The dolphins who lifted conquest-centric empires for ever more-brief periods of time have insisted that their image shall only be used on causes they believe in.

"Be the Change," their guidon reads.

Never underestimate their intelligence, always underestimate their knowledge.

Frank Delaney ~ Ireland

the idea of empire is over.

wouldn't that be great...

i think that's probably what we said every time another one hit the rocks of hubris and foundered.

perhaps you are right, and we are finally ready to want/deserve an existence untrammelled by empires/bubbles/yoyo pendula/calculated earthquakes/wars of conquest/attrition and institutional thievery.

there comes a time in every species' life...

secular, moral, civic, political, economic education, get em by seven, they'll be liberal humanists for ever!

(some perhaps after an obligatory period of fashionista rebellion ;))

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty