So Long Summer!

The different blades of the Fan stand for different parts of the global system that can conceptually be separated from others. Examples are climate and climate change; freshwater bodies and freshwater losses, also in combination with established practices of freshwater management; or the global economy and its evolution in terms of GDP, but also material and energy inputs and outputs. They represent different parts of the global system because they consist of different physical parts (air, water, soil, etc.), but also because they contain different processes (physical and chemical processes in the atmosphere vs. processes of capital allocation in the global economy).

• Grafting is a technique used to join parts from two plants with cords so that they grow as one. Thus the beloved becomes immortal, grafted to time with the poet's cords (his 'eternal lines'). For commentary on whether this sonnet is really 'one long exercise in self-glorification', please see below.
• MacArthur Park is a song written by Jimmy Webb. It was originally sung by artists such as Richard Harris in 1968. Donna Summer covered the song in 1978 for her Live and More album.

Meanwhile, city kids hit the books all year long—summers included. In 1842, Detroit’s academic year lasted 260 days. But as cities got denser, they got hotter.

However, each of these blades interacts with some or even many other blades. Each blade may be seen as a sub-system of the global technical-economic-political-environmental system, and within the global system they are mutually dependent, often in feedback loops and multi-causal effects of several blades on a given blade.

In several cases, these interactions between the blades accelerate and intensify the critical developments in the individual blades and also in the global overall system. Therefore, the blades need to be seen and investigated in combination although it is convenient to separate them and address them in different scientific “silos”. One of the main goals of the Fan is to facilitate communication and collaboration across blades – so that a more comprehensive bigger picture emerges.

Learn more about STRESSORS.

So Long Summer Hello Fall

This past winter at a Marie Claire x Ann Taylor event, I spotted a fashionable blonde across the room in the exact same scarf as me. Of course, this wasn’t just any old scarf, but a one-of-a-kind fur that I had purchased at my favorite boutique in the West Village, Sucre. I marched up to her to compare notes and the rest is history. Meagan, as it turns out, is an incredibly talented fashion illustrator and fellow lover of accessories, street style and all things New York. Earlier this summer, we pored over the spring runways to select our favorite summer accessories. I’m in awe of her recreation and excited for future collaborations. Talk about ending summer with a splash. Check out all of Meagan’s fabulous work here!

So Long Summer Meme