It has become common among people who have the good fortune of being both affluent and self-aware to be ashamed of their pain. After all, what could possibly justify feelings of depression or anxiety among those of us who live…
There were a number of well-considered reader responses to the essay I wrote a couple of issues ago about the accelerating effect of Covid on growth in southern Utah. Some of the comments extended the conversation in new and interesting…
Most Zephyr readers are probably aware of Interior Secretary Haaland’s ongoing review of the two large national monuments in southern Utah. A proper betting line would probably set the 1.9-million acre, ITC-proffered monument map as the odds-on favorite to be…
A year ago, I wrote about the development of the Little Valley area of St. George in southwest Utah. What I tried to do in that piece was use words, pictures and numbers to provide a specific example of what…
[A]s the pace of life keeps quickeningBeneath the bitching and the bickeringWhen I try to drown my thoughts in ginI find my worst ideas know how to swim — David Berman I’ll keep this installment short so we can all…
The concept of “place attachment” has come up in this column before, but I’ve never really shared much about my own connection to canyon country or to southeast Utah in particular. My people on my dad’s side came to San…
The division of labor is limited by the extent of the market. — Adam Smith The need of a constantly expanding market for its products chases the bourgeoisie over the entire surface of the globe. It must nestle everywhere, settle…
Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth. – Mike Tyson In modern America, local zoning has become a primary mechanism through which a wide range of hopes and fears for social and economic conditions are hashed…
The vast material displacements the machine has made in our physical environment are perhaps in the long run less important than its spiritual contributions to our culture. — Lewis Mumford, Technics and Civilization There are now a great many young…
Zephyr readers consistently demonstrate a high degree of insight and engagement. Last issue, for example, Doug Meyer left a response to my column that steered me to a selection of smart essays and other writing about the meaning of big…