How to Safely Scale Down the Fiscal Cliff

How to Safely Scale Down the Fiscal Cliff

Pundits pounced earlier this year when Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned that the country will face a “massive fiscal cliff” at the beginning of 2013. It seemed we had to extend the Bush tax cuts — or else. Lost in these arguments is what...
Crashing the GDP

Crashing the GDP

At 9 p.m. on June 12, there was a collision on the freeway between Baltimore and D.C. The first car, a beige Prius. The second, a gigantic 18-wheeler tearing down I-95. The truck knocked the Prius sideways, sending it spiraling down the road and into the guardrail,...
Smoldering Planet

Smoldering Planet

As fires raged in Arizona last summer, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) discovered the culprits. “There is substantial evidence,” the former Republican presidential candidate told reporters, “that some of these fires have been caused by people who have...
Real Nowhere Men (and Women)

Real Nowhere Men (and Women)

The Olympic Games can draw unexpected visitors. Remember the Jamaican bobsled team? This year, it’s the delegation from nowhere. Beginning in the games’ opening week, residents along the rocky coast of southwest England will meet Nowhereisland. No — what?...
A Perfect and Hot Storm

A Perfect and Hot Storm

I was driving toward my home in the foothills of the Shenandoah mountains when the wind really started to worry me. It was blowing debris horizontally across Interstate 66 with gusts that were flying at over 80 miles an hour. Then lightning began forking all around....