A Declaration of Independence and Healing: How Post WWII America Made Bebop

There’s a saying that goes something like this: “Necessity is the mother of all invention.” With its characteristic (manic) jam sessions, “complex, dissonant harmonies,” “rhythmically unpredictable skeins of accompanying (piano) chords,” and Kenny Clarke-style “dropping bomb” techniques on drums[1], what compelled bebop? On the surface, necessity might not seem to Read more…

Man’s Industrialization Heats up the Environment. The Upside and Downside to Man’s Inventiveness

 “Man’s Industrialization Heats up the Environment: The Causes and Effects of Atmospheric Pollution.” was written in 1991. The paper started off by stating: “Since the mid-1800s, man has been continuously altering the global environment through his industrialization. Today, industrialized societies such as the United States, Europe and the Soviet Union Read more…

Aldo Leopold: Early conservationist paves way to modern ecosystem services sustainability

If Aldo Leopold were alive today, he likely would be pleased. The father of wildlife management and the United States’ wilderness system likely would approve of the modern movement towards sustainable use of ecosystem services.[1] In 1933, when Leopold wrote The Conservation Ethic, he was heralding a bold new thinking, Read more…