Education in an Age of Neo Know-Nothings
A recent poll shows higher ed is on the outs with Republicans. How do our modern conservatives stack up against the Know-Nothings in valuing education?
Dawn Allen
Dawn Allen is a freelance writer and editor who is passionate about sustainability, political economy, gardening, traditional craftwork, and simple living. She and her husband are currently renovating a rural homestead in southeastern Michigan.
Phthalates, Parenting, and Pragmatism
Last week, the New York Times ran a story about the phthalates found in “high concentrations” in many common cheese products, including the beloved blue box of bright orange macaroni and cheese. But wait – there’s more! Or …less.
So, About Those 100 Companies…
A study released this month by the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) and the Climate Accountability Institute claims that 71% of the greenhouse gases released since 1988 were the output of a mere 100 companies. Out of those 100 companies, a slim 25 were responsible for half of the world’s total greenhouse gas pollution in that same time period.
Methane Rule Delay Keeps Oil Biz Farting
When you think of the Environmental Protection Agency’s purpose, what comes to mind? Do you, perhaps, expect it to be an agency that works to protect the environment? When the EPA is subverted into protecting polluting industries from having to comply with environmental rules, something has gone horribly awry.
Complexity’s Costs and Collapse, Pt. 3
The benefits of complexity come with associated costs. Prosperous societies can pay the price as long as their standard of living is on the rise. Eventually, though, the resource base of a complex society can no longer sustain the production of resources needed to maintain the web of middlemen and onionlike layers of bureaucracy, and something has to give. Generally, that’s when a collapse occurs.
Intermediaries and Complexity, Pt. 2
Today, most of us are a long way from directly interacting with the resources we need to live. So, why is this a big deal? What does it all mean? On one hand, societies grow in complexity because complexity solves problems. On the other hand, every level of complexity that we add, like the layers of an onion, means introducing intermediaries to the equation, and each middleman adds a cost to the expense of living our lives
The Evolution of Intermediaries, Pt. 1
Humans haven’t always had such a complex way of living. In simpler times, people interacted more directly with the processes that satisfied their needs and sustained their lives. Over time, however, complexity naturally evolved as a way of solving problems. Intermediaries – middlemen – were added in between people and their goals. Whether or not this is a good thing depends upon who you are, what you need, and how much “help” you can afford.
Beryllium Rule Sacrifices Human Lives
The Trump administration doesn’t seem to consider worker health to be very important in the grand scheme of things. Yet another Obama era protection has been dropped by the Labor Department in a mad rush to undo regulations whether we need them or not. In this case, workers at construction sites and shipyards are likely to be exposed to higher levels of beryllium.
First Amendment Issues in the News
There have been a number of First Amendment issues in the news recently. Some are rehashes of the same old battles, and others give us more to chew on.
More Patriotic than Punching Nazis
Happy Independence Day to our American Legal Readers! Such interesting times in which we find ourselves this year. As I write this post on our national holiday, my country seems closer to disintegrating than it has in a long, long time. At the heart of the matter lie two competing worldviews for the heart, soul, and vision of the future of the United States of America.