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...]
A new financial system, for the people
Over the past four years we've been let down by our banks. A better system would be a democratic finance model, thinks British anthropologist Bruce Davis. After developing peer-lending platform Zopa, Bruce teamed up with renewable energy expert Karl Harder to launch Abundance Generation in the U.K. earlier in 2012. The idea was to go one step further than just lending, and … [Read more...]
Collapse could happen, literally, overnight
In the granddaddy of all collapse books, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, 18th-century historian Edward Gibbon gave ancient Rome a full 500 years to deflate. Half a millennium for any society to collapse always seemed a bit too generous to me. Heck, American civilization has only been around for about 300 years. So I never assumed that we'd have a few … [Read more...]
Seriously?! They gave this chick her own boob-themed show
The mainstream media has been slow to give the Occupy Wall Street protesters their due. And while the New York Times has been criticized roundly for missing the point, columnists Paul Krugman, Nicholas Kristof and even business writer Andrew Ross Sorkin have accurately portrayed the occupation as a serious movement against financial inequity and government corruption. Yet, … [Read more...]
How to talk about the end of growth: interview with Richard Heinberg
Just after the release of his newest book, The End of Growth: Adapting to Our New Economic Reality, I sat down with Richard Heinberg via Skype to get his take on what needs to happen to shift the conversation on peak oil and peak debt. The interview follows. LC: Thanks for taking some time to talk to me again. RH: Sure. LC: Did you consult an astrologer on the … [Read more...]