The Banks We Deserve: Excerpt

Ed note: This excerpt is taken from From The Banks We Deserve by Oscar Perry Abello. Copyright © 2025 Oscar Perry Abello. Reproduced by permission of Island Press, Washington, D.C. The Banks We Deserve: Reclaiming Community Banking for a Ju

The Muskovites Are at the Gates: Is the Republic Doomed?

The tectonic truth is that Donald Trump and Elon Musk could stop their chainsaw rampage through the federal government, foreign alliances, and the US Constitution immediately, and it would take years to undo the cumulative damage they’ve al

Hall of Mirrors

The shock being experienced in Washington D.C. since January 20 is exposing gaping holes in the fantasies we told ourselves were rock-solid truths—lasting for whole (gasp) generations!. It is also important to admit that this is democracy w

A look at the human toll of the construction of the Panama Canal : Code Switch

Author Cristina Henriquez next to the cover of her new novel, The Great Divide Brian McConkey/Ecco hide caption Author Cristina Henriquez next to the cover of

China's parliament opens with confidence about the economy despite tariffs, headwinds

Chinese President Xi Jinping, center left, chats with his Premier Li Qiang as leaders and delegates prepare to leave after attending the opening session of the National People's Congress held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on We

Mexico and Canada React to U.S. Tariffs; Ukraine Adjusts to Losing U.S. Support : State of the World from NPR

The flags of Mexico and Canada fly near the Ambassador Bridge, Monday, Feb. 3, 2025, in Detroit. Paul Sancya/AP hide caption The flags of Mexic

How Trump's foreign policy is reshaping the world order : Consider This from NPR

U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet in the Oval Office at the White House on February 28, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Insight: Is China Still a Communist Country? With Carl Zha

Mike Robinson speaks to Carl Zha for more discussion of China.  Carl is a Caltech graduate and is host of the Silk and Steel Podcast focusing on everything China, history, culture and politics Carl was born in China at the end of the Cultur

Kenya’s problems with electronic voting methods continue

An audit has found that more than 200 biometric election devices linked to the Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (“KIEMS”) have gone missing and cannot be accounted for. These devices are crucial for voter authentication during e

Vance's comments about European peacekeeping plan for Ukraine draw ire abroad

Vice President Vance speaks during a meeting with President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office on Feb. 28. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

U.S. stock markets plunge as Trump's tariffs spark fears about a trade war

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in the Financial District in New York City on Tuesday. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

Solar power is at least 10 times more expensive than natural gas

A peer-reviewed study published in 2022 found that wind and solar power are more expensive than coal, natural gas and nuclear power. The study shows that even in favourable locations like Texas, solar power is 10 times and wind power 7 time

Europe considers a major defense spending package as Trump signals disengagement

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a media conference on a defense package in Brussels, Tuesday. Virginia Mayo/AP

Welcome ‘Think Like a Commoner’, Second Edition!

About a year ago, some folks in Bangkok reached out to me. Hans van Willenswaard and his wife Wallapa wanted to translate my book Think Like a Commoner into Thai and publish it. Hans is the founder of the Innovation Network International in

The Great Decoupling: Not more, but better part 3

In the two previous articles, I have given a big picture of agriculture developments from a production and economic perspective. My main point is that the development of the agri-food system has been driven by four mega-trends (or mega-driv