John de Graaf

Latest Posts in John de Graaf

April 2026 Magazine

In April, we have original articles related to money and markets. Documentary filmmaker and author John de Graaf writes about the well known ecological economist Herman Daly. Please note that John de Graaf is currently directing a documentary about the life of Herman Daly. Barbara McMichael compares Arkansas native son Dwight “Kuimeaux” Drennan to Vincent Van Gogh. The two artists shared a plight that too many artists everywhere can recognize—they had to wait until they were dead to have their art appreciate in value. Dialing for Dollars is a stab at the elite who play by different rules in the Publishing World. April is National Poetry month. Barbara Ruth Saunders has honored us with her poem, “Semiquincentennial Lament.” Our featured Art is a New Deal Mural by Philip Guston. What is more important than putting Food On The Table? ––Patricia Vaccarino


A Prophet For Our Times: Herman Daly's Challenge To Economic Growth

The least challenged tenet in the field of economics is that growth is good.  Indeed, the value of limitless economic growth has almost become a religion. Nearly all political parties brag about their ability to increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), a measure of the monetary value of goods and services a country produces. Yet, what if humans aren’t so rational, but driven by unconscious impulses and  marketing manipulation?  What if unbridled economic growth is a false narrative?


NOTES FROM THE ROAD: On Stewardship

I was walking on 1st Avenue, south of the Pike Place Market, when I heard two men talking loudly. They were close enough to make me turn and look. The guys were burly, not in the best of shape, not old, but not young; it’s hard to tell someone’s age. What caught me by surprise was that they were making disparaging remarks about my city.  


February 2024 Magazine

Our feature story this month, by Barbara Lloyd McMichael, is about John de Graaf's latest film that depicts Katharine Lee Bates, who wrote the lyrics for America the Beautiful. Yes, indeed, women are a force for good, and if you believe that, then please pass along this platform. #WomenBelieve. On an entirely different note, Art Gets a Free Ridedemonstrates how the rich use art to get richer. While we’re on the subject of wealth, please see Annie Searle’s Sanitizing Bad News that examines the elements of risk inherent in the structure of large corporations.

 


Unsung Hero: The Woman Behind “America the Beautiful”

The third song to be sung in the Super Bowl pre-game program is “America the Beautiful,” a perennial favorite in the nation’s canon of patriotic music. The Woman Behind America the Beautiful is an unsung hero. The song was written first as a poem by Katharine Lee Bates, a young Wellesley College professor.