Seeing through the seductions of science and technology
Seeing through the seductions of science and technology The history books in our schools tell us that scientific and technological advancement have freed us from boredom, ignorance and oppression; from drudgery and repetition; from dirt, disease and malnutrition. Let’s briefly examine these assumptions about what “progress” has achieved, and consider where we go from here. […]
My closing presentation to the Jersey Climate Conversation.
My closing presentation to the Jersey Climate Conversation. It was a huge honour recently to be asked to be a speaker at the Jersey’s Climate Conversation, the island’s Citizens’ Assembly. I was asked to be their final presenter before they went off to deliberate their decisions. I was asked to give them a boost and a sense […]
Don’t Lose What You Store: 6 Tips To Protect Your Prepper Pantry
Don’t Lose What You Store: 6 Tips To Protect Your Prepper Pantry I don’t know about you, but sometimes it is difficult to use all the food I have stored. This year I have been placing a lot of emphasis on organizing my food storage and acquiring more food because I am concerned with the economy. When […]
The American infrastructure, ancient Rome and ‘Limits to Growth’
The American infrastructure, ancient Rome and ‘Limits to Growth’ Infrastructure is the talk of the town in Washington, D.C. where I now live and with good reason. The infrastructure upon which the livelihoods and lives of all Americans depends is in sorry shape. The American Society of Civil Engineers 2021 infrastructure report card gives the United States […]
Runaway Money and Overconsumption, or… the Story of Monetary Mischief in Madagascar (Episode 42 of Crazy Town)
Runaway Money and Overconsumption, or… the Story of Monetary Mischief in Madagascar (Episode 42 of Crazy Town) Way back when money consisted of iron pieces, if you wanted to buy a horse or some spices to season your horse meat, you practically had to carry an olympic weightlifting set with you. Early bankers figured out […]
Fixing overfishing
Fixing overfishing As with many other aspects of government policy, overfishing and other fishing-related environmental issues are a real problem, but it’s not clear that government intervention is the solution. Over three billion people around the world rely on fish as their primary source of protein. About 12% of the world relies on fisheries in some […]
Fed Drains $351 Billion in Liquidity from Market via Reverse Repos, as Banking System Creaks under Mountain of Reserves
Fed Drains $351 Billion in Liquidity from Market via Reverse Repos, as Banking System Creaks under Mountain of Reserves This is the first time I’ve seen Wall Street banks clamor for the Fed to back off QE. The Fed is struggling to keep the liquidity it created from going haywire. In the fall of 2019, […]
Today’s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh XV
Today’s Contemplation: Collapse Cometh XV Rome, Italy (1984) Photo by author Energy. It’s at the core of everything we do. Everything. Yet we take it for granted and rarely think about it and what the finiteness of our various energy sources means for us. As Gail Tverberg of Our Finite World concludes in a recent thought-provoking article that should […]
Lithium, Cobalt, and Rare Earths: the Post-Petroleum Resource Race
Lithium, Cobalt, and Rare Earths: the Post-Petroleum Resource Race Thanks to its very name — renewable energy — we can picture a time in the not-too-distant future when our need for non-renewable fuels like oil, natural gas, and coal will vanish. Indeed, the Biden administration has announced a breakthrough target of 2035 for fully eliminating U.S. reliance […]
The Crisis of the Natural World
The Crisis of the Natural World Mountain Goat, North Cascades National Park. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair. The natural world is in a state of crisis, and we are to blame. We are in the midst of the Sixth Extinction, the biggest loss of species in the history of humankind. So many species are facing total annihilation. […]
Weekly Commentary: Just the Facts – May 21, 2021
Weekly Commentary: Just the Facts – May 21, 2021 For the Week: The S&P500 slipped 0.4% (up 10.6% y-t-d), and the Dow declined 0.5% (up 11.8%). The Utilities added 0.4% (up 4.7%). The Banks fell 1.0% (up 35.1%), and the Broker/Dealers declined 1.2% (up 22.6%). The Transports sank 2.8% (up 23.7%). The S&P 400 Midcaps […]
Why Israel Blows Up Media Offices & Targets Journalists
Why Israel Blows Up Media Offices & Targets Journalists Rather than reduce the cruelty, the Israeli government keeps trying to reduce accurate news coverage, writes Norman Solomon. Palestinian solidarity demonstration in New York City on May 11. (Andrew Ratto, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons) Israel’s missile attack on media offices in Gaza City last weekend […]
COLLAPSE! — Think of collapse as a drastic and chaotic reduction in energy and resource use
COLLAPSE! — Think of collapse as a drastic and chaotic reduction in energy and resource use “… my fundamentally conservative core requires a default position that collapse is the most likely outcome,” says physicist Tom Murphy. — Tom Murphy “The first thing I should say is that the word ‘collapse’ freaks me out. I don’t use […]
