We Can Solve It dot Org

November 18, 2008

I ran across the link for a site called We Can Solve It dot Org which is a project of Al Gore’s Alliance for Climate Protection and has a goal of Repowering America with 100% clean electricity within 10 years. Whichever side one takes on the issue of man made global warming (real or not), in terms of national security the goal makes quite a bit of sense, so I thought I’d post about the site and give them a link.


Now showing- Peter Joseph’s Zeitgeist the movie sequel- Zeitgeist addendum

October 6, 2008

I’m right now watching the newly released feature length sequel to Zeitgeist: the movie- Zeitgeist addendum. Here’s a link and embed where you can watch along. So far, it appears to be mostly about the economic issues covered in part 3 of zeitgeist in more detail, but I’m not too far into it yet.

The Venus Project and its founder, Jacque Fresco, feature fairly prominently in the second half of the movie, so you might want to give their site a visit.

spoiler alert:

my gist notes/quotes from the end solutions below-

Actions for social transformation:

1.) expose the banking fraud (Fed Cartel)
boycott Citibank, JP Morgan Chase and Bank of America

2.) boycott the news networks
CNN, ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, etc.
use and protect the internet

3.) boycott the military

4.) boycott the energy companies
get off the grid and make your home and car self sustainable

5.) reject the political system
focus on working to dissolve the outdated system of Politics, in favor of technological redesign

6.) create critical mass

thezeitgeistmovement.com


Green jobs now national day of action- this Saturday

September 26, 2008

Check out greenjobsnow.com and their upcoming national action day on Saturday- even if the debate doesn’t happen on Friday.

We are ready to tackle the climate crisis by building a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty.

Green Jobs Now is a National Day of Action that will empower everyday people to stage hundreds of grassroots events throughout the country. We will have a special focus on low-income communities, communities of color and indigenous people. This will send a message to our leaders that, when it comes to creating green jobs for a more sustainable economy, PEOPLE ARE READY!

Right now, there are millions of people ready to work and countless jobs to be done that will strengthen our economy at home. There are thousands of buildings that need to be weatherized, solar panels to be installed, and wind turbines to be erected. There are communities that need local and sustainable food and people ready to farm the crops. There are public transit systems and smart electricity grids in need of engineers and electricians. Americans are ready to build the new economy. It’s time to invest in saving the planet and the people. It’s time for green jobs now!


US and EU close to sharing their datamines, Wall Street wants to continue oil speculation

June 29, 2008

I wanted to make a new post in honor of my stat counter being about to rolling over the 50K mark. Basically, it’s just the same old story, though. Greed and an increasingly Big Brotherlike world. I wish I had something more heartening to post at the moment. I’ll keep looking.

U.S. and EU near deal on sharing data

The United States and the European Union are nearing completion of an agreement that would allow law enforcement and security agencies to obtain private information – including credit card transactions, travel histories and Internet browsing habits – about people on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.

and Sweden, a member nation of the EU has just passed its new law allowing

all cross-border internet and telephone traffic to be monitored

.

Wall Street

Lobbies to Protect Speculative Oil Trades
(E)xecutives from Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley, two of Wall Street’s largest investment banks, made the case that their multibillion-dollar investments in energy contracts have not led to higher oil prices.

I made up a little NNDB map of some of the top oil, securities and banking board interlocks. It’s nowhere near as big as some of the other board interlock maps I’ve worked on in the past since it is focused on a few narrow segments rather than the bigger picture.

Separately, lobbyists for the International Swaps and Derivatives Association (ISDA) and other financial entities such as hedge funds roamed through congressional office buildings this month and, in the Senate, left behind short policy statements that defended the current state of regulation. “Blaming speculation for the increase in energy prices is to confuse causation and correlation,” one of the documents said.

A second document, or “talker,” asserted: “Congress and regulators have acted to strengthen oversight of the energy markets. Give the new authorities time to work.”

But time is running short. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency that regulates oil trading, has drawn the increasing ire of lawmakers for exempting financial firms from rules that limit speculative buying, a prerogative usually reserved for airlines and trucking companies that need to lock in future fuel costs. The CFTC has also waived regulations on U.S. investors who trade commodities on some overseas markets, allowing them to accumulate large quantities of the future oil supply by making purchases on lightly regulated foreign exchanges.

ETA:
So, I went looking for posts about solutions to add a bit on to this post; here’s what I’ve got…
The World’s Worst Problems Can Be Solved
The Orion Project: Energy. Humanity. Hope.
Private surfing
Lawns To Gardens Episode 5: Worm Poop


TG Daily- Affordable 150 MPG car coming soon

June 28, 2008

This car looks pretty cool, doesn’t it?

affordable 150 MPG car
It’s a gas/electric hybrid with solar panels on the roof and pedals in the passenger seats (in case the sun isn’t shining and someone wants to help give the battery a little boost. The prototype is on display in Hungary, production is scheduled for 2012.