united states
podcasts from this week can help you understand the US debt problem
As the US debt ceiling was quickly raised to $12.4 billion to prevent Federal government shutdown, the only inevitable response will be an even larger increase early next year. The United States balance sheet is looking like a weaker and weaker attempt at recovery. Some might even make the argument that the US is insolvent, [...]
subtracting 85% from your life over the next decade
Imagine slashing the your income across the board by 85%. That’s the comparison John Michale Greer draws to the coming age of energy scarcity in his latest post,
the true cost of the US presence in Iraq and Afghanistan
An amazing video from GOOD on the true cost of the US presence in Iraq and Afghanistan alone. It is no longer an argument about whether we should be there or not, it is an argument about whether we can afford it or not. Especially since 20,000 Americans a day are applying for food stamps. [...]
United States is world’s worst for economic inequality
A recently released OECD 2008 reports concludes that the United States is the 3rd worst major nation for income inequality and the world’s worst nation for wealth inequality.
why I don’t want to live in the United States for a while
Moving to Canada has been a spectacular opportunity for many reasons but its part of the plan to get out of the United States for the next decade.
on the road to Chicago
The drive from Nashville to Chicago tied for our longest drive of the road-trip. Rarely did we have a full day of driving that was as long as this one. We started out by heading to Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky. It is the longest cave system in the world! But unfortunately, the crowds [...]
its time for America 2.0
An awesome and thought provoking post by Jay Hanson over on the Oil Drum about the fundamental changes in the American way of life to deal with a new economic reality. I don’t agree with everything he suggests but I think its an important look at how the US needs to restructure society.
a day in Nashville
After a solid rest in Nashville at the home of our CouchSurfing host, we departed for Fido on 21st Ave, a local coffee and breakfast joint. Delicious. Next up we paid a visit to the Parthenon. Yes, the Parthenon. Because Nashville has so many universities, Fisk University, Saint Cecilia Academy, Montgomery Bell Academy, Meharry Medical [...]
leaving North Carolina
Starting Friday, June 26th 2009 my life changed dramatically. I left my job at Duke Energy, I spent a few weeks in western North Carolina at Lake Santeetlah with Jane and her family, I packed up, said goodbye, drove for a month across the US and Canada with my fianceé and @serdmanczyk (Erby), moved to [...]
US colleges are getting stupider
The images below show the results of the General Social Survey WORDSUM tests for the periods 1974-1984 and 1998-2008. These tests demonstrate general vocabulary scores. What you’ll notice is that the gap between the non-degree holders and the degree holders has shrunk significantly over a few decades.
