Income distribution is a divisive subject. Fairness, more so. The standard way of evaluating income distribution is the GINI Coefficient, an extremely complex equation that produces a number between 0 and 1. […]
"Clean" coal's dirtiest secret: Part II
Mountaintop removal coal mining at Kayford Mountain, Boone County, W. Va. Photo: Vivian Stockman, courtesy of SouthWings Air Part II: Almost Heaven Level: The Mechanics of Moving Mountains In the heart of […]
Joe Biden should have told the truth: Sarah Palin is a Marxist
by JS O’Brien Vice-presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden (D-Delaware) ran into a buzzsaw of an interview from Barbara West of WFTV-TV, Channel 9, in Orlando, Fla on October 23. West is the […]
Letters from Afghanistan: installment #8
Back from Bamyan; the sewing program; village dominance by Connor O’Steen I have now been on the road between Kabul and Bamyan for a total of 32 hours, and it’s safe to […]
Meet Satan's towel boy, Ralph Nader, and other famous rabblerousers in a call for open debates
He’s the man who caused Sep. 11, war in the Gulf, a million Iraqi deaths and probably mad cow disease too, as you’ve no doubt heard from disgruntled Democrats. Of course I’m […]
Externalities – The Green Constitutional Congress, part 2
Externalities is a term I first heard in my undergraduate economics classes nearly 20 years ago, and its used to describe the parts of a system that are ignored by the users […]
Letters from Afghanistan: installment #6
Having visions with Mohammed by Connor O’Steen We met with the village elder of Yatimak, the nominal leader of a small cluster of houses on the far side of Jawzareen valley. We stood […]
C'mon John! Get positive! (an open letter to John McCain)
by JS O’Brien Dear John, I suppose I should really address this to your campaign managers, since you don’t know how to use a computer to read this. But maybe they’ll print […]
Letters from Afghanistan: installment #5
Replying to questions, why the Marshall Plan doesn’t work, and local democracy in Jawzareen by Connor O’Steen First off I’d like to thank you all for your thoughtful and encouraging comments on […]
Letters from Afghanistan: installment #4
Afghanistan, Ghowr Province: an opium village [Ed. note: Connor O’Steen writes of going to an opium village in Afghanistan’s Ghowr province to do the necessary research to admit Nasim to the orphanage […]
Progressive Culture | Scholars & Rogues 