Every extractive capitalist economy needs a mechanism that allows corporate heavyweights to snuggle up with elected officials. In the US, there’s American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), and if you haven’t yet been horrified by Bill Moyers’ piece on how ALEC essentially enables corporations to write state laws, you’re in for
Continue readingAuthor: Beth
Boreal Citizen: The bumpy road to Boomer responsibility
Is there a Baby Boomer so dim in this land of rackets and swindles who thinks that he or she will escape the wrath of the Millennials rising? The developing story is so obvious that only an academic economist could fail to notice. – James Howard Kunstler, Democratic Underground This
Continue readingBoreal Citizen: Bagel on a string: Collapse and the case for simplicity
When we talk about complexity, resources and economic decline, it seems we’ve learned nothing from history. In his talk in Barcelona, [Joseph] Tainter gave the example of the Roman Empire during the 3rd century A.D. At that time the empire faced a serious military crisis: invasions of foreign peoples and
Continue readingBoreal Citizen: Women’s rights, religion and the population crisis
World population has increased from under 1-billion in 1800 to over 7-billion today–that’s just over 200 years. So that’s an extraordinary rate of population increase. If we saw that in any other species, we’d say, “Wow, that species is headed for a crash.” We don’t think that way when we
Continue readingBoreal Citizen: From the mouths of Muppets: Why climate solutions are “simply not done”
Last month, while reading and reviewing Too Much Magic, I came across a line in the latter half of the book that really stung: “Not even people who are preoccupied with climate change like to think about it anymore.” It hurts because it’s true. I’m tired, and disheartened by the
Continue readingBoreal Citizen: Nonsense Alert: When Canadian journalists succumb to climate denial folly
I don’t want to be one of those grandpas who spoils the grandkids with a habitable planet. It’s the same reason I will not buy life insurance. I get hit by a bus and my family gets rich? Sorry, I don’t want anybody happy at my funeral. –Stephen Colbert’s facetious
Continue readingBoreal Citizen: Is “Mom Culture” Hindering Homemaking?
It’s no secret that some homemaking activities–gardening, cooking and preserving food, building things from recycled materials, for example–are good for the planet. Households with at least one homemaker (or two part-time workers) are generally less resource-intensive, often requiring fewer vehicles and less driving time. A less harried lifestyle usually means
Continue readingBoreal Citizen: Book Review: Too Much Magic
While I enjoy reading the works of James Howard Kunstler, I’m always hesitant to talk or write about them. His low-tech vision of the future seems too far out there…his predictions too cynical, his outlook too pessimistic. And then a news story will grab my attention and make me wonder
Continue readingBoreal Citizen: Ten NEWER Favourites
For the first blog post of the new year, I decided to keep things upbeat. Last year’s Favourites post was a big hit for some reason…maybe because we’re all secretly annoyed by Oprah. (Seriously, don’t give me the “happiness from within” speech on every show and then lavish your hysterical
Continue readingBoreal Citizen: Occupy the MP Party / A Harper Year in Review
Parliament is winding down, and it’s getting close to Christmas…do you know where your politicians are? Most likely they’re boarding a plane and heading back home to sip egg nog with their constituents. Which has me thinking, why should Conservative MPs enjoy such a festive holiday when we citizens are
Continue readingBoreal Citizen: The Long-eared Approach to Local, Humanely Raised Meat
Success in keeping a happy flock of laying hens invariably leads to more than just an abundance of eggs…it can lead to overconfidence. We have a tendency to say, “Well, this is working out nicely. What’s next?” The joke among poultry enthusiasts is that chickens are a “gateway animal”—mail order
Continue reading