Complexity’s Costs and Collapse, Pt. 3

The benefits of complexity come with associated costs. Prosperous societies can pay the price as long as their standard of living is on the rise. Eventually, though, the resource base of a complex society can no longer sustain the production of resources needed to maintain the web of middlemen and onionlike layers of bureaucracy, and something has to give. Generally, that’s when a collapse occurs.




Judge Gives Green Light for Widow of Gregory Harvey to Sue ICE

A United States district judge is allowing a complaint filed by the widow of Gregory Harvey to proceed to trial, despite the objections of the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. Harvey, a Jamaican-born green card holder, was detained by ICE for nearly two years while awaiting possible deportation to a prison in Goshen, NY.



Intermediaries and Complexity, Pt. 2

Today, most of us are a long way from directly interacting with the resources we need to live. So, why is this a big deal? What does it all mean? On one hand, societies grow in complexity because complexity solves problems. On the other hand, every level of complexity that we add, like the layers of an onion, means introducing intermediaries to the equation, and each middleman adds a cost to the expense of living our lives



Giti Tire USA Recalls Replacement Passenger Car Tires

A recall has been issued for Primewell brand tires over concerns that the “sidewalls can crack and lose air, increasing the risk of a crash.” The recall was issued by Giti Tire USA, a California-based company that distributes the tires. So far the recall includes an estimated 394,000 Valera Touring II replacement passenger car tires that have been sold to a number of different Firestone stores.