Like most of you I take safety, comfort, and a clean environment as givens. A recent trip to Nicaragua reminded me they are not. (Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. Only Haiti is poorer). My trip offered several take home messages. Here’s one. I have a wristband that reads, “I buy […]

Critics occasionally castigate economists for “knowing the price of everything but the value of nothing.” What economists measure best is not what matters most. (Love is not merely an interdependent utility function.) Because they are handy and comfortable with numbers, economists discount culture, a concept impossible to quantify with precision. Yet, Nobel economist Gary Becker […]

A climate change crusade is underway. We are all being called upon to stop Global Warming’s (GW) assault on Gaia. It’s the biggest Green movement since the first Earth Day in April of 1970. Earth Day has garnered widespread support by incorporating a full spectrum of causes. In Boston, they may rally around “sludge,” dioxins […]

How do you explain Bozeman’s spectacular boom? My response to this often asked question—“Why are you here?” After a moment of self-reflection, the usual answer provided is, “We decided this would be a great place to live.” Developments around the Gallatin Valley exemplify a national demographic trend: people want to move toward smaller, more “authentic” […]