Kathy McMahon

“Brother, Can You Spare the Time?”: Psychotherapists Don’t Reach out to the Unemployed

by

“Our families, friends, and true companionship are thus among consumerism’s principal casualties. We are hollowing out whole areas of life, of individual and social autonomy, of community, and of nature, and, if we don’t soon wake up, we will lose the chance to return, to reclaim ourselves, our neglected society, our battered world, because there will be nothing left to reclaim, nothing left to return to.” -Gus Speth – America the Possible: Manifesto for a New Economy.

Activate your (climate) science – Sept 24

by

-Limiting global warming to 2 °C is unlikely to save most coral reefs
-Arctic Crisis: Far From Sight, the Top of the World’s Problems
-Yikes: Avoiding dangerous climate change is still possible, but just barely
-Freaked-out climate scientists urge other freaked-out climate scientists to speak up, fight Man
-Activate (?) your science

The “Switch Energy Project” highlights the scale of our energy challenges

by

Every year in Washington DC, the annual Environmental Film Festival screens thought-provoking films. And at this year’s festival in March 2012, one of the world premieres was the film”Switch.” Switch follows Dr. Scott Tinker on a spectacular journey to explore the world of energy in a sweeping period of transition.

Global oil exports in decline since 2006: What will importing nations do?

by

It is with trepidation that independent petroleum geologist Jeffrey Brown has watched global oil exports decline since 2006. With all the controversy in the past several years over whether worldwide oil production can rise to quench the world’s growing thirst for petroleum, almost no one thought to ask what was happening to the level of oil exports. And yet, each year a dwindling global pool of exports has been generating ever greater competition among importing nations and has become a largely unheralded force behind record high oil prices.

Why we cannot save the world

by

This article is an attempt to respond to those who say they see me as a defeatist, a “doomer”, a dogmatically negative person. I have described myself of late as a joyful pessimist, and will try to explain why. This article draws on various theories about complexity, and the phenomenological philosophies of several writers, poets, artists and scientists. But it’s not a work of exposition of theory or of philosophy. It is, I guess, a confession.

Transport – Sept 21

by

-What would British roadsl look like if we treated them the same way we do our cycle lanes?
-Check Out This Great Bike-Sharing ‘How To’ Guide for U.S. Cities!
-Building walkable cities cuts emissions more than fuel taxes, study says
-World’s Coolest Bus Commercial

Feast of Fools: How American democracy became the property of a commercial oligarchy

by

The ritual performance of the legend of democracy in the autumn of 2012 promises the conspicuous consumption of $5.8 billion, enough money, thank God, to prove that our flag is still there. Forbidden the use of words apt to depress a Q Score or disturb a Gallup poll, the candidates stand as product placements meant to be seen instead of heard, their quality to be inferred from the cost of their manufacture.

Transport – Sept 21

by

-What would British roadsl look like if we treated them the same way we do our cycle lanes?
-Check Out This Great Bike-Sharing ‘How To’ Guide for U.S. Cities!
-Building walkable cities cuts emissions more than fuel taxes, study says
-World’s Coolest Bus Commercial

ODAC Newsletter Sept 21

by

Oil prices fell dramatically this week to $107/barrel for Brent, on worsening economic news from China and Europe, and assurances from Saudi Arabia that it is ready to pump more oil to keep prices down. The speed of the fall on Monday however is something of a mystery and has led to an investigation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the FSA.