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Latest Musing Bats and Brokers Looking for clues to explain Tuesday's market gyrations? Observe a bloodsucking mammal The renewed  volatility in our tightly coupled financial system calls to mind a piece I wrote for TIME in 2000 during another period of extreme market upheaval. Here it is:   Quick! The market is crashing, and you are overextended, so where do you turn for help: a) y... continue Books Fire & Flood Buy from Amazon Deep Past Buy from Amazon more info Articles by Category endangered animals rapid climate change global deforestation fragging Books The Ragged Edge of the World Winds of Change Buy from Amazon more info Afterword to the softbound edition. The Octopus and the Orangutan more info The Future In Plain Sight more info The Parrot's Lament more info Silent Partners more info Affluence and Discontent more info The Alms Race more info Apes, Men, & Language more info

Go Figure Monday June 21, 2021 Governor Greg Abbott of Texas recently signed into law “Constitutional Carry” legislation that would allow any Texan over 21 who can legally possess firearms (which means in essence anyone without a criminal conviction or record of family violence) to publicly carry a pistol without having to procure a permit beforehand. The state then joins Montana, Wyoming, Iowa, Utah and Tennessee, which have similar laws. All of these states still require driver’s licenses before residents can operate a motor vehicle.  States require licenses for drivers because without training, a driver might harm themselves or others. In effect then, these legislatures are saying that while it is important for the state to require training to use a technology that might cause harm, it is not important for the state to require training for a technology specifically designed to kill people. Texas is the second most populous state in the Union. What could possibly go wrong? contact Eugene Linden

Short Take Debt Ceiling Negotiations is an Absurd Phrase By using the phrase "debt ceiling negotiations," the media is lazily buying into the GOP framing of the issue because the implication is that debt ceiling negotiations are normal. They're not! Negotiating over the debt ceiling is exactly analogous to a diner getting the check at the end of a meal, and then demanding a discount on all meals going forward with the threat that they'll blow up the restaurant if they don't get one. No one would justify that behavior in a restaurant, why do act like it's a normal part of business in Congress? read more

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