Our sense of self is achieved by specialized modules in the brain working in loose formation with one another in the absence of any real self at all. They make us identify the brain’s thoughts as our own, even when the cause is known to be external control of our brain via transcranial magnetic stimulation.
Lewis Lapham on the job situation in the US (ca. 2010)
During Ronald Reagan’s terms as president, the percentage of GDP accounted for by manufacturing fell from 21% to 14%, and the percentage accounted for by finance rose from 14% to 21%. As between compensations awarded to the high-end and the low-end, the differential at last count in 2009 stood at 263 to 1.
Food addiction: fact or fiction?
Author Sunny Sea Gold, who overcame binge eating disorder, does believe that people can use food just like they would alcohol, drugs, or sex. “They can become dependent on food as a distraction, as a coping mechanism, and as something they comfort themselves with.”
Some statistics on the wealth gap
400 people have as much wealth as half the US population • In 2007, the richest 1% of US households owned more than 33% of the nation’s private wealth, which is more than the combined wealth of the bottom 90 percent
On Geneen Roth’s eating guidelines
When you believe in yourself more than you believe in food, you will stop using food as if it were your only chance at not falling apart. When the shape of your body no longer matches the shape of your beliefs, the weight disappears.