Delusions of Finance: Where We are Headed
February 9, 2010
by Gail Tverberg
Back in October, I participated in the 2nd International Biophysical Economics Conference at SUNY-ESF in Syracuse, New York. Charlie Hall had written to me, inviting me to come and give a talk. Specifically, he wanted me to go back to my post from January 2008 called Peak Oil and the Financial Markets: A Forecast for 2008 and explain why my forecasts had turned out pretty close to correct, while many others widely missed the mark. The title he suggested for the talk was Delusions of Finance.
New Version
February 8, 2010
I seem to be unable to stop improving upon the last version. A list for Version 1.5 is in the works, 1.4 having been skipped due to way too many changes to justify time spent on such menial differences compared to the previous version. SO! Soon to come is a list for v 1.5, a gem IMO.
If you would like the newest version, leave a comment, send an email with your mailing address.
OVERSHOOT track info
February 2, 2010
Version 1.3 Below are links to information about and audio of the speaker(s).
1. James Howard Kunstler on the KunstlerCast
2. The Good Times are Killing Me by Modest Mouse
3. Matthew Stein interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
4. Matthew Stein interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
5. Matthew Stein interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
6. Paul Ehrlich lecture The Dominant Animal
7. Paul Kingsnorth interviewed by Alex Smith on Radio Ecoshock
8. KMO of the C-Realm Podcast reading a quote by Tim Bennett
9. Frank Rotering interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
10. Frank Rotering interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
11. Paul Kingsnorth interviewed by Alex Smith on Radio Ecoshock
12. Richard Heinberg lecture
14. James Howard Kunstler interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
15. Good Morning Beautiful by the Deftones
16. Richard Heinberg interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
17. Bill Wilson interviewed by Janaia Donaldson on Peak Moment TV
18. Charlie Hall interviewed by Janaia Donaldson on Peak Moment TV
19. Charlie Hall interviewed by Janaia Donaldson on Peak Moment TV
20. Charlie Hall interviewed by Janaia Donaldson on Peak Moment TV
21. Jay Hanson interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
22. Jay Hanson interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
25. Michael Parenti’s Hidden Ideology of the News Media
26. Michael Parenti’s Hidden Ideology of the News Media
27. Alex Smith on Radio Ecoshock
28. Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime by Beck
29. Jim Kunstler interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
30. Old Future by John Gorka
31. Sally Erickson interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
32. Colin Duncan interviewed by C.S. Soong on Against the Grain
33. Paul Kingsnorth interviewed by Alex Smith on Radio Ecoshock
34. Richard Heinberg interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
35. Hole in the Earth by the Deftones
36. Richard Heinberg interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
37. Colin Duncan interviewed by C.S. Soong on Against the Grain
38. Rick Munroe interviewed by Kathleen Petty on CBC Radio
40. Dmitry Orlov interviewed on Radio Ecoshock
41. David Blume interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
42. Adam Schick of Linnea Farm interviewed on Deconstructing Dinner
43. Bill Wilson interviewed by Janaia Donaldson on Peak Moment TV
44. Paul Ehrlich lecture The Dominant Animal
45. Nothing (But Flowers) by Talking Heads
46. Charles Eisenstein interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
47. Charles Eisenstein interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
48. Dmitry Orlov interviewed by Alex Smith on Radio Ecoshock
49. Charles Eisenstein interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
50. James Howard Kunstler interviewed by Duncan Crary on the KunstlerCast
51. Michael P. Byron interviewed by Alex Smith on Radio Ecoshock
OVERSHOOT track info
January 27, 2010
Version 1.2 Click the links below for more info on the speaker(s) and/or access to the full interview. Reproduce and redistribute these at will.
1. James Howard Kunstler on the KunstlerCast
2. The Good Times are Killing Me by Modest Mouse
3. Frank Rotering interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
4. Paul Kingsnorth interviewed by Alex Smith on Radio Ecoshock
5. Matthew Stein interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
6. Albert Bates interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
7. Matthew Stein interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
8. Matthew Stein Reality Report
9. Frank Rotering C-Realm Podcast
10. Frank Rotering C-Realm Podcast
11. Paul Kingsnorth Radio Ecoshock
13. James Howard Kunstler interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
14. Good Morning Beautiful by the Deftones
15. Richard Heinberg interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
16. Charlie Hall interviewed by Janaia Donaldson on Peak Moment TV
19. Jay Hanson interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
21. Richard Heinberg lecture available here
23. Bill Wilson interviewed by Janaia Donaldson on Peak Moment TV
24. Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime by Beck
25. Jim Kunstler interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
26. Old Future by John Gorka
27. Colin Duncan interviewed by C.S. Soong on Against the Grain
28. Paul Kingsnorth Radio Ecoshock
29. Hole in the Earth by the Deftones
30. Colin Duncan ATG
31. Richard Heinberg lecture
32. Rick Munroe interviewed by Kathleen Petty on CBC Radio
34. Colin Duncan ATG
35. Dmitry Orlov in a presentation to the Long Now Foundation
36. Dmitry Orlov Long Now Foundation
37. David Blume interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
38. Adam Schick of Linnea Farm interviewed on Deconstructing Dinner
40. Nothing (But Flowers) by Talking Heads
41. KMO of the C-Realm Podcast reading a quote by Tim Bennett
42. Charles Eisenstein interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
43. Dmitry Orlov interviewed by Alex Smith on Radio Ecoshock
44. Charles Eisenstein C-Realm
45. Sally Erickson interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
46. James Howard Kunstler C-Realm
47. Frank Aragona of the Agroinnovations Podcast
OVERSHOOT track info
January 9, 2010
Version 1.1 Click the links below for more info on the speaker(s) and/or access to the full interview. Reproduce and redistribute these at will.
1. The Good Times are Killing Me by Modest Mouse
2. Frank Rotering interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
3. Paul Kingsnorth interviewed by Alex Smith on Radio Ecoshock
4. Albert Bates interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
5. Frank Rotering C-Realm Podcast
6. Matthew Stein interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
7. Matthew Stein Reality Report
8. Frank Rotering C-Realm Podcast
9. Paul Kingsnorth Radio Ecoshock
11. James Howard Kunstler interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
12. Good Morning Beautiful by the Deftones
13. Richard Heinberg interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
14. Charlie Hall interviewed by Janaia Donaldson on Peak Moment TV
17. Jay Hanson interviewed by Jason Bradford on the Reality Report
19. Richard Heinberg lecture available here
21. Bill Wilson interviewed by Janaia Donaldson on Peak Moment TV
22. Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime by Beck
23. Jim Kunstler interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
24. Old Future by John Gorka
25. Colin Duncan interviewed by C.S. Soong on Against the Grain
26. Colin Duncan ATG
27. Paul Kingsnorth Radio Ecoshock
28. Hole in the Earth by the Deftones
29. Colin Duncan ATG
30. Richard Heinberg lecture
31. Rick Munroe interviewed by Kathleen Petty on CBC Radio
33. Colin Duncan ATG
34. Dmitry Orlov in a presentation to the Long Now Foundation
35. Dmitry Orlov Long Now Foundation
36. David Blume interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
37. Adam Schick of Linnea Farm interviewed on Deconstructing Dinner
39. Nothing (But Flowers) by Talking Heads
40. KMO of the C-Realm Podcast reading a quote by Tim Bennett
41. Charles Eisenstein interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
42. Dmitry Orlov interviewed by Alex Smith on Radio Ecoshock
43. Charles Eisenstein C-Realm
44. Sally Erickson interviewed by KMO on the C-Realm Podcast
45. James Howard Kunstler C-Realm
46. Frank Aragona of the Agroinnovations Podcast
Who Then Will Lead Us?
December 23, 2009
by Dan Allen
The Land of Make Believe
Our leaders have failed us. Our leaders are failing us. Our leaders will continue to fail us. As the farce of the 2009 Copenhagen climate summit recedes, the failure of our leadership stands naked before us — again. But only ever-so-briefly, before ducking back behind the glossy ad-campaign facade of empty promises and false hope. Other failures will follow. This is certain. “That’s OK!” we scream. “Just keep telling us what we want to hear! Tell us everything’s gonna be OK!” For we still live in The Land of Make Believe. …But ever more tenuously now, as the cracks in the veneer of normalcy widen ominously. We have a make-believe economy using fairy-dust money to manufacture an imaginary recovery. We’re fighting two wars with an imaginary national credit card. We have a national energy policy based entirely on imaginary technology and imaginary resources. We have a climate policy which will likely require wholesale migration to an imaginary planet. Enough already. It is time – past time – to ask ourselves the necessary questions: Who will step forward to restore sanity to our lives? Who will provide us the real leadership necessary to extricate ourselves from the delusional madhouse our culture has become? If our leaders will not lead us to a livable future, then who will?
Copenhagen Shmopenhagen
December 18, 2009
Don’t worry! Climate Change will reduce greenhouse gas emissions! Rising sea levels will inundate cities along coastlines which will result in the partial collapse of industrial civilization and those doomsday “business as usual” forecasts will never happen! Think food. Think soil. Think compost. As of now, we are dependent on industrial civilization for absolutely everything. So get ready.
The Human Ecology of Collapse, Part One: Failure is the Only Option
December 10, 2009
Part One: Failure is the Only Option
…A great many people aware of the limits to fossil fuels, for example, have assumed that the question that needs answering is how to sustain a modern industrial society on alternative energy.
Ask that, though, and you’re back in the Waste Land, because any answer you give to that question is wrong. The question that has to be asked is whether a modern industrial society can exist at all without vast and rising inputs of essentially free energy, of the sort only available on this planet from fossil fuels, and the answer is no. Once that’s grasped, other useful questions come to mind – for example, how much of the useful legacy of the last three centuries can be saved, and how – but until you get past the wrong question, you’re stuck chasing the mirage of a replacement for oil that didn’t take a hundred million years or so to come into being.
…Beneath all the yelling, though, are a set of brutal facts nobody is willing to address. Whether or not the current round of climate instability is entirely the product of anthropogenic CO2 emissions is actually not that important, because it’s even more stupid to dump greenhouse gases into a naturally unstable climate system than it would be to dump them into a stable one. Over the long run, the only level of carbon pollution that is actually sustainable is zero net emissions, and getting there any time soon would require something not far from the dismantling of industrial society and its replacement with something much less affluent. Now of course we would have to do this anyway, since the world’s fossil fuel supplies are depleting fast enough that production limits will begin to bite hard in the years and decades ahead, but this simply sharpens the point at issue.
Hagbard’s Law
December 3, 2009
by John Michael Greer
Still, I find myself wondering if Hagbard’s Law plays a much bigger role here than any deliberate plan. The global warming story, if you boil it down to its bones, is the kind of story our culture loves to tell – a narrative about human power. Look at us, it says, we’re so mighty we can destroy the world! The peak oil story, by contrast, is the kind of story we don’t like – a story about natural limits that apply, yes, even to us. From the standpoint of peak oil, our self-anointed status as evolution’s fair-haired child starts looking like the delusion it arguably is, and it becomes hard to avoid the thought that we may have to settle for the rather less flattering role of just another species that overshot the carrying capacity of its environment and experienced the usual consequences.
Did you get a CD? Now SHARE it. Or reproduce it.
November 25, 2009
Here is a list of some of the speakers, artists and links for more info on them. (In the works, and may not get around to it for a while.)
Check out the links on the right hand side of the page for more info. Leave a comment and perhaps an email address and maybe a discussion may begin online and/or off.
TV and Hollywood are a waste of highly valuable time. Learn to value time over money and walk out of a shitty movie (like 2012–which was composed of a few scattered CGI sequences buffered by vast quantities of filler. Of garbage. Of total waste).
Compost Humanure. (Humanure Handbook link over there –>)
