Monthly Archives: March 2019

The Wave Held

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Joel D. Hirst

The children over the walls and the concertina wire are in school. The chattering of recess which belies the poverty, reminding we who live in Elysium that all people are the same; the same, equality – that wicked word, harsh … Continue reading →

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“Island” by Aldous Huxley

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Joel D. Hirst

I just finished reading “Island” by Aldous Huxley. Huxley is (of course) the author of “A Brave New World” – and “Island” continues along that tradition — sort of… “Island” was Aldous Huxley’s final novel, and according to him his … Continue reading →

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Marco Polo’s World – A Book Review

Posted on March 17, 2019 by Joel D. Hirst

Curiosity – and a joyful quest for wonder. For wonder is not something that hangs low on branches for the feckless or lazy to grasp. Wonder is a reward for hard work, searching and understanding and discovery – a journey … Continue reading →

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What Causes Poverty? — (Hint, nothing)

Posted on March 10, 2019 by Joel D. Hirst

What causes poverty? Nothing. Nothing causes poverty; poverty is the natural state of man. Naked and in the dark – that is how nature birthed us. But just as we figured out how to take the fibers from banana plant … Continue reading →

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“We” by Yevgeny Zamyatin – A Book Review

Posted on March 8, 2019 by Joel D. Hirst

“Dystopian literature is a genre of fictional writing used to explore social and political structures in ‘a dark, nightmare world’.” ‘We’ by Yevgeny Zamyatin is a dystopian novel set in the distant future. Published first in 1924 in New York, … Continue reading →

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Our Coming Dystopia

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Joel D. Hirst

It was probably a sunny day like today when Atlantis sank to the bottom of the sea. Was it an earthquake? A tsunami? Some kind of tribal violence which wiped away those who could run the reactors and the food … Continue reading →

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Venezuela’s ALBA: A Reflection 7 Years On

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Joel D. Hirst

Seven years ago, as a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, I wrote my (and perhaps the…?) hallmark book on the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas: Hugo Chavez’s grand plan. At the time I received a lot of push-back, … Continue reading →

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For Facebook & Twitter – Hate Is the Whole Point!

Posted on March 2, 2019 by Joel D. Hirst

I recently finished “Black Earth Rising”; the series on Netflix which is about the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide. Twenty-five years on, the stories are still about trauma and restoration and justice. Of how a nation heals, what is society’s … Continue reading →

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