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Tag Archive | "economic depression"

Identity crisis

Friday, December 23, 2011

73 Comments

Self-indulgence is only one of many advantages associated with having a blog of my own. In a rare attempt to avoid drawing further attention to myself, I’ll not list the others. At least, not now. As regular readers know by now, I’m a lifelong educator. In fact, the most common insult hurled my way by [...]

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Mixed media

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

78 Comments

I delivered two TED-style talks at the 2011 International Conference on Sustainability, Transition and Culture Change in Bellaire, Michigan. The presentations embedded below were delivered to the few dozen people remaining at the conference on its fourth day, Sunday, 13 November. The first video clip describes my personal journey in the usual, self-indulgent manner, and [...]

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Preparing in place (and speaking in other places)

Saturday, November 5, 2011

109 Comments

There are various ways to ready oneself for the trip down the peak-oil curve, as well as for climate chaos. Most importantly, as I’ve indicated many times, is psychological readiness. If you are mentally prepared for a future radically different from the past you’ve known, you’re well on your way to thriving in the years [...]

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Couchsurfing with my soapbox

Thursday, September 29, 2011

107 Comments

My recent foray to Wisconsin and Michigan had me staying five different homes, hence sleeping in five different beds and eating at many different tables. It was quite an exciting adventure, spent with wide-awake people, and I hope to repeat the experience as many times as the industrial economy allows. I’ve embedded one of the [...]

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Catching up

Friday, August 5, 2011

83 Comments

This brief post is used to point out three former activities and one future one. I present them as I live: in chronological order. My July essay at Transition Voice summarizes collapse-related information. I am featured in this article from 14 July by editor Erik Curren at Transition Voice. I am featured in this article [...]

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I don’t know shit

Saturday, July 30, 2011

160 Comments

I was in the garden last week, digging a new bed with the aid of the two WWOOFrs, Mike and Karen. We excavated to the usual depth — that is, until exhaustion stopped us — then installed a hardware-cloth “basket” before refilling the bed. When we amended the soil pile of rocks by adding horse [...]

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Bricks in the wall

Thursday, June 30, 2011

143 Comments

The U.S. Department of Defense consumes 360,000 barrels of oil each day. Yet corporate Amerika wants you to conserve, no doubt to save the last drops for the military (to be used to secure more oil). We’re being fleeced, folks, and the fleecing continues unabated at all levels. Here’s a minor example of the fox [...]

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Systemic collapse

Friday, June 17, 2011

104 Comments

Only willfully ignorant individuals are failing to perceive the ongoing systemic collapse of western civilization. Economic recession? Check, since 2000. Economic depression? Check, since 2008. Rampant “natural” disasters? Check, with increasing frequency. Climate chaos? Indeed, only a politician could miss it. Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is what systemic [...]

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Like an elevator when the cable breaks

Sunday, April 17, 2011

82 Comments

According to Mark Twain, “civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities.” It seems western civilization is just about done with the mindless multiplication of anything, much less unnecessary nonsense. It’s too late for a fast collapse of the industrial economy. According to every significant index, the U.S. hit its economic peak in 2000. We’ve [...]

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Demise of the dollar

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

109 Comments

The U.S. dollar continues its journey from Brobdingnagian to Lilliputian stature, and the latest trade report is a prelude to the dollar as microbe. The Prime Mover in this case is King Ben, who has the helicopter on track for a one-way trip to Zimbabwe with every American along for the ride. Death of the [...]

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