Tag Archive | "survival"
Muddling along
After a woefully inept introduction, this essay forces me to stare into the abyss of planet-destroying myth. If you believe we’re headed for a muddle-through future in which we correct massive ecological overshoot with the tranquility of Buddhist monks, this is the essay you’ve been waiting to read. Come on along, if you dare, keeping [...]
Continue reading...Visiting Chicago
Saturday, July 24, 2010
I will be speaking in Rockford, Illinois the afternoon of Monday, 27 September as part of International Bioenergy Days 2010. Details are here. But this brief post is not about my conference presentation. It’s about my visit to Chicago. As long as I’m flying in and out of Chicago, I would like to interact with [...]
Continue reading...Making other arrangements: I’d like to help you
Monday, June 28, 2010
Now that my own living arrangements are in order, I would like to help other people more directly than I am able via the blogosphere, email, and telephone. My ability to provide assistance has been facilitated by the departure of my booking agent: I cost less now that it’s just my paycheck on the line, [...]
Continue reading...The agenda revisited
Saturday, June 19, 2010
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident. (Arthur Schopenhauer, one of my philosophical heroes) ______________________ Based on recent comments in this space, and also in my email in-box, I am compelled to provide an updated overview of my proposed agenda [...]
Continue reading...Dispatches from Central Absurdistan
Monday, June 7, 2010
1. In yet another reason to keep those shows on the air, reality TV breeds new body ideals. 2. It’ll take a lot of rats to clothe plus-size models in the latest fashion accessory. 3. Encouraging us to keep the weight on, the American Heart Association endorses Nintendo’s Wii. Please put aside your shovel and [...]
Continue reading...Three Chinese curses
Friday, May 28, 2010
May you live in interesting times. Mission accomplished. I’m there, as we all are. As we always have been, during two million years of the human experience. May you attract the attention of the government. I’m there, as I have been for years. To remove all doubt, about five years ago I placed a call [...]
Continue reading...A day in the life: further adventures at the mud hut
Sunday, May 16, 2010
People keep asking me what my days are like. How do I spend a typical day? Now that I’m retired from the academic life — or rather, now that I’ve departed the academy in disgust and despair — I no longer spend time in my swivel chair, dispensing information on the telephone or tending to [...]
Continue reading...What we leave behind
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Like most people, I’ve long been interested in the notion of my legacy. Will anything I produce outlast me on this planet? Has my teaching inspired critical thought, appreciation for the natural world, or empathy for humans and other animals? Will the pages containing my written work be used for something other than fire-starter and [...]
Continue reading...Time to bury the dead
Monday, May 10, 2010
The final nail in the global financial coffin was hammered into place this morning by the masters of the Eurozone. The trillion-dollar bailout Ponzi scheme to save Greece is yet another example of kicking the proverbial can down the road, hoping the taxpayers fail to notice the 800-pound gorilla fighting its way out of the [...]
Continue reading...Warning shots
Thursday, April 29, 2010
How many do you need? I still keep hearing, “If things get bad, I’ll move to ….” And then fill in the blank with your favorite fantasy or nightmare, including these and many more: “my sister-in-law’s property in Kansas” “Mexico” “the wilderness” “a central America country” “southern Europe” “the coast” First, let’s consider how “bad” [...]
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Monday, August 2, 2010
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