While the phrase "follow the money" is common parlance in progressive circles these days, a more relevant line of investigation for these peak oil times of ours might be, I think, "follow the energy." For as it is, the suggestion of "following the money" generally refers to something like following the trail of bread crumbs all the way to where the buck stops, one eventually … [Read more...]
Economy
Connecting the dots between the cost of energy and such traditional measures of the economy as GDP, jobs, and the health of the US dollar, along with re-localization.
If you’re really for the economy then you’re also for the environment
I taught college logic for decades. Logical fallacies make me squirm. However, most people have errant ideas about logic. My undergraduate students always get huffy and insist that their "true premise" is logical. Logic examines process, prior to truth. A true conclusion can be arrived at if, and only if, the premises are true, and the process by which the argument is … [Read more...]
Black Friday strikes back with ‘freedom to shop’
If you're rooting for humanity to survive much into the future, then you'll surely find yourself on the opposite side of the holiday shopping season from America's big retailers. If they're rooting for more sales, you may be rooting for consumers to buy less. People who care about climate change and peak oil want industry to stop trashing the planet. But industries that make … [Read more...]
Faith and trust in the system is collapsing
I began reading Dimitry Orlov’s recent publication, The Five Stages of Collapse: Survivors’ Toolkit, last week and it has got me thinking about his thesis with respect to the revelations around the U.S. surveillance system being used globally by the-powers-that-be (both corporate and political), in combination with the ongoing exposure of manipulation of various markets and … [Read more...]
Hopium for the masses, renewable energy edition
As Derrick Jensen points out, this "culture as a whole and most of its members are insane." For my part, I continue to be surprised at the number of people who believe in infinite growth on a finite planet. I continue to be amazed at the number of people who believe a politician cares about them, and that their favorite politician will act in their best interests. I … [Read more...]