Index for 2004


113: The Diminishing Dollar, by Jack Powelson

"For a long time, Americans have been able to suck goods from other countries by paying for them in IOUs (dollars). This has been possible because other countries have been willing to keep dollars as their exchange reserves instead of spending them..." [20-Dec-04]

112: A Portrait of Paraguay, by Loren Cobb

"A curious flavor of Orwellian 'double-think' pervades this energetic and entrepreneurial society, cloaking awkward facts behind a thin veil of fantasized normalcy..." [1-Dec-04]

111: Me for President! by Jack Powelson

"To the American people: Thank you all for writing in my name as candidate for president. That is, thanks to the zero of you who did. I will now answer questions..." [15-Nov-04]

110: The Path to a Durable Peace, by Loren Cobb

"In my experience with the Third World, which began as a young boy living near a refugee camp in Lahore, Pakistan, peace is seldom threatened by military war between nations, even though these wars receive the most attention in history. The absence of peace is, instead, ..." [20-Oct-04]

109: More on Culture Change, by Jack Powelson

"What makes culture change, over time? Recently I have been watching silent films of circa 1915, and reading their reviews in publications of that era, like the New York Times and Photoplay..." [29-Sep-04]

108: Microfinance, by JD von Pischke

"Microfinance is currently a popular means of helping the poor in poor countries and in the former planned economies. I have been involved in microfinance for many years..." [22-Sep-04]

107: Economics by Innuendo and Error, by Jack Powelson

"This eagerness has led to one 'skill' that our Quaker organizations have handsomely learned: economics by innuendo. It is often accompanied by errors in economic history that have been popularly believed..." [8-Sep-04]

106: The Culture of Democracy, by Jack Powelson

"Is there a culture of democracy? Are there any common characteristics, or values, other than universal voting, held by all democracies and not held by others? This is a difficult question..." [26-Jul-04]

105: The Balkans, by Jack Powelson

"There is no country that I know literally 'nothing' about, but on many I come pretty close. Romania and Bulgaria are among them..." [5-Jul-04]

104a: The Moral Economy, Book Review by Paul Heyne

"Jack Powelson cares deeply about the power that some people are able to exercise over others and about every one of the problems that so disturb the enemies of the WTO. Like David Korten, he has spent considerable time in poor nations, and, also like Korten, he gives evidence of genuine compassion for the disadvantaged. But..." [14-Jun-04]

104b: David Korten and Jack Powelson, by JD von Pischke

"David Korten was my best man in 1967 and some 20 years later Jack Powelson was one of my best friends..." [14-Jun-04]

103: Land Reform 1965, by Jack Powelson

"Covey Oliver, the U.S. Ambassador to Colombia, had a great idea, which he explained to me in the car on the way from Bogotá to Girardot..." [31-May-04]

102: The European Union, by Jack Powelson

"In 1948-49, as I was tootling back and forth between Frankfurt and Paris, friends on both sides of the border were talking about a "United States of Europe." They had in mind something like the "United States of America," but they had no idea how difficult that would be..." [14-May-04]

101: Bush v. Kerry on Economics, by Jack Powelson

"Just this week my students asked me why all Professors of Economics under whom they had studied agree with me on major issues, while most non-economists do not..." [30-Apr-04]

100: Lille 1948, by Jack Powelson

"How would you like to lead a group of economics students to France?" Donald Watt asked me. He was the founder of the Experiment in International Living..." [12-Apr-04]

99: How I Learned Economics, by Jack Powelson

"One day in 1938 I marched in a parade down Boylston Street in Boston, singing 'Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong.' I may not have known what I was singing, but the union people were very friendly, and I felt sure I was promoting a cause. It was the Roosevelt era, and our great leader was piloting the country out of its worst depression ever — or so I thought..." [29-Mar-04]

98: The Brown Cushion, by Jack Powelson

"This was the first of many lessons Cindy taught us on how to learn, how to live, how to love, and eventually how to die..." [15-Mar-04]

97: My Spiritual Journey, by Jack Powelson

"Gandhi insisted that if his people wanted independence, they had to start acting like they were free and take responsibility for their own lives, their own local communities, and their own local, concrete issues of poverty..." [29-Feb-04]

96: Conscientious Objector in World War II, by Jack Powelson

"I took my physical exam in 1943, to see if I was fit for civilian public service as a conscientious objector. I presented my papers to the receptionist sergeant..." [15-Feb-05]

95: Culture Change, by Jack Powelson

"The biggest error of the more developed governments is to believe we can impose our culture on the less developed instead of leaving them to build up slowly what is "right." Iraq is a current case..." [29-Jan-04]

94: Education, by Jack Powelson

"By now, readers have surely become aware that I believe our society is heading in a grievously wrong direction. We are abdicating to 'authorities' responsibilities that should be undertaken by individuals..." [15-Jan-04]

93: Health Care, by Jack Powelson

"In a rich society, everyone should have adequate health care. In a free society each individual should decide what kind of health care to have, how much, and how much to pay for it..." [1-Jan-04]

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