Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
A society is not as simple as a balloon but it can easily explode in revolutions, collapse, breakdowns, civil wars and all sort of rapid and unpredictable changes. Societies, it seems, are fragile, at least in terms of the stability of their governments. This behavior looks normal to us because we have seen it happening many times. But, just as for balloons, it is difficult to explain exactly why societies “explode.”
There are reports that the unrest in the Middle East has spread to the Sultanate of Oman. While at the moment there have been only one or perhaps two deaths, small in number relative to the larger number of fatalities in countries like Libya, such a milepost, nevertheless, is sadly likely to indicate that the situation will get much worse. … Oman is not a member of OPEC, but contains the largest oil reserves of any country outside that group in the Middle East.
I wrote a while ago about Transition Finsbury Park’s fantastic Confronting Change event at the South Bank Centre just before Christmas. Well, thanks to the fine efforts of Miguel Faliero, Simon Maggs, Dan Roberts and the TFP team, the films of the event are now available for your delectation.
– As climate crime continues, who are we sending to jail? Tim DeChristopher?
– Republicans attack Obama’s environmental protection from all sides
– Bill McKibben: My life as a communist
– Barack Obama May Be Forced to Delay US Climate Action
– Who’s Blocking U.S. Action on Climate Change?
– Hillary Clinton: US Losing Information War to Alternative Media (video)
– How WikiLeaks is democratizing journalism, redistributing power and increasing transparency
– In the Age of WikiLeaks, the End of Secrecy?
– The Internet’s Unholy Marriage to Capitalism
– Could a blueprint for a happier and more successful society come a little-known French philosopher?
– Reflections on the Early Global Springtime of Peoples
– 1 million workers. 90 million iPhones. 17 suicides. Who’s to Blame?
I’m writing you today about Tim de Christopher. For you that don’t know his name, here’s a short story: In its last days, the Bush administration was selling off 77 parcels of federal land totaling 150,000 acres for drilling, a last round of favors to the oil and gas industry. The leases were on wilderness areas, including some areas next to national parks. Business as usual. Then a student at the University of Utah named Tim de Christopher showed up.
– WSJ: U.S. Wavers on ‘Regime Change’
– Video: Libya rebels control oil port
– Saudi Arabia bans public protest
– Muammar Gaddafi’s opposition: How Libya’s revolt has stalled
If you want a picture of happiness, you just had to look at the faces of the Egyptians as they stood up for their rights! And the same for the faces in Wisconsin and in state capitals all over the country. No doubt about it — standing up for your beliefs brings some of the greatest satisfaction in life.
Continued violence in the Middle East kept oil prices high this week. Libyan exports are down at least 1 million barrels a day and fears are escalating that the stand-off there could turn in to a protracted civil war. The unrest spread to Oman this week where security forces clashed with demonstrators. Meanwhile news of the arrest of a Shi’ite cleric demanding democratic reforms in Saudi Arabia sent the Saudi Tadawul stock exchange down 11%.
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 Invisible Food Crisis
-Food prices reach record highs
-Climbing fuel prices trigger alarm
-Caught in the Food Pirates’ Trap
