Travels etc.

On 18/11/2014 I stumbled upon this newspaper cover: There is a report in the newspaper regarding situation in Central Coast, NSW. In a snapshot it is: - 7.4% unemployment - 28% youth unemployment - 1753 businesses lost in 5 years - 2000(!) homeless people - 12 years waiting time for public housing I see an interesting opportunity here - a project to convince those unemployed and homeless people to build housing and infrastructure around it for those 2000 in need (which for homeless would be effectively building places to live for themselves) and to reduce waiting time from 12 years to a number of years required to build a house/unit. There are obvious benefits: Provide housing for those in need - great opportunity for those who appreciate good causes and charity.  Employ people who are possibly financially dependent at the moment, because they are unemployed/homeless - that would also make them learn new trade, broaden their knowledge and increase their confidenc...

Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin My rating: 2 of 5 stars I heard about this book a while ago and recently the time has come to read it. It looks like a set of posts randomly compiled to make a book. The little bits of information that are helpful in regards to "tribes" seem to be buried under the thick layer of sometimes quite controversial examples and conclusions. However the book is considered as inspirational by many. View all my reviews

Questions and Answers: Property Law by Laura-Leigh Cameron-Dow My rating: 4 of 5 stars Very good book for everybody interested in Australian law. The format is very convenient to understand how different principles are applied and what steps to follow when working on particular matters regarding property. It would be good if the book also contained Q&A in regards to strata titles from legal perspective, because this area is very poorly implemented and controlled at the moment. View all my reviews

I like the idea of experiential knowledge: "I have specifically gone out with PhDs, MDs, JDs, [and] CEOs because I have always thought they were out of my league. Thinking they are so much smarter than I am because of a degree. I really wanted to know what makes them tick and what makes them better than I am. I have slept with all of them. I learned they are no different than a mechanic or factory worker; they just have more money. - heterosexual woman, age 42"

Have just completed a very interesting online course about US constitutional concepts, how it has been developed and different perspectives of its content and interpretations in regards to law. Professor Kermit Roosevelt provides several controversial points of view on constitutional topics with judges decisions and history in regards to it. In the context of contemporary chatter about freedom, democracy etc. this course should be able to help making an informed opinion based on existing knowledge and research up to date. The course is provided by University of Pennsylvania , in my opinion it's one of the best universities in the area of free online (MOOC) education so far. Course info .

I was walking down the street to get to work. My first working day in Australia. As I didn't know how the public transport work and merely out of curiosity I decided to walk from the place we stayed in Chippendale to The Rocks. Everything looked completely unusual to me. On the day we arrived to Australia, we went to try Thai restaurant which was near our hotel. Looking at the menu without any knowledge of what it is - apart from word "noodles" - we chose some dish. "Is it spicy?" we asked. "No, not spicy at all!" was the answer. When we brought it home and started eating tears ran out of my eyes! Then I thought - what is "spicy" then? With that experience in mind I walked past the numerous Asian eateries that populate George Street starting from Central Station and up to Town Hall. I was thinking what would I eat here? At that time I didn't know that "hotel" doesn't always mean accommodation, but a place to eat in...