The End of More and Better: Mother Jones, March-April

While the bright yellow cover art and the title "The Iraq Handbook for Dummies" will have readers of the latest issue of Mother Jones turning pages towards the article that promises "Everything you need to know about Iraq but are afraid to ask," Treehuggers are bound to get distracted along the way by Bill McKibben's feature article, "Reversal of Fortune." Drawing from his forthcoming book Deep Economy, McKibben challenges one of the fundamental tenets of modern economics: growth is necessary and good. We'd expect a healthy dose of environmental evidence from McKibben on this topic, and the article doesn't disappoint in this regard. Ecological issues are only one part of a larger look at contemporary "civilized" existence, though, that struggles with the question "If we're so rich, how come we're so damn miserable?"

Other features this time around include a profile of teenage video blogger and activist Ava Lowery, a look inside Ave Maria University, a new, ultra-orthodox Catholic college started by Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan, and a revelation of the biggest challenge facing the newspaper industry (and, no, it's not the Internet). Regular departments consider e-waste and built-in obsolescence, and pay a visit to a "born-again" abortion clinic. As always, Mojo is fresh, eclectic, and thorough. Pick up a copy, or part with a mere $10 for a subscription. ::Mother Jones, March-April 2007