Food
Bluefin tuna facing extinction
“Atlantic bluefin tuna could become extinct after an attempt to stop the international buying and selling [of bluefin] was rejected . . . .” CBBC’s Newsround, a website for kids, breaks the bad news to a generation that will inherit oceans devoid of tuna and most other fish. “Numbers of this this type of tuna [...]
Guest essay: Life after growth
Life after growth by Richard Heinberg What if the economy doesn’t recover? In 2008 the U.S. economy tripped down a steep, rocky slope. Employment levels plummeted; so did purchases of autos and other consumer goods. Property values crashed; foreclosure and bankruptcy rates bled. For states, counties, cities, and towns; for manufacturers, retailers, and middle- and [...]
The end of the era of American possibility
“We may be approaching the end of the era of American possibility,” writes Orville Schell in TomDispatch. He despairs over “the best” of America’s public educational institutions “driven into the ground thanks to devastating, repeated budget cuts; a national energy system . . . terminally strung out on oil and coal . . . the [...]
Guest essay: The Paradise Imperative
A few days ago, “The Paradise Imperative” appeared as a comment on my “Contact” page. It was purportedly an essay by William H. Kötke, author of such works as The Final Empire: The Collapse of Civilization and the Seed of the Future, and Garden Planet. I had read the former work and mentioned it on [...]
Tuna stocks overfished
Time magazine reports that “in September, the European Commission recommended that the E.U. support a temporary suspension of the global trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna . . . . At current fishing rates, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) estimates that Atlantic bluefin that spawn in the Mediterranean could disappear from those waters as early as [...]
The recession is over! Enjoy the Depression.
“From a technical perspective, the recession is very likely over at this point.” So said Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on September 15th, 2009 (MarketWatch). What he failed to mention is that, from a real-life perspective, the Depression is well underway. Bernanke’s “technical” bright spots–home prices and sales are up, job losses have slowed, retail [...]
depressed about the Depression
I’m baaack. Haven’t written a lick in months. I’ve been bummed out that millions of Americans, including my brother, are out of work, and that the government is lying about it (double their unemployment percentages; it’s closer to 18% than 9%). And I’m angry that instead of prosecuting the crooks at AIG, Goldman Sachs and [...]
Earth 2100: ABC’s worst-case scenario
“Earth 2100,” ABC’s two-hour “journey through the next century to explore what might be our worst-case scenario,” aired on Tuesday, June 2, 2009. Through a graphic novel format, the program follows generations of an American family during a 21st century in which “the ‘perfect storm’ of population growth, dwindling resources and climate change converge . [...]
Growth without limits–a false assumption
“. . . Our economy, indeed our entire civilization, is based on an obviously false assumption that we can have growth without limits. Even if we were able to restart the economic engine and push the pedal to the floor, we would not get far before we ran out of gas. And fresh water. And [...]
Fifty items you’ll need in extended emergencies
You’re ready for “The Big One,” right? Earthquake? Hurricane? Flu pandemic? Terrorist or military attack? Whatever The Big One conjures up in your mind, no matter how much you’d prefer to avoid thinking about it, you’re better off confronting it now, when you have the most time and resources to prepare for it. Having survived [...]
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- Ten safe places to put money in 2010 [UPDATED]
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Recommended sites
- Charles Hugh Smith
- Global Climate Change - NASA
- James Howard Kunstler
- Joseph Romm
- Life After the Oil Crash
- Mother Earth News
- National Geographic - Environment
- No-Dig Vegetable Garden
- Post Peak Living
- Sharon Astyk
- The Oil Drum
