CYA
I was enjoying lunch with a former student and long-time friend yesterday after walking across campus on a gloriously sunny day in the American Southwest. I mentioned to my friend the resurgence of "fashion" among young women -- women without…
We’re Toast
When people tell me the dire messages about which I write don't resonate with other people, I struggle with a coherent response. Would you prefer continued overshoot on an overshot planet? Would you prefer we keep heating our overheated home?…
A Parent’s Dilemma: Preparing a Child for an Uncertain Future
by Jeff Sties When our son Ben was born in 1999, my wife Stacy and I decided that one child was enough. For starters, there was her obvious discomfort during the pregnancy. Financially, we knew that we could not afford…
Mike and Karen’s Excellent Adventure
by Mike Sliwa and Karen Sliwa We are retiring so we can travel. That’s the official story we generally tell people if we don’t feel like explaining the whole collapse of civilization spiel. Our close friends and those sympathetic to…
Techno-optimism meets its match
According to the extremely conservative International Energy Agency (IEA), we've passed the world peak for conventional oil (in 2006, they say). In a stunning nod to reality, even the New York Times agrees. In a bizarre case of committee-style cognitive…
Profiles
Many readers don't notice the pages beyond the blog, up at the top of the page. In an act of shameless self promotion, I bring to your attention four media moments. Three are behind us, recently, and the third is…
King Ben
The authority of the U.S. federal government has eroded to the vanishing point. No longer do the three branches of government possess significant authority. Their collective ability to right the listing ship of empire has been negated by forces large…