Our Special Moment in History is a time of mathematical aberrations in all directions. It is now routine to see the highly unusual, whether in science, technology, economics, politics, or international relations.

Take, for example, the behavior of our own solar system. We recently witnessed ... read more »

A myriad swirling currents have distracted eyes from the boiling Middle East despite its accelerating pandemonium. For Israel's part, they are five-times-more surrounded than when Obama first took office. But our attention has been fixed on other pressing matters: the election, fiscal cliff, Hurricane Sandy's $70 billion... read more »

In the previous issue we looked at the US and Eurozone economies. Now for Part Two: updates on the Arab Spring and Israel-Iran conflict. In the broader context, the speed of change continues its breathtaking pace, and we remain stuck in an unprecedented worldwide acceleration trap. It is a privilege to live... read more »

The shaking of the world system, something I first marked in mid-2006, has been documented here for the past eighteen months. There appears to be no end in sight. By my judgment, the trends continue toward more dysfunction.

When trend lines go vertical--and today's profusion curve is hyper-expo... read more »

For ... read more »

To the rescue of Islam; to the ruin of the world

Iranians are a warm, pleasant and inquisitive people. Generous and hospitable too. Their land is filled with beauty and ancient archeological treasures waiting for tourists to explore. It has ten percent of the world's oil reserves and plentif... read more »

Where the offence is, let the great axe fall. (Shakespeare, Hamlet)

It is a deadly game of chess where both players lose, yet apparently, the game must be played out regardless. It is a duel where both combatants end mortally wounded. Israel and Iran keep inching closer and closer, threatening, poin... read more »

Two weeks ago I noticed something unique, at least in my experience--the entire world is now in play. By this, I mean that every important region and country is simultaneously being disrupted by economic tension, political instability, or international threats. I've never seen such a situation in thirty years of close ob... read more »

Two months ago, an Arizona utility worker doing routine maintenance removed a piece of monitoring equipment at a power substation near Yuma. Inexplicably, it triggered a massive power outage stretching from Mexico to Orange County. Five million people lost electricity. Traffic gridlocked, schools and universities closed,... read more »

Looking at our besieged globe, it's difficult to know if we're dealing with a tragedy or a comedy. Whatever your viewpoint, it certainly smells a lot like my Chicago Cubs. Win a few games, then strike out--again!--with the bases loaded. Aargh. Collectively, we are like wounded exhausted soldiers trying to... read more »

The cover of today's The Economist (Britain's respected 170-year-old news weekly) shows a swirling black hole sucking in the words "Be Afraid." The insinuation is we're nearing an event horizon, the devastating boundary at the mouth of a black hole beyond which nothing can escape, not even light. The past few week... read more »

I step away for a month to finish a book and look what happens. The weirdness keeps piling up. Send in the clowns.

My thesis throughout these newsletters is that the world is behaving strangely. History has morphed and no longer plays by the rules. The math continues its dysfunctional, unpredictable, and almo... read more »

Hemingway was once asked "How did you go bankrupt?" He said "First gradually, then suddenly."

Well, we're a long way down this road now, and we've just about run out of gradually. See that cliff ahead? That's the beginning of suddenly.

Suddenly is like one September morning in ... read more »

A defining characteristic of our age is the unusual math. Today's unprecedented numbers and figures are matched with graphs increasingly exponential in nature--especially the hyper-exponential, purely vertical Profusion Curve. What makes this disconcerting is that plotting the math into the future leads to dysfunction ... read more »

When people talk about the future, I don't fear hyperbole as much as I fear complacency. Many exhausted people yawn, roll over, and hit the snooze alarm. "Life's always been crazy, and it always will be." Case closed. Discussion over.

It's a mistake to underestimate the drama of our current situation--un... read more »