Posted by Bob Lord
With 40 hours or so of travel time during my trip down under, there was ample opportunity for reading.
The most intriguing read was 2052: A Global Forecast For The Next 40 Years, by Jorgen Randers. Randers was one of the co-authors of The Limits to Growth, back in 1972. Combining his skills in simulation modeling with the thoughts of experts various disciplines, Randers takes his shot at predicting what the world will look like in 2052. His analysis is sobering, yet not entirely pessimistic. The good news, if you're a boomer like me, is that it won't be until after 2052, when our time here will be done, that the shit really could hit the fan. The bad news, if you're a boomer like me with 7 kids, and a grandchild on the way, is that the shit really could hit the fan after 2052.
I also finished The Rich Don't Always Win, by Sam Pizzigati. It's right up there with Howard Zinn's books. If you care about economic justice in America, this one is a must read. Pizzigati explains how, step-by-step, how the plutocrats of the gilded age were taken down, how the egalitarian society of the mid-twentieth century was created and how, sadly, the plutocracy was re-established.