Powerswitch Newsletter 7th December 2004

December 6, 2004

MORE END OF SUBURBIA NEWS!
Powerswitch.org.uk is very close to making End of Suburbia available online in
the UK. We’re just waiting for the DVDs to arrive (hopefully by Saturday).
Thanks to Paypal we can accept credit/debit card payments without need of a
paypal account. The cost? £12.99. We only have 30 copies initially but there
seems to be strong demand so we will order more in if necessary. As soon as the
DVDs arrive, we’ll make End of Suburbia available through the site.

WE BURNED SO BRIGHT
The short story competition has been launched! Stephen Baxter, best-selling
British science fiction writer , and award winning author of books such as
Evolution, Moonseed, Voyage and The Time Ships, will be judging the finalists of
the £100-prize short story competition called ‘We Burned So Bright’.
www.powerswitch.org.uk/portal/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=237&Itemid=2

FAX YOUR MP
If you haven’t faxed your MP yet, it’s now been made even easier. Just go to
the site at the link below and enter your postcode then away you go! If you
need text to send, you will find a link to text you can personalise (you will
need to log in to access this). It is through faxes like this that we can begin
to apply pressure to those with the power to make the changes needed.
www.powerswitch.org.uk/portal/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=68&Itemid=2

NEW POSTERS / LEAFLETS AVAILABLE
Slowly but surely we’re getting printable designs on the site for you to
download and distribute. Not many great ones yet but we have just had a
designer join the team (Richard) so expect more, and better, soon. You’ll need
to login to access these.
www.powerswitch.org.uk/portal/index.php?option=content&task=category&sectionid=6&id=36&Itemid=39

SELF-ACTION SECTION
Clive Smith, who wrote the detailed Survivalist Survivor List, will be heading a
new feature coming soon to PowerSwitch.org.uk. The Self-Action section will
concentrate on what individuals can do for themselves and their families.

WE HAVE AN ADDRESS
We finally have an address. You can snail mail us at:
Powerswitch.org.uk, PO BOX 178, Carshalton, SM5 2XY

COMING SOON
An article on countering common excuses for inaction.

NEW INTERESTING READS

BRITAIN’S INTERNATIONAL ENERGY STRATEGY
This is an absolute must-read. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office has launched a
revealing document looking at Britain’s energy plans for the years ahead.
www.powerswitch.org.uk/portal/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=238&Itemid=2

WINNING THE OIL ENDGAME
Winning the Oil Endgame is Pentagon-cofunded blueprint for making the United
States oil-free. It is available as a free download.
www.powerswitch.org.uk/portal/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=227&Itemid=2

AFTER OIL
There are many articles on oil depletion and the consequences, but there are few
as good as these by policy analyst David Fleming. Highly recommended reading.
www.powerswitch.org.uk/portal/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=230&Itemid=2

IN THE NEWS

THE MAN WHO BROKE BRITAIN
The Man Who Broke Britain is a compelling dramatised documentary designed to
reveal the fragility of financial trading systems. Shortly after a terrorist
strike wipes out much of Saudia Arabia’s oil production, a trader disappears
from a UK investment bank, leaving crippling debts behind him. Then the bank is
declared insolvent, the Saudi-born trader is found dead and a tape surfaces
suggesting a possible connection with al-Qaeda. Britain soon finds itself
plunged int a deep recession. BBC2 9pm Thursday 9th December.
www.powerswitch.org.uk/portal/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=236&Itemid=2

UK NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS TO CLOSE EARLY?
British Energy could be forced to close some of its ageing nuclear generators
due to cracking inside the core reactors. Such a move would throw the UK’s
energy supply into disarray as BE at present generates more than 20% of the
country’s electricity
www.powerswitch.org.uk/portal/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=231&Itemid=2

IN THE FORUMS
(separate login to the main site)

IS WORLD OIL DEMAND ELASTIC?
“Elastic and inelastic demand are terms which I’ve only discovered since finding
out about Peak Oil. Put simply, elastic demand for a service or commodity means
that if you put the price up then people buy less of it. On the other hand,
inelastic demand means that as you put up the price, people still buy the same
amount, and make cuts in their spending elsewhere. “ So, where does oil fall
between these two extremes?
www.powerswitch.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41

FIVE DAYS WITHOUT MAINS ELECTRICITY
Preparing for the inevitable blackouts.
www.powerswitch.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=24

THE END OF CIVILISATION AS WE KNOW IT
The end is nigh? You decide.
www.powerswitch.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8

AND FINALLY, READ THIS…
The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight
www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0340822430/qid=1102439320/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-8130230-5076655

With hope for a better future

James Howard
www.PowerSwitch.org.uk


Tags: Fossil Fuels, Oil