A region in turmoil – Jan 31
– How far will the unrest spread? (survey of ME countries at risk)
– Yemen: Tens of thousands call on president to leave
– Thousands protest in Jordan
– Thousands of Albanian protest despite warnings
Staff
Stimulus duds, bailout blanks
In response to the financial crisis, governments and central banks have undertaken a series of extraordinary, dramatic measures. In this section we will focus primarily on the U.S….From Richard Heinberg’s upcoming book The End Growth.
Cool ideas continued – Jan 31
-‘Barefoot’ grandmothers electrify rural communities
-Lucy Neal on Transition and the Arts
-Why Seattle will stay dry when your city floods
– Small town launches its own stimulus: a local currency (NEW)
The broader palette
Even if we restrict ourselves to the minority of plants that have become domesticated crops, we typically recognize only a few varieties of each – the ones bred recently for fossil-fuel transport, not for taste, health or your climate. Take the colour, for example – most of us have never seen green oranges, purple carrots, striped beets or blue potatoes.
Egypt, oil and the U.S. – Jan 31
– Oil Prices Rise Sunday as Egypt Unrest Gooses Market
– Egyptian Unrest Has Repercussions in Global Economy
– White House quietly prepares for a post-Mubarak era in Egypt
– Juan Cole interview: “Egypt is a Praetorian Regime”
– Israel ‘anxiously monitoring’ turmoil in Egypt
Peak oil review – Jan 31
A weekly roundup of peak oil news, including:
-Oil and the global economy
-Deepwater drilling
-China’s ongoing drought
-Quote of the week
-Briefs
Sustaining our commonwealth of nature and knowledge
Let’s start with this phrase: “sustaining our commonwealth.” By sustaining, I don’t mean preserving inviolate; I mean using, without using up. By commonwealth, I mean the wealth that no one has made, or the wealth that practically everyone has made.
Farmer by farmer, an organic transition
According to Gil: “Only about 2 percent of what we eat comes from outside the farm: salt, some cooking oil, spices. That’s it.”
Commentary: Lies we tell ourselves
Our desire not to stand on the wrong side of history is radically tempered by our desire to keep the flow of oil coming and the markets stable. The US cannot endure another major economic shock, and oil price spikes and the possible market repercussions of a destabilizing Middle East clearly terrify our present administration.
Two stories: Forests, fields, food
There is a story implicit in the farmer’s relation to the land, and it is our culture’s central organizing myth, the one that informs all the other stories we tell. The story is just a few words long, but its implications are widespread and profound. The story is this: everything belongs to us.
Razor blades and the limits of complexity
A friend of mine once remarked that if current trends continue, razor cartridges will have at least 100 blades each by the end of the century. The razor blade wars are among the most visible absurdities illustrating how the limits of complexity clash with our blind faith in the idea that more complexity will always solve our problems or improve our lives.
Economics, environment and unrest – Jan 30
– Pushing Back Against Economic Crisis, Youth Unrest Ripples Around World
– Capitalism and Degrowth – An Impossibility Theorem
– Daniel Tanuro: The Futility of Green Capitalism
– Actually, The Retirement Age is Too High
