Jane Jacobs has published Dark Age Ahead (Random House, 2004), in which she targets “five crucial weaknnesses in the foundation of contemporary life in the West” — one of which is “dumbed down taxes.”
Author, activitist, social theorist and renowned urban planner, Jane Jacobs defined an increasingly influential way of looking at cities by opposing “slum” clearance and “suburban sprawl,” and advocating the “restoration” of urban centers. Still in print 40-plus years after publication, her classic The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961) revolutionized urban planning.
Jacob’s later works explored her fundament ideas for different perspectives: urban economics in The Economy of Cities (1969) and Cities and the Wealth of Nations (1984), and political philosophy in Systems of Survival (1992). More recently Ms. Jacobs argued that economic life obeys the same rules as those governing the systems in nature in The Nature of Economies (2000).
About her latest work, Publisher’s Weekly wrote “Witty, beautifully written–the culmination of Jacobs’ previous thinking, and a step forward that deftly invokes a broader philosophical, even metaphysical, context.” Via Taxprof.
Renewable Energy: “We’ve got sun”
T.R. Reid writes from Arizona:
“Some states have oil. Some have coal. Here in Arizona, we’ve got sun,” said Hansen, a vice president of Tucson Electric Power Co., as he squinted through heavy-duty sunglasses. “And now we’re using that resource to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.”
On an utterly shadeless expanse of high desert plateau near the New Mexico border, Hansen manages America’s largest solar-powered electric generating station. It looks at first glance like a long, long row of windowpanes propped up to face the sun. In fact, each “window” is an array of photovoltaic cells that generate electric current when exposed to the light.
Global Demographic Surprises
FOUR SURPRISES IN GLOBAL DEMOGRAPHY by Nicholas Eberstad identifies some interesting global demographic trends:
- The rapid spread of sub-replacement fertility
- The emergence of unnatural gender imbalances among the very young
- Sustained increases in death rates
- American “demographic exceptionalism.”
Gratitude?
Gratitude Journals & Lowenstein’s Challenge:
How many times have
You heard someone say
If I had his money
I could do things my way
But little they know
That it’s so hard to find
One rich man in ten
With a satisfied mind
…
Money can’t buy back
Your youth when you’re old
Or a friend when you’re lonely
Or a love that’s grown cold
The wealthiest person
Is a pauper at times
Compared to the man
With a satisfied mind
Fascinating reading at Marginal Revolution….
More on Old Media Changes
The Chicago Sun-Times cut its single-copy circulation numbers by 23%, more than a month after disclosing that it had inflated figures according to this AP article. Times are changing. Advertisers should completely understand what they are getting for their money.
Grand Haven, Michigan offers Full-City WiFi!
Grand Haven, Mich., makes a splash with full-city Wi-Fi coverage: This seems like yet another city announcement, but it might be the first city with this scale of access that 100-percent live and commercially available
State Election Board Controversy – Lorge Candidacy
Tony Palmeri, a Green Party candidate for the 54th Assembly District writes about a recent State Elections Board meeting…
Wisconsin Economic Development
A recent Economist article on Wisconsin mentions one of the many challenges facing our state:
Without a smart urban centre of its own to attract young professionals, Wisconsin has seen an exodus of college graduates in the past two decades. It ranks 43rd among the 50 states in the share of college graduates in its workforce, says Terry Ludeman, a jobs expert.
Unfortunately, our entrenched politicians evidently cannot see the opportunities at hand. South Korea, recognizing the need for change after the 1997 Asian financial crisis, fully embraced the need for change and pushed true broadband (not the slow stuff we have) adoption to the extreme as John Borland and Michael Kanellos explain.
Taxpayer subsized Oil Security Costs
John Robb makes an excellent point:
The US is negotiating to launch a coastal security program for Nigeria. Wants access to bases for training and rapid deployment in case of a crisis. More “free” protection for oil companies. We need to find a way to allocate these costs so that they are incorporated into the price of oil. Currently, we spend $4-5 in naval protection for every barrel that is shipped from the Persian Gulf. Nobody pays for it but the American tax payer.
We’re also subsidizing the Europeans and all other net oil importers.
Interesting Battle – Oconomowoc Hospitals
Aurora Healthcare, the state’s largest private employer with 25,000 employees is attempting to build a new hospital in the Town of Summit. The Oconomowoc Memorial Hospital is minutes away from Aurora’s proposed site. Over 1,000 people attended a public hearing on the required land use changes before the Town’s Plan Commission. The proposed hospital would be built on 53 acres at the southwest corner of Interstate 94 and Hwy 67 in Waukesha County.
I remember someone saying (I wish I could recall the name) that when Madison approves new developments it’s “planned growth” while when nearby towns approve them it’s “urban sprawl”.
Meanwhile, Detroit automakers are fighting the proposed construction of two new hospitals in suburban Detroit, according to an article by Lee Hawkins, Jr.: