Hair of the Dog That Bit You
By Donella Meadows
–January 23, 1992–
“Growth!” promised the president when he showed up in depressed New Hampshire last week and posed for a photo-op with a cow.
“Growth!” commands Alan Greenspan, as he cranks interest rates down by a whole percent at a time, hoping the economy will turn around before he hits zero.
“Growth!” chants every Congressperson, CEO, and business publication, offering [...]
The Bank of Crooks, Criminals, and Counterfeit Spirituality
By Donella Meadows
–January 16, 1992–
“In 1972 a group of people … had a vision of a multinational, multilingual bank with a philosophy that would accommodate all nationalities, all races, all creeds. A universal institution that … would link the industries of the North with the resources of the South, the mysticism of the East with the rationalism of the West, [...]
Nothing Left but the DNA
By Donella Meadows
–January 9, 1992–
Just before chainsaws and bulldozers roar in to bring “civilization” to the remaining remnants of the world’s native peoples, scientists are planning to roar in and sample those peoples’ blood.
The blood will be collected from indigenous populations such as the Bushmen of Botswana, the Pygmies of Zaire, and the Hill People of New Guinea. Anthropologists are [...]
The Corporate Citizens’ Council for Mom and Apple Pie
By Donella Meadows
–January 2, 1992–
Many, probably most, large corporations have done a lot in the last few years to clean up their environmental act. No sector of the U.S. economy has increased its energy efficiency more than the industrial sector has. Large manufacturers are reclaiming and recycling wastes. Under the threat of Superfund litigation they are working hard to generate [...]
Ho Humbug!
By Donella Meadows
–December 26, 1991–
A neighbor of mine was in the post office the other day complaining about the holidays. Commercialism, crowded stores, too much to eat, too much to drink, too much to do. As he walked out, he tried to sound like Scrooge, but he muffed his line. “Ho, humbug!” he said.
My sentiments exactly. At this time of [...]
