Deep Dives into research, opinion, ideas, and resources. on Worldwide Stew

When industry focuses on human inadequacies

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 16:44:56 +0000

This post originated with the creation of a blog post on New Year’s Resolutions. I’m trying to keep my blog area focused on inspiration. So, instead of posting this in that area, I’m adding it to my website’s opinion section.

Yesterday, on my blog, I suggested some reasons that resolution brain lets us down:

It fixates on our failures, deficits, and weaknesses
It promotes suffering by triggering loss of hope and depression when resolutions fail
It highlights our sense of not enough: we don’t have enough, we aren’t enough, and incites the Hungry Ghost of wanting more.

Today, I want to highlight a few of the more insidious ways that resolution brain can betray us.

Gavin Newsome on the Trump Administration and Democracy

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 00:54:53 +0000

When I started Worldwide Stew, I intended the Blog area of the site to be generally positive in tone. I would reserve the Opinion area of the site for news and opinions about science, health, politics, and fun stuff.

And then we ended up with what can only be called a fascist Administration(Merriam-Webster definition at the link). At this point, the scaffolding that held up any form of democracy is quickly eroding, like hurricane-force winds along the shoreline.

Save Public Media

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 01:48:45 +0000

If you live in the United States and can read this text, it’s possible that you learned some reading on Sesame Street. As you got older, you might have watched an episode of the science program Nova. As an adult, you may have watched news programming on the Evening News Hour. While it is fair to say that PBS coverage does tend to lean left of center; unlike other network news, however, PBS makes a concerted effort to fairly cover multiple sides of the issues. For entertainment, you might have watched Downton Abbey. And, during emergencies, you would have had continual coverage. Moreover, you may also have listened to the radio presence of public media. These services are available to everyone, rich or poor. This even includes those who can’t afford cable, like those people whom we pay tiny sums of money to mow our lawns and replace our roofs.

Deep Dive: August 2024

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I’m trying to catch up on politics, research articles I’ve paid attention to in the last month.

Deep Dive: Suicide Crisis Syndrome

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sun, 19 May 2024 00:00:00 +0000

There are many methods of screening for suicide risk. The idea of the Suicide Crisis Syndrome appeals to me. It argues that depression or anxiety don’t explain all suicide experiences.

Deep Dive: AI, sleep, medical errors, Zionism, peace, and Passover

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sun, 28 Apr 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Nurses protest use of AI; the importance of personal and cultural reconsideration on the importance of sleep; prosecution of medical errors; and Zionism and the Passover.

Deep Dive: phone addictions; private equity and hospitals

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sat, 17 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

This week’s featured articles

From Harvard Business Review. Do you have a phone addiction? - uhh, probably. Now, do something about it.
What happens when hospitals aren’t appropriately funded? They often turn to funding from Private Equity firms. What happens then? It’s not good and costs patients and society. Read this article from Harvard.

Deep Dive: Revisiting the work of chaplains

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sun, 04 Feb 2024 00:00:00 +0000

I worry about the relevance of chaplains in mode

Deep Dive: A questionable iOS feature; US Disease Burden from plastics; interesting recent articles

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A review of news I find interesting. 1. An iOS feature you might want to fix. 2. It’s taken a long time for plastics to create what many believe will create significant human disease burden. That ship has gathered substantial steam. 3. Possiblle harms related to mindfulness (if your going to be in a mindfulness group, make sure the leader is qualified). 4. Watch out for marketing using neuro: they may be trying to get into your head. 5. A compassion therapy that can boost expansiveness? That just blows my mind (if it turns out to be good research).

Deep Dive: A humanist physicist; patient autonomy vs misinformation; self-injury; A RECIPE; healthcare violence and busness; Gaza; other items

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

Deep Dive: A humanist physicist; patient autonomy vs. misinformation; self-injury; A RECIPE (!); healthcare violence and busness; Gaza; other items

Deep Dive: Ethics, psychiatry and industry funding; cool biodegradable coffins; Ubuntu; Chaplains replacing school counselors

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Fri, 12 Jan 2024 00:00:00 +0000

“Is it okay for industry to fund the DSM-5-TR panel?; Is it okay for chaplains to replace school counselors?; Is it time to order your biodegradable coffin?; and, others!”

Deep Dive: Apple notifications and the Religious Right

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 00:00:00 +0000

I’ve liked my iPhone. Except for notifications. Google did them much better. But, that’s just an annoyance. The Religious Right and it’s efforts to create a love child with our political leaders is downright scary. We should be very scared. All of us. Even the good people who subscribe.

Deep Dive: Weight, self-criticism, and compassion-focused therapy

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Shame, self-criticism, and obesity go hand in hand. Also, my first posted recipe reference in our new website digs.

Deep Dives: shame, smells, and shaming people

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sun, 19 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

Shame drives us to great self-harm. Media is shame’s sledge hammer. Also, pay attention to the sense of smell!

Deep Dive: Lots more than I could put in a title

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sat, 11 Mar 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This week we look at psychological well-being - including from the U.S. Surgeon General, paying attention to the experience of detransitioners, exposomics, silence and epigenetics, Buddhism (religion or not), and my bone to pick with the Humanist Chaplaincy Network (I’m not picking any bones with humanist chaplains).

Deep Dive for 2024-02-25: Was COVID worse than the flu?

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sat, 25 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

People who should have known to keep quiet until we had the data, told us that COVID was no worse than the flu. They were wrong

Deep Dive: Articles on contemplative practices and near death experiences

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This week we consider recent research on mindfulness showing distinct patterns of contemplative practive help well-being. We also look at an article on the death experience during CPR. Maybe we shouldn’t blow off those near-death experiences so quickly.

Deep Dive: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Fri, 17 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, many other purported personality measurements falls short in terms of accuracy. In the wrong hands, it can be dangerous.

Deep Dive: PTSD; nature; wanting; meditation; COVID impact; expensive cars

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Mon, 12 Dec 2022 00:00:00 +0000

Nurses protest use of AI; the importance of personal and cultural reconsideration on the importance of sleep; prosecution of medical errors; and Zionism and the Passover.

Deep Dive: emotional PPE; stressors and suicide; pain and mindfulness; kindness; COVID

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Sun, 30 Oct 2022 00:00:00 +0000

In this week’s Deep Dive, we talk about emotional PPE; stressors and suicide; pain and mindfulness; kindness; and, COVID

Deep Dive: False claims about mRNA vaccines

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:00:00 +0000

The Epoch Times made false claims about mRNA vaccines

worldwide@worldwidestew.com (Michael Davis) — Mon, 01 Jan 0001 00:00:00 +0000