A fascinating exchange among leading scientists on the pitfalls, need for geoengineering
As mentioned earlier, I’m currently working on a piece on the topic of geoengineering, the field of study that proposes to proactively alter the Earth’s climate to counteract the effects of global warming. Geoengineering proposals include: fertilizing the ocean with iron to promote algae bloom growth to absorb CO2 and sequester that CO2 in depths of the oceans; injecting... Read More
Stanley Fish and the future of higher education
I’ve got a new review of Stanley Fish’s book “Save the World on Your Own Time” published at Campus Progress, the youth-oriented magazine published by the left-leaning Center for American Progress. Fish’s online Op-Ed column at The New York Times, “Think Again,” is always a source for engaging, often divisive, always fascinating ideas and... Read More
If you’re confused at all about the current financial crisis—what caused it, what can be done to fix it—then read this
Floyd Norris, the chief financial correspondent for The New York Times, has one of the simplest yet precise takes on the ongoing financial meltdown in an article in today’s Times titled “U.S. Bank Bailout to Rely in Part on Private Money.” Courtesy of Flickr user Luigi Rosa There have millions upon millions of words devoted to the current crisis. But Norris’s... Read More
Ocean iron fertilization to counteract global warming
A recent article online at the BBC — which has wonderful science reporting, by the way — reports on a major geo-engineering scheme getting some increased attention: ocean iron fertilization. A nice description of the iron fertilization process after the jump. Read More Read More
Interview with Wisconsin Public Radio on Education Secretary Arne Duncan and the future of public education in the U.S.
If you’re interested, I did a radio interview today with Kathleen Dunn of Wisconsin Public Radio in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the topic of which was my recent piece for TomDispatch.com, “The Duncan Doctrine: The Military-Corporate Legacy of the New Secretary of Education,” an investigation into Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s record as CEO of the Chicago Public... Read More
The most important Michigan man you’ve never heard of
I’ve got a new piece published in The Statement, the weekly magazine insert of The Michigan Daily newspaper here at the University of Michigan. It’s a profile of Erik Lundberg, the chief investment officer at U-M and arguably one of the most important people in all of the U-M system. At a time when state funds are running thin, U-M has come to rely on its multi-billion-dollar... Read More
‘The domestic details spring to memory…’
Just thought I’d share one of my favorite openings to an essay written by one of my favorite writers, Joan Didion. Rereading Vintage Didion today, a book of collected essays from throughout her career, I’m always astonished by the rhythm of Didion’s writing, the rising and falling cadences, her impeccable ear for dialogue, her piercing interpretations of the lives... Read More
The illusion of decreasing carbon emissions in the United States
One of the victories claimed by the recently departed George W. Bush was that, during his presidency, he and his administration succeeded in curbing carbon emissions. In 2007, he asked audience members at a fundraiser, “Do you realize that the United States is the only major industrialized nation that cut greenhouse gases last year?” That claim was immediately questioned, and... Read More
The Corporate-Military Legacy of Secretary of Education-designate Arne Duncan
I’ve got a new piece published over at TomDispatch.com, one of the most insightful online publications out there (and one of a rapidly shrinking group that still believes in the power of long-form journalism online). The piece examines the educational legacy of Arne Duncan, the Chicago Public Schools chief executive officer and Obama’s Secretary of Education-designate. Though... Read More
Wall Street Journal interview with Yale endowment guru
I was on the phone earlier this week with Sandy Robertson, a founding partner of the international private equity firm Francisco Partners and a member of the University of Michigan’s investment advisory committee, for a profile I’m currently reporting on U-M’s endowment investment guru, Erik Lundberg. (More on this later in the week.) Yale University investment... Read More
