Society

A Transition participant’s response to Luane Todd

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It has been interesting to observe so many commentators dispensing advice to the participants of the Occupy movement, telling them what they should or should not be doing. I have also seen this happening with Transition: activist pundits, one after another, issuing proclamations about how the Transition movement is too much this, or not enough that. The latest of these critiques can be found in Luane Todd’s recently published article on Energy Bulletin on November 23, titled, Why Occupy has Taken Off.

Occupy Maine and the need to decentralize

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Decentralization of the Occupy movement is as important as the decentralization of any other piece of our infrastructure. If the #OWS crowd popped up in small groups around NYC, they would be easier to raid individually, but not much worth it. If one goes down, there are sites still available to regroup and relocate. … Good communications could combine dispersed occupiers for various marches and individual protest demonstrations. Seriously, we need to be in little, flexible, creative bunches everywhere, not in one giant lump.

Using Science to Read the Early-Warning Signs

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Can ecology, biology, mathematics and physics help us avoid (or at least predict) forthcoming troubles of the worst kind? An interview with scientist Len Fisher, Ph.D., author of the new book Crashes, Crises, and Calamities: How We Can Use Science to Read the Early-Warning Signs .

This is what a leader looks like

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Cities can no longer work separately in the global economy, they must form public and private partnerships to repair our old and outdated infrastructure, integrate an environmental agenda with economic and social agendas, invest in education, identify and leverage their assets and work regionally, says former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, who also believes the Great Lakes region is “one of the most dynamic regions in America.”

Reviews: “When All Hell Breaks Loose” and “Organize for Disaster”

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Cody Lundin imparts details that often pester my mind when thinking about emergency scenarios and in so doing makes me far less cavalier about the more grim possibilities. A great deal of this information would be useful right now for my family in Thailand as they suffer through the flood. Indeed there is a very third world flavor to Cody’s frugal, homemade approaches that speaks to me.