I have been puzzling over social illusions for a long time. We all have them, of course; nobody is exempt. Some illusions are convenient; some are outright lies, but of little consequence. But some illusions are far more dangerous than the rest. Some dangerous illusions result in criminals being prosecuted and going to jail; some … More Myths of Sustainability, Resilience, and Revolutionary Change
Once again, America exercises its ritual mourning and utters its words of sorrow over the preventable massacre of nineteen children and two adults in a classroom, this time in Uvalde, Texas. The societal resignation that treats such insanity as now ‘normal’ matches the sadness that such ‘incidents’ provokes. But nothing could possibly be normal about … More The Predatory Society: Death, Guns, and Oil
HERE IS AN INSIGHTFUL HYPOTHETICAL DIALOG BETWEEN ECONOMISTS AND ECOLOGISTS OVER SEVERAL DECADES, WHICH EXEMPLIFIES THE CULTURAL STALEMATE BETWEEN IDEOLOGY AND SCIENCE. THAT IS WHAT STIFLES PROGRESS IN FACING OUR CLIMATE/ECOLOGICAL/EXISTENTIAL CRISIS TODAY. (I inserted a few links for reference.) A completely made up story about the history of economics and ecology By Katy Shields … More Here is Why Economists Cannot Hear Ecologists
A president can be impeached, tried, and removed from office for “high crimes and misdemeanors,” including bribery and treason. That seems clear on the surface, but what specific acts fall within these categories? Well, that is less clear, but a lot of hints are out there. Let’s consider a couple of examples. Bribery seems clear-cut. You … More Traitor, Treason, Treachery, or Mere Trumpery
When my well failed a while back, I had just begun re-reading E.F. Schumacher’s book, Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered. It is a remarkable book, even more relevant today than in 1973, and available in many newer editions. Schumacher’s perspective of “Buddhist Economics” emerged from his experience as an economic development expert … More Water Wells and Appropriate Technology
I have been recycling for a long time. Of course, the process has gotten more sophisticated in the last couple of decades. Some will remember the 5¢ redemption on glass bottles, mid-twentieth century. When I was a little boy in the late nineteen-forties, “recycling” had not yet entered the public lexicon. I remember the milkman … More Recycling Redux: Can we Recycle Profligate Consumerism?
A power outage is not that uncommon on the high plains of New Mexico near the City of Santa Fe. In a rural or “rural residential” area, the redundancy of the power grid is reduced to nothing in some spots. In more densely populated areas, if a transformer blows out, alternate routes for electricity to … More Power Out, Pause, Power Up
An article in Psychology Today, posted by Ray Williams on July 7, 2014, delineated a long list of indicators of the decline and fall of culture and education in the U.S. in recent decades. Diverse measures of that decline led the author to conclude that, as I would rather put it, “American Exceptionalism” is in fact a … More Dumbing Down America Degrades the Nation and More
plutocracy [ploo-tok-ruh-see] noun, plural plutocracies. the rule or power of wealth or of the wealthy. a government or state in which the wealthy class rules. a class or group ruling, or exercising power or influence, by virtue of its wealth. kleptocracy [klep-tok-ruh-see] noun, plural kleptocracies. a government or state in which those in power exploit national resources and steal; … More Panama Papers: Plutocracy, Kleptocracy, or Both?
Originally posted on Exposing the Big Game:
By Andy Borowitz MINNEAPOLIS (The Borowitz Report) – Scientists have discovered a powerful new strain of fact-resistant humans who are threatening the ability of Earth to sustain life, a sobering new study reports. The research, conducted by the University of Minnesota, identifies a virulent strain of humans who…
Robert MacNeil Christie, Author 