Insight and inspiration in turbulent times.
America is in the doldrums and President Obama risks becoming a one-term president. For too long politicians have treated the words “peak oil” as political cyanide. But could coming clean about the world’s energy challenge be just what Obama needs to save his presidency while giving America a boost at the same time?
– Swedish Prosecutor Raises Possible Extradition of WikiLeaks Founder to U.S
– Julian Assange: ‘His philosophy keeps evolving’
– China Daily: WikiLeaks’ ordeal tests Internet freedom
– Russia TV: On Bail, In Jail: ‘Attack on Assange brings out more injustice’
– Ron Paul Defends WikiLeaks On House Floor (video)
– Swedish documentary on WikiLeaks: “WikiRebels” (now online)
– Stephen Colbert’s International Manhunt for Julian Assange
– Wikileaks defectors to launch Openleaks alternative
– WikiLeaks may make the powerful howl, but we are learning the truth
– Harvard law professor: Seven Thoughts on Wikilea
– The US Government’s Pursuit of WikiLeaks Could Be Its Undoing-
Without increased revenue, legislatures will have no choice but to make deep cuts in spending. Some argue that peak energy in general, and peak oil specifically, implies that the current levels of revenue are a “new normal.” If that is the case, the cuts made next year may well be permanent. … As a member of a state legislative budget staff, I helped with new member orientation every two years… This essay provides an accessible (and hopefully interesting) look into the possible consequences of the budget crises on state government spending.
Among the most compelling nuggets of information contained in the batch of United States diplomatic documents released by WikiLeaks and published in leading international newspapers is the list of installations in more than fifty countries which the state department in Washington deems to be a US security concern.
The good news from the Green New Deal is that ecological microeconomics (such as valuing ecosystem services) has risen from the recesses of academia into the realm of international diplomacy. The bad news is that ecological macroeconomics (such as limits to growth) apparently has not. Let’s take a look at the implications.
– WikiLeaks Is the New Journalism
– Could Wikileaks change or destroy the Internet as we know it?
– NYT: Keeping Secrets WikiSafe
– Predicting the future of WikiLeaks: Follow the media!
– Pentagon scrambles to prep for ‘thermonuclear’ Wikileaks release
– Six Anti-Theses on WikiLeaks
– Guardian’s country-by-country round-up
– CancĂşn agreement rescues UN credibility but falls short of saving planet
– Cancun climate breakthrough: It’s not perfect, but it’s a deal
– Bolivia’s defiant leader sets radical tone at CancĂşn climate talks
– Medea Benjamin: Reading the Coca Leaves: Climate Change, Cancun and Bolivia
– Evo Morales Speaks on Climate Change and Capitalism
The UN Climate Conference (COP16) in Cancun is turning out to be both anti-climactic and anti-climatic. There will be no major agreement to stop global warming this week, despite the timed release of a number of reports that show that the phenomenon is advancing more rapidly than expected, with lethal consequences. There likely will be announcements of progress in schemes to allow contaminating industries and nations to continue with business as usual and add another lucrative area to their portfolios—trade in carbon offsets and credits. It’s a worst-case scenario for the planet.
Oil reached a two year high above $90/barrel this week before falling back on mixed economic news. A growing list of analysts including JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and Barclays Capital are now forecasting prices above $100/barrel in 2011…
In the short to medium term, climate-driven food insecurity is likely to pull Pyongyang into increasing reliance on its nuclear weapons program as leverage to bargain for international largesse in the form of food, energy and fertiliser supplies. The increased importance of the nuclear bargaining chip in the context of climate change, in conjunction with the numerous other justifications for its nuclear proliferation (domestic politics, security, ideology), makes it even more unlikely that the regime will relinquish its nuclear weapons capability.
– A Case Study in Web Survivability
– Live with the WikiLeakable world or shut down the net
– Massive Release of Raw WikiLeaks Files Threatened if Assange Harmed
– WikiLeaks avoids shutdown as supporters worldwide go on the offensive
– WikiLeaks, the web and the power of the people
– WikiLeaks a blueprint for things to come
– How to Think About Wikileaks
