On a related note, I was thinking recently about the growing divide between the middle class and the truly poor in Australia, and the diminishment of shared spaces common to both. It occurred to me that neighbourhood churches are one of those few community spaces where the rich and the poor are still physically brought together.

This was an interesting read.

New norms are possible; they’re being created all the time. Independent bookstores are booming—the American Booksellers Association has reported more than 50 percent growth since 2009—and in cities such as New York City and Washington, D.C., many of them have become miniature theaters, with regular standing-room-only crowds gathered for author readings. [...] In the past few years, board-game cafés have flowered across the country, and their business is expected to nearly double by 2030.

These seem like examples that are metropolitan and middle class specific (although good news). I wonder what sort of examples might be pursued to address the loneliness among the rural poor - which is presumably where the problem is at its most dire. Do you have anything like the Men's Shed program running in the US?

Penultimate break before the university shuts down for the Christmas and New Year period. I'll be on leave until the middle of January. Hong Kong next week for six days, then back in Melbourne to sit on the couch for two weeks, writing and reading novels while the cricket is on in the background. Such is life.

I'm reading this and it's absolutely great.