What does it mean to go to war? My dictionary says war is “open armed conflict between countries.” What does that mean? We shoot at them; they shoot at us? When was the last time one of their shots hit us? A few weeks ago, at a human rights conference, the writer Michael Ignatieff said […]
Years ago, when as a young journalist, I engaged my editors in the daily argument of “what is news?” I suffered a long string of defeats. The last word from editorial Olympus was often, “Freedom of the press belongs to those who own one.” That may be a hardhearted interpretation of the First Amendment, but […]
My friend Brian is an inventor. Not one of those crackpots you see on late night cable tee vee, but an industrial designer. He and his colleagues design tools for a particular industry. But Brian has an engaging mind and he saw an opportunity to design a better version of a product used every day. […]
It’s spring in Burlington and the last traces of snow are receding to the north side of buildings and shrubs. The breeze carries the aroma of wet earth and renewal. The University of Vermont is on spring break and the town is pleasantly empty. The students at Groovy UV may be the only college students […]
The newspapers have been full of stories about China lately, and I think we’ll be seeing more in the months to come. On the political page, Bill Clinton is pushing Congress to bestow permanent normal trade relations on China. In a speech at Johns Hopkins University last week, the president said giving permanent trade status […]
The ad said, “EARN EXTRA MONEY. Make a Difference by Assisting in Medical Research.” The money was good – $460 and all you had to do was swallow a little pill. Or, more precisely, swallow a little pill and sign a few forms. The MDS Harris Laboratory in Lincoln, Nebraska – you wondered what goes […]
Far From Over
The protesters marching in the streets of Washington last weekend did a good job calling attention to the World Bank, but the bank itself remains mysterious to many, so I thought I’d spend a few minutes talking about how all this international high finance works. This description will be, by necessity, very simple, so I […]