Jenna Orkin
Yesterday things got ratcheted up so tightly that the uniformity of message hardly mattered. Each article articulating another facet of collapse only confirmed that the walls are caving in on all sides.
Or maybe it was just that cup of coffee that passed itself off as decaf.
US/Global
US Business Bankruptcies Rise 40% in May
Jobless Rates in US Cities Zoom Higher in April
Fed Failure! (from Rice Farmer)
Global Recession Making World More Violent: Study
Shell Warns Oil Prices Could Spike on Low Investment
Libya Sees Further Oil Price Rise
"In 2-3 years, or maybe even next year, the talk of peak oil will be looming again. What is happening is temporary; demand will come back," Ghanem said.
Wood is New Coal as Polluters Use Carbon-Eating Trees (from Rice Farmer)
One in Nine Americans on Food Stamps
Barrett Says Copper May Rise by 25% by Year's End
Bernanke Warns Deficits Threaten Financial Stability
Et tu, Ben? Behind whose comforting bromides can we hide now that the sham's cheerleader in chief has joined the rats leaping off the sinking ship?
Here's what he was saying less than a month ago.
FDA's Secret Files
WHO Closer to Declaring Flu Pandemic
In the Money and Policy section.
Europe
UK Needs Emergency Budget
A Collapse that is Long Overdue
A Very British Form of Anarchy
Compulsory Vaccination Urged After Measles Outbreaks
Another 510 Jobs to Go at Lloyd's
UK Swine Flu Toll Is Really 30,000
British Scientists Ask WHO to Condemn Homeopathy for Diseases Such as HIV
Want to Help the Ailing Economy? Give Away Eyeglasses
Merkel Attacks UK's Plan to Print Money
95% Finance Professionals Expect Downturn to Continue
The Bottom in UK House Prices is No Bottom At All
Barclays Pensions Scrapped
17,000 staff to lose final salary benefits but US investment bankers exempted.
Iceland Turns from Collapsing Banks to Disappearing Fish
(or "from the devil to the deep blue sea")
Germany's $143 Billion Wind Farms Jeopardized by Tight Funding
Latvian Debt Crisis Shakes Eastern Europe
The finance ministry expects GDP to contract 18pc this year. House prices have fallen 50pc , the world’s most spectacular crash. A third of the country’s teachers are being fired and public salaries will be slashed by up to 35pc to meet bail-out terms imposed by the IMF and the European Commission. The policy risks a deflation spiral that defeats its own purpose.
Russia/Middle East/ Central Asia
Protests Spur Plan to Seize Factories
Stocks Fall Over 7% in Four Month Record
Belarus on the Verge of Bankruptcy
Overdue Mortgages Increase 50%
Banker Sacked for Prediction
More People Are Paying Bribes, Says Survey
Kazakhstan's Uranium "Stolen" By Ex-Official (from Rice Farmer)
Netanyahu Cites Secret Deal with Bush to Justify More Settlements ,
Pacific
Hungry Number Up 100,000 in South Asia: Unicef
South Korea Conducts Military Drill Near Demilitarized Zone
Australia Feels Chill As China's Shadow Grows
Food
A Billion People To Go Hungry in 2009 (from Rice Farmer)
Foods May Soon Be Modified to Make You Feel Full Twice as Long
One way to handle food production when there are too many people and too few resources.
Science
Humans, Hogs, May Eat Their Way to Flu Resistance
New Type of Cloud Found
Climate change or weather modification? Facts are welcome; unsubstantiated speculation, not.
Leading Scientist Says Three Quarters of Consumers Say Broadband as Essential as Water
Drone Wars (from Rice Farmer)
Mind Wars: Neuroscience and the Military
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22 comments:
While Merkel continues to wave her finger at the US and Britian the wheels have come off the German Economy and are rolling down the highway.
Why the wheels fell off Germany's economic model
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/may/31/manufacturing-sector-automotive-industry
Re "A Billion People to go Hungry in 2009"
Ban Ki-Moon has been attempting to draw attention to the "bottom billion" for well over a year. The promises for aid from the developed countries, as per the article, are proving to be just that: promises.
In all likelihood, this article will release another hand-wringing die-off dialogue. What we anticipate happens. It is a systemic correction. It will be vicious in scope. It may in fact be "cruel" or any other number of human value judgments that can be thrown at a dynamic that has no conscience.
Some of the more stringent "conspiracy theorists" seem not to be able to distinguish between "cull" and "purge." The evil NWO is pulling all the plugs on the former, while the latter is misunderstood and not understood.
The transition is the same for all, yet some lament the loss of tail-gate barbecues while shaking fists at those who would "cull" while others recognize nature's deft, and very just, hand at work molding a future via "purge."
It's not to be taken personally. It just is. These are our times. Unfortunately, to mistake "purge" for "cull" delegates some so-called freedom fighters into the roles of historical reactionaries, as opposed to progressives.
In the developed world, unless one takes steps to not be a useless eater, then whining about being designated as such is to no avail and accomplishes nothing. The destitute souls in the developing world do not even have such option. See how filthy rich in opportunity we are?
How to feel full twice as long? (Referring to posted article). Eat plenty of saturated fats, such as butter and cream (preferably raw, not pastuerized, if you can find it), coconut oil and lard. Scared by the mainstream 'wisdom' pushing low-fat diets? See:
www.westonaprice.org, and 'feast' on some old/new wisdom. That's the way I eat, and my recent cholesterol tests amazed my doctor because of my very high HDL (the 'good' cholesterol), and the fact that I registered in the very-lowest heart risk category. When you eat those foods, you feel pleasantly full all day long, with three moderate meals, you maintain an ideal weight, and your mental anxiety and stress reduce markedly. Enjoy!!
Well, just before Christmas, hubby and I were driving back from Kyogle (norther New South Wales, Australia), to our place (near Jimboomba, Queensland). It's a 90 minute journey (approx). The skies became really scary, never seen anything quite like it. Then when we got as far as Beaudesert, the heavens opened. Had to pull over, because (quite literally), we couldn't see an inch in front of us, despite the wipers going full pelt. I was terrified. Anyway, after reading the article Jenna posted, I Googled:
Beaudesert storm cloud
. . . and came across this pic:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/beaudesert%20storm%20cloud/pingtang200/IMG_5269editsmall1.jpg
That's the type of formation I remember, and looks similar to the description in the article. Of course, I'm no expert. Just recall the fear, and the unusual sight.
To slightly counterbalance the gloom, here's an article from Carolyn Baker's website, entitled "Look on the Bright Side", by Richard Heinberg. And it does--details many of the 'good' side effects that have already taken place during the energy/financial crash. And he does put this in the context of the darker side, so it's not Mary Poppins. Well worth reading.....her's a tidbit I liked:
"In fact, in the first four months of 2009, more bicycles were sold in the US than cars and trucks put together (over 2.55 million bicycles were purchased, compared to fewer than 2.4 million cars and trucks). How utterly cool."
At www.carolynbaker.net
The largest 50 oil traders would have to report data on oil inventories under a Senate proposal intended to prevent market manipulation.
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601207&sid=aSBUImTvbj2k
A new infectious disease with symptoms similar to aids is reportedly rapidly spreading in mainland China. This according to the RSOE Emergency and Disaster Information Service
http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert_read.php?glide=AP-20090604-21877-CHN&cat=dis&lang=eng
Chinese officials deny anything is occuring?
Check out the main site (http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php)to see all of the chaos (volcanoes, severe weather, earthquakes, etc.) around the world.
namaste
Tips on Links
I'm just catching up on my homework after a week-long illness. Wow, so many great links. How does the rest of the world keep up with what's happening? I can barely keep up with this site when I try really hard, and cherry pick only the most vital and interesting. Most people seem to be watching commercial TV, shopping to the extent they can, worrying about their jobs and chatting about movie stars. Unbelievable.
Anyway, there was some confusion expressed on an earlier thread about links that don't work, and here are some things that work for me.
Those links that don't get fully displayed on the blog can be retrieved in full if you highlight the whole line and then descend to the beginning of the next line before letting go of the cursor.
Another way is to put the partial link into a search engine and harvest the complete link at the top of the first page.
I resent being asked for my personal information by the NYT, which is an organ of the CFR establishment, so I haven't registered there. Sometimes links to NYT articles stop me at the gate and want me to register. But as long as I have the title of the article, I can put it in a search engine and get the whole article. This is also true of a couple of other sites.
Old articles are sometimes unavailable -- having been pulled since they were posted -- but may be mirrored on other sites, so putting the title in a search engine may work for them, too.
Businessman’s link is easy to understand, in case you want to put inline links on your blog posts.
Sometimes, however, we make mistakes and the little html links we post don't take folks anywhere. Again, if you know the name of the article (or perhaps the name of the newspaper, the date of publication and the subject) you can get it through a search engine.
I love this blog. It's like walking into a restaurant that serves real food, after surviving for days on potato chips and sodas. Let's keep that real info flowing!
Even if the news seems to be full of doom and destruction, it's better to know that your neighbor's house is burning down, if it is, than to keep watching TV because it's more comfortable than going to the window.
Besides, there's way more than doom out that window.
So, the permaculture design course orders have not come in, do you think its too expensive?
400 of the purchase is a license fee that goes to help the research institutes. That's where the money is going!
Check out the trailer
http://www.ecosutra.tv/pdc_trailer/
this blog is becoming increasingly irrelevant as it is nothing more than negative articles, we need solutions and the world is what we make of it,anyone born before 1985 contributed to the current situation by happily dropping their pants and bending over. So please, if you could not stand up before what makes you think you will know, step aside and let the vanguard work for a new future. I have high regard for Michael C. Ruppert and his work on Crossing the Rubicon and FTW but cutting and pasting articles from actual journalists doing actual work is pathetic to say the least. Time has been wasted already we the youth are sick and tired of nothing but negative input from your failed generation, disregard me if you will but the truth is all of you are to blame for what you spend so much time complaining about, step aside and let the species move forward.
Ecosutra: I looked at your online course as it seemed to be something that would suit my situation. However it does seem expensive for what looks like 2 90 min DVDs that can be purchased for $60 without the "course". You would need a lot more information on your website showing more of the course material that is not on the DVDs, i.e. what does $645 get me that $60 doesn't?
I start a practical introduction to permaculture course in July, and hope to do a full PDC later over several weekends, or by hiring a tutor to run a course on my site next year, whichever I can do logistically, I need to remain available at nights at home as a carer for a family member.
I have a 7 acre site, already have a mini digger, and the will to achieve, but not unlimited funds to do it!
Many (but not necessarily all) FTWers would like nothing better than to have a sure and smooth path to take as soon as possible into a world removed from the one we're in today. And yes, we generally incline to agree with you that all your pre-1985 forebears are generally responsible for having played various integral roles in creating this world we're living in today, just like all post-1985 forebears of their future as well continue variously doing. But we do need you to show us where you're at, first, in order for us to know how to get out of your way so you can get our species to where its going. OK?
Hurry now, time's a-wastin'.
A slap on the wrist from The Twitter Generation...who in 140 characters or less think it important to inform the world how many times a day one has farted.
What exactly do you have in mind, Mario? Joining the Green party? Being a media pawn at another Battle in Seattle? Anonymous ranting over at InfoWars? What particular action does your yoot "vanguard" have in mind?
Old Irish saying: A hound that has not hunted, is yet a pup.
ecosutra...Your success in marketing your product online will depend on several different factors including the following:
1) The size and quality of the E-mail list you're marketing to...You want a large number of people who you already know have an interest in your subject.
2) You ideally want to have a topic that your list is ravenous for more information on...kind of like golfers are about finding the latest gimmick they think will lower their scores.
3) On your order page there's not much copy there describing what people will come away with for their $645, how it will transform their lives, and what skillsets they'll now have in place because of the product. You ideally want to get people excited about what buying your product will mean to them in terms of transforming their lives whenever they're reading your copy.
Mario: No generation has the patent on knowledge but as is demonstrated by your post youth always seem to corner the market on hubris; my contemporaries were no different. How can a group arrive at solutions when the problems are not identified? Pessimism should never be confused with adjectives like unconstructive. You find it pathetic that members of this blog reference news stories from “Actual journalists doing actual work” that is why journalists like MCR exist, to shine a light on the criminals who thrive in the dark. It is juvenile to think that every member of this group could devote the time and resources tracking down the information that Mike and Jenna do. That’s why we have a Fourth Estate.
I agree that time is of the essence so what are you “youth” waiting for? Why waste time posting how sick and tired you are with the “failed generation”. Who’s stopping you? Why squander more time waiting for us to step aside as we try and right ourselves from our bent over position? I followed the link from your post to ‘Anahuac’. Didn’t see any roadmaps that would assist the species in their move forward; I did see a poster that read
“Europeans are illegal on our Continent Everywhere.” I guess your plans don’t include the entire species. Are you then not also to blame? The Germans (part of those pesky Europeans) identified another characteristic of every generation: “Too soon old, too late smart.”
Mario Jacome Gastelum...Jenna's posting of articles from around the world is a great resource to many of us. It would be next to impossible for us to find all of those resources on our own, and the fact that she has all of those resources all in one place for us is a tremendous benefit.
You complain about blame, negativity, and no solutions, and yet all you gave us in your post was your own blame, negativity, and no solutions.
If you don't see people doing their best to offer solutions and resources in here amid unprecedented worldly chaos, then this Blog isn't for you.
many thanks to those of you who responded to mario.
when the shtf there may not be time to thank you for such gestures but do know that they're noted and appreciated.
Jo, re "many thanks to those of you who responded to mario."
It's simple. One can either listen to Alanis Morissette or this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJMnES7WoT4
To defy angst it first need be recognized. PLAY IT LOUD! =;-D
Solution? I would highly recommend this short summation of David Holmgren’s book ‘Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability.’ In Mike’s new book, he recommends Holmgren’s website on two occasions, both in regards to food production. Although Permaculture is broadly understood as a unique approach to organic/local gardening, it is much more fruitful (pun intended) to understand it as a ‘design system’ that can be applied to everything from building a raised garden bed to implementing community development strategies. Holmgren’s ethical and design principles lay the foundation for many flexible and enduring energy descent pathways, each working on place-specific challenges - while emphasizing the importance of not viewing new information (e.g. articles) as ‘negative’ or ‘positive,’ but rather as a possible opportunity for communities to become more empowered and self reliant.
I too share Mario’s frustration on occasions, but the species is not going to move forward without a dramatic shift in the way we view each other, the world and all that connects us. This is particularly true in how we generally view humanities’ new energy descent future – and Holmgren offers an amazingly hopeful approach that acknowledges the complexity of social change and cultural revolution.
I would not call Permaculture a ‘solution,’ but what Holmgren has outlined is an amazing foundation that guides and improves designs (or solutions), enabling those who observe and process information to better sustain themselves and their communities through energy descent. The latest addition of ‘Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability’ also tips its hat to www.copvcia.com (at the end of the ‘Postscript: After September 11’), so you can see that Holmgren’s life work has greatly benefited from a balance of observing/processing new information while actively working towards ‘solutions.’ I hope you all get a chance to read this very important introduction to Permaculture:
http://www.permacultureprinciples.com/freedownloads_essence.php
Mario Jacome Gastelum:
While we were busy raising your generation and caring for our parents at the same time, many laws were changed and actions were taken behind the scenes that the majority of us were not aware of. The powers that be have figured out how to control what we find out about and how to alter our perceptions of reality via our highly controlled media. Those who have caused the major problems of the world did so by slow, deliberate manipulation and infiltration over decades. Thanks to the mainstream press and right wing talk shows, the majority of people (at least here in the US) have no idea how bad things really are and therefore are not likely to be wanting to change anything. The average American thinks the economic situation we have now is temporary and that we will be living as we used to in a year or two. Perhaps where you are things are different. How can you expect action from people who believe our current situation is temporary? We on this blog have taken the time to seek out the truth and are attempting to share it with others so that change can happen. Education is the foundation of any good action plan. How can we change the world if we don't know for sure what is really going on? I myself am attempting to help as many people become aware of the realities of diminishing resources and climate change so we can adapt on a local level. I'm sure the other participants here are doing the same. It must be working as I am starting to meet people out in public who are telling me the same things I learn here. I am curious as to what exactly you have planned that will make a difference since what we are going is so abhorrent to you.
Diaspora:
Thank you for the link to Carolyn Baker's website. Even though I was hoping for more brass tacks information as to geographical areas to avoid or seek out when looking to relocate, the article was helpful. She has a great website. I am planning on reading her other essays when I get a chance.
Ok, here is the link to the PDFs. Sorry about that.
Permaculture Intro
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