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How Many People Must Die to Fix the Planet?0
- Economics
- November 19, 2019
On the 40th anniversary of the first world climate conference in 1979, the journal Bioscience published the ominously titled “World Scientists’ Warning of a Climate Emergency.” “Scientists,” the Warning begins, “have a moral obligation to clearly warn humanity of any catastrophic threat and to ‘tell it like it is.’ On the basis of this obligation…we declare, with
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Solar Panels Literally Produce Tons of Toxic Waste 0
- Economics
- November 19, 2019
A Popular Choice Solar panels have been heralded as the alternative to fossil fuels for decades. Most readers have likely seen exciting headlines claiming we could power the world’s energy demands multiple times were we simply to cover the Sahara Desert with a solar farm the size of China. The fact that such endeavors would
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The Secular Religion of Socialism 0
- Culture
- November 19, 2019
It’s the end of the world as we know it and we don’t feel fine. We see it in the “how dare you” of Greta Thunberg and in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s lament over colonialism, climate change, and the impact on her future children. It shows up in the condemnation of national sovereignty movements by Pope Francis,
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Rolling Stone: Men Who Abstain From Porn Are Dangerous Alt-Righters 0
- Culture
- November 18, 2019
There’s a scene in The Big Lebowski in which The Dude bitterly objects that the pornographer Jackie Treehorn, viewed by the local sheriff as an upstanding citizen who “draws a lot of water” in Malibu, “treats objects like women, man.” Lazy, inarticulate stoner though The Dude may be, even he understands that porn is a shady business and that
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The Origins of the Thought Police – and Why They Scare Us 0
- Culture
- November 18, 2019
There are a lot of unpleasant things in George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984. Spying screens. Torture and propaganda. Victory Gin and Victory Coffee always sounded particularly dreadful. And there is Winston Smith’s varicose ulcer, apparently a symbol of his humanity (or something), which always seems to be “throbbing.” Gross. None of this sounds very enjoyable,
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Why Do Teachers Make Us Read Old Books?0
- Education
- November 18, 2019
There are probably as many reasons to read old stories as there are teachers. Old stories are sometimes strange. They display beliefs, values and ways of life that the reader may not recognize. As an English professor, I believe that there is value in reading stories from decades or even centuries ago. Teachers have their
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