Head Out Of The Sand

04/06/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Q2m_mCIrQY

And if this version gets censored in a hurry, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycN3mVW1fow (with french subtitles).

Yes it is scary out there but I really hope that more and more of us will be looking at facts so we can grow some awareness and stir ourselves out of this mess before it is too late.

We can do better, we must do better and open our (and more) eyes!

03/06/2020

https://sites.google.com/view/crossroads-opportunity/home

Crossroads, our sister project, is to be linked to HOOTS from now on. There are things to do, minds to open, brains to connect, all out there waiting for us. Why not have a peek ?

Get more people to recognise the alternative(s) to the -not so good- "only way we know"; to see that we've come to a junction, and to make informed decisions now, while we have the opportunity.

27/05/2020

https://twitter.com/PikettyLeMonde?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Here's to re-thinking our economy a little.
Because if we can "create" money to save banks and to inject into the economy, that shows it is possible to do what needs to be done. As simply as this is put, The idea remains: it is a matter of decision! So why not ?

26/05/2020

https://www.sapienship.co/activities/community

Some concepts to consider. And share, why not ?

Born in Haifa, Israel, in 1976, Harari received his PhD from the University of Oxford in 2002, and is currently a lecturer at the Department of History, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. As of the end of 2018, his books have sold 19 Million copies worldwide.

23/05/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFdUtCAXAUM&feature=youtu.be
I found this gem, here. It is really short (2min).
I would advise going straight to 0:40 and taking a second on the questions raised in this second part.
WHY do we buy what we buy ? WHAT makes us who we are ? Who made You ?

From the "Introducing Sociology" DVD www.onlineclassroom.tv

22/05/2020

https://growingleaders.com/blog/nihilism-with-a-smile/

For every time you or anyone you know has been wondering what life is about. Is this the price of freedom ? Is that what we get to when we have more time to think ? It is overwhelming for sure.
Well, WHY ? Why does life seem so empty for some of us ?
Is it worth looking into it, why are we doing what we do ? Why do we chase money, the perfect house, the shiny car, the good looking partner, etc...
Of course that's not every one's case but at the end of the day, if we generalise, what is it we really want ?
What does Human crave ?

1shares Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn In our work with students, I am experiencing more teens and twenty-somethings who, by default or design, are leaning toward nihilism as a worldview. I thought it would be wise to offer a “heads up” in case you begin to spot this sour perspectiv...

21/05/2020

Hi and welcome to HOOTS!

Heads Out Of The Sand is all about awareness. It’s about people questioning and looking around them, around us, facing out towards the world.

This awareness is not taught at school so it seems we have to learn by ourselves. Thankfully, information is available. It might be hard to source, hard to decipher at times, or just totally drown in a tide of irrelevant news.

Why bother ? It doesn’t exactly sound like fun.
Well, for the same reason it’s important to vote, for example (as un-fun as that may be). Being aware, involved, thinking critically are all crucial to being in control of our lives, being responsible citizens. Following blindly is perilous.
Unsure why ? Ask History.

There are issues in our world. And we believe this world is made of a mix of people who are and aren’t aware of them, those who care, others not so much, those who do and those who don’t have time or energy to think about it, those who’d like to do better, and those who’d rather stick their heads in the sand.

What HOOTS would love to achieve is raising awareness about these big and small issues. Most of them, you’re probably familiar with. If any cause is already close to your heart, you’ll know how crucial raising awareness is.
Whichever way we look at it, knowledge is the first step. For few of us (and that's a wild guess) would ever try to fix something without knowing it is broken.

The twist is where we hope to put more brains in motion and dig to the roots of our problems. In other words: to know HOW to fix stuff, we want to know WHY it doesn’t work.
And we ‘ll keep on asking WHY ?, getting heads away from the ground and looking around at just about 360 degrees.

This is dedicated to those who want to do better. Get in touch! Help us share knowledge that matters! Or visit https://sites.google.com/view/crossroads-opportunity/home and check out our sister project, there.

17/05/2020

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF8jUDzz5bE
If you have 30 minutes to spare, have a look here.
Consumerism characterises the era we're in. Sure we're only specks in the big picture but buying differently is one thing we can do.
Looking away is not good enough. What REALLY is the impact of buying less, but buying fairer ?

Sometimes we have no choice, we work till dawn. When you work all night you become dizzy and your eyes hurt because you can't take any breaks. SANTA'S WORKSH...

15/05/2020

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/may/15/people-are-more-scared-of-hunger-coronavirus-is-just-one-more-threat-in-nigeria

While we focus on home sports, mainstream news conveniently forgets about the rest of the world. Yet is it fair for first world countries to do so ? Who has an option to make things change ?

The pandemic has left many people in Orile, Lagos state, struggling for survival – and compounded the risks of the area’s heavily polluted air and water supply

06/05/2020

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200331-covid-19-how-will-the-coronavirus-change-the-world

A look into the deeper reasons, and brilliantly summarising why the context matters.

"Hopefully we will use this crisis to rebuild, produce something better and more humane. But we may slide into something worse." Simon Mair

Could the huge shifts in our way of life being introduced as part of the fight against Covid-19 pave the way for a more humane economy?

06/05/2020

https://www.ft.com/content/19d90308-6858-11ea-a3c9-1fe6fedcca75

Yuval N. Harari on the importance of decisions taken in times of crisis.
This article focuses on surveillance but the explanation of Why these matter and How they can quickly get out of hand, applies to many other areas.

"A collective paralysis has gripped the international community. There seem to be no adults in the room."

This storm will pass. But the choices we make now could change our lives for years to come

06/05/2020

https://www.businessinsider.com.au/coronavirus-created-new-dictator-emboldens-authoritarians-worldwide-2020-4?r=US&IR=T

One thing any crisis is good for: Quick, radical changes. As for the consequences... We'll see later.

(See also, https://balkaninsight.com/2020/03/31/hungary-no-longer-a-democracy-after-coronavirus-law/ for a closer view)

The coronavirus pandemic has morphed Hungary into a full-blown authoritarian state, as autocratic leaders around the world are exploiting panic and fear surrounding the virus to consolidate power and dismantle democracy, according to experts.

06/05/2020

https://www.fastcompany.com/90482264/this-could-get-orwellian-really-fast-covid-19-could-end-privacy-as-we-know-it

Is privacy still a thing ? And who is in charge in those situations ?

As countries scramble to respond to the pandemic, many have turned to surveillance in the name of public health. But when does tracking people’s movements go too far?

03/05/2020

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/18/world/asia/hong-kong-arrests.html

While the number of new cases and deaths are waived in our faces like a piece of red fabric, democracy takes a hit. Will Covid-19 be the perfect occasion to deal more "efficiently" with anti-government and activists in general - while everyone conveniently looks away ?

Rarely have so many prominent pro-democracy figures — over a dozen — been arrested at once. The arrests signaled a broader crackdown on the antigovernment movement that roiled the semiautonomous city last year.

03/05/2020

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/26/life-after-coronavirus-pandemic-change-world

Pandemics and crises in general tend to shape our word. Although the consequences are fairly dramatic, what about thinking of Covid-19 as an opportunity ?

Pandemics have always shaped cities – and from increased surveillance to ‘de-densification’ to new community activism, Covid-19 is doing it already

03/05/2020

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/09/blindsided-how-coronavirus-felled-the-global-economy-in-100-days

A little something to think about. While the whole world is glued to its billions of screens, checking out the latest official numbers on Coronavirus, not much is said about the economy, about the side effects of the pandemic.
Are the collateral damages enough to make us all think about the pillars of that economy ? What exactly are its foundations ?

A singular event has economists asking the same questions as everyone else: how far is there to fall – and can we ever get back?