Dogs close to the ground survive longer - Robynne Raye's Winnie and Conan share low overhead; Modern Dog is a survivor. (photo by Brent R. Smith)



Modern Dog was started during a recession, so I'm not afraid. I'm hoping that companies turn to smaller sized studios for design work. Lower overhead = lower design fees. - Robynne Raye, Designer, Seattle (moderndog.com)

Furnace Creek Inn at Death Valley, CA: harsh beauty. (photo by Terry Lee Stone)



I arrived here after a long, dull, 6-hour drive from Los Angeles, which I endured because a dear friend was getting married out in the middle of nowhere. Suddenly, there it was: an oasis in the middle of the dessert. After a while, I noticed how beautiful Death Valley really was, a bold and adventurous spot, not the creepy dust bowl I thought it was. But to see this, I had to slow down, readjust and be in the moment. That's my silver lining: learning to see a different kind of beauty. - Terry Lee Stone, Writer, Los Angeles (terryleestone.com)

Time permits introspection. (photo by Jerry Burns/Atlanta)



I'm taking a bit more time to be present with people, to inquire deeper, to open up. Maybe in fearful times and situations we can see ourselves in others more clearly. I spend less money and need less. I work harder but can now catch myself when I start spinning. I know myself better. - Maxey Andress, Designer/Artist, Atlanta (maxey@comcast.net)

George Goodwin, 91, has walked this road before.



George Goodwin was born in 1917. He has lived through the Great Depression and every recession of the 20th century. A Pulitzer Prize winner in 1948 and one of the key figures in Atlanta's rise in the 60s and 70s, in this town George is legend. Over lunch with my good friend and mentor, I asked him what advice he had to offer about getting through tough times. His response exhibited his legendary brevity and wit: "Relax. And keep the Democrats in office."

A chocolate rainstorm would be sweet.



Large amounts of ch0colate falling from the sky into my mouth in beautiful yyyumm**y clumps in a storm of rainbow sprinkKKles and sweet sugary goopY. - Linda Zack, Designer, Brooklyn (extra-oomph.com)

Future indicators of a simpler life? (photo by Matt Porter)



I hope people will come out of this with two things: greater appreciation for the things that are really important, such as friendships, family, community, livelihood, inspirations, commitments and responsibilities. This leads to the second thing: a more authentic version of ourselves. People are becoming more open and honest about the means by which they live. They take pride in a bargain. Want less. There's less smoke and mirrors, affectation - all of which is what got us into this mess in the first place. - Robin Salter, Writer, Farmhouse Design, Atlanta (farmhousedesign.net)

Dan Ibarra's pal Cosmo thinks Dan should stop reading 70s philosophy books and take him out to pee.



I recently read the book Tools for Conviviality by author, philosopher, sociologist Ivan Illich. Although written in the 70s, the book has reshaped my perceptions of current society. Basically, Illich's theory is this: the tools invented by man to help us run society now run us. These include societal mechanisms such as education, healthcare and transportation that he viewed as 'non-convivial.' But in order to exist 'convivially,' or sustainably, we must reclaim control of these tools. That means removing exclusivity from healthcare and education. It means closing down the monopoly that the auto and petroleum industries have on our roadways. It means total reassessment of our relationship with the systems that surround us. When you put Illich's ideas into the context of modern society, you can view financial services, the Big Three, big oil and just about every industry that has us at the brink of environmental and economic collapse, as 'non-convivial' institutions. They must be transformed into 'convivial,' sustainable tools. I do not mean to offer simplistic solutions, but I have long felt that all the causes of our current economic crisis are in some way related. What Illich explains is that human beings must regain control of the very tools we created to make society more equitable and sustainable. Today, these tools control us and they are pulling the world down around us. So, my silver lining? Maybe this global economic crisis will wake us up. Maybe it will lead us to seek and find the common causes of this mess. If so, then we might get one more chance to retool and rebuild a society that works in the interests of humanity instead of against us. Maybe. - Dan Ibarra, Designer, Aesthetic Apparatus, Minneapolis (aestheticapparatus.com)

My concern is that approximately 65 million Baby Boomers due to start retirement just lost their jobs and 50% of their retirement. They need to keep working. Behind them come the GEN Ys just graduating college and willing to work for 50% of what the last guy was paid but who still expect all the trimmings of the two generations before them. I doubt they will get their share and that's when a new class conflict could appear that could lead to a true revolution. We need Boomer wisdom coupled with Gen Y technological savvy. We need them to work together to forge a whole new world and attitude. - Tom Murphy, Murphy's Restaurant, Atlanta (tlmurphy@bellsouth.net)