on the capacity of human cooperation to transform production].

Americans need to work less. Juliet Schor on Big Think. The author of Plenitude argues that Americans would benefit from working shorter hours – particularly when there are 26m unemployed. So far so good but she fails to clearly draw out that shorter working hours mean lower living standards unless there is sufficient productivity growth. Ironically she ends up implying that Americans should work more even though she does not acknowledge it. Instead of doing long hours for an employer she wants to see people growing their own vegetables, raising chickens and generating electricity off the grid.

Obesity + hunger = 1 global food issue. Ellen Gustafson on Ted talks. A co-founder of the Feed Foundation argues that global obesity and global hunger should be seen as equivalent problems. This contention is in poor taste. Eating too much cake, whatever its health consequences, is not equivalent to not having enough food.