Society

What color is your prophecy?

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As I entered the Fred Flinstone structure that characterizes the convention center in Palm Springs, I was intensely curious about what kind of people would come to The Prophet’s Conference on 2012. It was odd enough that I was there. Such an expedition into the high dessert for a weekend of lectures by speakers dispensing insight into the Mayan prophecy required serious wu wu credentials.

I did have a journalist’s curiosity and, having reported mostly from the doomer’s corner concerning planetary demise, I thought there might be interesting parallels in the prophecy corner.

Conserving the differences

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Information, Gregory Bateson used to say, is a difference that makes a difference. The ability of energy to do work, and the usefulness of material substances, also depend on difference. What do these seemingly abstract considerations have to do with the fine old art of insulating hot water lines and heating ducts? Plenty. With a roll of fiberglass insulation in one hand, the Archdruid explains.

Two wheels good – March 9

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– How one New York bike lane could affect the future of cycling worldwide
– New level of anti-bike mania in NYC (a classic takedown of a “New Yorker” screed)
– Bicycle master plan is expected to be approved by the L.A. City Council
– Bike spike expected as motoring costs increase
– Urban Bikeway Design Guide introduced (NEW)

The disappearance of the nightmare Arab

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Since 2001, Americans have been living with a nightmare Arab, a Muslim monster threatening us to the core, chilling our souls with the cry, “God is great!” Yet after two months of world-historic protest and rebellion in streets and squares across the Arab world, we are finally waking up to another reality: that this was our bad dream, significantly a creation of our own fevered imaginations.

Listening to Life, before it’s too late: An interview with Ellen LaConte

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People of conscience face two crucial challenges today: (1) Telling the truth about the dire state of the ecosphere that makes our lives possible, no matter how grim that reality, and (2) remaining committed to collective action to create a more just and sustainable world, no matter how daunting that task. Ellen LaConte’s new book, Life Rules, is a welcome addition to the growing literature on these crises. It offers an unflinching assessment of the problems and an honest path to sensible action. In an interview, I asked her to elaborate on her background and path to the insights of the book.

I’m going to be just like everyone else…

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So I set out to figure out a way to be like everyone else without causing permanent brain damage, and suddenly I had a brilliant flash of intuition – I can apply those skill to my domestic life! Home, family, housekeeping, marriage – I can usefully set the skill set used by the American public to prevent themselves from having the faintest idea what is going on or why they should care, and make it part of my daily life.

Four Lessons from Ireland’s Election

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In last month’s cover story of The American Conservative magazine, I wrote about Ireland’s boom and bust, and what it means for the USA. A few months earlier I described the tense week of Ireland’s bankruptcy and international bailout, and a few months before that I wrote in Big Questions Online why the Irish might be better able to handle austerity than Americans. This election begins the next chapter, one that offers many lessons for politically active folk back home.

The distant sound of hoofbeats

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Half hidden among the roar of recent news, a pair of stories point toward the uncomfortable reality that the current economic order is coming apart around us. As that process accelerates, pragmatic steps to cut costs and save energy — such as this week’s example, insulated window coverings — will take on an unexpected importance.

Lyttelton New Zealand faces the earthquake

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The Lyttelton community in New Zealand was at the epicentre of the recent earthquake that has devastated much of Christchurch. At this time, we have been blessed that just two in our community have died as a result of the earthquake. Rocks have been falling from the hills. Our people are OK, but the adrenalin is pumping – it feels like what it must be like to be in a war zone.