The Libya conundrum – April 1

– Immanuel Wallerstein: The Great Libyan Distraction
– Chomsky: On Libya and the Unfolding Crises
– Obama’s Libya Speech and the Tasks of Anti-Imperialists
– Libya is another case of selective vigilantism by the west
– Hugs From Libyans
– The shape of Libya’s ‘better future’ remains elusive
– Juan Cole: An Open Letter to the Left on Libya
– After unscripted Arab drama, the west sneaks back on set
– Intervention in Libya: Is It Really the Only Option?

The peak oil crisis: Edging towards recession

As oil prices edge ever higher, more people are expressing concern about what this phenomenon is doing or could do to economic recovery. The conventional wisdom used to be that, in the U.S., whenever total national spending on oil products exceeded four percent of GDP the country went into recession. So where do we stand in in the early spring of 2011?

Latest ‘Zeitgeist’ film mixes sound critique and goofy futurism

‘Zeitgeist: Moving Forward,’ makes a strong critique of party politics, market economics and overshoot. The film even explores peak oil. But its solution is an unconvincing techno-utopian fantasy straight out of science fiction complete with pod-cities of the future. Why would such a schizophrenic film boast so many rabid fans?

 

The Carbon-free Home: 36 remodeling projects to help kick the fossil-fuel habit

You probably know that energy used in your home produces more global-warming pollution than your car, but what can you do to reduce your reliance on fossil fuels? Maybe you daydream of starting from scratch, building a new, super-efficient, passive-solar, off-grid house—but in reality you’ve got a roof (and a mortgage) over your head already. How can you turn your existing house into an environmental asset? One that simultaneously saves you money on utilities and insulates you from the possible shocks of Peak Oil?