Media & persuasion

The Lost Civilization: Finding a Reality-Based Frame of Reference in the Age of Delusion

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Thu, 2010-06-24

We are a lost people. Here in the frantic, waning days of industrial civilization, we have almost completely lost our bearings. We no longer know who we are, what we are, when we are, where we are, or why we are. And as we prepare to embark on a harrowing descent from our civilization’s peak, it would behoove us to find an honest, reality-based frame of reference.

Gulf drilling freeze lifted as oil disaster worsens

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Thu, 2010-06-24

A U.S. federal judge has blocked the six-month moratorium on offshore oil drilling, just as more credence is being given to the notion that the Deepwater Horizon disaster has resulted in multiple leaks on the seafloor - due to well casing damage - making containment a munch lengthier process.

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Eat Less Meat, Eat Better Meat

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Thu, 2010-06-24

The list of Meatless Monday supporters continues to grow across the globe, and surprisingly to some, many of the latest enthusiasts make their living either cooking meat, such as chef

A pathless land

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Wed, 2010-06-23

As peak oil moves from the fringes toward the mainstream, the dream of shaping a mass movement around it has caught the imaginations of a growing number of peak oil activists. Is creating a mass movement toward sustainability the best hope we have, or a blind alley that could negate any hope of managing the challenges ahead of us?

BP-Style Extreme Energy Nightmares to Come

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Wed, 2010-06-23

On June 15th, in their testimony before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, the chief executives of America's leading oil companies argued that BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico was an aberration -- something that would not have occurred with proper corporate oversight and will not happen again once proper safeguards are put in place.

The death of sprawl:

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Wed, 2010-06-23

In April 2009--just when people thought things couldn't get worse in San Bernardino County, California—bulldozers demolished four perfectly good new houses and a dozen others

Towards a new economy and a new politics

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Tue, 2010-06-22

The U.S. political economy is failing across a broad front—environmentally, socially, economically, and politically.

Optimism, pessimism and rationality

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Tue, 2010-06-22

In a review essay of Matt Ridley's "The rational optimist" and Mark Boyle's "The moneyless man", scavenger and squatter Katharine Hibbert sympathises with alternative living but also wants clear thinking.

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Vietnamese gardeners in New Orleans offer much food for thought

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Tue, 2010-06-22

East New Orleans is lush and crumbling.

Detroit’s Renewal: Can It Inspire the Social Forum?

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Tue, 2010-06-22

Detroit was not an accidental choice for the U.S. Social Forum (USSF).

Petrostates: What BP spill?

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Tue, 2010-06-22

When Big Oil breaks ranks, and one partner in a world-class deal accuses the other of gross negligence, you know that fear has overcome the industry. But fear of what? One presumes it's the permanent loss of future -- or even currently permitted -- drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico because of the disastrous oil spill, in addition to offshore deals around the world.

Deepwater Horizon and the Education of Desire: A Review of “Everyday Ethics and Social Change”

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Tue, 2010-06-22

Anna L. Peterson’s “Everyday Ethics and Social Change: The Education of Desire (EE) concedes that is it is our nature to hope, even “when nothing in our world indicates progress is possible” (Pg. 1).

Gulf oil spill: consequences and speculation - June 21

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Mon, 2010-06-21

-The Gulf Oil Spill -- Methane May Hold Clue To Past Extinction
-Oil groups expect rethink on drill moratorium
-Gulf Oil Spill: Officials Predict Mental Health Problems Similar To Post-Valdez Alaska

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Natural gas - June 21

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Mon, 2010-06-21

-The Costs of Natural Gas, Including Flaming Water

A grim outlook for emissions as climate talks limp forward

Syndicated from Energy Bulletin on Mon, 2010-06-21

Those who thought the failed Copenhagen climate talks last December were a diplomatic nadir, from which only recovery was possible, are in for a shock. Since then, efforts to refloat the talks have seen a lot of ballast thrown overboard — including most of the scientific underpinnings of a deal to protect the world from dangerous warming.