The Official Website of Michael Corthell

  Library of Things(LOT) A Library of Things is any collection of objects loaned, and any organization that practices such loaning. Objects often include kitchen appliances, tools, gardening equipment, seeds, electronics, toys and games, art, science kits, craft supplies, musical instruments, and recreational equipment. Especially appropriate are objects that are useful occasionally but cumbersome to store, such as specialized cookware or niche technology items. Collections vary widely but go far beyond the books, journals, and media that have been the primary focus of traditional libraries. The Library of Things movement is a growing trend in public, academic and special libraries in many countries. There are also free-standing organizations separate from libraries, such as tool libraries , toy libraries , community sharing centers, independent non-profits, and individual initiatives. The Share Shed (Totnes, UK) is developing the first mobile Library of Things. Collections are often s

Rapidly moving away from fossil fuels and toward renewable clean energy is an imperative from now on. (See  2021ClimateReport ) by Michael Corthell The quality of life for all people on Earth will be raised and enhanced immeasurably when all people have access to the best products and services, education, healthcare, transportation, housing, and energy systems that our civilization can provide. This commitment must come sooner, rather than later to save our environment and our race.  We have the technology to begin implementing this new economy now. We only need the will to do so...    Global problems faced by mankind today are impacting individuals and nations rapidly. Climate change , famine, war, epidemics of deadly diseases, and environmental pollution contribute to the long list of global challenges we, as humans, need to promptly address before an eventual catastrophe swiftly becomes inevitable. By some estimates, we have less than ten years to get our act together. Regar

by Michael Corthell There are, of course, many kinds of pleasure and pleasures in life. From the way we experience walking hand in hand along the beach with our children, to the completion of a work project or hobby, as well as the pure physical pleasure of conjugal relations. Pleasure can be viewed as just thoughts, feelings or actions that make us 'feel good'. For the purpose of this writing I am going to speak to hedonism and utilitarianism .  Both are similar belief/practice systems. Seeking pleasure as one's highest aim is the common theme in both, however. ''Pleasure and freedom from pain, are the only things desirable as ends.'' —John Stuart Mill The simple definition of hedonism is self-serving pleasure for the sake of itself. Hedonists equate pleasure with utility . They believe that pleasure is the master of all humankind, and acts as the ultimate life goal. There is very little more to say about it except to say that people are fr

by Alan Watts [on spiritual awaking] - So be careful of that. Jung calls it inflation; people who get the 'holy man syndrome.' That I’ve suddenly discovered that I’m the lord and that I am above good and evil and so on. And that therefore I start giving myself airs and graces.  But the point is that everybody else is too. If you discover that you’re there you ought to know that everyone else is. Well, for example, let’s see how in other ways you might realize this. Most people think when they open their eyes and look around, that what they are seeing is outside, it seems doesn’t it that you are behind your eyes. And that behind the eyes there is a blank that you can’t see at all; you turn around and you see something in front of you. But behind the eyes, there seems to be something that has no color, it isn’t dark, and it isn’t light. It’s there from a tactile standpoint; you can feel it with your fingers, although you don’t get inside it. Well than what is it that’s behind yo

The United States is home to five of the world’s 10 largest defense contractors, and American companies account for 57 percent of total arms sales by the world’s 100 largest defense contractors, based on SIPRI data. The global rise was driven partially by a $9.6 billion hike in U.S. arms expenditure – the United States is the world’s largest defense spender by a wide margin. Though it is yet unclear what the growing arms investments will mean for international relations, major defense contractors around the world stand to benefit.  MORE Now let’s look at the biggest defense contractors on the BGOV200 . It’s a lot of familiar faces, but there’s been notable movement year-over-year. Raytheon’s merger with United Technologies Inc. pushed the company to the number two slot, while Analytic Services Inc. jumped 8 spots from the previous year, thanks in part to the Army’s $7.1 billion Covid-19 expenditure. These are the top 10 largest defense contractors on the 2021 BGOV200 list: -Lockheed

  ''Many of us are sensing that 'normal' just isn't coming back. The human race is being transformed by a new normal that is alive and awakened ― a new kind of global society, with a new relationship to the earth, a new experience of knowing what being human actually is and what humanity can become.''

by Michael Corthell Many have now just started to sense an important change in global thinking: a paradigm shift. That shift, a shift in global consciousness that many of us are feeling is the spiritual age of humankind. Contributing to the likelihood of this new age is the fact that the scientific community is loosening its long-standing grip on rigid materialism and reductionism in favor of an all-inclusive quantum reality in which everything is made of the same thing. These changes are moving human spiritual consciousness toward a 'we' oneness and universal state, and away from the 'I' and 'me' consciousness that has trapped humankind's spiritual growth. Looking back through history, one can clearly see that the world has undergone many epic events that have tipped civilizations upside down and replaced them with new ones, with new morals and new belief systems. Although it doesn't show up clearly in the mainstream media today, it appe