Fascism has come to the industrialized world, and the evidence is particularly clear in the United States. As I wrote in a book published in 2004 regarding the executive branch of the U.S. government: [The administration] is characterized by powerful and continuing expressions of nationalism, identification of enemies as a unifying cause, obsession with militaristic [...]
Continue reading...Friday, March 2, 2012
I presented a TEDx talk on the campus of Arizona State University on Wednesday, 25 January 2012. The Barrett Honors College hosted, and Ashley Irvin was the facilitator. Michael Sliwa spoke before me and, as is customary for TED talks, a couple short video clips were included. All clips are presented below in the same [...]
Continue reading...Tuesday, December 13, 2011
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 [...]
Continue reading...Wednesday, November 23, 2011
When I was young, I fell in the love with the girl next door. Well, maybe it wasn’t love. But she was lovely and it felt like love, to my young heart. It wasn’t about sex, although she was sexy. Color me smitten. Fast-forward a few years, and I fall again. I’m older, perhaps more [...]
Continue reading...Saturday, November 5, 2011
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 [...]
Continue reading...Thursday, September 29, 2011
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 [...]
Continue reading...Monday, September 5, 2011
This video clip explains how we maintain body temperature at the mud hut. The nearby river and a small pond help cool us during summer, though they are not shown. Acknowledgments: Karen Sliwa performed real work on the property while Mike Sliwa shot and edited these videos. You can follow the work of Mike and [...]
Continue reading...Sunday, August 28, 2011
In an earlier series of posts, I identified the four primary attributes necessary to thriving during the post-carbon era (or, for that matter, today): water security, food security, body temperature, and human community. The series was introduced with an essay filled with assumptions and caveats and followed with an essay about individual options and, much [...]
Continue reading...Tuesday, April 26, 2011
The recent S&P downgrade of U.S. debt is yet another example of a circus sideshow in a nation filled with clowns sleepwalking off a cliff. Ben Bernanke, the master of ceremonies in the most ridiculous show on Earth, has come up with a new scheme to print money, hence plunge a financially bankrupt nation further [...]
Continue reading...Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Late last week I was interviewed by KMO for the C-REALM radio show. The resulting podcast runs about an hour, and it’s posted here (go directly to podcast here). All comments welcome, all the time. My monthly essay for Transition Voice, barely modified from an earlier essay in this space, was posted here today.
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Wednesday, May 9, 2012
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