Republicans vs Democrats: Who’s Ahead in the Sex Surveys?
With the US presidential elections just a week away, the whole world is watching on as the most powerful country on earth struggles to redefine itself. For many, in fact, it has gotten so that watching the news in the United States is almost as worrisome as watching the news in a developing country. If […]
Australians are red hot over climate change!
Four years ago I stood as an independent candidate for the Australian federal parliament. I didn’t win but I made a real dent in the expectations of the sitting member. My single biggest issue was the urgent need for climate change mitigation. The sitting member was – and still appears to be – a climate […]
State of the Union or State of Despair?
Here in Australia, we – and indeed, many other citizens of Western nations, follow the antics of Trump and the US Senate with bewilderment. It has nothing to do with left or right leanings. It is about the extraordinary abuses of power we are witnessing. Abuses that are fueled by the massive divide – dare […]
Unbuilding Cities for a Greener Purpose
The rattling of backhoes, jackhammers, and pile drivers has become the aria of civilization recreating itself. But what price have we paid for the greener renewal?
How the humble light-bulb launched planned obsolescence!
If manufacturers made products with truly extended usable lives, they’d be out of business. Imagine a washing machine or a fridge that lasted 25 years.
Climate, Energy and the Will to Change!
Only a fool – or those politicians sitting on the religious right or in the pocket of big business – can continue to deny the link between our carbon emissions and global warming. We are the problem. We have to be the solution. Your children and their children are counting on our success. As I […]
Here’s Why You Should Rip Up that Lawn
How much does the straw in your soda or the plastic cup you’re holding contribute to a problem as colossal as climate change? You want a cleaner, safer world. You care about the environment and you know the decisions you make each day can make a difference. But where does one start? The answer just might be […]
Climate Change, Money, and the Politics of Denial
In the mode of public disclosure that governs the Trump administration these days, few official statements contain anything resembling the simple truth. That is, unless you consider the ungovernable warp of President Donald Trump’s ego and ambition as a genuine statement in itself. If that is the case, then truth becomes utterly subjective, and there […]
Business is Brisk in the World of Modern-Day Slavery
Vannak Anan Prum has an extraordinary story to tell. He tells it in pictures. At 26, he was desperate to find work in Cambodia, where he lived. His wife was pregnant and he needed money to care for her and their unborn child. There was no work in the village in which they lived. Increasingly desperate, Prum set […]
Basic Income vs Guaranteed Jobs: What If We Paid Stay-At-Home Moms?
Editorial comment: The concept of a universal basic income (UBI) has been aired at length in recent years. The discussion has been driven by the loss of so many jobs to automation – a rapidly escalating reality. The concept of and arguments for a UBI are based on two assumptions: 1/ All nations have sovereign […]