A sad but well written piece about the problems residents of Detroit face on a daily basis appeared in the Detroit News today. When I was young, over 20 years ago, my parents left the City. Not because they no longer loved it, but because they wanted my and my sister’s childhood to resemble theirs [...]
Posts Tagged ‘survival’
Detroit’s continued troubles
Posted: 10th September 2009 by Dave in culture, politicsTags: civil rights, economy, survival
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More on the LA Wildfires
Posted: 2nd September 2009 by Brant in culture, politics, science, techTags: California, disaster, Los Angeles, survival
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From Standish, Michigan (see the previous post) to Los Angeles. I have lived in Northern Michigan and also in LA. The Station Fire in Los Angeles is amazing and far larger and closer to heavily populated areas than any I saw when I lived there. Amazing pictures of the blaze are available, as usual, from [...]
Are we beginning the big collapse?
Posted: 11th July 2009 by Brant in biz, culture, politicsTags: biz, economy, Orlov, survival, Wall Street
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That is, are we at the cusp of a truly calamitous collapse of the entire economic and social order of the past couple of hundred years. Our economy has developed based, in large part, on the availability of relatively cheap energy in the form of petroleum. Some believe, with good reason, that the days of [...]
Bruce Sterling reboots
Posted: 3rd July 2009 by Brant in culture, techTags: economy, politics, survival, tech
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Here is Bruce Sterling’s closing talk at the recent reboot festival is below. He offers his views on the future (or at least the next 10 years). It appears that the future isn’t what it used to be.
Social collapse best practices
Posted: 4th May 2009 by Brant in biz, culture, politicsTags: economy, survival
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Dmitry Orlov has made a name for himself predicting economic and social collapse. He was profiled recently in The New Yorker, and here is a talk he gave in February, 2009, to the Long Now Foundation in San Francisco. His blog is a must read.
A scary thing happened
Posted: 30th April 2009 by Brant in cultureTags: kids, media, survival, terror
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That is the name of a coloring book created by FEMA, supposedly to help kids deal with catastrophes. You be the judge. The cover is below. (h/t ANIMAL)
Another interesting film about American food production
Posted: 30th April 2009 by Brant in biz, cultureTags: food, health, survival
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If you liked Supersize Me, King Corn, Fast Food Nation, Our Daily Bread or any of the other recent food production films, you will probably like Food Inc., coming out in June. If it is recommended by Alice Waters, that’s good enough for me.
Victor Vinge: Singularity by 2030
Posted: 27th April 2009 by Brant in science, techTags: future, survival, tech
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If you have never heard of the sinularity, you are in for a surprise. The concept is that humans, in the near future, will either become or create super-intelligent beings, biological or technical. Once this happens, humans as currently understood will not have the mental ability to even understand what these beings are doing and [...]
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Times are tough in Detroit. But one man shows initiative and sells raccoons as food. When selecting the best raccoon carcass for the special holiday roast, both the connoisseur and the curious should remember this simple guideline: Look for the paw. “The paw is old school,” says Glemie Dean Beasley, a Detroit raccoon hunter and [...]
Mexican drug war photos
Posted: 26th March 2009 by Brant in culture, politics, sadTags: drugs, survival
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The Big Picture has a spread of incredible photos documenting the vicious drug war underway in Mexico. Be warned: some are quite graphic, but you have to click through to get them.
A sheriff draws a line
Posted: 13th March 2009 by Brant in biz, politicsTags: economy, survival, Wall Street
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People are losing their homes. What does this mean in the real world? Newsweek takes a look at one sheriff in Cook County who will do no more foreclosures. Why did he stop? It’s hard to explain; that’s why I always encourage people to come out with me. Until you’re physically out there, you can’t [...]
Shopping goes bleak
Posted: 13th March 2009 by Brant in culture, funTags: economy, survival, Wall Street
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Yes, bleak. As Mark Morford explicates: One fine and sunny Saturday just recently, I visited a sparkly new Lowe’s home-improvement megastore to spec out a replacement oven for my apartment, an experience I was dreading not merely because it was the last place I wanted to spend a pristine Saturday, but because on weekends those [...]
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Check out this cool recreation of the Hudson River landing of US Airways flight 1539.
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The Consumerist has found what it thinks is the worst food ever. I agree, in that the idea of the food itself (pork brains in milk gravy) is revolting. To add insult to injury, it provides 1170% of your daily requirement of cholesterol.
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The Cunning Realist notes that one effect of an economic downturn can be to turn people away from shallow materialism toward the values that matter and reward, like family, saving, and performing your own home activities. During the Bush years, I often wondered how many on the Religious Right understood the irony in supporting an [...]