Jonathan Friesen

Four thousand weeks - the antithesis to most productivity books - even has a shout out to Bruegemann’s “Sabbath as Resistance”

Lovely fall weather in #northvan #bcstorm

Beautiful views but I wouldn’t do that long again.

We blasted up both Black Tusk (though just to the scree) and Panorama Ridge in a day this past summer. I was dying but my wife was a mountain goat and scampered around. Actually though my wife e yr old daughter and her friend finished 30 min before us. In the end, 35 km in 10 hours.

Ha, I was going to send this your way when I saw the article. I guess you’re a Jets fan now.

How is it that every manufacturer needs 15 different pad styles??

A very touching tribute to my Uncle Henry - he was a model for me as both a man of faith and a man of science: passages.winnipegfreepress.com/article/id-3...

In this age, I'm thankful for reporters like @davidfrum.bsky.social who are shedding light on how super meaningful programs like PEPFAR are being shuttered in favour of bailing out scam artists. But to my American friends, please contact your Congressman/woman to re-authorize this program on Mar 25.

Bonkers

If leaders are serious about ending war, women need a seat at the table.

Global data, 1989-2011: When women are involved in agreements, peace is 35% more likely to last 15+ years.

Men alone shouldn’t decide the fate of nations. Gender balance is especially vital with high stakes and hot tempers.

When someone stands up to a bully, you thank them. You shouldn’t need their thanks for just standing behind them.

For my anabaptist peeps like @fitchest.bsky.social ; my 13 year old is writing an essay on “Can war be just?” And I was wondering if there is anything aimed at kids from an Anabaptist perspective that might be useful for her to look at.

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If I were Canadian PM I would immediately:

1. Create a new $15B science fund

2. Offer any credentialed US scientist funding for lab startup and replacement of NIH grants if they move to Canada

3. Immediate permanent residency

4. Citizenship after 2 years

Overnight a science superpower

Laura Ballarín Cereza an EU Parliament member says it out loud. 🔥

Was it @bobsutton.net‘s father-in-law who said his target was pleasing 90% of people but he was ok with pissing off the remaining 10%? I feel that is a good heuristic that you’re standing up for your principles.

I think one of the best ways to determine what people think is to ask them. Although I find it better to get the answer by asking questions "from the side" like, "What does it mean to be saved?" This idea comes from a former prof: directionjournal.org/23/1/islam-a...

So just like @leak.bsky.social said, I’m interested in creating a work environment where people have capacity over the long term. And for that, it’s much better to pace for a marathon than a sprint.

My own experience has been that much beyond 8 hours of the similar type of work in a non emergency situation starts to massively tail off, productivity wise. And beside that, as a friend put it, “you’re stealing from tomorrow for today” where the next day starts to suffer.

I didn’t keep my notes but seem to recall seeing some research that 55 hours per wk was a fairly reliable max. Curious how the 4 day per wk squares with this too.

I remember doing a bunch of research on this some years back as I was curious how knowledge workers compared to factory workers. B/c I think that Ford and business plus union leaders in the early 1900s established ~40 hours as a major inflection point for diminishing productivity.

Hmm…this is inspiring me to host a “book reading and Bonhoeffer night” at a local pub sometime in the new year. I like your idea of both watching the movie and then reading Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus before discussing. If you have any good questions, throw them my way!

😂😂

Why Genetic Medicine Never Arrived DNA: more complicated than we thought

Despite being a tech guy, articles like this keep me holding a healthy dose of skepticism towards the latest tech pronouncements: open.substack.com/pub/davideps...

Love this bit of real world info. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks! I spent the morning moving over from the platform that shall not be named.

It’s really difficult for business people who are used to a clear chain of command to have people outside this chain of command who can both override and ignore them with impunity.

My own experience working for a crown corporation matches this (these are businesses where the board of directors are political appointees). On one project to save money by consolidating contractors, the govt minister shut it down b/c it was putting small business out of business.

Why Business Leaders Make Lousy Politicians The motivation that drives success in the private sector often has a dark side in public service.

Adam Grant’s recent article on why business people have made poorer presidents was really insightful, even highlighting why Jimmy Carter struggled: adamgrant.substack.com/p/why-busine...