Links of Interest, 170121

The Real Reason Your City Has No Money (Resilience)
Reinventing Poor Cities at Scale by Charles Marohn (Resilience)

The Growthist Self: Growthism Part 3 by Erik Lindberg
Sustainability 4.0 by Andre Reichel (Resilience)

Neoliberals know the price of everything and the value of nothing by Kurt Cobb (Resilience)

Reducing Consumption and Local Exchange Better than “Sustainable Consumption” by Gunnar Rundgren (Resilience)

Lean Logic:
Lean Logic and Surviving the Future: Review by Mark Garavan (Resilience)
Shaun Chamberlin: Surviving The Aftermath Of The Market Economy by Chris Martenson, Shaun Chamberlin (Resilience)




Solidarity Economics

Forging Permaculture Hand Tools, Part 2 by Tim Wickstrom (Resilience)

Donald Trump: The Peak Oil President?

Richard Heinberg (PCI)

Related:
2017: The Year When the World Economy Starts Coming Apart by Gail Tverberg (Resilience)

Fake News, Failed States by Bart Hawkins Kreps (Resilience)

Gene Logsdon, 1932 – 2016 (Resilience)

To confront power, one must first name it: Neoliberalism and the sustainability crisis by Kurt Cobb (Resilience)

The Moral and Ethical Weight of Voluntary Simplicity: A Philosophical Review by Samuel Alexander, Jacob Garrett

Forging Permaculture Hand Tools, Part 1 by Tim Wickstrom (Resilience)

As we begin the new year...

The 100 percent renewable energy future: The good news and the bad news by Kurt Cobb (Resilience)

Fracking Follies by Chris Nelder and David Hughes (Resilience)

Resouece and Economy by Chris Nelder (Resilience)

In Conversation: Our Economy After Fossil Fuels (Resilience)


Beyond Trump: The Path to Real Change - A webinar with Helena Norberg-Hodge and Richard Heinberg


Growthism: Part 2 by Erik Lindberg (Part 1)

Mud City Press review of (Resilience):
LEAN LOGIC: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It
Edited by Shaun Chamberlin
(Chelsea Green Publishing, September 2016, 623 pages, Hardcover $50.00)

SURVIVING THE FUTURE: Culture, Carnival, and Capital in the Aftermath of the Market Economy
A Story from Lean Logic
Selected and Edited by Shaun Chamberlin
(Chelsea Green Publishing, September 2016, 279 pages, Hardcover $20.00)

Good Stuff Over at Resilience

The hidden reasons behind slow economic growth: Declining EROI, constrained net energy by Kurt Cobb (Resilience)

Changing Human Circumstances by Colin J. Campbell

Feed Yourself by Alex Smith, Marjory Wildcraft, Richard Heinberg (Resilience)

The Law of Diminishing Returns by Richard Heinberg (Resilience)


How America Became an Oligarchy by Ellen Brown (Resilience)

Bank Robbery: Banks and the Money Supply by Ivo Mosley (Resilience)

Kurt Cobb, Bubble Time

Resource Insights

Kurt Cobb on Sustainability

The single most important principle for sustainability (Resilience)

The only true metric of energy abundance: The rate of flow by Kurt Cobb

Confronting Energy Scarcity

Political transformation in the age of energy scarcity by Kurt Cobb (Resilience)

Whither Solidarity?

Is solidarity a thing of the past? by Kurt Cobb (EB)

In Bottleneck Catton explains that the late 19th century French sociologist Emile Durkheim believed that the division of labor in society which resulted in heightened interdependence among humans also led inevitably to greater solidarity. Catton counters with the views of American sociologist E. A. Ross who believed that that same interdependence was leading to far more vulnerability among humans to predatory behavior from other humans. Catton leans toward Ross's view for a very important reason: Humans now labor in narrow occupational niches within our highly complex society in the same way that species occupy ecological niches in nature. This specialization leads to competition within each niche for the limited number of positions available.

Consequently, the harder the economic times, the more intense the competition for the reduced number of positions within each niche. This leads to anxiety among those already holding a job since they are often not skilled enough to find work in other niches. The employee often asks himself or herself, "What could I possibly do if I were no longer able to do this kind of work?" Naturally, this concern also creates anxiety among those who are unemployed and seeking jobs within a particular niche.

I wasn't expecting Mr. Cobb to adopt Catton's analysis, though he may be making use of it as one explanation of our present situation. I don't think interdependence is, in se, the problem. It and (over-)specialization accompany wage slavery and a highly developed "capitalistic" system. It's not just economic competition that affects solidarity, but the lack of rootedness and the size of the "communities" that are involved. So Catton's analysis may be useful in looking at one factor, but it is incomplete. While those in France, for example, may be better able to unite for a common interest because of a social safety net which alleviates the risk of reprisals, aren't they stuck in a capitalistic paradigm? While seeking their economic good they, at the same time, cling to their form of political economy, from which they derive their government benefits. How can they wholly reform the system? It seems to me that such a thorough reform would be necessary if it is to be sustainable and to induce humane communities. Otherwise, we are stuck with wealth pumps and centralization and all that entails, as Damien Perrotin notes.

Items of Interest, 11 October 2011

Economy:
Daly's steady-state economics by Barath Raghavan (EB)
Ralph Nader, Masters of the Big Lie
Richard Aleman, The Immigrants Part II
On the cusp of collapse: Complexity, energy & the globalised economy by David Korowicz (EB)

A write-up on the FPR Conference: There's No Place Like Home
Russell Arben Fox, Global Warming, Local Farming, and Naomi Klein: A Trip to the Land Institute
Jane Jacobs: A Symposium

Different Perspectives on Occupy Wall Street (and similar events):
David Korten: Wall Street Occupiers, the Future Depends on You
Distributist Review: The Beginning
The Spearhead: Occupy Wall Street Is Just Another Vehicle For Misandry - The Spearhead
Heartiste: Occupy Cupertino

Peak Oil:
Destroying dreams the peak oil way by Kurt Cobb (EB)

U.S. Constitution:
What Constitutionalism Means
Kevin Gutzman: “Virginia's American Revolution" (mp3 and transcript) [tiny url]

Catholic:
Interview with Dr. Alcuin Reid in Deutsche Tagepost: The Council, Organic Development, Rupture and Continuity
Dom Mark Daniel Kirby on the Propers of the Mass - Council and Continuity Conference, Phoenix
William Oddie, A daring decision fulfils a Newman Prayer
Jeff Culbreath, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in ..."

Education:
Why Language Sets Us Free

Diet and Health:
HealthWatch: Doctors Warming To Caveman Diet Trend

History:
How People Spoke: The Regency Era (via Tea at Trianon)

Music:
Song Premiere: First Aid Kit, 'The Lion's Roar'
(official and MySpace)

Items of Interest, 25 September 2011

The Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions: Guideposts of Limited Government
by WILLIAM J. WATKINS, JR.*

David S. D'Amato, Politics as Rich Man’s Sport

Ignoring Daniel Yergin by Kurt Cobb (EB)

There is a vast audience of people out there who, as I said, have never heard of Daniel Yergin, and who have never even heard the words "peak oil." The elected officials who guide our policy will do little to address peak oil and related issues until voters communicate that these are top priorities that will affect elections. Beyond this there is the issue of encouraging personal preparedness, something that is in large part outside the scope of government policy.

Robert Nisbet and the Idea of Community by Fred Donovan Hill

Chef Mark Newsome at the Joshua Wilton House

Jimmy Moore, Book Review: Paleo Comfort Foods by Julie & Charles Mayfield

The LLVLC Show (Episode 500): Celebrating Our 500th Episode With 40 Former Interview Guests (mp3)

John Hartford, "Oh Yeah": Documentary of his life and music

Items of Interest, 13 September 2011

The conversion story of Thomas Storck.

Thomas Fleming, Idling, Week 2

John Zmirak, College: How Not to Waste Your 4 Years

A guide for the perplexed energy policymaker by Kurt Cobb (EB)

This is the house Transition built by Charlotte Du Cann (EB)
The Mondragon bank – an old model for a new type of finance by Oscar Kjellberg (EB)


States quietly throwing wrenches into health care implementation

NPR: An Interrogator Writes the Inside Story of 9-11

Counterpunch:
FRANKLIN SPINNEY, It’s Budgetary War, Bloody and Terrible
IAN HARRIS, Drone Warfare
HARVEY WASSERMAN, Ten Thousand Fukushimas
SHELDON RICHMAN, 9/11 and the National Security Scam
PATRICK COCKBURN, The Enemy That Barely Exists

Terri, Should Christians Kiss Dating Goodbye?

The debt bomb, net energy and ancient Greeks by Kurt Cobb (EB)

Kurt Cobb's definition of conservatism

Who are the real radicals? by Kurt Cobb (EB)

I have tried to categorize America's political parties along a continuum not of conservative to liberal, but rather of conservative to radical. By this I mean that conservatives would want to preserve a way of life that ensures the long-term continuity and survivability of human communities. But I find only radical political parties in America. Therefore, crowded on the radical end of the spectrum I characterize the following groups in decreasing order of radicalness (with only tiny distinctions between them):

1. Libertarians - They champion allowing unfettered radical change to the Earth's surface, oceans and atmosphere and unfettered exploitation of its resources. Their distinguishing characteristic from other parties is that they--I mean the real Libertarians--believe government should favor no particular group in this process.

2. Republicans - Like Libertarians they champion allowing unfettered radical change to the Earth's surface, oceans and atmosphere and unfettered exploitation of its resources. But they tend to rail against the evil of cities and laud the totally unsustainable and ahistorical hypertrophy of the suburbs. Unlike Libertarians they are eager to use government to steer public resources toward favored constituencies, primarily the wealthy.

3. Democrats - Democrats believe that radical changes to the Earth's surface, oceans and atmosphere and exploitation of its resources should proceed at a slightly slower pace than Republicans do, and that there should be a minor appearance of public spiritedness by inconveniencing some industries with health and safety regulations and by redistributing some wealth via the tax system and government services from the wealthy to the middle and lower classes. Not surprisingly then, like Republicans, Democrats see government as a way to steer public resources toward favored constituencies, primarily, but not exclusively, the wealthy.

4. Socialists - Socialists are like Democrats used to be. Socialists continue to see government as a way to share society's wealth very broadly with the entire population, primarily through publicly-funded education, health care, transportation, pensions and a variety of social services. They tend to believe that government control of and/or stringent regulation of large parts of the economy are the best way to serve the public interest. Some socialist governments have embraced the idea that radical changes to Earth's atmosphere are unwise and have taken modest, but hardly adequate steps toward curbing those changes.

5. Greens - We must distinguish between what I call the techno-optimist Greens and the ecologically-grounded Greens. The techno-optimists feel that technology will allow us to repair radical changes we've made to the Earth's surface, oceans and atmosphere and prevent new ones while radically reducing our exploitation of resources. We'll do all this without missing a beat when it comes to living modern, technological lives. Our use of resources may go down, but we won't have to give up any of the things we've come to expect. They believe that government will have a major role in this transition through regulation, incentives and taxation. One cannot dismiss their ideas as completely without merit. But they certainly partake of the radical catechism of the four previously mentioned parties. On the other hand, ecologically-grounded Greens accept that the modern industrial way of life cannot succeed. They sometimes offer a vision of what I'll call a craft-based, agriculturally-oriented society retaining some of the key technical benefits of industrial society.

A commitment to sustainability (or stewardship) is an important index but it may not be sufficient when examining at platforms. The question of scale may be implied; it is important both for sustainability and for the well-being of the political community. Ecologically-grounded Greens (for example, Kirkpatrick Sale) may be more committed to localism and smaller political entities than the others, who are more likely to be advocates of centralization and the nationalist conception of the United States.

Items of Interest, 16 June 2011

Counterpunch: Fukushima and the Nuclear Establishment By KARL GROSSMAN
The Big Lies Fly High

Shale gas: Not a 'game changer' after all
by Kurt Cobb

I saw a link to a piece recommending cob houses be built in California, but I can't remember where... I've been looking at cob houses again...

The Year of Mud: Cob and natural building: Video: Two Beautiful Low Impact Roundhouses in Wales
I Love Cob!

Energy Bulletin: Live webchat with Kurt Cobb and Christine Patton (Peak Oil Hausfrau)

Tomorrow, Monday, June 6 at 11:00 AM PDT.

The Era of Cheap Energy

Today at lunch the friend of a HS friend showed us some notes of Israeli currency. He called it "plastic money" and "Monopoly money" because the notes are made of plastic, not paper. (He showed us some older notes, which were made from paper, and we compared the texture of the two.) He told us that it was cheaper to make plastic money than paper money -- a good illustration of how cheap oil still is? For how much longer will this era last? $90/barrel isn't that bad, even if we think we are being bitten at the gas pump.

Fabius Maximus: Excessive optimism is our enemy, with Coal-to-liquids as a case study
The week of the game changer in oil, or was it? by Kurt Cobb (EB)

A dramatic shift in the peak oil discussion: "You don't have to take my word for it"
Kurt Cobb, Resource Insights (EB)

What will it take to convince people about the dangers of peak oil? by Kurt Cobb (original)

If they already believe that the amount of oil is finite, and not continually being created through abiogenesis, then they just need some data to be convinced that we've reached the half-way point? However, the economics of peak oil may be a bit more difficult to understand, even though it is a function of supply and demand.

Peak Oil Doomerism

Peak Oil Debunked was started in response to "doomers" -- those who make pessimistic predictions about the effects of peak oil, along with those who advocate (or predict) extreme measures in response to peak oil. I think Kurt Cobb would probably qualify as a doomer? Rod Dreher has been accused of being a doomer, though not with regards to peak oil, but with regards to the current financial crisis. With our social inertia and the reigning duopoly here in the United States, how can one not make negative judgments about the outcome?

Whither the weak in the post-peak oil world? by Kurt Cobb (original)